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Anti-heroes of the Bible
If there's one thing a geek loves, it's an anti-hero. We like the tough-as nails protagonist who plays by his own rules, takes no guff, and gets the job done even though the authority figures never give him an ounce of support. It's a fantasy of ours because we can relate to being an outcast.
As geeks, we do play by our own rules. We don't do what normal people do, watch what they watch, listen to what they listen to. But unlike the anti-heroes, when we go our own way we catch flack for it. That's why we like seeing people who get away with what we can't and say what we wish we could. We admire people who turn the world upside down, because that's what we'd love to do. That's why we love us some anti-heroes.
Naturally, this can make geek parents nervous. Instead of being into wholesome heroes like Superman, we gravitate towards the dark and edgy heroes, the ones who set a bad example and never brush their teeth, eat their vegetables, or clean their rooms. These heroes use naughty language and do horrible things, and they're the good guys? It can boggle the mind.
Let's take a look at some of these anti-heroes:
I am the terror that flaps in the night!
We have Batman, who is a dark, brooding vigilante who is not afraid to knock a few heads to get the job done, especially when Frank Miller is writing him. Even in Christian Bale form, violence is always the soltion.
You know he's a gentleman because he wears a hat.
From the epic comic book miniseries Watchmen, we have Rorschach. He blurs the line between hero and sociopathic serial killer, and his 2-0 score in prison is chilling in both comic and movie format.
Quick with a stake, heavy ordinance, or pop-culture references.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer might be the front line in the war on the undead, but she is constantly defying authority, be it her mother, the school principal, law enforcement, or the U.S. government. And there was the time she blew up her school.
Making suspenders sexy is part of his bad-boy charm.
Captain Malcolm Reynolds might fight for the underdog, but he has no problem doing an honest day's smuggling and thumbing his nose at the authorities when given the chance.
When they say 'I love you,' just answer 'I know.' Works every time.
No geek anti-hero list is complete without Han Solo, another smuggler just in it for the money. He shot first, Princess, and don't you forget it.
The list goes on and on. In fact, you are hard pressed these days to find a hero who is actually pretty noble, and it's been that way for some time. Growing up in church, I heard many Christians decry the notion of anti-heroes because how could someone be heroic if they were devoid of values and decency? Clearly, we needed a better, more "Christian" alternative.
If you grew up in church, chances are you were told that you shouldn't look up to these worldly heroes, you should revere Bible heroes. Some of you may have even been given Bible action figures and watched animated cartoons based on Bible stories. Who needs the likes of Batman when you've got your very own hero like Samson? Ah, Samson. He was the hero of choice for many Christian parents, kids, and Vacation Bible Schools.
Let's talk about Samson. If ever there was a Biblican anti-hero, it was him. Other than being very good at killing bad guys, the Bible doesn't have many positive things to say about this guy. Every story revolves around his arrogance and entitled attitude. If you want to see how completely lacking in empathy he was, look at the account of his wedding.
Samson supposedly falls in love with a woman who happened to be a Philistine, the sworn enemies of Israel. Now, this could have been an opportunity to broker peace, bring them over to the good guys. Instead, Samson treats her poorly and humiliates her and her family. Events escalate, she and her family are killed, and Samson goes on a huge killing spree. He never regrets his actions, just what those mean people did to him..
This is classic sociopath behavior, when all you can think about is yourself and you lack empathy for anyone else. naturally, you'd think someone like this would be a poor example for the kids, but Samson is just as famous as anyone else in the Bible. Even people who don't know anything about the Bible can tell you about Samson, he's that famous.
And he's that famous, I would argue, because he's an anti-hero. He's a Bible character we can relate to. Who hasn't offended everyone at a wedding and then had to kill a thousand people with a donkey jawbone? At the very least, who hasn't made a string of bad decisions that got out of hand? Who hasn't struggled with the right choice and the one that seems like a good idea at the time. And who hasn't had that fatal flaw that made them their own worse enemy.
The thing about anti-heroes is that they are often felled by their own pride. We all know the story of Samson and Delilah. He would lose his strength if he cut his hair, and of course he tells this to Delilah, an agent provocateur of the Philistines. (You remember them, he has a habit of killing them with unconventional weapons.) Normally, you'd want to keep vital intel out of enemy hands, but Samson had always been a sucker for a pretty face and tells her his secret. That's when he realizes that God was serious about the no haircuts rule.
Samson Smash!
He screws up, gets captured, blinded, and is chained up in a Philistine temple for the entertainment of others. But, like all anti-heroes, Samson's story ends with redemption. In the end, he finally understands the errors of his ways, and he asks God for his strength back. He promises this time he'll use it wisely. God un-grounds him, and Samson uses his returned strength to pulls down the temple and kills everyone inside including himself.
That's why he's a hero. Yes, it took losing everything, including his sight, for him to see clearly. He did in the end. That's the point. Anti-heroes come around. The bad boy becomes the knight in shining armor and saves the day.After a string of wrong choices, they make the one choice that totally redeems themselves.
Samson isn't the only Bible character with shady behavior. We could talk about Jacob or even King David. Not to mention Jonah, Noah, and Moses. The Bible writers pulled no punches in talking about their many sins, giving us heroes just as, if not even more, flawed than our modern anti-heroes. And if the Bible doesn't give these guys the Sunday School treatment, why do we?
I find it silly when Christians try to perpetuate the idea that we need to isolate ourselves from these modern heroes because they are a bad influence or too secular. What often happens is an effort to idealize or sanitize the very real flaws of our Biblical heroes so they are more palatable children's entertainment, and it can be quite a shock to the system when those kids actually read the Bible and see all the parts these Christian cartoons left out. It's not exactly inspirational if the story itself is a lie.
Our heroes aren't perfect, nor should they be. They are heroes because they are imperfect, because they often fight against themselves just as much as the bad guy. They are heroes because they can wind up doing good in this world even if they have very different agendas. Even when it comes to the Bible, these heroes are very flawed, very complicated, and very human. They needed grace, as do we.
The good news is that God gives us just as much grace as He gave those anti-heroes. That's kind of the whole point of the Gospel message. All of us are an anti-hero in some way. We struggle against our own issues and flaws, we might chafe against authority and want to do things our own way, we don't like to play by the rules. Just as Jesus called some pretty shady characters to follow Him back then, He calls us to follow Him today, warts and all.
That's why it's silly to ignore the stories of these anti-heroes. In the end, they usually find redemption and may even lay down their lives to save their friends. Besides, sometimes we don't need Sunday School Batman. Sometimes, we just need Batman.
You just know there's s a pastor turning this into a sermon illustration.
Images courtesy of wikipedia.
If you want to see more of my writing, check out Guardians of Suncast Dale, a satirical fantasy adventure on Kindle. You can even read it for free here. In addition, I fancy myself a writer of Christian scripts. Feel free to peruse.
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Posted by Charles B. French at 11:37 AM
Labels: anti-hero, Batman, Bible, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Christian Geek, culture, Han Solo, Malcolm Reynolds, Rorschach, Samson, Sunday School
Jandi Bug January 8, 2017 at 4:55 PM
This article is very spot on. It was a good read. :)
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DVD Movie Review: Oddsockeaters
By Thom Compton 21.03.2018
Oddsockeaters (UK Rating: PG)
Oddsockeaters - released across the UK via Thunderbird Releasing on 26th March - is a children's animated film from the Czech Republic that answers the often pondered question, "Where do our socks go?" It's not the strongest premise and, unsurprisingly, it doesn't really hold up. What results is a children's movie that may hold the attention of much younger children, but after the age of six or so, it's likely to leave children feeling a bit too bored.
The film follows Hugo, a young Oddsockeater that discovers he has family living in a villa after the passing of his grandfather. He manages, in the process, to get himself involved in a war between ethical Oddsockeaters and an immoral gang that believes in stealing the whole pair of socks. It would be a modest lesson on sharing for a children's flick if it weren't so poorly managed.
The first problem is the Oddsockeater's themselves, who are remarkably creepy. Looking like some David Lynch nightmare, it's hard to really care what happens to these monsters when they are so difficult to look at. Additionally, thanks to the film being dubbed, the dialogue is delivered at a rapid and sometimes unintelligible pace, making it tough to often follow what's even happening. This is epitomised by the Professor who has spent his entire life trying to prove the existence of the Oddsockeaters. His time on-screen is insufferable, his behaviour erratic, and his dialogue delivered with the express purpose of getting it out of the way as quickly as possible.
There's also a surprising lack of consistency, even for a children's piece. Sure, children's movies can often leap logic without much regard because kids don't typically care. However, in Oddsockeaters, the logic leaps result in just bad storytelling, and while your kids may not care, it doesn't excuse them. The most obvious one is why the Oddsockeaters hide. When one character discovers that some humans can see them, it makes you wonder why he ever bothered hiding in the first place if he didn't know his life was in danger.
Oddsockeaters is merely passable beyond this. The plot is fairly boring, the characters all speak in the same cadence and, while they sound different, it's too often that they don't sound distinguishable. The jokes generally aren't anything special, and the musical numbers are short and difficult to understand, resulting in the songs sounding like a garbled mess. Oddsockeaters is probably better in its native language but, sadly, this dubbed version is more irritating than anything else.
While it's not the worst movie, Oddsockeaters is largely just messy. It's as though it wasn't planned properly, and everything was thrown together with little regard to whether they made sense as they were or not. While this is unlikely to be the case, it doesn't save Oddsockeaters from being a rather boring film, even when it is working.
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Review: Dragon Star Varnir (PlayStation 4) 0
Sasari reviewed: Cadence of Hyrule – Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo Switch) 30.06.2019
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The President Sinks Into the Cesspool of Vengeance
August 17, 2018 by Llewellyn King Leave a Comment
Just when you think President Trump couldn’t sink any lower, he astounds. He’s bewildering in his ability to sink and then sink further — and all the while to claim success, rectitude and leadership.
This week’s plumbing of the sewers of conduct came in two Trump specials.
First, there was the unbecoming amount of presidential time spent on denigrating Omarosa Manigault-Newman. He knew her well — knew her propensity for infighting, exaggerating and lying — when he hired her on at the White House.
The question is, what was a reality show contestant of no particular ability doing in the White House to begin with?
Whether the president fired her, or his chief of staff did, doesn’t matter. Clearly, there was merit in getting her out of there. That’s now more than clear, when we learn that she was taping conversations in the Situation Room, the sacred heart of the White House.
After a firing, there’s a kind of protocol: You don’t litigate the issue ex post facto, especially in public. You let it rest; those who have been fired anywhere are usually aggrieved and angry.
The executive who did the deed doesn’t then sink into verbal mud wrestling with the dismissed person. One doesn’t do that. But Donald Trump does do that — with relish.
More egregious was his yanking the security clearance of former CIA chief John Brennan. This is vicious, petty, vengeful and strikes at the very basis of civil respect in America.
Security clearances are, at the least, a kind of badge, a medal, a recognition that you have served the country at the highest level of trust.
I’ve known four secretaries of defense, five secretaries of energy, three CIA directors and 12 national laboratory heads. I’ve seen how those now carrying the burden of office have consulted with those who had carried it.
Those who have security clearance, even if they aren’t called upon to use their knowledge often, are a kind of national reserve of expertise in sensitive matters, ready when needed. Others may need security clearance in defense contracting jobs when they leave their government service.
We don’t have civil honors as in Britain. Those with security clearances carry a little honor, a little recognition — and a lot of pride.
While Trump was baring his teeth against the defenseless, like a hyaena afraid of losing its prey, big stuff at home and abroad was what one would’ve thought might have been of commanding interest to the president, including:
A red tide was damaging the ocean life of Florida while hurting its tourism.
California was burning up with the worst fires in history.
The mayhem was continuing in Yemen.
Turkey, a NATO member, was being driven into the arms of Russia, while its failing currency was roiling world markets.
Russia was believed to be preparing to knock out the U.S. electric grid; and it was legitimizing its grasp on Crimea.
China was seizing the South China Sea.
Against these, and other domestic and world crises, Trump was lost to bile and spite.
A friend, a lifetime Republican (small government, fiscal restraint, free trade, strong defense) suggested in conversation this week that the Trump legacy would cost us a generation of lost opportunity in the world. He said it would take that long to get back to old alliances and to the position of respect we have enjoyed in the world.
I disagreed. I think it could take 100 years, perhaps. The rub is one never returns to the status quo ante after upheaval. The earth moves, so to speak.
Consider two historical events with 100-year legacies. The first is the Congress of Vienna, which mapped a peace in Europe that lasted nearly a century. The second is the ill-conceived Treaty of Versailles, the peace document signed at the end of World War I. It led to World War II; and, to this day, it’s at the root of much of the trouble in the Middle East.
Tweeting isn’t communicating, settling scores isn’t governing, handing the world over to Russia and China isn’t what we expect of any president, even a petty one awash in bile.
Photo: NEW YORK, USA – APRIL 13, 2016: Omarosa Manigault speaks at the National Action Network 25th Annual Convention. A former apprentice that has now joined the Administration of President Donald Trump. Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com
Filed Under: King's Commentaries
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Mon, 2018-Mar-05 01:00 UTC
The featured article for Monday, 5 March 2018 is Thorium.
Thorium is a weakly radioactive metallic chemical element with symbol Th and atomic number 90. Thorium metal is silvery and tarnishes black when it is exposed to air, forming the dioxide; it is moderately hard, malleable, and has a high melting point. Thorium is an electropositive actinide whose chemistry is dominated by the +4 oxidation state; it is quite reactive and can ignite in air when finely divided.
All known thorium isotopes are unstable. The most stable isotope, 232Th, has a half-life of 14.05 billion years, or about the age of the universe; it decays very slowly via alpha decay, starting a decay chain named the thorium series that ends at stable 208Pb. In the universe, thorium and uranium are the only two radioactive elements that still occur naturally in large quantities as primordial elements. It is estimated to be over three times more abundant than uranium in the Earth's crust, and is chiefly refined from monazite sands as a by-product of extracting rare-earth metals.
Thorium was discovered in 1829 by the Norwegian amateur mineralogist Morten Thrane Esmark and identified by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius, who named it after Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Its first applications were developed in the late 19th century. Thorium's radioactivity was widely acknowledged during the first decades of the 20th century. In the second half of the century, thorium was replaced in many uses due to concerns about its radioactivity.
Thorium was formerly used as an alloying element in TIG welding electrodes, as a material in high-end optics and scientific instrumentation, and as the light source in gas mantles, but these have become marginal uses. It has been suggested as a replacement for uranium as nuclear fuel in nuclear reactors, and several thorium reactors have been built.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:00 UTC on Monday, 5 March 2018.
For the full current version of the article, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium.
This has been Kendra. Thank you for listening to featured Wiki of the Day.
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Home » Asia » Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Thailand
Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Thailand
Welcome to the land of smiles! Thailand is the land of temples and beaches too. So, I am sure no tourist would leave the country without a smile on the face. Only this statement about the country attracts tourists from far and wide places on the globe. Thailand has developed so much that you can expect any kind of fun and thrill here. In this article, I will take you on the tour of its largest cities namely, the capital and Chiang Mai that are also among the top destinations in the list of attractions in Thailand.
BANGKOK is the metropolis, the commercial hub, and the city of economic and political interactions. The glossy new overland metropolitan railway here is among the top attractions in Thailand, which allows tourists to fly over the muddled scenes. However, the city has also a negative status of boasting traffic congestion and pollution. But, that has been taken care of by the new railway, cheap river boats, and the cheap air-conditioned taxis. Located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, the hotels of Bangkok are at its best here. Further, the site is also the home of the Grand Palace that is a major tourist attraction occupying a huge area and Wat Phra Kaeo that is a temple complex where the Emerald Buddha is the most admired. If you go with the name, you might think that the Buddha statue is adorned with the emeralds, but that is not true. In fact, it is made up of clear green jade.
Thailand Phuket Island
From the Grand Palace, go upwards to explore the lavish Royal Barges that are yet utilized for special processions on the river. Within the city, I am sure you will love to explore a myriad of religious heritages sites – more than 300 Buddhist temple and shrines. Out of these, the most popular are Wat Benchamabophit (Marble Temple), Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), and Wat Trimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha). Wat Pho is among the largest temple complexes holding a series of more than 30 temples out of which the Temple of the Reclining Buddha is the largest. Here, the Buddha’s statue is really a giant one. Relaxing in the gardens encircling the temples is a recommend leisure activity here. There is also the national school for traditional Thai massage here.
Rather than a local market, the Floating Market is among the interesting tourist attractions in Thailand. Other places of interest are Lak Muang (the city stone), the Erawan Shrine where offerings are made, the National Museum in the Suan Pakkard Palace offering an exhibit of valuable antiques, and the former home of the American silk-dealer Jim Thompson who is said to have been disappeared since 1967 and now offering a craft museum with a shop of high-quality and cheap silk items.
Speaking about the excursions, explore the old capital of Ayutthaya upriver and the old summer palace at Bang Pa-In. Within its limits, check out for the stunning edifices like the classic Thai pavilion, a neoclassical palace, a Chinese-style pagoda, and a Buddhist temple bearing many features of a Gothic church. If you drive towards the east of the city, the main highlights are the Ancient City that is an extensive private park with models of the nation’s historic monuments and the temple ruins of the Khmer era besides the Cambodian frontier. And yes, just in the outskirts of the city, do not miss to visit the Rose Garden Country Resort featuring daily performances on Thai music, dance, and games.
CHIANG MAI is located in the far north as the second-largest city. It is a base for excursions to the most ancient and stunning temples, the teak forests and their trailing elephants, caves, waterfalls, and northern hill tribes. Two of the main attractions in Thailand are here – the Doi Suthep temple and elephant trekking. Nestled on a hill, the temple allures you by offering some great city views when the days are clear days. You can reach there either by a funicular or a staircase of 400 steps. Here, the banisters surely demand your attention, which are a mammoth green-and-red finished serpent that twists downwards to meet a dazzling dragon’s head. Elephant trekking is so interesting around the countryside, which have pulled thousands of tourists since the last decade.
From Chiang Mai, consider taking an excursion to explore small villages looping the city famous for the local handicrafts. One of them is the Mae Sa Valley where an elephant training school and a close by orchid farm exist. If possible, take a longer trip to the Doi Inthanon National Park and Chiang Rai that act as the base to reach to the Mekong River and the Golden Triangle. One more great opportunity is to drive to Mae-Hong-Son near Myanmar for trekking or motorcycle touring.
Tags:Thailand
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Awesomenauts is a quirky take on one of the most popular genres in on PC at the minute. It takes everything you love about MOBA – the tactics, the crazy heroes, the way each match has the same rules but is always different – and puts it onto a 2D platform. Think Super Mario merged with League of Legends. It’s a big hit on consoles and something I’ve played an awful lot of in recent months, but I’ve often thought the PC version might be superfluous.
What’s the point in an easy, watered down MOBA experience when there are so many full-featured games out there, and for free? Does it work on PC? Is it worth your money?
Awesomenauts Gameplay Video
Flat DOTA – Awesomenauts is exactly the MOBA you’ve always played, only on a 2D plane. Small droids will make their way across the map, fighting enemies and turrets that they come across. Heroes of all shapes and sizes will battle it out with larger-than-life powers and, in the end, the victor will have blown their way through a bevy of defences and destroyed the enemy tower. The only difference is that it’s a 2D platformer, and that makes all the difference. It works really well. The developers have superbly managed to blend two genres that perhaps aren’t obviously compatible.
Full of Personality – I like games that give you characters to remember, and Awesomenauts offers just that. While your average MOBA title has dozens of beautiful women (often of various colours), huge anthropomorphic animals and muscular men with big weapons (often swords), most of the characters are usually instantly forgettable, especially if you don’t use them very often. Awesomenauts fixes this with cartoon-style humour, memorable catchphrases and fantastic abilities.
Easy Mode – Although against talented players, I strongly believe Awesomenauts could be as complicated as any other MOBA on the market, I think the community in this game is significantly easier to beat than in other games of the genre. Put that down to more accessible nature of the graphics or its availability through Steam perhaps. Either way, I think it’s a good thing. If you just want a casual game, Awesomenauts will treat you better than League of Legends, and if you want a harder game, there’s the option to play with friends as well.
Stylized – Although it’d be hard to say Awesomenauts tops any league when it comes to graphics, the art style is absolutely gorgeous and that goes doubly on PC. At 1080p, at 60FPS, the colours positively shine. My favourite thing was seeing my character’s reflection in the water at the bottom of the map. It was a great reminder that graphics don’t need to be computer-breaking to offer something spectacular, developers just need to offer an art style that’s easy on the eyes and memorable.
It’s Unique – How many people spend their downtime on the internet complaining that the gaming industry never offers anything new? How many of these people bothered to buy Awesomenauts when it came out? Awesomenauts is quite literally one-of-a-kind, offering something entirely unlike other games on the market. Let the internet trolls stew in their sweat and bitter tears, here’s a game that breaks the mould.
Connection Issues – I was slightly upset to see that connection issues I’d experiences on consoles had remained for the PC version of a game. If somebody is about to leave or is having connection issues of their own, it’ll not only affect your immediate surroundings, but your frame rate as well. More than once I found myself cursing some departing player for my unfair death. This far on, it seems this is going to be a permanent problem.
Fewer Characters – While I don’t really see this as a bad thing, the fact that there are few characters in this game than in your average MOBA, and that you’ll need to put some effort into unlocking them (they’re usually rewards for levelling up) might be off-putting to the more ADHD, need-constant-change crowd.
Silent Hero – In all the time I’ve played Awesomenauts – albeit mainly on consoles – I’ve never actually communicated with another human being. On consoles this is to be expected, and that’s true of both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, but on PC I expected something more. Alas, the other players are still dead to the world. Still, they say actions are louder than words, and each game is chock full of deadly, amusing action. Make a friend, attack them with dynamite.
Conclusion : Awesomenauts Review
Awesomenauts on PC manages to live up to its name, without feeling too much heat from the competition. On consoles, this is a game that gives a taste of a genre hardly ever experienced. On PC, it’s fantastic fun and delivers an experience like no other on the market. Is it any wonder that it has such a dedicated community all these months on? Of course, the PC version also seems to offer a graphical boost, as well as (generally) better performance.
"If you’re a fan of the MOBA genre and want something completely but with the potential to match the pressure of full-fledged MOBA games, Awesomenauts is for you."
League of Legends, DOTA 2, Heroes of Newerth, Universal Monsters Online
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http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/politics/op-ed-ndp-and-tories-tied-in-prediction-for-most-seats-in-federal-race/article/438700
Op-Ed: Tories, NDP almost tied in prediction for party to win most seats
Posted Jul 18, 2015 by Ken Hanly
The probability of the Conservatives under leader Stephen Harper winning the next federal election is 50.4, according to a Globe and Mail model.
Ottawa: Canadian House of Commons
While the New Democratic Party(NDP) has a small lead over the Conservatives in recent polls, this does not necessarily mean the NDP will take more seats than the Conservatives. For example, almost doubling support in Alberta from the last election may do little to change the huge margins by which many federal Conservatives win in Alberta. The prediction assumes current conditions, past voting behavior and normal campaign changes.
The Liberals, who had hoped to do well with their young new leader Justin Trudeau have only a 2.9 per cent chance of winning the most seats. However, the probablity of the NDP and Liberals together winning a majority of seats is 97.2 percent. In any European country this would mean the NDP and Liberals should join in a coalition government especially since both are to left of the Conservatives. However, coalitions in Canada are seen as unpopular. Justin Trudeau has insisted he would not form a coalition with the NDP. If the Conservatives do not get a majority they might decide to rule simply as a minority government.
The NDP is often regarded as a spendthrift party since they favor expenditures on social programs. However, historically the data do not support this as shown here. The NDP has never been in power federally so the data for the NDP is of provincial governments. Another article points out that the recent NDP government in Manitoba has seen increasing debt levels and downgrading by Moody's, but there is no comparison with what is happening in other provinces and a couple of examples do not change the overall statistics.
Data from the Poll Tracker show predicted seat results if an election were held now based on a number of recent polls. There are very helpful graphs and charts with the results. There will be 338 seats up for grabs in the House of Commons. To form a majority a party needs 170 seats. The NDP would win 128 seats; the Conservatives, 118 seats; Liberals, 88; Bloc Quebecois, 3; Green Party, 1. The Bloc Quebecois is a separatist party that runs only in Quebec province. The Poll Tracker gives a different result than the Globe simulations but are in the same general range. While the NDP wins over the Conservatives, they are nowhere near a majority position being 42 seats short.
The Liberals gain 27 seats in Ontario compared to 2011. In Manitoba and Saskatchewan the NDP has gained a number of seats despite the NDP being far less popular provincially in Saskatchewan than the conservative Saskatchewan party. A fascinating article at the National Observer shows how Harper's Conservatives might win the election.
Well-known Toronto-based election consultant Warren Kinsella, a former campaign strategist for Jean Chretien predicts : “Harper is going to win [the next election]...Until the progressive side gets its act together, Harper is going to win because [the progressives] are splitting the vote. It’s a perfect cleavage." The left vote is split at least three ways in Canada between the NDP, the Liberals, and the Green Party. Often as the election nears the Liberals will urge leftists in other parties to vote for them as the only practical alternative. In third place this time, that narrative is not likely to work.
Harper is willing to use vicious tactics to win elections. Mike Casey, a veteran Democratic communications consultant in Virignia claims: “Stephen Harper is willing to burn the house down to own the lot. ‘I will bring a gun to a knife fight. You can call foul while you’re lying bleeding on the floor' — that is the kind of ethic.”
Kinsella notes however, that Conservative success is based upon extensive research: “What the Conservatives have been able to do for a decade now is high quality research – the kind of research that only previously Coca-Cola and Procter and Gamble could afford,”
Conservative ad strategists believe that their is no sense directing ads towards people who you know are not going to vote for you. Patrick Muttart, one of Harper's top advisers since 2004, said: “Close campaigns are decided by the least informed, least engaged voters. These voters do not go looking for political news and information. This necessitates brutally simple communication with clear choices that hits the voter, whether they like it or not.” Conservative strategists use an approach called "hypersegmentation" in which party polling identifies voter demands and then ads are designed to appeal to specific segments of the population often with the help of focus groups. Research identifies seniors, working-class suburbanites especially in suburbs of Vancouver and Toronto, and families as the best targets. Policies were adopted to gain their votes to with income splitting for seniors, and families were extended tax credits. The Jewish community was offered full support for Israel.
Muttart even gives names to the different group segments. There are "Zoes" who are young, single, female, progressive downtown apartment-dwellers. Zoes are a lost cause, will never vote Conservative and should be ignored. Conservatives should target their messages to "Steves and Heathers" who are married, Protestant, small business owners with children. They are in their forties and live in the suburbs. They should also target "Eunices," widows in their seventies living on modest pensions. These groups can be usefully targeted with ads designed to entice them to vote Conservative. We will know on election day whether these well-honed techniques can overcome the accumulation of negative baggage the Conservatives have accumulated and the negative effects of a slowing Canadian economy.
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Articles tagged with: hurricane sandy
Disney Corporate »
Disney and USO Provide Entertainment for Sandy Relief Workers
[22 Nov 2012 | No Comment | ]
In a partnership with the USO, Disney Theatrical Group recently arranged for a little entertainment for service workers in New York City to aide with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. The move is part of Disney’s continued efforts to support victims of the storm, which swept through the northeast United States in late October, bringing widespread devastation.
More than 500 service men and women who were temporarily relocated to two armories in New York City received tickets to one of three Disney Broadway productions. Relief workers enjoyed a night of entertainment at …
Disney Donates $250,000 for Disaster Relief for Pets
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Disney has aided in the hurricane relief effort through corporate donations and persuading others to donate through ABC’s Day of Giving. Now, Disney has given another disaster relief donation, this time to help the hurricane’s animal victims. This week, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund donated $250,000 to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which will help to rescue animals from disasters and help IFAW and its partners prepare their personnel for emergencies.
“After a devastating storm like Hurricane Sandy, communities are faced with a shortage of …
Disney/ABC Raises $16.8 Million During Its Day of Giving
[7 Nov 2012 | No Comment | ]
During Disney/ABC’s “Day of Giving” on Monday, November 5, the companies were able to raise more than $16.8 million for the American Red Cross to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy.
The “Day of Giving” was held in addition to The Walt Disney Co.’s previous donation of $2 million, as well as their employee donation matching program, which will match all eligible employee donations to relief funds dollar for dollar.
Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president, Disney/ABC Television Group, said:
Our ‘Day of Giving’ was an enormous success, raising more …
Disney Media »
ABC Declares Monday ‘Day of Giving’ for Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts
We let you know yesterday about the Walt Disney Company’s $2 million donation to Hurricane Sandy relief and rebuilding. This Monday, November 5, ABC will be further aiding with donation efforts for Hurricane Sandy through a ‘Day of Giving’ campaign on their regularly scheduled programming.
“The effects of Hurricane Sandy have impacted millions of people across the entire North East, including many of our co-workers, friends and families,” said Anne Sweeney, President of Disney/ABC Television Group and Co-Chair of Disney Media Networks. “This unprecedented devastation demanded an unprecedented response, so our …
Disney to Donate $2 Million to Hurricane Sandy Relief and Rebuilding Efforts
In light of the recent destruction to the Northeast that has occurred as a result of Hurricane Sandy, the Walt Disney Company announced this week that the company will be making a generous $2 million donation to support Hurricane Sandy relief and rebuilding.
“It’s hard to fathom the utter devastation from this storm,” said Robert Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company. “Thousands of people in the hurricane’s path lost everything and face the daunting challenge of putting their lives and communities back together. We hope this helps provide immediate aid …
Disney Fantasy Damaged by Hurricane Sandy
[29 Oct 2012 | No Comment | ]
The Disney Fantasy sustained some damage due to Hurricane Sandy, reports have announced. While the terrified passengers who were aboard the ship during its tumultuous journey took to the internet to write about their experiences, Disney Cruise Line downplays the damage.
Rebecca Peddie, manager of public affairs for Disney Destinations, said:
Overall, the ship is fine and is currently out sailing a seven-night Western Caribbean voyage. We had minor damage involving some cracked windows and some furniture damage that we have addressed.
However, cruise passengers had a different story to tell. One woman …
Disney Media, Other »
Disney Theatricals Cancels Broadway Performances Due to Hurricane Sandy
Those of us on the East Coast are gearing up for Hurricane Sandy and its effects over the next few days, and in preparation for the storm, Disney Theatrical Productions has canceled several performances of its Broadway productions.
The October 28-29 performances of Newsies, Mary Poppins, and The Lion King will be officially canceled, Disney Theatricals announced this afternoon. The dates/times of the canceled performances are as follows:
Mary Poppins: October 28th at 6:30 PM (New Amsterdam Theater)
The Lion King: October 28th at 6:30 PM (Minskoff Theater)
Newsies: October 29th at 7:30 PM …
A Very Blustery Day Caused by Hurricane Sandy Reroutes Disney Dream and Fantasy Cruises
Editor’s Note: Guest Writer Cari Keebaugh is back this week to give us an update on how the tropics are affecting Disney Cruise Line itineraries. Take it away, Cari!
While Hurricane Sandy isn’t expected to make landfall in Florida, she’s still causing some families to alter their vacation plans.
The Disney Fantasy and the Disney Dream, originally scheduled to make port at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, have both rescheduled. Instead of docking at Disney’s private island, both cruise liners will remain at sea for the day in order to avoid the …
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Alfre Woodard, Chiwetel Ejiofor in 'The Lion King'
California city council bans gender-specific words from city code
Trayvon Martin's mom announces run for office in Miami
Posted May 19 2019 02:33PM EDT
Video Posted May 19 2019 06:22PM EDT
Updated May 19 2019 05:58PM EDT
Sybrina Fulton speaks on stage at "Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story" Screening on July 26, 2018 in Venice, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Paramount Network)
MIAMI (AP) - A mother who turned to activism after the slaying of her black teen son Trayvon Martin has announced she is running for office in Miami.
The Miami Herald reports Sybrina Fulton will be entering the race to join the 13-member board of Miami-Dade County commissioners.
Fulton said in a Saturday statement that she would continue working to end gun violence. She will challenge Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert for the seat that is up for grabs in 2020 because of term limits.
Trayvon's parents head a foundation and have been recognized for their work on gun reform and social justice.
Trayvon was unarmed when shot dead by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who was later acquitted on the grounds of self-defense. His death sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.
Man arrested in homicide of transgender woman in Prince George's County
By fox5dc.com staff
Prince George's County police have made an arrest in the murder of a transgender woman i n Prince George's County. Authorities say they have arrested and charged a Baltimore man in the homicide of 23-year-old Zoe Spears of Northeast, D.C.
Spears was found dead on June 13 shortly before midnight in the 600 block of 59th Avenue in the Fairmount Heights area.
Officials say they do not believe this case is related to the murder of Ashanti Carmon, a transgender woman who was also killed in the Fairmount Heights area. That case remains unsolved.
Updated Jul 18 2019 11:54AM EDT
A federal judge in New York denied bail Thursday to financier Jeffrey Epstein while he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges .
Federal prosecutors argued Epstein was a flight risk after exploiting dozens of girls in New York and Florida in the early 2000s.
The defense wanted him to await trial under house arrest with electronic monitoring at his $77 million Manhattan mansion. They said he would not run and would be willing to pledge a fortune of at least $559 million as collateral.
(AP) -- The first two new Toys R Us stores -- one in Texas, the other in New Jersey -- will open in November as part of a small comeback of the defunct iconic toy chain in the U.S.
Richard Barry, a former Toys R Us executive and now CEO of the new company called Tru Kids Brands, says an online experience will follow. He says brand partners and more details will be announced in coming weeks.
Tru Kids Brands said it has entered a partnership with a startup called b8ta, an experiential retailer to launch what Barry calls an interactive store experience based on a consignment model. Toymakers will pay for space in the stores but will get all the sales. The tech company will also offer brands access to data that will track traffic patterns and other metrics.
K-pop star Samuel's father beaten to death in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Firefighter becomes 200th FDNY member to die from WTC illness
Sally Field, `Sesame Street' to receive Kennedy Center award
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A Multi-Centre Break In Two Of Germany’s Most Popular Cities
Our Travel Specialist, Kevin Johnson, experienced the ease of rail travel in Germany when visiting Dresden and Leipzig recently. Here’s why he’s eager to spend more time in both destinations…
For this trip, we travelled to Germany with Ryanair from Stansted. With regular flights and excellent rail connections, Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig can easily be combined into a multi-city break.
Delightful Dresden
We flew into Berlin Schoenefeld airport on the south side of the city. From there, it is just a two-hour journey by road to Dresden. There is also the option of a rail connection on the S-Bahn service to Berlin Sudkreuz station and then onto Dresden with German rail.
Our first stop in Dresden was at the International Christmas Market, north of the river Elbe. Here, we met Rudiger Zopp who is famous for his traditional Stollen, which we sampled before washing it down with some gluhwein.
We checked into the Maritim Hotel Dresden where our rooms overlooked the Elbe. Maritim hotels are of 4*+ standard and offer their famous breakfast long with excellent facilities including a restaurant, gym, swimming pool and conference centre. A selection of rooms ranging from Comfort to Executive is available, along with adapted rooms.
Our evening walking tour of Dresden included the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Master’s Picture Gallery). It displays around 750 paintings from the 15th to the 18th centuries and includes major Italian Renaissance works, as well as Dutch and Flemish paintings. The gallery is located in both the Zwinger and Semper Building, the former being a palace built in Rococo style.
The tour took us past the Catholic Hofkirche; the Fürstenzug, a mural depicting a mounted procession of the rulers of Saxony; onto the Teressenufer riverside promenade; and to the Frauenkirche. This church displays some original parts along with the reconstructed centre section.
From Dresden, riverside paddle boats offer trips up the Elbe. A wide shoreline on the north side of the river becomes a grassy meadow in summertime, offering a unique picnic area for both locals and tourists.
We visited the Christmas markets in the Neumarkt and Altmarkt before making our way to the Alte Meister restaurant. Here, we were treated to a traditional Dresden menu that featured veal and quince.
Loving Our Time In Leipzig
The following morning, after walking to Dresden Neustadt station, we transferred by rail to Leipzig. This is a comfortable journey on Deutsche Bahn of just under an hour, travelling through gently rolling Sachsen countryside. Wherever possible, a seat reservation is recommended as routes can get very busy at times.
Leipzig main station was a hive of activity as it has a shopping centre incorporated into it. The station is located just to the north of the city centre, a distance of approximately 250m from Augustusplatz and the Opera House. From Augustusplatz, the Old City centre is accessible in minutes.
Our walking tour began on the 28th floor of the Panorama Tower from the offices of the tourist centre, a vantage point to which we would return later in the day for a night time view.
It seemed as though there was a Christmas market around every corner. There are so many alleyways to explore, even thoroughfares within small shopping centres. In any city, I would recommend a walking tour to fully appreciate its history and the location of the buildings and areas of interest.
We visited the churches of Nicholas and Thomas. Both were magnificent buildings, however, the church of Thomas was much quieter than Nicholas. St Thomas is renowned for the Thomas Boys choir which was formed in 1212 and performs three times a week. Johann Sebastian Bach was cantor of St. Thomas Church and directed the choir for nearly 30 years. He was responsible for the city's church music until his death.
We walked through the Specks Hof and Marktplatz with the old town hall and were shown the Coffe Baum museum. I did not realise that the people of Leipzig are known as "Kaffeesachsen" (Coffee-drinkers of Saxony). Coffee has been part of the local culture since the 17th century and the city boasts a number of coffee houses with a long tradition of serving the people of Leipzig.
Afterwards, we made our way to the Auerbachs Keller for lunch. Auerbachs Keller was established in the 15th century and is associated with the German writer Goethe, who was a frequent visitor. There are also references to the legendary magician and astrologer Johann Georg Faust and his barrel ride with Mephisto. The food here is traditional of the Saxony region, with the most popular dish being homemade beef roulade.
Our visit to Leipzig included a private tour of composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s house. The house has been decorated and furnished in the style of the period. We were also treated to a private piano concert featuring the music of Mendelssohn and Bach. Some of our group were apprehensive beforehand, however, we all thoroughly enjoyed our cultural interlude.
After free time enjoying the various Christmas markets and more gluhwein, we were transferred to Leipzig airport for our flight home. This is a journey of around 20 minutes.
I would like to see Dresden again to fully appreciate the work that has gone into restoring its heritage. Also, Leipzig has a number of parks and a canal network that I would like to explore further.
It is also worth noting that Prague is situated just an hour from Dresden and is, therefore, ideal for a multi-city holiday.
If you would like to visit any of the destinations to which Kevin travelled, we can tailor-make a trip to your own requirements. Whether you wish to enjoy a European city break in one place or plan a holiday to various different cities, we can piece everything together for you. Call us on 0800 988 3369 today.
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Ukraine / East - West
New Russian warnings to US on Syria
Russian S-300 and S-400 Will Prevent Washington From ‘Turning Syria Into Yemen’
Earlier this week, the Pentagon carried out a direct attack against Houthi forces for the first time since the Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign against the Iran-backed movement, prompting some to suggest that the Unites States could next target the Syrian Arab Army since it backs groups opposed to Damascus.
Russian newspaper Vzglyad doubted that Syria could become the next Yemen, pointing to a major difference when it comes to these conflicts.
“In Syria, America’s greater engagement even in the form of a total control over [Syrian airspace] is impossible due to the presence of the Russian Aerospace Forces and air defense systems,” the daily suggested.
Evgeny Satanovsky, head of the Moscow-based Middle East Institute, told Vzglyad that all reasonable policymakers in the US have been against a direct conflict with Russia regardless of what some politicians might say.
However, “even if the US Air Force launches airstrikes against Bashar al-Assads forces, it will use cruise missiles. In this case, the airstrikes will become a test for our S-300 system capable of destroying” this type of weapons, he added.
Satanovsky also suggested that cruise missile strikes on coastal radar sites in Yemen are not a prelude to a larger military operation in the Arab country.
“In fact, the Americans are 100 percent opposed to becoming engaged in Yemen, particularly taking into account the fact that the Houthis are fighting against al-Qaeda, not the one that the US supports in Syria and Iraq, but rather a barbaric one responsible for the 2000 attack on the USS Cole in the [Yemeni] port city of Aden. This is why the US evacuated its service personnel and a UAV base,” he explained.
Killing a Republic - Kissinger and Cyprus
Satanovsky added that the United States has boosted its military presence in African countries bordering the Red Sea, including Djibouti, but “prefers not to meddle in Yemen.”
For his part, Semen Bagdasarov, director of the Center for Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, told Vzglyad that “Americans are actively engaged in fighting against the Houthis” through private military companies, which is a “reasonable step” for Washington “with regard to its adversary that represents Iran’s interests.”
Russian air force operates from Iran
Saudi-Led Bombing Kills 11 Civilians in Yemen, While Kerry…
Many in Europe angry with terror and refugees, still western
Yemenis are turning to Russia
Saudi Arabia to build Red Sea bridge to Egypt
An “insight” report on Russian military in Syria
SOURCEsputniknews.com
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Support to provide high-performance computing means GENCI aims to promote the use of supercomputing for the benefit of French scientific communities BIG NATIONAL EQUIPMENT INTENSIVE COMPUTING
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Enzymatic activity in crowded spaces
Living cells are densely crowded systems. Their interior contains a high density of proteins, nucleic acids, and other macromolecules, and it is divided into numerous compartments enclosed by lipid membranes. These cellular compartments, or organelles, form microscopic chemical reactors in which life-sustaining enzymatic reactions take place. Therefore, insight into the behavior of molecules in these complex objects is needed in order to understand living organisms at the microscopic level. Moreover, cellular compartments have recently become an inspiration to the fields of biotechnology and biomedicine. Novel biological nanoreactors encapsulating therapeutic enzymes are designed to replace malfunctioning organelles in the human body or to deliver drugs into cells. For rational design of such constructs, it is critical to understand how enzymatic reactions proceed when confined to crowded microscopic volumes, i.e., to conditions which are very different from those in standard biochemical assays.
Computer simulations can offer unprecedented insights into biomolecular motions and interactions, often going beyond what can be accessed by experimental measurements. However, simulating large constructs, such as a whole nanoreactor, remains a considerable challenge for conventional atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations because the computational costs become prohibitive with the growing size of the system.
In this project, we employed a novel computational approach to simulate the first detailed model of a biological nanoreactor, representing constructs investigated in previous experimental studies. The nanoreactor had a form of a lipid vesicle (8500 lipids) with a diameter of 34 nm. The vesicle was filled with five enzyme molecules (a-chymotrypsin) in the presence of several crowders (bovine serum albumin) and multiple oligopeptide molecules, forming the substrate for the enzymatic reaction. The lattice Boltzmann molecular dynamics (LBMD) simulation technique, which we utilized, allows for describing proteins and lipids with a high level of molecular detail. At the same time, the technique significantly reduces the computational cost since it captures hydrodynamic effects, which strongly influence motions of molecules in a confined space, in an efficient yet accurate way using a lattice-based approach.
(Left) streaming of the fluid around the nanoreactor, (center) a cross section of the nanoreactor showing a cut through the lipid membrane and revealing the various molecules confined inside, (right) examples of our quantitative results on the distributions and motions of molecules in the nanoreactor; the dashed lines in the lower graph show a comparison with dilute conditions without confinement.
Our simulation, which we performed using up to 3375 processor cores at a time, allowed us to characterize the spatial distributions of the different molecules inside the vesicle as well as their diffusion coefficients. These factors govern the probability that an enzyme will meet a substrate and thus they affect the rate of the chemical reaction. Notably, we observed a tendency of proteins to diffuse along- and interact with the inner wall of the vesicle, which highlights the important role of the membrane surface in the nanoreactor. Moreover, we identified interaction patterns of the molecules inside the nanoreactor, and we characterized the sizes of transient protein clusters which formed during the simulation. In addition to the fully detailed model, we performed several simulations with a simplified representation of the membrane as a rigid wall, which allowed us to investigate the effects of switching between protein–wall attraction and repulsion.
The results of our project confirm the capacity of the LBMD technique to simulate protein diffusion in large and realistic systems consisting of many biomolecules surrounded by a membrane. Thus, the project opens the way for simulations of entire organelles or therapeutic constructs to capture the complex biological processes occurring inside them.
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Dr. Laurence Heller
Dr. Laurence Heller Ph D:
The NeuroAffective Relational Model™ (NARM),
An Integrated Trauma Therapy Model
Dr. Laurence Heller, after a long career as a therapist (he co-founded the Gestalt Institute of Denver in 1972, followed by the Rocky Mountain Psychotherapy Institute), developed a therapeutic model that integrates psychotherapy with SE, called The NeuroAffective Relational Model™ or NARM (for more information, please refer to the book Healing Developmental Trauma by Laurence Heller, PhD, and Aline LaPierre, PsyD, North Atlantic Books, 2012).
NARM develops somatic mindfulness in order to sustain the neurovegetative system’s growing capacity to regulate itself. The objective is the reconstruction of a functional unity and connection between the individual’s biological and psychological development. By focusing on the present and the patient’s own resources, it is possible to treat distortions of identity such as low self-esteem, guilt, shame, and chronically negative self-judgment. The processes that distort the interconnection between the two levels, “disconnection” processes that can develop within any realm of personal experience, damage psychology, physiology and the individual’s ability to relate. Using NARM it is possible for the therapist to discredit the client’s deep-seated belief that his or her identity lies within restriction and self-judgment.
The concept of self-regulation has become a topic of fundamental importance in recent years both in neuroscience and psychology. Our natural condition enables us to self-regulate. This means that we are capable of resting when we are tired or of relaxing when we are stressed, and so on. This natural endowment becomes compromised by premature trauma and relational trauma that may occur during developmental years. As a result of this trauma, an individual may lose the natural capacity to self-regulate emotions and physiological functions such as respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and sleep. A disturbance, premature breakdown of this self-regulatory capacity, or even a loss of connection in the first phase of life with one’s mother or caregiver is always traumatic. However, the desire to feel alive is one of the most powerful that we possess: NARM’s mission is to acknowledge and restore the élan vital (life force) that lies within all of us.
We all possess a spontaneous inner movement inside of ourselves toward connection, health, and vitality just like plants instinctively grow towards the light. This organismic impulse toward life is the fuel that powers the NARM approach. As a result of the disconnection from the original core, the mother/mother figure nucleus, we have prematurely developed survival strategies that, over time, do not serve well these later new stages of development and new periods in their our lives. Simply put, these strategies or survival styles have become unsuitable. The problem is their persistence over the course of life, not the fact that they were formed at the origins of our development, when they were indeed sorely needed. At the time, these were survival strategies were developed in order to enable us to face environmental and relational difficulties.
Now these survival strategies have become repetitive survival styles comprised of rigid character typologies: our present is not our past, but the way we live has not changed and does not respond to the conditions in which we now find ourselves. The old strategies do not allow us freedom or flexibility; they block our creativity, make us feel unprepared to face situations that present themselves, and empower feelings of inadequacy and negative self-judgment. The fact that these strategies were the only option for survival available at the time means that we should respect them and learn from them as opposed to blaming them. Negatively judging our survival style only reinforces the damaging effects and our “imprisonment” in the survival style. In contrast, and perhaps paradoxically, if we consider our own survival style for what it really is—a creative way to allow our original élan vital or life force to express itself, a precious resource we possess—we increase the possibility of freeing ourselves from it.
NARM consists of therapy that rebuilds the connection with our original life force through a progressive reintegration of our somatic and psychological levels and the neurovegetative system’s growing capacity of self-regulation. NARM describes our neurovegetative system’s function as a constant “bottom-up” and “top-down” flow of information. The bottom-up direction regulates the neurovegetative system’s influence on emotional and cognitive levels. The top-down flow, on the other hand, goes from the cognitive structures of the brain to the body’s emotional and instinctive system. The neurovegetative system’s regulatory capacity, which influences our thoughts and emotions, is a bottom-up process. Our thoughts, beliefs, judgments, and identifications are top-down processes that influence our neurovegetative system’s regulatory capacity. The flow is continuous in both directions, a cycle or a loop.
In people who have experienced premature trauma, this flow of information is disturbed and becomes a painful, looping process, a continuous torment that grows and becomes more powerful. When children feel a sense of discomfort or distress following a trauma in which something happened that “isn’t right,” they may feel that they are the ones who “aren’t right” because they are “bad” children. Children are not capable of perceiving themselves as good people in a negative context, so they automatically consider themselves the bad people in a positive context. Over time, the chronic persistence of the discomfort or distress caused by the trauma only reinforces that thought. This belief and self-judgment creates feelings of guilt and shame that crystallizes into an identification that then influences the neurovegetative system’s capacity to self-regulate. A lack of self-regulation will only confirm and reinfoce (“bottom-up”) the negative identification of the person. In this way, these ideas (“top-down”) work to the detriment of the neurovegetative system’s capacity of self-regulation, leading to the development of a painful, pathological loop that becomes increasingly more powerful.
To address the problematic flow in a bottom-up direction, NARM concentrates on the body, the felt sense, the instinctive data, and how all these are managed by the reptilian brain—which in turn influences the limbic brain and the cortex. NARM makes use of several SE techniques—grounding, orientation, titration, and oscillation—to neutralize the neurovegetative systems and bring us back to the present moment, which is our body’s only dimension. To address the flow in a top-down direction, NARM focuses on cognitive functions with the intention of increasing an individual’s awareness of his or her own identifications, judgments, and beliefs.
The objective is to gradually increase awareness of old survival strategies and how they function in our lives today. The therapeutic perspective is that the past does not determine the present, nor is it more important than the present. By looking at our survival style or character type as a resource that has allowed us to maintain an active élan vital, we can put it into perspective and move beyond it. Slowly, the loop becomes a healthy cycle that is no longer pathological, as it once was. The NARM model integrates the practice of somatic awareness developed by SE with the knowledge that we have accumulated on the self-regulatory functions of the neurovegetative system.
The NARM framework presents a refined, incisive description of types of distortions that our life forces face in the event of premature trauma and how, as a result, we develop specific pseudo-identifications. Survival styles are based on these pseudo-identifications that reduce our personal liberty and creativity.
NARM provides a specific, detailed map of distortions and impediments we have encountered and endured during our personal evolutions. This map allows us to form a precise vision of which of our central “nuclei” became compromised as a result of the activation of pathological loops. NARM also describes a functional way of reconnecting with the roots of our élan vital that is here, in the present, and is our body’s only inhabitable dimension.
Laurence Heller, Aline LaPierre, Dario Voltolini and Lorenzo Bracco, Los Angeles
Laurence Heller, Paris
Laurence Heller and Lorenzo Bracco, Los Angeles
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Home / Birmingham Council's 'heartless' disability cuts ruled unlawful
Birmingham Council's 'heartless' disability cuts ruled unlawful
Disability campaigners have welcomed a landmark court victory by four West Midlands residents over Birmingham City Council's attempt to cut their services.
Following a legal challenge, the High Court sitting in Birmingham ruled yesterday (20 April 2011) that the authority’s plans to cut its adult social care budget - which would take away key services currently being delivered - were unlawful in the way they had been decided in relation to the requirements of disability legislation.
The four people, who cannot be named for legal reasons, include an elderly woman with severe learning difficulties who receives 24-hour care in a home paid for by the council, and a 25-year-old man with a rare genetic disorder and severe learning disabilities who receives overnight respite care, also council-provided. Both would have been left without funded care.
Karen Ashton, from Public Law Solicitors, told the BBC after the verdict was announced that "the government needs to think again" over whether additional funding needs to go in to adult social care, and councils need to consider their duties very carefully to ensure that cuts do not fall on the most vulnerable. The duties involved are legal as well as moral, she said.
The case was brought by the families of four disabled adults from Birmingham who were told earlier this year by the City Council that as from 1 April 2011, any needs which were not considered ‘critical’ would no longer be paid for, leaving them concerned that many of their essential care and support needs would not be met. Previously the Council had provided services to meet 'critical' or 'substantial' needs.
The Council's actions would impact thousands of vulnerable people, and were described by disabled rights groups as "heartless" and "irresponsible", as well as illegal.
The judges ruled that the council business plan was unlawful because it failed to comply with Section 49a of the Disability Discrimination Act. The full Court judgement will be handed down during the second week of May 2011.
The successful application for a judicial review means that Birmingham City Council will now be forced to make a new decision - but the struggle is not over.
It is open to the Council to retake its decision and continue providing services for those with ‘critical’ and ‘substantial’ needs in the meantime. The council will need to find the funds within the budget already set to continue to fund the ‘substantial’ care needs of disabled and older people.
Mr Justice Walker declared Birmingham City Council’s budget unlawful in respect to adult social care. His interim judgement says that the Council now needs to review the setting of its adult social care budget.
Polly Sweeney, solicitor at the Birmingham office of Irwin Mitchell who acted on behalf of Ms A, a 65 year old lady with severe learning disabilities, said: “We are delighted with the Court’s decision and very relieved. These individuals and families rely heavily on this care and it would have represented a huge backward step if the funding was removed."
She added: “This case has national significance. Proposals to cut mandatory duties and tighten eligibility for social care are the major issues in the social care sector. This is about saving front line services for vulnerable and disabled people. It is a very significant outcome and with Birmingham City Council being the UK’s largest local authority, it’s very likely that the result will set a precedent for other cases. Other councils up and down the country seeking to target vulnerable groups through cost-cutting drives may be legally challenged.”
Birmingham City Council launched the consultation exercise as part of city-wide plans aimed at reducing the amount of money it spends on adult social care. The consultation ended on 2 March 2011 and the plans were approved by the Council at meetings on 1 and 14 March 2011.
It is thought that up to 5,000 disabled people in Birmingham would have been denied all or parts of their social care packages currently provided by the Council under the plans.
The case was fought on the grounds that the City Council’s proposals did not promote equality under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
It was also argued that the consultation process failed to meet legal requirements in a number of areas – particularly its lack of clarity in relation to which groups will be affected, and what the options for those people who will have their care package removed are.
The authority, a Conservative-Liberal coalition, says it needs to make the cuts to help slash £118 million from its adult and communities directorate, and to save £308 million from its budget overall.
Tony Rabaiotti, head of local government in the West Midlands for public sector union UNISON, has welcomed the ruling.
Mr Rabaiotti said: "This is a landmark ruling and a tremendous victory for thousands of vulnerable people across Birmingham who rely upon social care provision."
He continued: "Social care workers across Birmingham have been telling UNISON over the last few months that they are genuinely frightened by the proposal to so severely axe social care provision."
"They have been telling us that vulnerable people will simply be left to fend for themselves. The council now has the opportunity to pause, think again and work with us to maintain quality social care provision for the people of Birmingham," he concluded.
Birmingham City Council has lost another recent case involving cuts to the funding of voluntary organisations, also taken up by Public Law Solicitors.
* BBC online TV interview with Karen Ashton of PLS: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-13147675
* Public Law Solicitors: http://www.publiclawsolicitors.co.uk/
* Irwin Mitchell: http://www.irwinmitchell.com/
Keywords:high court | government cuts | disabled rights | disabled | disability | cuts | birmingham
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Home > Basic Aerodynamic Rotor Theory > Airfoil
1 Airfoil
An airfoil can be defined as 'any shape designed to obtain a useful reaction from the air through which it moves'. In helicopters, the rotors are the airfoils which provide lift and propulsion. A helicopter's rotor functions in exactly the same way as an airplane's wing, although the shape of the former differs from that of the latter in that it is much thinner as compared to its length. Another difference is that the airflow through which the rotor moves is mainly generated by rotation. This means that the rotor (functioning as an airfoil) can generate lift even when the aircraft is not moving. It is this mechanism that gives the helicopter its much appreciated V.T.O.L. (Vertical Take Off and Landing) capability.
The airflow in which the rotor blade functions travels towards the blade with speed 'v'. Note that with an airplane, the airflow exists because the plane flies forwards, whereas with the helicopter it is the rotor which travels at a certain speed through the air. The rotor speed is much higher than the airspeed of the helicopter and this is why it can still operate in strong winds. Although there is no principal difference between a rotorblade and an airplane's wing, within this text the context used is always that of a rotating airfoil.
The way in which an airfoil generates lift can be explained by more than one principle of physics. In this section, an explanation along the lines of Newton's Laws of Motion is utilised.
As the blades encounter air mass with speed 'v', they accelerate this mass downwards (deflecting), resulting in it (the mass) moving with velocity 'w'. As we know, to accelerate mass requires a working force. This is provided by the (rotating) airfoil moving through the air. But, if there is a force acting from the blade onto the air mass, there must be a reaction force (equal in magnitude but opposite in direction) acting from the air mass which is working at the blade. It is this reaction force that lifts the blade.
When air is deflected around an airfoil, the direction of T remains orthogonal to it (the airfoil) as long as the deflected airflow follows it (no turbulence or stall). The magnitude of T depends on the amount of air mass involved and the magnitude of acceleration, with the latter being responsible for the vertical velocity component in the airstream.
When studying (rotating) airfoils, we need to know some relevant terms and definitions. These are:
Chord line: the straight line between the blades' leading and trailing edges.
Blade angle (or picth angle): angle between a blade's chord line and the plane of rotation.
Relative airflow (RAF): the Relative Air Flow (RAF) is the airflow with speed and direction, relative to the airfoil.
Angle of attack: the angle between the RAF (Relative Air Flow) vector and the blade's chord line.
Inflow angle:. the angle between the RAF (Relative Air Flow) vector and the plane of rotation.
Induced flow: the airflow which exists solely as a result of the airmass that is forced down by rotoraction.
2.1 Explanation
The rotor (illustrated here with a symmetrical airfoil) moves at speed Vrotor (due to its angular velocity), and with some pitch (or blade) angle. Now imagine that this angle is zero degrees; there will then be no induced flow. Induced flow only exists when the rotorblade accelerates air downwards, which does not occur when the blade is 100% horizontal. The Relative Airflow (RAF) in this case is also at an angle of zero degrees with the plane of rotation. Seen from the perspective of a rotorblade, the only relevant airflow is the airflow relative to the blade (RAF).
Now imagine that the blade isn't horizontal but is instead at an angle with its plane of rotation: that is, the pitch angle is > 0 zero (e.g. 15 degrees). The blades will now accelerate air downwards, which leads to a vertical speed component in the airstream. This is called the induced flow (induced by the rotorblades). As a result of this, the airstream relative to the rotorblade (the RAF) is no longer parallel to the plane of rotation, but is instead directed slightly downwards (less than the pitch angle and greater than zero degrees). The angle of the RAF changes because of induced flow.
The angle between the chord line and the RAF is called the angle of attack. This parameter has a direct relationship to the rotorblades� lift and drag forces. The greater the angle of attack, the more lift the blade will produce. An angle of attack of zero results in no lift (assuming a symmetrical airfoil). Increasing the angle of attack has two effects: firstly, more air mass will be accelerated down because of the larger effective area that 'cuts' through the air; secondly, the rate of acceleration also increases as the air is forced down in a steeper angle (greater change of direction, hence more acceleration). Both effects lead to a higher reaction force and, thus, more lift.
Next topic > Lift & Drag
Helicopter Theory (Paperback)
This enormous tome provides comprehensive and detailed coverage of every aspect of helicopter theory. The purpose of the book is to set out for the reader the engineering analyses required to enable the successful design of a rotorcraft. All relevant subjects, such as vertical flight, forward flight, performance, rotating systems, rotary wing dynamics, aerodynamics and aero elasticity, and stability and control are covered. They are explained at an in depth engineering level, always accompanied by accurate mathematical analyses. A good knowledge of mathematics and a degree in engineering are necessary, as these topics are dealt with extensively throughout the text.
1089 pages.
Principles of Helicopter Aerodynamics (Cambridge Aerospace Series) (Hardback)
Modern treatment of the aerodynamic principles of helicopters and rotating-wing vertical lift aircraft
Uses mathematics throughout the text
Concepts are derived from basic enginering principals
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board of auditors
Angelo Salizzoni suggested the building complex in via San Vitale 114 to Giuseppe Dossetti as adequate for a centre of documentation and which has since become the current location of Foundation. The buildings once hosted the ancient hospital of Saint Gregory of the Incurables, then hospital of the Poveri Vergognosi connected to the church of Saint Mary of Pity within the historic walls of Bologna.
The complex of San Vitale was for many decades a religious foundation, which coexisted with the library and the Institute. In the first anniversary of the death of Dossetti an agreement was announced between the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, the Regione Emilia-Romagna, the Mayor of Bologna and the Foundation. The entire building was acquired by Bologna University and leased for free for fifty years to the Foundation. In 2003 the building was restored by the region and the university, and thanks to a donation in 2007 works have begun for a residence complex at via San Vitale 116, which will host scholars from all around the world.
Currently at via San Vitale 114, one may find a library of 2100 square meters with 5323 m of shelves, as well as journals which occupy 900 square meters with 2759 metres of compact shelves. The areas for seminars and offices occupy 320 square meters and 330 square meters will be devoted to the residence unit.
In Milan at piazza Duomo 2, were the Committee for the Edition of the Diaries of Pope John XXIII and the Committee of Pope Pius XII.
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Registration for our Adidas Soccer Camp is now open!
Day Camp Schedule
Overnight Camp Schedule
ID Camps
Adult Summer League
The John P. Boucher Field, home to our men's & women's soccer and lacrosse programs, was built in 2001 through a generous donation by Husson alumnus John Boucher '66.
Recently (2007), the park underwent a face lift. Once again, with Mr. Boucher's generous support, the field lost it's natural grass and was converted to FieldTurf. The $650,000 renovation made the John P. Boucher Soccer Field one of the finest collegiate fields in New England.
Granite and iron fences surround the field and bench enclosures giving the complex that "old world" feel which makes it a very special place to play.
John Boucher played three sports at Husson: baseball, soccer, and golf. He has been inducted into both the Husson Sports Hall of Fame and the Husson Alumni Hall of Fame and is very involved with Husson as a member of the Board of Trustees.
A soccer coach for more than 20 years, John began his coaching career as the coach of a premier under-12 team in the Granite State Girls Soccer League. He became President of that league and during his tenure, the league grew to 1,800 players (ranging in age from 8-19) with more than 100 teams. He went on to coach girls soccer at Souhegan High School located in Amherst, New Hampshire. Under his direction, Souhegan High School Girls Soccer won eight state championships in a row. The school holds a national record for consecutive state championships with 10 in a row (two coming prior to Coach Boucher arrival). Boucher finished at Soughegan High School with a career record of 175 wins, 15 losses, and 5 ties. John's record in postseason play was 38 wins and 2 losses, with both losses coming in the New Hampshire Division I finals.
Boucher was also the head coach in 1997 and 2000 for the New Hampshire vs. Vermont Lions cup game. In 1999 John was voted New Hampshire Coach of the Year for Class I and NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year for the northeast. The following year he was honored by the NSCAA as the Division I National Coach of the Year.
John graduated from Husson in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. After a successful career with Exxon, he went into business for himself. He owned and operated a retail motor fuel and convenience store business located in southern New Hampshire called Stalee and JPB Fuels. He and his wife Judy are the parents of two daughters and live in New Castle, New Hampshire.
With the help from yet another donation in the fall of 2011, the Boucher Field went through another fantastic facelift with the addition of the gorgeous press box and lights. Night contests at Boucher are truly spectacular with the campus backdrop set against this beautiful facility.
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TU Wien › Fakultät für Informatik › Aktuelle Meldungen und Termine › Archiv › Nr. 252
From Digital Business to Digital Society
Trends in e-Commerce | Public Lecture in Business Informatics
The changes that the digital economy has brought in businesses in terms of value chains, business models, client relationships, organisational cultures and ultimately in innovation are starting to be felt across society, from public services like health and social care, social capital building in communities, to relationships between governments and citizens. How do these changes take effect, which lessons did we learn and how are digital business and digital society becoming interlinked? This talk will address some answers to these questions.
Dr. Paul Timmers is Head of Unit of ICT for Inclusion in the European Commission, Directorate-General Information Society & Media. Previously he headed the eGovernment unit (EU policy, research and promotion). He has been a member of the Cabinet of European Commissioner for Enterprise and Information Society Erkki Liikanen, responsible for the information society and telecommunications policy portfolios. Other activities in the European Commission included electronic commerce policy and programme development. Recently he was awarded an EU Research Fellowship at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, USA.
Paul Timmers has been a manager in product marketing and head of software development in a large IT company and has co-founded a software start-up. He holds a PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands and an MBA from Warwick Business School, UK. He has widely published in the field of technology and policy, including a book on electronic commerce strategies and business models, and has been a visiting professor and lecturer at several universities and business schools across the world.
Mo, 11. Jänner 2010
17:00 –18:30 Uhr, s.t.
Paul Timmers
CT for Inclusion in the European Commission
Business Informatics Group
Institute of Software Technology and Interactive Systems, TU Vienna
Trends in e-Commerce
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GATEWAY ARCH: Journey to the Top
Feb 24, 2017 Joe Kleiman #66 Theatrical Influence and Convergence, 2016, Attractions, Features, Museums, North America, Technology & Media, World markets Comments Off on GATEWAY ARCH: Journey to the Top
The Gateway Arch tram modernization helps preserve a national icon
by Kevin Dazey
The famous tram ride to the top of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, USA is currently undergoing improvements, along with the extensive revamping of many other features making up the visitor experience in and around this destination attraction. We looked into the engineering details.
The Gateway Arch is ranked as the tallest man-made monument in the United States at 630 feet high, and it is also one of the most recognizable. This icon and international tourist destination was designed by the famous, visionary modernist architect Eero Saarinen. For the half-century it has existed, the Arch has also offered one of the most famous rides in the world. This is no standard elevator: the monument’s shape called for a unique, custom tram system to bring visitors to the observation deck at the top.
Upwards of 926,500 tickets are sold annually for the tram ride. After decades of service, major components vital to this system are being updated or replaced to ensure continued safe operation for years to come.
The Arch resides on a National Park Service (NPS) site known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial along the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis. Accompanying the trams are other attractions residing either below the Arch or within a short walk nearby. These include a museum with exhibits about the historic westward expansion, a riverboat cruise and the Old Courthouse – an historic landmark best known as the site of the first two trials of the Dred Scott case.
The tram upgrades are independent of a continuing transformation of the grounds and facilities, known as the CityArchRiver project, but are occurring on a partially overlapping timeframe. Major changes to the grounds include a park spanning from the Old Courthouse to the Arch and a new, more inviting visitor center entrance that leads to the trams, museum, theater, and Arch Store. The park is significant as it covers a highway that had formed a barrier between downtown and its icon. Other highlights include new and refreshed museum exhibits, landscape improvements and accessible pedestrian pathways.
While October 2015 marked 50 years since the completion of the Arch structure, another related milestone will occur in 2017. July 1967 marked the opening of the tram within the north leg (the south leg tram would open later in 1968). The tram system, designed by Richard B. Bowser, is an engineering marvel, all the more impressive considering the short time within which it was conceived and the constraints involved. (No less fascinating – and worth the reader’s further investigation – is the story that took Bowser from concept to contract.)
The tram cabins near the bottom of the track in the Arch. Photo by Jack Boucher, courtesy of the Library of Congress
The unique tram ride
Each five-passenger cylindrical cabin or capsule starts out hanging below an overhead track and eventually rides above the same track, due to traveling along the curvature of the Arch leg. Similar to a Ferris wheel, leveling is constantly needed to keep passengers upright during their trip. The capsule rotation to remain level is handled by mechanical and electrical sensors with gravity assist. This motion is probably one of the more memorable aspects of the ride, together with the novelty of the original passenger capsules.
A peek out the tram door windows while in motion will reveal a set of stairs that lets you know you are moving, but no outside reference points are visible to help indicate height at any moment until arriving at the top. The journey is mild and gradual. Ascent time is approximately four minutes while the return trip is slightly shorter, although distance traveled is the same. Visitors can take in the views from the observation deck for as long as they like. At full capacity with both trams operating, throughput is more than 400 passengers per hour.
While the improvements to the museum exhibits, grounds and guest services are highly visible, the upgraded Gateway Arch tram ride will not seem any different in the spring of 2017 from the riders’ perspective. It was a goal to maintain the experience. New hoisting components and controls are out of sight of the visitor. Project construction like this is an intense effort and has required many hours by all, especially NPS support staff.
The Arch under construction. Courtesy of The State Historical Society of Missouri.
Upgrade details
Scheduled for replacement or upgrade were portions of the trams’ electrical system and mechanical equipment responsible for hoisting tram capsules to the apex. Chance Baragary P.E., PMP, Project Director, Gateway Arch Construction at Bi-State Development (BSD) described how replacing aging equipment in such a confined location is easier said than done. “The space constraints have been the biggest challenge since the beginning of design: finding and designing suitable equipment and controls to fit into the tight spaces along with moving new components up and removing demo materials from the top,” said Baragary.
The main components for which functionality was being replaced resided at the top either near or under the observation deck, itself being the narrowest part of the structure. The existing motor-generator (MG) sets, DC motors, and controls that set the trams in motion were removed for a more modern set-up. The old system was swapped out for smaller AC motors, an additional 2:1 gear box, and variable-frequency drives (VFD). Additional programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and an existing PLC will integrate with these new components. “These upgrades will make use of modern technologies and reduce difficulties of sourcing replacement parts, since replacement parts for the original equipment were often difficult to find,” said Baragary. “A project goal was to have as many off-the-shelf parts as possible, but due to the unique applications necessary many components are still somewhat custom in nature.”
Much of the new equipment is housed in a more accessible location than before. Newly constructed platforms in each leg are the home for the VFDs and PLC equipment, but the AC motors remain at the top in the same location as the retired DC motors. The new platforms are accessed via existing traditional service elevators that rise approximately 300 feet in both legs.
Additional new elements will enhance functionality. “Another feature we added as part of this MG project is a separate 7.5hp “inching motor,” said Bargary. This is not for use in normal operation, but allows for a very slow creep of the tram if necessary for maintenance or emergency operation. The inching motor does not rely on the VFD or PLC to enable function, but is rather hardwired in and has a supplemental drive system (the additional mechanical advantage enables movement with such a small motor). “Unrelated to our current MG project there were also new egress platforms recently constructed within the legs,” said Bargary. “Safety of both visitors and employees has always been priority one, and these recent changes supplement the systems that already provided a very safe operation.”
Last but not least is the implementation of a new brake. Under normal operation the PLC/VFD/motor combination stops the tram’s motion, followed by brake sets to lock down the tram while loading and unloading. Unlike the previous brake which actually stopped motion, the new brake does not set until tram movement has ceased. The new braking system is fully integrated with the existing tram and counterweight speed governors, numerous tram position sensors, and door and leveling safeties from an on-board PLC.
The team, safety and ticketing
The NPS and BSD teamed with Maida Engineering, Inc. (Philadelphia) for the new design and equipment specifications; The Harlan Company (St. Louis) was general contractor for the project. Maida is no stranger to the Arch tram system as its engineers performed a thorough evaluation in 2005 and were also involved in a previous PLC implementation.
Maida and the NPS Tram Mechanics spent months figuring out how to best accomplish the project goals. An established relationship had already existed between BSD and the NPS as BSD was responsible for issuing bonds used for the design and construction of the trams. BSD serves both Missouri and neighboring Illinois with multiple enterprises such as local public transportation, a nearby airport, as well as the Gateway Arch trams and riverboats. Per Baragary, “Maintenance and operation of the Gateway Arch trams are a service of one of the Enterprises within BSD. BSD has a long-standing partnership with the National Park Service, with BSD running the trams since commissioned.”
Established parameters are followed operation-wise. Daily inspections are performed, several system interlocks are present to maintain proper operational speed, and E-stop protocols remain in place. Emergency generators are employed to assist during a power outage to prevent a tram from stalling anywhere between load areas.
An upgrade to ticketing and new exhibits in the load zones will complement tram-related changes. New ticketing software by the coincidentally aptly-named Gateway Ticketing Solutions offers same-day online sales and other features not previously available. Sarah Clarke, Acting Director of Operations, Gateway Arch at Bi-State Development said, “Visitors have already responded very positively to our new ticketing system, as online sales have increased from 12% in 2014 to 32% in 2016. We’re also in the process of implementing a brand new, responsive web store which will offer visitors user-friendly access from their computer or mobile device.”
Clarke touched on other aspects of what guests can expect in the new experience, which seems likely to help drive up future visitation numbers. “A top priority for the new tram tour is for visitors to feel a part of an immersive experience prior to boarding the tram. For example, each visitor must be assigned a boarding pass designating their tram car, but during that process, we don’t want visitors to simply feel like they’re waiting in line. Visitors will be greeted by their tour guide and led through a guided audiovisual experience for the first 20-30 minutes of their tour. Animations and an interactive quiz show have been developed to tie 1960s events and technology together with the building of the Gateway Arch.”
On an international scale, the refresh of the Gateway Arch monument and surrounding features comes at a time when observation attractions of various kinds are rising fast and altering city skylines around the world. On the local scale, it is complemented by numerous improvements and new attractions in downtown St. Louis over the past few years, such as the recently opened National Blues Museum, Ballpark Village, CityGarden and Peabody Opera House. The Arch has stood the test of time as a unique, innovative structure, icon and destination attraction and augurs well for the future of its city and region. • • •
Kevin Dazey has a mechanical engineering background and works in R&D at a manufacturing company in St. Louis. He writes about ride engineering, roller coasters and related topics for InPark. Kevin’s passion for roller coasters and amusement parks began early, while growing up in northeast Ohio near Sea World, Geauga Lake, Cedar Point, and Kennywood. To date, he has visited 41 parks and ridden 235 roller coasters. Besides a fondness for the attractions industry Kevin enjoys maintaining a collection of vintage motorcycles and ATVs. Email: dazey200x@yahoo.com
Bi-State Development, engineering, gateway arch, modernization, National Park Service, refurbishments, st louis, trams, upgrades
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The hymns in Book 2 of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, another late first millennium BCE text, states a procedure in which the body is held in upright posture, the breath is restrained and mind is meditatively focussed, preferably inside a cave or a place that is simple, plain, of silence or gently flowing water, with no noises nor harsh winds.[102][103][100]
The first Hindu teacher to actively advocate and disseminate aspects of yoga, not including asanas, to a western audience, Swami Vivekananda, toured Europe and the United States in the 1890s.[204] The reception which Swami Vivekananda received built on the active interest of intellectuals, in particular the New England Transcendentalists, among them Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), who drew on German Romanticism and philosophers and scholars like G. W. F. Hegel (1770–1831), the brothers August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845) and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel (1772–1829), Max Mueller (1823–1900), Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860), and others who had (to varying degrees) interests in things Indian.[205][206]
According to Georg Feuerstein, Laya yoga (yoga of dissolution or merging) "makes meditative absorption (laya) its focus. The laya-yogin seeks to transcend all memory traces and sensory experiences by dissolving the microcosm, the mind, in the transcendental Self-Consciousness."[276] There are various forms and techniques of Laya yoga, including listening to the "inner sound" (nada), practicing various mudras like Khechari mudra and Shambhavi mudra as well as techniques meant to awaken a spiritual energy in the body (kundalini).[277]
MetaBurn90 is a comprehensive program built entirely around follow-along video workouts. YouTube fitness expert Scott Herman and fellow top athletes Amber Dodzweit Riposta and Lee Constantinou provide guidance for all fitness levels, offer their tips for modifying exercises, and provide encouragement to help you every step of the way. Nobody gets left behind in MetaBurn90! If you commit to working hard alongside these coaches, you will succeed.
Mental illness is described as 'the spectrum of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral conditions that interfere with social and emotional well-being and the lives and productivity of people. Having a mental illness can seriously impair, temporarily or permanently, the mental functioning of a person. Other terms include: 'mental health problem', 'illness', 'disorder', 'dysfunction'.[37]
The environment is often cited as an important factor influencing the health status of individuals. This includes characteristics of the natural environment, the built environment and the social environment. Factors such as clean water and air, adequate housing, and safe communities and roads all have been found to contribute to good health, especially to the health of infants and children.[18][29] Some studies have shown that a lack of neighborhood recreational spaces including natural environment leads to lower levels of personal satisfaction and higher levels of obesity, linked to lower overall health and well being.[30] This suggests that the positive health benefits of natural space in urban neighborhoods should be taken into account in public policy and land use.
In the UK, up to 5% of the general population is underweight, but more than 10% of those with lung or gastrointestinal diseases and who have recently had surgery.[29] According to data in the UK using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool ('MUST'), which incorporates unintentional weight loss, more than 10% of the population over the age of 65 is at risk of malnutrition.[29] A high proportion (10–60%) of hospital patients are also at risk, along with a similar proportion in care homes.[29]
Sandow organized the first bodybuilding contest on September 14, 1901, called the "Great Competition". It was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Judged by Sandow, Sir Charles Lawes, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the contest was a great success and many bodybuilding enthusiasts were turned away due to the overwhelming amount of audience members.[4] The trophy presented to the winner was a gold statue of Sandow sculpted by Frederick Pomeroy. The winner was William L. Murray of Nottingham. The silver Sandow trophy was presented to second-place winner D. Cooper. The bronze Sandow trophy — now the most famous of all — was presented to third-place winner A.C. Smythe. In 1950, this same bronze trophy was presented to Steve Reeves for winning the inaugural NABBA Mr. Universe contest. It would not resurface again until 1977 when the winner of the IFBB Mr. Olympia contest, Frank Zane, was presented with a replica of the bronze trophy. Since then, Mr. Olympia winners have been consistently awarded a replica of the bronze Sandow.
The spiritual sense of the word yoga first arises in Epic Sanskrit, in the second half of the 1st millennium BCE, and is associated with the philosophical system presented in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, with the chief aim of "uniting" the human spirit with the Divine.[24] The term kriyāyoga has a technical meaning in the Yoga Sutras (2.1), designating the "practical" aspects of the philosophy, i.e. the "union with the supreme" due to performance of duties in everyday life.[25]
Suicidal thoughts or actions. Topiramate, an ingredient in Qsymia, may cause you to have suicidal thoughts or actions. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you: thoughts about suicide or dying; attempts to commit suicide; new or worse depression; new or worse anxiety; feeling agitated or restless; panic attacks; trouble sleeping (insomnia); new or worse irritability; acting aggressive, being angry, or violent; acting on dangerous impulses; an extreme increase in activity or talking (mania); other unusual changes in behavior or mood.
Generally, the context in which an individual lives is of great importance for both his health status and quality of their life It is increasingly recognized that health is maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of health science, but also through the efforts and intelligent lifestyle choices of the individual and society. According to the World Health Organization, the main determinants of health include the social and economic environment, the physical environment and the person's individual characteristics and behaviors.[18]
^ "Sidang Media – Fatwa Yoga". Islam.gov.my. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2010. Quote: The Fatwas of Religious Council in Islamic affairs on Yoga. After carefully studied various reports and factual data, the Council unanimously agreed that this ancient India religious teachings, which involves physical and mental exercises, are Hinduism in nature known as wahdat al-wujud philosophy (oneness of existence; the realization of identity between the Self in man, Atman; and the Divine, BRAHMAN: ‘Brahman is all, and Atman is Brahman'). It is prohibited (haram) for Muslims to practice it.
The maintenance and promotion of health is achieved through different combination of physical, mental, and social well-being, together sometimes referred to as the "health triangle."[24][25] The WHO's 1986 Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion further stated that health is not just a state, but also "a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities."[26] https://www.facebook.com/Buzzing-Offer-453673008800991/
Contact us at webmaster@www.jumpincfitness.com | Sitemap xml | Sitemap txt | Sitemap
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Katy Niner
Eight years ago, Katy Niner sublet her apartment in Brooklyn to spend the summer in the Tetons, and has been writing about Jackson Hole ever since. Even before moving West, her route had been circuitous: born and raised in Connecticut, Katy spent summers at ranch camp in Wyoming and winter weekends in Vermont. With an English Literature/ Creative Writing diploma from Princeton University, she moved to Ha Noi, Viet Nam for a fellowship as a subeditor at the only English-language daily newspaper. Back stateside, she worked in merchandising at West Elm and marketing at the Asia Society before decamping to Wyoming to write for the Jackson Hole News&Guide. Now freelance, she supplies words for a plethora of projects and publications.
Wear + Here
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August 25, 2016 by Katy Niner in Uncategorized
To America's best idea. Wish you were here to celebrate with us, John Prine, Emmylou Harris and 6,000 other celebrants at the Roosevelt Arch marking the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. America the beautiful, indeed.
...the Service thus established shall promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments and reservations…by such means and measures as conform to the fundamental purpose of the said parks, monuments and reservations, which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, Approved August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535)
August 25, 2016 /Katy Niner
America's Best Idea, An Evening at the Arch, Centennial, Centennial Concert, Gardiner, Montana, National Park Service, NPS, Yellowstone National Park
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Symposium in Glasgow, September 2009
NEW IMPULSES IN PICTUREBOOK RESEARCH
‘Beyond Borders: Art, narrative and culture in picturebooks’
The 2nd Symposium in Glasgow will include presentations that provide a new focus for research and scholarship through questions of what it means to go beyond borders in art, narrative and culture in picturebooks. This will act as a unifying theme for the two strands that were developed in Barcelona: the literary/artistic approach and the audience/child response approach. It also reflects the intercultural ethos of the symposium.
As well as presentations by most of the expert scholars who attended the 1st Symposium, we will be welcoming a number of new speakers whom we are sure will significantly contribute to the ongoing discussions. Among the list of 25 speakers are: Sandra Beckett, Teresa Duran, Barbara Kiefer, Bettina Kummerling-Meibauer, Maria Nikolajeva, Perry Nodelman, Martin Salisbury, Morag Styles, Sophie Van der Linden and Jean Webb.
This year, the Symposium will also provide a forum for the dissemination of the research by the teams participating in the Visual Journeys Project. This international project involves children from different parts of the world responding to the same wordless picturebooks which deal with the themes of journeys, migration and the power of the visual image itself. Speakers from the USA, Spain and Australia will be participating in this panel.
We are also proud to announce that the renowned Scottish artist, Mairi Hedderwick, author of the famous Katie Morag picturebooks will be talking about her work during the Symposium.
There will be an opportunity to see an exhibition of Scottish picturebooks and children’s literature in the University Library, as well as of some of the books that will be discussed in the Symposium. Several publishers will be bringing their books to the event.
In addition, there will also be a space provided for postgraduate students to meet and form their own research network.
Given that the aim is for participants to be able to attend most presentations, numbers will have to be limited, so please send your registration form as soon as you receive it.
The venue will be the Faculty of Education which is situated in the West End of Glasgow, an area famous for its shops and restaurants. It is within walking distance of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (which houses one of the finest collections in Europe), the Charles Rennie McIntosh House, the Huntingdon Museum and Art Gallery and the main buildings of the University of Glasgow itself. It is also within easy access of the town centre and shopping areas.
Participants will be invited to a drinks reception at the Glasgow City Chambers, kindly hosted by the Lord Provost of Glasgow.
We will be sending out details of registration and moderately priced hotels and B&Bs not far from the Faculty and you will be able to make a booking for these through the registration form.
The main language of the symposium will be English. We are sorry but we will not be able to provide interpretation services.
We would ask you to please forward this information to other colleagues who might be interested in attending.
For information or questions, please contact:
Dr Evelyn Arizpe
Department of Curriculum Studies
St Andrew’s Building
11 Eldon Street, Glasgow G3 6NH
Email: e.arizpe@educ.gla.ac.uk
Research Studentship, University of Worcester
Applications are invited from students who are interested in applying for a funded research studentship at the University of Worcester, UK. The subject is: Representation of the Overweight Body in Children’s Literature and Media, 1960-2010.
For further information, please contact Professor Jean Webb at: j.webb@worc.ac.uk.
Applications are available on the website.
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Jacqueline T. Lynch
ANN BLYTH: ACTRESS. SINGER. STAR.
Multitalented and remarkably versatile, Blyth began on radio as a child, appeared on Broadway at the age of twelve in Lillian Hellman's WATCH ON THE RHINE, and enjoyed a long and diverse career in films, theatre, television, and concerts. A sensitive dramatic actress, the youngest at the time to be nominated for her role in MILDRED PIERCE (1945), she also displayed a gift for comedy, and was especially endeared to fans for her expressive and exquisite lyric soprano, which was showcased in many film and stage musicals. Still a popular guest at film festivals, lovely Ms. Blyth remains a treasure of the Hollywood's golden age.
The book contains an in-depth exploration of Ms. Blyth’s long career, with detailed appendices on her films, television, radio, and theatre appearances. The 8 ½ x 11 “coffee table” sized book includes over 275 photographs.
Available in eBook and print from Amazon and CreateSpace, and Kobo, AND NOW AN AUDIO BOOK! Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.
"Lynch’s book is organized and well-written– and has plenty of amusing observations – but when it comes to describing Blyth’s movies, Lynch’s writing sparkles." - Ruth Kerr, Silver Screenings
"Jacqueline T. Lynch creates a poignant and thoroughly-researched mosaic of memories of a fine, upstanding human being who also happens to be a legendary entertainer." - Deborah Thomas, Java's Journey
"One of the great strengths of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is that Lynch not only gives an excellent overview of Blyth's career -- she offers detailed analyses of each of Blyth's roles -- but she puts them in the context of the larger issues of the day."- Amanda Garrett, Old Hollywood Films
"Jacqueline's book will hopefully cause many more people to take a look at this multitalented woman whose career encompassed just about every possible aspect of 20th Century entertainment." - Laura Grieve, Laura's Miscellaneous Musings
"Jacqueline T. Lynch’s Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is an extremely well researched undertaking that is a must for all Blyth fans." - Annette Bochenek, Hometowns to Hollywood
Read by actress Toni Lewis, the audiobook is available from Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.
Here's what fans are saying:
I have to get back to your book and that luscious voice which invites me to join her in this fantastic journey. Thank you and Ms. Lewis for creating this luxurious and enticing experience.
Your narrator has an cool intensity in her delivery. She has my attention, engaging, and I suppose I'll have a crush on her before the book's end.
I read Toni's biography and she is as beautiful as she sounds. I love the way she slightly changes her voice when quoting others. It isn't as though she's trying to imitate, the slight, but effective effort, is just letting us know she is reading a quotation. To say I'm impressed with you both would be a massive understatement. The book is wonderfully researched with critiques of Ms. Blyth's movies, talents, career and fascinating side stories about the supporting characters …
I am fascinated by your attention to detail, even the most minute detail has little chance of escaping your commitment to accuracy.
Comedy and Tragedy on the Mountain: 70 Years of Summer Theatre on Mt. Tom, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Get your copy here at Amazon, or here from CreateSpace.
Paperbacks also are available by sending check or money order for $29 (includes postage and handling) to J.T. Lynch, PO Box 1394, Chicopee, MA 01021.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COMEDY AND TRAGEDY ON THE MOUNTAIN...
George Murphy, western Massachusetts radio and television personality:
"This is the true history of a building on a plot of land in Holyoke that was the entertainment center to hundreds of thousands of people over a plethora of summers. "You have somehow managed to tell the story of that theater with information and people that have been thought to have vanished from history, but this book...this AMAZING book has changed all of that.
"You have told me stories and events that I was never aware of. You brought the shadows back to life. This book you worked so hard on is the story of where it came from, how it survived up to the time that magnificent old structure was destroyed....removed...and almost deleted, but then Jacqueline Lynch came along and resurrected the history of this magnificent edifice so that once again all who read those pages can experience the days of wonder that happened in and around the Casino in the Park.
"I thank you so very much for including me in this amazing book as a sense of pride came over me after reading it, as I was a small part of the later years of the Grand Old Theater.
"J.L, you have hit a home run with this one...."
The three articles that comprise this book tell different stories about the Ames
Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts, which played an important role as an arms manufacturer during the American Civil War.
Together, they make up a kind of composite of the Northern Civil War
experience in the small, but dynamic, universe of a factory town.
We meet Nathan P. Ames and James T. Ames, brothers who founded the firm, the younger burdened with the responsibility to continue the company after the tragic and grisly death of the older brother.
We meet two workers in the factory, one of whom, Charles Tracy, was a machinist who left his position to join the army, and came home without a leg—and was awarded the Medal of Honor. He was cared
for by Clara Barton, and comforted by President Abraham Lincoln in the hospital ward. The other man, Melzar Mosman, just a boy of nineteen, worked in the foundry department of the factory, forging canon. He also left to
join the army, but after the war would become celebrated for forging bronze
statuary, including a number of Civil War monuments.
Available in print and eBook from Amazon, CreateSpace and other online merchants. Also from my Etsy shop, Lynch Twins Publishing.
This is a collection of essays which originally appeared on my New
England Travels blog, some of which were also previously published in
magazines and newspapers. This is New England as it was in the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. The 19th century chapters seem to illustrate the spawning of ideas and inventions which made history; the 20th century seems to show us reacting to events, like hurricanes, and juggling consequences. In the 19th century, through the Industrial Revolution, we drew upon a new workforce (women), and created a market for manufactured goods. In the early 20th century—we shopped—in grand, family-owned department stores just as paternalistic as the factories of the previous century.
These then are slices of New England, not just the place, but the idea and social movement, and the force that largely determined what the new middle class would be like.
Acoffee table-sized book of essays and nearly 200 photographs is now available in paperback from CreateSpace, my Etsy shop, and in paperback and as an eBook from Amazon.com.
Movies in Our Time: Hollywood Mimics and Mirrors the Twentieth Century - Essays from Another
Old Movie Blog - a new collection of essays on classic films as reflections of the eras in which they were made. Available in eBook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smaswords, and in paperback from CreateSpace, and my Etsy shop.
Collected essays, from film noir to comedy, observations on classic films in the context of the eras they were made, taken from my Another Old Movie
Available as an ebook (300,000 words) here from Amazon.
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The following are selections from the complete filmography of James Scott.
Antoni Tàpies – A Life in Art - (In Production)
An experimental documentary focusing on the legacy of Antoni Tàpies
Every Picture Tells a Story: Pt 2 - (In Development)
A young painter must rebuild his life after his family, career, and country are torn apart by war.
Vanishing Point (2017)
With Vanishing Point, I wanted to tell a personal story, untrammeled by digital effects; a story that would immerse the viewer in another kind of world, a strange world that was actually made up of very normal things. My iPhone allowed me to respond to the immediacy of life around me and record its unfolding. I wanted to search beyond the primacy of the everyday much as a painter or a poet searches for that epiphany within a simple apple or pear on a plate or a smile or touch.
The only formal parameters that I applied, which developed over the eight-year shoot, lay in the duration of each shot and the fixed use of the camera. Every shot would be no longer than thirty seconds in length, giving the subject in front of the camera its own natural space and time in which to develop. Unconscious themes began to appear. Time itself became the story, as the characters (including myself) grew older.
Cinema has the power to heal. For me, that process of healing begins with the viewer. The experience points towards a renewal of vision and of feeling. This film presents a form of meditation, a cleaning out of old and unwanted preconceptions. The initial process is even uncomfortable as our normal reactions and habits of response are questioned. Vanishing Point demands an openness and a slowing down. It may not be for all, but will reward those who give up their time to enter into the experience.
Password upon application – scottart@roadrunner.com
The Last of England (2002)
Experimental Short (30 mins)
Companion piece to art installation, Denise Bibro Gallery, NY.
Music by Jim Howard.
Chance, History, Art… (1980)
Documentary (50 mins)
Arts Council of Great Britain / Finestroke - Melbourne, Award Winner
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KAPPARAH (plural, kapparot = "means of atonement"):
By: Kaufmann Kohler
Sacrificed by an Elder.
An animal used as a sort of vicarious sacrifice on the day previous to the Day of Atonement. As a rule, a cock is taken by a male, and a hen by a female person, and after the recitation of Ps. cvii. 17-20 and Job xxxiii. 23-24 the fowl is swung around the head three times while the right hand is put upon the animal's head. At the same time the following is thrice said in Hebrew: "This be my substitute, my vicarious offering, my atonement. This cock [or hen] shall meet death, but I shall find a long and pleasant life of peace!" After this the animal is slaughtered and given to the poor, or, what is deemed better, is eaten by the owners while the value of it is given to the poor.
Kapparot Ceremony Before the Day of Atonement.
(From a woodcut, Augsburg, 1530.)
The custom has been strongly opposed by such authorities as Naḥmanides, Solomon ben Adret, and Joseph Caro as a pagan one in conflict with the spirit of Judaism, which knows of no vicarious sacrifice. But it was approved by Jehiel b. Asher and by his son Jacob (Ṭur, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 95), and by Samson b. Zadok and others who followed the authority of Hai Gaon and other geonim (see the literature in "Bet Yosef" to Ṭur, l.c.). The ritual appealed especially to cabalists, such as Isaiah Horowitz andIsaac Luria, who recommended the selection of a white cock with reference to Isa. i. 18, and who found other mystic allusions in the prescribed formulas. Consequently the practise became general among the Jews of eastern Europe (see Isserles, "Darke Mosheh" on Ṭur, l.c.), and the word "kapparah," as a connotation for a thing that is sacrificed, is quite prominent in the Judæo-German dialect (see Tendlau, "Sprichwörter und Redensarten," 1860, No. 198).
As the reason for the particular preference for a chicken as a vicarious offering, it is stated by the Geonim (quoted by Asheri on Yoma viii., No. 23) that it was suggested by the use of the Aramaic word "geber" for both "man" and "cock." Some rich people, however, would occasionally take a ram instead, with reference to the ram of Isaac (Gen. xxii. 13). It appears, moreover, from the passage last cited that originally a "sheliaḥ" (="an elect officer of the community") officiated as the atoning priest at the ceremony. Accordingly a saint or elder of mystic power is still recommended for the purpose in "Kol Bo," lxviii.
Another and apparently an older practise in geonic times was that of planting beans or peas in palm-leaf baskets for each child in the house two or three weeks before the New-Year. Then on the day before New-Year the children would swing the baskets containing the ripened plants around their heads three times, saying, "This be in lieu of me; this be my substitute and my exchange," and would then throw them into the water (Rashi, Shab. 81b). This is obviously a survival of the pagan rite connected with the so-called "Adonis gardens," Ἀδώνιδος κῆποι = "niṭ'e na'amanim" (Isa. xvii. 10; see Marti's and other commentaries). In Solomon b. Adret's time the kapparot ceremony was performed for the youths only (see "Bet Yosef," l.c.). According to S. I. Curtiss, "Primitive Semitic Religion To-Day," p. 203, Chicago, 1902, the Moslems of the villages of the Syrian desert still sacrifice a cock for each new-born son and a hen for each daughter born.
Common practise has established the rule that in case chickens can not be procured, geese or fish or even plants may take their place; but doves or other animals that were brought upon the altar of the Temple should not be used (Abraham Abele, in "Magen Abraham"; Shulḥan 'Aruk, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, l.c.).
M. Brück, Rabbinische Ceremonialgebräuche, pp. 25-30, Breslau, 1837.
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COVER STORY: The unknown adventures of Harvey Milk in Dallas
I would never have thought that Harvey lived in Dallas, Tx. I will never forget renting the documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk" from Tape Lenders on cedar springs rd. I had been out for 5 years and really didn't know much of LGBT history.
After watching the documentary and being brought to tears multiple times, I decided to take a road trip to San Francisco and see this place that was so very special to Harvey.
I saw where his camera shop/campaign headquarters/gay youth center ect.... was. I saw the hallway and area where Harvey was shot and killed. I went into the chambers where the Board of Supervisors was in session and spoke. I shared why I was there and thanked them for all they have done to keep Harvey's legacy alive.
What touched me most was that he was a NY Jew that moved across the country to find out who he was and what his purpose was. I felt like I was in the same situation. Harvey seemed at peace with who he was, which allowed him to help change the world.
He saw a vision that was as great as MLK's, Ben Gurion, Ghandi and many other greats. To be able to see way beyond what could ever really be and feel that passion and vision to others. He mobilized people to get up and realize that they had a future that was worth fighting for.
God bless Harvey for all that he did for the LGBT community. Harvey didn't allow anyone to get him down and to stop the work that he felt was so very important.
I am now living in Washington, DC and I like it; but I have to say that I miss Dallas. Dallas has something very special about it. I feel that Dallas was my home and where my journey started. I miss all my friends and family and I wish you all the best! Thank you Dallas and God Bless Harvey Milk!
Rich Dweck
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| Keyword | Name » SupCt - CtApp | Docket | Date |
264 Kan. 247
(954 P2d 1096)
MARAIS DES CYGNES VALLEY TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION, Appellant, v. BOARD OF EDUCATION, UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 456, OSAGE COUNTY, KANSAS, Appellee.
1. Whether language in a statute is mandatory or directory is to be determined on a case-by-case basis. The criterion as to whether a requirement is mandatory or directory is whether compliance with such requirement is essential to preserve the rights of the parties.
2. In determining whether a legislative provision is mandatory or directory, it is a general rule that where strict compliance with the provision is essential to the preservation of the rights of parties affected and to the validity of the proceeding, the provision is mandatory, but where the provision fixes a mode of proceeding and a time within which an official act is to be done, and is intended to secure order, system, and dispatch of the public business, the provision is directory.
3. Factors which indicate the provisions of a statute or ordinance are mandatory are: (1) the presence of negative words requiring that an act shall be done in no other manner or at no other time than that designated, or (2) a provision for a penalty or other consequence of noncompliance.
4. Although K.S.A. 72-9003(d)(1) of the Evaluation of Certificated Personnel Act, K.S.A. 72-9001 et seq., does contain the words "shall," when read in conjunction with the clear purpose of the statute and the rest of the Act, the language does not require a mandatory interpretation that would invalidate any evaluation for all purposes which is completed after the February 15 deadline.
5. The intent of the Evaluation of Certificated Personnel Act, K.S.A. 72-9001 et seq., is to provide a systematic method for the improvement of school personnel and the educational system.
6. The Evaluation of Certificated Personnel Act, K.S.A. 72-9001 et seq., contains no provision requiring the remedy sought in this case: invalidation of all evaluations completed after February 15. Tardy evaluations and plans of assistance intended to improve personnel who remain employed by a school district are not invalid.
Appeal from Osage district court; JAMES J. SMITH, judge. Opinion filed March 6, 1998. Affirmed.
David M. Schauner, of Topeka, argued the cause, and Marjorie A. Blaufuss, of Kansas National Education Association, of Topeka, was on the brief for appellant.
Robert L. Bezek, Jr., of Bezek, Lowry, & Hendrix, of Ottawa, argued the cause, and Forrest A. Lowry, of the same firm, was with him on the brief for appellee.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
LARSON, J.: Marais des Cygnes Valley Teachers' Association (Teachers' Association) appeals the trial court's decision that tardy evaluations of three tenured teachers by the Board of Education of Unified School District No. 456, Osage County, Kansas, (School District) are not invalid under the Evaluation of Certificated Personnel Act, K.S.A. 72-9001 et seq. (Evaluation Act).
Although the appeal comes to us from a ruling on a motion for summary judgment, the facts are not controverted and, highly summarized, show the following:
The negotiated agreement between the School District and the Teachers' Association governing the terms of professional service for the 1995-96 school year contains an evaluation procedure for certificated personnel. The procedure requires the development of a written "improvement plan" when a teacher receives a "5" (Must Improve) rating on one or more of the evaluation criteria on that teacher's evaluation report.
The evaluation procedure is patterned after K.S.A. 72-9003 of the Evaluation Act and provides in the part critical to this appeal as follows:
"[2.] B. Teachers in their first two consecutive school years of employment shall be evaluated at least one time per semester by not later than the 60th school day of the semester. All other certified employees shall be evaluated at least once each school year prior to February 15."
During the 1995-96 school year, three teachers who had been employed for 15, 11, and 8 years, respectively, received at least one "5" rating on their evaluation reports and were given a plan of intensive assistance before the report had been completed. Despite the provision in the agreement and K.S.A. 72-9003 that the teachers are to be evaluated by not later than February 15, the plans of intensive assistance were dated March 11, 1996, and the evaluations were dated March 15, 1996. The contracts of all three teachers, however, were extended for the subsequent school year.
The Teachers' Association filed a declaratory judgment action in October 1996, asking that the 1995-96 school year evaluations and corresponding plans of assistance be declared invalid and removed from the files of the three employees on the grounds that they were not completed by February 15.
The Teachers' Association moved for summary judgment. In response, the School District contended the only statutory penalty for failing to conduct an evaluation pursuant to the Evaluation Act is that an employee's contract may not be nonrenewed on the basis of incompetence unless the evaluation of such person is in substantial compliance with board policy filed in accordance with K.S.A. 72-9003.
The trial court denied the Teachers' Association's motion and further ruled:
"The Court specifically notes that the February 15 date in K.S.A. 72-9003(d)(1) is not as restrictive as the Plaintiffs claim. The Court also notes that the evaluations were not utilized for non-renewal based upon lack of competence, but rather for plans of assistance. The Court finds that the evaluations and the resulting plans of assistance are not invalid."
This was in effect a final ruling in favor of the School District, from which the Teachers' Association appeals. We have jurisdiction pursuant to K.S.A. 20-3018(c).
In this appeal, we must address a single question: When a teacher is evaluated more often than the statutorily required minimum and the evaluation is completed after February 15 of the school year, is the evaluation and resulting plan of assistance invalid? For the various reasons we hereinafter set forth, we answer this question in the negative.
The ultimate decision in this appeal involves the interpretation of the Evaluation Act, which is a question of law over which we exercise unlimited review. See In re Tax Appeal of Boeing Co., 261 Kan. 508, Syl. ¶ 1, 930 P.2d 1336 (1997).
We initially note our fundamental rule of construction that it is the intent of the legislature, where it can be ascertained, which governs the construction of a statute. See City of Wichita v. 200 South Broadway, 253 Kan. 434, 436, 855 P.2d 956 (1993). The legislature is presumed to have expressed its intent through the language of the statutory scheme it enacted. We will not read into legislation provisions which do not there exist. See Joe Self Chevrolet, Inc. v. Board of Sedgwick County Comm'rs, 247 Kan. 625, 633, 802 P.2d 1231 (1990). In addition, we have noted: "When the legislature revises an existing law, it is presumed that the legislature intended to change the law as it existed prior to the amendment." State v. Clint L., 262 Kan. 174, Syl. ¶ 2, 936 P.2d 235 (1997).
The parties have not focused their arguments on the specific language of the evaluation procedure, but rather on the wording of K.S.A. 72-9003, which in applicable part provides:
"Every board shall adopt a written policy of personnel evaluation procedure in accordance with this act and file the same with the state board. Every policy so adopted shall:
"(d)(1) Provide that every employee in the first two consecutive school years of employment shall be evaluated at least one time per semester by not later than the 60th school day of the semester, except that any employee who is not employed for the entire semester shall not be required to be evaluated; and that every employee during the third and fourth years of employment shall be evaluated at least one time each school year by not later than February 15; and that after the fourth year of employment every employee shall be evaluated at least once in every three years by not later than February 15 of the school year in which the employee is evaluated."
This statute was enacted in 1973 and first amended in 1981 to add the February 15 language. L. 1981, ch. 295, § 2.
In raising the question of the legal effect of the failure to act before the February 15 deadline, our issue must be viewed in the light of the three tenured teachers whose contracts were all renewed. As such, we consider whether the remedy requested by the Teachers' Association is one contemplated by the legislature or whether noncompliance by the School District only has an impact on the ability to nonrenew a teacher. Although not framed by the parties in this precise manner, we must determine whether, under the facts of this case, the February 15 provision of K.S.A. 72-9003(d)(1) is mandatory or directory.
The criteria for determining whether a statute should be deemed mandatory or directory is established in State v. Deavers, 252 Kan. 149, 167, 843 P.2d 695 (1992), cert. denied 508 U.S. 978 (1993):
"Whether language in a statute is mandatory or directory is to be determined on a case-by-case basis and the criterion as to whether a requirement is mandatory or directory is whether compliance with such requirement is essential to preserve the rights of the parties. Griffin v. Rogers, 232 Kan. 168, 174, 653 P.2d 463 (1982). In determining whether a legislative provision is mandatory or directory, it is a general rule that where strict compliance with the provision is essential to the preservation of the rights of parties affected and to the validity of the proceeding, the provision is mandatory, but where the provision fixes a mode of proceeding and a time within which an official act is to be done, and is intended to secure order, system, and dispatch of the public business, the provision is directory. Factors which would indicate that the provisions of a statute or ordinance are mandatory are: (1) the presence of negative words requiring that an act shall be done in no other manner or at no other time than that designated, or (2) a provision for a penalty or other consequence of noncompliance. Paul v. City of Manhattan, 212 Kan. 381, Syl. ¶¶ 1, 2, 511 P.2d 244 (1973)."
We specifically note that the only provision in the Evaluation Act for a penalty or other consequence of noncompliance relates to nonrenewal of personnel, which is not involved in this instance, as all three of the teachers remained employed for the subsequent school year. As such, although the Act does contain the words "shall," when read in conjunction with the clear purpose of the statute and the rest of the Evaluation Act, the language does not reflect a mandatory interpretation that would invalidate any evaluation for all purposes when completed after the February 15 deadline.
We further look to the legislative intent of the Evaluation Act, which is clearly stated in K.S.A. 72-9001:
"It is hereby declared that the legislative intent of this act is to provide for a systematic method for improvement of school personnel in their jobs and to improve the educational system of this state."
The provisions for the development of evaluation procedures are found in K.S.A. 1997 Supp. 72-9004. Subparagraph (f) contains the only restriction as to the usage of any evaluation when it states:
"The contract of any person subject to evaluation shall not be nonrenewed on the basis of incompetence unless an evaluation of such person has been made prior to notice of nonrenewal of the contract and unless the evaluation is in substantial compliance with the board's policy of personnel evaluation procedure as filed with the state board in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 72-9003, and amendments thereof."
This provision was added to the Evaluation Act at the same time the February 15 language was inserted. L. 1981, ch. 295, § 3.
There is no provision in the Act setting forth any specific enumerated authority to grant the remedy which the Teachers' Association herein requests. To the contrary, it appears the legislature clearly intended to provide a systematic method for the improvement of school personnel and the educational system. This is the overwhelming goal of the evaluation procedures, and we will not interpret the Act in a manner contrary to this expressed goal.
The Teachers' Association argues the insertion of the February 15 deadline in the 1981 amendments was contrary to the legislative position of school districts throughout the State, compelling a strict reading of the deadline in order to give effect to the legislative intent. This argument, however, ignores the fact that the same 1981 bill added the provisions of 72-9004(f) regarding noncompliance with a school board's evaluation policy, but did not impose any other restriction or penalty. Reading these provisions in conjunction with one another does not support an interpretation that any and all evaluations which are not completed prior to February 15 must be deemed invalid.
We have little case authority concerning these provisions, but such that does exist is consistent with our holding.
Although Burk v. Unified School Dist. No. 329, Wabaunsee Cty., 646 F. Supp. 1557 (D.Kan. 1986), involved suit by a nonretained, nontenured principal, the Evaluation Act was tangentially involved. In construing the Evaluation Act in harmony with the Due Process Clause and the Administrators' Acts, Chief Judge O'Connor did not find that the Act prohibited the termination of employment and specifically stated: "The only consistent interpretation of the Evaluation Act is that its purpose is to provide for the improvement of employees who remain in the school district's employ." 646 F. Supp. at 1563.
Of similar import, in Brown v. U.S.D. No. 333, 261 Kan. 134, 152-53, 928 P.2d 57 (1996), another principal termination case in which the principal had not been evaluated prior to notice of nonrenewal of her contract, we construed K.S.A. 72-9004(f) as not being applicable because the reasons for nonrenewal were not based on the incompetence of the principal. Our opinion approved Burk's statement that the purpose of the Evaluation Act is to promote a method of improving personnel remaining in the school district's employment.
The present case also involves an attempt to improve personnel who remain employed by the School District. We do not by our decision encourage or suggest that evaluations should not be initiated and completed prior to the date specified in the statute. However, we are not willing to invalidate attempts to improve school personnel and the educational system when the remedy the Teachers' Association requests is absent from the provisions of the Evaluation Act. The trial court was correct.
URL: http://kscourts.org/kscases/supct/1998/19980306/79016.htm.
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Our organisation was started 30 years ago as a proprietary concern in 1984 and was subsequently converted into a partnership firm in 1999. During these 30 years, the organisation has transformed itself from a single member proprietary concern to a 50 member strong organisation providing services across a wide range of sectors.
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Home / Historic Dartmoor / Dartmoor’s Maltern Way
Dartmoor’s Maltern Way
Tim Sandles November 5, 2016 Historic Dartmoor Leave a comment 3,943 Views
Of all of the tracks on Dartmoor the oldest is probably the one that runs from near Holne moorgate in the west to Cockle’s Gate in the east. Today the distance is about 7 miles but it may originally have been a mile or two longer. What marks this track as being special is that along its route there are 12 purposefully spaced moorland crosses which would have acted as waymarkers. The course of the track traverses the narrowest possible moorland tract and does not entail crossing any major rivers. The crosses could suggest a pre-Catholic origin which would date them and the track prior to the 1500’s and may have been a medieval ecclesiastical reminder for the traveller of their ultimate journey. They would also possibly provide some re-assurance to the lone pilgrim of some kind of holy protection whilst on the misty wastes of the moor. In the 19th century, William Crossing was instrumental in finding, repairing and re-erecting many of the crosses which stand today thus giving an insight to their purpose. The fact that the route avoids any major river crossing could also provide a clue to its age. It could suggest that travellers were using this track because there were no bridges built over the major rivers, i.e. The Dart. The first bridges to span this river were built sometime between AD1300 and AD1413 which again would point to a medieval origin for the track.
But where does the name of the track come from? In the 1600’s a man called Richard Stukey was a shareholder in several tin mines amongst which was one at Wenford. Some of the place-names appertaining to the limits of the mine included, “Hobbehole by Wenford, Maltern Waie above Wenford and Lower Maltern Waie.” Wenford is the old place-name for the modern Venford which is near to where the track starts and could just possibly suggest that the name of the track was the Maltern Way. Some think that the name has associations with Barley and could indicate that the ‘way’ was used for carrying barley seed or by-products?
The Maltern Way makes for an excellent walk that encompasses many of the historic features of Dartmoor and if done on a fine day allows one to appreciate exactly how beneficial the crosses would have been to a traveller in times gone by. Nobody can be certain that the crosses were re-erected in their original places but today from most of them you can see the previous and next ones along the track.
Depending on how high the bracken is the first point on the track is the remains of a medieval settlement at SX 68070 70550. It is thought that originally this is where the traveller would have left the enclosed lands by a moorgate. Nearby are two hawthorn trees that are supposed to mark the site of a now missing cross known as ‘Two Thorns Cross’ and a possible cross base is in-situ lending some credence to the theory. From Two Thorns Cross it is possible to see the first remaining cross on the walk on the skyline to the north-west, this is ‘Horn’s Cross‘ or ‘Stacombe Telling Place’. The latter name derives from the fact that at one time a farmer from nearby Staddicombe used to pasture his sheep with a moorman for the southern quarter of Dartmoor and it was at the cross that the sheep would be gathered for counting or ‘telling’ as it was called on the moor. (grid reference SX 66940 71090). From Horns Cross the next port of call is ‘Horse Ford Cross’ which lies close to the old Hooten Wheals mine track. This cross was restored by William Crossing after being found by a farm worker on nearby Down Ridge, later restoration work was carried out in 1972 after further damage which was probably caused by animals. (grid reference SX 66008 71355). The next cross in the line is ‘Skir Ford Cross’ and this lies about a quarter of a mile to the west of Horse Ford Cross. The restoration and re-erection of this cross was carried out in 1885 by William Crossing who clamped the two bits of the original together with iron bars. (grid reference SX 65533 71418). The track now swings in a south-westerly direction and climbs up onto Ter Hill which at a little over 1,500 feet is the highest point of the Maltern Way. On Ter Hill are two crosses known as the ‘Terrill Posts’ and they stand about 100 yards apart. The westerly of the two crosses is in fact a replica of the original one and was erected on the 21st of June, 1994. It is dedicated to Tom Gant, a well known Dartmoor enthusiast and author, as a nearby plaque will testify. The original cross can be found in the garden of the High Moorland Visitor centre at Princetown where it was moved to for its own protection. (grid references SX 64220 70700 and 64135 70635). From the Terrill Posts the way dips down to the next cross which is about a third of a mile to the west and is known as ‘Mount Misery Cross‘. Personally, this is my favourite of all the Dartmoor crosses, as it stands silently looking over the deserted farm below. Its enigmatic name is thought to be a field or enclosure name which alludes to the hard work that went into clearing the granite rocks and boulders. This cross was re-erected in 1885 by the instigation of William Crossing. (grid reference SX 63650 70590).
From Mount Misery the way now descends to the edge of Fox tor mires and Childe’s Tomb, upon which stands the next cross. (grid reference SX 62570 70290). The next cross is about half a mile to the west and is known as ‘Goldsmith’s Cross’. The shattered remains of the cross were found by Lt. Malcolm Goldsmith R.N. in AD1903 and repaired and re-erected, henceforth bearing his name. (grid reference SX 61805 70318). Marked on the OS map is another cross about half a mile to the south of Goldsmith’s Cross. Although this is strictly nothing to do with the Maltern Way it is a shame not to visit it. The stone, for that’s what it is, is called ‘The Headless Cross‘ or ‘Whealam Bottom Cross’ and is a simple granite pillar with an inscribed cross on its north-western face. It is thought that the stone is an old boundary marker for the southern and western quarters of the Forest of Dartmoor. (grid reference SX 61395 69505). Whilst on the subject of unrelated crosses, about 200 yards south of the Whealam Cross was what is purported to be the smallest cross on Dartmoor. It is known as the ‘Hand Hill Cross‘ or ‘Northmore’s Cross’. This tiny metal cross was made by a moor farmer called Bill Northmore from the propeller shaft of an old ship and was erected in 1980 in appreciation of Dartmoor. (grid reference SX 61328 69318). A mile to the west lies ‘Siward’s’ or ‘Nun’s Cross‘ which is probably one of the more noted of Dartmoor’s crosses. It is thought that the cross dates to Saxon times and was certainly mentioned as boundary mark called ‘Crucem Sywardii‘ in the perambulation of AD1240. On the eastern face of the cross the word ‘SYWARD’ is inscribed and may refer to man called Siward who prior to AD1066 owned estates at Willsworthy and Peter Tavy . The words BOC/LAND are inscribed on the western face and refers to ‘book land’ or lands held by charter. This in turn could be associated with Buckland Abbey, which as it was founded in 1278 would give another date for both cross and track. The alternative name of ‘Nun’s Cross’ is thought to have derived from the Cornish word ‘nans’ meaning valley. (grid reference SX 60165 69918). From Nun’s Cross the track headed westwards to the next cross which is about 300 yards away. Today, the easiest way to get to this cross is by following the leat which will lead to ‘Hutchinson’s Cross’. This modern cross is thought to sit in a socket cut into a boulder which predates to a much earlier time. It was erected in 1968 by Lt. Commander B. Hutchinson, R.N. as a memorial to his mother and is inscribed “S.L.H. 1887 – 1966. (grid reference SX 59913 69920). The route now heads in a north-westerly direction to the next visible cross which is ‘Newleycombe Cross’. This splendid old cross is situated amongst old tinners workings and was re-erected in 1915 by the Reverend Hugh Breton. (grid reference SX 59167 70290). The last cross on the original route is ‘Crazywell’ or ‘Classenwell Cross’ which stands to the east of Crazywell Pool. Again, Hugh Breton re-erected this cross in 1915 and only the head and arms are original. (grid reference SX 58380 70388). From Crazywell Cross the Maltern Way then heads in a west-north-westerly direction to a large, obvious boulder that is about 270 yards away. From here the track would have entered Raddick Lane and enclosed land. Today the lane leads down through the Raddick Plantation to Leather tor bridge and Norsworthy Bridge which is where you can leave your second car if you are not intending to retrace your route back to Venford. (grid reference SX 56882 69298).
Greeves, T 1998 The Maltern Way, Dartmoor Magazine No.51, Quay Pub. Brixham
Harrison, B. 2001 Dartmoor Stone Crosses, Devon Books & Halsgrove Pub., Tiverton
Hemery, E. 1983 High Dartmoor, Hale, London
Sandles, T. 1997 A Pilgrimage to Dartmoor’s Crosses, Forest Pub., Liverton
Starkey, F. H. 1989 Dartmoor Crosses, Starkey, Exeter.
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Tag Archives: Front Pages
The Story Behind the Iconic Photograph from Sandy Hook
At 9:59 last Friday morning, Shannon Hicks pulled her 2006 Jeep Wrangler off the road just outside Sandy Hook Elementary school. As associate editor and photographer for Newtown, Connecticuts local paper, The Newtown Bee, she was responding to a radio dispatch heard over a local police scanner.
I thought it was going to be a false alarm, Hicks tells TIME, remembering the call last week. Gunshots fired inside an elementary school? No. seo marketing . Excellent SEO service . Not here, she thought.
But as she pulled up to the school, what she saw and heard removed all doubt.
The New York Times/Newseum
Parents just started yelling their childrens names, remembers Hicks, careful to grab her camera off the passenger seat as she climbed out of her vehicle and into the chaos of the scene.
The screams echoed loudly as Hicks tried to stay focused, composing each image though the eyepiece of her camera. She remembers watching a state trooper drive past her, get out of his vehicle, don his flak jacket, and announce to the panicked crowd that the scene was not secure.
She snapped frames of police and emergency personnel rushing to the school as well as of anxious parents already on scene pressed against police barriers, straining to see if their children had emerged from the building. Among armed police officers and weeping parents, she kept watch, diligently clicking the shutter.
At 10:09 am, 10 minutes after she climbed out of her vehicle, she snapped the shutter on an elementary school class being led out of the school by two Connecticut State Police officers.
I knew that, coming out of the building as terrified as they were those children were safe, Hicks said, of the photograph soon to grace the front pages of newspapers, magazines, and nearly every breaking news website around the world. I just felt that it was an important moment.
The picture wasnt sensational or disturbing, said Hicks, but it captured a feeling at least for the subjects and their families of relative safety amidst a maelstrom of fear and the harrowing unknown.
Los Angeles Times/Newseum
For the children freed from the school, parents rushed to their side, sweeping them up in firm embraces as they walked the 1100 feet to the nearby fire station. Hicks, camera in hand, followed them every step.
Ive heard from a few adults who anonymously called us [at The Newton Bee], and said it was very, very wrong to publish that one photograph. Hicks said, But Ive also had people come up to me mothers in particular whove said that the photograph was important because it showed that those children were safe.
By 11:30 that morning, Hicks, who is also a volunteer firefighter in Newtown, had passed the baton to another reporter from the paper, and had returned to the Bees office to coordinate the coverage.
There, for the next week, the small editorial staff would pull near-24 hour shifts, updating the website the paper is published weekly with news, community response and the obituaries of the 27 victims left in Fridays wake.
As a journalist, Hicks is proud to have documented the event, but issues caution to many media outlets now trolling the grounds in Newtown.
There are different levels of journalism out there, and ours [at The Bee] is not to follow people when they go to the funeral home, or the cemetery. We dont go knocking on the doors of victims of anything, said Hicks. Its very hard for us to watch other journalists do this to our neighbors.
Regarding her photographs popularity for lack of a better term Hicks said it came as a surprise and brings little personal relief. It is the cache of photographs buried on her cameras memory card, she said, that are hardest to look at and impossible to forget.
Im sure I will look through them someday, Hicks said, cognizant that the photographs she took that morning are now part of history.I just kind of wish that there were some that I could erase from my memory.”
This entry was posted in Contemporary Photography and tagged Anxious Parents, Armed Police, Childrens Names, Connecticut, Connecticut State Police, Connecticuts, Contemporary Photography, Disaster, elementary school, Eyepiece, False Alarm, Flak Jacket, Front Page, Front Pages, iconic, Jeep Wrangler, murder, New York Times, Newseum, newspaper, Newtown, Newtown Bee, Newtown Connecticut, Passenger Seat, Photographer, Photographers, Photographs, Photography., Police Barriers, Police Scanner, Radio Dispatch, Sandy Hook, school, Seo Service, Shannon Hicks, shooting, State Police Officers, State Trooper, The Backstory, The Newtown Bee, Tragedy on December 20, 2012 by Adam McCauley.
Chasing the Texas Tornado
Talk about a whirlwind day. Yesterday started out like any other for Dallas native Parrish Ruiz de Velasco. The 21-year-old freelance graphic designer and photographer was headed to work on a carpentry job in Ovilla, Texas, when he decided to ignore his GPS.
“As soon as I saw the swirling clouds, I knew it was going to be something cool. I went ahead and took the left turn instead of the right turn, just to chase it down and see if it turned into anything,” he says. “It ended up being a pretty big tornado that unfortunately messed up a lot of peoples’ homes.”
Ruiz de Velasco followed the storm for what he estimates to be about 15 miles, up I-35 toward Route 20, getting in front of the storm, before he did a u-turn. As always, he had his camera with him. He took a photo.
He didn’t end up making it to work. After submitting his picture to the Dallas Morning News via the paper’s website, the young photographer was called into the office, where he would spend the rest of the evening dealing with requests for the image. By the next day, the picture would have appeared on the front pages of 17 newspapers from the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post to papers in Montreal and Buenos Aires—and it will appear this coming week in TIME.
“They were pretty mad at me,” he says of his carpentry employers, to whom he had to make excuses on the day of the storm, “until this morning when they saw the newspaper.”
Ruiz de Velasco had never experienced a tornado before—and his home and family made it through yesterday unscathed—but he says he wasn’t scared, just excited, an excitement that persists even now that the weather in Texas is sunny and clear.
“It was pretty stupid. I had a lot of adrenaline going on,” he says. “It’s the crazy power of nature. I really wanted to capture that.”
More: Tornadoes Rip Through Dallas-Fort Worth Area
Parrish Ruiz de Velasco is a Dallas-based photographer and designer. Check out his Facebook page here.
This entry was posted in Contemporary Photography, photojournalism and tagged Adrenaline, Buenos Aires, Carpentry, Clouds, Contemporary Photography, Dallas, Dallas Morning News, Excitement, Freelance Graphic Designer, Front Pages, Lancaster, Left Turn, news, Ovilla Texas, Photographer, Photographers, Photographs, Photography., Power Of Nature, Ruiz De Velasco, Texas, Texas Tornado, The Backstory, Tornado, Tornadoes, U Turn, Wall Street, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Weather In Texas, Weather Texas on April 4, 2012 by Lily Rothman.
Nika’s Journey Growing Up With HIV
After the deadly intensity of the AIDS epidemic that ravaged the young generations of the 1980′s and early 1990′s comes a time of transition where AIDS has slipped from the front pages of the news and our consciousness. Yet for many, AIDS and HIV is still very real and part of their everyday existence. Dutch photographer Ilse Frech began “Nika. Russia LOVE” in 2005 to explore the life of a young woman affected by the disease along with all the complications of becoming an adult.
Nika is not a traditional photo documentary project. It’s more of a contemplation of a young woman’s life or a lucid conversion about mortality. The photos lead you through the photographer’s personal impressions of trying to understand her subject and herself. Ilse Frech says, “My interests always had been focused on finding stories taken from daily life, where people play an important role and find themselves in often marginal situations of society.” After working in Russia on a story about HIV-positive orphans for a Dutch newspaper, she began to want to work with young adults who were also positive for the disease. In 2005, she returned to Russia and contacted a group called ‘COPLHA’ – ‘Community of People Living with Aids’ which helped young people through drug rehab and adjusting to life with the disease. “I realized that being HIV forced a person into isolation,” the photographer said.
Eventually a contact at the organization introduced her to Nika. “They said she’s 25, stubborn, pigheaded even,” Frech recalls. “No need to be afraid of her strong character, I think she will love your project, and I think it will be exactly what she would like to participate in.” The introduction lead to three years of intense collaboration and a relationship that continues. “I guess our encounter is what one calls destiny,” Frech says. “In this metropolis, where millions of people pass each other on a daily basis, on their way to work or to wherever it is they’re heading to, this young woman was presented to me and became very important for the years to come.”
When Frech asked Nika how she contracted HIV, “she had told me that she got it from someone else, which is obvious, but she couldn’t recall how it had happened—either through a needle or sex.” Nika said, “ I never used condoms and when I found out, I never even heard of HIV. They told me I would die within two years time. All I did was cry as soon as I thought of the idea of dying. On the other hand it gave me all the more reason to just continue my self-destructive life-style. So I kept on using drugs, sharing needles, having sex without any sort of protection, for I was so afraid, I couldn’t talk about it or even accept it.” Nika eventually joined a rehab program and slowly began to rebuild her life.
With such an open subject, Frech fully immersed herself into the young woman’s life and began recording her most intimate relationships with friends and lovers. In the beginning, Frech says, “she gave the impression she received photographers on a daily basis in her apartment. And actually, this attitude never changed.”
Nika’s story of self discovery is complicated and she provides full disclosure to the photographer. When describing the time when she first knew she was HIV-positive, Nika told Frech, loving a young man at that time—with whom she lived together—she didn’t dare to tell him she found out she was HIV positive. “Meaning that she was conscious of passing it to him, but being afraid of losing him or being left on her own, she couldn’t find the courage to either tell him or to stop the relationship,” Frech says. “She’s come to peace with it now, and is convinced of living a miracle since she almost died, while doing drugs, on two occasions.”
During this time the photographer had her own moment of tragedy. Her brother committed suicide, and in that time, she had a realization about the project. “As much as I wanted to portray young Russian adults with HIV and AIDS in their intimate environment, showing their struggles, in life, love, and sadness, the project reflected my own struggle,” Frech says. “I made endless amounts of photographs—working non-stop to show these young adults who had overcome their own struggle.” Frech felt she needed to find the answer to the question, ‘How come someone doesn’t want to live anymore?’ which was parallel to finding the answer to ‘What makes someone actually say yes to life?’ As Nika shared her own stories, their bond grew and the relationship between documentarian and subject became ambiguous and more personal.
“Between Nika and myself there were no professional boundaries because of our intimate relationship and a mutual deep understanding of each others history,” Frech says. “We were fond of each other, as we had shared so many intense days and nights together, talking, laughing, crying, traveling, that she became precious to me and I felt a deep respect for her. She made me understand that life was not only about the fear of loosing someone, but she showed me the very opposite—that you can find the inner-strength to endure whatever is thrown upon your path.”
In 2007, Nika confessed to Frech on several occasions that because she chose to photograph her and to talk and listen to her, over many other people to choose from, it had made her feel special. Frech says, “It was as if I threw her a mirror and through that mirror she got to appreciate herself more and more. As if she was able to look at herself from a distance, she then started to accept that she was a special person and because of her own acknowledgement she then could love herself.”
In one of their last conversations during the making of the project in September 2007, Frech recorded a video while sitting in a cab as the two were saying goodbye. She says, “It was strange for the both of us, since we had become so close. Her last words addressed to the world, looking into the lens were, ‘I don’t know who Nika is really. Nika is someone who discovers who she is, day by day. So, I still have to see what will become of me. And then for now, goodbye!’”
Frech says, “In its essence, my work is about the personal stories of people where wanting ‘to be loved and to love’ prevents us from being devoured by illness, or emotions that steer us towards self-destruction.”
Nika stopped using drugs nine years ago and still lives in Moscow. She’s doing well and taking it day by day. In one very moving part towards the end of Frech’s film on Nika, she looks at the camera with confidence and says, “I am Nika and I am HIV positive.”
Ilse Frech was chosen this year to participate in the PhotoStories Masterclass in Groningen, The Netherlands, to finish the video portion of Nika. The final work was recently shown at Norderlict 2011. You can see the final video and more of Frech’s work here. She eventually hopes to finish the project in a book this year.
This entry was posted in Contemporary Photography, Uncategorized and tagged Aids And Hiv, Aids Epidemic, Aids Hiv, Contemplation, Contemporary Photography, Documentary Project, Drug Rehab, Dutch Photographer, Everyday Existence, Frech, Front Pages, HIV/AIDS, Ilse Frech, Intense Collaboration, Living With Aids, Marginal Situations, Nika, Orphans, Personal Impressions, Photo Documentary, Photo Essay, Photographer, Photographers, Photographs, Photography., PhotoStories, Traditional Photo, Working In Russia, Young Adults on December 27, 2011 by Paul Moakley.
emphas.is launches
There is a lot of talk about photojournalism. Is it dead? What’s going on? What can be done? I think recent events in the Middle East should have made it very clear even to the naysayers that we need credible photojournalism. Of course, there is much more to photojournalism than going to places where things are happening very visibly. There also is the kind of photojournalism where someone explores a subject that’s not on the front pages, to inform us about something we might want to know about. Needless to say, the big problem is money. Who will actually pay for the it? A new attempt to fund photojournalism has just been launched, in the form of emphas.is, a website dedicated to crowd-funding photojournalism. I do not know whether emphas.is is the – or maybe even just a – solution to fund photojournalism. But I believe it has tremendous promise. I decided to feature some of the projects here on this site to help spread the word. One of the first projects featured is Aaron Huey‘s Pine Ridge Billboard Project. Find Aaron’s pitch here.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Big Money, Billboard Project, Crowd, Front Pages, Huey, Launches, Lot, Middle East, Naysayers, Photojournalism, Pitch, Word One on March 7, 2011 by Joerg Colberg.
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Sheffield United prepares to turn up the heat
The countdown is on! Sheffield United are gearing up their pre-season preparations ahead of their footballing tour of Malta. Kevin Blackwell and the Blades squad will travel to Malta next week for the start of an intense training programme on the Mediterranean island.
Maltese side Birkirkara FC have had to withdraw from the triangular tournament they were due to contend with Sheffield United and Maltese Premier League side Vittoriosa Stars FC. Birkirkara FC have reached the Champions League second qualifying round for the first time and they will now play Slovakia’s MŠK during the week of United’s tour. Hibernians FC, another of Malta’s top clubs, have taken up the challenge and will be hosting the round-robin fixtures at their ground. The first kick-off is between the two Maltese sides on the evening of Friday 16 July at 7:30pm local time.
Sheffield United’s shining relationship with the Malta Tourism Authority will enable the club to stage a host of activities that will act as the perfect precursors to the tournament. The action starts with Kevin Blackwell and Daniel Bogdanovic supporting a fans’ forum on the evening of Tuesday 13th July. Tour attendees will also have an opportunity to enjoy a true taste of the Mediterranean lifestyle at the beach BBQ attended by the players (14th July) and watch a Blades morning training session open to the public (15th July).
The Blades’ Maltese newcomer Daniel Bogdanovic said: “Obviously, I am looking forward to the trip tremendously and I know from speaking to the lads who went last year that they loved what they saw of the island. I know a lot of people in Malta and it will be good to catch up with them and the fans – and doing it as a Sheffield United player will make it that bit more special.
“Malta is a small place but there is a lot of pride over there, not only in the people themselves but also in the bond that I know has grown between the island and the Blades.”
Booking enquires for the host of Blades activities taking place in Malta can be made through ALPINE STERLING via Tel: 2576 6000 or email: res@alpinesterling.com.
Meanwhile the Sheffield United Supporters Club Malta has been set-up recently. Those interested in joining the supporters club should phone 98120590 or visit the website http://sufcmalta.weebly.com/
07/8/2010 Antoine Busuttil News Comments off
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Gzira United face FK Ventspils in UEFA Europa League second qualifying round
Giovanni Tedesco ordered to pay Hamrun Spartans just €5,000
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Tag: Denis Irwin
Redondo’s Dummy – United against Real Madrid in the Early 2000s
April 2000 – Madrid and Manchester
This was the first of only four seasons where there was to be two group stages in the European Cup. United had cruised through the second group stage without too much problem, beating Girondins de Bordeaux home and away and losing at Fiorentina just before Christmas, partially due to a rare Roy Keane mistake which gifted Gabriel Batistuta the first goal in a 2-0 win for the Viola. This season saw European football at saturation level. On the 21st of March 2000, I was high up in the almost vertical Estadio de Mestalla watching Valencia and United play out a 0-0 draw which was very convenient for both sides. I didn’t know it at the time but exactly two weeks later, I would be back in Spain watching United play 200 miles from where I was at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Back in Manchester on the Friday after the Valencia match about Midday, the news came through that United had drawn Real Madrid in the Quarter finals. Huge mobile phones were abuzz with all kinds of excited phone calls and text messages flying about with plans to go. I remember being sat by a computer on the Easyjet website ready to book flights from Speke to Barajas and it went swimmingly, return flights booked for four at a grand total of just under £350.00. Sitting there feeling very pleased with myself, we all went to the pub for an all dayer in good spirits. The first sign of worry came when we heard later on that day that the match at the Bernabéu was on a Tuesday night. We’d booked flights to go out on Wednesday morning and as everybody knows, once a flight with Easyjet is booked it’s cast in Moses tablets and impossible to change. We found flights going out of Gatwick on the Tuesday morning with Air Europa which cost us just over £100.00 apiece that did have the consolation of the fact that we could smoke on the flight (in those days, a very rare privilege, nowadays illegal).
Continue reading Redondo’s Dummy – United against Real Madrid in the Early 2000s
Posted on June 30, 2013 May 31, 2014 Author MurphCategories Comment & EssayTags Aitor Karanka, Andy Cole, Arsenal, Athletico, Athletico Madrid, Barthez, Bayern Munich, Beckham, Berg, Bernabéu, Bordeaux, Bosnich, Brazil, Brown, Butt, Carlos, Casillas, City, Cole, Cristiano Ronaldo, Curley Watts, David Beckham, Del Bosque, Denis Irwin, Djemba-Djemba, Dwight Yorke, Easyjet, Eric Djemba-Djemba, Estadio de Mestalla, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, European Cup, Fabian Barthez, Ferdinand, Ferguson, Fernando Redondo, Fiorentina, Gabriel Batistuta, Gary Neville, Gatwick, Giggs, Girondins de Bordeaux, Henning Berg, Iker Casillas, Irwin, Iván Helguera, Jaap Stam, Juan Sebastian Veron, Juventus, Karanka, Keane, Luis Figo, Madrid, Mark Bosnich, McManaman, Mestalla, Mikael Silvestre, Milan, Monaco, Neville, Nicky Butt, Old Trafford, Paris, Paul Scholes, Porto, Raimond van der Gouw, Raul, Real Madrid, Redondo, Rio Ferdinand, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Ronaldo Luís Nazário, Roy Keane, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Ryan Giggs, Santiago Bernabéu, Scholes, Scoreboard End, Silvestre, Sir Alex, Sir Alex Ferguson, Southampton, Stam, Stamford Bridge, Steve McManaman, Stretford End, The Dell, UEFA, United, Valencia, van der Gouw, Van Nistelrooy, Veron, Vincente Del Bosque, Wes Brown, West Ham, Yorke, Zinedine ZidaneLeave a comment on Redondo’s Dummy – United against Real Madrid in the Early 2000s
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Jet Military/
Mastercraft Collection: AT-38B Aggressor HM
MCAT38HMW
Wingspan: 5.5 inches
Length: 11.25 inches
The T-38 first flew in 1959 and there were more than 1100 Talon aircrafts delivered to the Air Force from 1961 to 1972. The AT-38B Aggressor Northrop was used by the Air Educational and Training Command to prepare pilots for front line fighter and bomber aircraft such as the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-15C Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-1B Lancer, A-10 Warthog and F/A-22 Raptor. The AT-38B Aggressor Northrop is an advanced and supersonic flight trainer aircraft which was also used as a fighter lead. It is the very first aggressor aircraft. The AT-38B was ordered by the US Air Force in 1950. The AT-38B Aggressor Northrop aircraft was much less expensive to operate because the LIFT program had reduced its cost. The LIFT program ended in 1993 when the USAF integrated the training with the UPT. This handcrafted model is painted in the same paint scheme as the original and is painstakingly built from Philippine mahogany by our skilled craftsmen. Perfect as a gift for any aviation enthusiast and history buff!
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National Instruments Breaks Ground on R&D and Operations Facility in Penang
National Instruments, a global company that develops and manufactures software and hardware products engineers and scientists use for test, control and embedded design applications, today is holding a groundbreaking ceremony for its planned R&D and operations facility in Penang, Malaysia. The ceremony will be attended by Malaysian Minister of Trade and Industry Y.B. Dato' Sri Mustapa Bin Mohamed and Chief Minister of Penang Lim Guan Eng and marks the beginning of construction on the new facility, which is scheduled to be complete in 2012. National Instruments is developing the facility as part of the company’s ongoing plan to expand global operations to support the company’s growth.
“Today’s groundbreaking on the National Instruments R&D and operations facility is an exciting milestone in the ongoing collaboration between Malaysia and National Instruments,” said Y.B. Dato' Sri Mustapa Bin Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry in Malaysia. “National Instruments has brought numerous high-value jobs to the country, and our investment in the company’s success is in line with the goals of the Economic Transformation Programme and our long-term vision of making Malaysia a high-income nation.”
The new 314,000 square foot R&D and operations facility will be located on part of the company’s 23 acres of land in Bayan Lepas, an industrial area home to several global high-tech companies. The facility will have an open floor plan and many environmentally conscious features such as energy efficient lighting, motion-activated light switches and plumbing controls and double-glazed Low-E glass windows to prevent heat gain. Additionally, the building will employ a system developed by Chiller Energy Management Systems (CEMS) Engineering that uses National Instruments products, including NI LabVIEW software, to achieve energy-saving central air conditioning.
“National Instruments has been a wonderful addition to Penang, bringing good jobs that are well suited to the talents of our region’s workforce,” said Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang. “National Instruments has long been recognized as a ‘100 Best Places to Work’ company, and we are pleased they are bringing that same culture of excellence to Penang.”
Approximately 1,500 employees working in manufacturing, product development, R&D, IT and finance will occupy the new site in Penang over the next 10 years. National Instruments is actively recruiting employees for its Penang operation, including experienced engineers to fill key R&D positions.
“National Instruments is pleased with the progress we have made to establish a world-class R&D and operations facility in Penang,” said Alex Davern, chief operating officer at National Instruments. “We have already had great success in attracting quality talent from the region and are confident our Penang operation will expand our ability to deliver the high-quality, cutting-edge technology customers expect from National Instruments.”
Readers interested in applying for jobs in Penang can visit www.ni.com/careers and select the “Search for Jobs (Penang, Malaysia)” link in the left-hand navigation bar. Interested readers may also visit www.jobstreet.com, an online job website for Malaysia, and type in National Instruments to see the company’s current job openings.
National Instruments (www.ni.com) is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 30,000 different companies worldwide, with its largest customer representing approximately 4 percent of revenue in 2010 and no one industry representing more than 15 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has approximately 5,500 employees and direct operations in more than 40 countries. For the past 12 years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America.
Labels: Jobs, Manufacturing, National Instruments, News, Research
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About Five Sugars Please
Five Sugars Please, John Hegley's bestselling thin third volume, is a collection of poems and prose pieces, accompanied by the author's drawings. It contains cafés ancient and modern, Romans and Martians, and the mystery of the 'men's face-cloth', as well as the story 'Declaring Martian Law'. There are extracts from various journals: Portugal, India and Berwick-upon-Tweed, as well as meditations upon greed, Rembrandt, sleeping bags and doing the hoovering. Properly.
John Hegley is not a normal poet … the truth of the matter is that in all the best poetry, profundity and humour become one. The Elizabethans had a name for it - the Poetry of Wit
Hegley is that literary rarity - a successful poet, whose slim volumes of verse repay debts to the pop ballads of the Merseybeat bards such as Roger McGough and Brian Patte, the psychedelic psycho-babble of John Lennon, and the nonsense rhymes of Victorian Edward Lear and Lewis Carrol
As a comic poet he's unrivalled
John Hegley
John Hegley performs live at venues all over Britain, including at the Edinburgh Festival. He appears on television and radio and his poems are featured regularly in The Guardian. He has published numerous volumes of poetry.
His various media appearances include Wogan, Ross, Anderson, a mention on Brookside, two John Peel sessions with musical outfit The Popticians, They Think It's All Over and a host of others. He has also been the subject of a BBC Radio 4 series Hearing With Hegley.
He has been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Luton, in which town he grew up. He accompanies some of his verses on the mandolin. He has worked on buses and in a social security office, a hospital and a rag-cleaning factory, but it is the theatre he loves best.
Also by Hegley, John
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Monokia
Start Here Your Brilliance Your Business Your Brand
Monokia Nance
Start Here/
Your Brilliance
Monokia Nance/
We at Monokia International, Inc. (“Monokia,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) have created this privacy policy (this “Privacy Policy”) because we know that you care about how information you provide to us is used and shared. This Privacy Policy applies to our information collection and use practices: (i) online when you visit any of our websites, including, without limitation, monokianance.com, readytolaunchbootcamp.com, and workwithmonokia.com (the “Websites”); and (ii) offline when you provide information to us.
Capitalized terms not defined in this Privacy Policy shall have the meaning set forth in our Terms of Service.
By visiting any of our Websites, you are agreeing to the terms of this Privacy Policy and the accompanying Terms of Service, both of which govern your use of the Websites. By providing us information offline, you are also agreeing to the terms of this Privacy Policy.
In the course of operating the Websites and/or interacting with you, we will collect (and/or receive) the following types of information.
1. Personal Information.
When you sign up to receive any of our newsletters, respond to a survey, register for a class, or purchase any product or service, you may be required to provide us with personal information about yourself, such as your name, address, email address, and phone number. We do not collect any personal information from Visitors when they use the Websites unless they provide such information voluntarily, such as by registering or sending us an email or signing up for a newsletter. All information we collect and/or receive under this section is collectively called “Personal Information.”
2. Order Information.
When you place an Order, you must provide us with certain information about the products and services you are seeking to purchase. Such information is collectively called the “Order Information.”
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When you wish to purchase a product or service, you will be required to provide certain information in addition to the Personal Information and Order Information noted above. Such information may include a debit card number, credit card number, expiration date, billing address, activation codes, and similar information. Such information is collectively called the “Billing Information.” Although we will have access to the Billing Information, it will also be collected and processed by our third-party payment vendors pursuant to the terms and conditions of their privacy policies and terms of use.
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In addition to the information noted above, we may collect additional information (collectively, the “Other Information”). Such Other Information may include:
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We may share Other Information about your activity on the Websites with third parties for the purpose of tailoring, analyzing, managing, reporting, and optimizing advertising you see on the Websites and elsewhere. These third parties may use cookies, pixel tags (also called web beacons or clear gifs), and/or other technologies to collect such Other Information for such purposes. Pixel tags enable us, and these third-party advertisers, to recognize a browser’s cookie when a browser visits the site on which the pixel tag is located in order to learn which advertisement brings a user to a given site.
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If you have registered for the Websites, you may access, review, and make changes to your Personal Information, Billing Information, and certain Other Information by following the instructions found on the Websites. In addition, you may manage your receipt of marketing and non-transactional communications by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link located on the bottom of any Monokia International marketing email. Customers cannot opt out of receiving transactional emails related to their account or their Orders. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to process such requests in a timely manner. You should be aware, however, that it is not always possible to completely remove or modify information in our subscription databases.
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We use the Personal Information, the Order Information, the Billing Information, and the Other Information (collectively, the “Information”) to provide our services; to process Orders; to administer our rewards and promotional programs; to maintain and improve our Websites and services to you; to solicit your feedback; and to inform you about our products and services and those of our third-party marketing partners.
We may also use and/or share Information as described below.
Monokia International will access, use, and share the Information as required to process your Orders and provide support to you.
In order to provide our services and administer our rewards and promotional programs, we may share the Information (excluding the Billing Information) with our third-party promotional and marketing partners, including, without limitation, businesses participating in our various programs.
With your permission, third-party applications or services may access your Personal Information. We use standard OAuth (open authorization) to enable you to give permission to share your Personal Information with other websites and services, such as Facebook and Twitter (e.g., when you agree to a pop-up requesting you to allow another application to access your account information). We also use OAuth to allow us to share information about you that is stored by us without sharing your security credentials.
We may employ other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. Examples may include providing technical assistance, Order fulfillment, customer service, and marketing assistance. These other companies will have access to the Information only as necessary to perform their functions and to the extent permitted by law.
In an ongoing effort to better understand our Visitors, customers, and our products and services, we may analyze the Order Information and Other Information in aggregate form in order to operate, maintain, manage, and improve the Websites and/or our products and services. This aggregate information does not identify you personally. We may share this aggregate data with our affiliates, agents, and business partners. We may also disclose aggregated user statistics in order to describe our products and services to current and prospective business partners and to other third parties for other lawful purposes.
We may share some or all of your Information with any of our parent companies, subsidiaries, joint ventures, or other companies under common control with us.
As we develop our businesses, we might sell or buy businesses or assets. In the event of a corporate sale, merger, reorganization, sale of assets, dissolution, or similar event, the Information may be part of the transferred assets.
To the extent permitted by law, we may also disclose the Information: (i) when required by law, court order, or other government or law enforcement authority or regulatory agency; or (ii) whenever we believe that disclosing such Information is necessary or advisable, for example, to protect the rights, property, or safety of Marie Forleo International or others.
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Please keep in mind that whenever you voluntarily make your Personal Information available to third parties — for example on message boards or web logs; through email; during webinars, classes, telephone conferences, or coaching calls; or in comment or chat areas — that information can be seen, collected, heard, and/or used by others besides us. We cannot be responsible for any unauthorized third-party use of such information.
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We take commercially reasonable steps to protect the Information from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Please understand, however, that no security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee the security of our databases, nor can we guarantee that the Information that you supply will not be intercepted while being transmitted to and from us over the Internet. In particular, e-mail sent to or from the Websites may not be secure, and you should therefore take special care in deciding what information you send to us via email.
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This Privacy Policy is effective as of the date stated at the top of this Privacy Policy. We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. By accessing the Websites and/or using our services after we make any such changes to this Privacy Policy, you are deemed to have accepted such changes. Please be aware that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, our use of the Information is governed by the Privacy Policy in effect at the time we collect the Information. Please refer back to this Privacy Policy on a regular basis.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us via email at hello@monokianance.com with “Privacy Policy” in the subject line.
Monokia Nance is a powerful award winning speaker and transformation coach, with more than a decade of experience working for and with women and girls across the nation. Her acclaimed programs are impacting the masses for a lifetime, not just for a moment. Her life's work is to help women (and some 5 star men) to identify and deliver their life's purpose and ultimately “love the life they live and live the life they love.”
A former Brand Specialist to some of the nation's top luxury brands, Monokia is now a full time Business Coach, Speaker and Entrepreneur, encouraging persons internationally to "create conscious change in their own lives" thus becoming "Life Authors".
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NotoriousOnline News / Updates
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Street renamed for rap legend Notorious B.I.G.
NotoriousOnline 06-10-2019
Clinton Hill block is officially named after the Notorious B.I.G.
Bun B Tells Why Smoking Weed W/ Notorious B.I.G. Felt Like ‘The Godfather’
Brooklyn Is Officially Naming a Street After Notorious B.I.G. on June 10th!
The Baby From The Notorious B.I.G's "Ready To Die" Album Cover Is All Grown Up Now
Lil Cease Offers Heartfelt Apology To Lil Kim At B.I.G's Birthday Dinner
B.I.G. News / Updates archives
BIG music featured on the premier episode of The Ozark Season 2
NotoriousOnline
Published on 09-26-2018 02:40 PM Number of Views: 560
Ozark is an American crime drama web television series created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams, and produced by Media Rights Capital. Jason Bateman stars in the series; he also directed the first two and last two episodes of season 1, and ...
Tale of the Tape "Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)" ft. Notorious B.I.G.
Published on 09-23-2018 09:01 AM Number of Views: 173
In hip-hop, fans and critics often marvel at and put a premium on the supreme soloists or groups who can craft classic songs and bodies of work while remaining the central figure. However, the most electric moments in the culture occur when multiple emcees collaborate on a track, with the sole purpose of asserting themselves as the most lyrically gifted by delivering an epic rhyme spill that outclasses the others. Throughout the years, the songs—generally referred to as "posse cuts"—have become some of the most memorable in the genre's history, ...
Kanye Posts rare concert ad with Notorious BIG
Kanye West is one of the most influential artists of all time. He's changed the game so many times that it's difficult to keep track of. As he continually shifts styles, it becomes increasingly hard to view him as the same person that dropped The College Dropout years ago. When people say they miss the old Kanye, they're talking about the fearless kid in the mid-2000's who dropped some of the best albums of the decade. Considering how big he's gotten, it's crazy to think that he was once just an aspiring rapper but even then, he was opening for Tupac and Biggie during their first joint concert in Chicago. ...
Suge Knight sentenced: Calls for rap mogul to 'face justice for Biggie murder’
RAP music fans say Suge Knight should “face justice” for the Biggie Smalls murder after he was sentenced over a fatal hit-and-run. The shamed former Death Row Records boss is accused of mowing down two men with a pick-up truck in Los Angeles on January 29, 2015. One victim Terry Carter died from his injuries while Cle “Bone” Sloan suffered serious injuries to his feet and his head. Horrific CCTV video showed Knight’s vehicle reversing over one of the men and then slamming into another. ...
Gulf Coast Leisure brings Biggie to Florida's 'melting pot'
Gulf Coast Leisure's signature event -- the Art and Poetry Networking Event (APNE) -- features poets, rappers, singers, painters, and entrepreneurs on the last Thursday of every month. The sense of culture is apparent as soon as you walk through the door at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers. Large paintings cover each wall and the colors light up the room. The late great Notorious B.I.G. sits in front of a paint splattered display with an iconic Raiders logo on his hat. The gangster rapper, who died in 1997, is a staple in hip-hop culture. ...
Hip-Hop Documentarian Chi Modu Captures the Truth
HVW8 Gallery and adidas Originals hosted a first look at UNCATEGORIZED, an exhibition of photographs from hip-hop documentarian Chi Modu. The traveling show first opened in Berlin, but has made several global stops since. Still, this week's Los Angeles preview had special significance for the Nigeria-born, New Jersey-raised Modu, who joked that despite his East Coast childhood, the ...
Johnny Depp's The Notorious BIG Film Hit With $10 Million Lawsuit
Johnny Depp's film City of Lies, based on the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation into the murder of The Notorious B.I.G., continues to fall apart. Distributors were sued for $10 million by Bank Leumi on Wednesday (Aug. 29) after pulling the movie from their ...
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BIG music featured on the prem...
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Oregon Tattoo Artist Turns Biggie Smalls into Crayola Caricatures
https://www.inkedmag.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_473/MTYwOTk3MjE2ODQ3MTQ0OTM1/scr...
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Poland U21 VS Belgium U21, a home win
UEFA U21Poland U21 VS Belgium U21, a home win
Posted Sun, 16 Jun 2019 09:37:51 GMT
Match Time：6/17/2019 00:30 Monday (GMT+8)
UEFA European U-21 Football Championship -- Poland U21 VS Belgium U21
Poland U21: Weak form ( Recent Form: W L W D L )
For the Polish U21 national team alone, the qualification for this European Championship finals is already a great success. After a 23-year absence, the White-Reds 2017 celebrated their comeback on the European junior stage, but disappointed at the home European championship across the board. After three rounds only one point was on the credit side, so that the team, at the time a certain Krzystof Piatek had to make do with the Joker role, after the group phase canceled the sails. Two years later, the men of coach Czeslaw Michniewicz set the goal to collect more meters and thus possibly to make the leap to the semi-finals. But this will not be easy either, because in a group with Italy, Spain and Belgium "Polska" is considered the weakest team. Nevertheless, the young Biało-Czerwoni has impressively demonstrated in the qualification that they have rightly solved the ticket for the European Championship in Italy & San Marino. In ten qualifying games, the Poles remained completely unbeaten (six wins, four draws), but still had to settle for second place behind Denmark. As a consequence, two playoff matches against the highly rated Portuguese were on the program, in which the Michniewicz's men unexpectedly prevailed 3-2 on the way home and away. These positive experiences from the dramatic playoffs, in which the Red-Whites, after a 0-1 defeat in front of their home crowd in the first leg, the return leg of the European champion offspring won 3-1, are a not to be underestimated argument to Sunday evening between Poland and Belgium a tip to higher quotas on the supposed underdog to dare. The fact is that you are in the squad of the world ranking-20. searching in vain for internationally renowned talents. The most valuable player in the Polish squad is Dawid Kownacki of Fortuna Dusseldorf. In addition, Rafael Szymanski of Legia Warsaw is likely to attract much of the scouting interest. Due to the individual quality available only in moderation, the collective is all the more written, which we consider to be an exciting and thoroughly promising approach, especially since the bookmakers are known to be guided by outstanding individualists in their distribution of betting odds.
Belgium U21: Two straight losses ( Recent Form: W W D L L )
Similar to the Polish U21 national team, the Belgians also have one player in their ranks, who caused a sensation at Fortuna Dusseldorf last season. The speech is of course by Dodi Lukebakio. The tall and fast attacker was involved in a total of 14 goals of the Rhinelander and scored three goals, including in the away game at Bayern Munich. No wonder that the loan of English Premier League club Watford in the coming season is very likely to draw a new club. Diverse Bundesliga clubs should be interested, although the advisers of the 21-year-old certainly hope that Lukebakio also plays great in the upcoming U21 European Championship and then flutter even better doped offers on the table. Lukebakio is one of the most promising talents in the Belgian U21, otherwise relying almost entirely on players who were previously unable to gain a foothold in the senior team. On the one hand, what could turn out to be an advantage in terms of being a recluse and the rehearsed automatisms, on the other hand, can certainly also be regarded as a risk or disadvantage due to a lack of experience at the highest international level. Looking alone at the results in the European Championship qualification, then in the upcoming duel between Poland and Belgium, a prognosis on the young devils is difficult to refute. The team of Johan Walem collected an impressive 26 points from ten qualifying games (eight wins, two draws) and conceded only five goals. The latest three internationals of the Belgians, however, raise a few minor question marks. Following the already disappointing 3: 3 draw against Romanians in November last year, the Young Devils suffered bitter defeats against Denmark (2: 3) and France (0: 3) in both March and early June. Nine conceded goals in three games may be an indication that the defensive is not as solid as expected. The self-confidence is cracked after these mixed performances something.
After all, nuances and the famous little bit of luck will decide the outcome of this duel. We therefore see in the listings on a success of the supposed outsider from Poland the greater value and decide between Poland and Belgium for a tip on the Michniewicz's men.
Poland U21 - Belgium U21
Pick: Poland U21 0.5
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Occupy Prisons
February 14, 2012 By: NCVeditor Category: Politics, Victoria Law
‘We Must Not Turn Our Backs on Each Other…’
“Manhandled, arrested, cuffed, searched, and locked away in the Tombs” is how AlterNet described the story of protester Barbara Schneider Reilly, who spent 30 hours in jail after being arrested at an Occupy Wall Street-related protest in October 2011.
Reilly reported: “During the long, cold night in the Tombs, at some point we asked a female officer if we could have some blankets. ‘We have no blankets.’ Some mattresses since we were 12 or so people? ‘We have no more mattresses.’ Some change in exchange for dollar bills so we could call parents and loved ones? (The one public telephone in the cell would only take coins.) ‘It’s against regulations.’ Some soap? ‘Maybe we’ll come up with some soap.’ After no, no, no to every reasonable request, we wound up with a small jar of soap. Distressing is hardly the word for a culture of willful neglect and the exercise of what power those officers held over us for those 30 hours.”
While Reilly’s experience was horrific, it is only a sliver of the atrocities that over 114,000 women in prisons and jails must endure on a daily basis. When the article first appeared, I printed it out and circulated it to several currently incarcerated women and asked how Schneider’s weekend compared to their own realities.
“It’s always great to see stories like Barbara Schneider’s published. It’s important that as many people as possible spread the word about jails, prisons, incarceration and our justice system,” wrote RJ, a woman who had been incarcerated in Colorado. “As a prisoner myself, Schneider’s descriptions are definitely familiar: Thousands of people experience similar processes every day, many for years on end. Each time a story of incarceration is shared, I hope we think of ALL who are in jail/prison. Regardless of what has led to our arrest and whether we have been held for ten hours, ten years, not yet, or never, the same oppressive system contains us. We all are offered dehumanization and brutality in the name of order, rehabilitation, deterrence or justice.”
“Her experience was just a tip of the iceberg,” wrote Terrina, another woman incarcerated in Colorado. “I am, by no means, trying to minimize her experience because incarceration is horrible for anyone that goes through it. However, she was blessed that she was somewhere that the spotlight was being shined on. Can you imagine how the forgotten people feel? The ones with no family, no support, no organization standing behind them?”
Terrina describes what the process is like for those entering the prison system:
When someone arrives at DW, you’re stripped, photographed, poked, prodded, asked a bunch of questions that seem to have no bearing on your actual crime or personal situation (although the answers do chart out a path for your life in DOC), and given a piece of dry stale cake to eat. Yes cake. And that is it for the day. When you take into account that the prisoners are awake and traveling before 6am, without food or drink, from the county jail, and scared, anxious and unsure of the upcoming events, not being fed until 6pm is an awfully long time.
The women are placed in the first living unit. Although it is called a LIVING unit, you would think it is more like a kennel. The women are allowed out of their cell for one hour a day. At that time, they have to shower, use the phone, and try to learn the rules and regulations of their new surroundings without any guidance from the officers. Yes, it is true that there are “Posted Operational Regulations” (PORs) but … Lord forbid that the officers tell the new inmates how to use the telephone, when they are allowed to shower, how to get their medication, if needed, and, if they are pregnant, they are lucky if they are allowed to receive prenatal treatment for the first month that they are here. The women live like animals for at least a month before moving to the next “living” unit. Once they move, they are allowed TWO hours out a day. No classes, one hour a week at the gym, a minimal church, and hopefully by now the new girl has found a decent “old number” that can explain the way of her new world. If not … she’s still shit out of luck.
Unfortunately she still has to deal with the same offices that she’s been around for the first month. At this time, her telephone system should be working. However, the case managers that are supposed to be there to help are not able to explain the phone system, the classes that are available, the jobs that are attainable, or even the canteen that should be purchasable. Three to four weeks later and the confusion begins all over with another “living” unit move. Previously, contact with the other offenders was restricted altogether. Now you are thrown into a space set up like the monkey exhibit at most zoos. It is so overwhelmingly loud and disorganized that many women shut down, get angry, fight, and begin to behave like the animals they are being treated like.
In this new building, the inmate is supposed to automatically know the rules they were never taught, they’re expected to know where to go and when, which sidewalks to walk on at specific times, who they are and aren’t allowed to talk to, and are expected to show up to work on time, usually without knowing that they have even been assigned a job…
Let’s take a moment and discuss the jobs: labor crew, kitchen, laundry … those are the first jobs available. DOC pays 60 cents a day to do the work that keeps the facility running. The majority of inmates MUST pay restitution, which is, of course, taken out of their state pay … so after a full month of working hard, they are able to spend approximately $10.63. The only thing that is free in DOC is one roll of toilet paper a week and one pack of sanitary pads per month. If the inmate has a heavy menstrual cycle and needs more pads, she has to pay $4 to get them. Toothpaste, toothbrush, body soap, a brush or comb, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, hair grease, floss, any hygiene besides one roll of toilet paper a week, the inmate HAS to pay for. Since I have been in prison, the prices of canteen have gone up at least every two to three months. Why hasn’t the rate of our pay? The state is allowed to charge more for the toothpaste, but unable to pay us enough to purchase it? Don’t get caught giving away any hygiene if you are lucky enough to have it because then you can get a write-up for loaning and bartering or unauthorized possession if you don’t have a receipt for the items in your room.
These inhumanities are of the everyday variety for women behind bars. Then there are the other injustices that are all too common in women’s prisons nationwide:
Health care: Women in prison are more likely to be HIV+ than either men in prison or women who are not in prison. In 2000, women in prison were 60% more likely to have HIV than men in prison. Women in prison are 36 times more likely than women outside to have HIV. In addition, prisons are not likely to have female-specific health care (pregnancy, breast and cervical cancer screenings, GYN services, etc) and so women’s health needs often go untreated.
Parenting: More than 80% of women in prison are mothers to children under the age of eighteen. Because of the ways in which parenting is gendered, when a mother goes to prison, she is far less likely to have a co-parent, partner or family member who is willing and able to take care of her children. As a result, children of imprisoned mothers are five times more likely to end up in foster care than children of incarcerated fathers. This statistic became even more devastating in 1997 when Congress passed the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA). Under the Act, if a child has been in foster care for fifteen of the past 22 months, the state has to automatically begin terminating legal custody. Only three states make exceptions for parents who are in prison. If a mother is fortunate enough to maintain the legal rights to her child(ren), the distance of the prison from her home community makes it less likely that she will ever receive a visit from her child. More than 50% of mothers in prison reported never having received a visit from their children.
Sexual Assault: In 1996, Human Rights Watch released All Too Familiar, a report documenting sexual abuse of women prisoners throughout the United States. The report, reflecting the organization’s two-and-a-half years of research, found that sexual assaults, abuse and rape of women prisoners by male staff members were common and that women who complained incurred write-ups, loss of “good time” accrued toward an early parole and/or prolonged periods in disciplinary segregation.[1] Little has changed in many prisons since the report’s release in 1996. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits gender discrimination in employment, giving both male and female guards the right to gender-neutral employment in prisons housing prisoners of the opposite gender. Male staff members have been placed in female facilities with little to no training on cross-gender supervision and no procedures for investigating or disciplining staff sexual misconduct. In Michigan and other states, untrained male officers were assigned to positions in which they were able to walk, unannounced, into areas where women dress and undress, shower, and use the toilet. Male guards have also been given the task of performing body searches on prisoners, which includes patting down women’s breasts and genital areas. They also transported women to medical care and were required to observe gynecological and other intimate medical procedures.[2] It was not until incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women won a class-action lawsuit were restrictions on male access put into place.
Abuse and battering: More than half of women in state prisons and jails report having experienced physical and/or sexual abuse.[3] Women are three times more likely than men to have been physically and/or sexually abused prior to incarceration.[4]
In 1964, peace activist Barbara Deming spent 27 days in jail in Albany, Georgia. Deming and a group of activists had embarked on a Peace Walk from Quebec to Guantanamo, the American army base in Cuba. When the walk reached Georgia, the Peace Walkers found it impossible to demand peace without also demanding the right of all people — black and white — to walk together down any street in any city. In Albany, where the police chief had boasted that he had defeated Martin Luther King non-violently,[5] the group twice attempted to walk through the White section of town; each time, they were arrested and brought to the county jail. Deming was among the group of fifty-four women arrested the second time. Her fellow Peace Walker Yvonne, who spent first 24 days in jail and 27 days the second time, wrote: “If there is anything I have learned by being in jail, it is that prisons are wrong, simply and unqualifiedly wrong.”[6]
Nearly fifty years later, in 2011, Barbara Schneider Reilly ends her account of jail on an optimistic note: “Society must be changed. They insist on it, and, I hope, will continue to insist. And, not withstanding the difficulties ahead, we will fight for it.”
One hopes that these fights also recognize and include the struggles of people in prison. As RJ states, “When we hear and tell our stories, we must think of the abuse that is churning behind the razor wire at that moment. When we are released, or when we greet our friends outside the gates, we must think of the person who is already waiting to fill the vacant bed. We must imagine what it will take to disable this corrupt industry with its devastating methods that are carried out under the lie of ‘bettering society.’ We must not turn our backs on each other!”
Spurred on by prison justice organizers, people in the various Occupy movements are beginning to realize this and are calling for a National Occupy Day in Support of Prisoners on Monday, February 20, 2012. There will be actions across the nation. To find out about the nearest one, go to: http://occupy4prisoners.org/actions/.
[1] Human Rights Watch, All Too Familiar.6.
[2] Jennifer Bagwell, “Barred from View: How Michigan Keeps the Lid on Allegations of Widespread Sexual Abuse Against Female Inmates,” Metro Times: Detroit’s Alternative Weekly, March 24, 1999.
[3] Beth E. Richie and Kay Tsenin, Female Offenders, Pornography and Prostitution, Child Abuse and Neglect, research forum on women and girls in the justice system for the Department of Justice, 1999.
[4] Caroline Wolf Harlow, Prior Abuse Reported by Inmates and Probationers, special report for the U.S. Department of Justice, April 1999, 1.
[5] Barbara Deming, Prisons That Could Not Hold, 6.
[6] Deming, Prisons That Could Not Hold, 36.
Victoria Law is a writer, photographer, mother, and Contributing Author for New Clear Vision. She is the author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles Of Incarcerated Women(PM Press, 2009), the editor of the zine Tenacious: Art and Writings from Women in Prison, and a co-founder of Books Through Bars — NYC. She is currently working on transforming Don’t Leave Your Friends Behind, a zine series on how radical movements can support the families in their midst, into a book.
Tags: abuse, gender, OWS, power, prisons, women
5 Comments to “Occupy Prisons”
NCVeditor says:
This important and timely article is appearing today on CounterPunch as well…
j.kelvyn richards says:
And today, Feb 15, over 300 inmates were burnt to death in a prison in Honduras, many trapped in their cells behind locked doors!
On ZNet today as well: http://www.zcommunications.org/occupy-prisons-we-must-not-turn-our-backs-on-each-other–by-victoria-law
And on Truthout: http://www.truth-out.org/occupy-prisons-we-must-not-turn-our-backs-each-other/1329407122
On the Indypendent as well: “February 20: Occupy Prisons“
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Missing 411, The Mach Effect, And Parallel Dimensions: A P.I.A. Deep Black Report
Posted by P.I.A. on August 7, 2015 at 7:45 AM
This is a P.I.A. Deep Black Report. This report contains an exclusive theory developed by the P.I.A. to explain the many missing persons cases in America's National Park system.
In the last few years a researcher and former law enforcement officer named David Paulides has garnered widespread attention for his investigations into the abnormally large number of missing persons cases in America's National Park system. Paulides has performed an exhaustive investigation into these disapearances and has been able to find very valuable patterns and similarities to many of these cases. The P.I.A. has now examined these patterns and similarities in detail and has developed its own working theory to explain the cause of this disturbing phenomenon.
Upon careful analysis of the known facts of Paulides highlighted cases, our analysts began to realize that there could, in fact, be a scientific explanation for this disturbing phenomenon and we were reminded that the paranormal is the normal, just not yet understood by man. Our theory combines a known scientific theory called the 'Mach Effect' with known Geological science and theoretical physics to help provide a possible explanation to the Missing 411 phenomenon.
Missing Persons Cluster Map developed by the CanAm Missing Project and David Pualides
Many theories have been proposed to explain this phenomenon from Sasquatch abductions to E.T. activity and even more exotic explanations. None of these proposed theories fits with the known facts of the individual cases themselves. In recent days a new Missing 411 case has been opened. This involves a young man from Cleveland, Ohio on vacation in Southern Colorado. This now missing individual disapeared over a week ago and no trace of him has been found despite exhaustive efforts by search and rescue teams. This particular case fits perfectly with the rest of the Missing 411 phenomenon. All of the details surrounding his disapearnce are nearly identical to other cases.
Around the world in hushed conferences and in published scientific journals some of the best physicists alive today are attempting to relate current physics theories to observed anomalies or paranormal phenomena. Basically their scientific musings and wandering equations are beginning to sniff out the possibility that at least some reported paranormal phenomena could be the result of inter-dimensional beings or time travelers accessing our space time continuum. Likewise they are posing the possibility that physical beings jumping across vast distances of space via wormholes or stargates as a possibility for some UFO activity. One hair raising variation of the interdimensional hypothesis posits that creatures or beings that access our physical reality need not be physical but may be capable of influencing our physical reality and could be capable of such acts as mind control. Some have theorized that they could manifest their influence through long term evolutionary manipulation and act as an unseen influence on human affairs. It could be that any perceived motive would be entirely incomprehensible to us in a human sense.
Some renowned scientists like Michio Kaku are beginning to realize what may be a grim reality for the human species. Kaku writes, “Let’s say that a ten lane superhighway is being built next to an anthill. The question is: would the ants even know what a ten lane super highway is, or what it’s used for, or how to communicate with the workers who are just feet away? And the answer is no…if there is another civilization in our backyard, in the Milky Way Galaxy, would we even know its presence? There’s a good chance that we, like ants in the anthill, would not understand or be able to make sense of a ten lane superhighway next door.” This view is shared by other leading physicist like Beatrize Gato-Rivera who have begun to embrace what their science and intuition are telling them and who have begun to ask questions unthinkable in academia only a few years ago. Gato-Rivera wrote, “If there exists thousands, or millions of parallel universes, separated from ours through extra-dimensions it would be natural then to expect that some proportion of these universes would have the same laws of physics as ours and many of the corresponding advanced civilizations would master the techniques to travel or ‘jump’ through the extra dimensions. This opens up enormous possibilities.” The question now being debated among these scientists is whether or not someone ‘out there’ in a parallel dimension or from far away points in time and space could get here and interact with our reality in bizarre ways. Michio Kaku suggests, “Aliens may be here now, in another dimension, a millimeter away from our own.” Kaku is careful to point out that wave frequencies of other dimensions, times and universes are all around us every moment of every day. He states; “However just like you can only tune into one radio channel, you can only tune into one reality channel, and that is the channel that you exist in. The catch is that we cannot communicate with them, we cannot enter these universes.” Kaku and his colleagues agree, however, that far more advanced beings could possess the technological capability to make the jump between dimensions or parallel universes. Other scientists from disciplines unrelated to physics are surprisingly converging on the same conclusion.
The late Harvard psychiatrist Dr. John Mack won a Pulitzer Prize for his book on the alien abduction phenomenon. He came to believe that there was a connection between all manner of paranormal activity. He wrote; “Taken together, these phenomena tell us many things about ourselves and the universe that challenge the dominant materialist paradigm. They reveal that our understanding of reality is extremely limited, the cosmos is more mysterious than we have imagined, there are other intelligences all about some of which seem able to reach us. Consciousness itself may be the primary creative force of the universe, and our knowledge of the physical properties of this world is far from complete.The emerging picture is a cosmos that is an interconnected harmonic web, vibrating with creativity and intelligence, in which separateness is an illusion.”
What these scientists don’t yet realize however, is that the ‘vortex’ areas are doorways between dimensions. They believe according to their science that the doorways could and should be there and yet haven’t accepted the reality that the doorways are there. The bizarre and bewildering events at these sites represents nothing less than a physical interaction between dimensions. At each of these sites one finds very strange electromagnetic energy fields. Physicists believe that other dimensions are very real and that it is entirely possible that beings exist in those dimensions. They also believe that the only thing separating dimensions is an electromagnetic membrane. What is occurring at these vortex sites is that the unusual electromagnetic energies at these sites caused by the underlying geology causes a thinning or opening in the membrane allowing for momentary or intermittent interaction between our dimension and others. This is something the United States Military must be aware of and also must consider a threat in some manner, how else can we explain their presence at each and every location as well as their desire to buy up the land on which these sites now rest? It is though they have posted a guard at each of the ‘doors’ to monitor the activity and to somehow perhaps combat it. The wide array of parallel and differing paranormal activity reported at these sites fits perfectly with what these scientists describe an interaction of this sort would be like.
In Paulides newest work regarding the Missing 411 phenomenon, he focuses on the fact that many of the cases have occurred in areas that posses so called 'Devil Names'. These areas include names like 'Devil's Den', 'Devil's Lake', 'Devil's Canyon', 'Mt. Diablo', etc. This fact struck a major chord with our research and is identical to the research of one of the world's most renown cryptozoologist, named Loren Coleman. In Coleman's well researched book 'Mysterious America', he discusses the fact that many types of paranormal activity are always associated with places that have historical 'Devil' names and that, in fact, these places all earned their names because of the observed paranormal activity by the local populations who in times past equated it with the work of the Devil. In Appendix 5 of Coleman's 'Mysterious America' one can find a complete list of these names and places as well as the observed paranormal activity. This fact and the fact that many of the missing 411 cases also have occurred in these same areas is far too much of a coincidence for the P.I.A. to accept as random possiblity. In December of 2014 Paulides was interviewed on Veritas radio and stated that a new pattern seems to have emerged with his research is that at the same time that some of the people vanished, he also discovered that there had been either vanishing airplanes or ships that had occurred that same day in the Bermuda Triangle. This fact almost guarantees that what we are dealing with is an interdimensional bleed through in areas that have underlying geographic topography which produce strong electromagnetic fields. Our theory is thus:
The Woodward effect, also referred to as a Mach effect, one of at least three predicted Mach effects, is part of a hypothesis proposed by James F. Woodward in 1990. The hypothesis states that transient mass fluctuations arise in any object that absorbs internal energy while undergoing a proper acceleration. Harnessing this effect could generate a thrust, which Woodward and others claim to measure in various experiments. If proven to exist, the Woodward effect could be used in the design of spacecraft engines of a field propulsion engine that would not have to expel matter to accelerate. Such an engine, called a Mach effect thruster (MET), would be a breakthrough in space travel. So far, no conclusive proof of the existence of this effect has been presented. Experiments to confirm and utilize this effect by Woodward and others continue.
According to Woodward, there are at least three Mach effects theoretically possible: vectored impulse thrust, open curvature of spacetime, and closed curvature of spacetime. The first effect, the Woodward effect, is the minimal energy effect of the hypothesis. The Woodward effect is focused primarily on proving the hypothesis and providing the basis of a Mach effect impulse thruster. In the first of three general Mach effects for propulsion or transport, the Woodward effect is an impulse effect usable for in-orbit satellite stationkeeping, spacecraft reaction control systems, or at best, thrust within the solar system. The second and third effects are open and closed spacetime effects. Open curved spacetime effects can be applied in a field generation system to produce warp fields. Closed curve spacetime effects would be part of a field generation system to generate wormholes.
The third Mach effect is a closed curve spacetime effect or closed timelike curve called a benign wormhole. Closed curve space is generally known as a wormhole or black hole. Prompted by Carl Sagan for the scientific basis of wormhole transport in the movie Contact, Kip Thorne developed the theory of benign wormholes. The generation, stability and traffic control of transport through a benign wormhole is only theoretical at present.
This is important because the Earth is also experiencing 'Transient Mass Fluctuations', as it travels through space, this in turn is causing stress in the underlying rock strata in various geographical areas where there are an unsusal number of missing persons cases. This rock strata contains very large deposits of quartz crystal, which when stressed causes the generation of very strong Electromagnetic fields. These fields are 'activated' at different times and places depending on external space/time factors which produce the Mach effect. When these fields are generated then they can cause a 'benign wormhole' to form allowing for travel between dimensions. It is our contention that not only are the wide array of paranormal activity associated with these areas the result of momentary interaction between dimensions but that the high number of missing persons cases so eloquently researched by Paulides can also be attributed to this scientific mechanism. The book 'Hunt for the Skinwalker' holds many important clues in this line of research and we at the P.I.A. believe that we could, in fact, be witnessing something developing which is far, far more disturbing once the Macro implications of these findings are contemplated.
Unexplained (59)
Crypto Files (56)
Alien Presence (35)
© 2019 Paranormal Intelligence Agency. All Rights Reserved.
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Prof Peter Argyris Katsambanis
Place: Melbourne, Australia
Arrival in WA
Arrived in Western Australia in 2010
LLB BComm
Member of the Liberal Party
Search for speeches by Peter Katsambanis
Katsambanis, Peter Argyris, Valedictory Speech, November 2016.pdf
MLC North Metropolitan Region from 5 April 2013 to 6 February 2017. Elected to the Thirty-ninth Parliament for the North Metropolitan Region on 5 April 2013 for term commencing 22 May 2013. Resigned 6 February 2017 (to contest the Legislative Assembly seat of Hillarys).
MLA Hillarys from 11 March 2017. Elected to the Fortieth Parliament for Hillarys on 11 March 2017, in succession to Rob Johnson (defeated).
Shadow Minister for Police; Road Safety; Corrective Services; Industrial Relations from 25 March 2017 to 21 December 2017
Shadow Minister for Police; Road Safety; Industrial Relations from 21 December 2017
Member Joint Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation 23 May 2013 to 30 January 2017
Deputy Chair Standing Committee on Estimates and Financial Operations 22 May 2013 to 6 February 2017
Member Joint Standing Committee on Audit 13 June 2013 to 30 January 2017
Member Community Development and Justice Standing Committee from 23 May 2017 (Chair from 24 May 2017)
LLB, BComm
Current Member's Entry
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November 20, 2014 November 21, 2014 Sarah Crean Climate, Energy
Nine NY Congressional Reps Voted for Keystone XL Pipeline
Congress’ vote to authorize construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline attracted enormous attention because of the potential impact that exploiting Canadian tar sands crude oil could have on the earth’s climate.
In a famous 2012 New York Times op-ed written by James Hansen, the NASA scientist said that burning tar sands crude would be “game over” for the climate.
“Canada’s tar sands, deposits of sand saturated with bitumen, contain twice the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by global oil use in our entire history,” stated Hansen.
“If we were to fully exploit this new oil source, and continue to burn our conventional oil, gas and coal supplies, concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere eventually would reach levels higher than in the Pliocene era, more than 2.5 million years ago, when sea level was at least 50 feet higher than it is now,” he continued. “That level of heat-trapping gases would assure that the disintegration of the ice sheets would accelerate out of control.”
New York’s two senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, voted against the legislation, which the White House reportedly threatened to veto.
Eighteen of New York’s 27 Congressional representatives also voted against authorizing construction.
The nine representatives -including three Democrats- who voted in favor are:
Peter King (R), Long Island
Carolyn McCarthy (D), Long Island
Michael Grimm (R), Staten Island
Sean Maloney (D), Orange, Putnam, and part of Westchester and Dutchess counties
Christopher Gibson (R), Hudson Valley and Catskills
William Owens (D), most of the Adirondack Mountains and Thousand Islands region
Richard Hanna (R), central New York, including Binghamton
Tom Reed (R), New York border with PA, including shore of Lake Erie
Chris Collins (R), western New York
One Congressman from NYC Voted Yes
The only New York City Congressional representative who voted to authorize the Keystone XL Pipeline was Michael Grimm of Staten Island.
We contacted Michael Grimm’s Washington, DC office to ask about his support of the pipeline, especially given Staten Island’s experience during Hurricane Sandy and its increasing vulnerability to rising sea levels.
Did Congressman Grimm connect climate change to the burning of fossil fuels, we asked.
Grimm did not respond to our questions. However, his voting record indicates that he tends to be very supportive of oil and gas exploration and development, including here in New York City.
Grimm’s website notes that he introduced a bill authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to allow for the construction and operation of natural gas pipeline facilities in the New York portion of the Gateway National Recreation Area. Gateway includes the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.
The pipeline in Gateway, also known as the Rockaway pipeline, is now nearing completion. According to Grimm’s website, “the construction of the [Rockaway] pipeline will create hundreds of local construction jobs, generate approximately $265 million in construction activity, and lower the cost of energy by bringing clean, affordable energy to the residents of New York City.”
Grimm’s bill clearing the way for construction of the Rockaway Pipeline was also supported by Senator Charles Schumer, along with the Bloomberg administration.
Tagged Keystone Pipeline, Michael Grimm, Rockaway Pipeline, U.S. Congress
http://flippetyfloppety.blogspot.com/ karen orlando
The pipeline’s construction may be nearing completion but there has been a snag with the HDD under Riis park and the pipe has been stuck for more than a month now while Williams tries to figure out a way to move it. Senator Schumer may have supported Grimm’s bill however he never did so publically and the bill called for more than the National Park Service having the authority to grant a permit for the right of way through Riis. The more controversial aspect of the bill was the aboveground part of the pipeline, the metering station, which is being built in historic hangars in Floyd Bennett Field also part of Gateway National Recreation Area. The pipe is buried and results in zero loss of public space. The same cannot be said for the metering station.
Sarah Crean
Thanks a lot for the construction update on the Rockaway pipeline Karen. Regarding Senator Schumer’s support for Grimm’s bill authorizing the pipeline’s construction in Gateway, Mayor Bloomberg specifically mentions the support in the following statement: thehttp://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/333-12/statement-mayor-michael-bloomberg-the-passage-legislation-authorizing-a-new-natural-gas
Here’s the link- sorry, didn’t work before! http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/333-12/statement-mayor-michael-bloomberg-the-passage-legislation-authorizing-a-new-natural-gas
Yes. I remember that press release from the mayor when the bill passed. When Schumer sponsored it is anyone’s guess. Perhaps on September 21 or 22nd as it was passed? According to the congressional record the only names attached to the bill are Grimm, Meeks and Turner.
The record on the bill says this about September when the bill moved: “Committee on Energy and Natural Resources was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2606 , to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to allow the construction and operation of natural gas pipeline facilities in the Gateway National Recreation Area, and the bill was then passed, after agreeing to the following amendment proposed thereto:” Pryor (for Bingaman) Amendment No. 2869, in the nature of a substitute.
So then Bingaman’s name is there but not Schumers. No doubt he played a part but where and when there is no record of except for Bloomberg’s press release.
NYS Feels Weight of Great Lakes Snow Effect
State’s Lead Environmental Regulator Says He Will Not be Leaving
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Research Associate / Postdoctoral Fellow in Adaptive Optics and Optical Coherence Tomography at Indiana University
Optical Coherence Tomography News Apr 21 2019 Ophthalmology , Jobs & Studentships
The Advanced Ophthalmic Imaging Laboratory at Indiana University is looking to fill a postdoctoral fellow or research associateposition. The successful candidate will join a team of scientists and engineers that are developing adaptive optics–optical coherence tomography (AO-OCT) for studying structure and function of the living human retina at the cellular level. The system is opening exciting new directions to study both normal and pathological vision.
The laboratory (www.opt.indiana.edu/dtmiller/Index.aspx) is part of an active and well-funded community of vision scientists and engineers working in the areas of visual optics, retinal imaging, OCT, and adaptive optics. A major aim of the group is to create advanced optical instrumentation for eye research.
Indiana University is a major research university founded in 1820. It currently enrolls over 32,000 undergraduates and 7,500 graduate and professional students on the Bloomington campus with over 110,000 students in the university system. The School of Optometry has very active research and graduate programs with numerous collaborations with other disciplines within the university. The School has several major teaching clinics as well as outreach affiliations. Bloomington is a relaxed community located in a beautifully wooded and hilly area of the state where cultural and recreational opportunities abound, housing costs are low, schools are excellent, and commuting time is short. More information about the School is available at www.optometry.iu.edu, and about the University at www.indiana.edu.
Qualifications for the position include a PhD and strong experimental background in OCT, adaptive optics, or a related area. Strong communication skills are critical. Experience with optical system design and construction, digital image processing, and Fourier optics are desirable. Knowledge of visual optics is not required, though beneficial. The project is supported by federal funding.
Rank and salary will be commensurate with experience. Review of applications will begin June 1st, 2019 and will be reviewed until a suitable candidate is found. To apply, please submit CV, a statement of research interests, and contact information of three references to IU’S Academic online application system: http://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/7732. Questions regarding the position or application process can be directed to Dr. Don Miller at dtmiller@indiana.edu or submitted via postal mail at Indiana University School of Optometry, Attn: OAA# 21904-08, c/o Dr. Don Miller, 800 E. Atwater Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405.
For more information see this link: http://www.opt.indiana.edu/dtmiller/Index.aspx
Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status.
Ultra-high-resolution optical coherence tomography gets adaptive-optic ‘glasses’ also written by Donald T. Miller
Does transverse chromatic aberration limit performance of AO-OCT retinal imaging? also written by Donald T. Miller
Ultra-high resolution adaptive optics: optical coherence tomography for in vivo imaging of healthy and diseased retinal structures also written by Donald T. Miller
Method and apparatus for improving both lateral and axial resolution in ophthalmoscopy also written by Donald T. Miller
Evaluation of peripapillary detachment in pathologic myopia with en face optical coherence tomography also categorized in Ophthalmology
Imaging retinal nerve fiber bundles at ultrahigh-speed and ultrahigh-resolution using OCT with adaptive optics also written by Donald T. Miller
Volumetric retinal imaging with ultrahigh-resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and adaptive optics using two broadband light sources also written by Donald T. Miller
Measuring retinal contributions to the optical Stiles-Crawford effect with optical coherence tomography also written by Donald T. Miller
Axsun Technologies Announces Exclusive Cardiac Supply Agreement for Advanced OCT Tunable Lasers with LightLab Imaging also published in Optical Coherence Tomography News
Relation of optical coherence tomography and unusual angiographic leakage patterns in central serous chorioretinopathy also categorized in Ophthalmology
Donald T. Miller
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Chapter 6 - Overview of the Beginnings of Sorrows, the Great Tribulation, and the Day of the Lord
Revelation Chapter 6: the "beginnings of sorrows" - the events of the first six seals: Antimessiah goes forth to conquer; aftermath of havoc and death; martyrdom of the redeemed; preview of the Day of the Lord and the Wrath of Elohim ("God")
6:1-2 (a) Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with (b) a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, (c) a white horse. (d) He who sat on it had (e) a bow; and (f) a crown was given to him, and he went out (g) conquering and to conquer.
a. “Now I saw” or “Then I saw” (KJV) is a common phrase in Revelation that introduces a shift in what is seen, not necessarily a change in time period. Now that the stage has been set on Earth (Chapters 2 and 3) and in Heaven (Chapters 4 and 5), what will happen in the future (“which will take place after this” - 1:19; 4:1) begins to be revealed to John with the breaking of the first seal.
b. Thunder” indicates something radically different and ominous about to happen.
c. “White horse” is the symbol of a conqueror. When the Messiah returns as King of Kings to defeat His foes and establish His kingdom on Earth, He is depicted as riding on a white horse (19:11). This, however, is not the true Messiah, because (1) the Lamb is the one opening the seal, not the one revealed in the opening of the seal; (2) it occurs at the beginning rather than at the end of the Final Seven Years; (3) his weapon is a bow - a worldly weapon; the Lord will destroy His enemies with a “sword” that comes from His mouth (His Word - cf. Ephesians 6:17); and (4) after the Messiah returns at the end of the seven years and defeats His enemies, He will establish peace on Earth, rather than His victory being followed by all the terrible events portrayed in the breaking of the succeeding six seals, especially the martyrdom of His People (6:9-10).
d. The rider of this white horse represents the spirit of the anti-messiah, who will control the rulers of the earth during the first half of the Final Seven Years (cf. 1 John 2:18). At the midpoint of the Final Seven Years, the literal anti-messiah - the evil “prince who is to come” (Daniel 9:26), the “man of sin,” the “son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3), the “lawless one” (2 Thessalonians 2:9), “Antimessiah” (1 John 2:18), and the “beast” who rises out of the sea (13:1)—will establish his global kingdom on earth (cf. the commentary on 17:17). Antimessiah’s role as world conqueror during the Final Seven Years, until the plagues of the judgments of Yahuah destroy his global kingdom (cf. Daniel 11:36), will become clear as we proceed through the Revelation.
e. The bow is the most common biblical symbol of war. But notice that there is no mention of this conqueror having arrows. Both Daniel and Revelation indicate that the evil prince who is to come will conquer, at least during the first half of the seven years, not by brute force but primarily by sinister intrigue - by deceiving the world into following him (cf Daniel 8:23, 25; Revelation 13:3, 4).
f. His authority to rule is given to him by Satan (13:4). This is another indication that this conqueror is not Yahushua (Jesus). The true Messiah has no need to be given the authority to rule the world, which He, as Elohyim (God) the Son, created (John 1:1-3). The “crown” he wears is actually a wreath (Greek: stephanos), as worn by Greek or Roman conquerors - not the same as the “crowns” (Greek: diadema) that will be worn by the King of Kings when He returns with the armies of Heaven to restore His kingdom on Earth (19:12, 14, 16).
g. Antimessiah’s obsession is to conquer the world and fully establish it as his kingdom in the place of the rightful King of Kings, as Satan wanted to supplant Yahuah in Heaven (cf. Isaiah 14:13-14). “Antimessiah” (1 John 4:3) in the Greek does not just mean “against the Messiah,” it also means “in the place of the Messiah.” He is the false messiah. The white horse and "crown" also seem to indicate that this is not some dark, sinister-appearing figure, but is the counterfeit messiah whom the whole world will follow and worship (13:3, 4).
6:3-4 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to (a) the one who sat on it to (b) take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him (c) a great sword.
a. The rider of the red horse may be a fallen archangel. There is a hierarchy of fallen angels, just as there is a hierarchy of heavenly angels. And just as Satan will give Antimessiah authority to rule Earth (13:4, 5), he gives fallen archangels authority over large realms and activity on Earth (cf. the “Prince of Persia” - Daniel 10:13).
b. Rather than resulting in “peace on Earth,” as during the coming reign of the Messiah, the reign of Antimessiah will result in widespread violence, bloodshed, and war.
c. The sword is a symbol of violence and bloodshed in general.
6:5-6 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had (a) a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard (b) a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, (c) “A quart of wheat for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”
a. Balance scales were used by merchants in the ancient world to weigh out portions of grain.
b. The only One seen in the midst of the living creatures is the Lord (cf. 4:6, 9; 5:6). Although He does not directly cause the terrible events of the first four seals to occur, the Lord is ultimately in control of everything that happens on Earth and allows Satan, who has come to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10), to bring them about, for several possible reasons, including: (1) setting Satan up to think that he is in total control of what happens on Earth, (2) sifting and refining His chosen People (cf. Psalm 66:10-12), and (3) partially executing His judgment - allowing those who refuse to repent to reap the consequences of their wickedness.
c. A denarius represented a day’s wage. A quart of wheat or three quarts of barley provided barely enough food for a family to subsist on for a day or two. Oil and wine were luxury items, which, in times of famine (which inevitably follow wars), only the wealthy could afford. Therefore, what the Lord seems to be telling the rider of the black horse is, “Let the poor suffer, but do not harm the food of the wealthy,” which could, ironically, be a curse on the wealthy because those who are poor and who suffer are much more likely to repent and accept the Lord’s salvation than are those who prosper (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:26; James 2:5).
6:7-8 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was (a) Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over (b) a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with (c) death, and by (d) the beasts of the earth.
a. Some think that Death and Hades are personified places or conditions, but they may also be fallen angels: Death, the angel that separates the soul from the body, and Hades, the angel that carries the soul to its waiting place until the Final Judgment. Death is not cessation of existence; it is a separation. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body, and spiritual death is the separation of the soul from Yahuah. As power is given to the riders of the first three horses, power is given to Death and Hades to kill (separate from life) and consign to Hades. Then, after the resurrection of the unsaved, Death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire (the final “Hell”) (20:14).
b. The population of the earth at the present time (2019) is about 7.7 billion people. That means that if the events of the fourth seal occurred today, about 1.9 billion people would die. At the present time, there are widespread wars, famines, diseases, natural catastrophes, and other causes of death on the earth, but, as is apparent, during the few years of the opening of the seals of Revelation, the suffering and carnage will increase exponentially and there will be no mistaking that we are at the “End of the Age” and the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:3, 8).
c. As was explained in the commentary on 2:23, “kill with death” is a Hebrew idiom that means to die a horrible, miserable death.
d. “Beasts of the earth” may refer not only to hungry animals seeking whom they may devour due to the famine, but to pestilence: disease-causing agents which result from unsanitary conditions and conditions of malnourishment, which are caused by wars and famine. So, the events of one seal lead to those of the next, indicating that they are in chronological order.
The events that occur as the first four seals are broken, terrible as they are, are not manifestations of either the Great Tribulation (the wrath of Satan) or the Wrath of God. The events revealed by the breaking of the first four seals are pointed out to John by the living creatures which apparently represent the natural creation. They are natural manifestations and consequences as the anti-messiah goes forth conquering and to conquer. And they parallel exactly the events of the first half of the seven years—before the “abomination of desolation”—that Yahushua described, calling them the “beginnings of sorrows” (Matthew 24:4-8; 15; Mark 13:8). Notice also that the seals are on the outside of the scroll. So, they are an overview of the events of the entire Final Seven Years. They must be opened first, before the details of the events of the last half of the seven years—the Great Tribulation and the judgments and Wrath of Yahuah are revealed (chapters 7-16).
6:9-11 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw (a) under the altar the souls of those who had been slain (b) for the word of [Yahuah] and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until (c) You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then (d) a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, (e) until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
a. John’s attention is shifted back to Heaven where the souls of the martyrs are seen under the altar. This may be an allusion to the fact that the blood of sacrifices was poured at the base of the altar in the Tabernacle and the Temple on Earth (cf. Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7), although Yahushua (Jesus) is the New Covenant sacrifice for sin (cf. Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 5:2) and it is the blood of the Lamb of God that is poured out for the Redeemed (1 Peter 1:19). However, there were two altars in the Temple on Earth - the Altar of Sacrifice, also called the altar of burnt offering or the table of the Lord, and the Altar of Incense. The Altar of Sacrifice was located outside the Temple in the Court of the Gentiles. The Altar of Incense, also called the golden altar (8:3), was in the Temple proper in front of the curtain over the entrance into the Holy of Holies. In 11:1 John is told to measure the Temple and the altar, but to omit the court outside the Temple because it was given to the Gentiles (had apparently served its purpose as a place of sacrifice and has no place in the New Jerusalem). So, it is apparently under the Altar of Incense (because incense represents the prayers of the Saints [5:8] and it is at that altar where incense, with the prayers of the Saints, is offered to the Lord [8:3; 8:4]) that these souls are located. According to rabbinic tradition, the souls of all the Saints throughout history are stored under the altar. So, just because the souls of the martyrs are seen by John does not mean that the souls of all the Redeemed who have died, martyrs and non-martyrs, are not there. And there is even less reason to think that these are the souls of only those who are martyred during the Final Seven Years, as many propose.
b. The martyrs were slain for the “word of [Yahuah],” that is, for speaking the Truth, and for the “testimony which they held,” that is, for testifying that Yahushua is the Lord (Adonai). Not in the U.S.A. (yet) but in other parts of the world, there are more being martyred today for speaking the Truth and holding to the Testimony of the the Messiah than at any other time in history, including the first and second centuries CE when the Revelation was written. For example, in Somalia, which is over 99% Muslim, Jews and Believers in Yahushua are aggressively sought out and slain, and all but exterminated.
c. This is another indication, even after the first four seals have been broken, that the Wrath of God has not yet begun to be poured out. That is what these souls are appealing to Yahuah to happen. As with the blood of Abel crying out to the Lord against his murderer, Cain (Genesis 4:10), the souls of the martyred Saints cry out to Yahuah for vengeance against their persecutors - "those who dwell on the earth."³ Some may object, “Well, that is not very "Christian" of them. Are we not supposed to forgive our persecutors?” But these souls are in Heaven - the purely spiritual realm - where the secrets of people’s hearts and their ultimate destiny is known. Of course, these martyrs are not crying out against those who will repent and be saved.
d. The martyrs are not yet resurrected. Although a white robe, a symbol of righteousness (19:8) worn by many of the Heavenly beings (overcomers - 3:4-5, 18; the elders - 4:4; the innumerable multitude - 7:9; the armies of Heaven - 19:14; the Lord Yahushua Himself - Luke 9:29; and angels - Mark 16:5, 20:12), is given to each of them, they are told to “rest a little while longer.” “Rest” or “sleep” in that part of Hades (the abode of the souls of the deceased) called “Abraham’s bosom“ (Luke 16:22) or “Paradise” (Luke 23:43) is a term in Scripture for the state of the Redeemed after they have died physically (cf. John 11:11-13). The souls of the unredeemed are in that part of Hades which is not a place of rest, but of torment (cf. Luke 16:23).
e. The Greek grammar is a little confusing here, but apparently, “fellow servants” and “brethren” are two different groups of the Redeemed. Otherwise, why would the Lord use the term, “both”? And apparently, the difference between the two groups is that “fellow servants” refers to those Believers who are not martyred, and “brethren who would killed as they were” refers to those who will be martyred. In other words, what the Word seems to be saying here is that the number of both those who are saved but not martyred and those who are martyred is limited. And the time of the persecution of the Believers, whether or not they are martyred, is limited. In fact, this period of “great tribulation” (7:14) is limited to a short period of time (“a little while longer,” or, in the KJV, “a little season”), which will be seen, as we continue through Revelation, is limited to the last half of the Final Seven Years. No doubt, this was also included in the Revelation to encourage those first century Believers and Believers who are persecuted throughout history to know that their time of suffering is limited to a very short period of time (compared to eternity).
6:12-14 And I looked (a) when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, (b) there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of (c)heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. (b continued) Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
a. And the next event on Yahuah’s seven-year agenda, after the Great Tribulation of the Saints, is that the martyrs begin to see their prayers answered with the sudden beginning of the often- and long-prophesied Day of the Lord (cf. especially Joel 2:1-2, 10; 3:15-16; Matthew 24:29).
b. And what awful, cataclysmic events occur! There are hundreds of “stars” that fall from the sky, impacting the earth and causing an earthquake so powerful that every mountain and island is moved out of its place, the sun is darkened to almost total darkness and the moon is darkened by a dark red haze by the smoke and debris from the explosions, and the sky seems to disappear like a scroll being rolled up as the heat from the impact explosions evaporate the water in the atmosphere. Note that every one of the above phenomena occur when a nuclear bomb explodes: a large nuclear explosion can cause earthquakes, darkening of the sun and moon by the cloud of smoke and ash it produces, and the blue sky to disappear, revealing the blackness beyond. But scientific studies have shown that a comet or comet fragments impacting the earth will produce exactly the same results.⁴
c. “Heaven” in Scripture may refer to the visible, blue sky (the atmosphere surrounding the earth), space beyond Earth’s atmosphere, far outer space beyond Earth’s solar system, or Heaven where the Lord Yahuah dwells, depending on the context. In this context, it would appear to refer to outer space beyond Earth’s solar system where there is a cloud of billions of comets, called the Oort Cloud, surrounding our solar system. It is apparently this cloud of comets to which Job 38:22-23 refers where it speaks of the treasuries or storehouses of snow and ice (comets are giant balls of snow, ice, dirt and other substances).
6:15-17 (a) And (b) the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, (c) hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of (d) Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For (e) the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
a. These three verses are key verses in the Revelation and give us some very important insights into the correct interpretation of the whole book.
b. After the breaking of the sixth seal, every person on the earth - great or common, slave or free - reacts in terror to the events that occur, knowing that they are caused by the Lord.
c. And the people on the earth (the “earth dwellers”)3 would rather be crushed by rocks or in the flattened caves of mountains than to face the Wrath of God. It is interesting to note that, although the catastrophes that occur at the breaking of the sixth seal are natural occurrences, the earth dwellers know that it is ultimately the Lord who is causing these events.4 Every person, even the most hardened “atheist,” knows, somewhere deep in his soul, that there is a God and that if he is not saved, he is going to have to face the Wrath of God someday. Also, the fact that they would rather be crushed by the mountains and the rocks than face the wrath of the Father and the Son may indicate that the earth dwellers’ terror is anticipatory of the ultimate judgment and wrath of the Lord, when they will be cast into the lake of fire (cf. 20:15).
d. Here is another key to fully understanding the Revelation: the Wrath of Elohyim (God) is not just the Wrath of Yehovah the Father, but of Yeshua the Son (the Lamb). As we will see, the Son is fully involved, in Heaven and on Earth, in the orchestration and execution of the Wrath of God. He is in Heaven and on Earth (as we will see) and traveling back and forth between Heaven and Earth participating in all the events that affect His creation during the Final Seven Years, and afterwards.
e. As has already been explained, the events of the sixth seal are not the manifestations of the judgments and Wrath of God, which are the events on the inside of the scroll and begin with the opening of the seventh seal (cf. 8:1, 7). The events of the sixth seal are the last part of the overview of the entire seven years and are a preview of the beginning of the Day of the Lord (cf. Joel 3:14, 15; Matthew 24:29; Acts 2:20) which occurs at the end of the seven years, when the “last plagues”—the plagues of the “Wrath of God" (15:1)—will be poured out on Earth.
At this point, by comparing Scripture with Scripture, we can fill in more details included in the events that are revealed when the six seals are broken. Some of those details are given to us through the prophet Daniel who told us of the coming of the anti-messiah who will sign a “strong covenant” (Hebrew: gabar beriyth) with Israel for seven years (the Final Seven Years) but treacherously will break that treaty at the midpoint of the seven years and set up the "abomination of desolation" (himself as "God") in the Temple (Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:4). He will then, after pursuing Yahuah's people Israel into the "wilderness," where they will be protected for three and one-half years, persecute Yahuah’s People the Followers of Yahushua (the Great Tribulation), martyring most of them (except those specially protected by Yahuah) during that last half of the seven years (Revelation 12:12-17; Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:5, 7, 15). Yahushua also foretold the events previewed by the six seals, which are an overview of the Final Seven Years, for his Disciples by outlining them exactly as described in Revelation 6, including the same details that Daniel foretold, with special emphasis on the Great Tribulation (which begins with the “abomination of desolation”) and the cataclysmic sixth seal events that preview the bowls of the Wrath of God being poured out (cf. Matthew 24:5-29).
To understand all of the details of the Final Seven Years and beyond, keep reading.
3The term "earth dwellers" as used in this commentary refers to either Jews or Gentiles who do not believe in their hearts either in the coming Messiah or that Yahushua is the Messiah, Elohiym (God) incarnate (although they may say with their mouths that they do).
4There is much disagreement and confusion among Bible expositors concerning the disasters and plagues of the Day and the Wrath of God. The causes of these terrible, soon-coming events have been attributed variously to nuclear explosions, extraordinary natural catastrophes, attacks by demonic creatures, human warfare and direct action of the Lord.
However, ancient civilizations, including those of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Hebrews and Greeks, in recognition that a supernatural power ultimately controls celestial objects, attributed catastrophes like those prophesied in the Revelation to the gods who they believed used the “stars” (comets and meteors) as “messengers” of their wrath against Earth’s inhabitants with whom they were displeased.
Although such beliefs have been largely dismissed by modern “rational” and scientific “authorities,” there are many indications in Scripture that the Lord has used comets or comet fragments as His “weapons of indignation” to execute His judgments (e.g., Job 38:22-23; Isaiah 13:3-5). The descriptions of many of the disasters brought on those opposed to the Lord and the enemies of His People (the destructions of Babylon and of Sodom and Gomorrah, some of the “plagues” brought on Egypt, and so forth) exactly match what scientists have learned during just the past half century about the effects of comets and comet fragments exploding in Earth’s atmosphere or impacting the ground. And scientist Jeffrey Goodman’s thoroughly researched and documented book The Comets of God (Tucson, AZ: Archaeological Research Books, LLC, 2011) convincingly explains that every one of the Revelation’s descriptions of the catastrophes of this chapter (verses 12-17), the trumpet (chapters 8 and 9) and bowl (chapter 16) catastrophes, as well as the annihilation of Babylon the Great (chapters 17 and 18), may indicate the results of the impact of one or more comets, comet fragments, meteorites or asteroids with the earth or exploding in the atmosphere above the earth.
Therefore, although this writer will not be dogmatic about the causes of the catastrophes of the judgments and the Wrath of God and recognizes that other factors (e.g., demonic activity or nuclear holocaust) may be involved, in this commentary, just for the sake of consistency, the descriptions and explanations of those terrible events are based on Dr. Goodman’s research as presented in The Comets of God. For fascinating details about how any of the catastrophes of the judgments and the Wrath of the Lord, as presented in the Revelation, may very well be caused by cometary impact, read about them in The Comets of God or visit www.thecometsofgod.com.
Continue from Chapter 6: the Beginning of Sorrows to Chapter 7: Yahuah’s ("God's") Provision for the Redeemed of the Jews and the Assembly of Believers in Yahushua (Jesus) during the Final Seven Years.
Return from Chapter 6 to the verse-by-verse commentary on Revelation page.
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Add Your Own Revelation Chapter 6 Commentary
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"Who is the One Riding the White Horse in 6:2?" Not rated yet
The horses' colors do not represent a person or supernatural being. In other parts of the Bible (Zechariah for example), the color of the horses represent …
The Fifth seal opened? Not rated yet
You say that the souls of all the martyred saints going right back to Abel are under the Altar. Jesus mentions this in Matt 23:35. This means that seal …
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Senior Executive Management admin 2019-03-14T23:41:57+00:00
Greg MartinPresident
Greg started as a sales representative with RMC in 1980 and keeps a picture of his first worn-out pair of dress shoes on the wall of his office today. Greg became President of RMC in 2005 and is actively involved in employee development and customer satisfaction. Greg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University.
Jim ScarffChief Executive Officer
Jim began his career with RMC as a sales representative in 1970 when the company had 8 employees. In 1981 Jim became the principal owner and has grown the business to become one of the largest independent office technology dealers in the United States. Jim is active in the community and is a well respected leader in the industry.
Chris ScarffExecutive Vice President
Chris joined RMC in 1995 and now oversees the Chico, Redding, Marysville, and Arcata branches and is responsible for helping Ray Morgan leverage technology solutions to improve their business results. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University and is proficient in the strategic deployment of imaging and IT solutions.
Mike WysongExecutive Vice President
Mike joined the company in 1995 and is now responsible for the strategy and deployment of the Ray Morgan services business including the popular Managed Print business that has flourished under his direction. Mike is also responsible for sales, service and customer support in our Reno, Nevada office and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University.
Bob QuadrosChief Financial Officer
Bob started with RMC in 2001 as has since earned the responsibility of overseeing the company’s financial records and strategy to support growth and expansion through customer acquisition. Bob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance and Accounting from San Jose State University and is highly respected for the high level of integrity and transparency that the Ray Morgan Company is known for.
Sam PulinoPresident
Sam is responsible for all business operations in the SF Bay Area. Prior to joining RMC, Sam was co-founder & president of Pinnacle Document Solutions and was the National VP of Sales for SHARP Business Systems. Sam holds a BS Degree in Finance from San Jose State University and is actively involved with customers and the community.
Sam BarberExecutive Vice President
Sam has over 27 years experience helping countless RMC customers grow their business through the successful selection and deployment of technology solutions that impact their top and bottom line. Sam joined RMC in 2013 and now oversees the South Region including, Fresno, Visalia, and Bakersfield offices. Sam held various positions including Director of Sales and Central California Marketplace Vice-President for Ricoh direct before joining RMC.
Clint PhillipsExecutive Vice President Southern Region
Clint began his career with a small Canon Dealer in Seattle, WA in 1991. His career path has taken him to Xerox, to Medtronic and then to Ricoh as the Area Vice President. He has held various sales leadership positions in the technology industry. Clint joined Ray Morgan Company in 2018 and he is responsible for Sales, Service and Operations in the Southern Region of RMC. Clint holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Washington.
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Evolution of Scientology Opposition, 1968-2018
Source: t52.org
Today marks the tenth anniversary of Anonymous’ epic protests at Scientology locations worldwide. While headcount is hard to estimate precisely, the number of people who turned out, many in Guy Fawkes masks, was at the very least a significant fraction of cult membership globally, and may have actually exceeded the total membership of the cult, which we now estimate at around 22,000 globally. Numerous sources have covered the reasons for and the history of Anonymous’ protests far better than we could.
More importantly, the scale of Anonymous’ protests put the cult into a defensive posture from which it has never recovered. The idea that a large group could show up on Scientology’s doorstep without the cult’s OSA goon squad anticipating it and preventing it undoubtedly shook leader David Miscavige to the core. And the cult’s playbook for dealing with protestors was forever shattered.
In this post, we look at why Anonymous was such a landmark in the evolution of opposition to the cult, and we put it in the context of the evolution of cult opposition over the last 50 years. We connect the dots and take a stab at predicting the nature of cult opposition that may come next, particularly if existing opponents change strategic focus to make these next generations of opposition happen.
Generation One: The Lonely Author (1950-1990 and beyond)
From Scientology’s inception in the early 1950s until at least the late 1980s, critics were almost exclusively single individuals writing about the cult. These may have been freelance writers, academics, or a small number of motivated former members. All those who “impinged” on the cult were harassed with the classic “fair game” campaigns, often very sophisticated operations.
In the most celebrated case, the cult spent 16 years trying to destroy Paulette Cooper, the author of the 1971 expose, “The Scandal of Scientology.” She was framed for planning a terrorist bombing, sued repeatedly, and was surrounded in her personal life by Scientology operatives trying to gaslight her into committing suicide. Her story is well documented in Tony Ortega’s book, “The Unbreakable Miss Lovely.” Other authors including Jon Atack, Russell Miller, and many many others found themselves on the wrong side of the Guardian’s Office and its successor goon squad, the Office of Special Affairs and suffered mightily.
It is important to understand that the media technology of the time made it harder for the public to form a negative opinion about Scientology because stories were relatively few and far between. For most of America, there wasn’t enough repetition of the message that Scientology is dangerous for it to stick for a long period of time. A news article or a TV report like the 1985 expose on the cult on the “60 Minutes” news show, would eventually be forgotten. Scientology actively worked to purge negative press from the collective memory; many ex’s of the era report being ordered to go to the library and steal copies of Paulette Cooper’s book and other anti-Scientology material.
Scientology’s playbook was designed by Hubbard in an era where individuals could be harassed because few people correctly understood the depths of the forces that were arrayed against them by the cult’s goon squads. And those who were employed by large organizations such as a university could be intimidated by the threat of job loss.
For most of that time, the world of critics was in an equilibrium, where the cult was largely able to counter individual efforts, regardless of how heroic they were. For the next wave of criticism, then, it was necessary for some outside force to come in and upset the balance of power. The immense courage and heroism that some early critics displayed in sticking to their guns despite the cult’s actions is not diminished by this assessment that they were unable to change the rules of the game. Rather, it is a salute to their dedication that they paid the price because of their commitment to the ultimate result, even though it was not at that point clear that they would succeed in bringing about the end of Scientology.
Of course, lonely warriors continue to make significant contributions to the field even today, and some continue to be harassed by the cult. But they were about to be joined by later waves of activists who would be motivated by their stories of knowledge about Scientology.
Generation 2: alt.religion.scientology (1991-late 1990s)
The emergence of the USENET discussion group alt.religion.scientology in 1991 was the first of several revolutions that changed the landscape for Scientology activism forever. USENET was popular from the 1980s into the middle or late 1990s. It was an early text-based bulletin board system that propagated over the nascent Internet, and was used to communicate publicly about various topics of interest.
In the 1980s, the entire USENET community was somewhere around 100,000 to 200,000 users globally. Before the World Wide Web came along, in the 1990s, that figure may have expanded to several million users. Only a small fraction of those users were involved in a.r.s. I’ve seen some estimates that suggest that a.r.s. had perhaps 20,000 occasional readers and several hundred dedicated members, small by today’s standards but larger than any organized cult opposition that went before.
The USENET activists were often anonymous, though many posted their real names and were subjected to cult harassment. Scientology also tried to extinguish the group as a whole, making several ineffective ham-handed attempts to delete the group from USENET, which failed.
There were several significant legacies of the USENET a.r.s. era:
First, a.r.s. was the first use of social media to connect a sizable number of Scientology opponents. There was now a way for opponents around the world to gather together, share information and strategies, and potentially to plan activist events. The ability of a.r.s. to survive the numerous “rmgroup” attempts made by cult attorney Helena Kobrin showed that this new medium would survive attacks by the cult, and while individual voices may have been intimidated, the community as a whole could not be silenced.
Second, a.r.s. provided the first platform for the release of confidential cult documents, including both internal policies and, most importantly, the release of the OT levels. That document dump survived all attempts by the cult to use technological means to remove copies from the Internet. Thus, a.r.s. enabled anti-called information to be permanent. If you knew where to look, you could get the OT materials for free and in the convenience of your own home. They were not as readily available then as they are now with the advent of search engines to discover information posted to the web, but they were available persistently for those with the knowledge of where to look.
Third, a.r.s. provided the first proof that “leaderless resistance” organizations could have an impact on Scientology. There was no central cabal organizing a.r.s. members or messages and strategies for opposing the cult, just like the underlying USENET technology had no central engine that could shut it down to silence opponents.
All of these discoveries would be the foundation for future online activism, just as the information disseminated at great cost by the first generation of lonely warriors was the light of truth exposing the darkness of the cult and providing a platform for all subsequent activists to stand on.
Generation 3: Humor, Mockery and Contempt (2005-present)
2005 was a banner year for the cult, where several new stories forever demolished the image of Scientology as a deadly serious and sinister organization. While that is, of course, still very much the case, several events made it much easier to mock and deride this self-important and humorless group.
Tom Cruise has reputedly characterized himself as the third-biggest being in Scientology. We would agree. His actions in 2005 certainly confirmed that after Hubbard himself and current leader David Miscavige, Cruise has done more damage to Scientology than any other figure in its history.
The 2005 internal video leaked by Patty Moher and Mark Bunker set in motion virtually all subsequent criticism. Anonymous’ indignation at the violation of long-held Internet free speech principles by the cult in its attempts to suppress the video were the catalyst for the protest. Scientology’s attempts to get the video deleted turned into a classic case of the “Streisand effect,” where attempting to suppress something embarrassing from the Internet has a tendency to call more attention to it and do more damage than simply ignoring it.
Also that year, Cruise managed to embarrass himself and his religion further, with the bizarre couch jumping incident on Oprah Winfrey’s TV show as he attempted to demonstrate actual human emotion proclaiming his love for Katie Holmes. He then followed this up with the unhinged interview on the Today show, where he opined to host Matt Lauer about all things psychiatric.
Behind the scenes, Cruise also managed to tarnish his Hollywood reputation, pissing off Steven Spielberg during the filming of The War of the Worlds, by including his contract the requirement that Scientology be able to set up a recruiting tent at filming locations. The rumor was that Scientology was driving Cruise to attempt to recruit Spielberg into the cult. It seems rather laughable that the cult thought it had a shot at recruiting a guy who’s strong Jewish identity drove him to make the legendary film Schindler’s List.
Brilliantly, Matt Stone and Trey Parker saw the humor potential in Tom Cruise’s actions and Scientology in general, and penned the “Trapped in the Closet” episode of South Park which aired in November, 2005. The satirical look at Scientology’s doctrine exposed the craziness of the cult to an audience whose demographics were prime recruiting terrain. Literally millions of people saw Scientology as an object of scorn and derision. Being uncool is a far greater deterrent for college kids to keep them from signing up for the cult than a stern lecture from a parent on Scientology’s evils.
Because of Stone and Parker’s high profile in Hollywood, for the first time, it was extremely difficult for the cult to mount a significant retaliation operation from its normal playbook. Stone and Parker not only had the financial resources to expose and combat a dirty tricks campaign, but they also wielded the power of the pen, and could easily devote one or more episodes in the future to further lampooning Scientology if they were hassled.
For the first time, humor became an effective weapon in countering the cult, and it was wielded by people with a big enough platform to ensure that the humor weapon could not be stopped. This became another arrow in the quiver for future critics.
And that weapon not only laid the foundation for the fourth generation but remains a potent weapon in its own right today. As I’ve argued in a recent blog post, the potential for mockery from late-night talk show hosts and any other comedian in search of low hanging fruit means that Scientology Media Productions is unlikely to begin actual broadcasts anytime soon, choking off a major pathway for Scientology to attempt to rehabilitate its “more toxic than Ebola-coated kiddie porn” image.
Generation 4: The Anonymous Tsunami (2008-2012)
Anonymous protesting in Minneapolis, April 10, 2010. Source: Flickr/Fibonacci Blue
Anonymous, a deliberately unorganized Internet collective with no central leadership or organization, had been using technological means to counter what it saw as abuses of power committed via the Internet. Its members felt that Scientology’s attempts to censor the bizarre Tom Cruise internal video were an inappropriate violation of Internet norms (as well as laws). As has been well documented on Tony Ortega’s blog and many other places, the Anonymous protesters were initially planning to use cyber-pranking to counter Scientology, but were persuaded by Mark Bunker and Tory Chrisman to mount its first-ever in person protests. We are commemorating those protests today.
The key thing about the Anonymous protests is that they brought “Internet scale” to the physical world. A dozen protesters outside a single Scientology location is one thing, but a well organized global protest at most Scientology locations driven by more people then were actually in the organization being protested, is a very different thing indeed. Anyone inside Scientology who understood the magnitude of the opposition had to have been significantly affected by this.
Importantly, Anonymous used humor, the legacy of the prior generation of critics, extremely effectively. Though their use of the Guy Fawkes masks could have been seen as threatening, they diffuse this by clever signs, offbeat humor and, of course lots of “caek.”
The cult, of course, was completely unable to cope with opposition on this scale. The sacred playbook laid down by Hubbard decades before anticipated only single critics who could be silenced with well-understood techniques of intimidation. The advantage of scale belonged to Scientology in those days, but Anonymous turned the tables.
The cult simply didn’t have the organization to manage campaigns against many thousands of individuals, most of whom it couldn’t even identify. Yes, Scientology did harass some individual Anons, but by and large, it was unable to have significant effects on the movement as a whole. Many protests occurred on a regular basis, weekly or monthly, for years, though virtually all have petered out by now.
Anonymous also showed that the Internet as a large-scale collaborative mechanism for activism could work quite well. A.r.s. established the Internet as a durable means to disseminate information, but it never turned into a way to coordinate large-scale opposition. Anonymous was able to stand on the shoulders of a.r.s. and generate opposition successfully. Future generations of critics have and will continue to be able to use their legacy to act against Scientology in a way that it simply cannot adapt to. Even if it were able to discard Hubbard’s antiquated playbook, it would still lack the organizational scale and competence to silence future waves of critics.
Generation 5: Sustained Critical Platforms (2008-present)
A key legacy of the Anonymous protests are critical discussion board sites such as Why We Protest, plus others such as OCMB that emerged at around the same time. Bloggers such as Mike Rinder and Marty Rathbun (until, of course, he became completely deranged two years ago) were able to follow in their wake and establish long-term critical sites that provided further places for former Scientologists and never-in’s to gather and discuss the cult.
The sites provide several key things to enable current generation protesters as well as future protesters. First, their information is permanent and is discoverable now and in the future via search engines. Because information doesn’t fade away in this Internet era, it is cumulative — more and more critical information builds up and all is instantly available to potential activists. Today, anyone seeking information about Scientology when they are considering joining will probably encounter critical information from these sites on the first page of a Google search. This successful and persistent presence is thus a continuing barrier to recruitment that will ultimately choke off the cult’s flow of income as older members eventually die or leave.
As a side effect, journalists looking to research Scientology will discover these sites and will have access to historical material in an easily accessible format, as well as access to potential interview subjects. Of course, Tony Ortega’s blog is already mined virtually continuously by other media. Thus, the follow-on effects of these individuals whose audience sword in the wake of the Anonymous protests, is significant and ongoing.
Generation 6: “Cult is Stupid” Mass Market Message Shifts to “Cult is Dangerous” (2015-present)
Source: tonyortega.org
The “crazy cult” media avalanche had another go round in 2012, when Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes split. In the height of that press fervor, a Google search turned up literally tens of millions of webpages with news stories or links to them. Almost every story made reference to Tom Cruise’s membership in Scientology, and many delved into the cult’s odd beliefs and practices. Some even delved into the cult’s bad behavior.
Importantly, this round of stories and follow-up stories delving into more details of Tom Cruise’s private life showed the cult’s impotence in threatening the press. Editors turned the tables for the first time. Publications like “Vanity Fair”, upon receipt of a threat letter from Hollywood mega-lawyer Bert Fields, simply published the letter, sometimes with snarky commentary, rather than retracting the story. Advocating for the cult and exposing oneself to mockery in the press could be seen as a career-limiting move by some attorneys, a bit of collateral damage in a campaign that was utterly ineffective at stopping negative stories about Tom Cruise or about Scientology.
Once the press realized that Scientology’s litigation engine was shooting blanks, editors broadly realized that it was safe to begin to delve into the evils of Scientology, not just the bizarre behaviors.
The major watershed in bringing forth the evils of Scientology in mainstream press was Lawrence Wright’s epic New Yorker essay on director Paul Haggis and his defection from the cult. As a testament to the staying power of the current generation of anti-Scientology press, this article remains one of the 10 most frequently viewed articles in the magazine, seven years after publication. This article was turned into the wildly successful Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief book, which was adapted into an Emmy-winning documentary of the same name. Scientology’s “Posse of Lunatics” hate site crafted in response was a laughable reminder of how incapable Scientology was of dealing with this sort of opposition, particularly opponents with a large media platform.
The audience that Larry Wright was able to attract set the foundation for 2013 Scientology defector Leah Remini to write a best-selling book and then to sell that as a TV show exploring the evils of Scientology. The “Scientology-the Aftermath” show was the top-rated program on the A&E network. And again, Scientology’s response was pathetic. Not only did it turn out several hate sites that were far lamer than the puerile humor in the “Posse of Lunatics” site, but it put together an ineffectual petition on change.org demanding that the show be blocked. The anemic response to the petition showed just how small and apathetic the Scientology community was. In six months, less than 7000 Scientologists have signed that petition, despite concerted campaigns on social media to get members to be counted.
This generation of activists has shown that there is a mass-market not only for the silliness and bizarre behavior of Scientology and its members, but also for expose of subjects such as sexual abuse within the church that can be extremely painful to watch.
Generation 7 and Beyond (2018-???)
Anti-Scientology activism is now in its sixth generation. Activists in prior generations (with the possible exception of a.r.s., due to obsolescence of USENET) still remain and still make contributions to the movement. But the evolution, with each generation building on the previous one, creates a broader and more effective force to bring about the end of this blight on society.
So what will future generations of activists look like? And how can we help bring about the necessary evolution and growth of the anti-Scientology community? We think that connecting the dots in this case is a fairly straightforward process that yields to obvious moves.
The seventh generation appears to be one that leverages the broad mass-market message about the dangers of Scientology and the evils it perpetrates, to generate an even broader coalition of anti-Scientology activists. It is necessary for the anti-Scientology community to grow by an order of magnitude and more before we are in position to demand investigations of specific allegations of large-scale criminal wrongdoing such as potential acts of money laundering and financial irregularities, fraudulent use of the tax exemption, a renewed look at human trafficking and other illegal acts.
Leah’s show was a record-breaker for ratings on the A&E network, but the 2.8 million viewers represented approximately 1% of the US population. The ability of the current core of activists to reach out broadly to a substantially larger population and to get them to take action even if it is just a letter to a congressman or some other mild and easily accomplished acts, will be necessary to mount the political will to overcome the bureaucratic inertia that prevents the federal government and other agencies from investing the money necessary to investigate and then litigate against the cult.
The success of that seventh generation will determine the speed at which the eighth generation arrives. The eighth generation is simply the effective use of government to constrain Scientology’s abuses effectively and comprehensively.
Most activists that I have spoken with have no problem with Scientology’s beliefs. If Scientologists wish to believe that the road to personal well-being is to use a primitive electrical meter to find and locate thousands of invisible dead space cooties that are clinging to one’s skin, they’re free to do that. On the other hand, Scientologists should not be free to plunder their members financially in a coercive manner, to force families to disconnect from each other, and to conduct harassment operations against people engaged in lawful and ethical opposition to the group. Effective government regulation to punish Scientology’s past misdeeds and prevent future malice is the ultimate goal to which we have been moving as activists in Scientology’s inception. The speed by which we will reach that goal is determined by our ability to build that millions-strong broad coalition at the heart of the seventh generation of protests.
Author John P.Posted on February 10, 2018 February 10, 2018 Categories Scientology, StrategyTags Anonymous, Lawrence Wright, Leah Remini, Mike Rinder, Paulette Cooper, South Park, Tom Cruise, Usenet
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Satellite Imagery Of Alleged MH370 Debris Inconclusive
Written by George Sensalis
The search for Malaysia Airlines flight 370 continues following the release of inconclusive satellite imagery by the Australian government.
Satellite imagery of debris released on Thursday by the Australian government is inconclusive. There is no certainty images taken by a commercial satellite on March 16 captured debris of the missing airliner, which disappeared in mysterious circumstances in the early hours of March 8.
Bad weather is hampering attempts made by at least four specially equipped aircraft to clearly identify debris. A Royal Australian Air Force Orion dispatched to investigate failed to find the field of debris, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.
Flight MH370 carried 227 passengers and 12 crew members when the Beijing bound Boeing 777-200 went missing shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur in the early hours of March 8.
The aircraft disappearance is the most intriguing mystery in the history of commercial aviation. Despite mounting speculation, the only certainty is that the aircraft and its passengers, crew, and cargo disappeared from radars over the Gulf of Thailand, shortly before entering Vietnamese airspace. What really happened to flight MH370 can only be determined if and when the aircraft, or its wreckage, will be found.
Over 20 countries joined together in the largest search and rescue operation in recent history. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the relatives and families of all missing people on-board MH370,” Reduced Mobility Rights management said.
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Appointment of new Director General of the Société de transport de Montréal;
Appointment of new Director General
of the Société de transport de Montréal
Montreal, 24 April 2006- The Chairman of the STM Board of Directors, Mr. Claude Trudel, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Yves Devin to the post of Director General of the STM. Mr. Devin replaces Mr. Pierre Vandelac and will take up his new functions on May 8 next.
This appointment represents a return to the STM for Mr. Devin, who has already held several different positions with the Corporation over a period of some ten years. These included, in sequence, the position of Director of Professional Relations, Director of Human Resources, Executive Director Operating Support, and COO Bus Systems. Yves Devin left the STM in 2002 to become Director General of the Montreal Casino.
"His in-depth knowledge of the corporation and of public transportation as a whole, his open-mindedness with respect to our customers and to our human resources, together with his vast experience in management, are the major assets that led the Board of Directors to offer him this position," explained Mr. Trudel.
Mr. Devin's will be looking to increase both the population's use of public transport and the level of customer satisfaction. Additionally he will be facing the uphill task of completing the major overhaul of the STM, a task that includes renewing rolling stock and installed equipment, improving existing facilities, and bringing major projects, such as the opening of the Laval Metro station, to a successful conclusion; setting up the new sales and collection system, and introducing a series of preferential measures. The implementation of all these projects will be effected within a context of labour turnover and shortage of resources. "I firmly believe that Mr. Devin will be able to make an active contribution to the creation of a stable financial environment that will allow him to meet these many exciting challenges with style and brilliance," said Mr. Trudel.
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Home > Ten Things > Ten Things To Do Before You Die
Ten Things To Do Before You Die
Ten Things to do in the UK and Europe before you die.
1. Pamplona Spain – Running of the Bulls
Takes place as part of the Seven day festival of San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain. The festival takes place every year from the 6th of July until the 14th with the first bull run on the 7th followed by one each morning of the festival. Participants must be at least 18 years of age.
2. Cheese Rolling
The annual cheese rolling competition takes place on Coopers Hill which is in Brockworth nr Gloucester. There are 5 races (one ladies), which entails chasing a 8lb Double Gloucester cheese down a very steep hill. The first person to make it to the bottom of the hill wins the cheese, with small cash pries for runners up There are also uphill races inbetween each cheese race. The event takes place on the spring bank holiday but the 2010 and 2011 official events were cancelled. Unofficial races still took place and there were surprisingly very few injuries.
3. International Birdman
The International birdman is an annual event which takes place in Bognor Regis whereby competitors attempt to fly their home made flying contraptions off the end of the pier with the aim of flying the furthest distance. There is a mix of entrants consisting of basically hang gliders looking to claim the £30,000 prize for reaching 100m and those in fancy dress entering for charity.
4. La Tomatina
Is held in the town of Bunol, Spain on the last Wednesday of August each year and consists of a Tomato fight on a massive scale. Tens of Thousands decend on the town for the one hour event, whereby around 100,000 metric tons of tomatoes are brought in by lorries to then be thrown at each other during this annual event. The fight is just part of a week long festival which will include a Paella cooking competition and lots of music and fireworks.
5. Maldon Mud Race
Has taken place every year since 1973 and involves a 400m race across the bed of the River Blackwater which is in Maldon, Essex. The event is organised by the local Lions and rotary club and raises money for various charities which are nominated annually. Entrants start from one bank at low tide, cross the mud and water to the other, before returning back the same way. It’s believed the event started in 1973 after a pub local was challenged to deliver a meal on the riverbank whilst wearing a tuxedo.
6. Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest runs from the end of September to early October over a 16 day period in Munich. It consists of over 5 million visitors basically downing large quantities of locally brewed beer (over 6 million litres), averaging around 1.14 litres of beer per person. There are numerous large tents offering differing atmospheres and beverages including local delicacies and Oompah, Oompah music. The festivities are kicked off at 12pm when the Mayor taps the first keg.
7. Palio Di Siena
Occurs every July and August in Siena, Italy. Ten horses and riders take part in a race around the Piazza del Campo riding bareback and wearing the colours of their city wards. The race is allegedly quite corrupt and there is lots of cheating which makes for a very entertaining race, with lots of events. There are 2 palios, One in July and one in August and both are part of a four day festival which is planned all year. The races are preceeded by a flamboyant pageant called the Corteo Storico which is a medieval costumed parade.
8. Royal Shrovetide Football
Is an annual football match with a difference. It takes place on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday in the town of Ashbourne, Derbyshire. The Two teams known as the Upards and the Downards consist of those born north of Henmore Brook which runs through the town (Upards) and those born south (Downards). Each team tries to get a large ball to the opposing sides scoring post which are 3miles apart and in the middle of the river. The ball can be carried or kicked but is generally moved via a giant scrum. There is no limit to the number of players and rules include, no play after 10pm, cemeteries are out of bounds and no commiting murder or manslaughter.
9. Three Peaks Challenge
Consists of climbing Snowdon in Wales, Scafell Pike in England and Ben Nevis in Scotland usually within 24 hours. You should aim to climb Snowdon in a maximum of 4 hours whilst doing the other 2 in around 5 hours. There are various suggested routes and start/finsihing places.
10. Bogsnorkelling
The Annual Bogsnorkelling world championships take place in Llanwrtyd Wells, Mid Wales every August bank holiday. There are 60 yard Bogsnorkelling races or you can enter the triathlon championship race which starts with a 12 mile cross country run, followed by Bogsnorkelling a 60 yard bog, then onto a 25 mile mountain bike ride.
Bogsnorkelling
Cheese Rolling
International Bridman
Maldon Mud Race
Mud Race
Munich Beer Festival
Palio Di Siena
Shrovetide Football
Three Peaks Challenge
Tomato Fight
www.tenthings.co.uk > Ten Things > Ten Things To Do Before You Die
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Cover Reveal: Twelve by T.M. Franklin
August 1, 2014 Shaheen Bookish 0
Today I have the pleasure of participating in the awesome cover reveal of Twelve by T.M. Franklin! Twelve is the third book in the MORE series, which I have really been loving because of its refreshing protagonist and awesome world-building! There’s also an excerpt from the book, and a giveaway for three signed paperback ARCs and other awesome prizes! So, let’s get straight to it.
Release Date: October 9, 2014. Published by The Writers Coffee Shop
I love this cover! This series has had really nice, simple but expressive covers, and I’m glad that Twelve is just as gorgeous as the others 🙂 Here’s the synopsis of the book:
Ava Michaels is gifted, powerful, and—whether she likes it or not—part of a plot to take over the world.
It’s only been a few months since Ava Michaels discovered she has ties to an ancient people living in the shadows of the human world, despite their superior gifts and abilities. A select few don’t like hiding, however, and think it’s time to take control.
Now Ava’s caught up in a conspiracy in the works before she was even born. In fact, her birth was an integral part of the plan. She’s one of the Twelve, the most powerful Race ever created, and they were created for a purpose.
Ava, however, doesn’t like being told what to do.
All she wants is to start a new life with Caleb Foster, the Protector who once put his own life at risk to save hers. Before they can even think about that, however, they need to figure out exactly what the Twelve and their power-hungry leader are up to—and find a way to stop them.
Along the way, they’ll have to forge alliances with former enemies, seek out powerful new friends, and infiltrate the heavily fortified enemy stronghold in an attempt to get some answers. In the end, Ava must decide if her destiny lies in her DNA or in her conscience. If she can turn her back on what she was born to do and do what is right. If she will save the ones she loves or save the world.
Or if her ties to the Twelve mean she has no choice at all.
“Someone . . .” Ava’s eyes glazed over. “Someone’s coming. Fast.”
Caleb stepped on the gas, searching the horizon. “Who? Anyone familiar?”
“What’s happening?” Sophie asked.
Ava shook her head. “I can’t tell. Not yet anyway. You think it’s Protectors?”
Caleb’s jaw tightened. “Or Rogues.”
“You think they know?” Ava glanced at Sophie.
“We don’t know. Not for sure.”
“Would somebody please tell me what’s going on?” Sophie shouted from the backseat.
The temperature in the car dipped as frost formed along the edges of the windows.
“You’ve got to calm her down,” Caleb muttered, taking a turn too fast and swerving to correct.
Ava didn’t argue, instead scrambling over the seat to take the girl’s hand. “Sophie, listen to me. You need to stay calm, okay? Try to breathe with me.”
“I’ll explain everything, but first you need to calm down. You see what’s happening?”
Through the mirror, Caleb saw her glance up at the roof of the car as snowflakes began to drift through the interior.
“I . . . I don’t understand,” Sophie murmured. “What’s—why is it snowing?”
“It’s you,” Ava said quietly. “You’re upset, and your gift is reacting.”
“I don’t understand what’s happening to me.” Sophie choked on a sob, and Caleb felt the telltale prickle of another Race signature along the edges of his consciousness.
“I feel them now,” he said, sitting taller in the seat and leaning forward as if willing the car to go faster.
Ava didn’t respond but remained focused on Sophie.
Caleb felt Ava’s gift and knew she was letting it flow into the girl a little, helping calm her.
“We’ll help you.” Ava sounded so calm and soothing. “We’ll help you learn to control it, but for right now, you need to calm down. Breathe with me, okay?”
Sophie nodded and swallowed tears as she tried to match Ava’s inhale and exhale.
The snow stopped.
“That’s good.” Ava nodded encouragingly. “Keep breathing. I need you to stay calm. Someone’s coming, and I’m guessing they’re after you.”
Sophie’s breath caught, and the ice gathering on the dashboard cracked.
“It’s okay,” Ava hurried to say. “Keep breathing. Stay calm. We’re going to keep you safe.”
Sophie gripped Ava’s hand, but she kept breathing slowly in and out. “How?”
Ava smiled. “You asked what I could do? Well, I’m about to show you.”
About T.M. Franklin
T.M. Franklin started out her career writing nonfiction in a television newsroom. Graduating with a BA in Communications specializing in broadcast journalism and production, she worked for nine years as a major market television news producer, and garnered two regional Emmy Awards, before she resigned to be a full-time mom and part-time freelance writer. Her first published novel, MORE, was born out of a challenge to write a novel in thirty days issued during National Novel Writing month. MORE was well received, selected as a finalist in the 2013 Kindle Book Review Best Indie Book Awards, and won the Suspense/Thriller division of the Blogger Book Fair Reader’s Choice Awards.
In addition to MORE and its sequels, The Guardians and TWELVE, Franklin has penned the Amazon best-selling short stories, Window and A Piece of Cake. Her new YA romance How to Get Ainsley Bishop to Fall in Love with You is Franklin’s first love story without traditionally recognized paranormal or fantasy elements. Although . . . T. M. is the first to argue that love is the best kind of magic.
Click here to be taken to this Rafflecopter giveaway!
By T.M. Franklin
Reread: The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
Reread: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
SpecFic 101: Women write Science Fiction too
Blog Tour: Twelve by T.M. Franklin – Guest Post and Interview
Twelve by T.M. Franklin
The Guardians by T.M. Franklin
More by T.M. Franklin
Blog Tour: The Guardians by T.M. Franklin – Guest Post
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Host & Performances
Rock the Wish
Wish Kids’ Stories
(19+ EVENT)
Join us for a special evening of music to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation
Enjoy a fun-filled night of live rock and roll music, comedy, great food and drinks, all in an effort to raise money to make dreams come true for kids with critical illness.
Saturday October 19, 2019
Radio (formerly Adelaide Hall)
250 Adelaide Street West, Toronto M5H 1X6
19+ EVENT
250 Adelaide Street West,
Toronto M5H 1X6
PURCHASE TICKETS ($65)
LET'S RAISE AT LEAST $10,000 AND GRANT A WISH
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children that suffer from a critical illness. Our goal through Rock The Wish is to raise enough money to make a wish come true.
About our Event
Rock The Wish is a fundraising event where awesome people like you get together to make wishes for kids come true through Make-A-Wish. How great is that? From rock and roll and comedy to delicious food and drinks, the night will be sure to be both fun and memorable. Also, our silent auction table will have many great prizes for you to bid on. Join us in raising enough money to grant at least one wish but we would love to grant two wishes this year!
TICKETS - $65
All proceeds will go to directly to Make-A-Wish to make dreams a reality for kids. Let's raise at least $10,000, which is the amount needed to grant a single wish. Just imagine what your contribution will mean to children who are fighting to overcome one of the greatest challenges in their life. A single act of kindness - the simplicity of a wish granted - can make all the difference in their world.
If you wish to make donations, you can do so online either when you're purchasing a ticket or at any other time through our Eventbrite page. Follow the links at the bottom of the page to get started.
WITH PERFORMANCES BY
KYLE BROWNRIGG
Comedy Set
LiFT ROCK BAND
Performing music from the 70’s and 80’s
SHEER HEART ATTACK
Headlining the evening will be
Performing music from the 70’s and 80’s.
Let’s get together, raise money and Rock the Wish!
The Story behind Rock the Wish
We are the Cortinovis family and we created ROCK THE WISH to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation. Hosting this special evening is our way of giving back to a charity that made such a big difference in our lives. Our involvement with Make-A-Wish began when our daughter was undergoing cancer treatment. It was a very hard time for her and our family. Upon being granted a wish, we were amazed by the dedication and care taken to provide our daughter with an exciting, fun-filled adventure in Scotland. Make-A-Wish arranged for our daughter to meet her favorite bands in concert, and not only that, one of the bands, Shinedown, even dedicated her favorite song to her during the show! It was a surreal experience. Most importantly though, that experience was uplifting for our daughter and her wish was granted at a time when she needed it the most. That is what Make-A-Wish is about, which is why were are dedicated to supporting their cause. Even today, we fondly reflect back upon the experience and how unforgettably kind and wonderful Make-A-Wish was towards us during such difficult time in our lives. All the people involved with Make-A-Wish understand how important a wish is for a child and their family and they dedicate themselves to this cause for the greatest benefit of all: to help kids be kids again.
MEET RILEY
Riley is 7 years old and she has Cystic Fibrosis. She loves to play games, have fun and do what she enjoys the most: spend time swimming at the beach. When Riley was given a chance to have a wish granted, she knew exactly what to ask for. Riley and her family traveled to sunny Montego Bay, Jamaica where they enjoyed five beautiful days going to the beach. A simple wish and yet, the time away from hospitals made all the difference.
MEET OWEN
4-year-old Owen always dreamed of being a firefighter but he was born with a heart condition that meant he had to have several open heart surgeries. When Owen was told he would be receiving a wish, he knew right away that wanted to be a firefighter. Owen's special day began with a greeting from a big, red firetruck at his doorstep. Then he received a firefighter’s uniform so that he could spend the day training to be a firefighter.
Rebecca has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She is a wonderful artist, and like many other 13-year-old girls, she dreams of going to Paris one day. Her wish was to go to Paris, which was granted, and she got to see all the amazing art at the Louvre. She even wore out the batteries in her wheelchair, traveling countless miles throughout the city while in Paris. She even got to go up the Eiffel Tower and take a cruise on the river. The trip was a dream come true.
Visit our Eventbrite Page to Purchase Tickets and Make Donations
A Special Thank You to our Sponsors
It is our sponsors who make it possible to ensure all the proceeds from tickets and donation go directly to Make-A-Wish. So, we would like to take the opportunity to thank our sponsors.
© RocktheWish.ca. All Rights Reserved.
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Lon Milo DuQuette ▲
The Key to Solomon's Key: Secrets of Magic and Masonry
Sketching out a fascinating network of historic figures, cults, and Christendom, this book by an occult studies expert and respected authority on magic and sorcery takes western spiritual traditions seriously?but examines them with common sense and self-effacing humor. Working backward from the Freemasons to one of their original orders, the 14th-century Knights Templar, the account considers sorcery, heresy, and intrigues; explores the legend that the Knights possessed a powerful secret dangerous to the Church of Rome; and finds an essential clue to the order's practices in their connection to the biblical Solomon, king of Israel in the 10th century B. C.
[ recommended ] Lon Milo DuQuette - Illustrated Goetia: Sexual Evocation
"Goetia [refers to] all the operations of that Magick which deals with gross, malignant or unenlightened forces." Goetia is sometimes thought of as a wild card, something that can get out of control, something which expresses the operator's lower desires to control others and improve his own personal life. And, in fact, this potential loss of control, this danger, the desire for self improvement and great power is exactly what attracts many people to Goetia while horrifying and repelling others. Crowley's Goetia is brought to life with vivid illustrations of the demons. Commentary by DuQuette and Hyatt bring the ancient arts into the modern day.
[ recommended ] Lon Milo DuQuette - The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford: Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Need to Know to Become a Qabalist
A unique and humorous -- and also practical -- approach to the increasingly popular study of Qabalah. This is a seriously funny book! Traditional Qabalistic (or Cabalistic, or, indeed, Kabbalistic -- read this book to find out what the difference is...we know you've always wondered) sources tend to be a bit, er, dry. DuQuette spices up the Qabalah and makes it come alive, restoring the joy of learning the fundamentals of this admittedly arcane system by using simple, amusing anecdotes and metaphors. This account, written psuedepigraphically (fictitiously attributed to a supposed authority), allows DuQuette as Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford to soar to outrageous heights and, when necessary, stand apart from the silliness to highlight the golden eggs of Qabalistic wisdom nested therein. Sure to be a revelation to those who think that learning about the Qabalah needs to be tedious and serious, DuQuette shows that great truths can be transmitted through the medium of laughter. * A Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Need to Know to Become a Qabalist.
Tarot of Ceremonial Magick by Lon Milo Duquette
Downloaded: 60 times | Size: 80 pages | Add to wishlist | Download for @100 credits
The Tarot of Ceremonial Magick is a new deck created by DuQuette and published by U.S. Games. In this groundbreaking book, he explains the symbology of the cards. On each card is shown the Zodiacal, Enochian, Ceremonial, Goetic, Tattvic, and Elemental components, along with the card's place in each of those systems, and its relationships to other cards. For students of Crowley's works, this new deck and book makes his conceptual connections more accessible.
Sex Magic Tantra and Tarot: The Way of the Secret Lover by Christopher S. Hyatt, Ph.D. & Lon Milo DuQuette
With this book, the student of Western Tantra may attain the knowledge and inner truth that has been hidden from us since conception. Within this new, expanded edition you will find a wealth of practical and passionate Tantric techniques utilizing the Archetypal images of the Tarot. Nothing is held back.
Every method is explicit and clearly described. "Each of us has a Guardian Angel---a companion and lover who waits just behind the images that flood our minds during sleep or reverie. A protector and guide who disguises as the individual with whom we fall in love; an ideal lover who has adored us since the beginning of our individual existence and who will never abandon us until the instant we merge our being into Absolute Godhead."
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Port Harcourt, Nigeria
:::…The Tide News Online:::…
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– a place where no one is left behind...
Gov.Ezenwo Nyesom Wike
Home Features Curbing Menace Of Snakebite In Nigeria
Curbing Menace Of Snakebite In Nigeria
The menace of snakebite in a country such as Nigeria and its myriad effects on the health and productivity of its citizens, particularly those in the rural areas, should never be underestimated, health analysts say.
By nature, the rustic setting provides the most suitable habitat for snakes and the fact that a larger segment of the society lives in rural areas, the damaging effects of snakebite on the people, particularly those living in the snake-belt region, are numerous and grave.
This is because farmers and pastoralists, who form the backbone of the agriculture sector, are prone to snakebites since they spend a larger part of their time in the bush.
The seriousness of the situation once provoked the National Assembly to mull over declaring snakebite as “a national health emergency”.
Dr Folake Ademola-Majekodunmi, Director of Special Projects, Federal Ministry of Health, reeled out a frightening statistics on the snakebite situation at the recent inauguration of the Echitab Snakebite and Treatment Centre in Kaltungo, Gombe State.
She disclosed that an estimated five million people worldwide got bitten by snakes every year, with up to 2.5 people suffering from snakebite envenoming.
Ademola-Majekodunmi added that of this figure, at least 100,000 people died annually, while over 300,000 amputations and other permanent disabilities occurred from snakebite complications each year.
“In Africa, an estimated one million snakebites occur, with Nigeria having an estimated incidence of snakebites to the ratio of 174 per 100,000 persons,” she said.
The Minister of State for Health, Alhaji Suleiman Bello, said that the states that were mostly affected by the menace of snakebite were Taraba, Gombe, Plateau, Enugu, Kogi, Oyo, Borno, Adamawa, Jigawa and Niger.
He noted that in the period between 2005 and 2010, a total of 12,398 snakebite cases were recorded at the Snakebite Treatment Centre in Kaltungo, Gombe State, out of which 155 people died.
Bello stressed that most of the deaths were due to the late report of the snakebite cases to the Centre and the people’s initial resolve to use of traditional therapeutic methods.
Dr Paul Orhii, the Director-General of NAFDAC, explained that the “Carpet Viper’’ specie of snakes accounted for 90 per cent of snakebites in the country, while its envenoming was the major cause of death.
He added that the “Puff Adder’’ and “Spitting Cobra’’ snake species accounted for the remaining 10 per cent of snakebites.
Irked by the alarming statistics on snakebites in the country, the Federal Government decided to tackle the problem headlong by ensuring the availability and affordability of efficacious Anti Snakebite Venoms (ASV), while laying considerable emphasis on “preventive” strategies.
Part of the efforts led to the constitution of the Nigeria/UK Echitab Study Group, charged with the task of conducting research and developing ASV, while looking into ways of providing free treatment for snakebite victims.
After series of research activities over several years, the Echitab Group, which is based in UK, developed three different brands of ASV, using venom extracted from local snakes purposely to address the Nigerian situation.
The inauguration of the structure that houses the Echitab Snakebite Control and Research Centre in Kaltungo was part of the collaborative efforts aimed at finding lasting solutions to the menace of snakebite in the country.
At the building’s inauguration, the health minister of state, pledged the commitment of the current federal administration toward ensuring that citizens no longer died from snakebite.
“With this centre, research activities will receive a boost, while technology transfer will be made possible to enable the local production of ASV,’’ he said.
Bello, however, reiterated that the “preventive” approach was more desirable and effective in efforts to control the incidence of snakebite.
“We should all be part of the public awareness creation, prevention, the treatment and control of snakebites,’’ he said.
“Those at the risk of snakebites include farmers, fishermen, herdsmen, hunters and those living in houses with cracks, piled woods, debris and rodents that snakes prey on.
“These high-risk groups and the general population should be very vigilant and they should wear shoes and boots, especially at night, after rains and during floods.
“The people should also use torchlight when walking at night and avoid handling water snakes caught in fishing nets. They should strive to keep their environment clean and mend cracks in their homes,’’ he counselled.
Some observers are, nonetheless, quick to point out that for the preventive approach to succeed, items required for self-protection against snakebite should be available and affordable, particularly to people in the rural areas.
Malam Isa Abdumalik, a farmer, noted that in Kaltungo, one of the country’s snake havens, not even a single shop sold hand-gloves and rain boots, the two kits strongly recommended for use by farmers and pastoralists in the area.
He said that even in Gombe, very few shops stocked such items, adding that in such exceptional cases where the items were found in shops, their costs were often beyond the reach of the average rural dweller.
Many observers share Abdumalik’s viewpoint, saying that the situation is similar across all the areas battling with the menace of snakebite.
The scenario compels the observers to call for more purposeful strategies to combat the snakebite menace with a particular emphasis on the precautionary approach.
The Emir of Kaltungo, Alhaji Sale Mohammad, belongs to this school of thought. He estimates that an average of eight persons in his domain gets bitten by snakes each day.
The traditional ruler underscores the need for the people to take precautionary measures with utmost seriousness.
Malam Ali Babaji , a peasant farmer, and Malam Jauro Mohammad, a pastoralist, believe that the money, spent by politicians in purchasing motorcycles for people during election campaigns, could be used more judiciously to buy hand gloves and boots for the people.
Dr Habu Ballah, Medical Officer in charge of the Kaltungo Snakebite Centre, says that the need to ensure the availability of genuine ASV cannot be over-emphasised.
He cites instances when some states purchased ineffective ASV and administered the drugs on snakebite victims, stressing that the administration of the sub-standard medicine led to some serious complications.
The NAFDAC Director-General also stressed the need to ensure the availability of the ASV, while taking steps to commence local production of the drugs.
“I wish to use this opportunity to appeal that in the short term, government imports massive quantities of the Echitab ASV, while in the long term, we should think of putting up a befitting manufacturing facility to produce the products in Nigeria.
“This, we believe, will address the problem of scarcity and prevent unnecessary loss of lives due to snakebite,” Orhii recommended in his address at the inauguration of the Echitab Snakebite and Treatment Centre in Kaltungo, Gombe State.
Some health experts and concerned citizens could not but agree with the recommendation of the NAFDAC boss.
“We gathered that the production of the ASV under the Echitab collaboration is being done in Britain with the involvement of some Nigerian experts,’’ says Dr Zainab Hassan, a consultant epidemiologist.
“Now that there is a structure on ground in Gombe, all we need to do is to transfer the facilities home and produce the drugs en masse at affordable costs.
“Unless that is done, the purpose of establishing the Centre will be defeated and it will be another case of taxpayers’ funds going down the drain,’’ Hassan says.
Salihu, is of News Agency of Nigeria.
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Cortland Athletes take weekly Men's Track and Field awards
CORTLAND N.Y. - The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) selects two Cortland Athletes for its weekly Men's Track and Field awards. Sophomore Richard Samuels (Wallkill, N.Y.) is named Track Athlete of the Week while junior Zach Kashmer (Chili, N.Y.) is named Field Athlete of the Week.
Samuels finished 11th out of 124 competitors, and was the top Division III finisher, in the 800-meter run at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic. His time of 1:52.89 currently ranks fourth nationally in Division III and is first in the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference.
Kashmer finished third overall and was first among Division III competitors in the decathlon at the Kutztown University Mondschein Multi. His career-best score of 6,313 points currently ranks third nationally in Division III and second in the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference. Kashmer eclipsed the 700-point mark in four events (100-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 110-meter hurdles, high jump), with his 110 hurdles time of 15.76 seconds an AARTFC qualifying standard.
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Not much good to say about Providence's scores on the science NECAP's, which came out today (RI loves those off-peak testing discounts, apparently). On the bright side, it is impossible for scores at several PPSD high schools to go lower!
I did note this quote though:
(Top RI scorer) Portsmouth High was also acknowledged for its participation in the Physics First program (a new curriculum based on guided inquiry with a focus on atomic and molecular physics) and its involvement in the RI-TEST program (which provides educators with professional development in using technology-enhanced investigations) through a National Science Foundation grant.
Providence started phasing in Physics first in 2006. I've been told that the Mount Pleasant High School (i.e., the most neglected big one at this point) science department in particular bought in and made impressive gains in pass rates in their freshman science course. Then Brady came in 2008(?) and made everyone switch back to Bio first. Needless to say, Mt. Pleasant's presentation of their data fell on deaf ears.
Julia Steiny in 2009:
Mt. Pleasant High School was one of the six early adopters, but the Providence School Department recently withdrew from the project. Supt. Thomas Brady explained that the district is developing a K-12 curriculum that will be standardized across schools. The curriculum developers believed that Physics First is less well suited for preparing Providence students for the state’s NECAP tests than the traditional sequence.
That analysis isn't holding up so well.
"A long memory is the most radical idea in America." --Caire Sparks.
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B.A.F.F.L.E.D. Talent
Model Minority Music
We love highlighting amazing talent, and this group is no different. Their unique style and story is taking listeners by storm, and we hope to see them continue to climb to the top!
MODEL MINORITY is proud to present THE TIGER SONS Tape, following up on their previous release, THE MODEL MINORITY REPORT.
On THE TIGER SONS, emcees D-One, Grand Master Chu, and Inglish continue to speak about the lives of young, modern, Asian-Americans with their signature wordplay. Humorous, self-deprecating, and thoughtful, they address a range of subjects from growing up in Asian-American households (Battle Hymn of the Tiger Sons), online romance (Twitter Girl), historical struggles against racism (Vincent Chin.), and drop bilingual party tracks like Xian Kan Kan Wo (a Mandarin cover of Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now”) and Ooh It’s Just Genetic, Girl.
The lead single from THE TIGER SONS, Invisible People (Where’d You Go?), and its accompanying music video, are dedicated to those people whose voices and stories have been lost or ignored. With a music video shot in San Francisco, directed by Angela Yu, the song sees the three rappers speaking out against injustice in the classroom, courtroom, and media.
THE TIGER SONS Tape is available for free download & streaming at http://grandmaster.bandcamp.com/album/the-tiger-sons
The INVISIBLE PEOPLE music video is online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tqpEF9-_lw
Contact links:
Model Minority - http://www.facebook.com/themodelminority
D-One (@DavidBFung) - http://www.youtube.com/davidbfung
Grand Master Chu (@JasonGLChu) - http://www.facebook.com/grandmasterchu
Inglish (@AndrewJFung) - http://www.youtube.com/andrewjfung
By V., J.D. at July 15, 2011
Labels: entertainment, Model Minority, rap music, talent, The Tiger Sons
B.A.F.F.L.E.D. Law
B.A.F.F.L.E.D. Technology
B.A.F.F.L.E.D. Appreciates
B.A.F.F.L.E.D. Sports Law
B.A.F.F.L.E.D. Honors
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Dom Hemingway, Kino Lorber's August catalog BDs, Sorceress, new CBS TV & more
Just a quick one today with a few more new title announcements. First though, it looks like more media outlets have picked up our Warner/Amazon story today, including Wired. Fascinating how this is going viral.
Now then... in announcement news today, 20th Century Fox has set Dom Hemingway (starring Jude Law) for Blu-ray and DVD release on 7/22.
Kino Lorber has announced new catalog Blu-rays for August, including Mr. Majestyk (1974), The Children’s Hour (1961), The Unforgiven (1960), and Breakheart Pass (1975) on 8/12, and The Party (1968), Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), On the Beach (1959), and What’s New Pussycat? (1965) on 8/26. [Read on here...]
Warner vs Amazon
Bluray Disc
Mr Majestyk
Breakheart Pass
Cast a Giant Shadow
The Children's Hour
The Unforgiven
It Came from Beneath the Sea
20 Million Miles to Earth
Age of Uprising
Crimson Winter
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Gaming opinions, reviews, news, and impressions. Plus thoughts on other cool stuff.
Firewatch Wasn't Perfect, but It Was Pretty Rad
I played it in February, but Firewatch was my own personal summer camp. It offers a delightful, if sometimes melancholy and mysterious, departure from urban life with a vast expanse of nature to explore at your leisure.
A game that was highly anticipated, generally well-received at launch, and subsequently second-guessed for not being as life-changing as people thought it should have been, Firewatch is still an experience that sticks out in my memory as a very personal journey inward experienced through the eyes of a man searching for an escape (and maybe newfound purpose) after a period of loss and grief.
Review: Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
The term "walking simulator" has often been used as a pejorative, but it might just be my new favorite genre. Like Gone Home before it, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a game with no action or combat. There really aren't even puzzles to solve—at least not in the traditional sense. However, the five-or-so hours I spent exploring its idyllic English countryside were some of my most memorable gaming moments in 2015.
Review: Super Mario Maker
It's been over a month since Nintendo released Super Mario Maker, a game that lets you build your own Mario levels. In that time, I've been trying to find time to write a review of it, but it's taken me this long because I can't stop playing this game. It's captured my imagination in a way that probably no other game has before, and it's finally Wii U's "killer app" to show why its tablet-meets-gamepad controller lets players do things no other console can offer.
Review: Boxboy! – 3DS eShop Exclusive
The 3DS eShop has gradually become host to a growing library of smaller, download-only games that help balance some of the larger retail releases. Those bigger games may help sell systems, but it's titles like Boxboy!, developed by HAL Laboratories (of Kirby fame), that give 3DS owners plenty to do in-between tentpole releases.
Click through to the post for the full review.
Game of Thrones: Season 5 Opener Review
Game of Thrones is back! The Season 5 premiere covered a lot of ground (and characters), and should set up what might be the most unusual season of the show to date.
Full episode spoilers follow!
Review: The Wolf Among Us Season One
Telltale captured the world's attention with its first season of the episodic, narrative-based game, The Walking Dead, so it likely surprised no one that it managed to warrant a second season. However, it was probably more surprising that their next game would feature a completely different (and easily less well-known) property, the graphic novel Fables. Check out my review to see if this fairytale-inspired series stacks up to its zombie-infested predecessor!
Review: Tomodachi Life
If you've read or watched anything about Tomodachi Life so far, you'll know that it doesn't fit the traditional definition of a video game. It doesn't let you control a character, it doesn't involve combat of any kind, there are no levels, you don't win or lose, and there aren't even any pre-defined characters or a story. So what, exactly, is it? Read my full review to find out!
Review: The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 3
SPOILER ALERT! Before you read any further, be aware that this post covers spoilers for Season 2, Episode 3 of Telltale Games' The Walking Dead game series, "In Harm's Way." If you've played to this point, then read on. Otherwise, go download them now (they're all awesome!) and come back when you're done.
Mario Kart May #6: Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo Wii)
This is a big one. Mario Kart Wii debuted on Nintendo's wildly popular Wii console in 2008 and went on to become the best-selling racing game of all-time and the fifth best-selling game. Ever. Plus, it introduced me to the world of Drinking Mario Kart (rules inside!), which earns it a special rank. This is the last home console Mario Kart game before Mario Kart 8, so don't miss it!
The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episodes 1 & 2
SPOILER ALERT! Before you read any further, be aware that this post covers spoilers for Season One, 500 Days, and Season Two (Episodes One & Two) of Telltale's The Walking Dead game series. If you've played them, then read on. Otherwise, go download them now (they're all awesome!) and come back when you're done--but know that my verdict on these episodes is absolutely positive!
Review: Octodad: Dadliest Catch
One of the PlayStation 4's first-announced indie games, Octodad: Dadliest Catch, launched this week. Octodad first appeared as a title slated to appear on Sony's newest console during its E3 press conference as part of an eight-game indie showcase. Although it released on PC in January earlier this year, PS4 is the only console to host this uniquely strange game. Check out my full review to see if it's earned a spot in your PS4's library.
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Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Director: Charles Barton
Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney Jr, Bela Lugosi, Lenore Aubert, Jane Randolph, Glenn Strange, Frank Ferguson, Charles Broadstreet, Vincent Price
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Review: Chick (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur (Lou Costello) are railway station porters in Florida who one day receive a call from London. The caller is Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr) who begs them not to deliver a couple of large crates to the local House of Horrors, but just as he is about to explain, the sight of the full moon transforms Talbot into the Wolfman. A baffled Wilbur hangs up, and that night the duo deliver the crates regardless, as ordered by McDougal (Frank Ferguson), the owner, who claims that they contain the bodies of Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and the Frankenstein Monster (Glenn Strange)...
By 1948, the Universal horror films were going out of fashion, and after teaming up their monsters with each other in various ways, the studio decided to inject a little energy to the series by joining them up with their top comedy team, Abbott and Costello. The result was a huge success, and the comedians repeated the formula in subsequent films when they met other sinister characters such as the Invisible Man or the Mummy. Sadly, for the monsters, this would be the last we saw of them in their Universal incarnations, but, although a ostensibly comedy, this film ensured that they were sent off in style.
The secret to a good horror comedy, which the writers Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo and John Grant obviously realised, was to keep the bad guys scary and the good guys frightened. Time and again Wilbur is terrified by the villains, usually taking the form of them creeping up on him, Wilbur calling "Chick!" and the villians retreating before Chick catches sight of them. Yes, it's a perfect example of the eternal struggle between the credulous and the sceptical, with cynical Chick disbelieving the supernatural goings-on, but Wilbur, of course, being justified in his worries. It's like an X Files episode, except this time the sceptics change their minds.
Nowadays, Abbott and Costello are an acquired taste. Their humour is broad and repetitive, with Bud as the bad tempered, bullying straight man, and Lou as the childish, whimsical funny one; both are equally cowardly, but Bud hides it beneath his bluster. However, because their routines often lapsed into the engagingly bizarre, their over-reactions are ideal for this type of horror, especially in the face of the actors who play their bad guy roles to the hilt. Chaney's Talbot is remorseful as ever, but his violent alter ego erupts amusingly in such scenes as when he admits, "Every night when the moon is full, I turn into a wolf," and Lou responds, "You and twenty million other guys!"
Lugosi's smoothly menacing Count is the mastermind behind the scheme to put Costello's more suggestable brain inside the head of the uncontrollable Frankenstein Monster, which leads to a night of mayhem with a lot of running about. The gags are strong, both visual (see the barricading the door scene) and verbal, with enough good one-liners (Chick, mystified at what Wilbur's girlfriend sees in him, "Frankly I don't get it!" Wilbur's girlfriend: "Frankly, you never will!") to keep the story racing along and cover up the cornier dialogue. If you like this type of thing, you'll like it a lot, and if you don't, you could be pleasantly surprised. Yeah, they don't meet Frankenstein, but never mind. Music by Frank Skinner.
Reviewer: Graeme Clark
This review has been viewed 11215 time(s).
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Cody Hudson: I Am The Only One Searching For You
Joshua Liner Gallery is excited to announce Cody Hudson’s inaugural solo exhibition with the gallery, I Am The Only One Searching For You. The Chicago, IL based artist creates paintings and sculptures that explore the poetic potential of abstraction. I Am The Only One Searching For You opens June 20 and will remain on view through July 19, 2019. The artist will attend the opening reception.
Hudson characterizes his practice as a “stream of communication” that works itself into all facets of his artmaking, which includes painting, sculpture, murals, print-making, and graphic design. Each of these artistic endeavors is informed by Hudson’s narrative of longing and hopefulness, while finding context within contemporary abstraction. The artist draws inspiration from a wide range of subjects, not limited to color field painting, outer space, Wisconsin, communal movements of the 60s, weaving and textile design, psychoactive plants, Chicago, ambient and new age music, and the High Desert in California.
I Am The Only One Searching For You includes a selection of Hudson’s acrylic on linen paintings, powder coated steel sculptures as well as a mural. Complimenting each other, Hudson’s painting and sculpture practices aim to “build a history of repeated shapes to form a personal language.” Both bodies of work employ a visual lexicon that unites organic forms with a bold palette, reminiscent of Henri Matisse’s cutouts and Stuart Davis’ abstract compositions. Whether through the additive process of applying paint to linen or the subtractive process of cutting out forms from a sheet of steel, Hudson’s elemental use of shape acts as a direct extension of the poetic content of the work itself. These non-representational forms capture the dynamic quality of the natural world, that the artist characterizes as “loose, imperfect, and ever-changing.”
Starting with simple geometric contours and slowly evolving into slightly more representational paintings, the artist exploits the repetition of color and shape to develop compositions that loosely reference landscape, still life, and human emotion. In These Practices Sometimes Have Similarities (High Desert Memory), Hudson layers idiosyncratic shapes in contrasting hues to create the illusion of a background and foreground, suggesting a dense landscape. The artist captures the essence of his subjects by deconstructing complex forms into cohesive and lyrical canvases. Mimicking the composition of two paintings on the opposite wall, Hudson’s mural serves to further contextualize his panting practice in relation to his entire oeuvre.
Aligning with the aesthetic of his canvases, Hudson’s powder coated sculptures also feature illustrative linework and monochromatic colors. The edges and cutouts have a gestural quality that is preserved through the manufacturing process, which involves welding a quarter inch steel form to a steel base and then applying a powder coating, making the finished sculpture weather-proof. Arranged in a group, these intimate three-dimensional works echo the compositions of the surrounding canvases.
Cody Hudson is a Chicago, IL based artist, also known for his graphic design contributions under the name Struggle Inc. His paintings, sculpture, and graphic works have been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan in solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL; Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL; Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst, IL; Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago, IL; Rocket Gallery, Tokyo; and V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark. The artist’s site-specific installations include: Dreams Burn Down Redux, Soho House, Chicago, IL; Future/Memory, Hellerau Art Center, Dresden, Germany; A Cheval-Entre design graphique et art contemporain, Nantes, France; and Festival of Light, Bangkok, Thailand.
Joshua Liner Gallery
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Wirt D. Walker III and David Boren and Barry McDaniel
"Stratesec’s Walker And His Top Secret Business Partners" Refers to: "Evidence for Informed Trading on the Attacks of September 11":
"Although the investigators were clearly concerned about insider trading, and considerable evidence did exist, none of the investigations resulted in a single indictment. That’s because the people identified as having been involved in the suspicious trades were seen as unlikely to have been associated with those alleged to have committed the 9/11 crimes.
This is an example of the circular logic often used by those who created the official explanations for 9/11. The reasoning goes like this: if we assume that we know who the perpetrators were (i.e. the popular version of “al Qaeda”) and those who were involved in the trades did not appear to be connected to those assumed perpetrators, then insider trading did not occur."
"On September 21, 2001, the SEC referred two specific transactions to the FBI for criminal investigation as potential informed trades. One of those trades was a September 6, 2001 purchase of 56,000 shares of a company called Stratesec, which in the few years before 9/11 was a security contractor for several of the facilities that were compromised on 9/11. These facilities included the WTC buildings, Dulles airport, where American Airlines Flight 77 took off, and also United Airlines, which owned two of the other three ill-fated planes.
The affected 56,000 shares of Stratesec stock were purchased by a director of the company, Wirt D. Walker III, and his wife Sally Walker. This is clear from the memorandum generated to record the FBI summary of the trades investigated.[22] The Stratesec stock that the Walkers purchased doubled in value in the one trading day between September 11th and when the stock market reopened on September 17th. The Commission memorandum suggests that the trade generated a profit of $50,000 for the Walkers. Unfortunately, the FBI did not interview either of the Walkers and they were both cleared of any wrongdoing because they were said to have “no ties to terrorism or other negative information.” [23]
However, Wirt Walker was connected to people who had connections to al Qaeda. For example, Stratesec director James Abrahamson was the business partner of Mansoor Ijaz, who claimed on several occasions to be able to contact Osama bin Laden.[24] Additionally, Walker hired a number of Stratesec employees away from a subsidiary of The Carlyle Group called BDM International, which ran secret (black) projects for government agencies. The Carlyle Group was partly financed by members of the bin Laden family.[25] Mr. Walker ran a number of suspicious companies that went bankrupt, including Stratesec, some of which were underwritten by a company run by a first cousin of former CIA director (and President) George H.W. Bush. Additionally, Walker was the child of a CIA employee and his first job was at an investment firm run by former US intelligence guru, James “Russ” Forgan, where he worked with another former CIA director, William Casey.[26] Of course, Osama bin Laden had links to the CIA as well.[27]"
And to "Two Oklahoma Airports: David Boren, KuwAm, and 9/11" (Boren is the Urquell of the Official Story):
"On the morning of 9/11, CIA Director George Tenet was having breakfast in Washington with his long-time mentor, former Oklahoma Senator David Boren. While a Senator, Boren was the longest serving chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). According to Tenet, Boren plucked him from obscurity in 1987 to serve first as his aide and then, later as the staff director for the SSCI.
Boren was a member of the Yale secret society Skull & Bones, like George W. Bush was five years later. After serving four years as Governor of Oklahoma and 15 years in the U.S. Senate, he became the President of the University of Oklahoma, a position he has held since 1994. Boren lives in Norman where his university housed Airman Flight School, and where the alleged 9/11 hijackers sought training and Moussaoui lived and trained.
Boren went from his breakfast meeting with Tenet to join James Woolsey in helping to produce the media story. Although the CIA and FBI didn’t seem to have any idea what to look for prior to 9/11, Boren certainly seemed to know what the 9/11 attacks were all about as soon as they happened."
And to "Barry McDaniel and 15 Reasons to Investigate Stratesec"
I'm sure there would have been a group or groups, outside the government but with connections to high Bush Administration insiders, who would have managed the logistics of the attack and, separately, the logistics of managing the patsies..
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Keep Up
Tori Tees
NBC Sports: The Rise of Tori Bowie
ToriBowie.com Staff 2017-02-17T20:09:12+00:00 August 19th, 2016|Keep Up, Tori in the News|
In 2012, Tori Bowie was an unknown who missed the Olympic Trials after breaking her jaw in a freak accident, rendering her temporarily unable to eat or speak.
Now, she leaves Rio with a medal of every color, the last image of her crossing the finish line triumphantly carrying a baton as the anchor of the U.S. 4x100m relay team.
[Originally published on NBCOlympics.com, August 19, 2016.]
The U.S. clocked 41.01 seconds, the second-fastest time in history behind its 40.82 from the 2012 Olympic final. The Americans beat rival Jamaica by .35.
“I feel like I had the easiest job of all,” Bowie told Lewis Johnson on NBC afterward. “You know, my teammates brought me the stick, and all I had to do was bring it to the finish line.”
Bowie, a 25-year-old from one-stoplight Sand Hill, Mississippi, added 4x100m gold to her 100m silver and 200m bronze in the last week.
On Friday night, she was given a comfortable lead by Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix and English Gardner and held off Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic 100m champion.
Bowie was left off the 4x100m at the 2015 World Championships, despite taking 100m bronze earlier in the meet, because she did not take part in pre-worlds relay work.
So being put on the anchor leg here meant the world to her.
“I felt like my teammates trusted me enough to handle that position,” Bowie said. “I for sure didn’t want to let anyone down. I wanted to do my best job possible coming off six races [in the 100m and 200m rounds].”
Bowie is the fifth U.S. woman to earn medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at the same Games. The two most recent were Carmelita Jeter and Florence Griffith-Joyner.
All this for a woman who didn’t take up sprinting full-time until March 2014, after she finished last in the long jump at the world indoor championships.
Now that Bowie has confirmed she is the best U.S. sprinter, she wants to give the long jump another try. It has always been her passion.
She has pushed her coach of two and a half years, Central Florida-based Lance Brauman, to let her get back into the pit.
“He kind of told me that if I come in and I get the right medals, then he will allow me to do the long jump next year,” Bowie said. “I think that’s a discussion that we’ll have later, after tonight. I’m hoping he’ll give in.”
© Tori Bowie | Speed Force By Athlete Interactive
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A League of Her Own: Talking with Sportscaster Mia Gordon
Former tennis pro-turned-sportscaster, Mia Gordon, knows all about the agony of defeat, but her sheer determination is keeping her in the broadcasting game. After the Hamilton Ti-Cats cut her from their host roster, CBC signed the Toronto native as an Associate Producer for their Olympics coverage. Now she is the new lead reporter for the National Lacrosse League and is savouring the thrill of victory like a true champion.
Gordon recently took a time out to talk to me about her tumultuous journey, sexism in sports and shamed US swimmer Ryan Lochte.
TorontoVerve: You were a pro-tennis player at 15. You trained with tennis legend Chris Evert, but a torn ligament in your shoulder unfortunately ended it all. What did you learn most about yourself when you realized that you weren’t going to fulfill your dream of playing tennis?
Mia Gordon: At first, it was devastating for me. You dedicate so much time and effort into this dream. I moved away from home when I was 14 years old. I began practising at 4:30 in the morning until 6 o’clock at night. I was doing high school online to be able to travel to tournaments around the world and get my ranking up. It honestly felt like my world was falling apart and for a little while I was very lost, but it was my family and friends’ incredible support that helped me get through the dark times. For the first time in my life, I got to experience a world outside of tennis. I had weekends off and I got to travel for myself. I realized that I could have a life outside of tennis and transfer the skills that I learned as a tennis player to my current career. So now I’m following a different kind of dream. I think the biggest lesson that I've learned is that things happen in life. You’re going to be thrown curve balls. There are no straight roads — there’s always going to be twists and turns. You can get really down on yourself and say, “Oh woe is me.” Or you can find a way around your obstacles. If you work hard and don’t ever give up, something great will happen.
TV: I was moved by your honesty on your blog. You shared about the trials and tribulations of working freelance — including losing your job as host with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Why be so personal with your fans?
MG: I feel like we’re in a day and age where people are sharing a lot about themselves on the internet. I do have my own personal life that I like to keep personal, but at the same time, I understand how hard this industry is. If I’m able to help one person who is fighting for their dream, then that would be amazing. A lot of people come up to me and say how much they want to be a sportscaster. What they need to know the most is that it doesn’t just happen overnight. This industry is changing where there are very few opportunities. I think it’s important for people to understand that, but also to understand that if you really want this, then go after it and give it your all. Here’s my personal experience — I was in a situation where the Sun News had shut down [and I lost my reporting job], then I lost my dream job with the Ti-Cats. I could have given up, and I thought about giving up. I was looking at careers in different industries, but this is what I want to do. I just hope that some people will take this message and realize if they have a passion and a dream, it’s worth fighting that extra mile for.
TV: What has the response been like from your followers?
MG: It’s been amazing. They thank me for my honesty and sharing my story. You see these reporters and personalities on TV and you really don’t get the opportunity to know them, but I will respond to every Tweet, every Facebook message and every email because I want them to know how much I appreciate their support. I want them to know me not just as "Mia Gordon: the sports reporter" but "Mia Gordon: the person."
TV: You always manage to persevere. You recently got a new job as host and reporter for the new National Lacrosse Network. Where do you find the strength to never quit?
MG: I think it’s the professional athlete in me. I’ll never forget the time I broke my foot a week before nationals, but I was going to nationals no matter what. I played with a big boot on my ankle. There were mornings where it was minus twenty outside and I could have stayed in my warm bed, but I got up and practised because I always had this dream of being a professional tennis player. I think it was instilled in me at a very young age. If you want your dreams, you have to work for them. They’re not just going to be handed to you. I will never quit. In fact, my middle name is Wyn [laughs].
TV: You covered the Olympics for the CBC both in English and French. What was that experience like?
MG: I loved it. When I was playing competitive tennis, it was always my dream and passion to play in the Olympics. Having had the opportunity to play for my country and as an individual, there’s just something so patriotic and rewarding when you get to wear the Canadian flag and represent the millions of people who live in this amazing country that has given me so many opportunities. Unfortunately, I never got to play as an athlete in the Olympics, but ever since I got into sports broadcasting, my dream was to cover the Olympics for the CBC because there are so many incredible athletes with incredible stories, and I feel that the CBC does such a great job in telling those stories. They bring them to life. They told us how Andre De Grasse and Penny Oleksiak became superstar athletes. So when they called me to work the Olympics, I didn’t hesitate. I took the job right away. It was 21 days straight with no days off, ten-hour days with few breaks, but it was so worth it. As a sports reporter, you have to be unbiased, but I think during the Olympics, you’re allowed to cheer on your country.
TV: Of course, the biggest news to come out of Rio was Ryan Lochte lying about being robbed at gun point. He’s lost 4 endorsements and Rio authorities recently charged him for submitting a false robbery report. What do you think the US swim team and Ryan Lochte should do to make things right?
MG: I’m not going to lie, of course I’ve made mistakes and I’ve done things in the past that I’m not very proud of, but I was representing myself and I could come out and apologize and it usually gets forgotten about, but when you’re representing a country on a bigger scale, it is a big deal. I believe that Ryan needs to come out and make a sincere apology. Not one that his publicist writes for him. He needs to speak from the heart and maybe make a charitable donation to Rio for what he’s done. It would be nice to see him give back. Will he do it? I don’t know, but I think it’s up to him to make it right. He can’t hide behind the US swim team. He has to step up and make things right.
TV: Despite losing his endorsements, Lochte will be on Dancing with the Stars. Will you be watching?
MG: I can’t say I’ve ever watched an episode of Dancing with the Stars [laughs]. I’m not a big reality show fan, but all the best to Ryan. I’m sure he’ll do very well.
TV: One of the unfortunate realities of the Olympics coverage was the blatant sexist reporting of female athletes. Specifically, Katinka Hosszú's husband getting credit for her Gold, the ridiculous commentary about whether female athletes should wear make-up or not, and women being constantly compared to men. In 2016, why do you think this kind of sexism is still happening?
MG: I hate to admit it, but my industry is still very male dominated. Trying to break into sports broadcasting as a female has had its fair share of challenges — people thinking that you’re not qualified because you never played the sport, but it’s changing. It’s great seeing so many dominating female sports reporters and lead female anchors on TSN and Sportsnet. So I can very much relate to what we saw in Rio. I think women just have to keep fighting and keep proving themselves. Men may be physically stronger, but we have so many incredible female athletes and they need to be recognized as incredible athletes and not just incredible female athletes. The fact that we’re seeing more women in sportscasting is going to help a lot and having more women speak out [against sexism] is going to help too. And kudos to Andy Murray for speaking up for female tennis players. The more conversations that we can get going from all aspects is going to make it better.
TV: What are some of your personal experiences with sexism in the industry?
MG: I vividly remember Don Cherry saying that women reporters don’t belong in male locker rooms for interviews. Women are definitely treated differently working in that environment. I’ve spoken to a few female broadcasters and they told me that the industry will start to change. Instead of having locker room interviews, they’ll put us in a more comfortable environment to speak to players. When I do have to go into a locker room, I’m in there to just do my job, but sometimes you run into individuals who try to make it uncomfortable for you.
TV: How so?
MG: [Laughs] I don’t want to get anyone in trouble here, but there have been instances where players have asked for my phone number or asked to hang out outside of work. That’s not who I am. I'll tell them, "I’m here to do my job and you’re here to do your job and we’re here to be professionals. Let’s keep it to answering my questions as opposed to asking me out." That happens, but there are also athletes who are so respectful and support your career.
TV: Speaking of sexism, the first thing that comes up when I Google your name is a blog post that inappropriately asks, “Why is Mia Gordon on the radio when she looks like this?” Do you know about that?
MG: Yeah, the Chive. I took that with a grain of salt and laughed a bit about it. I love doing TV and radio because I just love telling the stories. Whether you’re female or male in this industry, you are always trying to get on air. [Stations] are looking for a certain look. I understand that being on TV does come with its superficial factors and that’s just part of the job. I hope that people think that I should be on TV because I’m great at telling stories and not just what I look like on camera, but as they say, “No publicity is bad publicity.” [Laughs]
TV: Let’s talk tennis. Genie Bouchard has had a rough year. Not just on the court, but off. She has an ongoing lawsuit against the USTA and is criticized by her hometown press for not embracing her French culture. How much of that is to blame for her inconsistent performance?
MG: I think maybe a small portion will play into that just because Genie is still very young. I think she’s only 22 years old. As a professional athlete, I learned that you have to grow up very quickly — especially in tennis because there’s no team to hide behind. If you're having a bad day, there’s no one to sub in for you. Genie is very mature for her age, but I don’t think that anyone in their right mind can completely ignore bad press, especially when you’re having a bad year. It’s hard to get back on track, but do I think that’s a main factor in what’s going on with her on-court game? No. I think it’s a very small factor of what’s been happening. I’ve had this conversation with Chris Evert about what’s it going to take for Genie to get back to where she was and I think it’s just a confidence thing right now. Genie came out onto the tour and she had this incredible game. No one knew who she was so there were no expectations. She was playing aggressive and wasn’t afraid, but when you make it to the semi-finals and finals of Grand Slams, there will be expectations placed on you. Players will know who you are, know your game and know how to play against you. I don’t think Genie was able to adjust to that. I think it’s great that she’s back with her old coach, Nick Saviano, because he’s really helped her. She needs to realize how to block out those outside factors and regain her confidence.
TV: What do you think her chances are in the US Open?
MG: Genie has got a game that’s really good for the US Open. We’ve seen a couple of injuries. Serena Williams has been injured and there’s a lot of question marks surrounding some of the top players. This is a court that suits her game style. She looked really good at the Olympics despite her early exit, but it’s always tough when you have to play a player that’s ranked top three in the world. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see her in the second week of the tournament.
[Edit: Genie Bouchard was defeated yesterday by Katerina Siniakova in the first round of the US Open]
TV: You’re childhood friends with Milos Raonic. He’s having a banner year after reaching the finals at Wimbledon and the semis at the Australian Open. You likely know him better than any other commentator. What do you think his strategy will be going into the US Open?
MG: I just think that he needs to believe in himself. In my opinion, he’s got a game that can beat any player on the tour right now. So he just needs to believe in it and be able to execute it. Seeing him volleying more, using that big serve and coming to net — that’s how you beat the top players in the world. Novak Djokovic is the most consistent player in the world. No one is going to beat him by trying to rally with him on the baseline. The only way you’re going to beat him is if you’re aggressive and you’re forcing him into an uncomfortable situation. So what we’re seeing from Milos when he’s coming to net and not giving players enough time to recover after a big serve or the big forehand, that’s going to make Djokovic very uncomfortable. And again, there are a lot of question marks with the top players. This will be Rafael Nadal’s first Grand Slam since the French Open where he had to pull out because of his wrist. Federer won’t be playing so Milos doesn’t have to play a seed until the fourth round I believe. He just needs to slowly build up that confidence and if he plays the game that we’ve seen earlier this year, he could go all the way.
TV: What can we look forward to with the new National Lacrosse Network?
MG: It’s a very exciting time. I fell in love with lacrosse a couple of years ago when I was working for the Toronto Rock. I had never seen a lacrosse game before. It’s just so intense and exhilarating. You’re actually on the edge of your seat for every second. What’s amazing is that a lot of the players have full-time jobs and they just play the sport because they love it. I think with sports like hockey and basketball, where you have all these multi-million dollar contracts, you sometimes lose the passion of why you got into the sport in the first place. With lacrosse, you can really feel the athletes’ passion. There are so many incredible stories and we want to bring them to life in a world that does revolve around hockey. So what the NLL productions is going to do is create a network where we’re going to broadcast the stories of these amazing players and share this great sport with fans and hopefully get more people interested. We’ll be posting tons of content about the players’ journey on NLL.com and we hope to grow the sport on a grassroots level.
TV: Describe the average lacrosse fan?
MG: The fans that show up to every game are real fans who love the sport. They’re loud and excited. I was just at the lacrosse junior tournament that happened this past weekend and there were so many fans there. There were about 400 kids taking part and it was great to see the pros coming out to coach these young kids. You don’t see that in hockey or baseball. You don’t see juniors getting coached by professional players at a weekend-long tournament. It just shows how much players care about the sport.
TV: What are you most happy about in life right now?
MG: I am spoiled right now. I am very fortunate that I have been given an opportunity to follow my dreams. I am happy that I decided to continue on this journey and that I didn’t give up. It’s also great to live in a city like Toronto where I have incredible friends and family who will always have my back. I know I won’t have to go on this journey alone. Everything is looking positive now. I have nothing to complain about.
Follow Mia on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook.
Check out Mia's blog.
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New Photos from Vin Diesel's "Fast and Furious 7" and Dwayne Johnson's "Hercules" Sets
Posted: September 23rd, 2013 by WorstPreviews.com Staff
Vin Diesel has just unveiled two new photos from the set of "Fast and Furious 7," which is now in its third week of filming. Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson revealed a new photo from the set of his "Hercules" film. Check everything out below.
Fast and Furious 7: Story details are being kept a secret, but the film will pick up where "Fast and Furious 6" left off. James Wan (Saw, Insidious) is directing, while Jason Statham, Paul Walker Tony Jaa and Lucas Black co-star. The film is set to hit theaters on July 11th, 2014.
Hercules: The new movie is based on the "Hercules: The Thracian Wars" graphic novel and is grounded in reality, which means that there are no supernatural elements. It's set to hit theaters on July 25th, 2014.
"Fast and Furious 7" Photos: (click to enlarge)
"Hercules" Photo: (click to enlarge)
on September 23rd, 2013 at 7:09:40 AM
Damn it. When they're gonna let us see Hercules's f*cking face
i wonder if i would have the balls to take knives off the shelves,disable a terrorist, dress in his clothes and use their guns against them if a mall i was in was taken over
just a thought in this action star thread
i dont think i could fight wearing shorts and dress shoes,tho
Alex is happy today, very happy in his pants.
Deaft0ne writes:
on September 23rd, 2013 at 12:14:09 PM
That second F&F photo looks like a promo image for a poster or something.
BigTate writes:
Seriously, why do they keep covering Dwayne's face?
M. Bullitt writes:
on September 23rd, 2013 at 1:26:41 PM
What BadChad said!
Lol Mate,
The Hercules trash will bomb hard and without pity, but Fast Seven has a strong chance to provide pretty f*cking great entertainment, and thus I fervently anticipate Wan's addition to the series.
on October 20th, 2017 at 4:58:12 PM
togel wap
on November 7th, 2017 at 11:19:14 AM
on November 12th, 2017 at 11:21:26 PM
Situs Judi pokerace
on February 7th, 2018 at 10:52:48 PM
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WWE hires new Executive Vice President of Programming
Comments Off on WWE hires new Executive Vice President of Programming
WWE today announced the appointment of Matthew Singerman as Executive Vice President, Programming. Singerman, who previously held senior level positions at Fox News Channel, TV Guide Network and Reelz Channel, will report directly to WWE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon.
In this newly created role, Singerman will be responsible for the strategic development of content, including original, unscripted and scripted shows, scheduling of all programming and operations across all distribution platforms, including a potential WWE Network.
Singerman brings more than 20 years of experience in production and programming from various broadcast and cable networks. Most recently, Singerman served as a consultant for well-established and start-up channels, including NFL Network, Nuvo, Pivot and Back9 Network. Prior to his role as an industry consultant, Singerman was the Senior Vice President of Programming at Reelz Channel. In this position, he oversaw all programming, development and acquisitions, including The Kennedys, which was the highest-rated show in Reelz Channel history. The network’s rating grew more than 300 percent during Singerman’s tenure.
Rey Mysterio returns on WWE television
WWE executive hires
Table For 3 with wives of WWE Superstars filmed during SummerSlam weekend
WWE taped an episode of Table For 3 during the SummerSlam weekend featuring three wives of WWE Superstars. This will be the first episode of the series which does not have any wrestlers on it. Giovanna Angle, the wife of Kurt Angle, posted a photo on Instagram…
WWE Network arrives on Shaw in Canada along with full access on WWE App
The latest iOS and Android update for the WWE App which was released on the iTunes Store and Google Play Store includes something for Canadian fans which will surely be a welcome addition - access to the WWE Network. Prior to this update, the WWE Network was only…
Breaking Ground season one finale to air tomorrow on WWE Network
Tomorrow night WWE Network will air the season finale of Breaking Ground, the often-praised series following NXT Superstars in a bid to reach the main roster. The season finale will take a look at the build up and the execution of NXT Takeover: Respect, which…
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April 04, 2016 / Manu Smith
Episode #124 of Hey Mister Jesse is now available to download and enjoy. April's show features new music from Monkey Doo, Tuba Skinny & Davina and The Vagabonds and tons of international audience feedback. (82 minutes)
00:42 Welcome to episode #124 of Hey Mister Jesse for April 2016.
01:32 News: 1,000 hours of early jazz music released online
- Check out the collection and read the news item.
- Niven Jazz Collection: Fats Waller Tape 8 (1941-1943).
- Also check out "Don't Give Me That Jive" by Paris Washboard - 15 Years Fresh (available on AmazonMp3 and iTunes Plus and eMusic!!!)
09:03 News:New Sant Andreu Jazz Band Albums
- "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?" by The Sant Andreu Jazz Band - Jazzing 6, Volume 2 (available on Bandcamp)
- Watch videos for Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby? and Moanin'.
- "Ex's & Oh's" by Postmodern Jukebox featuring Lisa Gary - PMJ and Chill (available on iTunes Plus).
- "Accentuate The Positive" by Monkey Doo - Accentuate The Positive (available on Bandcamp)
- "Broken Hearted Blues" by Tuba Skinny - Blue Chime Stomp (available on Bandcamp)
- "Knock Me A Kiss" by Davina & The Vagabonds - Nicollet & Tenth (available on iTunes Plus)
- Thomas Latter (Hong Kong) recommends "Open Invitation To A Rainstorm" by Emily Asher's Garden Party - Meet Me In The Morning (available on Bandcamp, AmazonMp3 and iTunes Plus and eMusic!!!)
- Malcolm Yadack (Tubingen, Germany) recommends "Jamaica Jam" by Teddy Powell - Ridin' The Subways (available on AmazonMp3 and iTunes Plus and eMusic!!!)
- David Aghassi (Cleveland, OH) recommends "Heigh Ho" by Bunny Berigan with Ruth Gaylor - Heigh-Ho (available on AmazonMp3 and iTunes Plus and eMusic!!!)
- Yulai Liu (Washington, DC) recommends "Melody Man" by Jimmie Lunceford with Sy Oliver - For Dancers Only (available on AmazonMp3 and iTunes Plus and eMusic!!!)
- Ben Nathan (San Francisco, CA) recommends "I'm Tired Of Crying Over You" by Ella & Buddy Johnson - Go Ahead And Rock And Roll (available on AmazonMp3 and iTunes Plus)
- Jose Tello (Seattle, WA) recommends "The Minor Goes A-Muggin'" by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra - Carnegie Hall V-Disc Session April 1944 (available on iTunes Plus and eMusic)
- David Afonso (Lisbon, Portugal) recommends "I Just Couldn't Take It Baby" by Keith Ingham - A Mellow Bit of Rhythm (available on AmazonMp3, iTunes Plus and eMusic!!!). Catch David at Swing Summit this summer.
- (Super) Heidi Van Der Wijk (Rotterdam, Netherlands) recommends "Coquette" by The Squeezebox Trio - And A Hotplate (available on Bandcamp).
- Marc D'Olimpio (Vienna, Austria) recommends "The Cat Walk" by Frank Roberscheuten, Antti Sarpila and Engelbert Wrobel - The Three Tenors of Swing (available on AmazonMp3, iTunes Plus and eMusic!!!). Check out Paul and Sharon in Herrang teaching to Gerry Mulligan's version of "The Cat Walk". Add link to 9:20 Special DJ workshop?
- Morgan Day (San Diego, CA) recommends "Little Jazz" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra (available on AmazonMp3, iTunes Plus and eMusic!!!). Be sure to check out Morgan's great blog, Ickeroo.com.
- Henrik Eriksson (Uppsala, Sweden) recommends "Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea" by Ladd Mcintosh Swing Orchestra - Everything Is Jumpin'! (available on AmazonMp3, eMusic!!!). Be sure to check out Henrik's great blog, Swing, Jazz and Blues - Dance To The Music and become a fan of his blog on Facebook.
April 04, 2016 / Manu Smith/ /Source
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Zimbabwe Vigil Media Release: 19th April 2018
Grotesque Charade in London
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/26676653847/sizes/m/
Zimbabwe’s military regime was embraced in the UK while back home Vice-President General Chiwenga sacked all nurses in government hospitals for demanding a living wage. See: https://zwnews.com/vp-chiwenga-pointing-at-ed-mnagagwa-independence-day/.
Vigil activists were outside the Embassy in London on Independence Day when the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister General Sibusiso Moyo was present at a reception. The Embassy called the police who were happy to let our protest continue as long as we didn’t block the Embassy doorway.
The Vigil distributed the following leaflet:
‘Lipstick on a pig’
Exiled Zimbabweans welcomed the ousting of Robert Mugabe in the military coup last November. But the Zimbabwe Vigil cautions against prematurely embracing the new regime represented here by Lieutenant General Moyo, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
General Moyo is fresh from what the regime’s newspaper calls ‘a charm offensive’ in New York, where he parroted President Mnangagwa’s mantra that Zimbabwe is ‘open for business’. General Moyo said that, apart from economic reforms, the regime is undertaking ‘serious agreed political reforms’.
The Vigil has seen no sign of these and suggests that you would be wise to see whether the forthcoming elections are accepted as free, fair and credible.
Here’s what the Zimbabwean academic Dr Nkululeko Sibanda, Professor of International Relations at the University of Huddersfield, has to say: ‘No country develops out of putting a begging bowl for the rest of the world to donate to. He must develop the conditions of the economy on the ground, the fundamentals of the economy. In terms of the elections, I think it’s a serious challenge and it would seem as though the government is trying to put lipstick on a pig and hoping that it will look like something beautiful to marry. It is not.
'If they are serious about free and fair elections, they must forthwith make available a voters’ roll that can be inspected by any member of the public, at any particular moment, either for a fee or no fee at all. Failure of that, the election is just going to be a joke and will only be believed by those who are desperate to believe the ED (Mnangagwa) government.’
In our 16th year of protesting outside the Embassy it was interesting to see several of our former supporters joining the queue for the Embassy reception.
Vigil supporters were on the street again today, Thursday, to support Action for Southern Africa’s protest against oppression in Swaziland outside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Pall Mall.
Pall Mall was alive with activity – 4 other protests were going on at the same time: for Biafra, Barbuda and Sri Lanka as well as an LGBT group demanding that anti-LGBT laws should be abolished in the Commonwealth.
For photos of the protests, check: https://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/albums/72157667947920628 and https://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/albums/72157695111977404.
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YouKnowIGotSoul Interview With Musiq Soulchild
YKIGS Posted on March 4, 2011
Prior to one of his performances on the Kem “Intimacy” tour, YouKnowIGotSoul had a chance to catch up with Musiq Soulchild as he prepares for the release of his sixth solo album. In this interview we discussed what to expect on the new album “MusiqInTheMagic”, the approach he took on this album as compared to his others, the reason behind the title of the album, what made him decide to go with “Anything” as the first single, the progression in his music over the years, what he considers to be his best work, how long he’d like to keep recording music and more.
YouKnowIGotSoul: How has the tour been going with Kem and Ledisi?
Musiq Soulchild: Oh it’s been good. Today is like the fifth show, so far so good. People have been showing up showing a whole bunch of love and the energy is wonderful. I’m having a good time.
YKIGS: Your new album is called “MusiqInTheMagic”. What made you go with that title?
Musiq: It came from people asking me what I attribute my longevity in the game to and the idea kinda crossed my mind because people talk about being in the game as being this magical thing, but I know it’s a lot of hard work that’s put into it. So the thought was everybody talks about the magic that’s in the music but nobody talks about what that magic is. I attribute it to my hard work and the decisions that I’m making, collectively with the people that are around me and feedback I’m getting, but ultimately when it comes to me it’s my decision to either go along with it or do my own thing. So I’m actually for the first time owning the fact that I’m putting in that hard work that I guess you could call the magic that’s in the music. Plus it was something cool to do where we flipped the coined phrase “Magic in the music” and if you flip it around you get “MusiqInTheMagic.”
YKIGS: What was your approach going into this album as compared to your previous albums?
Musiq: I really didn’t have any approach that’s any different from what I’ve been doing. My whole process was just doing the best music that I can do given the resources, giving the producers that I’m working with, even the music that comes to me rather than me coming up with it myself. So I’m not really doing anything that different. If anything I might just try to push it a little further to try to gain a much broader audience. But for the most part, I’m still doing the same thing, trying to put out quality soul music.
YKIGS: In terms of writers, producers and features, who’s going to be on this album?
Musiq: The only feature I have is on the first single “Anything.” That was produced by Jerry Wonder from Platinum Sounds out in New York. I worked with a whole bunch of different people but the only one that’s really that noticeable is Jerry Wonder. Even so, I still had a whole lot of fun and I really appreciate and respect everybody that I worked with and I’m honored that I can present the work I did with them to the world.
YKIGS: The first single “Anything” is a bit different than we are used to hearing from you, more uptempo. What made you decide to go in that direction with the first single?
Musiq: Well everybody at the label has been responding to the record really well. We tried it out and just put it on the internet just to see how people would respond and everybody responded to it really well. The radio stations, before it was officially added, they responded to it very well, so it just made sense. As far as me making an uptempo song, I’ve been making uptempos, that was just the song that got picked and the research showed it would do well. As long as people love it, that’s the only thing that really matters to me.
YKIGS: Would you say the rest of the album would be more traditional soul like we are used to hearing from you?
Musiq: My thing is I never really label things like that or call things like that. I just like to think of it as it’s good music and yes I’m contributing to the legacy of soul music the best that I know how, especially with all of the transitions that music has been going through. I would never really ask that question so I don’t really know how to answer that question.
YKIGS: With the way the soul/r&b climate has changed since you came out in the early 2000’s, have you ever felt like you had to change your style to have continued success or have you felt like you could just keep doing what you do?
Musiq: I never felt like I had to make changes but I always do try to be aware of the current climate so that I can adjust to it however necessary. It’s one thing to try to stay true and be a purist about things but it’s another thing to be that so much that you isolate yourself from what’s going on today and I don’t want to ever do that. So things change, music is a very subjective thing and everybody is entitled to their criticisms and their opinions. So I just want to make sure that whatever I do that it’s relevant and people are going to want to listen to it because they like it, not because they have to because it’s following the latest trends. So I don’t really think about making changes per say, however tapping into whatever is considered something people are interested in? Yea I do that.
YKIGS: I had a chance to interview Meelah (from 702) a couple of months ago and she talked about the great music she was making with you. Tell me about the work you’ve done for her solo project.
Musiq: Yea that’s my homegirl, I definitely want to help her out in her endeavors. We’ve just been coming up with a lot of things and I can’t wait for people to check it out.
YKIGS: Looking back at your career, do you have an album that you consider to be your best work?
Musiq: I don’t’ feel like I’ve done that yet. Not to discredit anything that I’ve done so far, I’m proud of everything that I’ve done so far, but I feel like I’m always attempting to achieve just that.
YKIGS: How long do you hope to keep making music?
Musiq: *Laughs* As long as God allows and as long as people still want me to I’ll still be here doing it.
YKIGS: Anything you’d like to add?
Musiq: “MusiqInTheMagic” comes out May 3rd, everybody go out and get it. Download the single “Anything” featuring Swizz Beatz. I’m on tour with Kem and Ledisi so please come out and show some love.
Tagged:Musiq Soulchild
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Interview: LaTocha Scott (from Xscape): Nothing Can Keep Her Away From Love of Music
YKIGS August 22, 2012
Interview: Frankie J Talks New Single, Chemistry with Baby Bash & Maintaining Sound
Interview: Brandy On The Comeback Trail As She “Puts It Down” Musically On New Album
Trey Songz Essence Festival Press Conference – YouKnowIGotSoul Question Answered by Kevin Hart (With James Harden)
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You Sing, I Write
A place to read interviews, concert and album reviews and learn a little about music.
Q&A with Priscilla Ahn
A few posts ago I introduced you to singer-songwriter Priscilla Ahn. Just last week Grey's Anatomy featured one of her songs from upcoming album, A Good Day, on it's season finale. I'm hoping to post a clip of that segment soon. In an email interview with Priscilla, she filled me in on her transition into the music industry, her recent Hotel Café Tour and hopes for the future. Read on for more of the interview and be sure to check out Priscilla's debut album, hitting stores June 10.
Did you grow up thinking you would be a singer? Do you remember the day you said to yourself, "This is what I'm going to do"?
I grew up thinking I'd be an English teacher. I guess, the day I decided I wasn't gonna go to college is the day I knew for sure I wanted to really try making some sort of career out of singing and songwriting.
You moved from Pennsylvania to L.A. to pursue music. What prompted that decision and how did you adjust to everything?
I visited L.A. with some musician friends from Philadelphia. We were on a songwriting road trip. As soon as we drove into Los Angeles, I fell in love with the place. One month later, I was on the road solo, driving from PA to CA. Amazingly, at 19, I feel like I adjusted alright. I was never really homesick. I learned the streets pretty fast. I met people pretty fast. I guess I saw the whole thing as an adventure where I couldn't lose, and totally dove in head first.
Do you feel the move paid off?
Definitely. If I'd have gone to college, or just stayed in Pennsylvania, my life and career would be nowhere near where it is now.
What has been the biggest struggle for you?
My biggest struggle I think has been finding myself musically. Being a young girl I had anybody and everybody telling me what songs should sound like. It took me about a year or two to figure out that I hated writing songs the way all the songwriting magazines and crap were saying you should. I knew I was different from that, and I didn't like my creativity living in a box. So I tore the box down and wrote less-structured songs that were fun to sing.
I saw the NYC date of the Hotel Cafe Tour at Irving Plaza and really enjoyed your performance. Was this your first tour with all the performers? How did the tour go for you?
This was my first tour with all the other performers, except for Cary Brothers, who brought me on the road last summer, which was a lot of fun too. I had a lot of fun on this tour too, granted it was only five or six dates, but they were in fun cities. The crowds were so great at all the shows, I'd definitely do it again.
Do you have a favorite song to perform?
It depends. I enjoy playing pretty much all my songs, which is a good thing I guess. Sometimes my favorites to play are the ones I don't get a chance to play that often, and for some reason, the day of the show I decide to play it because I really need to. Those become the most satisfying, because it served a purpose for me.
I really like your song, "Wallflower." In one of your press kits you said it was about when you first moved to L.A. and were basically a wallflower at all the parties. Has L.A. gotten better since you wrote the song?
Yes. I've become a little more outgoing for one. Not so aloof. Also, the parties have gotten better. Those parties were filled with a bunch of people I didn't know, or want to know. The parties these days are more of get-togethers and dinners with good friends where we play games and stuff.
How was the process making A Good Day? Is it everything you imagined recording your first album would be? Did you go into the studio having a certain concept for the album?
The process was extremely educating as far as creative group dynamic in confined spaces go. I learned to really work with people. I was never very big into working in groups growing up. I had no idea what recording my first album would be like. I'd hoped it would be as easy as making my EP was, but it was a little different, a little more involved, and the stakes were a little higher. I don't believe we had a real concept for the album going into the studio. We were very much like, let's play the songs and make them fun and beautiful.
How did you decide which songs to cover?
My friend Gus Seyffert, who was a big part of the whole recording process, suggested both songs to me. "Masters In China" is a song his friend Benji Hughes wrote. I fell madly in love with the lyrics and the body of the song. Gus found "Opportunity To Cry" on an old Willy Nelson demo. Again, the lyrics were heartbreaking and also sort of sassy and funny to me.
Do you write all the music and lyrics to each song? What is your typical writing process like?
I do. I'm starting to co-write with people too, which can be really fun and rewarding too. Typically, I'll stumble on a chord progression that in turn will evoke the first line of lyrics. Usually whatever will float off the tip of my tongue, and then I trust that whatever that first line is about, is what the song is supposed to be about, and I just go with it from there.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
I'm hoping a lot of touring, and at the same time, a lot of time for writing. If I can maintain the lifestyle of have doing what I'm doing right now, that'd be pretty awesome.
For more on Priscilla check out her MySpace.
Posted by ANNIE REUTER at 11:40 PM 3 comments Links to this post
Audio Interview with Vince Scheuerman of Army of Me
Editing down these interviews has taken a lot longer than I had previously expected. I'm hoping to get more of my interviews up in audio format from the "Get A Life" tour soon . . . can't make any immediate promises though. Here is my interview with Vince broken down into two segments, each about 10-minutes long for your listening pleasure. Let me know if this is a good length, I know everyone has busy lives and you don't really have time to sit down and listen to a 40-minute interview, so I tried to cut it down to the most interesting parts. Enjoy!
Click here to listen to Vince talk about how Army of Me prepares for tour, what they do on their days off and how their new pre-show ritual came about.
Click here for more from Vince on how the audience's vibe impacts his performance, getting dropped when jumping into the crowd to crowd-surf, the struggles of being in a band and more.
Audio Interview with Tim Foreman of Switchfoot
As promised, here's the MP3 format of my interview with Tim Foreman a few weeks ago. Special thanks to my friend Tom for making this possible! I interviewed Tim after Switchfoot's Rutgers show while the guys were hanging out and chatting with fans. There is a bit of background noise, but I think you should be able to hear him pretty well regardless. Listen to Tim talk about the upcoming album, their Music Builds Tour and the writing process behind latest song, "This Is Home" here.
Posted by ANNIE REUTER at 9:50 PM 1 comments Links to this post
Q&A with Dennis Manuel of Army of Me
This is my third of four interviews featured from the guys of D.C. based band Army of Me. I'm hoping to post my last interview as well as get some audio formats of the interviews up soon. If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Army of Me and catch a show! They'll be playing Bowery Ballroom in NYC next Thursday, May 29! Below is my interview with drummer Dennis Manuel. One of the founding members of Army of Me, Dennis chatted with me during the "Get A Life" tour about the arduous task of naming a band, how he came to be a part of Army of Me and signing his first autograph.
Tell me a little bit about how Army of Me began.
We just kind of met through mutual friends, me and Vince. I wasn’t really playing any instruments yet. I was screwing around enough to keep a beat. We got together in a buddy of our’s basement. I think we jammed like once and then I moved to New York for two years and I was still kind of playing. When I moved back we got together again. I don’t think we were taking it seriously. I don’t think we’re taking it seriously now, it just kind of snowballed slowly and slowly and slowly and then we got into songs and what’s best for the songs and it got serious. It’s kind of weird because this is my first band and to have come as far as we have. Normally, it’s the third band.
What were you doing in New York?
I was 19 and I basically wanted to get out of my mom’s house. Instead of college, I went to New York and I went to a trade school for recording. I didn’t really know what I was doing. I just was going up there to see what it was like, working in the studio. My friend got married and me and his cousin went up there, had one drunken night on a roof top and decided to form a band and take over the world. That didn’t really work out, but it did get us to move to New York, which was fun. That wasn’t really serious; I think we got together once a month. I moved back because I was tired of being broke and Vince called me up, two years after that one jam we had, and he had written a few songs. We just started there, song after song.
You guys went by different band names.
We started as a three-piece and we were trying to come up with a name and we had all these lists. It was such a painful process. I had this basement apartment where we rehearsed all the time and Vince’s girlfriend at the time came downstairs and we were throwing names at her. And she was like, “What about Lioness.” After everyone had said like a hundred no’s, we were like, “That sounds cool. Where did you come up with that?” And she said, “It’s on your wall.” I had this hook and knot that my first babysitter made for me. They look like rugs, but it’s a picture. And it was of Lioness from Charlie Brown. So that was our first name. I actually have a Yoda hook and knot in my kit drum. It’s for the force. So Lioness was our first name and then there was another Lioness and we had to change the name.
One of your names was Cactus Patch?
I think it was actually Catus Hatch, which I don’t know how we came up with. It was really an awful name. But, again, with the lists, the endless freakin’ lists. It’s impossible. On one of Vince’s lists, I saw catus, and I thought it had a ring to it. I was like, “What is it?” Vince is a fly fisherman and catus is a certain larvae from a fly and when they come out of the eggs and come to the surface, the larvae, all the bass come to the surface. So it’s a particular fly, and it was catus and I thought, “What about Catus Hatch?" It seemed brilliant at the time. And then everyone we told the name to were like, “What? Cactus Patch?” And it basically became Cactus Patch. It was so ridiculous at one point I wanted to make a T-shirt with Cractus Catch, Cactus Patch, Catus Hatch, Lemon Snatch. Basically, we’re called whatever you want us to be called. That happened and then we had a couple of EPs, actually we had a full-length under Cactus Patch, which I’m afraid to even think about listening to.
And then you became Army of Me?
Well, by that time we became a three-piece for a while, but then we wanted to change it up and get a bigger sound, so we got another guitarist. We were coming out with a new EP and we had management at the time, and they were like, “Well, if you want to change the name.” I remember the end of Cactus Patch. We played this place called Palomas in Baltimore, which doesn’t exist anymore because it was so sketchy. They had the radio on over the loudspeaker while we were setting up and the commercial was like, “Come to Palomas tonight for a night of country and zydeco with Cactus Patch.” And we were like, “Did they listen to the demo at all?” So we were like, “Okay, we sound like we’re a jam band from Arizona with the name Cactus Patch.” So we had to change it. Our manager at the time told us to write down album titles and song titles of artists we love. Like, Radiohead was the “Talking Heads” song, stuff like that. So, Vince wrote "Army of Me" because it was a Bjork song and thought I’d like it. That’s the arduous task of naming a band. The rest is the future.
Do you have a favorite show from this tour, favorite venue or favorite crowd?
It’s kind of impossible to have a favorite crowd because they’re always different, you can’t keep track. I’d say favorite venue is 9:30 [Club, in D.C.] of course, The Knitting Factory upstairs is always good and Bowery always sounds really good onstage. Favorite shows, I don’t know if I ever come off stage satisfied. There are very few times that I’m like, “Yeah, that was cool.” It’s usually when I feel like I’m in control. When I feel like I’m playing like somebody else, it’s like "That wasn’t me."
When you travel is there a certain crowd that’s more enthusiastic?
I think there was a weird thing that happened for at least a little bit, where it was freakin’ kind of weird. It was like that thing where you go to Europe and you have no idea how you’re being taken over there. When we hit the west coast it was right at the time that KROQ picked up our single and they were playing it in heavy rotation and at the same time we had a video on MTV and all this mainstream with this huge umbrella of reach was happening. Everybody on the east coast were like, “Finally!” and everyone on the west coast were like, “Who the fuck are these guys?” We were playing all these outdoor venues and people were calling you sir and shit. It was really weird to have that because we hadn’t really played the west coast. And then we do, we had all this stuff hitting at all different angles. It was like, “Wow, can I borrow $50,000 from you? You must be rich.” Or, “Woah, who are you? You’re amazing.” It was definitely, kind of eye opening. I wish it were like that every day, just to be treated slightly differently, like a king. I just thought it was funny. We played the HF Festival in 2001 and this little kid came up to me with the booklet for the festival and a sharpie opened to our page. And I was like, “What?” I was totally clueless. That was my first autograph. I’m not a dumb person, but I had no idea.
How is it being away from your girlfriend on tour?
I think it’s different for everybody, obviously. As long as she has something to do and you’re both busy doing your own thing, it helps to where you’re not concentrating. She’s a stable manager so she’s responsible for a lot of stuff, a lot of horses. It definitely keeps your mind occupied. We’re both very independent people. I’d call her and we’ll basically say five words, we’re kind of used to it. When you get to the three week period, it sucks.
Is it possible to make it work?
Oh, yeah. It’s just a certain kind of person.
How would you explain the band’s dynamic?
Sings: “Well I’m a little bit country and he’s a little bit rock ‘n’ roll.” I think we just all come from . . . like, aside from Dave with us playing, because he hasn’t really written any songs with us. Brad’s definitely a country, folk queen. I’m probably the indie guy. I like weird stuff. I like Jon Spencer and stuff like that. Vince wants to take over the world. We’re very different people. It’s weird, I feel like a lot of people say we’re about the music and stuff like that. But, I feel like we’re just into writing really good songs and we could really do without jumping around and whatnot. It’s about how interesting a core progression is, whether or not one part’s stepping on another. We’re just trying to write smart, good songs and it’s weird because I feel like the world doesn’t want that right now. Vince was talking about last night, they’re [the crowd] like, “Am I aloud to like this? I don’t know what to do. No one else has told me this is cool, so I don’t know what to think.” It’s not like we’re going to quit. What else are we going to do? Become investment bankers? Become mortgage brokers?
What is the writing process for you guys?
Vince will do the lyrics, that mainly comes with the melody. Essentially, a song we’ll screw with the arrangement of it and the vibe of it and then we’ll start arguing about it and then we’ll finally settle on something.
How do you know when a song sounds right?
It’s kind of hard. If I hear a live version of something, where it’s a song that we haven’t recorded, even some songs that we recorded I’m like, “Why did I do it that way?” Being in the studio is definitely different, it’s like part writing. The only way to really hear your parts is to not be playing it while you’re playing it. If you can step back, it’s a little easier to edit. Sometimes you don’t even realize how stupid something is until you hear it played back to you. Even a lot of stuff on the album I don’t play the same way. I was in there [the studio] for two days and I was done and then they went to war with guitars, so they were there for another two months. There are three songs on the album that are pre-production tracks which are just while we’re working on the song they decided to keep the drum parts. I didn’t really have a chance to think about it. But now that I have, the songs have evolved and I’ll go back and listen to the recording to get some of my original idea and then, kind of marry the two. I’ve been playing it for a year and a half and then go to what was the initial feeling. That’s what I usually like. There’s a lot of energy, but you can hear the thinking going on and there is still flow. When that happens it’s pretty cool. But there are some things that I don’t like that I did and I’ll change them. Especially after you get a chance to hear it, it’s definitely a lot easier to edit.
New Artist to Listen For: Priscilla Ahn
With a soothing voice and light guitar accompaniment, Priscilla Ahn is an artist who will no doubt soon be a household name. Having just wrapped up touring with Ingrid Michaelson on the Hotel Cafe Tour as well as getting ready to release her debut full-length album June 10, Ahn has been keeping busy.
I recently received an advance copy of debut album, A Good Day, and can't stop listening to it! While her voice is reminiscent of Ingrid Michaelson and fellow newcomer, Colbie Caillat, Ahn definitely has her own style.
Light and airy, Ahn opens up A Good Day with stand-out track "Dream" - a song starting off with light guitar accenting her vocals incredibly well. She sings about childhood dreams in lyrics, "I had a dream I could fly from the highest swing/I had a dream/Long walks in the dark through woods grown behind the park/I asked God who I'm supposed to be." A song many can relate to. Next track is "Wallflower," a story about a shy girl standing in the corner of a party, wishing she was more outgoing.
To watch a video of "Dream" and Ahn performing "Wallflower" live click here for Windows Media, here for Real Media and here for Quick Time. You can also check out the music video for "Dream" below.
A Good Day is also made up of some of Ahn's favorite cover songs, such as Willie Nelson's "Opportunity To Cry." While some songs seem a little more obscure at first listen, such as "Astronaut," when I covered a New York date of the Hotel Cafe Tour, I remember Ahn saying, “This song is called ‘Astronaut’ and it’s about astronauts.” It can't be too difficult to understand, right? Another song, “Leave the Light On,” she later told the audience, was inspired and written when she was 18 and living in Pennsylvania with her parents, practically in the middle of the woods. Coming home late at night, her parents would never leave the lights on and she was constantly scared that she was surrounded by “cougars, bears and rapists” in the dark.
The entirety of A Good Day is enjoyable and relaxing. It's one of those albums that you won't get tired of listening to. While some songs have harmonica features, others have light, bell sounding xylophone accompaniment, keeping each track fresh.
If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Priscilla Ahn on MySpace and pick up her album in stores in June!
Q&A with Taylor Carson
I love going to concerts and discovering up-and-coming musicians, pretty much the reason I started this blog in the first place. A few weeks ago I chatted with singer/songwriter/guitarist Taylor Carson after his performance at Sullivan Hall. He filled me in on his music and how it all began as well as shared some interesting stories of his early days and contacts, including Tommy Hilfiger and producer John Alagia (John Mayer's Room For Squares, Jason Mraz's Waiting For My Rocket To Come). While his most recent tour just ended, be sure to check out his MySpace or website for future shows and take a listen to his tunes, I think you'll like him. Let me know!
How did you get involved in music?
The story is that I was a golfer and I wanted to pursue golf as a career and I hurt my back. I had just started to play guitar so I needed something else to focus all my energy on. I was playing golf every day. I wanted to play it in college, pursue it as a career, be a pro or whatever and I couldn’t anymore. I picked up a guitar and it was very convenient that I didn’t have to use my back so much. I learned some chords and rather than learning other people’s songs I started singing. I always loved singing and the guitar gave me a reason to sing rather than being that guy who’s the awkward guy on stage singing, which is what I never pictured myself being. I still don’t know if I could do that without guitar. It’s fun to sit in with friends' bands for one or two songs, and I’m just singing, but that would never be my thing - like Maroon 5 guy - without an instrument.
Do you usually have a backup band?
I have a band. There’s a bass player and a drummer. I just put out a solo CD, but my first CD’s were full band. Tonight in particular, they wanted a solo acoustic guy and conveniently enough I have a solo CD out now so it gave people a taste of what’s going on with that CD.
Do you enjoy playing solo better?
Honestly, it depends on my mood. Tonight it was cool. There are definitely moments where you don’t know if you’re getting through to the crowd and you want to look to your friends beside you, and be like, “We’re in this together” type thing. But I do also like the freedom of being able to stop dead in a song and start talking to people or just go off on a tangent or tell a story. With a band, it’s more like, stay inside the box type thing so we all know what’s going on.
So what do you do when you feel a weird vibe from the crowd?
You just have to keep your confidence about you. I’m the one in the spotlight. Even if you’re feeling low, you just have to come across as being unaffected by what’s going on in the crowd, even if you’re being heckled. Say I’m being heckled, that’s just that one person. There’s still maybe someone else who’s silent and is really taking that in, what I’m doing, in a positive way. I just try to think of stuff like that, it might not be related to that one person that’s yelling at me. There are other people that will hopefully take it in and that’s what I try to get across.
You’re doing an east coast tour?
Yeah, next week is the end of it. I was touring the majority of the beginning of this year. Now we’re changing booking agencies. I teach in a music school when I’m home in Maryland, which is 20 minutes from where I live in Virginia.
I didn’t realize how hard touring is.
It’s fucking exhausting. You’re in a van constantly traveling, eating at rest stops, it’s very tiring. But it’s amazing. There’s something about packing my bag and leaving. Something about the word leaving makes me feel so comfortable. Just packing my van, shutting my door. I know I’m out to do something. I’m leaving for a little while and I’m going to try to make something of this little journey. Hopefully it turns into a big journey.
How do you prepare for tour?
You don’t really. I don’t. Until I leave I just do my normal thing, gym, type stuff every day to keep healthy. When I’m home I don’t practice that much because I’m teaching so often that I’m playing the guitar for six hours straight with kids so that’s keeping my hands fresh. When I get home I don’t really go to the guitar, unless I have an idea, I’ll be like to my friends or girlfriend, “I can’t hang out tonight, I’m working on an idea.” Then I’ll bring the idea to them and be like, “What do you think?” My friends are brutally honest and so is my girl. She’s become a great judge of what will work and won’t and it’s fun to throw her ideas in and we have arguments about it. I’m like, “Well, this is what I think” and then she’ll say something and I’ll be like, “Guess what? It’s my song.” There’s a lot of time where I take what she says.
How long have you been playing guitar?
I started playing guitar when I was 17 and I’m 26. So I’ve been playing for nine years and change. When I was 20 I was living in Nantucket and that’s when I was playing gigs all the time, so six years of being a musician I guess.
Why did you move to Virginia?
I lived in Nantucket when I was 20 and I became friendly with this guy who works in the entertainment industry who is good friends with John Alagia. He’s a producer for [John Mayer’s] Room for Squares, Jason Mraz’s Waiting For My Rocket To Come. So this guy is good friends with John Alagia and when I was 20 John Alagia came out July 4th to meet me and I worked with him on some songwriting stuff and I also met Tommy Hilfiger that summer. I would play at Tommy Hilfiger’s house and he was like, “Don’t go to D.C., come to New York.” So I went to Columbia Records, the Sony building. I was 20 and a fish out of water and I’m glad nothing ever happened with that because I would have burnt out really fast and nothing would have happened. I’m glad that I’m working at chasing it this way.
Basically nothing happened with those Tommy Hilfiger meetings. I didn’t have a place to live or anything, and this guy was like, “I’ll give you a place to live and a job until you get your feet on the ground.” So I was working at his advertising agency when I was 20. I lived in that house and he was gone all the time. It was a pretty big house, all by myself. When I was 21 I moved out, got an apartment and I’ve been there since I was 20. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. My dad gave me the boot. He was like, “Alright, enough is enough. I hear you singing these songs in your room all the time, get out there and play them for someone.” I thank him all the time. “Thank you for getting my ass in gear.” So that’s how it all started and that’s how I ended up in D.C.
Have you kept in touch with Tommy at all?
No. I met his daughter and then we went over and I met him. It was a fast world. It wasn’t for me at the time. I don’t know if would be for me now either.
Do you regret any of it?
No, not at all. Definitely not. That’s thrown in your face, you just go with it. It was cool. I was hanging out with Tommy Hilfiger. I was like, “I love your clothing. You like my songs, this is awkward.” I went to his fashion show in Bryant Park. What do I wear to a fashion show? T-shirt and jeans okay? You can’t be that guy wearing Tommy Hilfiger clothes to his fashion show. You have to be wearing some rival’s clothing. I’ll wear all Calvin Klein. It was so awkward. I was 20, I didn’t have nice clothes. I don’t know. I wore tight gray jeans and I don’t remember what shirt I wore. The girl I was talking to at the time, she was like, “Wear those gray jeans that are tight.” I was like, “Alright, I’ll try them out.”
So you were working with John Alagia?
Briefly. Nothing major. I met him and we hung out for a couple days. He guided me in the right direction in terms of songwriting. I was so new to it and it was so huge for me to be in the presence of him. I don’t have any regrets, you just have to learn from all of it.
So how have you kept it all up?
Just playing and writing, just keeping it fresh. My first gig was when I was 17, I opened for Dispatch. And then it came complete full circle, now I’m managed by the guy that manages Brad from Dispatch. I know Brad through my manager. From 17 to 20 it was just writing, writing, writing. Kind of slacking off, definitely. You grow from 20 to 26, in any career. You start to buckle down and take it seriously. I wish I had taken advantage of situations when I was 20 or 21 and not be like, “Eh, I’d rather go out drinking.” Now its like, “Alright, I need to play this because I want to and it will be really good for tomorrow.” I still want to have fun, but at the same time this is my job. If I want to watch it blossom I better buckle down a little bit.
What is your writing process like?
It’s so random. There is no process. It generally starts just noodling around on the guitar and I’ll just start humming or something. A lot of times I’ll start singing different ideas until I find that one line that sticks out to me and then based on that one line I build the song.
This song called “Fly” on my new CD, there was a line “I can only be told so many times to change my ways” and then it turned into more of a scat type thing. And the line morphed into “I can only be told so many times to change my ways/I mean to say/I’ve been portrayed as a fool who lost his way/It may be strange but that’s just me/If you look closely, stayed by my side/It’s possible to see the steady heartbeat of a wise man in disguise.” Basically saying to all you doubters of what I’m doing, to all the people who were, like I was slacking off, when I was admittedly. It’s like, “Alright, I accept that, look at me now, I’m doing ok.” Then it goes into that chorus. No matter how serious it gets, it comes to the chorus and its still fun.
Why did you dedicate “The Whiskey Song” to your parents?
My stepmom loves that song. She’s like, “That’s going to be huge with the college kids.” I’m like, “This song is about whiskey, yes it’s for my parents.” It’s funny, my siblings will tell me, “You know she really loves that song.” I’m like, it’s about drinking heavily and losing a girl and drinking whisky to get over it. It’s like my attempt to be a country singer in a way. I don’t even know what type of song it is.
How would you explain your music to someone who has never heard it?
Honestly, I always say death metal [laughs]. The comparisons, it’s always Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, John Mayer. I always get those. Obviously, I want to be my own thing, I don’t always want to be pigeonholed. It’s not a bad thing to be compared to those widely successful men. I read an old article on Dave Matthews in Rolling Stone where they were saying he sounded so much like Sting. I was in this antique store and they had old Rolling Stone magazines and I was just looking through and I saw Dave Matthews, a little blurb on the cover that said Sting. I was like “What?” Alright, he went through it as well, it’s not just me.
Do you have a favorite song you like to play?
Honestly, right now “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by the Beatles. That’s just fun to sing. It changes all the time. It’s like a relationship; you have your ups and downs with these songs. Generally, it’s the newest song.
What was the concept behind your latest album?
I had written all these songs and my bass player went on tour with Pat McGee Band with Josh Kelley. They were on tour for two and a half months and I had all these songs. My manager was like, “You have these tunes, you’re going to forget them. Why don’t we record them?” And it was just to get them out. So I went into the studio live and recorded these, just guitar and vocals and we liked it enough to put it out.
There are a lot of breakup songs. The girl I’m seeing, we’ve been dating for three and a half years and we broke up for six months. I guess a lot of songs are really personal, but I also try to take in other people’s situations as well, not just mine. You want all your material to be relatable. But everyone goes through breakups and everyone goes through meeting new people and waking up to someone new and being like, “Oh my God! I shouldn’t have done that.” I try to be as honest as possible. A lot of honesty. That’s all I want to be given and that’s all I try to give out.
Do you ever hold back on songwriting because you don’t want to reveal too much?
No. One thing I often don’t do is getting into explaining songs too much because I want people to have their own interpretation. Even telling you that the last CD is about a lot of breakups, that’s me saying a lot. It basically is my diary, it’s seriously, completely therapeutic for me. If I didn’t have that I don’t know. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about that because that is my reality and therapy. It’s just these thoughts that go through my mind and I write them down and put them to music, it’s my escape. When I’m onstage for 60 minutes, I’m away from the world for those 60 minuets. And I get off and I’m back to the grind. There’s nothing that can compare to being up there and doing that.
What do you think about when you’re onstage?
A lot of the songs I’ve been playing so many times [and] I’ll be somewhere else because it’s just going through the motions type of thing. You just think about the most random things. I thought about how I said, “This song is about getting drunk and having sex,” and then my parents are here. You wonder if people are enjoying, there’s a lot of new people, so I’m like, “Am I getting across to them?” I was wondering, “Is someone’s working my merch table right now? Am I selling any CD’s?” You think about everything. I was thinking about my drive up and how I haven’t eaten dinner yet, wondering if Reid [Genauer] was watching my set. It’s everything. It’s like what you do when you’re doing your job, you may be doing something at the computer but you’re thinking about so many different things. I do the same thing when I’m up onstage.
What would you be doing right now if it wasn’t music?
I have no idea. I haven’t thought about that. I went to college for a year and I didn’t want to do it anymore because I wanted to play music. I haven’t thought outside of this. I’m just hoping that I can maintain and get by. Obviously the dream is to be supporting myself, just traveling nonstop. I have no idea what I would do. Maybe I would go back to golf or something like that, be a bartender? I don’t know.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I would like to be on a tour bus, playing to sold out crowds. I don’t know if I see myself there, but that’s where I dream to be. I’m going to work my tail off to get to the place where I’m just playing to as many people as possible, and hopefully people want to hear the songs. Just continuing to write. As long as I’m writing and people are like, “I like that new song.” That’s cool, that’s fine. If I can pay my bills, that’s better. I’m paying my bills now, but I would love to not have to worry about money. I’m in it for the music, but at the same time it also is my job.
Who is your dream collaboration?
Honestly, I think John Mayer is a genius. Anything that guy touches turns to gold musically. There are so many. I was a huge on Spin Doctors, Counting Crows, Blues Traveler. Ryan Adams would be super cool. There’s too many. I would love to do something with Wyclef.
Q&A with Brad Tursi of Army of Me
Army of Me guitarist Brad Tursi took some time out to chat with me after their performance on the "Get a Life" tour. He filled me in on how he came to join the band, what made him pick up guitar and (for the ladies) how it IS possible to maintain a relationship while being on tour. For all you skeptics out there, Brad shed some light on how he makes it work. Now whoever said dating a guy in a band is a bad idea?
How did you get involved in Army of Me?
I was in a band called Ki: Theory before this, from Virginia, and we were on a couple bills together. I got to talking with Vince and our band was in the process of breaking up. Vince had contacted me a few weeks before I left Ki: Theory and he asked what I was doing. They lost their guitar player, and he asked if I would be interested in playing with them. I said, “I’d love to help you out, but I’m in this other band.” I loved them [Army of Me] I thought they were awesome. Before I was in this band I bought their CD and I was totally rocking out to it before I was even in the band.
I just said, “I’d love to help you out, but I can’t do full time.” And he said, “Well, we’re looking for someone more full time.” So I said, "Okay, if you ever need anything give me a call." Right after we had our meeting for Ki: Theory I kind of decided it wasn’t happening anymore. I checked my email right after that and there was a message from Vince saying, "Call me up, I want to talk to you." So I called him up directly after and then I went up there and did a little audition for them. I practiced their songs to their CD and I went up to D.C. that week and played with Vince. I went straight from one band into the next. I've been with them almost five years now.
How would you describe the band dynamic?
There’s a difference. Sometimes you’re in a band with your high school buddies and you’re friends first and then you're in a band. In this case, I met the guys in Army of Me, I didn’t know who they were. It was music first and then you figure out who everyone is. They’re all great friends of mine. Obviously we get on each others nerves. You spend 24 hours a day with someone, sleep in the same bed as them, you're bound to know everything about them and they know everything about you. I think we kind of went through a very volatile sort of time. I feel like now, we don’t really go there that often, but even when we do it’s just like, forget about it afterwards. If you hold a grudge you're going to be miserable. You can’t get away from them. You just learn to respect everyone’s space and get along as best as you can.
What made you decide to pick up a guitar?
I think it was Slash from Guns N’ Roses. I used to have little pictures cut out of Hit Parader and all those magazines pasted up all over my walls of Guns N’ Roses. That was my first concert. I went with the church youth group to a Guns N’ Roses concert. I don’t think the priest really knew what he was getting himself into. It opened up with “Welcome to the Jungle.” “Do you know where you fuckin’ are? You’re in the jungle!” The priest was like, “Uh-oh, what did I do?” They were definitely a big influence.
I found an acoustic guitar in the attic, it was my dad’s who actually played in a band, I came to find out later, with Steven Tyler from Aerosmith when they were in high school. I don’t think any of the original people in Aerosmith were with them at all. They just played in high school together. Maybe there’s some rock in my roots there somewhere. It was just one of those things where once I picked it up, I never stopped playing it. I never got bored of it. I’d just play it all day, every day. Something about it just stuck with me.
Is it possible to have a relationship while on the road?
It is possible. It’s definitely difficult and there needs to be a certain, sort of girl. They have to be, number one, confident in themselves and confident with you that you’ll be faithful to them. If they’re not confident in themself then they’ll always be looking for reasons that you may be doing something to get away from them. And just someone that’s understanding and also someone that has their own life. You can’t have a girl that’s just sitting home, missing you and not doing anything because most likely, she won’t be able to handle it. You also have to love each other a lot and you have to be sensitive to their needs. I don’t want to lose my girlfriend because of this band. So, certain times, you have to make a decision to see her and not play a show. Just be conscientious and hopefully it works.
Do you change up your guitar solo every night?
I try to switch it up. I think inevitably, when we first started extending that section in “Perfect” it was fresh, it was really, truly I was improvising because I hadn’t done that song many times. After you do something enough times you start to fall into some sort of repetition. I sometimes struggle with that because the bands I used to play in, we improvised a lot, so there was always a freshness to the songs. With this sort of style, a lot of times we’re playing the same songs. It’s good because it makes the set polished and the people that are at the show every night, they don’t know that you played it just like that the night before. I'm just trying to get used to that. Even though it’s the same show, you put on the best show you can every night because the crowd is hearing it for the first time, even though you’ve heard it a thousand times.
Do you ever get tired of playing any songs?
Right now I’m getting tired of playing that guitar solo. I want to try something else. Like, “Still Believe in You” we started extending the end of that. And there's this little guitar thing that I’m really digging on playing that right now. It’s still fresh to me. There will be something else that we do and it’ll be new and then it’ll get old and we’ll think of something else. Its a cycle.
What are your hopes for the next few years?
I’d like to make a new record and I’d just like to be in a place where we can support ourselves doing this. My childhood dreams of fame and fortune are over. Fortune would be nice [laughs]. I just want to be able to play music that we want to play and hopefully be able to make some sort of living doing it. Maybe I’m getting old, I don’t know.
Do you have another job back home when you're not touring?
Yeah, you just try to do whatever you can. I’ve helped friends paint houses or put in windows. I helped my dad with his car business, I work temp jobs, stand on the street and beg. No, I don’t do that [laughs]. You know, you just do anything you can. You just gotta find a way to make some money. I haven’t paid rent in four years. That’s pretty impressive for a guy who's 28 years old. I’ve been fortunate, I've stayed at Vince’s for a while. A friend of mine let me stay at her place for a while. I’ve been staying with my father for the past few months. We’re gone for so long, I’m just throwing money down the drain if I'm paying rent. It’s just not normal existence.
Do you have a favorite show or venue you’ve performed at?
There have been obviously a lot of good shows and I'm sure a lot of good shows that I just don’t remember that were great. The one that always sticks out in my head was a Blue October show, it was an outdoor show in either Tampa or St. Petersburg, Florida. It was the winter time, we were in Florida and it was 75 degrees so it was nice to be outside. To me, that was the best the band has ever sounded. Just really a great show, great crowd, good energy. The sound was amazing, the band was really in a great grove and it felt good. I felt excited to play. The connection was made with the crowd and the people in the band. All the intangible stuff came together.
Switchfoot Rocks Rutgers
The energy was high all night – from opening band Luna Halo joking with the crowd when introducing themselves as Switchfoot to Switchfoot’s encore performance, hardly a seat in the house was inhabited, as many were dancing and jumping along in the aisles.
I’ve seen Switchfoot several times over the past few years and every time they’re better than the last. The music, the atmosphere, the unexpected. Frontman Jon Foreman always is a crowd pleaser and the band never disappoints.
The opening chords of “Meant to Live” began shortly after 9 p.m. at the Rutgers Athletic Center, drawing screams from the crowd as the band quickly segued into their first song of the night, “Oh! Gravity,” of their latest album of the same name. The energy was intense and stayed like that until the end of their nearly 90-minute set.
Switchfoot performed 14 songs throughout the night, many of their old, classic, fan-favorites such as Jon's solo acoustic encore performances of “Only Hope” and “Dare You To Move” as well as a new song, “This Is Home,” which will be featured in the upcoming movie The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. When Jon announced the new song screams were heard throughout the RAC, as to which point he joked, “You haven’t even heard it yet, you can’t scream!” The song started out with a solid keyboard feature from Jerome Fontamillas before Jon began singing. Despite having only begun playing the song recently on tour, many fans already knew all the words and could be heard singing along while swaying their cell phones in the air, slowing the night down for a while.
Highlights of the night included edgy guitar-based song, “Dirty Second Hands” and slower number, “On Fire.” Towards the end of “Dirty Second Hands” Jon stole the cymbal from drummer Chad Butler and ferociously hit it with a drumstick, spinning in circles for the remainder of the song. Jon then started off “On Fire” on harmonica before walking into the crowd, climbing up the bleachers, all while singing and taking pictures with fans before finishing the song.
It’s hard to tell the crowd favorite, as everyone surrounding me was singing along to each song word for word. The audience was diverse, made up of college students as well as parents with young children and other New Jersey natives. While some songs featured in their set didn't stray too much from their album, others brought new life on stage, such as “Gone” which was prefaced with a cover of Beyoncé's “Crazy In Love” to which Jon told the crowd, “I can safely say this is the only Beyoncé cover we’re going to do all night.” After a few bars of the song, Switchfoot went into “Gone,” where Jon’s singing took a pause to an almost rap-like number as he spoke the words to most of the song, jumping on and off the drum kit a few times.
After jumping into the crowd to grab a sign from a fan, titled "We Are One Tonight" Jon placed it next to a nearby speaker before playing the song, joking, "This is incase I forget the lyrics." Soon after, a fan ran up and tossed him a mug, which right after catching he put some water into and then drank from. Jon later told the crowd, "The reason we decided to be an independent band is because of all you guys singing along."
The Switchfoot fan base is an extremely dedicated group and after every show the band takes time out to sign autographs and talk with fans. After Saturday's show the guys could be found hanging out next to the stage with fans while Jon played a 15 minute set of songs from his recently released EP's as well as some older Switchfoot songs such as "Amy's Song."
Luna Halo opened the night and was, by far, the best supporting band I’ve ever come across in concert. Based in Nashville, the band has a strong rock sound and frontman Nathan Barlowe has a stage presence like none other I’ve seen. Playing nearly a 40-minute set, Luna Halo's performance had everyone standing up and clapping along, not always an easy feat for an opening band. His facial expressions and stage antics while playing guitar was entertaining in itself, at one point he was rolling around onstage while playing guitar. The music was solid with strong, but not overpowering, guitar and drum accompaniment, never concealing Barlowe’s vocals.
Despite the audience not being too familiar with some of their songs, Luna Halo had the audience singing along to their cover of A-Ha’s “Take On Me” while lead singer Nathan joked with the crowd dancing along to their performance, saying, “I feel like Bon Jovi tonight. It’s great!”
Be sure to check Wendy Hu's Flickr page for more photos of the show. For more information on Switchfoot check out their website and to listen to Luna Halo check out their MySpace.
Q&A with Tim Foreman of Switchfoot
I was lucky enough to chat with Tim Foreman a bit after Switchfoot's performance this past Saturday at Rutgers. He filled me in on the new album, their upcoming summer tour as well as the writing process for their newest song, "This Is Home," which will be featured in upcoming movie The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. You can check out the music video for "This Is Home" on their website here. I'll be posting my review of that concert as well as the MP3 format of the interview within the next week, so check back and let me know what you think!
How’s the new album coming along?
It’s good. There are a lot of songs right now. Honestly, over 100 in various stages of demo and we’re going to try to narrow it down from there. We wanted to make a big mess for ourselves. We even went into the studio way back in August and tracked 15 songs and kind of just cast in a wide net to catch a lot of fish and then throw the best, tastiest ones on the record.
When are you expecting it to come out?
I’d say maybe by the end of this year. If not, then early next year.
What can fans expect?
We want to do something different. As far as what that is, that’s kind of what this stage is still about. Kind of experimenting.
How do you pick out of 100 songs what will go on the record?
Well you look for the songs that resonate with you because you’re going to be playing them every night for the next, could be two years, 10 years, whatever. So you want to believe in them. So you have to believe it. And then from there, you’re looking for a common thread between all the songs. And then sonically too, certain songs just lend themselves to new ideas and fresh sounds and other ones don’t. Trying to find a cohesive thematic and also musical thread throughout the record.
You guys are doing the Music Builds Tour too where $1 from every ticket goes to Habitat, right?
Yeah, that’s how we did the fall tour. This tour there’s a few different ways that the money is going to go to them. Tickets, one way and also tour merchandise. It’s just kind of a dream come true. It’s a really diverse bill, a bunch of bands that have never toured together from Robert Randolph to us. Then there’s going to be a side stage with a bunch of more punk rock type bands. The goal is to have the most diverse line-up possible but all with the commonality of trying to make a difference.
When is that starting?
It starts late August.
How was the process writing “This Is Home” for Narnia? When you write for a movie is it different than writing for a record?
It is because you’re trying to put yourself . . . I mean sometimes you’ve already written a song and it just happens to line-up with the theme of a movie like A Walk to Remember for instance. With this, it was actually specifically writing for the movie. I know Jon was trying to capture the longing that C.S. Lewis often writes about. Maybe we’re created for a place that we’ve never even seen. This magical world called Narnia kind of captures that longing. He was trying to capture that in “This Is Home” and I think he really nailed it. It’s a very nostalgic tune.
New Artist to Listen For: Taylor Carson
Last week I caught a show at Sullivan Hall with up and coming musician Taylor Carson. A friend of mine told me about him and after having a listen to his latest album, Standing Alone, we decided to check him out.
I read a quote on his MySpace page from a recent album review that said, "Generation X had Dave Matthews, Generation Y has John Mayer and Generation Z will have Taylor Carson." I was a little skeptical, being a John Mayer fan myself, but Taylor definitely surprised me and still has me wondering if that quote will pan out to be true.
Taylor's singing and guitar style was reminiscent to John Mayer and Jason Mraz at some points, with a deeper voice and intricate guitar features in many of his songs. But there was something else. My friend mentioned that she could picture a full rock band behind him and I think that's what it was. Taylor is a little bit more rock. His 50-minute, 14-song set had most in attendance singing along to verses he taught them, saying, "Y'all wanna sing along with me? Don't be shy!"
While he played a few songs off his latest album, Standing Alone, Taylor also covered some songs including the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," the theme song to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the Temptations' "My Girl" - often putting his own spin on the songs. His stage presence was strong and for many seeing him for the first time, he definitely impressed.
One of his later songs was a new one, which he told the audience had no title and he was open to suggestions. Last song of the night was "Lucky Tonight," which in the middle of playing he stopped, telling the crowd he forgot the lyrics. You wouldn't have noticed it though, because he segued right into some improvisation, singing lyrics from Cypress Hill's "Insane in the Brain," getting laughs from the crowd.
So is Taylor Carson the next John Mayer? Check him out in concert to see for yourself!
I sat down with Taylor after his performance and chatted about how he got into music, his current east coast tour and where he finds his inspiration for the music he writes. Check back in a few days for the full interview! And if you haven't yet, listen to him on MySpace.
Q&A with Army of Me
I thought it might be cool to read parts of the interviews with the guys of Army of Me together, to see each member's thoughts on life on the road, groupies, playing to unenthusiastic crowds etc. So you better know who is answering, the guys are frontman Vince Scheuerman, drummer Dennis Manuel, guitarist Brad Tursi and bass player Dave Cullen.
What is your favorite aspect of touring?
Vince: There’s so much about tour that’s cool. Traveling around the country. Sometimes you take it for granted, but the fact that we don’t have to be sitting at a desk from 9 to 5, we’re really lucky to be doing what we do. It’s great, we meet so many cool people and we can have this affect on people. It’s a cool thing where people come up to us and are like, “I really love your music. Your song made me cry.” To see that is really cool and just being around all these people, we have a lot of fun. Everyone on the tour is really cool, all the bands, the crew. I like hanging out with my band, these guys are my friends.
Brad: I think one of my favorite parts about touring is meeting the different people that we tour with. You’re kind of thrown into constant contact with people that you don’t know. But, you usually bond pretty easily because you’re all doing the same thing and it’s the same sort of frame of mind. That’s what really makes it enjoyable because I don’t want to hang out with my own band while I’m on tour. We’ve met a lot of great people on this tour, from the crew to the bands. It’s probably my favorite part about touring. Oh yeah, and playing the shows and all that stuff too. [laughs]
Dennis: It’s just fuckin’ awesome to play. It definitely gets me up in the morning. There’s a party every night, if you want it. All the people you meet and all the bands we’re touring with are really nice.
What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t involved in the band?
Dave: Atrophy. I would lie in bed, use none of my muscles and it would suck ass. I don’t know! I could remember doing impressions of Michael Jackson when I was five. It’s just been music, music all the way. I have no idea. What would I be doing instead of music? I would die.
Vince: That’s a good question, I don’t know. Working at McDonalds? [laughs] I don’t know if I have any other skills. I got a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Maybe I’d do something like that.
Dennis: Probably be doing live sound or starting a studio, which is my day job. I’ve been doing live sound for the last 12 years as my only job. If I get a house gig somewhere, all I have to do is give myself a number of subs to work for me while I’m gone, so I just schedule who works for me and it’s still my job when I come home. It’s not going to put the kids through college, but it’s something to keep me above water.
Brad: That’s a good question. I ask myself that sometimes and I don’t know the answer. I have other dreams that are romanticized I’m sure. Traveling. I’ve always been into boats. I always thought maybe I could do something with boats, whether it be crew on a sailboat. I really like sailboats. I’d like to sail across the Atlantic or something cool like that. I’ve done some sailing in the British Virgin Islands, a lot in the Long Island Sound. I’m from Connecticut so my family has had a few different boats. I’m not like, “I’d be an Accountant.” Anything I’d do doesn’t seem make a lot of money, I need to pick something that makes a lot of money. I think I would do something way different. I don’t really see myself being a tour manager or anything. I’m either going to play or I’m going to do something else.
What are the cons to being on tour?
Dave: Well, you’ve seen them. In actuality, there are zero cons. None, zip, absolutely zero. What’s bad about touring? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It outweighs it to the bajillionth degree. Sometimes it’s fun to sit there and complain and pick out what actually blows, and what actually blows is the things that keeps everybody from trying. And that’s just fine by everyone who tours. It’s not for everyone. If you’re not young and spirited and you don’t think anything is funny, then you shouldn’t do it. Vans that are small and stink and have lots of trash in them suck, sleeping with five guys in a hotel rooms sucks, none of that stuff is fun, it’s certainly not something that you want to do, but it’s completely outweighed by being out here and it’s so great, it’s the best life. Everybody on this tour loves touring and you can tell. Even on a shitty night, it’s not that shitty.
Brad: It’s impossible to have a normal existence especially when you have other people in your life that have normal existences. It’s really hard to balance this world and the other world. You’re always disappointing your girlfriend or someone by saying you’ll be here and you can’t. You don’t spend as much time with people as you might want to. In the end, we really can’t complain because we’re hanging out with our friends, playing music.
Vince: Tour definitely beats you up a little bit because you don’t get much sleep, a lot of times you’re driving really long hours just to get to the next city. If you let it get to you it can wear you down. I’ve definitely been on tours where I was sick the entire time I was on the road. One time I was on tour and I got a cold and it turned into bronchitis. I got antibiotics and you know how you take antibiotics for 10 days? Well, before the tenth day I was getting sick with something else. Who gets sick while there on antibiotics? To me, that’s probably hardest part. Some people miss family members or girlfriend’s back home. I’m solo at the moment so I’m just happy to be out there playing every night. I don’t have too much to worry about. Trying to pay the bills is always a concern. Being on the road, we as a band don’t make that much money, so trying to make ends meet is difficult. There’s a lot of sacrifices you make being on the road, because as fun as it is to be traveling all over the place, it’s hard to never be in one place more than a day. That’s the price you pay for rock ‘n’ roll.
Dennis: You can’t really work if you need to. And now, me, Brad and Dave have girlfriends. It’s hard on that front to be away for so long. This is a good week for me because we’ve been home like three times this week. Getting in a van every day is not fun. Especially the way we’re doing it, with no trailer. You get used to it.
Everyone wants to know about the groupies and the girls.
Vince: No one wants to come on the 15 passenger van for a tour. Nobody cares about little, old Army of Me. You meet a lot of girls. Girls like guys in bands. When I meet a girl, and if she’d be like, “What are you doing? You wanna hang out?” I’d be like, “I don’t even know you. You don’t even know me.” I feel like I’d be taking advantage of someone and I’d feel weird about it. That’s not my thing. Not to be some great, moral expert. They don’t care about the van anyway; they just want to meet The Used.
Dennis: Even if we have any groupies, if they make it far enough backstage and then out to the back of the club, and they see what we’re in it kind of kills the mood. There really isn’t much affect of groupies for me. I’m more looking for a beer.
Dave: Are there really even any groupies? I’ve only seen them once in a while.
Do you remember the first time you heard your song on the radio?
Vince: It’s been a long time. It might have been “These Hands” which is an old song, before we were even Army of Me. I was probably in my car and I probably knew it was coming on because it was a Sunday night where they play local bands and they tell you ahead of time and you tune in, waiting for 9 ‘o’ clock to come.
Brad: I remember hearing “Come Down to D.C.” on the radio in D.C. I also remember hearing “Going Through Changes” out in L.A. when it was on KROQ. That was a pretty big deal, to get out at a gas station, we were out there touring, and to hear that on the radio was pretty cool. I had some friends in California that heard it all the time. I’ve definitely had more calls from friends who heard it then me hearing it. I never have seen our video on MTV or MTV2. I’ve never seen our video on television, I’ve never heard it any of the video games.
Dennis: Probably my car driving home from work. I think it was “These Hands.” If it’s something you’re working toward, it doesn’t really surprise you. I think I had gotten a phone call that it was going to happen. It was more me sitting there as an engineer thinking, “How does that sound on the radio as opposed to the record?” because everything on the radio is squashed. I’m more analyzing it then actually enjoying it. It’s definitely cool to see people that you don’t know, say on the west coast, singing the words. That’s cooler to me then hearing it for the first time. Its like, “Wow, we used to be this band from D.C. These kids know who we are.” It’s crazy even if it is just that one song.
What do you think about when you’re playing onstage?
Brad: Sometimes it’s just nothing. Sometimes you’re thinking about trying to sing in tune, make sure you’re playing the right notes. You’re not thinking about a castle in the sky. Sometimes, especially in sections that are musical and more improvising, you try to just close your eyes and not think about anything, just be in that moment and let the music take you somewhere. That’s the best parts.
Vince: There’s a lot of stuff going through your mind, like what’s happening onstage, if I can hear my voice, what the other people around me are playing, what it sounds like, also thinking about what the audience is doing, how they’re reacting, just noticing people in the crowd, but also thinking about the music, the songs, the lyrics, what I’m saying and singing. I get into the music and the words and find something in there to latch onto and sing that helps me connect with the emotions of the song. Sometimes I’m thinking about what the hell am I’m going to say between the next song.
Dennis: I’m pretty much between zoning out and being very analytical about what I do. I’m trying to go for it and play right. I wouldn’t call it autopilot. Dave’s kind of frustrated because I don’t make eye contact with him. When I’m up there I’m in my own world. I basically hear it when you play a bad note, that’s when I notice that you’re even there. I see pictures of myself when I wish I didn’t make those faces, but it’s just naturally what happens.
How much does the audience’s vibe impact your performance?
Dave: I try not to look into the crowd. Somebody told me a long time ago, like a little secret, to look above the people, so you’re not looking at anybody specifically, but it looks like you’re looking at them. That’s what I try to do. To be honest, if I was singing, that’d be a different story, that’s your thing. How do you fight that? I don’t know, that’s tough. I’m a bass player; I’m a tough guy, I try to tough through it. It’s harder in front of so many more people. I feel like you can win over a small crowd a lot more easily then you can win over a big crowd.
Vince: If the crowd is really into the music, you feel real good about what you’re doing and you get more into it. If people are giving good feedback, it makes you a little more free and you feel more comfortable on stage. When we’re on stage, we’re still vulnerable people, we’re standing up playing our songs and wondering, “Do these people think that we suck? Do these people like us? Do these people want to throw things at us?” All these things are going through your mind as well as playing your songs and trying to get across what you’re trying to say. If people seem to be enjoying themselves, it takes a little bit off your mind so you can get more into the music. If people look like they just don’t care at all, they don’t give a shit, it’s kind of a bum out. We’re kind of taking a little bit of a different approach, which is to go full on, no matter what’s happening, just try to show people that we care, and hopefully when we do that, they’ll care. It’s weird because we’ll go to one place and a crowd will be totally psyched, and then we’ll go to another place in a different city and they’ll be like staring at a blank wall. I don’t know what the difference is, if it’s the night of week or the amount of alcohol.
Brad: It’s not supposed to, but it does. Nobody wants to play music for people who don’t want to hear it. That gets discouraging sometimes. You just have to believe in your music. For the people that stare at the wall while you’re playing, there’s always people that come up to you after the show and did enjoy it. I’m just happy to play in front of as many people as we are right now and just try to win over as many fans as we can.
Dennis: All that shit used to affect me. Like, “How many people are here? Are we responsible for it, is it on our heads?” If there wasn’t a lot of people and it was our show it used to freak me out, but I don’t even see them anymore. Just kind of do what you do and if they like it, they like it. What else can you do? It’s almost like I have my eyes closed and my eyes open. Vince is trying to engage them and jump on them.
Do you have a favorite song to play every night?
Brad: Different songs react differently each night. I really enjoy “2 Into 1.”
Dennis: Probably “Perfect” because of the whole experimental part, break down we have going on. It’s always exciting.
Dave: “Still Believe in You” is a great track, the bass line kicks ass. That’s a lot of fun to play. “Perfect” is always great because there’s so much improvisation. We get a chance to rehearse it all the time. Improvisation, in a live setting in front of that many kids, if Brad does something great or Dennis does something great or I do something great, it gets the next guy. It’s cool and you laugh and you smile. When you are just killing it musically, you can’t help but laugh. Music definitely enforces laughter and it’s really cool when you’re improvising onstage like that, it happens a lot.
As always, if you like what you read, let me know! And be sure to check out Army of Me either on their website or MySpace.
Q&A with Vince Scheuerman of Army of Me
Being a writer myself, I'm always curious at how a musician goes about writing lyrics to a song and if those songs are better when inspired by real life situations (do you have to be sad to write a sad song? in love to write a love song?) or just fantasy. I chatted with Army of Me frontman Vince Scheuerman while he ran some errands to the Post Office in town before their show in East Stroudsburg, PA, about writing songs and performing, the struggles of being in a band and his dream collaboration (it might surprise you). Check back in a few days to read more interviews with the guys from Army of Me as well as listen to some MP3 files of those interviews. And if you haven't yet, be sure to check them out on MySpace and catch a show when they're in town!
How do you prepare for a tour?
The way we that we prepare for tour is about 30 minutes before the van is supposed to leave we pack our bags, frantically looking for enough socks to get us through a week and then we stuff everything that we can possibly fit into the van. Then we figure out a way to pack all of our equipment and merchandise. We have this system for packing our van because we haven’t been using a trailer. We took out the back two benches of our 15 passenger van, there’s not an inch of space in the back of the van and we all have our bags with clothes and stuff. We did not even practice and we left late, we do this every time. We say, “Okay, we’re leaving at this time” and then three hours later we’re still there and haven’t left.
As far as preparation for tour, we don’t really do that, with one exception. I do preparations for my voice. Because when you hit the road and you’re getting ready to sing full on, every night, if you go into it completely cold, you might have a rough time with it. Every day I try to sing a few songs, practice belting all the high notes.
What do you do on your days off?
Well, today I had the day off in D.C. and I spent it trying to fix a bunch of problems in my house. We got home at five or six in the morning, went to bed and I didn’t realize that there were some people coming to replace the carpets in our house, so they woke us up and we had to vacate the premises in the morning so that kind of sucked. When I got back last week we had another day off, the gas got shut off in my house so there was no hot water, no heat and no stove so I was trying to deal with those things.
It depends. If we’re in the middle of tour and have a day off you’ll maybe sleep late, catch up on emails, watch a movie, write music, something like that. If the tour is over and we have a couple weeks off, I’ll maybe try to find a job. I was working at a hardware store in my neighborhood, making a little bit of money, just trying to pay the bills.
Do you guys have any pre-show rituals?
Actually, this tour we started a new pre-show ritual, believe it or not. About three dates into the tour we realized things weren’t going well and the sound guy from The Used got us together and gave us all these pointers. He basically gave us the kick in the ass that we needed to get on stage every night and really bring it. The second night of the tour we were getting stuff thrown at us. I got hit by a lighter, cigarette buts, coins, and whatnot. There was stuff flying on stage the entire show. We were like, “Man, this really sucks. This crowd doesn’t like us, what are we doing?” We kind of got a new attitude which was to just come out on stage every night and really try to make the audience care. When you first get on stage, they might not give a shit because you’re not the band they came to see, but hopefully if you play your songs and you mean it and you are good then they will. So we kind of got our shit together so to speak and we’ve been playing a little bit better. One of the things we do is about an hour before the show we all get together and start warming up. Everyone’s playing their own thing. It’s a place you don’t want to be ‘cause everyone’s playing something different and it’s just noisy and it makes no sense. But it helps us get warmed up and come together.
The other night you crowd-surfed into the audience and another time you jumped off the balcony. How do you know if the crowd is going to catch you?
You don’t know if they’re going to catch you, I’ve gotten dropped. One time, not too long ago, there was a pretty big crowd, pretty packed and I thought for sure they would be able to hold me up and I kept going until my back hit the floor. The other night, we were in this club in Scranton, Pennsylvania called Tinks. I, in the moment, climbed up on the balcony and was looking down, thinking in my mind, “I really want to jump, but I don’t know if they’re going to catch me.” But I went for it and they caught me! That was very good because that would have been a long drop. I was maybe 10 feet up. It’d be hard to play shows with a broken neck.
It’s just one of those things, getting into music and wanting to connect with the audience too. One thing I like to do, and try to do at our shows is to break down the barrier between audience and stage. Sometimes there is a physical barricade, which I don’t like. I always liked when we used to play shows and there was no stage at all. We’d be standing there eyeball to eyeball with the audience and I always thought that was pretty cool. For me, music is about communication. I don’t want there to be a separation. Sometimes I’ll physically walk out into the audience and sing to try to make that connection.
What do you feel is the biggest struggle being in a band?
Trying to do what we’re doing and have a career at it. The odds are about the worst odds of any career you could ever possibly have. And the amount of work that you put into it is more than any job you would ever have or any career you could ever have. Sometimes you think to yourself, “What the hell am I doing with my life?” But then you think, “I can’t do anything else, or I don’t want to do anything else.”
It’s kind of a blessing and a curse because as an artist it’s really cool to have a gift, to express yourself and be able to sing, play music, write songs and reach people on an emotional level. But at the same time, you give up other things – your stability, being confident that you’re going to be able to pay your bills next month, or knowing what you’re going to be doing a year from now. This could all end tomorrow; I don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s no stability, there’s no guarantee over anything when you’re in music. It’s kind of like jumping off a cliff and you’re not quite sure if you have a parachute or not. I’m going to do this and not look back. And that’s how you have to do it. You can’t do this rationally. So many bands, they come and go. You hear about bands that were so amazing and no one ever knew about them. That can’t be the reason for success. Art and music is about communication. If you have that passion to do it, then that’s what you’re doing and it’s sort of a pure thing.
When will you consider that you made it as a band?
When we’re on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine then I’ll be like, “Yeah, I think we made it.” [laughs] In a sense we have made it. We put out a national record, been in stores, gotten on radio, gotten on MTV, all this really exciting stuff. At the same time, I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to pay my bills next week. I don’t know if you look at success as financial success to say that you’ve made it or you look at the fact that you have people who will die for your band. Even if it’s just a handful of people, that’s pretty cool too. You’ll meet kids that have tattoos of your band, and you’re like, “Holy shit, this must really mean something to somebody.” That’s really awesome. Then you’ll look at people like Dave Matthews who packs 15,000 people into an arena, well that’s pretty cool too. I don’t know. As long as I’m still doing what I’m doing and I’m happy and I’m playing music I want to play with my friends and we’re having a good time and we’re still touching people and connecting with people on an emotional level, I’m stoked.
What inspires you to keep writing, playing songs and touring?
Inspiration comes in different form. For right now, it’s all I really want to do; it’s all I know how to do. This is my life, this is what I do. I play music and I believe in my music. There’s not really a question in my mind of, “What are you going to do today?” I know what I’m going to do today, I’m going to play music and if I have a few minutes I’m going to try and write a song. As long as I feel that way I’m going to keep doing it. The day I wake up and I’m like, “I don’t want to do this anymore,” I’ll figure something out.
What musicians do you look up to?
I look up to different musicians for different reasons. I look up to Jeff Buckley for instance, because he was such a great singer, the beauty that he captured in music was so amazing, just breathtaking. When you put on his record Grace, it changes the temperature of the room that you’re in. The beauty that is captured in that music is just overwhelming. A band like Radiohead for pushing envelopes so much and changing what they do and really pushing, artistically, their limits. A band like U2, who have tackled big, important issues in their music. I love The Edge’s guitar sound, it’s so signature, he can play one note and you know its The Edge. Bono, I like his voice, but the things they talk about in their songs are deeper issues and that’s something I can connect with.
Are you guys working on a new album?
Not officially. We’re always writing new songs, but we haven’t begun a new album yet. I feel like the current record, Citizen, isn’t done. Our record still has a lot of life left in it. This record I really love so much and I’m really proud of the songs and the lyrics and what it says. We have that one song, “Going Through Changes” and the video, and it gets played on the radio. This record is more then just one song and I think there are a lot of people that haven’t heard it yet. I want to keep working this record for a little while and hopefully have more people check it out.
Do you feel you have to be depressed to write a sad song or in love to write a love song?
Different things inspire songs. I think if you’re sad it helps writing a song, to put what’s really happening when you’re sad into a song. Things that you might write in a song, since you’re feeling it, it might be easier [to write]. Since you’re feeling it you know how to express what it feels like. You don’t necessarily have to be sad to write a sad song or in love to write a love song. I tend to write about what’s happening in my life, what I’m going through, what I’m learning, how I’m growing, all those different things.
The experiences you write about, if they’re real, do they come out better in the songs?
No, not necessarily. In order to write a song you have to have experienced life. To be a compelling songwriter, you have to have experienced something. If you’ve never gone through anything hard in your life then you can’t really write good lyrics about going through something hard. Having had that experience of going through something hard, you don’t have to necessarily be sad at that moment to write because you know what it was like to feel like that, even if you’re not feeling like that at that time. So, to write a song about being in love, you have to have been in love at some point.
Are there any songs that you sing later and they lose meaning for you, either after singing them so much or if you’re at a different point in your life?
No, they don’t necessarily lose meaning. They’re always about what they’re about, but sometimes they take on new meanings when you go through other things. Sometimes I’ll be singing a song and I’ll be thinking about something else that’s going on in my life and I get into that aspect of the song, like its describing something else or I make up new meanings for what it is. Songs are cool like that; they can be interpretive in different ways.
Who would you want to collaborate with?
I always thought it’d be cool to collaborate with Rufus Wainwright. I love his music and his voice. I wouldn’t mind collaborating with Carrie Underwood on like, making a baby. [laughs] I have to be careful because I only get one shot at this. I have to figure out who my idea celebrity girl would be. Sienna Miller. She is so beautiful to me, I think she’s perfect. I don’t know anything about her personality though. I kind of live in a dream world. I’m an artist; I kind of live in an alternate reality sometimes.
What do you love about music?
Initially, I started playing music for all the wrong reasons. When I was a teenager I thought it’d be cool to be famous, be a rock star, meet lots of girls and be rich, like all the guys on MTV. I think over time, growing up a bit, it’s not about that anymore. It’s kind of a search, in one sense, to find beauty, to find meaning, to express myself and to communicate with other people. Music, the way it makes you feel, there’s a certain power in music. It’s amazing. Music has had a big impact in my life. When you get to that place in music where you’re making music and you get that feeling, it’s a great feeling; it’s kind of like a drug in some sense. That glimpse of beauty, that glimpse of how it makes you feel, its a little taste of heaven. Ultimately, if we can communicate that feeling to other people and other people can have an experience that’s meaningful to them, to me that’s what it’s about. If our music can lift up somebody whose feeling pretty low, that’s really awesome and that’s what I hope our music can do.
Did you think growing up you’d be in a band, touring across the country?
No, never. Never thought I’d be in a band. I didn’t really get interested in pursuing music seriously until I was in college. I never thought this was going to happen, it was kind of a fluke that it did. A friend of mine that was in another band invited me to try out for his band to play guitar and I was like, “Dude, I’m awful at guitar. You don’t want me in your band; you don’t want me to bring your band down to that level.” And he’s like, “No, man, we’re just having fun, its cool.” So I tried out for his band and I really liked it, and I fell in love with being in a band and from there I started this band with Dennis and the rest is history.
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Slipknot Release New Song ‘All Out Life’
Tyler Sharp
Slipknot have just premiered a new song, titled "All Out Life," on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show. Speaking on the song, frontman Corey Taylor said, "Everybody talks about toxic masculinity and toxic fandom these days. For me, it's more about this toxic idea that unless something came out 10 minutes ago, it's not any good, and that bothers me."
He continued, "It's like, I love new music, but at the same time, don't turn your back on the music that's been. Don't turn your back on the people that worked to make a platform for you to have a platform in the first place, so for me, it's really about ... It's a rallying cry for everyone. It's about all of us getting together and saying, "You know what. Let's not talk about old. Let's not talk about new. Let's talk about what is. Let's talk about what's good, what's real, and get behind that and start embracing things that matter because there's history there and not just because it's the next best thing.”
"I've gotta give credit to Jim, Clown, Alex, Jay, like all the guys, man," he added, regarding the song's creation. "They... because obviously I've been doing my thing, they got together and they just started writing some of the most incredible music that I've ever heard. I mean, it's so good and it was so inspiring to me that I just... I sat right down and wrote. I just... basically, first pass, wrote everything that I was feeling. We went ahead and we re-tracked and we were actually able to beat the demo, which for us is pretty gnarly, dude."
Listen to the track below and be sure to leave us a comment with your thoughts.
Corey Taylor recently claimed that the band is planning on being in the studio to record their next album early in 2019, with the tentative plan to launch a world tour in the summer to coincide with their expected album release. However, the band also recently recorded a new music video, for which details have been shrouded in mystery.
In a separate interview, Taylor made the bold statement that he felt the band had written the heaviest song of their career, before adding, "One of them anyway." He teased the disc as "What if the guys who made Iowa matured?," and stated of their forthcoming release, "Some of this shit is just so hard and dirty fast. It’s fucking really good. It’s also us at our most ambitious, our most experimental, also us doing what we fucking do best which is basically when everybody thinks they’ve got us figured out, we just smack them in the face with everything we’ve got."
2019’s Most Anticipated Hard Rock + Metal Albums
Corey Taylor Plays 'Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?'
Source: Slipknot Release New Song ‘All Out Life’
Filed Under: slipknot
Categories: Metal, Rock News
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Permalink: //2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm?year=2015&dlid=256343
Section I. Religious Demography
Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom
Government Practices
Abuses by Rebel or Foreign Forces and Non-State Actors
Section III. Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
Executive SummaryShare
The constitution provides for freedom of religion and the right to profess one’s religious beliefs. It prohibits discrimination based on religion. The Ministry of Interior (MOI) is responsible for legally recognizing churches, religious denominations, religious federations and confederations, and associations of religious ministers, among other responsibilities. According to religious groups, individuals had difficulty obtaining exemptions from military service on religious grounds. A 2014 ruling by the constitutional court required the military to respond within 15 business days to requests for waiver of military service for reasons of conscientious objection. The Evangelical Council of Colombia reported that as of the end of the year, the military had not responded to two requests for conscientious objector status made in June and August by members of Christian churches.
The attorney general’s office reported six religiously based killings this year. Two killings were reported in Meta Department, and one each in the departments of Antioquia, Cordoba, Narino, and Sucre. The attorney general also cited 11 official ongoing investigations for religiously motivated crimes: six related to threats, one for attempted murder, three for personal injury, and one for forced displacement. In some areas of the country, illegal armed groups, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army (ELN), and organized crime groups killed or threatened leaders and members of religious groups, and targeted them for extortion. These actions often disrupted the activities of religious groups working on behalf of vulnerable populations. The Jewish Community reported continued comments promoting anti-Semitism on some social media sites. During the year, religious groups conducted a range of programs focused on restorative justice, reintegration of former combatants, and reconciliation.
U.S. embassy officials discussed issues of religious freedom, such as conscientious objection to military service, with the government and civil society. U.S. embassy officials met periodically with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Attorney General’s Office, and the MOI, as well as with representatives from a wide range of religious groups, including the Jewish community, Catholics, evangelicals, Baptists, and Mennonites, to discuss issues related to initiatives to promote freedom of religion and of association, institutionalized discrimination and conscientious objection, peace and tolerance.
Section I. Religious DemographyShare
The U.S. government estimates the total population at 46.7 million (July 2015 estimate). The Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conference estimates 83 percent of the population is Catholic. The Colombian Evangelical Council (CEDECOL) reports 15 percent of the population is Protestant. In a November 2014 study the Pew Research Center found 79 percent of the population was Catholic, 13 percent Protestant, and 6 percent was atheist and agnostic. Groups that together constitute less than 5 percent of the population included nondenominational worshipers or members of other religious groups, including Jews, Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Other observers estimate the non-Catholic population consists of five million Protestants, including evangelicals; 261,000 Seventh-day Adventists; 150,000 Mormons; 10,000 Muslims; and 5,000 Jews. There is also a small population of adherents to animism and various syncretistic beliefs.
Some religious groups are concentrated in certain geographical regions. Most of those who blend Catholicism with elements of African animism are African Colombians and reside on the Pacific coast. Most Jews reside in major cities, most Muslims on the Caribbean coast, and most adherents of indigenous animistic religions in remote rural areas. A small Taoist commune is located in a mountainous region of Santander Department.
Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious FreedomShare
The constitution provides for freedom of religion and the right to profess one’s religious beliefs. It prohibits discrimination based on religion. There is no official church or religion, but the law says the state “is not atheist or agnostic, nor indifferent to Colombians’ religious sentiment.” A concordat between the Vatican and the government, made law, recognizes marriages performed within the Catholic Church, allows the Church to provide chaplaincy services, and prohibits members of the clergy from being compelled into public service, including service in the military. The law prohibits any official government reference to a religious characterization of the country.
The MOI is responsible for legally recognizing churches, religious denominations, religious federations and confederations, and associations of religious ministers, and keeping a public registry of religious entities. Entities legally recognized by the MOI can then confer legal recognition, called “extended public recognition,” to affiliated groups sharing the same beliefs. The application process requires submission of a formal request and basic organizational information, including copies of an act of constitution and an estimation of the number of members to obtain legal recognition. The government considers a religious group’s total membership, its degree of acceptance within society, and other factors, such as the organization’s statutes and its required behavioral norms, when deciding whether to permit the religious group legal recognition. The MOI is authorized to reject requests that do not fully comply with established requirements or requests that are incomplete. In August the MOI launched a free web-based registration process for religious and faith-based organizations seeking recognition.
The state recognizes as legally binding religious marriages performed by the Catholic Church, the Jewish community, and the 13 religious groups that are signatories to the 1997 public law agreement. This agreement enabled non-Catholic religious groups to engage in a number of activities previously restricted to the Catholic Church. Under this agreement members of groups that are neither signatories to the agreement nor affiliates must marry in a civil ceremony for the state to recognize the marriage. Non-Catholic religious groups seeking to provide chaplaincy services and conduct state-recognized marriages must also solicit formal state recognition from the MOI.
The constitution recognizes the right of parents to choose the education their child receives, including religious instruction. No religious component exists in the public school curriculum. Religious groups, including those that have not acceded to the public law agreement, can establish their own schools, provided they comply with Ministry of Education requirements. A constitutional court ruling obligates schools to implement alternative accommodations for students based on their religion.
An antidiscrimination law imposes a penalty of one to three years in prison and a fine of approximately 5.3 million to eight million Colombian pesos (COP) ($1,670 to $2,520) for violations, including discrimination based on religion. The penal code contains a chapter against discrimination that includes religious belief.
A constitutional court ruling states citizens, including members of indigenous communities, may be exempt from compulsory military service if they can demonstrate a serious and permanent commitment to religious principles that prohibit the use of force. Conscientious objectors who are exempt from military service are required to complete alternative, government-selected public service.
Foreign missionaries must possess a special visa, valid for up to two years. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues visas to foreign missionaries and religious group administrators who are members of religious organizations legally recognized and registered with the MOI. Foreign missionaries must have a certificate from either the MOI or church authorities confirming their religious group is registered with the ministry when they apply for the visa. Alternatively, they may produce a certificate issued by a registered religious group confirming the applicant’s membership and mission in the country. The visa application also requires a letter issued by a legal representative of the religious group stating the organization accepts full financial responsibility for the expenses of the applicant and family, including funds for return to their country of origin or last country of residence. Applicants must explain the purpose of the proposed sojourn and provide proof of economic means. A Supreme Court ruling stipulates that no group may force religious conversion on members of indigenous communities.
As of the end of the year, the Attorney General’s office reported six religiously based killings. Two homicides were reported in Meta Department, and one each in the departments of Antioquia, Cordoba, Nariño, and Sucre. The Attorney General also cited 11 official ongoing investigations for religiously motivated crimes: six related to threats, one for attempted murder, three for personal injury, and one for forced displacement. No convictions were reported.
The MOI reported it routinely granted legal recognition to religious entities. As of the end of the year, the MOI received 1,455 religious organizations’ applications for legal recognition of religious entities, approved 455 of those applications, and denied 88 applications due to failure to comply with regulatory requirements. Remaining applications were under review or incomplete and awaiting additional information to be provided by applicants by the end of the calendar year. Applicants who submitted incomplete applications or incorrect supporting documents were given 30 days to bring their applications into compliance. If an application was deemed incomplete, the MOI could deny the application; however, the applying organization was able to resubmit an application at any time. There was no waiting period to reapply. No applications were rejected for other reasons.
The Traditional Episcopal Church and International Ministerial Church of Jesus Christ filed petitions to accede to the 1997 public law agreement enabling religious groups to provide chaplaincy services and perform marriages. As of December the disposition of the petitions had not been decided.
The Jewish community reported notaries began for the first time to recognize Jewish wedding ceremonies without the need for a “legal ceremony” in a civil court to officially recognize the marriage.
According to religious groups, individuals had difficulty obtaining exemptions from military service on religious grounds. A 2014 ruling by the constitutional court required the military to respond within 15 business days to requests for waiver of military service for reasons of conscientious objection. The Evangelical Council of Colombia reported that as of the end of the year, the military had not responded to two requests for conscientious objector status made in June and August by members of Christian churches. A religious studies institute student requested conscientious objector status but was instead granted a deferral until he completed his education.
An article was added to the National Development Plan in May requiring the MOI to develop a public policy on freedom of religion. The article requires the MOI to work with religious groups to develop the policy that would guarantee freedom of religion and equal treatment among religious groups. In one example of outreach as part of the policy formation process, the MOI held a meeting on October 8 with religious groups in Cali to discuss the needs of faith-based organizations in the area.
Guerrillas, illegal armed groups, and organized crime groups threatened leaders and members of religious groups and targeted them for extortion. This impeded the ability of the religious groups to advocate on behalf of displaced populations and other vulnerable groups or help vulnerable groups with their land claims. Witness for Peace reported on October 15, Presbyterian Pastor German Zarate of Barranquilla and Pastor Walter Villalba of the Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean received death threats communicated by letter from an illegal armed group calling itself the Black Eagles. Pastor Zarate received a similar threat in January as well. On November 5, unidentified armed men entered the offices of Prison Fellowship International in Medellin and stole six computers with information on the group’s clients.
Protestant leaders stated that isolation and fear of retribution in rural communities led to underreporting of clergy assault, harassment, and killings. Some religious leaders reported they chose not to report cases formally to law enforcement or seek government protection in the form of personal security, bulletproof vests, or cell phones provided by the National Protection Unit because of pacifist beliefs and fear of retribution by terrorist groups.
The Mennonite Association for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent Action (Justapaz) continued to report threats from terrorist groups and criminal bands and forced displacement of clergy and parishioners of the Baptist Church, Presbyterian Church, Anglican Church, Mennonite Church, Four Square Church, ELAM Independent Christian Church, Inter-American Church, and Association of Caribbean Evangelical Churches in Cordoba. As of the end of the year, the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Directorate of the Attorney General’s Office reported 11 ongoing investigations of religious leaders threatened or harmed as a result of their religious affiliations.
Witness for Peace reported guerillas and illegal armed groups threatened, displaced, or attacked religious leaders for opposing the forced recruitment of minors, promoting human rights, assisting internally displaced persons, assisting with land restitution claims, and discouraging coca cultivation.
Religious groups reported armed groups further restricted religious freedom by limiting freedom of movement and preventing people from attending religious services. In some areas, armed groups limited the time of day that religious or other groups could meet and occasionally prohibited worship and other religious activities.
Section III. Status of Societal Respect for Religious FreedomShare
The Jewish community reported continued comments promoting hatred of Jews on some social media sites. The community reported the use of excerpts from Protocols of the Elders of Zion, vindication of Hitler, or the denial of the Holocaust by social media users. The community also reported one case of vandalism to a menorah statue in Bogota.
A number of faith-based and interfaith NGOs promoted religious freedom and tolerance through their programs and community engagements.
CEDECOL, Justapaz, and the Colombian Confederation of Jewish Communities advocated on behalf of conscientious objectors, documented cases of religious intolerance, and participated in various interfaith dialogues that encouraged religious tolerance.
Section IV. U.S. Government PolicyShare
U.S. embassy officials discussed issues of religious freedom, such as conscientious objection to military service, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Attorney General’s Office, and the MOI.
Embassy representatives maintained regular communication with representatives of the Catholic Church and other religious groups. In Bogota, and on official travel within the country, embassy officials met with local leaders of the Jewish community and the Catholic, Presbyterian, Mennonite, and other churches to discuss issues affecting their communities, including religious freedom and tolerance. As a result of the country’s long internal conflict, local leaders continued to focus much of their efforts to ensuring the safety of their religious community from illegal armed groups. Embassy representatives discussed religious freedom issues during working group sessions attended by government representatives, civil society, and religious leaders that emphasized the importance of continued interfaith dialogue and coordination with government partners as the country approached an end to the conflict.
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SEC Busts Up What It Calls a $600 Million Fraudulent Cryptocurrency Coin Offering in Texas
By Jon C. Ogg January 30, 2018 11:15 am EDT
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has just made record-breaking news in the world of cryptocurrencies. Dallas-based AriseBank, using social media and a celebrity endorsement, appears to have raised $600 million of its $1 billion goal for an initial coin offering (ICO) in just two months. That looks like it is no longer going to occur.
The SEC obtained a court order halting the allegedly fraudulent initial coin offering that targeted retail investors to fund what was being represented as the world’s first decentralized bank. AriseCoin’s public sale began around December 26, 2017, and was originally scheduled to conclude on January 27, 2018, with distribution to investors on February 10, 2018.
According to the SEC’s press release, AriseBank and its co-founders, Jared Rice Sr. and Stanley Ford, allegedly offered and sold unregistered investments in the “AriseCoin” cryptocurrency. AriseBank was depicted as a first-of-its-kind decentralized bank, offering a variety of consumer-facing banking products and services using more than 700 different virtual currencies. The SEC also alleged that AriseBank’s sales pitch claimed that it developed an algorithmic trading application that automatically trades in various cryptocurrencies.
The SEC has further alleged that AriseBank falsely stated that it purchased an FDIC-insured bank, which enabled it to offer customers FDIC-insured accounts, and that it also offered customers the ability to obtain an AriseBank-branded VISA card to spend any of the 700-plus cryptocurrencies. And to add even more fuel to the fire in the charges, the SEC also has alleged that AriseBank omitted to disclose the criminal background of key executives.
The court has approved an emergency asset freeze over AriseBank, Rice and Ford and appointed a receiver over AriseBank, including over its digital assets. Tuesday’s news report indicated that the SEC intervened to protect the digital assets that had been raised before they could be dissipated, enabling the receiver to immediately secure various cryptocurrencies held by AriseBank, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Bitshares, Dogecoin and BitUSD.
The SEC is seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus interest and penalties, and bars Rice and Ford from serving as officers or directors of a public company or offering digital securities again in the future.
To get right to the point, the SEC is alleging that the coin offering was an outright scam. This also appears to be the first time that the SEC has sought the appointment of a receiver in connection with an initial coin offering fraud.
AriseBank has a Twitter account under the same @AriseBank name, and as of Tuesday it was shown to have made 1,041 tweets and had 9,419 followers and 743 “likes.” Its Twitter description said:
The first #decentralized #bank, integrated with over 700 #cryptocurrencies, the home to @AriseCoin and many other awesome #blockchain solutions.
On January 26, the Texas Department of Banking issued a cease and desist order relating to AriseBank. That order said:
The Cease & Desist Order was based on the Commissioner’s finding that AriseBank violated Texas Finance Code Chapter 31 by using the term “bank” in its name and marketing materials to imply that it is in the business of banking in this state. The order requires AriseBank to cease and desist from implying that they engage in the business of banking in Texas. AriseBank is further required to clearly disclose that they do not offer their services to consumers in Texas.
By Jon C. Ogg
« Solid Recovery Seen in Consumer Confidence
America’s 50 Best Cities to Live »
Read more: Banking & Finance, Currency, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
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Meet the Antonini & Cohen Team: Oscar Martinez
Oscar Martinez joined the Antonini & Cohen team in November 2016 after seeing a job posting online for a customer service role. With a background in client services at Bank of America, he thought it sounded like a good fit. But he was also hoping the job would offer him a chance to make a measurable difference in the lives of others. Oscar and his family emigrated from Honduras in 2005, joining his father in Atlanta. He understood firsthand how complex and difficult the immigration process could be, especially when it came to reuniting families. “After my first interviews with Carolina Antonini, Marshall Cohen and other team members, I knew this was where I wanted to work,” says Oscar. He was hired immediately.
Oscar started off answering the phones, translating, and working with prospective and current clients—essentially putting all of his customer service experience to good use. As his understanding of the immigration process grew, so, too, did his responsibilities. “Everyone here has taught me something,” Oscar says. “Everyone wants to help out.” And because Antonini & Cohen promotes from within, Oscar is looking forward to continuing to see his role expand. Currently, Gwynne Davis, Antonini & Cohen’s Senior Paralegal, is helping him reach his next career goal of becoming a paralegal.
When he’s not at the office, Oscar spends as much time as he can outdoors. He regularly visits Stone Mountain, but his favorite hikes are at Kennesaw Mountain, just northwest of Atlanta. “The trees and exposure to nature there are great,” he says. If you see him on the trail, chances are he’ll be with his shih tzu, Faye, who doesn’t let her pint-sized frame slow her down.
With all that exercise, Oscar also enjoys tucking into a good meal—“anything non-diet,” he jokes. As a connoisseur of pho, the complex Vietnamese noodle soup, Oscar’s go-to restaurant is Pho 24 in Chamblee. And after a long day and a big meal, Oscar likes to scare himself silly with horror movies like “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” or jump right back into the legal world—at least the fictional version—with episodes of “Law and Order.”
We’re glad to have you as part of the Antonini & Cohen team, Oscar!
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HANSARD 1803–2005 → 1950s → 1958 → March 1958 → 17 March 1958 → Commons Sitting → MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Aliens (Medical Treatment)
HC Deb 17 March 1958 vol 584 cc917-20 917
§ 44. Sir M. Stoddart-Scott
asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that a dentist in the West Riding of Yorkshire, during the last 10 years, has treated patients under the Health Service from Turkey, Greece, China, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Iceland Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Yugoslavia. Germany, Holland, Poland, Switzerland, Palestine, Malta, Cyprus, Egypt, Eire, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Argentina, United States of America, France, the Rhodesias, Ghana, Nigeria and West Indies; and if he will take steps, in this and other similar cases, to obtain a refund of the cost of treatment from these countries with which Her Majesty's Government have no reciprocal agreement.
§ The Minister of Health (Mr. Derek Walker-Smith)
I am not aware of this individual case, nor of the precise significance of my hon. Friend's phrase "patients…from" the countries referred to. But in principle dental treatment under the National Health Service is available to all persons in this country subject to payment of the normal charges, and I have no power to recover from other Governments the cost of such treatment given to their nationals.
§ Sir M. Stoddart-Scott
If I send the name and address of this Huddersfield dentist, may I ask whether my right hon. and learned Friend will be able to work out accurately the cost of the dental treatment of these foreign nationals? Would he say whether he has any idea of what it would cost the British taxpayer for dental treatment given to foreign nationals in this country each year?
§ Mr. Walker-Smith
I shall be much obliged if my hon. Friend sends me details of this case. In looking at the list of the countries he has referred to, I can only point out that eleven are Commonwealth countries, two are countries with which we have reciprocal agreements, and some of them, like Latvia, Estonia and Poland, suggest to me—though I do not know the individual facts—that these patients may well be long-term refugees domiciled in this country, working here and paying taxes and contributions.
§ Mr. Blenkinsop
Will the right hon. and learned Gentleman resist any attempt made by hon. Members on his side of the House to crib and confine proper treatment of people who almost certainly have been working in this country for a considerable time?
I have already said twice in this House that I welcome Questions enabling me to put these matters before the House in their proper perspective. Regarding this case, I welcome the opportunity my hon. Friend has been good enough to say that he will give me to look at what on the face of it appears to be an unusual case.
§ Mr. Bevan
Would not the right hon. and learned Gentleman agree that the most civilised course in this matter would be to extend the area of reciprocal agreement?
We are always anxious to extend the area of reciprocal agreement, as the right hon. Gentleman knows. In the case of the Health Service, the inhibiting factor is the absence of fully corresponding arrangements in countries overseas.
§ Mr. J. Eden
Has my right hon. and learned Friend any machinery to check abuses of this service by residents from countries other than the United Kingdom?
Regarding immigration arrangements, the National Health Service aspect is looked at, but I ask my hon. Friend to believe that there is no evidence of any wide-scale abuse of these arrangements, and that against the possibility of taking any action we have to weigh the serious inconvenience to which it would expose British residents.
§ 47. Mr. E. Johnson
asked the Minister of Health if he will now arrange for the annual compilation and publication of statistics to show the value of treatment and other benefits under the National Health Service received by aliens.
I do not think the value of such statistics would be such as to justify the effort and expenditure needed for their collection.
§ Mr. Johnson
While welcoming the reciprocal arrangements as much as anyone, I feel that the House should be in a position to know what sort of bargain we are getting. If it is difficult to get these statistics, could the Minister tell me on what basis he answered my supplementary question a week ago when he said: …our best estimate of the cost leads me to suppose that it is negligible…."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 10th March, 1958; Vol. 584, c. 16.] If no statistics are available, how did he estimate the cost?
It has always been clear that the estimates made are rough estimates based on the number of aliens coming to this country, and the best estimate we can make of their use of the Service. To get the precise cost for which my hon. Friend asks, it would be necessary to ask hospitals, doctors, dentists, opticians and so on, first, to find which of their patients were aliens, and then to keep a separate record of the 920 treatment of these patients, and finally, to make a separate record of the cost of such treatment.
Back to MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Forward to "Persomnia"
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Product Review: Soundfreaq’s Sound Kick Packs Big Punch In Small Package
Even though AirPlay-enabled speakers have become all the rage lately with iOS device owners, Bluetooth models have continued to improve in quality and drop in price, making the technology more readily accessible to music lovers. One company that specializes in mobile speakers, Soundfreaq, has recently introduced its most affordable option yet - the Sound Kick. Measuring in at 10.5 inches long by 4.2 inches wide and 1.6 inches deep, the speaker weighs a little less than 3 pounds. It’s a little bigger than the category-defining Jambox from Jawbone, but the sound quality is worth it. The Sound Kick is anchored by two, 2.3-inch drivers and has a range of around 33 feet with any AD2P compatible device, including the iPhone and iPad. Even though the speaker retails for less than $100, don’t let the price fool you. It sounds wonderful and easily bests many more expensive speaker systems. The Good To begin listening to music, you must expand the XKICK speaker chamber on the back of the unit. Along with providing a full range of sound, it doubles as a kickstand for the Sound Kick. Pairing the speaker with your iOS device is extremely simple. When your iOS device is ready, there is a dedicated pair button on the top of the speaker that needs to be pressed. An LED light strip in the speaker blinks once the connection is made. And that’s it – no codes, passwords, or secret handshakes necessary. Soundfreaq advertises up to seven hours of battery life, and I got near that mark in my testing. You can recharge the Sound Kick with the included AC adaptor. And as an extra-added bonus the speaker has a USB port on its rear so you can charge compatible devices while the Sound Kick is plugged in or on battery power. While on battery power and charging a USB device, the speaker’s maximum volume is lowered, but it’s not very noticeable. Charging another device will also drain the Sound Kick’s battery faster. As far as sound quality goes, the experience can be summed up as top notch. While I’ve gotten the chance to listen to other, more expensive wireless speaker units before, the Sound Kick filled every room in my house with balanced, natural sound. I tried pretty much every type of streaming music with both my iPhone 4S and new iPad, and the Sound Kick hit it out of the park each time. From streaming AM radio stations to Spotify tracks, the speaker seemed to make every type of music sound even better than what I was accustomed too, even at different volume levels. Along with the usual music, I found that the speaker even enhanced the experience while playing games. While blasting through a wave of aliens in my current iPad game of choice, N.O.V.A. 3, the Sound Kick helped reverberate the fighting noise throughout the room. On the top part of the speaker, along with the usual track, volume, and power buttons, the Sound Kick does have a UQ3 enhancement button that can be turned on and off. While Soundfreaq promised the mode expands the stereo sound for a more immersive experience, I didn’t think it really did all that much for the different types of material I listened too. More than once, I couldn’t tell whether I had UQ3 enabled or not. But since the overall sound of the speaker was so great, it really didn’t matter all that much. There is also a dedicated iOS app to use with the Sound Kick. The Soundfreaq Remote, available free in the App Store, allows users to manage playlists, volume, bass, treble, and audio enhancement controls. Track information and settings are also available in the app’s screen.
The only downside I could find with the Sound Kick is that it lacks a microphone to turn the unit into a speakerphone like the aforementioned Jawbone device. But, that’s only a minor issue for me since the price, sound quality, and portability make the speaker a great choice.
In my short time of doing product reviews for AppAdvice, my tech-ambivalent wife usually asks what I’m reviewing and then goes about her merry way. But once I started using the Sound Kick, she continued asking more than a few questions and insisted that she get to try the speaker out for herself. She definitely thought it was a winner, and I almost had to beg her to give it back to me for testing. When she did, she made a not-so-subtle hint that her birthday was coming up soon. Message received loud and clear. The Soundfreaq Sound Kick retails for $99.99 and can be found at your local Target or on Target.com.
SoundFreaq Remote
Beautiful Enterprise Co., Ltd.
N.O.V.A. 3 - Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance
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Twins Notes: Bartlett, Welker, Johnson, Ibarra, Rosario, and Fryer
• After being injured and ineffective in 2012 and sitting out all of this season Jason Bartlett is making a comeback, signing a minor-league deal with the Twins. During his first stint as general manager Terry Ryan traded Brian Buchanan to the Padres in mid-2002 for Bartlett, who was a 22-year-old non-prospect at Single-A. He later became the Twins' starting shortstop, although not before being stuck at Triple-A for far too long so they could play Juan Castro instead.
Bartlett has the third-highest OPS among all shortstops in Twins history, but at age 27 he was traded to the Rays as part of the Matt Garza-for-Delmon Young disaster. Bartlett played well in Tampa Bay for three years, including an All-Star season in 2009, but hasn't been the same since being traded to San Diego. He's now 34 years old and hasn't been healthy and productive since 2010, but considering the other infield options it won't be shocking if Bartlett snags a bench job.
• Back in August the Twins traded Justin Morneau to the Pirates for outfielder Alex Presley and reliever Duke Welker, except they couldn't officially announce Welker's inclusion at the time and instead insisted that they would be choosing a player to be named later from a predetermined list. Six weeks later it became official, as the Twins acquired Welker as the PTBNL. And then yesterday, less than three months after the initial trade, the Twins sent Welker back to the Pirates.
In a move totally separate from the Morneau swap the Twins traded Welker back to Pittsburgh for left-hander Kris Johnson, a 29-year-old career minor leaguer who finally got to the big leagues in August. Welker never appeared in a game as a member of the Twins organization and the oddness of the trade extends beyond that because he's a mid-90s thrower with strong strikeout rates and Johnson has a low-90s fastball with a 4.76 ERA in 431 career innings at Triple-A.
That includes a shiny 2.39 ERA at Triple-A this year, but Johnson managed just 94 strikeouts in 136 innings and had a sub par walk rate. For his Triple-A career Johnson has 5.9 strikeouts and 3.4 walks per nine innings, which is terrible. It's possible that he'll be able to stick for a while as a fifth starter or middle reliever and odds are Welker won't have much of a career anyway, but I'd have taken my chances on the hard-throwing pitcher who hasn't been awful at Triple-A.
• Speaking of left-handers with nice-looking ERAs and poor secondary numbers, the Twins added 24-year-old reliever Edgar Ibarra to the 40-man roster. He posted a 1.93 ERA this year between Double-A and Triple-A to convince the Twins he needed protecting from the Rule 5 draft, but he's not a hard-thrower and a 54-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 61 innings was unimpressive. Ibarra also had a 4.69 ERA with poor control and just 69 strikeouts in 79 innings last season.
• There's been no confirmation from the Twins yet, but based on this Spanish-language report it sounds like second base prospect Eddie Rosario is facing a 50-game suspension. Rosario ranked seventh on my list of Twins prospects coming into the year and hit .302/.350/.460 in 122 games between high Single-A and Double-A as a 21-year-old, likely rising even higher on the 2014 list and putting himself in position to reach Minnesota in the second half.
• When the Twins called up Eric Fryer for September catching depth my assumption was that he'd be dropped from the 40-man roster as soon as the season ended, yet two months later he remains. Fryer isn't quite the new Drew Butera, but he's a 28-year-old career .208/.312/.313 hitter at Triple-A who has no real business on a 40-man roster regardless of how worried the Twins are about their catching situation with Joe Mauer moving to first base.
• In preparation for the Rule 5 draft the Twins added Max Kepler, Logan Darnell, Jorge Polanco, and Kennys Vargas to the 40-man roster and dropped B.J. Hermsen. No surprises.
• Clete Thomas, who started 79 of the Twins' final 105 games this year before being removed from the 40-man roster last month, signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies.
• Pedro Hernandez, the soft-tossing left-hander acquired from the White Sox in the Francisco Liriano trade, was also dropped from the 40-man roster and signed with the Rockies.
• Antoan Richardson, a journeyman outfielder who never got a chance with the Twins this year despite hitting .285 with a .404 on-base percentage in the minors, signed with the Yankees.
• For a lengthy discussion of Mauer switching positions and an attempt to figure out the Twins' odds of signing a big-money pitcher, check out this week's "Gleeman and The Geek" episode.
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Antoan Richardson
Brian Buchanan
Clete Thomas
Duke Welker
Edgar Ibarra
Eric Fryer
Jason Bartlett
Kris Johnson
Pedro Hernandez
Twins Notes: Roster cuts, post-trade Morneau, attendance, and Big Papi
• Three weeks ago I listed 16 players in danger of being removed from the 40-man roster and so far the Twins have dropped five of them: Josh Roenicke, Clete Thomas, Doug Bernier, Cole De Vries, Shairon Martis. I'd expect at least another 3-4 cuts by the end of the World Series, but in the meantime the Twins already re-signed Bernier to a minor-league contract that keeps the 33-year-old journeyman in the organization without a 40-man roster spot.
Roenicke being cut might have surprised some people simply because he spent the entire season in the Twins' bullpen and logged the same number of innings as Glen Perkins, but he posted a 4.35 ERA compared to the league average of 3.69 for relievers and his secondary numbers were actually even worse with a 45-to-36 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His stats for the Rockies last season were similarly underwhelming and at age 31 he was due for a raise via arbitration.
Thomas started 79 games for the Twins, including 48 in center field, but hit .214/.290/.307 with 92 strikeouts in 322 plate appearances to finish with the same exact .597 OPS as Aaron Hicks. He was a bit better defensively than I expected, but Thomas is hardly a great center fielder and doesn't hit enough to be more than a backup. That player type is always available on waivers or minor-league deals, and Alex Presley's arrival made Thomas especially superfluous.
Bernier, De Vries, and Martis are exactly who baseball analysts are talking about when they refer to "replacement-level players" being readily available. It's important to have them stockpiled at Triple-A heading into every season, but it's also important to bring in a fresh batch every winter without clogging up the 40-man roster and as the Twins have shown recently things get ugly in a hurry when more than a few of them are pressed into extended action.
• Making official what was reported at the time of the trade, the Twins acquired Duke Welker from the Pirates as the player to be named later in the Justin Morneau deal. I wrote quite a bit about Welker as part of my overall analysis of the trade on August 31, but the quick version is that he's a big right-handed reliever with a mid-90s fastball, good strikeout totals, and terrible control. Not a bad flier to get along with Presley, but Welker is already 27 years old.
Including the postseason Morneau ended up hitting .267 with zero homers and a .317 slugging percentage in 31 games for the Pirates. Overall this season between Minnesota and Pittsburgh he hit .260/.325/.413 in 158 games and combined for the past three seasons he hit .256/.329/.406 in 361 games. There are still local media members stumping for Morneau's return to the Twins as a 33-year-old free agent, but it's awfully hard to understand why.
• David Ortiz's dramatic grand slam for the Red Sox led to all the usual grousing about why the Twins let him go back in 2003 and it's important to note that it wasn't for a lack of hitting. Ortiz has the fifth-highest OPS in Twins history among all hitters with at least 1,500 plate appearances through age 26, which is when he left. The only Twins with a higher OPS through 26? Joe Mauer, Kent Hrbek, Morneau, and Lyman Bostock. Ortiz could always hit. And look at that punim.
Speaking of Ortiz's time in Minnesota, here's an interesting Associated Press story from 2001:
Minnesota Twins designated hitter David Ortiz was placed on the disabled list Saturday, a day after breaking his right wrist diving into home plate.
Ortiz was injured Friday night in the fourth inning of Minnesota's 6-2 victory over Kansas City. One inning later, he homered into the right-field bullpen, but rounding the bases he knew the pain was more than discomfort. He then went to a hospital for X-rays. Ortiz is expected to miss six to eight weeks. ...
Twins' trainers at first thought Ortiz hurt a thumb. "We asked David maybe 90 times or 100, I'm not sure, I lost track: Are you all right?" manager Tom Kelly said. "He said he was, so we let him hit. After he hit, the trainers said his wrist was starting to swell, so we got him out of there."
Kelly seemed to take the injury in stride. "We don't cry about injuries," he said. "We never have and we're not going to start now. I had a man go blind one day, a Hall of Fame player. We just move along. Injuries are part of the game."
Ortiz might be out of place in the Twins' lineup these days, but the injury stuff sounds familiar.
• Twins attendance fell by 3,688 fans per game this season, which was the fifth-largest drop in baseball. In their first two seasons at Target Field the Twins averaged 39,000 fans per game, but that dropped to 34,000 last year and 31,000 this year. And those are tickets sold figures rather than actual fans in the seats. In their final season at the Metrodome the Twins averaged 29,446 fans per game, which seems fairly likely to top next year's totals at Target Field.
• Over the years I've criticized Ron Gardenhire and the Twins for their unwillingness to platoon hitters, which is something Gardenhire and general manager Terry Ryan talked openly about last month in a series of somewhat maddening quotes. Jack Moore of Sports On Earth wrote a very interesting article about how the A's among the teams to take the opposite approach to platooning with lots of success.
• In addition to Bernier the Twins also re-signed Triple-A players James Beresford, Jermaine Mitchell, Lester Oliveros, and Virgil Vasquez to minor-league contracts. Beresford could get a look as a potential utility infielder next season and Oliveros was in the majors before missing this season following Tommy John elbow surgery.
• Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors took a lengthy look at some of the key roster issues facing the Twins heading into the offseason.
• MLB Productions released some old video this week that involved a bit of Twins history.
• For more on Morneau's post-trade performance, plus Twins payroll projections and reviewing over/under picks, check out this week's "Gleeman and The Geek" episode.
Cole De Vries
Doug Bernier
James Beresford
Jermaine Mitchell
Josh Roenicke
Lester Oliveros
Shairon Martis
Virgil Vasquez
Who will the Twins purge from the 40-man roster this offseason?
At the beginning of each offseason every team goes through the ritual housecleaning of shedding players from the 40-man roster to prepare for a winter of adding new players and protecting new prospects. As one of baseball's worst teams for a third straight year the Twins have no shortage of dead weight on the 40-man roster, plus plenty of marginal talents clinging to spots, so here's my breakdown of the players most likely to be shed and where they stand (in alphabetical order):
Andrew Albers: Odds are Albers' early success after being called up is enough to keep him on the 40-man roster for next season, but as of about two months ago he was nowhere to be found in the Twins' plans and soft-tossing former independent leaguers tend to always be close to the chopping block. Extreme strike-throwing could allow Albers to survive as a fifth starter for a bit, but he's totally lacking in upside and has predictably struggled to miss bats.
Doug Bernier: Signed to a minor-league deal this offseason, Bernier had the best season of his dozen-year career by hitting .295/.370/.407 in 95 games as Rochester's starting shortstop. That earned him a call-up in July when the Twins demoted Eduardo Escobar from the utility infielder role and Bernier has played sparingly. As a 33-year-old career .249/.347/.341 hitter in 600 total games at Triple-A there's no reason to keep a marginal utility man on the roster.
Chris Colabello: He crushed Triple-A pitching to be named MVP of the International League, but Colabello has hit just .196 with a 51-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 47 games for the Twins and 29-year-old rookies signed out of independent leagues often don't get second chances. He's shown some pop and based on his Triple-A destruction Colabello seems capable of being at least a useful platoon first baseman against lefties, but it's hard to imagine his roster spot being secure.
Cole De Vries: As a local guy and undrafted free agent De Vries making his big-league debut last year at age 27 was a great story, but he was never particularly deserving of the call-up in the first place based on his track record and this year he was injured and ineffective at Triple-A. De Vries is exactly the type of pitcher who will be available on minor-league deals every offseason and there's zero reason for the Twins to keep him on the 40-man roster like they have since mid-2012.
Brian Duensing: After a miserable first half that saw him demoted from setup man to mop-up man Duensing has quietly turned things around in the second half. His overall numbers are solid, including a 53-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio and just three homers allowed in 56 innings, but he'll never be trustworthy versus right-handed hitters and with a raise to at least $2 million coming up via arbitration he's a non-tender candidate.
Eric Fryer: Added to the 40-man roster and called up two weeks ago because the Twins simply needed another warm body behind the plate after Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit suffered brain injuries, Fryer got the nod despite a .215/.339/.365 line in 65 games at Triple-A. His track record is similarly poor and at age 27 there's no upside to be had, so it seems safe to assume that Fryer will be dropped from the 40-man roster as soon as the season is over.
Liam Hendriks: Being rushed to the majors slightly ahead of schedule in 2012 hasn't helped and giving up on Hendriks at age 24 would be a drastic move. On the other hand underwhelming raw stuff and mediocre strikeout rates always made him a second-tier prospect, his results for the Twins so far have been brutally bad, and this year his Triple-A performance also ceased being encouraging. It all depends on how long the Twins want to wait for a potential fourth starter.
B.J. Hermsen: Terrible strikeout rates and poor fastball velocity stopped Hermsen from being a quality prospect despite nice-looking ERAs in the low minors. He was named Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2012, but ranked just 29th in my prospect rankings coming into the season and then got knocked around at Double-A for a 4.81 ERA and .328 opponents' batting average with just 35 strikeouts in 86 innings. He's still only 24 years old, but has very little upside.
Pedro Hernandez: Acquired from the White Sox in the Francisco Liriano trade, Hernandez is a soft-tossing left-hander who likely struggles too much against right-handed hitters to succeed as a starter. Righties have hit .331/.400/.587 off him through 57 innings in the majors and also did a lot of damage off him in the minors. Hernandez fares well enough versus lefties to possibly carve out a bullpen niche, but that's true of most southpaw pitchers and his value is pretty limited.
Shairon Martis: Much like Fryer on the position player side, adding Martis to the 40-man roster and calling him up earlier this month would have warranted a lot more criticism if it didn't seem so obvious that the Twins will cut him loose as soon as the season ends. Martis is 26 years old with a 5.24 ERA in the majors and a 4.40 ERA at Triple-A, which includes a mediocre performance after shifting to the bullpen in Rochester this year. He has no business in the big leagues.
Darin Mastroianni: It's tough to evaluate Mastroianni's season because he got hurt during spring training and initially tried to play through the injury before undergoing ankle surgery that cost him four months. However, even before the lost season he was a marginal major leaguer ticketed for a bench role and he can't afford to lose any speed considering it's his primary skill. If healthy he's a useful backup outfielder, but he's a fairly fungible player type.
Chris Parmelee: There have been a few brief flashes of big-time production, both for the Twins and at Triple-A, but Parmelee simply hasn't hit enough. He's at .225/.299/.371 in 152 games for the Twins since an impressive September debut in 2011 and hit just .231/.318/.380 in 45 games at Triple-A this year. Going back further he hit just .282/.355/.416 at Double-A and will be 26 years old before spring training, so at the very least the clock is winding down on Parmelee.
Mike Pelfrey: Signed to a one-year, $4 million contract coming off Tommy John elbow surgery, Pelfrey was terrible early, decent in the middle, and terrible again recently. Add it all up and you get 28 starts of a 5.34 ERA with just 96 strikeouts in 147 innings and a .300 opponents' batting average. His fastball velocity doesn't help much without a usable off-speed pitch and a slow pace on the mound makes watching him torture. Free agency will take him off the 40-man roster.
Wilkin Ramirez: The latest example of the Twins overreacting to a strong spring training by a mediocre player, Ramirez won an Opening Day job despite a decade-long track record of terrible plate discipline and poor overall production in the minors. He's a career .255/.310/.430 hitter at Triple-A and hit .272/.302/.370 with an ugly 23-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the Twins before multiple injuries wrecked his season. He's also not a true center fielder defensively.
Josh Roenicke: Claimed off waivers from the Rockies last fall, Roenicke has done about what should have been expected by eating some low-leverage relief innings with too many walks and not enough strikeouts. He's basically a replacement-level middle reliever and at age 30 with a raise via arbitration eligibility ahead Roenicke wouldn't be missed in what looks to be a relatively deep right-handed bullpen mix for 2014.
Clete Thomas: Aaron Hicks' struggles and Mastroianni's injury led to Thomas getting a second shot with the Twins after struggling mightily last year in a brief look. He stuck around much longer this time, logging more than 300 plate appearances, but Thomas has hit just .219/.291/.314 with a ton of strikeouts and is simply overmatched as a regular. Decent range in center field is enough to make Thomas a usable backup outfielder, but the Twins should be able to do better.
For a lengthy discussion about what the Twins' roster will look like next season, check out this week's "Gleeman and The Geek" episode.
B.J. Hermsen
Brian Duensing
Darin Mastroianni
Liam Hendriks
Mike Pelfrey
Wilkin Ramirez
Reviewing the Twins’ first half: Hitters
Offense was expected to be a relative strength for the Twins this season, but instead they finished the first half hitting just .245/.316/.386 with the second-fewest homers in the league, rank 10th among AL teams in runs per game with 4.12, and are on pace to score the second-fewest runs of any Twins team during the past 30 years. Before the second half gets underway here's a hitter-by-hitter look at the individual performances ...
• Joe Mauer: .320/.402/.473 in 403 plate appearances
Joe Mauer has done his part following the oft-debated decision to move him into the No. 2 spot, basically matching his career numbers by hitting .320 with a .402 on-base percentage that ranks second in the league. He's scored 32 percent more runs than anyone else on the team despite the guys hitting behind him not exactly thriving, but his RBI chances have dried up because the Twins' leadoff men and No. 9 hitters have combined for a laughable .262 on-base percentage.
Within the standard production is a huge spike in strikeouts, as 75 in 88 games is already the second-most of his career and a 75 percent increase per plate appearance. He's made up for that with career-highs in line drives and batting average on balls play in, leading MLB in both stats, but it's a different path to the usual destination. Defensively he's thrown out an AL-best 46 percent of steal attempts after sagging last year and his all-around value is on pace to surpass $30 million.
• Justin Morneau: .273/.331/.406 in 366 plate appearances
At this point every time Justin Morneau homers fans and media members start talking about how it might be the start of him getting back on track, which is perhaps the surest sign that he's now just a shell of his former self. This season's power outage has been well-documented, but going all the way back to his mid-2010 concussion Morneau has hit just .259/.321/.404 in 289 games and 1,224 plate appearances.
There are 193 hitters with at least 1,000 plate appearances since 2011 and Morneau ranks 128th in batting average, 134th in on-base percentage, 138th in slugging percentage, and 143rd in OPS. He hasn't been even an average first baseman in a long time and at 32 years old with a lengthy injury history in addition to the concussion re-signing the impending free agent just doesn't make sense for the Twins. If they can get any kind of decent return for him a trade, they should.
• Ryan Doumit: .237/.295/.393 in 325 plate appearances
Signed to a two-year, $7 million contract extension midway through last season, Ryan Doumit is having the worst season of his career. He's been particularly awful in 24 starts as the No. 3 hitter, batting .245/.299/.316 with one homer, and for the second straight season Twins pitchers have an ERA above 5.00 throwing to him. Doumit is a poor defensive catcher and very stretched in the outfield, so with an OPS below .700 he's been one of the worst regulars in baseball.
The good news is that his power is in line with his career norms, he's already drawn 25 walks in 81 games after totaling 29 walks in 134 games last season, and Doumit is actually striking out less than usual. His struggles mostly stem from a .256 batting average on balls in play, which is 43 points below his career mark. That suggests Doumit should bounce back in the second half, but whatever chance the Twins had of getting a decent return for him in trade is probably gone.
• Brian Dozier: .235/.310/.386 in 322 plate appearances
After a brutal rookie season shifting from shortstop to second base dramatically changed Brian Dozier's outlook defensively, but through two months he was again bad enough offensively that the Twins were hinting at giving up on the 26-year-old. However, in his final 44 first-half games Dozier hit .270/.372/.493 with seven homers, 12 doubles, and nearly as many walks (20) as strikeouts (24), which is more than enough to buy him some more time.
In the minors Dozier generally controlled the strike zone very well, so that aspect of his recent improvement was particularly encouraging, and even while struggling overall he showed more power than expected. Of course, he's still 26 with a .235/.290/.358 career line in 165 games after hitting even worse than that at Triple-A, so the clock is definitely ticking on Dozier. He benefits from the lack of other MLB-ready middle infielders in the Twins' system.
• Josh Willingham: .224/.356/.398 in 298 plate appearances
Josh Willingham followed up a career-year in 2012 with a big April, but then the 34-year-old's knee started bothering him and he hit .213/.338/.343 in 50 games from May 1 until the Twins finally shut him down in late June. Willingham needed regular days off and cortisone injections to stay in the lineup at what was obviously less than full strength and it didn't do anyone any good anyway, as he stopped hitting and was even worse than usual in the outfield.
It turns out he had a torn meniscus, undergoing surgery that will likely keep him out until at least mid-August and could cost him the rest of the season. Willingham is under contract for $7 million next season, which is reasonable enough, but whatever chance the Twins had of cashing him in for some long-term help in a trade last July or this offseason is long gone and it's hard to know what to expect from a 35-year-old should-be designated hitter coming off knee surgery.
• Chris Parmelee: .223/.303/.372 in 274 plate appearances
Chris Parmelee's defense in right field was the highlight of his first half, which isn't exactly how things were supposed to go. Parmelee had a big September debut in 2011 and destroyed Triple-A pitching for two months last season, but he's hit just .226/.298/.376 in 147 games for the Twins since then. During that span he managed just 13 homers in 484 plate appearances while striking out 118 times versus 40 walks, which is why he was demoted back to Triple-A on Sunday.
Prior to the dominant stretch at Triple-A last season Parmelee's track record in the minors wasn't especially impressive and included a measly .416 slugging percentage in 253 games at Double-A. He's also 25 years old, so in terms of inexperienced hitters struggling Parmelee is much different than some other Twins. There's no need to give up on him yet, but it's looking more and more likely that Parmelee's overall track record is right and he's simply not a starting-caliber hitter.
• Trevor Plouffe: .265/.323/.445 in 264 plate appearances
Last year Trevor Plouffe started slow, hit like Babe Ruth for a month, and then slumped down the stretch while dealing with a thumb injury. This season has been much less extreme, but his .265/.323/.445 overall line is close to his .235/.301/.455 mark last year. Plouffe's transformation from light-hitting shortstop prospect to big-league power hitter looks to be for real, as he's now hit .250 with 20-homer pop for 1,000 plate appearances dating back to 2011.
Unfortunately his defense cancels out most of that offensive value and his putrid .223/.285/.391 mark versus right-handed pitching suggests that Plouffe would be better suited in a platoon role. Plouffe can smack around left-handed pitching and that should keep in the majors for a while, but as an everyday player he's not really an asset and while a move across the diamond to first base would make him less of a defensive liability the standard for offense there is much higher.
• Aaron Hicks: .197/.264/.366 in 263 plate appearances
Despite a brutal 2-for-48 start to his career after jumping from Double-A to an Opening Day job the Twins stuck with Aaron Hicks and he recovered to hit .237/.288/.447 with eight homers in his final 55 first-half games. He's still striking out a ton and Hicks' formerly strong plate discipline has vanished, but his power has been better than expected, he's made a handful of spectacular defensive plays, and now he simply looks like a 23-year-old rookie learning on the job.
Nothing has changed my opinion that he should have started the season at Triple-A, both for his development and service time considerations, but in contrast to their handling of Oswaldo Arcia the Twins have kept Hicks in the majors all season. Hicks has always projected as a low-average hitter, so the key will be rediscovering his ability to draw walks and cleaning up his defense so that the highlight-reel catches and throws aren't mixed in with poor routes and misplays.
• Pedro Florimon: .235/.295/.342 in 261 plate appearances
Pedro Florimon's defense has been as advertised, with very strong overall numbers and plenty of standout plays along with a relatively high error count. Unfortunately his offense has also been as advertised. Florimon's fast start soon gave way to him being terrible at the plate and he's now hit .227/.285/.327 in 124 games as a major leaguer after hitting .250/.319/.352 in 290 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
Every few weeks Florimon unleashes a swing that shows he has plenty of power, but it's resulted in just six homers in 421 career plate appearances. Similarly, his relatively patient approach at the plate has led to just 31 walks versus 91 strikeouts. Florimon's defense is good enough that he's definitely worthy of a big-league job, but in an organization that wasn't so devoid of shortstop options he'd be headed for a utility man role.
• Oswaldo Arcia: .257/.317/.403 in 224 plate appearances
Fast start, slump, demotion. Fast start, slump, demotion. Oswaldo Arcia has gone through that same three-stage cycle twice in his rookie season and now he's back at Triple-A. There's no doubt that Arcia looked brutal during his slumps, but they were 20 or 30 at-bats in length and the Twins have shown a far more patient approach with Hicks' prolonged rough patches. They also pushed Arcia very aggressively through the minors, so growing pains should have been expected.
His overall performance has been right around league-average offensively, which is both far from impressive from a poor defensive corner outfielder and very impressive from a 22-year-old with fewer than 100 games between Double-A and Triple-A. Arcia projects as a middle-of-the-order bat long term, but his plate discipline and ability to handle left-handed pitching are potential stumbling blocks. Remember, though: Arcia is younger than the average player at high Single-A.
• Jamey Carroll: .219/.276/.252 in 164 plate appearances
Last season Jamey Carroll hit .315 in the second half, suggesting he'd have plenty of value this season at age 39, but instead he's struggled in a part-time role. He's made 22 starts at third base and 13 starts at second base compared to two starts at shortstop, which is where he began last season as the starter before giving way to Dozier and then Florimon. Controlling the strike zone has long been Carroll's main strength, but he had 28 strikeouts versus 12 walks in the first half.
Carroll has a $4 million team option or $250,000 buyout for 2014 that becomes a player option if he reaches 401 plate appearances, but with just 164 plate appearances through 92 team games that obviously won't happen. He's not part of the Twins' future plans and looks just about washed up, but it's possible that a contending team could be interested in Carroll as a utility man. If the Twins do find a taker for Carroll they aren't going to get much in return.
• Eduardo Escobar: .214/.268/.328 in 143 plate appearances
Hitting well for a few weeks in April had an awful lot of people excitedly overlooking Eduardo Escobar's terrible track record, but he hit .137 in his final 41 games before being demoted back to Triple-A. Escobar has now hit .216/.273/.294 in 114 games as a big leaguer, which is exactly what you'd expect from someone who hit .267/.312/.348 in the minors. He's a good, versatile defender, but at no point has Escobar's bat looked better than utility man-caliber.
• Clete Thomas: .234/.309/.351 in 123 plate appearances
Clete Thomas got off to a good enough start after being called up from Triple-A in June that he stuck around when Hicks returned from the disabled list, but he quickly came back down to earth by hitting .152 in July. Thomas' overall numbers more or less match his career totals, which is to say they're backup-caliber at most, but he's started 28 of 33 games since his call-up and is in line for continued regular action following the demotions of Arcia and Parmelee.
Note: For a similar first-half review of the Twins' pitchers, click here.
This week's blog content is sponsored by the Twins Daily light rail pub crawl/Twins game, where you can join Aaron Gleeman, John Bonnes, Parker Hageman, Nick Nelson, and Seth Stohs for a day of bar-hopping and baseball on September 14. Space is limited, so book your spot.
Oswaldo Arcia
Pedro Florimon
Ryan Doumit
Twins Notes: Sano, Buxton, Hicks, Arcia, Rosario, and Richardson
• Last year the Twins kept Miguel Sano at low Single-A for the entire season despite his having the second-highest OPS in the Midwest League. He moved up to high Single-A to begin this year and was even better, so this time around the Twins decided that a promotion was in order after two months of Florida State League destruction. Sano fittingly homered twice in his final game for Fort Myers, including a monstrous blast in his last at-bat.
Overall he hit .330/.424/.655 with 16 homers in 56 games, leading the FSL in homers, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage despite being the league's youngest hitter. It just doesn't get much better for a 20-year-old stud prospect and in fact no FSL hitter of any age has topped his OPS since 27-year-old Morgan Burkhart in 1999. Sano even stole nine bases at an 82 percent clip and reviews of his defense at third base have been a little more positive than last year.
And now he moves up to Double-A, where the average pitcher is five years older than Sano and both the off-speed pitches and command are much sharper than Single-A. It's a huge test for a truly elite hitting prospect, so even holding his own there at age 20 would be more evidence that Sano is very special and thriving there would put him on the verge of the majors. Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia arrived in Minnesota having played a combined nine games at Triple-A.
• Presumably the Twins considered promoting Byron Buxton in tandem with Sano to give Fort Myers a new stud prospect after losing the FSL's best hitter. For now at least Buxton remains at low Single-A, where he's batting .350/.444/.578 with 29 extra-base hits, 26 steals, and nearly as many walks (39) as strikeouts (44) in 58 games as a 19-year-old. Toss in standout defense in center field and Buxton's performance has been every bit as impressive as Sano's.
FOX Sports North broadcast Monday afternoon's Cedar Rapids game and Buxton put on a show, going 3-for-4 with a bases-loaded double off the left-center field wall, a legged-out triple on a ball that didn't even get to the right-center field wall, and a spectacular sprawling catch. No doubt the Twins wanted to avoid promoting Buxton until after FSN's special broadcast, but the kid is leading the Midwest League in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.
• Eddie Rosario and Angel Morales are joining Sano in getting the promotion from Fort Myers to New Britain. Rosario ranked No. 7 on my annual Twins prospect list coming into the season and has improved his stock since then, batting .329/.377/.527 with 24 extra-base hits in 52 games at high Single-A as a 21-year-old and reportedly getting more comfortable defensively in his ongoing transition from center fielder to second baseman.
Morales once ranked among the Twins' top prospects, but injuries and poor performances have sent the 2007 third-round pick's stock plummeting in recent years. He turned things around in a big way at Fort Myers, batting .297/.364/.525 with 28 extra-base hits and 20 walks in 55 games as the everyday center fielder, but it's worth noting that Morales is 23 years old and had already played there for part of 2011 and all of 2012.
• Hicks' hamstring injury puts on hold the rookie's slow climb to respectability following a brutal 2-for-48 start to his career. Hicks has hit .225/.275/.423 in 42 games since then, which is at least more in line with standard rookie struggles. Oddly enough when Hicks couldn't buy a hit he drew walks in bunches, but he's walked just 10 times versus 36 strikeouts in those 42 games. His less patient approach resulted in plenty of pop, with six homers and a .198 Isolated Power.
To replace Hicks on the roster the Twins recalled Arcia from Triple-A just two weeks after sending him back there in part due to a lack of consistent playing time. Arcia clearly has no business in center field, the corner outfield logjam hasn't lessened any in the meantime, and he hit just .218 in 15 games at Triple-A between call-ups, so it's not exactly an ideal situation. Also far from ideal: Clete Thomas will presumably be the everyday center fielder with Hicks out.
• Thomas was playing well in Rochester, but he's a .250/.326/.423 hitter in 400 career Triple-A games and at 29 years old is the epitome of a replacement-level outfielder. Darin Mastroianni's ankle injury left the Twins short on center field depth and that's what replacement-level talent is there for, but if they were turning to a Triple-A journeyman as a stop gap Antoan Richardson would have been a more interesting call-up.
Richardson is the same age as Thomas and has only a brief cup of coffee with the Braves in 2011, but he's hit .314 with a .451 on-base percentage between Double-A and Triple-A this season and has a .404 OBP for his career. Thomas has much more power and perhaps the Twins don't trust Richardson's defense, but the switch-hitter has topped a .400 OBP in three straight seasons while averaging 40 steals per 150 games. Why not give him a shot in the unproductive leadoff spot?
• For the second time in two weeks the Twins lost a former top prospect in order to clear 40-man roster space. Joe Benson was claimed off waivers by the Rangers and now Tyler Robertson was claimed off waivers by the Nationals. At this point Benson and Robertson are long shots to become valuable big leaguers, but they at least have some upside remaining and the same can't be said of 40-man roster holdovers like Drew Butera and Cole De Vries.
When discussing the Twins' haul in last week's draft it's worth noting that Benson and Robertson were their second- and third-round picks in 2006. They both developed well enough to emerge as good prospects, with Benson even cracking Baseball America's top 100 in back-to-back seasons, only to be lost for nothing. Neither loss is hugely troubling in a vacuum, but considering how much the Twins preach patience with prospects it's frustrating to lose talent when it could be avoided.
• Alex Meyer, the 6-foot-9 right-hander who was acquired from the Nationals for Denard Span and ranks as the Twins' best pitching prospect, is on the Double-A disabled list with shoulder soreness. Hopefully it proves to be a minor injury, because Meyer was off to a very good start with a 3.69 ERA and 73-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 61 innings while holding opponents to a .226 batting average and just three homers.
• It took seven seasons, but Carlos Gomez is finally living up to his potential by becoming one of the best all-around players in baseball. Unfortunately it's coming far too late to help the Twins and Gomez's recent comments about how he's changed as a hitter sound a lot like David Ortiz's old comments when he started thriving with the Red Sox:
Before, Carlos Gomez tried to put the ball in play, hit the ball on the ground, because that's what people wanted. That takes my ability out. That's not me. I'm a free swinger. I like to swing hard, whether I have one or two strikes. When I step to the plate, I try to hit a home run.
I may hit a ball to right field, but I'm not trying to. I’m letting my instincts and my ability do the job. I'm looking for my pitch, a pitch I can hit out of the ballpark. If they throw me a different pitch, I can make the change and hit the ball the other way. If I try to hit the ball the other way, I get in trouble, because I slow down my swing. That’s not me.
Obviously the Brewers deserve credit for Gomez's development, but he joins Ortiz and some other less prominent players in suggesting that the Twins stifled power potential by forcing hitters to fit their preferred mold.
• Scott Diamond allowed double-digit hits Sunday for the sixth time in 45 starts and opponents are now batting .293 off him for his career. That ranks as the fifth-highest batting average against in Twins history among all pitchers with 250 or more innings:
Travis Miller .304
Nick Blackburn .303
Carlos Silva .303
Bob Tewksbury .294
Scott Diamond .293
If you can't strike anyone out you're going to give up a ton of hits and the above list is basically a mediocre middle reliever and four of the biggest pitch-to-contact starters you'll ever find.
• In the American League there are 66 pitchers with at least 50 innings and only three of them have a strikeout rate below 4.5 per nine innings: Diamond, Kevin Correia, Mike Pelfrey.
• Last year the Twins drafted Connecticut second baseman L.J. Mazzilli in the ninth round and he ended up being their highest pick not to sign, returning to school for his senior season. Mazzilli hit .354/.408/.515 with 29 steals in 63 games and was drafted by the Mets in the fourth round, so Lee Mazzilli's son probably earned himself an extra $250,000.
• Current third base coach and former hitting coach Joe Vavra's son, Valparaiso infielder Tanner Vavra, was drafted by the Twins in the 30th round. Nepotism aside Vavra has an incredible story, overcoming being blinded in his right eye by two serious childhood injuries to hit .332 as a junior and .330 as a senior. He's very much a legitimate late-round pick.
• General managers usually get the credit or blame for draft picks, but Terry Ryan talked to Parker Hageman of Twins Daily about why that's misleading.
• Since taking over for Matt Capps last season Glen "Proven Closer" Perkins has converted 30-of-34 save chances with a 2.31 ERA and 77-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 66 innings.
• Delmon Young in 225 games since leaving the Twins: .263/.296/.424 with 171 strikeouts, 33 walks, and 31 double plays. Toss in defense and he's been worth -1.5 Wins Above Replacement.
• Francisco Liriano has a 1.75 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 36 innings for the Pirates.
• For a lot more about Sano's promotion and the Twins' draft, check out this week's "Gleeman and The Geek" episode.
This week's blog content is sponsored by Ticket King, a local ticket broker that doesn't charge check-out fees, offers in-store pickup, and specializes in Twins tickets. Please support them for supporting AG.com.
Angel Morales
Drew Butera
Joe Benson
Joe Vavra
L.J. Mazzilli
Scott Diamond
Tanner Vavra
Tyler Robertson
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Exonerated man cleared on a different case
HOUSTON Ernest Sonnier was actually a suspect in that 1984 murder case in which a Rice University student was killed. Sonnier was back in court because his attorneys asked for further DNA testing because they say they were that confident that he had nothing to do with that murder. Those DNA results just came back from a lab in Fort Worth and Sonnier is not linked to the 1984 murder.
It has been quite an emotional roller coaster ride for Sonnier and his family. In 1986, he was convicted on aggravated kidnapping charges for a 1985 rape in Alief. He spent 23 years in prison for that crime, which he did not commit. Sonnier was exonerated last August after at least nine rounds of DNA testing spearheaded by The Innocence Project of Texas.
We spoke with Sonnier Tuesday about being back in court.
"I'm just glad I got it behind me because I couldn't sleep. My mom was worried about me, things like that," Sonnier said. "I'm just glad to get it behind me. It shows everybody that I didn't have anything to do with that."
The judge, who exonerated Sonnier last year, Tuesday partially lifted his restrictions: he can now move outside county and state lines, and he will also report back to court for regular monitoring every month rather than every two weeks.
Sonnier will be back in court in three months once the district attorney has had a chance to fully review all results. It is expected he will be fully cleared at that time. Until then, he will continue to wear an ankle monitoring device.
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Autonomous Republic: what was the political background of Putin's visit to Abkhazia, by Sergey Markedonov
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) meets with Raul Khajimba, President of the Republic of Abkhazia, on August 8.
Sergey Markedonov
Unlike South Ossetia, which is interested in very deep integration with Russia, Abkhazia is trying to retain its special rights concerning republican resources and citizenship.
On August 8, 2017, Vladimir Putin paid a working visit to Abkhazia. This is the fourth visit of the Russian president to the republic since Moscow recognized its independence. However, this diplomatic trip stands out from the earlier ones. It was timed to coincide with the ninth anniversary of the start of the "five-day war", which significantly changed the situation in Transcaucasia. And the entire outward display of the Putin visit demonstrated that Moscow is not going to change the decisions it took in 2008. The Russian president publicly promised to maintain the independence and security of Abkhazia. Naturally, we are not talking about abstract principles, but about the political existence of the republic outside the Georgian political and legal orbit.
Two republics
But Putin's visit is interesting not only and not so much by reason of its symbolic content. The question arises, why the president chose Abkhazia, and not South Ossetia, for his visit. After all, nine years ago, the "small war that shook the world" (in the figurative expression of [the late] American diplomat and expert Ronald Asmus) began with the attack by Georgian troops on the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinval. Of course, after the signing of the Moscow Accords in 1994, the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict was frozen, Tbilisi's attempts to change the state of affairs were made repeatedly. Just take the "Small War in Gal" in May 1998, the raid in the Kodor Gorge in October 2001, or the incidents with drones in the spring of 2008. But in the days of "Hot August" nine years ago the Abkhazian front was not the main one, it merely aggravated the political situation of Georgia.
One supposes that there are several reasons explaining Moscow's special attention to Abkhazia. In comparison with South Ossetia, Abkhazian élites (in both power and opposition) are in favour of maintaining a certain independence from Russian control. A couple of years ago in a private conversation one influential local politician admitted to the author of this article that his republic "does not want to be a part of Greater Sochi". It is better that you will not tell! This does not mean that Sukhum is trying to manoeuvre between different centres of international politics. Such manoeuvring would be meaningless, because, except for Russia, no-one is offering the republic what it has thanks to the patronage of Moscow. However, unlike South Ossetia, which is interested in greater integration with Russia, even before joining it, Abkhazia is trying to retain its special rights concerning republican resources and citizenship. Hence the attempts to curb the penetration of Russian business into Abkhazia in spite of economic benefits, and a protective policy regarding granting Abkhazian citizenship, and unwillingness to open a real-estate market. It is significant that the word "integration", proposed in the first version of the text of the bilateral Russian-Abkhazian treaty, was excluded from the final version.
Autonomy and loyalty
Perhaps Moscow would agree to Abkhazian particularism, after all, even within Russia itself, there are many examples of a "special path". Especially in the North Caucasus, where Chechenia, led by Ramzan Kadyrov, is the most vivid precedent of this kind. A certain logic in this approach, despite the considerable costs, is available. Loyalty to Russian politics is worth some exceptions to the general rule, although a separate issue is how to control these exceptions. However, in the case of Kadyrov, one can appeal to a certain stabilization of the situation (it is already not the first year that the republic has not been the leader in the number of terrorist attacks). In Abkhazia, from day to day there are situations that raise unpleasant questions not only for the republican authorities, but also for Moscow. Reports of criminal incidents, the victims of which are tourists from Russia, were widely discussed by Abkhazian bloggers and civil activists. There have also been explosions in army warehouses, and complications in the relations between the government and the opposition, and yet the republic has been, and still is, characterized by pluralism and a high level of political competition.
Anyway, in December of last year during the visit of Raul Khajimba to Moscow Vladimir Putin instructed his Abkhazian counterpart: "... We very much expect that the situation will be under control, will not go beyond the legal field, because otherwise It is quite difficult to implement our plans for economic interaction. Naturally, when there is some kind of internal swaying, then it's not the time to talk of roads, hospitals, and schools."
The Kremlin is interested in Abkhazia, like South Ossetia, becoming a project proving the attractiveness of Russia for its current and potential partners and allies. And indeed, when you visit both republics and talk with people, you notice that for them the "Georgian stage" is history. And they would like to live in the present and the future, to complete the protracted transition from a state of "besieged fortress" to development. Human rights activists, students, and staff of the presidential administration are united in this. The issue is in the quality of management, personnel and decision-making.
The scenarios described above in all likelihood will fail to become the focus of information-attention in terms of the results of Putin's trip to Abkhazia. The front pages of newspapers and the headlines of news-agencies will be dominated by a comparison of the trip to Abkhazia by the Russian president and the recent visit be US Vice President Michael Pence to Tbilisi. In reality, both these visits only consolidate the status quo, which ended the "five-day war" nine years ago. The two former autonomies of Soviet Georgia have found themselves under the patronage of Russia, whilst "Georgia Proper", as Germany’s Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel styled it, has come under the protection of the collective West.
But the most important thing today is not the continuation of the victorious boastings that resounded in August 2008 but substantial changes in those parts of Transcaucasia that linked their future with Russia and its support. To paraphrase Ernest Renan, not only the nation but also political choice is a daily plebiscite. Relying on inertia and past merits in this business is a thankless task. It is necessary to learn to solve the problems of today and to respond to new challenges that were considered unimportant nine or 15 years ago against the background of ethnopolitical conflicts.
Associate Professor, Department of Regional Studies and Foreign Policy, Russian State University for the Humanities.
This article was published by rbc.ru and is translated from Russian. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of AbkhazWorld.
Caucasus Times: Interview with Stephen Shenfield
Caucasus Times: Interview with Donnacha Ó Beacháin
Abkhazia: difficult way from the Soviet Autonomy to partially recognized state, by Sergey Markedonov
Abkhazia as the Theatre of Georgia’s Terrorist Activities and Sabotage, by Sergey Markedonov
Five-day war: the lessons that Russia again fails to learn, by Aleksander B. Krylov
Through cooperation or without recognition?, by Sergey Markedonov
Russia's Geopolitical Scales in the Caucasus, by Sergey Markedonov
Call Off the Great Game, by Thomas de Waal
Knot of Independence, by Sergey Markedonov
American Interests in the Caucasus, by Sergey Markedonov
The ghost of the Soviet Union, by Sergey Markedonov
Could Abkhazia be smothered by its new best friend?, by Oliver Bullough
Charisma and complications: the legacy of Abkhazia’s founding father, by Sergey Markedonov
Electing Autonomy, by Sergei Markedonov
Window on Eurasia: Abkhazia Vote Challenges Republic’s Supporters as Well as Its Opponents
Europe must stand up for Abkhazia and S. Ossetia: 'Response to recent correspondence in The Guardian'
The Legal Case for Russian Intervention in Georgia by Nicolai N. Petro
Testing the Waters, by Tom Balmforth
Abkhazia: A Broken Paradise, by Georgi Derluguian
The Valid and Non-valid Application of Etymology/Philology to History, by George Hewitt
Abkhazia - The Black Sea Region's Best Kept Secret, by Bruce Talley
Contemporary Attitudes and Beliefs in Transdnestria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia: A Preliminary Analysis of Survey Data
Nasty Nationalism, by E. Wayne Merry
Why Independence For Abkhazia Is The Best Solution, by George Hewitt
Georgia Unveils 'Strategy On Occupied Territories', by Liz Fuller
A new era in Turkey-Abkhazia relations, by Hasan Kanbolat
I am an Abkhaz, by Irakli Kakabadze
Georgia is swimming in murky waters! By Fehim Tastekin
New Abkhazia – South Ossetia “Opening” of Georgia?, by Mitat Çelikpala
Bloom Off the Rose: Georgian “democracy” owes more to Josef Stalin than Thomas Jefferson, by John Laughland
A politician from the category of “inconvenient”, by Alexander Krylov
The Failed State of Georgia, by Tsotne Bakuria
A Reply to Svante Cornell’s Daily Telegraph Article (16 June 2009), by George Hewitt
European and US Approaches to the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict | International Alert
Some Thoughts on 'Abkhazia is not Kosovo', by George Hewitt
Presidential Elections in Abkhazia: A Changing Society in a Fixed Context, by Iraklii Khintba
ABKHAZIA versus GEORGIA: Implications for U.S. Policy toward Russia, by George Enteen
Abkhazia Heads Into A Turbulent Summer, by Liz Fuller
Window on Eurasia: Might Turkey be the Next Country to Recognize Abkhazia?
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My Top Five Sherlock Holmes Actors: #2 Jeremy Brett
#2. Jeremy Brett
If I had come up with this Top Five several years ago, there is no doubt that Jeremy Brett would have been my number one choice. And I still think, as far as Victorian portrayals of the great detective, no one has ever matched Brett's version. When the BBC series starring Brett as Holmes began in the early 80s, I was a teenager, and though I was relatively new to the Sherlock Holmes canon, it was clear to me that no actor had ever really captured the true spirit and style of Sherlock Holmes. And then I saw Jeremy Brett...
It was as if Sidney Paget's drawings had come to life! Every little pose, every mannerism was just as I had imagined Holmes, based on the illustrations I had seen. For many years, then, to my way of thinking Jeremy Brett was the Sherlock Holmes. As I've read more about that BBC series, and its ups and downs, I've learned that the series consciously imitated Paget's drawings as closely as possible, and that Brett himself had an almost obsessive insistence on the most minute details. (He also smoked several packs of cigarettes a day, which contributed to his poor health in later installments of the series...)
As I've gone back and watched many of the episodes of this very successful BBC Sherlock Holmes series, I'm still immensely impressed by Brett's finely detailed portrayal of the detective. Sure, some of the adaptations of the stories tend towards slavish adulation, while other episodes add somewhat poorly rendered plot lines to flesh out the stories. And Brett's performances in several of the later episodes was negatively impacted by his failing health. But Jeremy Brett at his best inhabited the role as very few actors have managed to do.
As I said above, if I had written this several years ago, Brett would have easily been my favorite choice, but then along came a series called Sherlock...and my world changed. But more of that in my next article...
My Top 5 Sherlock Holmes Actors: #3 Peter Cushing
#3. Peter Cushing
If you've never seen Peter Cushing's portrayal of Holmes, go right now to the Sherls on Film page of this blog, and watch one of the videos of the TV series he did in 1968. Actually, Cushing's first Holmes was in the Hammer Films version of The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1959 (which also starred the great Christopher Lee as Henry Baskerville). In my humble opinion, Cushing really nails the physicality and speech of the great detective, despite the cheesy horror movie atmosphere of the 1959 film, or the relatively low production values of the 1968 series.
Anther interesting thing about the TV series is that, even though they produced 16 episodes of the 1968 program, only six episodes are still available today, due to the BBC's policy at the time of taping over programs that had already aired a couple of times! (I should also mention that Cushing was the second actor to play Holmes for the BBC; Douglas Wilmer played him for the earlier black-and-white installments of the series from 1964-1965. Nigel Stock played Watson to Wilmer's and Cushing's Holmes.)
For your enjoyment, and because the full film is no longer available for free on YouTube, here is the trailer for the 1959 Hammer Films version of The Hound of the Baskervilles:
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Angelides: ‘Our goal is the uninterrupted continuation of the energy programme’
By Spiros Sideris/ Published on: 31/10/2018
The uninterrupted continuation of the energy programme of the Republic of Cyprus is the objective of the Ministry of Defence in co-operation with all the services of the country, noted the Cypriot Defence minister, Savvas Angelides.
In a statement from Larnaca, during the “Nemesis 2018” Multinational Exercise held in the Republic of Cyprus’s EEZ, the Defence minister said that the exercise “involves aeronautical forces from the Republic’s Services and from those of other countries and of private companies. The purpose of the exercise is to develop a more effective co-operation and co-ordination between these groups to deal with risks on merchant ships and on platforms, with scenarios dealing with terrorism, as well as with massive rescues and pollution at sea.”
Asked to comment on the developments taking place in the EEZ of Cyprus with the presence of the Turkish Barbaros research vessel in the region and the significant presence of naval forces from large countries, Mr. Angelides said that “everything is going smoothly. We do what we do collectively with all the services of the Republic of Cyprus so that the Republic’s energy programme continues unhindered.”
In the exercise called “Nemesis 2018”, which took place on 25-31 October, forces from Cyprus, Greece, France, Britain, Israel and the United States of America participated.
Egypt, Italy and Jordan sent their observers…. / IBNA
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Tag Archives: Kate Earl
Matchbox Twenty and Goo Goo Dolls Kick off Their Tour
August 14, 2013 audiostillmagazine Leave a comment
The Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty along with opener Kate Earl kicked off their summer tour at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester New Hampshire. These are two powerhouse bands that have stood the test of time through many changes in the music industry. Kate Earl kicked off the show with a short set displaying her edgy folk/pop styling.
The Goo Goo Dolls would take the stage next and kick things off with a song off their 2013 release “Magnetic” called “Last Hot Night”. In a career that is closing in on 30 years, you could say that John Rzeznik, Robby Takac and Mike Malinin have paid their dues. Having stayed pretty much under the radar for many years, it was not until the release of their single “Name” off their 1994 release “A Boy Named Goo” that they really took their place in the industry.
With a career that has spanned this long, the Goo Goo Dolls have built up an extensive catalog of music which they shared with the audience. Playing hits such as “Iris”, “Black Balloon” and “Slide”, they continue to pack arenas with an action packed show that is one not to be missed.
To cap off the night, Rob Thomas hit the stage with is band, Matchbox Twenty. This was the first time I had seen the band, and I must say that I was very impressed. This is one band that makes the stage their home. Matchbox Twenty, having formed in 1995 have also built a pretty extensive music catalog not unlike the Goo Goo Dolls. Playing a well mixed set of new and old music, these included hits such as “3 A.M.”, “Long Day” and “Push”.
Front man, Rob Thomas has been sought after for many years for his vocal abilities and he proved that. Thomas has been polishing his voice for nearly 20 years, and he is sounding better than ever. Pair this with the extreme talent of the band, and you have the perfect cocktail. There are still a few east coast dates left on the tour this week, so be sure to catch this show while you still can!
Kate Earl
3 A.M.Goo Goo DollsIrisJohnny RzeznikKate EarlKyle CookManchester New HampshireMatchbox 20Matchbox TwentyMatt BeckMike MalininmusicPushRob ThomasRobby TakacSlideVerizon Wireless Arena
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<a href="http://archive.today/Zol6f"> <img style="width:300px;height:200px;background-color:white" src="https://archive.is/Zol6f/da0a1228c73b66d98de4c0da58ed5ad3548b59a8/scr.png"><br> Brazil - Wikipedia<br> archived 4 Aug 2018 10:50:29 UTC </a>
{{cite web | title = Brazil - Wikipedia | url = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil | date = 2018-08-04 | archiveurl = http://archive.today/Zol6f | archivedate = 2018-08-04 }}
This article is about the country. For other uses, see Brazil (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 10°S 52°W / 10°S 52°W / -10; -52
Federative Republic of Brazil
República Federativa do Brasil (Portuguese)
Ordem e Progresso (Portuguese)
(English: "Order and Progress")
Anthem:
"Hino Nacional Brasileiro"
(English: "Brazilian National Anthem")
Flag anthem:
"Hino à Bandeira Nacional"[1]
(English: "National Flag Anthem")
National seal
Selo Nacional do Brasil
National Seal of Brazil
Location of Brazil (dark green)
in South America (grey)
15°47′S 47°52′W / 15.783°S 47.867°W / -15.783; -47.867
and national language
Portuguese[2]
Ethnic groups (2010)[3]
47.73% White
43.13% Pardo
7.61% Black
1.09% Asian
0.43% Amerindian
64.6% Catholic
22.2% Protestant
8.0% Irreligion
2.0% Spiritism
3.2% Others[4]
Federal presidential constitutional republic
• President
• Vice President
Vacant[5]
• President of the
• President of the Federal Senate
Eunício Oliveira
• President of the Supreme Federal Court
Cármen Lúcia
• Upper house
Federal Senate
• Lower house
Independence from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves
• Declared
• Recognized
• Republic
• Treaty of Petrópolis
• Current constitution
8,515,767 km2 (3,287,956 sq mi) (5th)
• Water (%)
• 2018 estimate
209,129,000[6] (6th)
25/km2 (64.7/sq mi) (199th)
GDP (PPP)
2018 estimate
$3.389 trillion[7] (8th)
• Per capita
$16,199[7] (81th)
GDP (nominal)
Gini (2015)
51.3[8]
HDI (2015)
high · 79th
Real (R$) (BRL)
BRT (UTC−2 to −5)
BRST (UTC−2 to −5)
dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
Drives on the
ISO 3166 code
Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil [bɾaˈziw]),[nt 1] officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: República Federativa do Brasil, listen (help·info)),[10] is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At 8.5 million square kilometers (3.2 million square miles)[11] and with over 208 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area and the sixth most populous. The capital is Brasília, and the most populated city is São Paulo. The federation is composed of the union of the Federal District, the 26 states, and the 5,570 municipalities. It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas,[12][13] besides being one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations, due to the strong immigration from various places in the world.
Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 kilometers (4,655 mi).[14] It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile and covers 47.3% of the continent's land area.[15] Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats.[14] This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries, and is the subject of significant global interest and debate regarding deforestation and environmental protection.
Brazil was inhabited by numerous tribal nations prior to the landing in 1500 of explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, who claimed the area for the Portuguese Empire. Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1808, when the capital of the empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. In 1815, the colony was elevated to the rank of kingdom upon the formation of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Independence was achieved in 1822 with the creation of the Empire of Brazil, a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system. The ratification of the first constitution in 1824 led to the formation of a bicameral legislature, now called the National Congress. The country became a presidential republic in 1889 following a military coup d'état. An authoritarian military junta came to power in 1964 and ruled until 1985, after which civilian governance resumed. Brazil's current constitution, formulated in 1988, defines it as a democratic federal republic.[16] Due to its rich culture and history, the country ranks thirteenth in the world by number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[17]
Brazil has the eighth largest GDP in the world by both nominal and PPP measures (as of 2017[update]).[18][19] The nation is one of the world's major breadbaskets, being the largest producer of coffee for the last 150 years.[20] It is classified as an upper-middle income economy by the World Bank[21] and a newly industrialized country,[22][23] which holds the largest share of global wealth in Latin America. As a regional and middle power,[24][25] the country has international recognition and influence, being also classified as an emerging global power[26] and a potential superpower by several analysts.[27][28][29] Brazil is a founding member of the United Nations, the G20, BRICS, Union of South American Nations, Mercosul, Organization of American States, Organization of Ibero-American States and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.
2.1 Pre-Cabraline era
2.2 Portuguese colonization
2.3 United Kingdom with Portugal
2.4 Independent Empire
2.5 Early republic
2.6 Contemporary era
3.1 Climate
3.2 Biodiversity and environment
4 Government and politics
4.1 Law
4.2 Military
4.3 Foreign policy
4.4 Law enforcement and crime
4.5 Administrative divisions
5.1 Energy
5.2 Tourism
6.1 Science and technology
6.4 Education
6.5 Media and communication
7.1 Race and ethnicity
7.3 Urbanization
7.4 Language
8.3 Literature
8.4 Cuisine
8.5 Cinema
8.6 Theatre
8.7 Visual arts
8.8 Sports
8.9 National holidays
12 Bibliography
Main article: Name of Brazil
It is likely that the word "Brazil" comes from the Portuguese word for brazilwood, a tree that once grew plentifully along the Brazilian coast.[30] In Portuguese, brazilwood is called pau-brasil, with the word brasil commonly given the etymology "red like an ember", formed from Latin brasa ("ember") and the suffix -il (from -iculum or -ilium).[31] As brazilwood produces a deep red dye, it was highly valued by the European textile industry and was the earliest commercially exploited product from Brazil.[32] Throughout the 16th century, massive amounts of brazilwood were harvested by indigenous peoples (mostly Tupi) along the Brazilian coast, who sold the timber to European traders (mostly Portuguese, but also French) in return for assorted European consumer goods.[33]
The official Portuguese name of the land, in original Portuguese records, was the "Land of the Holy Cross" (Terra da Santa Cruz),[34] but European sailors and merchants commonly called it simply the "Land of Brazil" (Terra do Brasil) because of the brazilwood trade.[35] The popular appellation eclipsed and eventually supplanted the official Portuguese name. Some early sailors called it the "Land of Parrots".[36]
In the Guarani language, an official language of Paraguay, Brazil is called "Pindorama". This was the name the indigenous population gave to the region, meaning "land of the palm trees".[37]
Main articles: History of Brazil and Timeline of Brazilian history
Pre-Cabraline era
Cave painting at Serra da Capivara National Park. This area has the largest concentration of prehistoric sites in the Americas.[38]
Some of the earliest human remains found in the Americas, Luzia Woman, were found in the area of Pedro Leopoldo, Minas Gerais and provide evidence of human habitation going back at least 11,000 years.[39][40] The earliest pottery ever found in the Western Hemisphere was excavated in the Amazon basin of Brazil and radiocarbon dated to 8,000 years ago (6000 BC). The pottery was found near Santarém and provides evidence that the tropical forest region supported a complex prehistoric culture.[41] The Marajoara culture flourish between 800 CE and 1400 CE; they developed sophisticated pottery, social stratification, supported large populations, mound building, and complex social formations such as chiefdoms.[42]
Around the time of the Portuguese arrival, the territory of current day Brazil had an estimated indigenous population of 7 million people,[43] mostly semi-nomadic who subsisted on hunting, fishing, gathering, and migrant agriculture. The indigenous population of Brazil comprised several large indigenous ethnic groups (e.g. the Tupis, Guaranis, Gês and Arawaks). The Tupí people were subdivided into the Tupiniquins and Tupinambás, and there were also many subdivisions of the other groups.[44]
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the boundaries between these groups and their subgroups were marked by wars that arose from differences in culture, language and moral beliefs.[45] These wars also involved large-scale military actions on land and water, with cannibalistic rituals on prisoners of war.[46][47] While heredity had some weight, leadership status was more subdued over time, than allocated in succession ceremonies and conventions.[45] Slavery among the Indians had a different meaning than it had for Europeans, since it originated from a diverse socio-economic organization, in which asymmetries were translated into kinship relations.[48]
Portuguese colonization
Main articles: Colonial Brazil, War of the Emboabas, and Inconfidência Mineira
Representation of the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in Porto Seguro, 1500. Painting of 1922.
The land now called Brazil was claimed for the Portuguese Empire on 22 April 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral.[49] The Portuguese encountered indigenous peoples divided into several tribes, most of whom spoke languages of the Tupi–Guarani family, and fought among themselves.[50] Though the first settlement was founded in 1532, colonization effectively began in 1534, when King John III of Portugal divided the territory into the fifteen private and autonomous Captaincy Colonies of Brazil.[51][52]
However, the decentralized and unorganized tendencies of the captaincy colonies proved problematic, and in 1549 the Portuguese king restructured them into the Governorate General of Brazil, a single and centralized Portuguese colony in South America.[52][53] In the first two centuries of colonization, Indigenous and European groups lived in constant war, establishing opportunistic alliances in order to gain advantages against each other.[54][55][56][57] By the mid-16th century, cane sugar had become Brazil's most important export,[50][58] and slaves purchased in Sub-Saharan Africa, in the slave market of Western Africa[59] (not only those from Portuguese allies of their colonies in Angola and Mozambique), had become its largest import,[60][61] to cope with plantations of sugarcane, due to increasing international demand for Brazilian sugar.[62][63]
Painting showing the arrest of Tiradentes; he was sentenced to death for his involvement in the best known movement for independence in Colonial Brazil. Painting of 1914.
By the end of the 17th century, sugarcane exports began to decline,[64] and the discovery of gold by bandeirantes in the 1690s would become the new backbone of the colony's economy, fostering a Brazilian Gold Rush[65] which attracted thousands of new settlers to Brazil from Portugal and all Portuguese colonies around the world.[66] This increased level of immigration in turn caused some conflicts between newcomers and old settlers.[67]
Portuguese expeditions known as Bandeiras gradually advanced the Portugal colonial original frontiers in South America to approximately the current Brazilian borders.[68][69] In this era other European powers tried to colonize parts of Brazil, in incursions that the Portuguese had to fight, notably the French in Rio during the 1560s, in Maranhão during the 1610s, and the Dutch in Bahia and Pernambuco, during the Dutch–Portuguese War, after the end of Iberian Union.[70]
The Portuguese colonial administration in Brazil had two objectives that would ensure colonial order and the monopoly of Portugal's wealthiest and largest colony: to keep under control and eradicate all forms of slave rebellion and resistance, such as the Quilombo of Palmares,[71] and to repress all movements for autonomy or independence, such as the Minas Conspiracy.[72]
United Kingdom with Portugal
Main article: United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves
The Acclamation of King João VI of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves in Rio de Janeiro, 6 February 1818
In late 1807, Spanish and Napoleonic forces threatened the security of continental Portugal, causing Prince Regent João, in the name of Queen Maria I, to move the royal court from Lisbon to Brazil.[73] There they established some of Brazil's first financial institutions, such as its local stock exchanges,[74] and its National Bank, additionally ending the Portuguese monopoly on Brazilian trade and opening Brazil to other nations. In 1809, in retaliation for being forced into exile, the Prince Regent ordered the Portuguese conquest of French Guiana.[75]
With the end of the Peninsular War in 1814, the courts of Europe demanded that Queen Maria I and Prince Regent João return to Portugal, deeming it unfit for the head of an ancient European monarchy to reside in a colony. In 1815, to justify continuing to live in Brazil, where the royal court had thrived for the prior six years, the Crown established the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, thus creating a pluricontinental transatlantic monarchic state.[76] However, such a ploy didn't last long, since the leadership in Portugal, resentful of the new status of its larger colony, continued to require the return of court to Lisbon (as postulated by the Liberal Revolution of 1820), and also groups of Brazilians, impatient for practical and real changes, still demanded independence and a republic, as demonstrated by the 1817 Pernambucan Revolt.[76] In 1821, as a demand of revolutionaries who had taken the city of Porto,[77] D. João VI was unable to hold out any longer, and departed for Lisbon. There he swore an oath to the new constitution, leaving his son, Prince Pedro de Alcântara, as Regent of the Kingdom of Brazil.[78]
Independent Empire
Main articles: Independence of Brazil and Empire of Brazil
Declaration of the Brazilian independence by Prince Pedro (later Emperor Pedro I) on 7 September 1822.
Tensions between Portuguese and Brazilians increased, and the Portuguese Cortes, guided by the new political regime imposed by the 1820 Liberal Revolution, tried to re-establish Brazil as a colony.[79] The Brazilians refused to yield, and Prince Pedro decided to stand with them, declaring the country's independence from Portugal on 7 September 1822.[80] A month later, Prince Pedro was declared the first Emperor of Brazil, with the royal title of Dom Pedro I, resulting in the foundation of the Empire of Brazil.[81]
The Brazilian War of Independence, which had already begun along this process, spread through northern, northeastern regions and in Cisplatina province.[82] When the last Portuguese soldiers surrendered on 8 March 1824,[83] Portugal officially recognized Brazil on 29 August 1825.[84]
On 7 April 1831, worn down by years of administrative turmoil and political dissent with both liberal and conservative sides of politics, including an attempt of republican secession,[85] and unreconciled to the way that absolutists in Portugal had given in the succession of King John VI, Pedro I went to Portugal to reclaim his daughter's crown, abdicating the Brazilian throne in favor of his five-year-old son and heir (who thus became the Empire's second monarch, with the royal title of Dom Pedro II).[86]
Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil between 1831 and 1889.
As the new Emperor could not exert his constitutional powers until he became of age, a regency was set up by the National Assembly.[87] In the absence of a charismatic figure who could represent a moderate face of power, during this period a series of localized rebellions took place, such as the Cabanagem in Grão-Pará Province, the Malê Revolt in Salvador da Bahia, the Balaiada (Maranhão), the Sabinada (Bahia), and the Ragamuffin War beginning in Rio Grande do Sul and supported by Giuseppe Garibaldi. These emerged from the dissatisfaction of the provinces with the central power, coupled with old and latent social tensions peculiar to a vast, slaveholding and newly independent nation state.[88] This period of internal political and social upheaval, which included the Praieira revolt in Pernambuco, was overcome only at the end of the 1840s, years after the end of the regency, which occurred with the premature coronation of Pedro II in 1841.[89]
During the last phase of the monarchy, internal political debate centered on the issue of slavery. The Atlantic slave trade was abandoned in 1850,[90] as a result of the British Aberdeen Act, but only in May 1888 after a long process of internal mobilization and debate for an ethical and legal dismantling of slavery in the country, was the institution formally abolished.[91]
The foreign affairs in the monarchy were basically related to issues with the countries of the Southern Cone with which Brazil had borders. Long after the Cisplatine War that resulted in independence for Uruguay,[92] Brazil won three international wars during the 58-year reign of Pedro II. These were the Platine War, the Uruguayan War and the devastating Paraguayan War, the largest war effort in Brazilian history.[93][94]
Although there was no desire among the majority of Brazilians to change the country's form of government,[95] on 15 November 1889, in attrition with the majority of Army officers, as well as with rural and financial elites (for different reasons), the monarchy was overthrown by a military coup.[96]
Early republic
Main articles: First Brazilian Republic, Estado Novo (Brazil), and Second Brazilian Republic
Proclamation of the Republic, 1893, oil on canvas by Benedito Calixto.
The early republican government was nothing more than a military dictatorship, with army dominating affairs both at Rio de Janeiro and in the states. Freedom of the press disappeared and elections were controlled by those in power.[97] Only in 1894, following the unfoldings of two severe crises, an economic along with a military one, the civilians rose to power staying there until October, 1930.[98][99][100]
If in relation to its foreign policy, the country in this first republican period maintained a relative balance characterized by a success in resolving border disputes with neighboring countries,[101] only broken by the Acre War (1899–1902) and its involvement in World War I (1914–1918),[102][103][104] followed by a failed attempt to exert a prominent role in the League of Nations;[105] Internally, from the crisis of Encilhamento[106][107][108] and the Armada Revolts,[109] a prolonged cycle of financial, political and social instability began Until the 1920s, keeping the country besieged by various rebellions, both civilian[110][111][112] and military.[113][114][115]
In half of the first 100 years of republic, the Army exercised power directly or through figures like Getúlio Vargas (center).
Soldiers of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force greet Italian civilians in Massarosa, during World War II.
Little by little, a cycle of general instability sparked by these crises undermined the regime to such an extent, that in the wake of the murder of his running mate, the defeated opposition presidential candidate Getúlio Vargas supported by most of the military, successfully led the October 1930 Coup.[116][117] Vargas and the military were supposed to assume power temporarily, but instead closed the Congress, extinguished the Constitution, ruled with emergency powers and replaced the states' governors with their own supporters.[118][119]
In the 1930s, three failed attempts to remove Vargas and his supporters from power occurred. The first was the Constitutionalist Revolution in 1932, led by the Paulista oligarchy. The second was a Communist uprising in November 1935, and the last one a putsch attempt by local fascists in May 1938.[120][121][122] The 1935 uprising created a security crisis in which the Congress transferred more power to the executive. The 1937 coup d'état resulted in the cancellation of the 1938 election, formalized Vargas as dictator, beginning the Estado Novo era, which was noted for government brutality and censorship of the press.[123]
Foreign policy during Vargas years was marked by the antecedents and World War II. Brazil remained neutral until August 1942, when the country entered on the allied side,[124][125] after suffering retaliation by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, in a strategic dispute over the South Atlantic.[126] In addition to its participation in the battle of the Atlantic, Brazil also sent an expeditionary force to fight in the Italian campaign.[127]
With the Allied victory in 1945 and the end of the Nazi-fascist regimes in Europe, Vargas's position became unsustainable and he was swiftly overthrown in another military coup, with democracy "reinstated" by the same army that had ended it 15 years earlier.[128] Vargas committed suicide in August 1954 amid a political crisis, after having returned to power by election in 1950.[129][130]
Contemporary era
Main articles: Brazilian military government and History of Brazil since 1985
Several brief interim governments followed Vargas's suicide.[131] Juscelino Kubitschek became president in 1956 and assumed a conciliatory posture towards the political opposition that allowed him to govern without major crises.[132] The economy and industrial sector grew remarkably,[133] but his greatest achievement was the construction of the new capital city of Brasília, inaugurated in 1960.[134]
Construction of Brasília, the new capital, in 1959.
M41s along the Avenida Presidente Vargas during the military government.
Kubitschek's successor, Jânio Quadros, resigned in 1961 less than a year after taking office.[135] His vice-president, João Goulart, assumed the presidency, but aroused strong political opposition[136] and was deposed in April 1964 by a coup that resulted in a military regime.[137]
The new regime was intended to be transitory[138] but gradually closed in on itself and became a full dictatorship with the promulgation of the Fifth Institutional Act in 1968.[139] Oppression was not limited to those who resorted to guerrilla tactics to fight the regime, but also reached institutional opponents, artists, journalists and other members of civil society,[140][141] inside and outside the country through the infamous "Operation Condor".[142][143] Despite its brutality, like other authoritarian regimes, due to an economic boom, known as an "economic miracle", the regime reached a peak in popularity in the early 1970s.[144]
Slowly however, the wear and tear of years of dictatorial power that had not slowed the repression, even after the defeat of the leftist guerrillas,[145] plus the inability to deal with the economic crises of the period and popular pressure, made an opening policy inevitable, which from the regime side was led by Generals Ernesto Geisel and Golbery do Couto e Silva.[146] With the enactment of the Amnesty Law in 1979, Brazil began a slow return to democracy, which was completed during the 1980s.[89]
Civilians returned to power in 1985 when José Sarney assumed the presidency. He became unpopular during his tenure through failure to control the economic crisis and hyperinflation he inherited from the military regime.[147] Sarney's unsuccessful government led to the election in 1989 of the almost-unknown Fernando Collor, subsequently impeached by the National Congress in 1992.[148]
Collor was succeeded by his vice-president, Itamar Franco, who appointed Fernando Henrique Cardoso Minister of Finance. In 1994, Cardoso produced a highly successful Plano Real,[149] that, after decades of failed economic plans made by previous governments attempting to curb hyperinflation, finally stabilized the Brazilian economy.[150][151] Cardoso won the 1994 election, and again in 1998.[152]
Ulysses Guimarães holding the Constitution of 1988 in his hands.
The peaceful transition of power from Cardoso to his main opposition leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006), was seen as proof that Brazil had achieved a long-sought political stability.[153][154] However, sparked by indignation and frustrations accumulated over decades from corruption, police brutality, inefficiencies of the political establishment and public service, numerous peaceful protests erupted in Brazil from the middle of first term of Dilma Rousseff, who had succeeded Lula after winning election in 2010.[155][156]
Enhanced by political and economic crises with evidence of involvement by politicians from all the primary political parties in several bribery and tax evasion schemes,[157][158] with large street protests for and against her,[159] Rousseff was impeached by the Brazilian Congress in 2016.[5][160] In 2017, the Supreme Court asked for the investigation of 71 Brazilian lawmakers and nine ministers in President Michel Temer's cabinet allegedly linked to the Petrobras corruption scandal.[161] President Temer is himself accused of corruption.[162]
Main article: Geography of Brazil
Topographic map of Brazil
Brazil occupies a large area along the eastern coast of South America and includes much of the continent's interior,[163] sharing land borders with Uruguay to the south; Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest; Bolivia and Peru to the west; Colombia to the northwest; and Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and France (French overseas region of French Guiana) to the north. It shares a border with every South American country except Ecuador and Chile. It also encompasses a number of oceanic archipelagos, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz.[14] Its size, relief, climate, and natural resources make Brazil geographically diverse.[163] Including its Atlantic islands, Brazil lies between latitudes 6°N and 34°S, and longitudes 28° and 74°W.
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, and third largest in the Americas, with a total area of 8,515,767.049 km2 (3,287,956 sq mi),[164] including 55,455 km2 (21,411 sq mi) of water.[14] It spans four time zones; from UTC−5 comprising the state of Acre and the westernmost portion of Amazonas, to UTC−4 in the western states, to UTC−3 in the eastern states (the national time) and UTC−2 in the Atlantic islands.[165]
Brazil is the only country in the world that has the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn running through it. Brazilian topography is also diverse and includes hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands. Much of the terrain lies between 200 metres (660 ft) and 800 metres (2,600 ft) in elevation.[166] The main upland area occupies most of the southern half of the country.[166] The northwestern parts of the plateau consist of broad, rolling terrain broken by low, rounded hills.[166]
Chapada Diamantina, in the Chapada Diamantina National Park, Bahia.
Serra dos Órgãos, part of the Serra do Mar.
The southeastern section is more rugged, with a complex mass of ridges and mountain ranges reaching elevations of up to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft).[166] These ranges include the Mantiqueira and Espinhaço mountains and the Serra do Mar.[166] In the north, the Guiana Highlands form a major drainage divide, separating rivers that flow south into the Amazon Basin from rivers that empty into the Orinoco River system, in Venezuela, to the north. The highest point in Brazil is the Pico da Neblina at 2,994 metres (9,823 ft), and the lowest is the Atlantic Ocean.[14]
Brazil has a dense and complex system of rivers, one of the world's most extensive, with eight major drainage basins, all of which drain into the Atlantic.[167] Major rivers include the Amazon (the world's second-longest river and the largest in terms of volume of water), the Paraná and its major tributary the Iguaçu (which includes the Iguazu Falls), the Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and Tapajós rivers.[167]
Main article: Climate of Brazil
Brazil map of Köppen climate classification
The climate of Brazil comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a large area and varied topography, but most of the country is tropical.[14] According to the Köppen system, Brazil hosts six major climatic subtypes: desert, equatorial, tropical, semiarid, oceanic and subtropical. The different climatic conditions produce environments ranging from equatorial rainforests in the north and semiarid deserts in the northeast, to temperate coniferous forests in the south and tropical savannas in central Brazil.[168] Many regions have starkly different microclimates.[169][170]
An equatorial climate characterizes much of northern Brazil. There is no real dry season, but there are some variations in the period of the year when most rain falls.[168] Temperatures average 25 °C (77 °F),[170] with more significant temperature variation between night and day than between seasons.[169]
Over central Brazil rainfall is more seasonal, characteristic of a savanna climate.[169] This region is as extensive as the Amazon basin but has a very different climate as it lies farther south at a higher altitude.[168] In the interior northeast, seasonal rainfall is even more extreme. The semiarid climatic region generally receives less than 800 millimetres (31.5 in) of rain,[171] most of which generally falls in a period of three to five months of the year[172] and occasionally less than this, creating long periods of drought.[169] Brazil's 1877–78 Grande Seca (Great Drought), the worst in Brazil's history,[173] caused approximately half a million deaths.[174] A similarly devastating drought occurred in 1915.[175]
South of Bahia, near the coasts, and more southerly most of the state of São Paulo, the distribution of rainfall changes, with rain falling throughout the year.[168] The south enjoys subtropical conditions, with cool winters and average annual temperatures not exceeding 18 °C (64.4 °F);[170] winter frosts and snowfall are not rare in the highest areas.[168][169]
Biodiversity and environment
Main articles: Wildlife of Brazil, Deforestation in Brazil, and Conservation in Brazil
Lear's macaw, endemic to Raso da Catarina, Bahia.
The Amazon rainforest, the most biodiverse rainforest in the world.
Brazil's large territory comprises different ecosystems, such as the Amazon rainforest, recognized as having the greatest biological diversity in the world,[176] with the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, sustaining the greatest biodiversity.[177] In the south, the Araucaria pine forest grows under temperate conditions.[177] The rich wildlife of Brazil reflects the variety of natural habitats. Scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in Brazil could approach four million, mostly invertebrates.[177]
Larger mammals include carnivores pumas, jaguars, ocelots, rare bush dogs, and foxes, and herbivores peccaries, tapirs, anteaters, sloths, opossums, and armadillos. Deer are plentiful in the south, and many species of New World monkeys are found in the northern rain forests.[177][178] Concern for the environment has grown in response to global interest in environmental issues.[179] Brazil's Amazon Basin is home to an extremely diverse array of fish species, including the red-bellied piranha. Despite its reputation as a ferocious freshwater fish, the red-bellied piranha is actually a generally timid scavenger.
Female pantanal jaguar in Piquirí River, Pantanal.
Golden lion tamarin, an endemic animal of Brazil, in the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve.
Biodiversity can contribute to agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries extraction. However, almost all economically exploited species of plants, such as soybeans and coffee, or animals, such as chickens, are imported from other countries, and the economic use of native species still crawls. In the Brazilian GDP, the forest sector represents just over 1% and fishing 0.4%.
The natural heritage of Brazil is severely threatened by cattle ranching and agriculture, logging, mining, resettlement, oil and gas extraction, over-fishing, wildlife trade, dams and infrastructure, water pollution, climate change, fire, and invasive species.[176] In many areas of the country, the natural environment is threatened by development.[180] Construction of highways has opened up previously remote areas for agriculture and settlement; dams have flooded valleys and inundated wildlife habitats; and mines have scarred and polluted the landscape.[179][181] At least 70 dams are said to be planned for the Amazon region, including the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam.[182]
Main articles: Politics of Brazil, Federal government of Brazil, and Elections in Brazil
Palácio do Planalto ("Plateau Palace"), the official workplace of the President of Brazil.
The form of government is that of a democratic federative republic, with a presidential system.[16] The president is both head of state and head of government of the Union and is elected for a four-year term,[16] with the possibility of re-election for a second successive term. The current president is Michel Temer, who replaced Dilma Rousseff after her impeachment.[183] The President appoints the Ministers of State, who assist in government.[16] Legislative houses in each political entity are the main source of law in Brazil. The National Congress is the Federation's bicameral legislature, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. Judiciary authorities exercise jurisdictional duties almost exclusively. Brazil is a democracy, according to the Democracy Index 2010.[184]
The Brazilian Federation is the "indissoluble union" of the States, the Municipalities and the Federal District.[16] The Union, the states and the Federal District, and the municipalities, are the "spheres of government". The federation is set on five fundamental principles:[16] sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of human beings, the social values of labour and freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism. The classic tripartite branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial under a checks and balances system) are formally established by the Constitution.[16] The executive and legislative are organized independently in all three spheres of government, while the judiciary is organized only at the federal and state/Federal District spheres.
National Congress, seat of the legislative branch.
All members of the executive and legislative branches are directly elected.[185][186][187] Judges and other judicial officials are appointed after passing entry exams.[185] For most of its democratic history, Brazil has had a multi-party system, proportional representation. Voting is compulsory for the literate between 18 and 70 years old and optional for illiterates and those between 16 and 18 or beyond 70.[16]
Together with several smaller parties, four political parties stand out: Workers' Party (PT), Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) and Democrats (DEM). Fifteen political parties are represented in Congress. It is common for politicians to switch parties, and thus the proportion of congressional seats held by particular parties changes regularly.[188] Almost all governmental and administrative functions are exercised by authorities and agencies affiliated to the Executive.
Main articles: Law of Brazil, Law enforcement in Brazil, and Crime in Brazil
Brazilian law is based on the civil law legal system[189] and civil law concepts prevail over common law practice. Most of Brazilian law is codified, although non-codified statutes also represent a substantial part, playing a complementary role. Court decisions set out interpretive guidelines; however, they are seldom binding on other specific cases. Doctrinal works and the works of academic jurists have strong influence in law creation and in law cases.
Supreme Federal Court of Brazil serves primarily as the Constitutional Court of the country
The legal system is based on the Federal Constitution, promulgated on 5 October 1988, and is the fundamental law of Brazil. All other legislation and court decisions must conform to its rules.[190] As of April 2007[update], there have been 53 amendments. States have their own constitutions, which must not contradict the Federal Constitution.[191] Municipalities and the Federal District have "organic laws" (leis orgânicas), which act in a similar way to constitutions.[192] Legislative entities are the main source of statutes, although in certain matters judiciary and executive bodies may enact legal norms.[16] Jurisdiction is administered by the judiciary entities, although in rare situations the Federal Constitution allows the Federal Senate to pass on legal judgments.[16] There are also specialized military, labor, and electoral courts.[16] The highest court is the Supreme Federal Court.
This system has been criticized over the last few decades for the slow pace of decision-making. Lawsuits on appeal may take several years to resolve, and in some cases more than a decade elapses before definitive rulings.[193] Nevertheless, the Supreme Federal Tribunal was the first court in the world to transmit its sessions on television, and also via YouTube.[194][195] More recently, in December 2009, the Supreme Court adopted Twitter to display items on the day planner of the ministers, to inform the daily actions of the Court and the most important decisions made by them.[196]
Brazilian Air Force Saab Gripen NG
Brazilian Army Astros 2020
Brazilian Navy's flagship PHeM Atlântico
Main article: Brazilian Armed Forces
The armed forces of Brazil are the largest in Latin America by active personnel and the largest in terms of military equipment.[197] It consists of the Brazilian Army (including the Army Aviation Command), the Brazilian Navy (including the Marine Corps and Naval Aviation), and the Brazilian Air Force. Brazil's conscription policy gives it one of the world's largest military forces, estimated at more than 1.6 million reservists annually.[198]
Numbering close to 236,000 active personnel,[199] the Brazilian Army has the largest number of armored vehicles in South America, including armored transports and tanks.[200] It is also unique in Latin America for its large, elite forces specializing in unconventional missions, the Brazilian Special Operations Command,[201][202][203] and the versatile Strategic Rapid Action Force, made up of highly mobilized and prepared Special Operations Brigade, Infantry Brigade Parachutist,[204][205] 1st Jungle Infantry Battalion (Airmobile)[206] and 12th Brigade Light Infantry (Airmobile)[207] able to act anywhere in the country, on short notice, to counter external aggression.[208] The states' Military Police and the Military Firefighters Corps are described as an ancillary forces of the Army by the constitution, but are under the control of each state's governor.[16]
Brazil's navy, the second-largest in the Americas, once operated some of the most powerful warships in the world with the two Minas Geraes-class dreadnoughts, which sparked a South American dreadnought race between Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.[209] Today, it is a green water force and has a group of specialized elite in retaking ships and naval facilities, GRUMEC, unit specially trained to protect Brazilian oil platforms along its coast.[210] It's the only navy in Latin America that operates an aircraft carrier, NAe São Paulo,[211] and one of the ten navies of the world to operate one.[200]
The Air Force is the largest in Latin America and has about 700 manned aircraft in service and effective about 67,000 personnel.[212]
Brazil has not been invaded since 1865 during the Paraguayan War.[213] Additionally, Brazil has no contested territorial disputes with any of its neighbours[214] and neither does it have rivalries, like Chile and Bolivia have with each other.[215][216] The Brazilian military has also three times intervened militarily to overthrow the Brazilian government.[217] It has built a tradition of participating in UN peacekeeping missions such as in Haiti and East Timor.[218]
Main article: Foreign relations of Brazil
Itamaraty Palace, the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Brazil's international relations are based on Article 4 of the Federal Constitution, which establishes non-intervention, self-determination, international cooperation and the peaceful settlement of conflicts as the guiding principles of Brazil's relationship with other countries and multilateral organizations.[219]
According to the Constitution, the President has ultimate authority over foreign policy, while the Congress is tasked with reviewing and considering all diplomatic nominations and international treaties, as well as legislation relating to Brazilian foreign policy.[220]
Brazil's foreign policy is a by-product of the country's unique position as a regional power in Latin America, a leader among developing countries, and an emerging world power.[221] Brazilian foreign policy has generally been based on the principles of multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, and non-intervention in the affairs of other countries.[222]
An increasingly well-developed tool of Brazil's foreign policy is providing aid as a donor to other developing countries.[223] Brazil does not just use its growing economic strength to provide financial aid, but it also provides high levels of expertise and most importantly of all, a quiet non-confrontational diplomacy to improve governance levels.[223] Total aid is estimated to be around $1 billion per year that includes:[223]
Diplomatic missions of Brazil
technical cooperation of around $480 million ($30 million in 2010 provided directly by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC))
an estimated $450 million for in-kind expertise provided by Brazilian institutions specialising in technical cooperation
In addition, Brazil manages a peacekeeping mission in Haiti ($350 million) and makes in-kind contributions to the World Food Programme ($300 million).[223] This is in addition to humanitarian assistance and contributions to multilateral development agencies. The scale of this aid places it on par with China and India.[223] The Brazilian South-South aid has been described as a "global model in waiting."[224]
Law enforcement and crime
Main articles: Law enforcement in Brazil and Crime in Brazil
Helicopter of the Federal Police Department
In Brazil, the Constitution establishes five different police agencies for law enforcement: Federal Police Department, Federal Highway Police, Federal Railroad Police, Military Police and Civil Police. Of these, the first three are affiliated with federal authorities and the last two are subordinate to state governments. All police forces are the responsibility of the executive branch of any of the federal or state powers.[16] The National Public Security Force also can act in public disorder situations arising anywhere in the country.[225]
The country still has above-average levels of violent crime and particularly high levels of gun violence and homicide. In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the number of 32 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest rates of homicide of the world.[226] The number considered tolerable by the WHO is about 10 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.[227] However, there are differences between the crime rates in the Brazilian states. While in São Paulo the homicide rate registered in 2013 was 10.8 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, in Alagoas it was 64.7 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.[228]
Brazil also has high levels of incarceration and the third largest prison population in the world (behind only China and the United States), with an estimated total of approximately 700,000 prisoners around the country (June 2014), an increase of about 300% compared to the index registered in 1992.[229] The high number of prisoners eventually overloaded the Brazilian prison system, leading to a shortfall of about two hundred thousand accommodations.[230]
Central-West Region
do Norte
do Sul
States of Brazil and Regions of Brazil
Main articles: States of Brazil and Municipalities of Brazil
See also: Regions of Brazil
Brazil is a federation composed of 26 States, one Federal district (which contains the capital city, Brasília) and Municipalities.[16] States have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Federal government. They have a governor and a unicameral legislative body elected directly by their voters. They also have independent Courts of Law for common justice. Despite this, states have much less autonomy to create their own laws than in the United States. For example, criminal and civil laws can be voted by only the federal bicameral Congress and are uniform throughout the country.[16]
The states and the federal district may be grouped into regions: Northern, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and Southern. The Brazilian regions are merely geographical, not political or administrative divisions, and they do not have any specific form of government. Although defined by law, Brazilian regions are useful mainly for statistical purposes, and also to define the distribution of federal funds in development projects.
Municipalities, as the states, have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Union and state government.[16] Each has a mayor and an elected legislative body, but no separate Court of Law. Indeed, a Court of Law organized by the state can encompass many municipalities in a single justice administrative division called comarca (county).
Main article: Economy of Brazil
See also: Brazilian real, Agriculture in Brazil, Mining in Brazil, and Industry in Brazil
Quotes panel of B3, in São Paulo, one of the top 20 stock exchanges by market capitalization.
The KC-390, developed by Embraer, the third largest producer of civil aircraft in the world.[231]
Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America, the world's eighth largest economy and the eighth largest in purchasing power parity (PPP) according to the 2017 estimates. Brazil has a mixed economy with abundant natural resources. After rapid growth in preceding decades, the country entered an ongoing recession in 2014 amid a political corruption scandal and nationwide protests.
Its GDP (PPP) per capita was $15,919 in 2017[232] putting Brazil in the 77th position according to IMF data. Active in agricultural, mining, manufacturing and service sectors Brazil has a labor force of over a 107 million (ranking 6th worldwide) and unemployment of 6.2% (ranking 64th worldwide).[233]
The country has been expanding its presence in international financial and commodities markets, and is one of a group of four emerging economies called the BRIC countries.[234] Brazil has been the world's largest producer of coffee for the last 150 years.[20]
São Paulo, the country's main financial center, and the largest in Latin America
Rice plantation in Rio do Sul, Santa Catarina. Brazil is the second largest agricultural exporter in the world.[235]
Central Bank of Brazil in Brasília
P-51, an oil platform of Petrobras
Brazil's diversified economy includes agriculture, industry, and a wide range of services.[236] Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for 5.1% of the gross domestic product in 2007.[237] Brazil is one of the largest producer of oranges, coffee, sugar cane, cassava and sisal, soybeans and papayas.[238]
The industry – from automobiles, steel and petrochemicals to computers, aircraft and consumer durables – accounted for 30.8% of the gross domestic product.[237] Industry is highly concentrated in metropolitan São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Campinas, Porto Alegre, and Belo Horizonte.[239] Brazil has become the fourth largest car market in the world.[240] Major export products include aircraft, electrical equipment, automobiles, ethanol, textiles, footwear, iron ore, steel, coffee, orange juice, soybeans and corned beef.[241] In total, Brazil ranks 23rd worldwide in value of exports.
Brazil pegged its currency, the real, to the U.S. dollar in 1994. However, after the East Asian financial crisis, the Russian default in 1998[242] and the series of adverse financial events that followed it, the Central Bank of Brazil temporarily changed its monetary policy to a managed-float[243] scheme while undergoing a currency crisis, until definitively changing the exchange regime to free-float in January 1999.[244]
Brazil received an International Monetary Fund rescue package in mid-2002 of $30.4 billion,[245] then a record sum. Brazil's central bank paid back the IMF loan in 2005, although it was not due to be repaid until 2006.[246] One of the issues the Central Bank of Brazil recently dealt with was an excess of speculative short-term capital inflows to the country, which may have contributed to a fall in the value of the U.S. dollar against the real during that period.[247] Nonetheless, foreign direct investment (FDI), related to long-term, less speculative investment in production, is estimated to be $193.8 billion for 2007.[248] Inflation monitoring and control currently plays a major part in the Central bank's role of setting out short-term interest rates as a monetary policy measure.[249]
Between 1993 and 2010, 7012 mergers & acquisitions with a total known value of $707 billion with the involvement of Brazilian firms have been announced.[250] The year 2010 was a new record in terms of value with 115 billion USD of transactions. The largest transaction with involvement of Brazilian companies has been: Cia. Vale do Rio Doce acquired Inco in a tender offer valued at US$18.9 billion.
Corruption costs Brazil almost $41 billion a year alone in 2010, with 69.9% of the country's firms identifying the issue as a major constraint in successfully penetrating the global market.[251] Local government corruption is so prevalent that voters perceive it as a problem only if it surpasses certain levels, and only if a local media e.g. a radio station is present to divulge the findings of corruption charges.[252] Initiatives, like this exposure, strengthen awareness which is indicated by the Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index; ranking Brazil 69th out of 178 countries in 2012.[253] The purchasing power in Brazil is eroded by the so-called Brazil cost.[254]
Main article: Energy policy of Brazil
Brazil is the world's tenth largest energy consumer with much of its energy coming from renewable sources, particularly hydroelectricity and ethanol; the Itaipu Dam is the world's largest hydroelectric plant by energy generation.[255] The first car with an ethanol engine was produced in 1978 and the first airplane engine running on ethanol in 2005.[256]
Recent oil discoveries in the Pre-salt layer have opened the door for a large increase in oil production.[257] The governmental agencies responsible for the energy policy are the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the National Council for Energy Policy, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, and the National Agency of Electricity.[258]
The Itaipu Dam on the Paraná River, located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay, is the second largest of the world (the first is the Three Gorges Dam, in China). Approximately 75% of the Brazilian energy matrix, one of the cleanest in the world, comes from hydropower.
Main article: Tourism in Brazil
Sancho Bay in Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Pernambuco, voted the most beautiful beach in the world by TripAdvisor.[259]
Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul. The rivers in the region are known for their crystal clear waters.
Tourism in Brazil is a growing sector and key to the economy of several regions of the country. The country had 6.36 million visitors in 2015, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the main destination in South America and second in Latin America after Mexico.[260] Revenues from international tourists reached US$6 billion in 2010, showing a recovery from the 2008–2009 economic crisis.[261] Historical records of 5.4 million visitors and US$6.8 billion in receipts were reached in 2011.[262][263]
Natural areas are its most popular tourism product, a combination of ecotourism with leisure and recreation, mainly sun and beach, and adventure travel, as well as cultural tourism. Among the most popular destinations are the Amazon Rainforest, beaches and dunes in the Northeast Region, the Pantanal in the Center-West Region, beaches at Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina, cultural tourism in Minas Gerais and business trips to São Paulo city.[264]
In terms of the 2015 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), which is a measurement of the factors that make it attractive to develop business in the travel and tourism industry of individual countries, Brazil ranked in the 28st place at the world's level, third in the Americas, after Canada and United States.[265][266]
Brazil's main competitive advantages are its natural resources, which ranked 1st on this criteria out of all countries considered, and ranked 23rd for its cultural resources, due to its many World Heritage sites. The TTCI report notes Brazil's main weaknesses: its ground transport infrastructure remains underdeveloped (ranked 116th), with the quality of roads ranking in 105th place; and the country continues to suffer from a lack of price competitiveness (ranked 114th), due in part to high ticket taxes and airport charges, as well as high prices and high taxation. Safety and security have improved significantly: 75th in 2011, up from 128th in 2008.[266]
According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), international travel to Brazil accelerated in 2000, particularly during 2004 and 2005. However, in 2006 a slow-down took place, and international arrivals had almost no growth in 2007–08.[267][268][269]
In spite of this trend, revenues from international tourism continued to rise, from USD 4 billion in 2005 to 5 billion in 2007, despite 330 000 fewer arrivals. This favorable trend is the result of the strong devaluation of the US dollar against the Brazilian Real, which began in 2004, but which makes Brazil a more expensive international destination.[270]
The city of Rio de Janeiro is featured in tourism in Brazil.
Beach Park, Ceará, the largest water park in Latin America.
This trend changed in 2009, when both visitors and revenues fell as a result of the Great Recession of 2008–09.[271] By 2010, the industry had recovered, and arrivals grew above 2006 levels to 5.2 million international visitors, and receipts from these visitors reached USD 6 billion.[261] In 2011 the historical record was reached with 5.4 million visitors and US$6.8 billion in receipts.[262][263]
Despite continuing record-breaking international tourism revenues, the number of Brazilian tourists travelling overseas has been growing steadily since 2003, resulting in a net negative foreign exchange balance, as more money is spent abroad by Brazilians than comes in as receipts from international tourists visiting Brazil.[272]
Tourism expenditures abroad grew from USD 5.8 billion in 2006, to USD 8.2 billion in 2007, a 42% increase, representing a net deficit of USD 3.3 billion in 2007, as compared to USD 1.5 billion in 2006, a 125% increase from the previous year.[272] This trend is caused by Brazilians taking advantage of the stronger Real to travel and making relatively cheaper expenditures abroad.[272] Brazilians traveling overseas in 2006 represented 4% of the country's population.[273]
In 2005, tourism contributed with 3.2% of the country's revenues from exports of goods and services, and represented 7% of direct and indirect employment in the Brazilian economy.[274] In 2006 direct employment in the sector reached 1.9 million people.[275]
Domestic tourism is a fundamental market segment for the industry, as 51 million people traveled throughout the country in 2005,[276] and direct revenues from Brazilian tourists reached USD 22 billion,[277] 5.6 times more receipts than international tourists in 2005.
In 2005, Rio de Janeiro, Foz do Iguaçu, São Paulo, Florianópolis and Salvador were the most visited cities by international tourists for leisure trips. The most popular destinations for business trips were São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre.[278] In 2006 Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza were the most popular destinations for business trips.
Iguazu Falls, Paraná, in Brazil-Argentina border. The Garganta do Diabo Walkway allow panoramic view of the falls from the Brazilian side.
Main article: Science and technology in Brazil
National Synchrotron Light Laboratory in Campinas, state of São Paulo, the only particle accelerator in Latin America.
VLS-1 at the Alcântara Launch Center of the Brazilian Space Agency
Technological research in Brazil is largely carried out in public universities and research institutes, with the majority of funding for basic research coming from various government agencies.[279] Brazil's most esteemed technological hubs are the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, the Butantan Institute, the Air Force's Aerospace Technical Center, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and the INPE.[280][281] The Brazilian Space Agency has the most advanced space program in Latin America, with significant resources to launch vehicles, and manufacture of satellite.[282] Owner of relative technological sophistication, the country develops submarines, aircraft, as well as being involved in space research, having a Vehicle Launch Center Light and being the only country in the Southern Hemisphere the integrate team building International Space Station (ISS).[283]
The country is also a pioneer in the search for oil in deep water, from where it extracts 73% of its reserves. Uranium is enriched at the Resende Nuclear Fuel Factory, mostly for research purposes (as Brazil obtains 88% from its electricity from hydroelectricity[284]) and the country's first nuclear submarine was delivered in 2015 (by France).[285] Brazil is one of the three countries in Latin America[286] with an operational Synchrotron Laboratory, a research facility on physics, chemistry, material science and life sciences, and Brazil is the only Latin American country to have a semiconductor company with its own fabrication plant, the CEITEC.[287] According to the Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010 of the World Economic Forum, Brazil is the world's 61st largest developer of information technology.[288]
Brazil also has a large number of outstanding scientific personalities. Among the most renowned Brazilian inventors are priests Bartolomeu de Gusmão, Landell de Moura and Francisco João de Azevedo, besides Alberto Santos-Dumont,[289] Evaristo Conrado Engelberg,[290] Manuel Dias de Abreu,[291] Andreas Pavel[292] and Nélio José Nicolai.[293] Brazilian science is represented by the likes of César Lattes (Brazilian physicist Pathfinder of Pi Meson),[294] Mário Schenberg (considered the greatest theoretical physicist of Brazil),[295] José Leite Lopes (only Brazilian physicist holder of UNESCO Science Prize),[296] Artur Ávila (the first Latin American winner of Fields Medal)[297] and Fritz Müller (pioneer in factual support of the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin).[298]
Terminal 3 of the São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, the second busiest airport in Latin America.
BR-116 in Guapimirim, Rio de Janeiro, the longest highway in the country, with 4,385 km (2,725 mi) of extension.[299]
Aerial view of Port of Santos, São Paulo, the busiest port in Latin America.[300]
Main article: Transport in Brazil
Brazilian roads are the primary carriers of freight and passenger traffic. The road system totaled 1.98 million km (1.23 million mi) in 2002. The total of paved roads increased from 35,496 km (22,056 mi) (22,056 mi) in 1967 to 184,140 km (114,419 mi) (114,425 mi) in 2002.[301]
The first investments in road infrastructure have given up in the 1920s, the government of Washington Luis, being pursued in the governments of Getúlio Vargas and Eurico Gaspar Dutra.[302] President Juscelino Kubitschek (1956–61), who designed and built the capital Brasília, was another supporter of highways. Kubitschek was responsible for the installation of major car manufacturers in the country (Volkswagen, Ford and General Motors arrived in Brazil during his rule) and one of the points used to attract them was support for the construction of highways. With the implementation of Fiat in 1976 ending an automobile market closed loop, from the end of the 1990s the country has received large foreign direct investments installing in its territory other major car manufacturers and utilities, such as Iveco, Renault, Peugeot, Citroen, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Hyundai, Toyota among others.[303] Brazil is the seventh most important country in the auto industry.[304]
Brazil's railway system has been declining since 1945, when emphasis shifted to highway construction. The total length of railway track was 30,875 km (19,185 mi) in 2002, as compared with 31,848 km (19,789 mi) in 1970. Most of the railway system belonged to the Federal Railroad Corporation RFFSA, which was privatized in 2007.[305] The São Paulo Metro was the first underground transit system in Brazil. The other metro systems are in Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Recife, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Teresina and Fortaleza.
The country has an extensive rail network of 28,538 kilometres (17,733 miles) in length, the tenth largest network in the world.[306] Currently, the Brazilian government, unlike the past, seeks to encourage this mode of transport; an example of this incentive is the project of the Rio–São Paulo high-speed rail, that will connect the two main cities of the country to carry passengers.
There are about 2,500 airports in Brazil, including landing fields: the second largest number in the world, after the United States.[307] São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, near São Paulo, is the largest and busiest airport with nearly 20 million passengers annually, while handling the vast majority of commercial traffic for the country.[308]
For freight transport waterways are of importance, e.g. the industrial zones of Manaus can be reached only by means of the Solimões–Amazonas waterway (3,250 kilometres (2,020 miles) with 6 metres (20 feet) minimum depth). The country also has 50,000 kilometres (31,000 miles) of waterways.[306]
Coastal shipping links widely separated parts of the country. Bolivia and Paraguay have been given free ports at Santos. Of the 36 deep-water ports, Santos, Itajaí, Rio Grande, Paranaguá, Rio de Janeiro, Sepetiba, Vitória, Suape, Manaus and São Francisco do Sul are the most important.[309] Bulk carriers have to wait up to 18 days before being serviced, container ships 36,3 hours on average.[310]
Main article: Health in Brazil
The Syrian-Lebanese Hospital in São Paulo.
The Brazilian public health system, the Unified Health System (SUS), is managed and provided by all levels of government,[311] being the largest system of this type in the world.[312] On the other hand, private healthcare systems play a complementary role.[313] Public health services are universal and offered to all citizens of the country for free. However, the construction and maintenance of health centers and hospitals are financed by taxes, and the country spends about 9% of its GDP on expenditures in the area. In 2012, Brazil had 1.85 doctors and 2.3 hospital beds for every 1,000 inhabitants.[314][315]
Despite all the progress made since the creation of the universal health care system in 1988, there are still several public health problems in Brazil. In 2006, the main points to be solved were the high infant (2.51%) and maternal mortality rates (73.1 deaths per 1000 births). The number of deaths from noncommunicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases (151.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) and cancer (72.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants), also has a considerable impact on the health of the Brazilian population. Finally, external but preventable factors such as car accidents, violence and suicide caused 14.9% of all deaths in the country.[316] The Brazilian health system was ranked 125th among the 191 countries evaluated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2000.[317]
Courtyard of the former Royal Academy of Artillery, Fortification and Design, the first institution of higher education in Brazil, created in 1792
Classroom in the main campus of the University of Campinas, São Paulo
Main article: Education in Brazil
The Federal Constitution and the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education determine that the Federal Government, States, Federal District and municipalities must manage and organize their respective education systems. Each of these public educational systems is responsible for its own maintenance, which manages funds as well as the mechanisms and funding sources. The constitution reserves 25% of the state budget and 18% of federal taxes and municipal taxes for education.[318]
According to the IBGE, in 2011, the literacy rate of the population was 90.4%, meaning that 13 million (9.6% of population) people are still illiterate in the country; functional illiteracy has reached 21.6% of the population.[319] Illiteracy is highest in the Northeast, where 19.9% of the population is illiterate.[320]
Higher education starts with undergraduate or sequential courses, which may offer different options of specialization in academic or professional careers. Depending on the choice, students can improve their educational background with courses of post-graduate studies or broad sense.
Attending an institution of higher education is required by Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education. Kindergarten, elementary and medium educations are required of all students, provided the student does not hold any disability, whether physical, mental, visual or hearing.
The University of São Paulo is the third best university in Latin America, according to recent 2018 QS World University Rankings. Of the top 20 Latin Americans universities, eight are Brazilian. Most of them are public.[321]
Main article: Telecommunications in Brazil
See also: Media ownership in Brazil
Former President Dilma Rousseff at Jornal Nacional news program. Rede Globo is the second largest commercial television network of the world.[322]
The Brazilian press had its beginnings in 1808 with the arrival of the Portuguese royal family to Brazil, hitherto forbidden any activity of the press – was the publication of newspapers or books. The Brazilian press was officially born in Rio de Janeiro on 13 May 1808, with the creation of the Royal Printing, National Press by the Prince Regent Dom João.[323]
The Gazeta do Rio de Janeiro, the first newspaper published in the country, began to circulate on 10 September 1808.[324] The largest newspapers nowadays are Folha de S.Paulo (from the state of São Paulo), Super Notícia (Minas Gerais 296.799), O Globo (RJ 277.876) and O Estado de S. Paulo (SP 235.217).[325]
Radio broadcasting began on 7 September 1922, with a speech by then President Pessoa, and was formalized on 20 April 1923 with the creation of "Radio Society of Rio de Janeiro."[326]
Television in Brazil began officially on 18 September 1950, with the founding of TV Tupi by Assis Chateaubriand.[327] Since then television has grown in the country, creating large public networks such as Globo, SBT, Record and Bandeirantes. Today it is the most important factor in popular culture of Brazilian society, indicated by research showing that as much as 67%[328][329] of the general population follow the same daily soap opera broadcast. Digital Television, using the SBTVD standard (based on the Japanese standard ISDB-T), was adopted 29 June 2006 and launched on 2 November 2007.[330] In May 2010, Brazil launched TV Brasil Internacional, an international television station, initially broadcasting to 49 countries.[331]
Main articles: Demographics of Brazil and Brazilian people
See also: Immigration to Brazil and List of Brazilian states by population density
Population density of Brazilian municipalities
The population of Brazil, as recorded by the 2008 PNAD, was approximately 190 million[332] (22.31 inhabitants per square kilometre or 57.8/sq mi), with a ratio of men to women of 0.95:1[333] and 83.75% of the population defined as urban.[334] The population is heavily concentrated in the Southeastern (79.8 million inhabitants) and Northeastern (53.5 million inhabitants) regions, while the two most extensive regions, the Center-West and the North, which together make up 64.12% of the Brazilian territory, have a total of only 29.1 million inhabitants.
The first census in Brazil was carried out in 1872 and recorded a population of 9,930,478.[335] From 1880 to 1930, 4 million Europeans arrived.[336] Brazil's population increased significantly between 1940 and 1970, because of a decline in the mortality rate, even though the birth rate underwent a slight decline. In the 1940s the annual population growth rate was 2.4%, rising to 3.0% in the 1950s and remaining at 2.9% in the 1960s, as life expectancy rose from 44 to 54 years[337] and to 72.6 years in 2007.[338] It has been steadily falling since the 1960s, from 3.04% per year between 1950 and 1960 to 1.05% in 2008 and is expected to fall to a negative value of –0.29% by 2050[339] thus completing the demographic transition.[340]
In 2008, the illiteracy rate was 11.48%[341] and among the youth (ages 15–19) 1.74%. It was highest (20.30%) in the Northeast, which had a large proportion of rural poor.[342] Illiteracy was high (24.18%) among the rural population and lower (9.05%) among the urban population.[343]
Main article: Race and ethnicity in Brazil
Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo in the neighborhood of Mooca, in São Paulo city.
According to the National Research by Household Sample (PNAD) of 2008, 48.43% of the population (about 92 million) described themselves as White; 43.80% (about 83 million) as Pardo (brown), 6.84% (about 13 million) as Black; 0.58% (about 1.1 million) as Asian; and 0.28% (about 536 thousand) as Amerindian (officially called indígena, Indigenous), while 0.07% (about 130 thousand) did not declare their race.[344]
In 2007, the National Indian Foundation estimated that Brazil has 67 different uncontacted tribes, up from their estimate of 40 in 2005. Brazil is believed to have the largest number of uncontacted peoples in the world.[345]
Since the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, considerable miscegenation between Amerindians, Europeans, and Africans has taken place in all regions of the country (with European ancestry being dominant nationwide according to the vast majority of all autosomal studies undertaken covering the entire population, accounting for between 65% to 77%).[346][347][348][349]
Race and ethnicity in Brazil[350][351][352]
White (47.7%)
Pardo (Multiracial) (43.1%)
Black (7.6%)
Asian (1.1%)
Natives (0.4%)
Brazilian society is more markedly divided by social class lines, although a high income disparity is found between race groups, so racism and classism can be conflated. Socially significant closeness to one racial group is taken in account more in the basis of appearance (phenotypes) rather than ancestry, to the extent that full siblings can pertain to different "racial" groups.[353] Socioeconomic factors are also significant, because a minority of pardos are likely to start declaring themselves White or Black if socially upward.[354] Skin color and facial features do not line quite well with ancestry (usually, Afro-Brazilians are evenly mixed and European ancestry is dominant in Whites and pardos with a significant non-European contribution, but the individual variation is great).[349][355][356][357]
The brown population (officially called pardo in Portuguese, also colloquially moreno)[358][359] is a broad category that includes caboclos (assimilated Amerindians in general, and descendants of Whites and Natives), mulatos (descendants of primarily Whites and Afro-Brazilians) and cafuzos (descendants of Afro-Brazilians and Natives).[358][359][360][361][362] People of considerable Amerindian ancestry form the majority of the population in the Northern, Northeastern and Center-Western regions.[363]
Higher percents of Blacks, mulattoes and tri-racials can be found in the eastern coast of the Northeastern region from Bahia to Paraíba[362][364] and also in northern Maranhão,[365][366] southern Minas Gerais[367] and in eastern Rio de Janeiro.[362][367] From the 19th century, Brazil opened its borders to immigration. About five million people from over 60 countries migrated to Brazil between 1808 and 1972, most of them of Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, German, Ukrainian, Polish, Jewish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Arab origin.[368][369]
Main article: Religion in Brazil
Further information: Roman Catholicism in Brazil and Protestantism in Brazil
Religion in Brazil (2010 Census)
Religion Percent
Religion in Brazil was formed from the meeting of the Catholic Church with the religious traditions of enslaved African peoples and indigenous peoples.[370] This confluence of faiths during the Portuguese colonization of Brazil led to the development of a diverse array of syncretistic practices within the overarching umbrella of Brazilian Catholic Church, characterized by traditional Portuguese festivities,[371] and in some instances, Allan Kardec's Spiritism (a religion which incorporates elements of spiritualism and Christianity). Religious pluralism increased during the 20th century,[372] and the Protestant community has grown to include over 22% of the population.[373] The most common Protestant denominations are Pentecostal and Evangelical ones. Other Protestant branches with a notable presence in the country include the Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Lutherans and the Reformed tradition.[374]
The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro is one of the most famous religious statues worldwide[376][377]
Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Aparecida, São Paulo, is the second largest Catholic church in the world[375]
Roman Catholicism is the country's predominant faith. Brazil has the world's largest Catholic population.[378] According to the 2000 Demographic Census (the PNAD survey does not inquire about religion), 73.57% of the population followed Roman Catholicism; 15.41% Protestantism; 1.33% Kardecist spiritism; 1.22% other Christian denominations; 0.31% Afro-Brazilian religions; 0.13% Buddhism; 0.05% Judaism; 0.02% Islam; 0.01% Amerindian religions; 0.59% other religions, undeclared or undetermined; while 7.35% have no religion.[379]
However, in the last ten years Protestantism, particularly in forms of Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism, has spread in Brazil, while the proportion of Catholics has dropped significantly.[380] After Protestantism, individuals professing no religion are also a significant group, exceeding 7% of the population as of the 2000 census. The cities of Boa Vista, Salvador, and Porto Velho have the greatest proportion of Irreligious residents in Brazil. Teresina, Fortaleza, and Florianópolis were the most Roman Catholic in the country.[381] Greater Rio de Janeiro, not including the city proper, is the most irreligious and least Roman Catholic Brazilian periphery, while Greater Porto Alegre and Greater Fortaleza are on the opposite sides of the lists, respectively.[381]
Main articles: List of largest cities in Brazil and Municipalities of Brazil
According to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) urban areas already concentrate 84.35% of the population, while the Southeast region remains the most populated one, with over 80 million inhabitants.[382] The largest urban agglomerations in Brazil are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte – all in the Southeastern Region – with 21.1, 12.3, and 5.1 million inhabitants respectively.[383][384][385] The majority of state capitals are the largest cities in their states, except for Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina.[386]
Largest urban agglomerations in Brazil
2017 Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics estimates[383][387][388]
Rio de Janeiro 1 São Paulo São Paulo 21,314,716 11 Belém Pará 2,157,180
2 Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro 12,389,775 12 Manaus Amazonas 2,130,264
3 Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais 5,142,260 13 Campinas São Paulo 2,105,600
4 Recife Pernambuco 4,021,641 14 Vitória Espírito Santo 1,837,047
5 Brasília Federal District 3,986,425 15 Baixada Santista São Paulo 1,702,343
6 Porto Alegre Rio Grande do Sul 3,894,232 16 São José dos Campos São Paulo 1,572,943
7 Salvador Bahia 3,863,154 17 São Luís Maranhão 1,421,569
8 Fortaleza Ceará 3,594,924 18 Natal Rio Grande do Norte 1,349,743
9 Curitiba Paraná 3,387,985 19 Maceió Alagoas 1,231,965
10 Goiânia Goiás 2,347,557 20 João Pessoa Paraíba 1,168,941
Main articles: Languages of Brazil, Portuguese language, Brazilian Portuguese, and List of endangered languages in Brazil
Museum of the Portuguese Language in São Paulo city, São Paulo.
Oca of the Kamayurá people, Xingu Indigenous Park, Mato Grosso
The official language of Brazil is Portuguese[389] (Article 13 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Brazil), which almost all of the population speaks and is virtually the only language used in newspapers, radio, television, and for business and administrative purposes. The most famous exception to this is a strong sign language law that was passed by the National Congress of Brazil. Legally recognized in 2002,[390] the law was regulated in 2005.[391] The law mandates the use of the Brazilian Sign Language, more commonly known by its Portuguese acronym LIBRAS, in education and government services. The language must be taught as a part of the education and speech and language pathology curricula. LIBRAS teachers, instructors and translators are recognized professionals. Schools and health services must provide access ("inclusion") to deaf people.[392]
Brazilian Portuguese has had its own development, mostly similar to 16th-century Central and Southern dialects of European Portuguese[393] (despite a very substantial number of Portuguese colonial settlers, and more recent immigrants, coming from Northern regions, and in minor degree Portuguese Macaronesia), with a few influences from the Amerindian and African languages, especially West African and Bantu restricted to the vocabulary only.[394] As a result,[citation needed] the language is somewhat different, mostly in phonology, from the language of Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries (the dialects of the other countries, partly because of the more recent end of Portuguese colonialism in these regions, have a closer connection to contemporary European Portuguese). These differences are comparable to those between American and British English.[394]
Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity and giving it a national culture distinct from those of its Spanish-speaking neighbors.[395]
Pomerode, Santa Catarina, is one of the municipalities with a cooficial language. In this region, Hunsrückisch and East Pomeranian, German dialects, are two of the minor languages (see Brazilian German).
In 1990, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), which included representatives from all countries with Portuguese as the official language, reached an agreement on the reform of the Portuguese orthography to unify the two standards then in use by Brazil on one side and the remaining lusophone countries on the other. This spelling reform went into effect in Brazil on 1 January 2009. In Portugal, the reform was signed into law by the President on 21 July 2008 allowing for a 6-year adaptation period, during which both orthographies will co-exist. The remaining CPLP countries are free to establish their own transition timetables.[396]
Minority languages are spoken throughout the nation. One hundred and eighty Amerindian languages are spoken in remote areas and a significant number of other languages are spoken by immigrants and their descendants.[394] In the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Nheengatu (a currently endangered South American creole language – or an 'anti-creole', according to some linguists – with mostly Indigenous Brazilian languages lexicon and Portuguese-based grammar that, together with its southern relative língua geral paulista, once was a major lingua franca in Brazil[citation needed], being replaced by Portuguese only after governmental prohibition led by major political changes)[excessive detail?], Baniwa and Tucano languages had been granted co-official status with Portuguese.[397]
There are significant communities of German (mostly the Brazilian Hunsrückisch, a High German language dialect) and Italian (mostly the Talian, a Venetian dialect) origins in the Southern and Southeastern regions, whose ancestors' native languages were carried along to Brazil, and which, still alive there, are influenced by the Portuguese language.[398][399] Talian is officially a historic patrimony of Rio Grande do Sul,[400] and two German dialects possess co-official status in a few municipalities.[401]
Learning at least one second language (generally English or Spanish) is mandatory for all the 12 grades of the mandatory education system (primary and secondary education, there called ensino fundamental and ensino médio respectively). Brazil is the first country in South America to offer Esperanto to secondary students.[402]
Interior of the São Francisco Church and Convent in Salvador, Bahia, one of the richest expressions of Brazilian baroque.
Main article: Culture of Brazil
The core culture of Brazil is derived from Portuguese culture, because of its strong colonial ties with the Portuguese Empire.[403] Among other influences, the Portuguese introduced the Portuguese language, Roman Catholicism and colonial architectural styles. The culture was, however, also strongly influenced by African, indigenous and non-Portuguese European cultures and traditions.[404]
Some aspects of Brazilian culture were influenced by the contributions of Italian, German and other European as well Japanese, Jewish and Arab immigrants who arrived in large numbers in the South and Southeast of Brazil during the 19th and 20th centuries.[405] The indigenous Amerindians influenced Brazil's language and cuisine; and the Africans influenced language, cuisine, music, dance and religion.[406]
Brazilian art has developed since the 16th century into different styles that range from Baroque (the dominant style in Brazil until the early 19th century)[407][408] to Romanticism, Modernism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and Abstractionism. Brazilian cinema dates back to the birth of the medium in the late 19th century and has gained a new level of international acclaim since the 1960s.[409]
Main article: Architecture of Brazil
The Museum of the Inconfidência in Minas Gerais, an example of Portuguese colonial architecture.
The Cathedral of Brasilia, an example of Modern architecture
The architecture of Brazil is influenced by Europe, especially Portugal. It has a history that goes back 500 years to the time when Pedro Cabral discovered Brazil in 1500. Portuguese colonial architecture was the first wave of architecture to go to Brazil.[410] It is the basis for all Brazilian architecture of later centuries.[411] In the 19th century during the time of the Empire of Brazil, Brazil followed European trends and adopted Neoclassical and Gothic Revival architecture. Then in the 20th century especially in Brasilia, Brazil experimented with Modernist architecture.
The colonial architecture of Brazil dates to the early 16th century when Brazil was first explored, conquered and settled by the Portuguese. The Portuguese built architecture familiar to them in Europe in their aim to colonise Brazil. They built Portuguese colonial architecture which included Churches, civic architecture including houses and forts in Brazilian cities and the countryside. During 19th Century Brazilian architecture saw the introduction of more European styles to Brazil such as Neoclassical and Gothic Revival architecture. This was usually mixed with Brazilian influences from their own heritage which produced a unique form of Brazilian architecture. In the 1950s the modernist architecture was introduced when Brasilia was built as new federal capital in the interior of Brazil to help develop the interior. The architect Oscar Niemeyer idealized and built Government buildings, Churches and civic buildings was constructed in the modernist style.[412][413]
Main article: Music of Brazil
Heitor Villa-Lobos, one of the great Latin composers
Tom Jobim and Chico Buarque, leading names of bossa nova.
The music of Brazil was formed mainly from the fusion of European and African elements.[414] Until the nineteenth century, Portugal was the gateway to most of the influences that built Brazilian music, although many of these elements were not of Portuguese origin, but generally European. The first was José Maurício Nunes Garcia, author of sacred pieces with influence of Viennese classicism.[415] The major contribution of the African element was the rhythmic diversity and some dances and instruments that had a bigger role in the development of popular music and folk, flourishing especially in the twentieth century.[414]
Popular music since the late eighteenth century began to show signs of forming a characteristically Brazilian sound, with samba considered the most typical and on the UNESCO cultural heritage list.[416] Maracatu and Afoxê are two Afro-Brazilian music traditions that have been popularized by their appearance in the annual Brazilian Carnivals.[417] The sport of capoeira is usually played with its own music referred to as capoeira music, which is usually considered to be a call-and-response type of folk music.[418] Forró is a type of folk music prominent during the Festa Junina in northeastern Brazil[419]. Jack A. Draper III, a professor of Portuguese at the University of Missouri[420] argues that Forró was used as a way to subdue feelings of nostalgia for a rural lifestyle in his book Forró and Redemptive Regionalism from the Brazilian Northeast. [421]
Choro is a very popular music instrumental style. Its origins are in 19th-century Rio de Janeiro. In spite of the name, the style often has a fast and happy rhythm, characterized by virtuosity, improvisation, subtle modulations and full of syncopation and counterpoint.[422] Bossa nova is also a well-known style of Brazilian music developed and popularized in the 1950s and 1960s.[423] The phrase "bossa nova" means literally "new trend".[424] A lyrical fusion of samba and jazz, bossa nova acquired a large following starting in the 1960s.[425]
The Rio Carnival, a type of samba parade
Machado de Assis, poet and novelist, founder of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.
Carlos Drummond de Andrade, considered by some as the greatest Brazilian poet.[426]
Main article: Brazilian literature
Brazilian literature dates back to the 16th century, to the writings of the first Portuguese explorers in Brazil, such as Pêro Vaz de Caminha, filled with descriptions of fauna, flora and commentary about the indigenous population that fascinated European readers.[427]
Brazil produced significant works in Romanticism – novelists like Joaquim Manuel de Macedo and José de Alencar wrote novels about love and pain. Alencar, in his long career, also treated indigenous people as heroes in the Indigenist novels O Guarani, Iracema and Ubirajara.[428] Machado de Assis, one of his contemporaries, wrote in virtually all genres and continues to gain international prestige from critics worldwide.[429][430][431]
Brazilian Modernism, evidenced by the Week of Modern Art in 1922, was concerned with a nationalist avant-garde literature,[432] while Post-Modernism brought a generation of distinct poets like João Cabral de Melo Neto, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Vinicius de Moraes, Cora Coralina, Graciliano Ramos, Cecília Meireles, and internationally known writers dealing with universal and regional subjects like Jorge Amado, João Guimarães Rosa, Clarice Lispector and Manuel Bandeira.[433][434][435]
Main article: Brazilian cuisine
See also: List of Brazilian dishes
Brigadeiro is a national candy and one most and is recognized as one of the main dishes of the Brazilian cuisine.
Feijoada is a typical Brazilian dish
Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's varying mix of indigenous and immigrant populations. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences.[436] Examples are Feijoada, considered the country's national dish;[437] and regional foods such as beiju (pt), feijão tropeiro (pt), vatapá, moqueca, polenta (from Italian cuisine) and acarajé (from African cuisine).[438]
The national beverage is coffee and cachaça is Brazil's native liquor. Cachaça is distilled from sugar cane and is the main ingredient in the national cocktail, Caipirinha.[439]
A typical meal consists mostly of rice and beans with beef, salad, french fries and a fried egg.[440] Often, it's mixed with cassava flour (farofa). Fried potatoes, fried cassava, fried banana, fried meat and fried cheese are very often eaten in lunch and served in most typical restaurants.[441] Popular snacks are pastel (a fried pastry); coxinha (a variation of chicken croquete); pão de queijo (cheese bread and cassava flour / tapioca); pamonha (corn and milk paste); esfirra (a variation of Lebanese pastry); kibbeh (from Arabic cuisine); empanada (pastry) and empada, little salt pies filled with shrimps or heart of palm.
Brazil has a variety of desserts such as brigadeiros (chocolate fudge balls), bolo de rolo (roll cake with goiabada), cocada (a coconut sweet), beijinhos (coconut truffles and clove) and romeu e julieta (cheese with goiabada). Peanuts are used to make paçoca, rapadura and pé-de-moleque. Local common fruits like açaí, cupuaçu, mango, papaya, cocoa, cashew, guava, orange, lime, passionfruit, pineapple, and hog plum are turned in juices and used to make chocolates, popsicles and ice cream.[442]
Gramado Film Festival
Fernando Meirelles
Main article: Cinema of Brazil
The Brazilian film industry began in the late 19th century, during the early days of the Belle Époque. While there were national film productions during the early 20th century, American films such as Rio the Magnificent were made in Rio de Janeiro to promote tourism in the city.[443] The films Limite (1931) and Ganga Bruta (1933), the latter being produced by Adhemar Gonzaga through the prolific studio Cinédia, were poorly received at release and failed at the box office, but are acclaimed nowadays and placed among the finest Brazilian films of all time.[444] The 1941 unfinished film It's All True was divided in four segments, two of which were filmed in Brazil and directed by Orson Welles; it was originally produced as part of the United States' Good Neighbor Policy during Getúlio Vargas' Estado Novo government.
During the 1960s, the Cinema Novo movement rose to prominence with directors such as Glauber Rocha, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Paulo Cesar Saraceni and Arnaldo Jabor. Rocha's films Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol (1964) and Terra em Transe (1967) are considered to be some of the greatest and most influential in Brazilian film history.[445]
During the 1990s, Brazil saw a surge of critical and commercial success with films such as O Quatrilho (Fábio Barreto, 1995), O Que É Isso, Companheiro? (Bruno Barreto, 1997) and Central do Brasil (Walter Salles, 1998), all of which were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the latter receiving a Best Actress nomination for Fernanda Montenegro. The 2002 crime film City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles, was critically acclaimed, scoring 90% on Rotten Tomatoes,[446] being placed in Roger Ebert's Best Films of the Decade list[447] and receiving four Academy Award nominations in 2004, including Best Director. Notable film festivals in Brazil include the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro International Film Festivals and the Gramado Festival.
São Paulo Municipal Theater
Rio de Janeiro Municipal Theater
The theatre in Brazil has its origins in the period of Jesuit expansion when theater was used for the dissemination of Catholic doctrine in the 16th century. in the 17th and 18th centuries the first dramatists who appeared on the scene of European derivation was for court or private performances.[448] During the 19th century, dramatic theater gained importance and thickness, whose first representative was Luis Carlos Martins Pena (1813–1848), capable of describing contemporary reality. Always in this period the comedy of costume and comic production was imposed. Significant, also in the nineteenth century, was also the playwright Antônio Gonçalves Dias.[449] There were also numerous operas and orchestras. The Brazilian conductor Antônio Carlos Gomes became internationally known with operas like Il Guarany. At the end of century 19th century orchestrated dramaturgias became very popular and were accompanied of songs of famous artists like the conductress Chiquinha Gonzaga.[450]
Already in the early 20th century there was the presence of theaters, entrepreneurs and actor companies, but paradoxically the quality of the products staggered, and only in 1940 the Brazilian theater received a boost of renewal thanks to the action of Paschoal Carlos Magno and his student's theater, the comedians group and the Italian actors Adolfo Celi, Ruggero Jacobbi and Aldo Calvo, founders of the Teatro Brasileiro de Comedia. From the 1960s it was attended by a theater dedicated to social and religious issues and to the flourishing of schools of dramatic art. The most prominent authors at this stage were Jorge Andrade and Ariano Suassuna.[449]
Discovery of the Land mural, by Brazilian painter Candido Portinari, at the Library of Congress
Main article: Painting in Brazil
Brazilian painting emerged in the late 16th century,[451] influenced by Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism, Expressionism, Surrealism, Cubism and Abstracionism making it a major art style called Brazilian academic art.[452][453] The Missão Artística Francesa (French Artistic Mission) arrived in Brazil in 1816 proposing the creation of an art academy modeled after the respected Académie des Beaux-Arts, with graduation courses both for artists and craftsmen for activities such as modeling, decorating, carpentry and others and bringing artists like Jean-Baptiste Debret.[453]
Upon the creation of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, new artistic movements spread across the country during the 19th century and later the event called Week of Modern Art broke definitely with academic tradition in 1922 and started a nationalist trend which was influenced by modernist arts. Among the best-known Brazilian painters are Ricardo do Pilar and Manuel da Costa Ataíde (baroque and rococo), Victor Meirelles, Pedro Américo and Almeida Junior (romanticism and realism), Anita Malfatti, Ismael Nery, Lasar Segall, Emiliano di Cavalcanti, Vicente do Rego Monteiro, and Tarsila do Amaral (expressionism, surrealism and cubism), Aldo Bonadei, José Pancetti and Cândido Portinari (modernism).[454]
Main article: Sport in Brazil
Brazil players with their gold medals from the 2016 Summer Olympics
Senna, one of the biggest names in F1's history
The most popular sport in Brazil is football.[455] The Brazilian men's national team is ranked among the best in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings, and has won the World Cup tournament a record five times.[456][457] Volleyball, basketball, auto racing, and martial arts also attract large audiences. The Brazil men's national volleyball team, for example, currently holds the titles of the World League, World Grand Champions Cup, World Championship and the World Cup. In auto racing, three Brazilian drivers have won the Formula One world championship eight times.[458][459]
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Arkansongs
Floyd Cramer's country keys
Stephen Koch 5/3/07 2:00am
Floyd Cramer, who grew up in Huttig, became one of the most important piano players in the development of country music.
Dorough finds his voice
Stephen Koch 3/15/07 2:00am
From his beginnings in Cherry Hill, Bob Dorough knew music was his thing.
‘Sunday Afternoon’
In 2004, Jason Morphew recorded his first score, for a film called “Runaway,” starring Robin Tunney of TV’s “Prison Break.”
The unknown supergroup
Can the term supergroup be applied to a band that rarely gigged, whose records are impossible to find and no one’s ever heard of?
Stones, others 'got' Carter
Bill Carter is not a musician. But the Rector native, author of the 2006 autobiography “Get Carter,” has had a hand in the careers of Tanya Tucker, Reba McEntire and others, most notably the Rolling Stones for many years. Before that, Carter served in the
Activist Lee Hays wove musical fabric
Lee Hays was a singer and songwriter who gained fame in the Weavers, with that folk group being blacklisted in the 1950s and its music being branded as “un-American.”
The Louis Jordan Tributes
But, despite being among the most important figures in American popular music, Louis Jordan isn’t a household name in Arkansas. In the 1990s, a group of music lovers gathered to better preserve Jordan’s legacy, at least in his home state.
More West Memphis soul
Stephen Koch 10/20/05 7:00am
After helping craft the Memphis R&B sound of the 1960s, trumpeter Wayne Jackson of West Memphis had many avenues to explore.
West Memphis soul, part 1
Horn player Wayne Jackson was born Nov. 24, 1941, in West Memphis, and helped craft the Memphis rhythm and blues sound especially typified by Stax and Hi Records.
Fred Tackett: Unknown gun goes large
Stephen Koch 10/6/05 7:00am
Little Rock native Fred Tackett, who will be performing Friday, Oct. 7, at the Ozark Folk Festival in Eureka Springs, gained fame in the late 1980s as a member of reformed rockers Little Feat, but he has been recording for decades with countless acts. In
John L. Handcox rolls on
John L. Handcox was born Feb. 5, 1904, in Brinkley, and became the voice of the sharecropper through his poems and songs for the Southern Tenant Farmers Union.
Frost warmed the blues scene
Frank Otis Frost, who was born April 15, 1936, in Auvergne (Jackson County), became known as a premier Delta bluesman of the latter 20th century, with his talents sought for albums, movies and in concert around the world.
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History of Easter: The Sanhedrin — Who was this Council?
HISTORY OF THE SANHEDRIN
The Greek word Συνέδριον, sunedrion, means literally “sitting together” and is usually translated “council.” It is referred to in the New Testament as “the Great Law-Court,” “the Court of Seventy-One,” and “the rulers and elders and scribes.” It was the supreme theocratic court of the Jews and reflected the local autonomy which first the Greek and later the Roman powers granted the Jewish nation during their successive sovereignty over the Land of Israel.
Its origin can be traced back as far as 200 B.C. during what is called the “Intertestamental Period,” meaning that period extending about 400 years after the close of the Old Testament to the beginning of the New Testament writings. We hear about it during the Hasmonean period, following the Maccabean Revolt, and there are references to it in the Mishnah section of the Talmud. There is no reference to this body in the original Old Testament. The council had about 70 members plus the ruling high priest. Three professional groups composed the council:
High priests — the acting high priest and former high priests, and members of the chief-priestly families
Elders — tribal and family heads of the people and the priesthood
Scribes — legal professionals
At the time of Jesus, two religio-political parties within Judaism were represented in the Sanhedrin: the Sadducees of the majority and the Pharisees of the minority. Caiaphas, the high priest, was a Sadducee. Most of the scribes were Pharisees. The presiding officer of the council was usually the high priest. The council was connected with the minor courts, itself being the highest court of appeal from these. The Sanhedrin’s authority was broad and far-reaching, involving legislation, administration, and justice. There was religious, civil, and criminal jurisdiction.
However, during the time of Jesus, the council had lost to the Roman governor the power of capital punishment, the jus gladii. The council met daily, except on Sabbath and feast days, in a session room adjoining the temple. In extraordinary cases, the council met at the house of the high priest. One of the responsibilities of the Sanhedrin was the identification, and confirmation of the Messiah. The gospel writers identify a delegation from the council going out to question John the Baptist as to whether he himself was the Messiah. There were about a dozen false Messiahs running around during the first part of this century deceiving the people, and it was the responsibility of the council to identify and denounce them. This is why Jesus had to eventually come into conflict with them.
Although the minority party within the council was the Pharisees, they were the majority party outside the council. During the first century, the Jewish philosopher Philo tells us they numbered six thousand across the Roman world. They were highly respected among the people, operating principally in the synagogues. The typical Jewish boy would have received his religious training from a Pharisee. Their name meant “separated ones,” and they kept themselves pure of any corrupting influence, including Greek or Roman influences, which were considered pagan. They first appeared more than a century before Jesus, though by this time they had little interest in politics. They had a highly developed system of rabbinic tradition which sought to apply the Biblical Law to a variety of circumstances.
They held to three doctrines that the Sadducees did not: the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, and the existence of angels and demons. This they had in common with Jesus. These men were devout laymen, not priests. Where they conflicted with Jesus was the charge that, in their over attention to the tradition of men concerning the minutiae of the Law, they had largely neglected the real intention of the Law. Numbered among the Pharisees were Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, the great teacher Gamaliel, and his student Saul of Tarsus, later known as St. Paul.
The Sadducees seem to have gotten their name from the Hebrew word צדיק, zaddikim, the “righteous ones.” They had little in common with the Pharisees except for their antagonism toward Jesus. They represented the Jewish aristocracy and the high priesthood. They had made their peace with the Roman political rulers and had attained positions of wealth and influence.
Temple administration and ritual were their specific responsibility. Being well educated and wealthy, they held themselves aloof from the masses and were unpopular with them. They were externally religious and very political, seeing Jesus as a threat to the status quo. Unlike the Pharisees, the Sadducees held only to the written Law, specifically the first five books of Moses, the Torah.
The New Testament calls two men high priest, Annas and the previously mentioned Caiaphas. It turns out that Caiaphas was actually the current high priest at this time, though there are a number of reasons why Annas was called the high priest. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas and had been the high priest from A.D. 6-15 when he had been deposed by the Roman governor preceding Pilate, Valerius Gratus, shortly after the governor took office. The governor tried three more high priests within the next three years until he appointed Caiaphas, in A.D. 18, a man he found cooperative.
Nevertheless, Annas was the patriarch and real power behind the high priesthood. While the title was used later for Annas as an honorific, the Jews still saw the high priesthood as an office for life, despite whether the Romans felt that way or not. He was the senior ex-high priest and may have presided over the council at times.
This is why Jesus was first brought to Annas during his trial on Good Friday.
Inspired in part by Paul L. Maier’s In the Fullness of Time
If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment, or subscribing to the news feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader, or to your email.
Posted in Christian, Easter, History, Holidays and tagged Easter, History, holiday, Jesus, Rome
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R.W. McClure on April 29, 2012 at 3:12 pm
I have never been able to really determine or prove that Saul of Tarsus was a member of the Sanhedrin. I understand that one of the requirements for membership was to be married and there is nothing to document that Saul was ever married.
Bill Petro on April 29, 2012 at 3:54 pm
Agreed. I suspect however that Paul had been married, as were most Pharisees and rabbis. It appears that during the years that he ministered he was no longer married, probably a widower.
Good treatment of the issue is here: http://www.dennyburk.com/was-the-apostle-paul-married/
John Piccirillo on September 25, 2014 at 9:56 am
Was Saul (the apostle Paul) the ruling (highest functioning) member of the Seventy. Next in line to the seventy-first person who ruled over the entire body of the Sanhedrin? The reason I ask is that his conversion is significant in that should he have not converted, then all of Christianity would have taken a back seat to Judaism for many, many, years for God to find another capably skilled person to bring the gospel of the epistles (Church of Grace) forth to the body of the entire world (i.e. the Gentiles). I am an avid scriptural fan. By the Way, thank you for the work you do for God; only those of us who realize what He (The Father) does to keep us alive and prosperous.
Bill Petro on September 25, 2014 at 11:55 am
We know that Paul was a Pharisee, but we have no knowledge that he was a member of the Sanhedrin. While he may have been in service to the Sanhedrin while he was a persecutor of the Church, there is no biblical nor extra-biblical documentation to confirm that he was a member of this body.
Arthur Rugama on October 4, 2014 at 10:27 am
There is no way Saul was a member of the Sanhedrin nor was he ever married. Only people who were over 60 years of age, married and with children could be members of the Sanhedrin. Saul wa barely in his late twenties when The Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus. He was about 65 when he died.
That is why Saul was not even a rabbi given that the minimum age to be a rabbi was 30. Saul never married nor did he have children. 1Cor 7. To the unmarried (here he talks about those never married. See the context) I counsel to remain as I am. Paraphrased.
Bill Petro on October 6, 2014 at 6:03 pm
Arthur,
Thanks for the comment. While I agree it’s unlikely Saul was a member of the Sanhedrin, we cannot say that he was under 30 at the beginning of his most productive years of ministry. While he may have been in his late 20s at his conversion on the road to Damascus, he spent 14 years in Arabia before his ministry really took off, making him easily over 30. I don’t know if he was a rabbi, though he did often teach in synagogues.
Odhiambo on September 12, 2015 at 7:17 am
About paul’s marriage, we can not say whether he was married or not, for in 1cor 7:8 he refers also to the widows (may be widowers,or those divorced rightfully as per the Lord could be placed here), we cannnot from this verse know whether he was married before his conversion or not.All we get is that he is not married at this point.
Faith Noles on January 9, 2013 at 7:07 pm
Great article! Thanks.
Elsa Klee on March 22, 2014 at 10:59 am
I enjoyed your article, thank you! Do you perhaps know who would have made decisions as to how the law would be practiced in this time? For example, we know the Sadducees and Pharisees disagreed on the interpretation of when Pentacost should be observed. Who’s interpretation would be enforced in the Temple, that of the high priest who was a sSadducee or the Pharisees who seemed to have been the majority? Thank you!
Bill Petro on March 24, 2014 at 3:52 pm
Elsa,
The Sadducees and Pharisees were quasi-political parties in ancient Israel, but not in the sense we think of today. At the time of Christ the nation of Israel was a Roman province under prefects. These two groups did not influence Roman legislation, but they did have some sway over Pontius Pilate as we see in that article. These two groups emerged after the Babylonian Captivity so their roles were not planned for at the time of original Temple rule at the time of Solomon. For the Second Temple, also known as Herod’s Temple, the decision for Passover date would have been set by the High Priest, or the high priestly family. This group would have had closer ties to the Sadducees than the Pharisees.
Incidentally, the high priestly family had enormous in Israel at this time and the centuries immediately preceding. And contests over who would be High Priest were very contentious. One involved an appeal to Rome. This resulted in Roman intervention by Pompey, seige and then subjugation of Israel in 63 BC. It was initially a client kingdom and later under Augustus a Roman province.
Elsa Klee on March 25, 2014 at 7:30 am
Thanks Bill, your comment has been helpful to me. Much apprectiated! Do you perhaps have any references we can quote? We are currently doing research for an article about the calendar at the time of Y’shua. Thank you!
I studied this so long ago that I don’t recall my sources. I’d point you to any good study Bible, which usually has an historical section (between the Testaments) on the religio-political parties at the time: Zealots, Essenes, Sadducees, Pharisees, Herodians, high priestly family. The ESV Study Bible or the Reformation Study Bible are good places to start. Look for “Intertestamental history” or “Greco-Roman world”.
Dennis w HOLLAND on August 17, 2017 at 10:52 am
Bibliotheca Sacra has great information about the High Priest,
Thanks, will do
Blessings in Y’shua
Bill Petro on March 26, 2014 at 12:33 pm
You’re welcome Elsa.
Susan on April 17, 2014 at 4:15 pm
Important question: Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin: Gospels say ‘all’ of the Sanhedrin decided on Jesus’ guilt and sentence and so they sent him to Pilot. (They could not under Roman law give a death penalty, themselves.) However, scripture says later that Joseph of Aramathea, who was on the council, did not ‘consent’ to his death. Sounds like he was there with a vote because of the word ‘consent’. So was he not present or does the ‘all the Sanhedrin’ possibly mean the majority voted for his death. That would be similar to the US Supreme Court -a decision 3-6 but later it is simply know as the court’s final decision without the reference to the vote. I am teaching on this and would so appreciate your expertise .
Susan, good question. I take it that Joseph of Aramathea either was not present or did not agree. This means two possibilities: there was a quorum, enough to meet and vote without him there… or he was there and the majority carried the vote. “All” need not mean unanimous, there could have been abstentions or negative votes, but still the vote carried.
John Paul on April 26, 2014 at 1:11 am
Very detailed and informative grassroots knowledge of the topic. I learned a lot from this.
bijukannan on August 9, 2014 at 7:13 pm
thank you for giving the informations about sanhedrin . it helped me in my study notes God bless u more.
Kingsley Onuoha on August 17, 2014 at 2:39 am
Thank You so much for this article about the Sanhedrin Council. It is very insightful to have this information.
Please is it possible to know the qualifications of those who can be Members of this council. For example I have had series of Preachers who believe that to be a Member you have to be Married. And I am confused about that. Again was Paul married, are there biblical and historical proof for that.
Bill Petro on August 17, 2014 at 3:59 pm
I have heard the same from preachers, but I cannot confirm it. We know that most rabbis were married as were most Pharisees, but I can find no specific requirement in the historical documents.
Sir the passages you have mentioned did not say Paul was married, but that he was unmarried. That he uses the same word for those who have not married before and the widowers represent the state in which those people were at the time of his writing. Don’t you think that Paul being who he was would have made mention of his marital status if he was once married, but in no where did he do that throughout his writing rather he keeps referring to himself as single.
At the time of Paul’s writing to the church at Corinth, he was unmarried. The Greek word “agamos” could mean bachelor or widower. I don’t believe Paul needed to mention that he was formerly married if he was. Peter does not mention that he was married, and we know he had a mother-in-law.
egunjobi lawrrence on September 26, 2014 at 2:36 pm
i like the article.
kennedy Tandeo on March 14, 2015 at 12:21 pm
this artcle has helped me lot.Keep fire burning.
eric on April 6, 2015 at 10:38 am
Why would Saul/Paul (a religious spy/saboteur) give his life for Christianity if he didn’t believe in it? Perhaps the Sanhedrin commissioned Saul for this purpose?
“What FOOLS you are! DON’T YOU REALIZE that it is better that one man die (Saul) for the sake of the Jewish Nation, than for the whole Jewish Nation to be
destroyed”. This applies to Saul/Paul as well as to Jesus, but in a different respect. True Scripture is multi-faceted, like a diamond, with many
meanings/applications.
Likely Scenario:
So the Jewish Council (Sanhedrin) cast lots, and the lot fell on Saul, and Saul was commissioned to preach Jesus to the Gentiles, to divert the Roman authorities’ attention away from the Jewish nation. And Saul went about his work with as much zeal as he did persecuting the followers of THE WAY (i.e. Christianity known by many), spreading the news (like wildfire) to the Gentile nations. IF YOU CAN’T BEAT THEM, JOIN THEM. FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE. THE WAY (e.g. Christianity) could not be quenched, so the only way to protect the Jewish nation was to divert that fire with fire (towards the Gentile nations).
Innovative interpretation, thanks for the comment. I don’t share your speculation, as I believe Luke had one meaning in mind, not any that one chooses.
Paul always preached to the Jews first when he visited a town, if it had a synagogue. He was typically rejected and would then take the message to the Gentiles.
Diana on May 6, 2015 at 5:57 am
Is there a difference in the first council of Jerusalem in the expansion period (that was formed in 48-49 AD) and the Sanhedrin? Who was it made up of?
Bill Petro on May 22, 2015 at 9:21 am
I’m not sure I understand your question. The 1st Council of Jerusalem around 50 AD, mentioned in Acts 15, was for the Christian church. The topic was around the question of Gentiles in the church. The Sanhedrin was a Jewish religious/governing body.
BevB on September 7, 2015 at 7:07 pm
I am interested and enjoyed reading this article. However, I saw no scholarly or historical references and sources from which you acquired your information. I would have liked to see some reference for further information and research. Thank you. BB
Bill Petro on September 14, 2015 at 11:59 pm
BevB,
I have found over the last 30 years of writing these articles that my readers don’t care for a bibliography. In some obscure or controversial topics — I love a discussion — I will bring those out.
Rynna on September 14, 2015 at 3:44 pm
Thanks Bill for a well written article.
Jerrie H on April 14, 2016 at 10:48 am
Thanks for the history lesson on the Sanhedrin Court. Was there a rotation of High Priest and others and how were they chosen to serve on the high court?
Jerrie,
The high priest needed to be of priestly descent, from Aaron, brother of Moses. Typically this meant someone of the tribe of Levi. Between Aaron and the time of Herod the Great there were a total of 55 high priests. The Levitical family along with all the priests would cast lots for the next high priest. Usually the office stayed in the family of the previous high priest. However, there were two historic interruptions to this practice. The debate over the high priesthood was one of the elements that fomented such a disagreement that an appeal was made to the legate of Rome to settle it. And settle it they did, with the arrival of Pompey the Great who besieged Jerusalem and ultimately conquering the land in 63 BC. And that is how Roman occupation began.
Shortly thereafter the Roman’s set up a client king, Herod the Great. He wanted to choose the high priest. He did this in the hope of keeping the people quiescent in the face of Roman occupation and getting them to continue paying their taxes to Caesar. Herod nominated 6 high priests, his son the tetrarch Archelaus appointed 2. The Roman legate Quirinius (mentioned in Luke 2), and Herod Agrippa I, and his son Agrippa II also appointed high priests, along with Herod of Chalsis, son of Aristobulus and grandson of Herod the Great.
Jerrie H on April 16, 2016 at 7:34 pm
Thanks so much. How did the Pharisees and the tribal group get on the court? Did they have that position for life? Were they chosen by rolling the dice?
Bill Petro on April 17, 2016 at 10:41 pm
The members were more recognized than elected. There were a set of requirements of the individuals in terms of maturity, experience and spiritual qualifications. At the time of Jesus the Grand Sanhedrin numbered 70 or 71. At other times it was of different sizes and had other roles and responsibilities. Also, the makeup in terms of Pharisees widely varied over time. At this time, the Pharisees were in the minority. The majority was Sadducees and the priestly familees. Note that Pharisees were not priests, they were laymen. Devout, studious, and respected. Their domain was the synagogue. The Sadducee party was dedicated to the Temple, where the Sanhedrin met at this time.
Thank you for this information. God bless!
Dickson Atnadu on June 2, 2016 at 9:54 am
Iam told the Sanhedrin helped in spreading the early Church, how did it happened?
Bill Petro on June 5, 2016 at 8:32 pm
The Sanhedrin did not help in spreading the early Church… at least not directly. Rather, they forbid the Apostles from preaching the gospel, according to the account in Acts 5:40. However, the effect of this was that the Apostles “did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”
Ron on July 5, 2016 at 10:19 am
I am looking for more information on Joseph of Arimathea and where he fits in on the Sandedrin. Any ideas as to his role? His status? Also, at the trial of Jesus, do you think they met in the temple itself of somewhere outside in the city?
Some historians theorize Joseph may have been the uncle of Jesus and was instrumental in bringing the gospel to England. I know this is form non biblical sources but what do you think?
Thank you for any information or insights you may have.
Bill Petro on July 6, 2016 at 6:27 pm
What we know about Joseph of Arimathea from the New Testament Gospels is limited. Mark 15 says he was a respected member of the council (Sanhedrin), who was himself looking for the kingdom of God. Matthew says he was rich and a disciple of Jesus, while John says he asked Pilate for Jesus’ body for burial. Luke discusses the urgency for that burial due to the Sabbath coming (Friday sunset) and that Joseph’s own tomb was used for Jesus’ burial. There is a passage in Isaiah 53 that prophesies that Jesus would be buried “with the rich in his death.”
That’s it historically. While the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus discusses Joseph’s request for Jesus’ body, this is not considered canon, nor historical. The topic of Joseph bringing Christianity to Britain is legendary. We see a corpus of legends around Joseph appearing in the second century, but most of the ones you’re familiar with — and popularized by Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code novel — gained visibility during the Middle Ages. We know THAT Christianity came to Britain early, perhaps as early as the early 3rd century, but not HOW. Joseph’s association with the Holy Grail are also legendary.
However, Good Queen Bess (Elizabeth I) told the bishops of the Church of Rome that Joseph brought Christianity to Britain from the Holy Land, long before the Church from Rome arrived. That doesn’t make it history, but it makes a great story.
George Mwansa on April 27, 2017 at 11:11 pm
This article is brilliantly written and very easy for lay people to have an understanding of the Sanhedrin and what it stood for. Thank you for sharing it with the world. May the Lord richly bless you
Dwight Snider on December 11, 2017 at 9:33 am
I searched this site because I recently watched George Stevens’ production of “The Greatest Story Ever Told”. I have avoided watching it all these years, though I’m not sure why, since I was a fan of Both Max von Sydow and Stevens. Perhaps because of that. Or maybe I had seen too many Ingmar Bergman films.
At any rate, I was not surprised by the film. Stevens’ script followed the Scriptures, but he seemed more interested in the cinematography than the script. His crowd scenes were as carefully staged as a renaissance painting, except only the wealthy and powerful wore clothing of color.
That said, I was curious about the Sanhedrin trial. The Sadducees were concerned about Jesus warnings to the wealthy, and Caiaphus was angry about that, and the talk of immortal souls. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, wasn’t concerned about either of those. However, when Jesus said he was the Son Of God, all agreed he had convicted himself of blasphemy.
Pilate found no fault because Romans did not enforce local ecclesiastical laws. However, the Messiah of prophecy would be the new King Of the Jews, and claiming you were the true king was sedition.
Your article explains all of that. Thank you.
Bill Petro on December 11, 2017 at 9:47 am
Thanks Dwight. My article on Herod the King discusses the explosiveness of the term “king of the Jews” at Jesus’ birth.
Joann T. on February 17, 2018 at 9:14 am
Thank you for this article. I am preparing a lesson about the plot to kill Jesus, and this has been most helpful.
Chelse Padgett on July 9, 2018 at 7:38 am
Thanks a million for this wonderful breakdown. Over the last year I’ve been reading the bible from Genesis and now I’m in Acts. The Holy
Spirit prompted me to learn more about the Sanhedrin and your article came up. Republicans and Democrats come to mind as I’m reading more. Also, I’m young (35) and this breakdown about the age of most members and Jesus age further proves 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
Courtney Haughton on August 1, 2018 at 3:40 pm
I enjoyed reading this article. It was very informative.
billpetro on August 4, 2018 at 12:19 pm
Thanks Courtney.
Deborah Lindstrom on August 23, 2018 at 3:13 pm
Who might have represented the distinctly numbered 7 devils (not 4, not 8, not 6) but the specificly defined SEVEN DEVILS it is said Jesus took out of Mary Magadelene?
I am wondering whether what we’re caled “devils” were in fact 7 members of the priesthood of Jaresalem who were political opposites of Jesus. and the so-called devils were members of the politacal group Mary Magdalene “used to” believe in?
billpetro on August 23, 2018 at 5:02 pm
I’ve not heard that story.
Doug Andrews on October 7, 2018 at 2:12 pm
How did someone become a member of the Sandhedrin? For example, if a member died, how was his successor determined?
billpetro on October 23, 2018 at 5:41 pm
The Bible does not answer that question, and I have not further historical details during the early 1st century on member selection.
Doug on October 23, 2018 at 9:18 pm
Thanks, Bill. I couldn’t find anything either, so I thought I’d ask.
Thanks for getting back with me.
Mark on October 19, 2018 at 12:16 pm
Can you point to any resources that go into greater detail as to the range of punitive authority granted to the Sanhedrin by the Romans. Im trying to understand Jesus warnings on insults and personal conflicts in light of the legal framework under which they actually lived.
There are a couple of resources. The Wikipedia article is a bit wide, though comprehensive. Note with care that the Sanhedrin being discussed in the article covered several centuries and not just the time of Jesus. A more specific answer can be found at the Jewish Virtual Library here. I think the most significant restrictions the Romans placed on the Sanhedrin was the removal of jus gladii (capital punishment) for anything except Gentiles trespassing in certain parts of the Temple.
Chris Clark on October 24, 2018 at 7:57 am
Hi Bill, the first part of the comment is particularly to Dwight Snider (anyone else feel free to jump in)…
Jesus was declared faultless by Pilate because the jewish religious system had NOT declared Jesus faultless, instead they said basically He was a filthy liar and blasphemer, in effect rejected and declared Him “not faultless” that was something that the passover lamb could ever be declared.
Jesus, our Passover Lamb had, as did all the little lambs that would be sacrificed at Passover, to be “inspected” and “passed” as having no blemish or fault before being deemed acceptable and in a clean state to be offered up for sacrifice by the High Priest. Jesus was not only the sacrificial Lamb but also the High priest and He sacrificed HIMSELF (…no man taketh it from me…John 10 v 17,18) on the alter of the cross.
I believe Jesus gave up His Spirit at 3 o clock in the afternoon (between two evenings 12.00pm and 6pm) and did not actually eat what we would call the passover meal. He did in fact eat the night before which would have still been Nisan 14 as the 14th would have begun at 6pm and there meal would have been eaten around .9pm to 10pm that night. If Jesus had eaten the actual passover meal (remember to a jew the passover was spread over several days which would be inclusive of the days of unleavened bread) that would have meant that they would have already offered up the passover lamb and eaten it… it WOULD then be the 15th of Nisan, this 15th then having BEGUN, again at 6pm sundown (Jesus was put to death on Nisan 14, no doubt at all) it would then have been the the High Sabbath (of which the first day of the feast of unleavened bread was) and therefore could never have been put on the cross at 9am til 3pm that day as it would have still beeen the 15th the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread a High Sabbath and NOBODY but nobody would have been crucified on THAT day. Thats why there was no other disciples around the cross (apart from John we are told) when Jesus was being crucified as they were all being good jews and offering up there unblemished lambs, according to the law, while the ultimate Lamb of God was dying for mankind outside the camp.
Our Lords ordeal started in the garden of Gethsemene in the early hours of the 14th after eating A passover meal (a few hours before) not THE passover meal (remember jewish days went from 6pm to 6pm) and continued until 3pm the afternoon of the 14th
At three 0 clock on Nissan 14 as they were all getting ready for the first lamb to be slaughtered in the Temple at 3pm by the then acting High Priest Caiaphas, between the two evenings, the REAL High Priest Jesus offered up the REAL Lamb of God, Himself, on the REAL atler of the cross in the REAL Temple of which He Himself is (Rev 21 v 22-27) and as He heard the shofar signalling the first lamb to be slaughtered (by the way it would have been the High Priest Caiaphas’s own lamb that he would have led in to the temple area at 9am in the morning and tied it to the alter waiting till 3pm when He would put it to death) Jesus, our Blessed Saviour, said “it is finished” or rather “paid in full” then bowed His head and died. What a most wonderful weaving of redemption within the very set up of the acts of the priests and the feasts. It is truly nothing more than poetry in motion and that the life and saving death of our most beautiful Saviour should be “played” out this way…nothing less would have done, it truly is the greatest story ever told. I do hope you check this out and see what you think as to be honest if Jesus went to the cross Friday afternoon as all christians are told then they have managed to get 3 nights out of two and I personally have never managed to do this. Our own Lord uttered these words when asked for a sign “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whales belly so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” KJV Matt 12 v 39,40 see Jonah chap 1 v 17. I believe the Lord and Saviours own Words for they alone are truth. Thank you for hearing me out brother. Blessings to all who love the Lord… and those who dont know Him… I pray you will soon for there is nothing more filling than to know Him and the truth about all things for when you do you will no longer be a prisoner to satan’s lies and as amusing to some as it sounds it doesn’t make it any less truth. Please check it out whats to lose but how much to gain.
John Madhukar on November 15, 2018 at 11:53 am
Thank you for the detailed information.
Jack Cotter on April 17, 2019 at 3:58 pm
Hi Bill, thanks for the article, very informative. I have been looking for the answers to the following questions and I am hoping that you can help me. The manner of apointment to the sanhedrins – were the Pharisees and Sadducees elected to their postions on the Sanhedrin? And if so who by? If they were not elected but apointed – then by whom and who determined the proportion of representation?
I hope that I haven’t missed the fact that you have answered these questions above.
Jack Cotter
billpetro on May 5, 2019 at 2:37 pm
What we know about the inner workings of the Sanhedrin comes from Mishnah Sanhedrin 4. This was one of the ten tractates of Seder Nezikin which was a section of that Talmud that dealt with civil and criminal damages. The Mishnah was oral traditions and became part of the larger Talmud that also contained rabbinic discussions of Jewish law, ethics, customs, and legends. Though originally only oral, it was not until the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD that it was considered they should be written down. So, what we have in writing post-dates the time of Jesus, many believing it was finally codified in writing by Judah the Prince in the 3rd century.
It talks about an apprentice system based on seniority:
“The Sanhedrin [highest court, charged with deciding cases and appeals that had national significance. It was comprised of 71 scholars who had received the full traditional rabbinical ordination, and its decisions fixed Jewish practice for subsequent generations.] was [organized like] half of a round granary, so that each (judge) could see each [judge]. Two court scribes stood before them, one on the right and one on the left, and they wrote the words of the acquitting [defense] and the words of the convicting [prosecution]. Rabbi Yehudah says, (there were) three, one wrote the words of the acquitting and one wrote the words of the convicting, and the third wrote the words of the acquitting and the words of the convicting.
[When] there was a need to appoint [a new judge], they appointed from the first [row]. One from the second [row] comes to the first, and one from the third [row] comes to the second, and they choose for them one more [student] from the community who is seated in the third [row]. He didn’t sit in the place of the first [student], but rather he sits in the place seen for him.”
Germany Apple Martin Luther vmworld sacred_holiday WWII Thanksgiving Benjamin Franklin Jewish Epiphany john adams secular Christian memorial day Reformation Dachau holiday LinkedIn Augustus_Caesar Twitter Pontius_Pilate Rome Science Christmas Tiberius cloud Jesus Apple Watch iphone music Thomas Jefferson secular_holiday Lent vmware Paul_L_Maier Star Trek magi Ireland Easter History
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The Devin’s Advocate: The Miracle Of LORD OF THE RINGS
Peter Jackson’s LORD OF THE RINGS was one of the most unlikely blockbusters of all time. Ten years later Devin looks back at how the days post-9/11
By Devin Faraci Jul. 05, 2011
What if Fellowship of the Ring had come out a year earlier? What if it were the exact same film, from the exact same people, with the exact same actors, but had hit theaters at the end of 2000? Would the film have worked?
It’s a damn well made movie, and good storytelling and characters remain valid whatever year they’re released. But Lord of the Rings is a movie series not only of epic adventure but of epic earnestness, a movie series that dares to be hugely and unironically about courage and friendship and loyalty. It’s about things that might have felt silly and old-fashioned in the immediate post-Clinton years, when we thought we were at the end of history and when we thought that the pre-Al Qaeda world was one of glorious tech IPOs and the winds of freedom depositing McDonald’s seeds in every dictatorial capitol.
I’m not saying that it was 9/11 that made Fellowship of the Ring a hit, but I wonder if it didn’t have some role in the film’s success. Revisiting Lord of the Rings on the new extended edition Blu-rays it’s incredibly obvious that these are not movies that should have been so huge. They were unlike anything else being made at the time, and they weren’t anchored with major stars or even a filmmaker whose name carried much meaning to the general public. The films are in a genre that had been essentially box office poison since… well since forever*. Yes, Tolkien’s books were a huge cultural artifact, but the popularity of an incredibly geeky series of novels from the 1950s in no way guaranteed any sort of box office. People were aware of the existence of Lord of the Rings, but it isn’t like the previous attempts to adapt the books had found any great success.
Peter Jackson and company surely didn’t meet the audience halfway. These films are unlike almost any previous mainstream blockbuster right from the start, inundating the viewer with weird names and history and characters in weird, silly fantasy armor. This is the immersion method, lobbing you right into the high fantasy of Middle Earth without giving you any time to realize you’ve been dropped in the deep end of the pool. It’s the same method that George Lucas used with Star Wars, hammering you with immediate spectacle and then bringing you into a world where people use all sorts of bizarre jargon and know all sorts of odd, made up history and politics that’s new to you. In fact Star Wars is really the only precedent for Lord of the Rings in terms of blockbuster insular fantasy worlds (looking at the Top 100 grossing films adjusted for inflation you have to go down to number 99 for How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the only other live action film set in a complete fantasy world unrelated to our own. And even that one has Christmas).
But even with the stubborn refusal to cater to norms (including an early in the film wizard fight between two ancient men that straddles the line between awesome and ridiculous), Fellowship of the Ring was enormous, and the series only grew in popularity after the first film. The characters, dialogue and locations of the series became hardy internet memes (“One does not simply walk into Mordor” still gets thrown around out there) and studios are still trying (and mostly failing) to replicate the success of the films.
I really believe it’s the lack of irony that made the films work. They never wink at the audience; the hobbits, provincial and insular, would be the perfect vehicle for audience-surrogate commentary on the goofy outfits, names and lineages of the films, but Jackson never goes there. While there might be more comic relief than strict Tolkienists would prefer, it never comes at the expense of the seriousness of the story and the characters (yes, Gimli is kind of a buffoon, but he’s a badass buffoon - and the integrity of his character remains intact). And that lack of irony, that absence of a way out of taking it seriously, allows the films’ themes to become massive. In 2001 those themes - the defense of an idyllic way of life under siege by an unfathomable and formless evil, the importance of standing by your friends and the need to create multilateral fellowships for the common good - resonated strongly.
Timing is everything. Tolkien’s novels truly blew up in popular culture when Ballantine published them in paperback in the 60s and the counterculture found the world of the Shire - filled with pipeweed, communing with things that grow and general laid backness - to be a representation of the hippie ideal. To that generation Frodo’s battle against the forces of industry and uptightness was the appeal; ‘Frodo Lives!’ was a hippie catchphrase. Thirty years later it would be the themes of courage in the face of an evil that hates your very way of life that appealed to the grown up hippies and their kids.
On a personal note these films were very important to me in the months and years after 9/11. As a New Yorker with immediate ties to the downtown area - a jet engine landed on the corner of the block where I worked - the days after the Towers fell were terrifying and surreal, and there was little comfort in the Bush administration’s rush to war. But there was comfort in the resolute bravery of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin. I saw that first movie a half dozen times in the theater - it was how I spent New Year’s Eve 2002, in fact - and it wasn’t an escape from a newly uncertain world but an education in how to deal with that world. Like millions of others the events of 9/11 had shaken me so deeply it would take years to really understand the impact, but I knew right away that I craved something real and honest and true. I wanted something that was up front about how bad things could get but was also celebrating the ability to band together to get past that badness, to heal after the horror. And it’s easiest to face those things through the screen of fantasy and entertainment. Just because everything that happened in Lord of the Rings was about as fictional as you can get doesn’t mean it wasn’t all emotionally true.
By the time The Two Towers came out we were a year past 9/11, we were on the ground in Afghanistan and the debacle in Iraq was looming. And in the final moments of that film Samwise Gamgee gave a speech that summed up every single reason why these films were the movies we needed in those days:
I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
In a movie landscape where every new blockbuster is desperately aping the last blockbuster that worked it’s refreshing to savor the uniqueness of these films. Even removed from their historical context, Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is wonderful epic filmmaking, overstuffed with heart and soul and adventure and humanity. These are films made to be good, and the fact that a whole lot of people agreed that they’re good was a bonus, not the ultimate goal. Peter Jackson had a feeling that this was what people wanted, and thank god he was right.
* It’s worth noting that the other breakthrough fantasy movie series, the Harry Potter films, also debuted post-9/11, although that phenomenon is worth its own sociological study. It’s also worth noting that Lord of the Rings is high fantasy, with made up worlds and nations and history while Harry Potter is a more digestible sort of fantasy, one where a normal, relatable person discovers a hidden world.
J.A. Bayona Simply Walks Into Directing THE LORD OF THE RINGS
Amazon’s LORD OF THE RINGS Show Might Not Be A Retread After All
Peter Jackson Will Not Be Involved With Amazon’s LORD OF THE RINGS Series
fellowship of the ring
By Andrew Todd, Jul 03, 2019
Let's hope it's better material than JURASSIC WORLD 2.
By Evan Saathoff, Mar 07, 2019
Time to read the Wiki for The Second Age.
By Jacob Knight, Jun 06, 2018
He's also never read a comic book, apparently.
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The 'Die Hard 6' title officially confirmed as 'McClane' by producer
Hanna Flint
And the official title has been revealed.
The 6th Die Hard movie won’t have ‘Die Hard’ in the title for the first time since 1988.
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed to Empire magazine that the film will be called McClane, using the surname of the franchise’s long-running protagonist John McClane, as played by Bruce Willis.
According to di Bonaventura, this decision was made because this sixth instalment is set to delve into the action hero’s life more than ever before.
“You can tell our intention by the fact that the title page we handed in says, ‘MCCLANE’,” the producer told the magazine. “We want you to get invested in John McClane more than ever before.”
A Good Day to Die Hard was Willis’ last outing as John McClane with Jai Courtenay (centre) playing his son Jack
Here are all the official Die Hard franchise titles:
Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
McClane (TBA)
This film will welcome back Willis in his iconic role but also welcome a new actor to play a younger version of John McClane. The story will go back and forth in time, to see McClane starting out in the ’70s as a rookie cop as well as where he’s at now, with di Bonaventura ensuring Willis will be just as much a part of the movie as he’s previously been.
“I don’t know how you do Die Hard without Bruce,” he explained. “The idea that he’s not very significant in this movie is not accurate at all. We are gonna explore John McClane in his twenties. But just as prominent is the 60-year-old version.”
Willis had said he wanted to retire his character in a sixth movie, before he had made his fifth appearance in A Good Day to Die Hard. His Live Free or Die Hard director Len Wiseman confirmed the sixth movie in a social media post five years later, but the film was going to be called Die Hard: Year One.
Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes were brought in to pen the script in March 2018, which Wiseman confirmed had been finished last month and plans to go into production were meant to be put into action “very soon.”
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May 6, 2016 / 12:52 PM / 3 years ago
Convoy leads Canada fire evacuees through burning city to safety
Rod Nickel, Liz Hampton
WANDERING RIVER, Alberta (Reuters) - Convoys of evacuees stranded by a wildfire raging in and around the Canadian oil town of Fort McMurray made their way on Friday through the heart of the devastation on the only highway out of the region, as officials warned that the blaze could soon double in size.
Two RCMP police officers wear gas masks in the smoke from the wildfires near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 6, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Blinch
Wind-whipped flames roaring through forests and brush parched by a spring heat wave have engulfed nearly 250,000 acres (101,000 hectares) in western Canada’s energy heartland since erupting on Sunday.
The blaze, the largest of 40 wildfires burning across the province of Alberta, has forced some 88,000 residents, the entire population of Fort McMurray, to flee for safety, and has threatened two oil sands production sites south of the city.
At least 10 oil sand operators have cut production due to evacuations and other emergency measures that complicated delivery of petroleum by rail, pipeline and highway.
With winds on Friday pushing the fire’s leading edge to the northeast, away from town and into open timber, authorities said the blaze was expected to rapidly expand its footprint even as the threat to populated areas waned.
Chad Morrison, an official with the Alberta government wildfire unit, told reporters in the provincial capital Edmonton, about 270 miles (430 km) to the south, the blaze was likely to double in size by late on Saturday, the end of its first week.
The full extent of property losses in Fort McMurray, has yet to be determined, but authorities said some 1,600 structures were believed to have been destroyed. One analyst estimated insurance losses could exceed C$9 billion ($7 billion).
Earlier in the week most evacuees headed south by car on Alberta Highway 63, the only land route out of the area, in a slow-moving exodus that left many temporarily stranded on the roadside as they ran out of gasoline.
But other residents who initially sought shelter in oil camps and settlements north of the city found themselves cut off in overcrowded conditions. They were forced on Friday to retrace their route back through Fort McMurray on Highway 63 as flames continued to spread.
With parts of the city still in flames, evacuees in some 1,500 vehicles began making the 30-mile (50-km) trip at 4 a.m. in groups of 50 cars.
“It reminded us of a war zone,” said Marisa Heath, who spent 36 hours in her truck on the side of the highway with her husband, two dogs, a cat and seven kittens. “Eerie. All you could see was cement foundations of houses.”
Helicopters hovered overhead watching for flames, and police set up emergency fuel stations along the highway to keep the line of cars moving. They headed toward safety south of Fort McMurray in towns including Lac La Biche, 180 miles (290 km) away, and Edmonton farther on.
The convoys were halted briefly around midday due to heavy smoke, but officials said the majority of vehicles had already passed through town by then.
Authorities planned to airlift about 8,000 of the 25,000 evacuees who were initially chased north of Fort McMurray.
OIL PRODUCTION CUT
About a third of Canada’s oil production has been shut by the conflagration, according to a Reuters estimate.
South of Fort McMurray, CNOOC Nexen’s Long Lake oil sands facility and Athabasca Oil’s Hangingstone project were in danger of being overrun by flames, emergency officials reported. Both facilities have been evacuated.
Morrison said fire was “at the gates” of the Long Lake installation, but shifting winds would likely spare the facility. He added that many oil facilities in the region had private firefighting forces in place.
BP Plc’s Canadian unit has declared a force majeure resulting in the reduction of available Western Canadian Select crude, among other Canadian grades, according to two trading sources familiar with the matter.
There have been no known casualties from the fire itself, but fatalities were reported earlier this week in at least one car crash among the evacuees.
As of Friday, more than 1,200 firefighters were arrayed against blazes across Alberta, backed by more than 100 helicopters and over two dozen airplane tankers equipped to drop water and fire-retardant chemicals on the flames.
But the sheer magnitude and intensity of the Fort McMurray fire mostly defied all efforts to contain it.
Cecil Dickason, a Fort McMurray resident who was part of the convoy, said the battered city looked “awful.” Others described the city as dark and smoke-filled, pockmarked with charred and abandoned vehicles and roadside spot fires.
Entire neighborhoods were reduced to ruins, but most evacuees fled without knowing the fate of their own homes. The majority got away with few possessions, some forced to leave pets behind.
In a press briefing on Friday, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said damage to Fort McMurray was extensive.
“The city of Fort McMurray is not safe to return to, and this will be true for a significant period of time,” she said, adding that officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police would secure and protect what was left of the town.
The Alberta government has approved emergency funding for wildfire evacuees and will be giving out C$1,250 ($966) per adult and C$500 ($387) per dependent.
Additional reporting by Ethan Lou, Allison Martell in Toronto, Nia Williams in Calgary, Catherine Ngai, David Gaffen in New York, David Ljunngren, Leah Schnurr in Ottawa; Writing by Amran Abocar and Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Diane Craft
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Bad News Fangirls: Feroze Khan is Getting Married Next Month!
Fatima Ali
The heart throb of many Pakistani girls, Feroze Khan, has impressed us to no extend with his spectacular acting skills and high-quality expressions. Feroze is someone who has always expressed love for his fans and has won the hearts of many girls with his gentlemen attributes. Many fan-girls have even questioned the actor several times about his marriage plans and finally, just recently, the actor revealed his decision. Turns out, the dream boy will be tying the knot next month with a mystery girl, leaving many fan girls with tears.
Even though there were many rumors revolving around the actor planning to marry one of his co-star, that’s not true. In fact, the Khaani star will be marrying someone entirely unrelated to showbiz and everyone is now wondering who this mystery girl is but unfortunately, according to his interview with Something Haute, the actor has no plans on sharing details about the people in his personal life. However, we do know that he will be marrying next month and as excited as we are for him, I’m sure he’s at cloud nine.
The news of Feroze Khan’s marriage is literally taking the Internet by storm ever since he revealed the news of his marriage. He also revealed a month ago that he was in a serious relationship and plans to wrap up the wedding by by the end of the year. Check it out:
We are now live with Feroz Khan!
Posted by Something Haute on Saturday, February 17, 2018
“I can’t reveal everything, but I am getting married soon. My wish is to do it quietly and without any extra attention of any sorts. Kaam, kaam hota hai and personal is personal and I want to draw a line.”, Feroze Khan said.
He further added that he sees this as a major responsibility and wants to prove himself as a good partner. He is praying that it goes well and ends with a happily ever after. We agree too, Feroze!
Feroze Khan has not only decorated our lives with his acting and handsome face, he is also one of the most talented artists that has emerged in the entertainment industry. His appearance in the Tv show Khaani has taken his career to a new level and has left a huge impact on the audience. His fans already cannot wait for his new projects including, Romeo Weds Heer and Dino Ki Dulhaniya.
While the news of Feroze Khan’s marriage comes as a shock to many of his fans, we sincerely hope that he leads an amazing and happy married life. Take care, Feroze!
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feroze khan
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Ten Favorite Irish Authors
By Kristin Masters. Jun 27, 2019. 9:00 AM.
Topics: Legendary Authors, Book News
Today, we're feeling lucky! We thought it would be an ideal time to turn our attention to Ireland and celebrate some of the Emerald Isle's most accomplished authors—and their quirks.
Top Books by State: California
By Adrienne Rivera. Jun 26, 2019. 9:00 AM.
Topics: Poetry, Pulitzer Prize, Awarded Books, American Literature
Today we continue our Top Books by States series by talking a closer look at California. California is one of the most diverse states in the country, containing deserts, mountains, cities, beaches, and farmland all within its borders. It also serves as the heart of the American entertainment industry. California writers are just as diverse as their state. The books featured here are of a variety of genres, but what makes them some of the best and most representative of the state aren't just that their writers live in California, but that they all exemplify something of the beauty and spirit of the Golden State.
Book Spotlight: Animal Farm by George Orwell
By Abigail Bekx. Jun 25, 2019. 9:00 AM.
Topics: Legendary Authors
Published on August 17, 2019, Animal Farm was George Orwell’s first bestseller and helped cement his place among timeless authors. Born June 25, 1903, as Eric Arthur Blair, Orwell spent much of his career after his experiences during the Spanish Civil War speaking against totalitarian governments. His works, from Animal Farm to Nineteen Eighty-Four, are still influential and widely studied nearly 70 years after his death.
Lawrence Block: Master of Crime
Topics: Awarded Books, Mystery, Suspense & Crime
Renowned novelist Lawrence Block has been intriguing and mystifying readers since the 1960s with his beloved crime novels and short stories. Though he has been publishing almost constantly since the publication of his first novel, Grifter's Game, which was published in 1961, Block actually got his start writing in an unconventional way. Before becoming the legend of crime fiction that he is today, Block actually wrote erotic novels under a variety of pen names. He had some skill for writing and at nearly two hundred dollars per erotic story and upwards of fifty jobs a year, the job was fun and easy. Block credits this early experience with forging many of the writing skills that led him to break out into the genre of crime fiction.
Dan Brown’s Rules for Storytelling Are… Actually Pretty Sound?
By Brian Hoey. Jun 22, 2019. 9:00 AM.
Topics: Movie Tie-Ins
Love him or hate him, Dan Brown has had an outsized impact on Anglophone pop culture since his breakout novel, The Da Vinci Code (2003) was released 16 years ago. Harvard Professor of Religious Symbology Robert Langdon burst onto the scene like an apres-garde Indiana Jones and gave a generation of readers and filmgoers a slightly dubious lesson in religious history. Since then, things like the Malthusian Tragic (Thomas Robert Malthus—the population growth alarmist who bears a striking philosophical resemblance to Marvel’s Thanos—figures prominently in Da Vinci’s 2013 follow-up, Inferno) and The Gnostic Gospels (a series of Coptic texts that present a portrait of Jesus Christ that diverges sometimes radically from the four canonical gospels) have become (comparatively) common nodes in the cultural consciousness.
Top Picks: Rare Books for Summer Reading
Topics: Book Collecting, Literature
The first day of summer is officially here! Vacation has started for many students and the mercury has already risen to summery temperatures. Now's the time to start thinking about the best part of this season: summer reading. The best summer reading books transport us to another place, like a vacation without ever leaving the sofa.
Famous Authors Who Wrote Only One Novel
Topics: Legendary Authors, Pulitzer Prize, Literature, Nobel Prize Winners
On March 30, 1820, Anna Sewell was born into a devoutly Quaker family. Her mother, Mary Wright Sewell, was a successful children's book author. Sewell was mostly educated at home and did not attend school for the first time until she was twelve years old. Two years later, she seriously injured both ankles in an accident. From then on, Sewell had extremely limited mobility; she required crutches and could never walk great distances.
Five of Chris Van Allsburg's Best Works
Topics: Legendary Illustrators, Children's Books
Best known for his children’s books, Chris Van Allsburg is a well-loved author who inspired many young readers through his work. In addition to his two Caldecott Medals, a Caldecott Honor, a nomination for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award, and his contribution to Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Van Allsburg’s work has been adapted into movies and audiobooks, helping his work reach a wider audience. Here are five of our favorite titles.
Five More Literary Fathers and Why We Love Them
Topics: Literature
Happy Father’s Day! One day a year dads are officially recognized for the endless amounts of work they do throughout the year. It is a rare day indeed when fathers are properly appreciated. To show our appreciation, we prepared a second list of literary fathers who we love and who we love to hate. To see our previous list, click here.
Caldecott Winning Illustrators Series: Nicolas Mordvinoff
Topics: Legendary Illustrators, Caldecott Medal, Awarded Books
Every year a book that represents the best that children's book illustrations have to offer is awarded the Caldecott Medal. The Caldecott Medal is considered one of the most prestigious awards that an American children's book can receive and illustrators awarded this honor are widely acknowledged to be the best in the business. Often times, the medal is an indicator of an already impressive career or a sign of great things to come from the illustrator. The Caldecott Medal often ensures continuous print for an awarded book, and good things for the illustrator's future work. Even so, sometimes the illustrator—despite the impressive nature of their work—does not necessarily achieve household name status. The 1952 winner of the Caldecott Medal, Nicholas Mordvinoff, is one such illustrator. Though he had great success within his field, providing beautiful art for dozens of books during his career, the majority of the books to which he contributed are no longer in print. Let's continue our Caldecott Medal Winning Illustrators Series by taking a closer look Mordvinoff, who has in recent years become one of the more obscure winners.
Boris Pasternak, Thwarted Nobel Laureate
By Carrie Scott. Jun 13, 2019. 9:00 AM.
Topics: Legendary Authors, Nobel Prize Winners, Book News
If English literary critic William Hazlitt was correct in his assertion that “When a thing ceases to be a subject of controversy, it ceases to be a subject of interest,” we can assume that the 1958 Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to Boris Pasternak will remain relevant through the ages.
Print Making Processes: Relief and Intaglio
By Shelley Kelber. Jun 11, 2019. 9:00 AM.
Topics: Rare Books, Book Making
There are four major classes of printmaking techniques: relief printing, intaglio printmaking, stenciling, and lithography. Let’s look into some detail about the relief and intaglio printmaking processes. These are the two oldest and best known of the major classes of printmaking techniques.
A Saul Bellow Round-Up
By Leah Dobrinska. Jun 10, 2019. 9:00 AM.
Topics: Legendary Authors, Nobel Prize Winners
If you've been reading our blog for any length of time, you know that we have a strong appreciation for Saul Bellow. Bellow was an extremely prolific writer in his lifetime, and his works have become prized collectibles. He is perhaps best known for the titles The Adventures of Augie March, Herzog, and Henderson the Rain King. Bellow was also the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize (in the same year!). We've written about him at length, so in honor of his birthday, we've rounded up several of our favorite Saul Bellow posts for you to enjoy.
Five Interesting Facts About D-Day
By Abigail Bekx. Jun 6, 2019. 9:00 AM.
Topics: American History, History
On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces began their invasion of German occupied France through Normandy. Through this operation, the foundation for victory on the Western Front was laid, leading to the eventual Allied victory over Germany. To commemorate the 75th anniversary, here are five interesting facts about D-Day.
Preserving Rare Books: Preventing and Repairing Fire Damage
By Kristin Masters. Jun 5, 2019. 9:00 AM.
Topics: Rare Books, Book Collecting, Book Care
Bookworms, mildew, water. These are the most common culprits of rare book damage. But if you've invested in your personal library, you'll also want to prepare for a more serious threat: fire. Though fires are certainly more rare than other destructive forces, they can cause far more damage.
A Quick History of Book Binding
Topics: Book Collecting, Book Making, Book Care
If you collect rare and antiquarian books, you're well aware that a book's binding can significantly impact its value. The craft of book binding has evolved over time, and modern book conservators often use both contemporary and ancient methods to restore and preserve antiquarian books. Those methods date back much further than you may have thought!
See a listing of all posts
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Re-Writing War: Famous Literature About Modern Warfare
By Audrey Golden. Jan 6, 2015. 9:00 AM.
Topics: Literature, History
The twentieth century witnessed more than its fair share of war. Indeed, most of our conceptions of modern warfare began with World War I in the early twentieth century, and our views have grown and shifted with the onset of World War II, the violence that took place throughout the Cold War, and the most recent face of war in the Middle East. For many of the writers who chronicled wartime in the twentieth century, they did so with first-hand experience. What can literature tell us about modern warfare and the traumas that soldiers face at home and abroad?
The Lost Generation and World War I
World War I introduced the globe to mechanized warfare and the extreme loss of life that’s possible with the industrialization of weapons production. Images of the trenches and fear-inducing gas masks call to mind this war whose soldiers—and their families back at home—would become known as the “Lost Generation.”
The literature that re-wrote the narratives of World War I, and made those stories accessible to a wide readership nearly a century later, often came from novelists who experienced the trauma of war themselves. For the German author Erich Maria Remarque, his novel All Quiet on the Western Front (1929) largely reflected his own experiences. More than ten years after being wounded by shrapnel, Remarque recovered from his battle wounds and published this book, which exposed German- and English-speaking readers alike to the horrors of war regardless of allegiance. If you’re thinking about adding to your collection, you might seek out the first English language edition of this novel, published in 1929 by Little, Brown and Co.
Hailing from the other side of the Atlantic, Ernest Hemingway and John Dos Passos found themselves immersed in a new world of literary modernism, from which emerged a series of novels that depicted the immediacy and aftermaths of World War I. Dos Passos served in the American Volunteer Motor Ambulance Corps in France and Italy, and used his experiences to develop a vehement anti-war stance in Three Soldiers (1921). Hemingway addressed the traumas of wartime through his character Jakes Barnes, a veteran of World War I, in The Sun Also Rises (1926). Hemingway only later tackled his direct experience of war on the Italian Front in A Farewell to Arms (1929).
While the term "post-traumatic stress disorder" (PTSD) didn’t make its way into postwar vocabularies until years later—substituted in the 1920s with the term “shellshock”—writers like Virginia Woolf nonetheless addressed this issue in Mrs. Dalloway (1925) through her veteran character Septimus Smith.
The Wounds of World War II
Much like the authors who reconceived of war and its aftermath during the 1920s, novelists who served in World War II also turned to literature after the violence ceased. Joseph Heller, for instance, who served in Europe in the U.S. Army Air Corps, changed the face of war literature with Catch-22 (1961). If you’re looking for particularly rare editions of this novel, you might seek out some of the extremely scarce pirated editions that are floating around. Like Heller, Kurt Vonnegut also served in the U.S. Army and was captured by the Germans during the wintry Battle of the Bulge. After enduring the brutality of a POW prison in Dresden, Germany, Vonnegut relied on his own experiences to draft Slaughterhouse-Five (1969).
Serving for the other side, Günter Grass was drafted into the German military and served in the Waffen-SS during the war. Like Vonnegut, he was captured by the Allies and spent time as a prisoner of war before beginning work on his perhaps best-known novel, The Tin Drum (1959).
A generation later, new writers returned to the wounds of World War II and considered the enormous ruptures of the atomic bomb. In his first novel, famed British writer Kazuo Ishiguro chronicled the transgenerational trauma afflicting residents of Nagasaki, Japan after Allies dropped the bomb on August 9, 1945. His novel A Pale View of Hills (1982) explores the past of a Japanese woman ultimately displaced by the events of World War II.
Vietnam and After
Of course, the world wars haven’t been the only ones depicted in literature. Indeed, modern warfare has continued to shift in geographic and technological scope in the decades that followed World War II. Like the many war writers that came before them, authors like Michael Herr and Tim O’Brien relied on literary language to narrate their experiences in Vietnam. Michael Herr’s Dispatches (1977) brought the experience of a war correspondent to readers back home. Years later, Tim O’Brien’s short stories in The Things They Carried (1990) introduced high schoolers across America to the horrors of the war in Vietnam.
Some of the most interesting work to arise from Vietnam, however, might be the poetry of Yusef Komunyakaa. After serving in the U.S. Army, Komunyakaa reconceived of his experiences through stark language in texts like Dien Cai Dau (1988), containing now-famous works of wartime poetry like “Starlight Scope Myopia.” A first edition of this book, published by Wesleyan University Press, would make a fantastic addition to any collection of war literature.
War in the 21st Century
While the twentieth century saw geographic shifts in war from the U.S. to Europe to Southeast Asia, as well as the destructive potential housed in new technologies, these issues haven’t ceased in the new century. To be sure, the images we have in mind from Desert Storm in the early 1990s have carried over into the 2000s with the Iraq War and literary attention to terrorism. Although we might read these works and hope for peace, the writers of the world wars—and the tenets of modern warfare as it was conceived in the first half of the twentieth century—can help us to think through the effects of war on everyday life and ways of dealing with trauma.
Ultimately, we read novels by Remarque, Hemingway, and Vonnegut not to learn about what happened in the past, but to learn new ways of thinking through our own positions in a world largely defined by war, terror, and global violence. And keeping these early works on our shelves can serve to remind us of the deep connections among moments of geopolitical violence throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Audrey Golden
World literature scholar and erstwhile lawyer. Lover of international travel, outdoor markets, and rare books.
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Reducing HIV in Africa with ‘cash plus care’
by Lucie Cluver
Our work often feels like a series of battles against an enemy that outwits us.
Despite real global progress in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS (PDF, UNICEF website), children and adolescents remain left behind. Every hour, 30 adolescents are infected with HIV. The situation is most severe in Southern and Eastern Africa, which accounts for nine in 10 of adolescent AIDS deaths. AIDS is the leading cause of death amongst adolescents in the region.
We have realised that if we are to have any chance of winning the battle, academics need to work in close partnership with governments, UN agencies and policymakers – and with teenagers themselves. Our research studies are developed together with these groups, which often leads us to unexpected questions and findings.
Following the lives of children affected by HIV/AIDS
The Young Carers study, which was funded by the ESRC and South Africa’s National Research Foundation, is the world’s largest longitudinal study of AIDS-affected adolescents. It was planned with UNICEF, UNAIDS, WorldVision, and with PEPFAR-USAID, with the explicit aim of ‘science for policy’. In three South African provinces, we randomly selected areas and interviewed every household with an adolescent – totalling over 6,000 young people in five languages. A year later, 97% spoke with us again.
During this study, a 12 year old HIV-positive girl died because of her daily struggle to take her medication. She was not the only one. We started a sister study, Mzantsi Wakho (‘our Africa’), supported by the Nuffield Foundation, UKAID and ESRC IAA funding. Of this cohort, 94% of the 1,500 HIV-positive teenagers have stayed with the study for the past three years, allowing us for the first time to understand how we can support teenagers living with HIV.
The effect of ‘cash plus care’
Together, these studies have had massive impacts on new services for teenagers in Africa. With UNICEF, we found that social welfare – small child support grants provided by the South African government to poor families – allowed teenage girls to avoid having a ‘sugar daddy’ older boyfriend to support the family, and in this way prevented a major route of HIV-infection. We also found that combining ‘cash plus care’ – social welfare and parenting support – reduced HIV risk behaviour by 50% for both boys and girls. Three programmes combined – child grants, free schools and good parenting – reduced HIV-risk incidence from 11% to 2% in teenage girls. We also found that cash plus care could improve adherence to lifesaving medication, and reduce risky behaviour for teenagers living with HIV.
As a result, cash plus care programmes are being delivered to two million teenagers in 10 countries in Southern and Eastern Africa, led by USAID-PEPFAR, UNICEF and national governments. The research team were asked to write South Africa’s National Adolescent and Youth Health Policy (2017-2022) and the Global Fund awarded $50 million to the South African government to provide cash plus care services. Cash plus care is included in UNAIDS, UNICEF and UNDP policy guidelines.
Being recognised for this work and winning the ESRC Impact Prize for Outstanding International Impact last year was brilliant, but it didn’t feel like I deserved to be on that stage.
The research only happened because of a team of hundreds of postdoc students and local staff, who worked over years through floods, fires, server crashes and riots.
And it was really only possible because of thousands of teenagers who were willing to talk to us about these most personal aspects of their lives.
And so we are spending our prize money on making sure that their trust in us is not wasted. We have met with the World Health Organisation, the Global Fund, the UN Development Program, UNICEF, UNAIDS, the Gates Foundation, UNFPA and the International Rescue Committee, to plan the essential next steps in research to support Africa’s adolescents. We have also added to our Teen Advisory Group in South Africa, with new groups in Uganda and Sierra Leone, to understand needs and solutions from their perspectives.
And – as ever – these partnerships have led us to questions that we had never expected. We are about to start a major new study to understand how we can best help adolescent mothers and fathers in Southern Africa. We are bringing together data from 10 countries across Africa to identify how parenting support programmes may work differently across contexts. And we are planning a major new collaboration to take cash plus care a step further. We need to understand what combinations of services can support Africa’s teenagers not only to avoid HIV-infection, but also to succeed across a range of the Sustainable Development Goals.
At every point, I worry that our plans are too ambitious and that the research sites are too dangerous. But at every point we realise that there are new challenges where policymakers lack the evidence to know how best to act. With 435 million teenagers living in Africa by 2050, we’ll carry on fighting this battle.
Lucie Cluver is a Professor at Oxford University and at the University of Cape Town. She works closely with a superb team of partners, postdoctoral, doctoral and master’s researchers. Together, they collaborate with the South African government, USAID-PEPFAR, UNICEF, UNDP, the World Health Organisation and Global Fund, and with other international NGOs, to provide evidence that can improve the lives of children and adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2017 Lucie won the ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize for Outstanding International Impact.
Winners of this year’s Celebrating Impact Prize will be announced on 20 June. Read the 2018 shortlist and follow #impactprize on Twitter to find out more.
You can follow @YoungcarersS and @MzantsiWakho on Twitter.
Celebrating Impact Prize, Health and wellbeing, International
Africa, AIDS, HIV, Impact, Lucie Cluver
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Now that the website update has been done, we’ve got a lot of work to catch up on. Curating our library and updating our older offerings are now part of our daily routine. That and other exciting new things are in store. So here’s an update on what’s happening.
Now that our new website is up and running, we can just sit back and entertain ourselves into a stupor, right? That college lifestyle has been behind us for decades now, so of course we know better than that. What we’re going to do is keep making things — fonts for the most part — and curating/improving things.
Font updates
The curation and improvement part will be ongoing for a while. In fact, quite a few of the fonts already up on the site have been updated to the our latest standards, which we like to believe are slightly ahead of the curve. Some come with redrawn outlines, better fitting, expanded character sets and new or optimized features. From now on, whenever you see an older font or family of ours added the site, chances are it had undergone some kind of remastering before rejoining our library. The idea here is to offer our font users the best quality we can give them. Sometimes we look at revisiting our older fonts with a tune-up or an outright overhaul in mind as our way of making amends for the sins of our youth, though of course it’s nowhere near as melodramatic as that — unless we’ve got a particular kind of organ music playing in the background.
Priorities & the food chain
The faces in the remastering shop right now are too many to count here, and we can’t really offer a solid ETA on them, simply because we’re doing them as time allows for such activity. Custom/bespoke font work is really our daily bread and butter. But new releases and remastering older stuff sit closely next in line. So you will certainly be seeing some older fonts spiffed up and added to the site when you check in every once in a while.
That being said, we are also working on new stuff. We’ve got some pretty cool fonts in the works, so you’ll also be seeing updates about new releases. We’re currently debating the possible consequences and time-efficiency of doing journal entries showing work in progress — which would really be akin to making lofty promises we may or may not be able to keep.
And of course there’s our involvement in education, which is also ongoing. This year things are getting quite exciting on that front. There’s a plan underway to put together a web site about Canadian typography, historic and otherwise. The initiative is Rod McDonald’s, and it looks like people from all over the country will be working with him to build this massive thing. We’re naturally very excited to be aboard this ship.
Speaking of education, this summer Patrick will be in a gorgeous part of upstate New York to give a week-long type design workshop, part of the Wells Book Art Center’s 2019 Summer Institute. Do sign up if you’ve got the time and interest. It will be a lot of fun, an intensive hands-on class at an amazing locale, full of book arts and type history.
What We’re Doing2019-04-172019-04-19https://canadatype.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/logo_main_header-1.pngCanada Typehttps://canadatype.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/04-what-were-doing_journal-page-graphic.png200px200px
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Filed under Television Reviews
Sean Goodman|October 9, 2014
The drama and experiences surrounding high school life in the 1970s are both foreign and hilarious. Airing on T.V in 1998, “That ’70s Show” includes well known actors such as Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis during their early years. The show follows the family life and friends of a high school student named Eric Foreman. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of teenage life, and with light-hearted characters such as Fez, and Kelso, there is always a sense of relief during the more serious topics on the show.
Whether it’s travelling in Eric’s Vista Cruiser or chilling’ in a circle in the family basement, the series does a great job of making each episode familiar yet different with the stories and environments involved. Whether it’s accurate or not of the supposedly laid-back teen years of the ’70s, the show remains captivating even to those unfamiliar with the time period by focusing on themes such as drugs and high school relationships while keeping a comedic tone.
The show has gotten a lot of praise for being the starting point for many well-known actors today and provides insight into the high school experiences of parents/relatives who grew up in the ’70s. With a somewhat cheesy yet charming sense of humor, the series brings a few unexpected laughs. Foreman’s family life is surprisingly relatable, and with a handful of interesting and stereotypical characters, “That ’70s Show” remains one of the funniest and entertaining series to be released.
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Assistant Department Manager in Hialeah, Florida.
First Name ee1b7b93
Last Name ab07a5f2
Email 4fb244b0
6af1aa3c Email me about jobs like this
Hialeah | Florida | United States | 33012
We work to ensure that each customer that shops with us has a unique experience. As an Assistant Department Manager at Floor & Decor, your love for the product and great customer service will help create a lasting experience for our customers.
You will be responsible for training and developing Retail Sales Associates and ensuring every customer has a positive shopping experience while maintaining a safe work environment. You will demonstrate the ability to drive and teach company philosophy and completing all product training certification courses. You will create a lasting experience for our customers by helping them to the correct merchandise for them to complete their project.
Floor and Decor offers competitive pay, benefits, and flexible scheduling including nights, weekends, and holidays.
Acknowledge and greet customers with a positive attitude
Answer customer questions
Be available to assist in other areas of the store as needed
Stand for long periods of time
Understand merchandising, pricing and organization of assigned department
Fort Worth Texas United States Fort Worth, Texas, United States, 76132 Store Sales Store Sales
Display Builder
Hialeah Florida United States Hialeah, Florida, United States, 33012 Store Operations Specialist Store Operations Specialist
North Charleston South Carolina United States North Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29406 Design Services Design Services
Smyrna Georgia United States Smyrna, Georgia, United States, 30080 Accounts Payable Accounts Payable
It’s great being part of a culture where entrepreneurship and team spirit are not just buzzwords. If you love working with a great group of people and desire the opportunity to grow, this is the place for you. Purpose:This position is responsible...
Burlingame California United States Burlingame, California, United States, 94010 Store Operations Store Operations
It’s great being part of a culture where entrepreneurship and team spirit are not just buzzwords. If you love working with a great group of people and desire the opportunity to grow, this is the place for you. What You’ll DoAs a Receiving Associa...
Fountain Valley California United States Fountain Valley, California, United States, 92708 Customer Service Customer Service
It’s great being part of a culture where entrepreneurship and team spirit are not just buzzwords. If you love working with a great group of people and desire the opportunity to grow, this is the place for you. What You'll DoWe work to ensure that...
First Name c695389f
Last Name 4e829e9e
Email d074eb43
Department and Location f3e6e481
Departments fa511645 Departments c7d3cf26 Accounts Payable Admin Customer Care Operations Customer Care Services Customer Service Design Services Distribution Operations Distribution Operations Leadership Distribution Warehouse Ecommerce Inventory Merchandising Leadership Merchandising Operations Operations Pro Services Product Review Store Operations Store Operations Leadership Store Operations Specialist Store Sales Store Sales Specialist Supply Chain Systems Support & Enhancements Technology Warehouse
Locations cc7a90f8 Locations ad1a0ef4 Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States Alexandria, Virginia, United States Arlington, Texas, United States Arlington Heights, Illinois, United States Arvada, Colorado, United States Atlanta, Georgia, United States Aurora, Illinois, United States Austin, Texas, United States Avon, Massachusetts, United States Birmingham, Alabama, United States Bloomingdale, Georgia, United States Boynton Beach, Florida, United States Bridgeton, Missouri, United States Brookfield, Wisconsin, United States Buford, Georgia, United States Burlingame, California, United States Carson, California, United States Charlotte, North Carolina, United States Chicago, Illinois, United States Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Clearwater, Florida, United States Concord, North Carolina, United States Countryside, Illinois, United States Dallas, Texas, United States Denver, Colorado, United States Devon, Pennsylvania, United States Downey, California, United States Draper, Utah, United States Edgemere, Maryland, United States El Paso, Texas, United States Everett, Washington, United States Farmingdale, New York, United States Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States Fort Myers, Florida, United States Fort Worth, Texas, United States Fountain Valley, California, United States Fullerton, California, United States Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States Glendale, Arizona, United States Greensboro, North Carolina, United States Gretna, Louisiana, United States Gurnee, Illinois, United States Hampton, Virginia, United States Henderson, Nevada, United States Henrico, Virginia, United States Hialeah, Florida, United States Hilliard, Ohio, United States Hollywood, Florida, United States Houston, Texas, United States Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Jacksonville, Florida, United States Katy, Texas, United States Kennesaw, Georgia, United States Knoxville, Tennessee, United States Lakeland, Florida, United States Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Levittown, Pennsylvania, United States Littleton, Colorado, United States Lombard, Illinois, United States Louisville, Kentucky, United States Marietta, Georgia, United States McDonough, Georgia, United States Memphis, Tennessee, United States Mesa, Arizona, United States Mesquite, Texas, United States Miami, Florida, United States Milpitas, California, United States Mission Viejo, California, United States Moorestown, New Jersey, United States Moreno Valley, California, United States Morrow, Georgia, United States Nashville, Tennessee, United States New Orleans, Louisiana, United States Norco, California, United States North Charleston, South Carolina, United States North Richland Hills, Texas, United States Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States Orlando, Florida, United States Overland Park, Kansas, United States Paramus, New Jersey, United States Pasadena, Texas, United States Phoenix, Arizona, United States Plano, Texas, United States Pompano Beach, Florida, United States Port St. Lucie, Florida, United States Reno, Nevada, United States Reynoldsburg, Ohio, United States Riverdale, Utah, United States Rocklin, California, United States Roswell, Georgia, United States Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States San Antonio, Texas, United States San Diego, California, United States Sanford, Florida, United States Santa Ana, California, United States Sarasota, Florida, United States Saugus, Massachusetts, United States Savannah, Georgia, United States Seattle, Washington, United States Skokie, Illinois, United States Smyrna, Georgia, United States St. Louis, Missouri, United States Sugar Land, Texas, United States Tampa, Florida, United States Tempe, Arizona, United States The Colony, Texas, United States Thornton, Colorado, United States Tucson, Arizona, United States Utica, Michigan, United States Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States Wayne, New Jersey, United States West Palm Beach, Florida, United States Wichita, Kansas, United States Woodbridge, Virginia, United States Woodland Hills, California, United States
First Name 01f610a5
Last Name 0032acf6
Email bcd0e6a0
e7492b44 Email me about jobs like this
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Tag Archives: M. Emmet Walsh
Posted on June 28, 2011 by carlosdev
Even shades and a moustache can't make Michael Cera look dangerous.
(2009) Comedy (Dimension) Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Justin Long, Jean Smart, Ari Graynor, Fred Willard, Zach Galifianakis, Mary Kay Place, Rooney Mara, Adhir Kalyan, M. Emmet Walsh. Directed by Miguel Arteta
Growing up is hard enough when you are marching in lock-step with the crowd. If you are marching to your very own drumbeat, chances are it’s damn near impossible.
Nick Twisp (Cera) is a teenager in Oakland with the kind of family situation that makes you want to pull every sensory organ out of your head and stomp on them. His parents are divorced; Mom (Smart) has taken up with an unpredictable druggie (Galifianakis) who has run afoul of a group of sailors whom he sold a car to. He has run so afoul that he has thought the better part of valor was packing up his girlfriend and Nick and moving them to a trailer park in the middle of nowhere, California. Here he meets Sheeni (Doubleday), a young girl as quirky as he, someone who knows who Jean-Paul Belmondo is, and knows what it means to be hip in a conformist world.
His dad (Buscemi) is compensating with a much younger girlfriend (Graynor) and Nick prevails upon him to move into Sheeni’s complex, getting himself thrown out of his mom’s household for good measure. However, Sheeni doesn’t think Nick is dangerous enough. Nick invents an alter-ego (also Cera) with a wispy moustache, a smoking habit and who tends to give really bad advice that soon has Nick in trouble with the law, with his family and with Sheeni.
This is one of those coming of age stories (based on a novel, of course) that seems to have the idea that the more twisted and mixed up you are, the more interesting you become. The movie sat on the shelf for more than three years as Cera’s star grew brighter before it finally got a release. Even so, it milks the kind of character Cera has made a career out of playing; young, fey, sensitive, good-hearted and somewhat spineless. He has an easy manner of quipping and yet never seems to turn that intelligence into making his world a better place.
Doubleday makes a pretty nice romantic lead, except she doesn’t really pull off the quirkier aspects of her character well. She comes off therefore as a girl pretending to be hip rather than being actually hip, which matches up poorly with Cera’s character, who has the outer appearance of being hip without the inner self-confidence to pull it off.
Still, the movie is funny where it needs to be and quite frankly this is one of my favorite performances by Cera. It doesn’t hurt that he has a wealth of comic actors to work off of – from the established (Willard, Buscemi, Place) to the up-and-coming (Galifianakis, Graynor, Long – as Sheeni’s brother – and Kalyan, as Nick’s ethnic friend who may be even more of a dork than he is). The cast for the most part perform admirably, although some of the storyline just goes into ridiculous mode from the second half of the movie onwards.
It’s not a bad movie at all, and despite my low regard for hip indie coming of age movies about quirky teens who are hipper than thou, managed to reel me in thanks to some nice supporting performances (particularly from Buscemi, Willard and Galifianakis) and some good, solid laughs. What more can you ask from a comedy?
WHY RENT THIS: Well-written dialogue and some funny situations. A very strong supporting cast comes up aces.
WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Michael Cera is far too one-note an actor to be playing two characters.
FAMILY VALUES: There’s plenty of foul language, quite a bit of sexual content and some drug use.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: The man who sells Jerry the camper is none other than Michael Collins, the Apollo 11 astronaut who was in the command module while Armstrong and Aldrin got all the glory.
NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: None listed.
BOX OFFICE PERFORMANCE: $19.7M on an $18M production budget; the movie was a flop.
TOMORROW: The Ghost Writer
Posted in DVD Review | Tagged alter ego, Ari Graynor, arson, based on a novel, cinema, college, comedy, coming of age movie, Dimension Films, divorced parents, drugs, DVD Reviews, Dysfunctional families, film, Francois, Frank Sinatra, Fred Willard, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Justin Long, M. Emmet Walsh, Mary Kay Place, Michael Cera, movies, Oakland, Portia Doubleday, Ray Liotta, road trip, Rooney Mara, Steve Buscemi, unrequited love, Youth in Revolt, Zach Galifianakis | Leave a reply
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Moscow’s Maghreb Moment
Vasily Kuznetsov
Russia is regaining influence in North Africa thanks to weapons, energy, and trade.
For the last decade and a half, Russia has sought to regain influence in North Africa. To strengthen its presence in a region that more commonly interacts with the United States and the European Union (EU), Moscow has shown an ability to seize opportunities through military cooperation, energy diplomacy, and trade.
Cooperation in the military-security sphere is particularly advanced between Russia and North Africa. Russia has increased its military expenditures in the region, and remains an attractive and affordable supplier of weapons to its countries, most significantly Egypt and Algeria. Algeria, a longstanding ally of Moscow, is among the top five clients for Russian weapons, with more than 80 percent of its equipment being supplied by Russia.
In 2006, Moscow and Algeria settled a $4.7 billion debt owed by Algeria to the former Soviet Union. This allowed Algiers and Moscow to improve their relationship and expand political and economic ties. The same year, Algeria signed an agreement with Russia for tanks, jet fighters, and a missile system, among other equipment, for a value of $7.5 billion. By 2016, Algeria accounted for 10 percent of Russian weapons exports. Indeed, between 2012 and 2016 there was a 277 percent increase in the value of all weapons sold to Algeria, making the North African country the world’s fifth largest arms importer, with Russia as its primary supplier. Two-thirds of the trade between the two countries—which rose from $700 million in 2007 to $4 billion in 2016—involved military material.
Next door in Egypt, military cooperation has also been important. Since 2014, Egypt has purchased $3.5 billion in Russian military material. The two sides are currently discussing the delivery of additional equipment. In 2015, Egypt and Russia established a joint commission for military-technical cooperation, and a year later they conducted joint counterterrorism exercises under the name “Defenders of Friendship—2016.” More recently, in 2017, the states signed a preliminary agreement under which Russian military aircraft would be allowed to enter Egypt’s airspace and use its military bases. If the agreement is concluded, it would be the most substantial deployment of foreign forces in North Africa since the 1970s.
Russia has also been improving its economic relations with the Maghreb countries. Libya is a case in point. While Russia had impressive economic cooperation with Libya before 2011, this changed after the uprising there, when all previous contracts were rendered null and void. Moscow recognized the National Transitional Council in 2016, and began simultaneously working actively with its opponent, Marshal Khalifa Haftar. In 2016 and 2017, Haftar visited Russia several times, and in January 2017 he was received on the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. At the same time, Russian sappers were sent to Cyrenaica at the invitation of the Libyan Cement Company to remove mines from an industrial facility, and Moscow helped the government in Tobruk make up for its liquidity deficit by printing money on its behalf.
Russia and Libya seek to expand their economic cooperation. In 2017, the turnover in trade between the two countries doubled to $135 million, when compared to 2016, driven mainly by the export of Russian grain. In the first quarter of 2018 the list of products expanded, despite a slight reduction in grain shipments (which represent 47 percent of total Russian exports to Libya). Also, metals and metal products accounted for one-third of Russian exports, while chemical products accounted for some 10 percent of exports.
Egypt, in its turn, is one of Russia’s top 20 trading partners globally and the largest importer of Russian agricultural products. In 2017, total trade between the two countries reached $6.73 billion, and mainly included hydrocarbons, ferrous metals, and cereals. That same year, half of the wheat imported by Egypt—around 11.2 million tons—came from Russia. The two countries have also discussed creating a Russian industrial zone in Port Said. “I see it as a hub. I believe it is a first stage in shaping basic platforms for spreading Russian goods in African countries,” is how Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Georgy Kalamanov described the project.
Russian trade with Morocco is also substantial, with 97 percent of Moroccan exports to Russia representing food products. In addition to being Russia’s largest supplier of frozen sardines, Morocco is also a leading supplier of tomatoes and citrus fruits. In terms of value, the trade between the two states exceeded $3 billion in 2017, though the trade balance is greatly in Russia’s favor.
Russia has also extended its cooperation with North African countries to the energy sector. The Kremlin has signed several agreements relating to civilian nuclear energy, a way of securing its regional footprint for the long term. In October 2017, the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) signed a memorandum of understanding on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes with the Moroccan Ministry of Energy, Mineral Resources, and Sustainable Development. The same month, ROSATOM signed another memorandum of understanding with the Algerian Atomic Energy Commission, and the two countries are planning the construction of a nuclear power station with a pressurized water reactor for 2025. In November 2015, Russia also signed an agreement for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Egypt, which was complemented in 2017 by a long-term contract for maintenance of the plant.
Finally, tourism is becoming important in Russia’s advance in North Africa. While Egypt had been a destination for Russian tourists for years, with some 3.1 million tourists visiting in 2014, this changed dramatically after the October 2015 bombing of a Russian airliner by an Islamic State affiliate. Moscow banned direct flights to Egypt for two and half years, redirecting the flow of its tourists to Tunisia, where their numbers rose to 515,000 in 2017, more than double what they had been in 2014. Through tourism and its impact on the Tunisian economy, the Kremlin is paving the way for greater Russian influence in the country.
Russia is in the process of greatly diversifying its ties in North Africa. While energy cooperation remains uncertain due to excessive costs and the time involved in projects, military cooperation is likely to continue. However, the Kremlin’s sway should not be exaggerated, as North Africa is not a Russian priority. That said, both the EU and the United States will certainly have to adapt to the Kremlin’s expanded North African presence in the years ahead.
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ExhortationsNews
Pope Francis speaks to bishops about compassion for those suffering broken marriages
By Raphael Benedict November 22, 2016 No Comments
On Friday Pope Francis stopped by a formation course for bishops on the new marriage nullity process, telling attendees that as bishops, and now as local judges in annulment cases, they must pursue the truth, but never exclude those whose marriages have failed.
The Church, “who is embodied in the sad stories and sufferings of the people,” bends down to the poor “and to those who are far away from the ecclesial community or consider themselves outside of it due to their marital failure,” the Pope said Nov. 18.
Despite whatever distance couples who find themselves in this situation might feel, “they are and remain incorporated in Christ in virtue of their baptism,” Francis said.
He stressed that the Church has always had the attitude of a mother “who welcomes and loves, following the example of Jesus the Good Samaritan.” Because of this, it is the responsibility of bishops to never “consider them strangers to the Body of Christ, which is the Church.”
Pope Francis spoke to bishops currently in Rome to participate in a Nov. 17-19 formation course on the new, streamlined annulment process rolled out last year.
He reformed the process for the causes of marriage nullity in December 2015, giving the possibility of a stronger role to local bishops, among other things.
According to the new norms, the bishop may act as a judge in cases of nullity, and can use a swifter process than is typical when nullity is “sustained by particularly evident arguments.”
The reformed process was officially put into place by two documents, Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus (The Lord Jesus, a meek judge) and Mitis et misericors Iesus (Jesus, meek and merciful), which reformed the Code of Canon Law and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, respectively.
In addition to the increased role open to the local bishop, the reform also dropped the requirement of an automatic appeal when one tribunal found a marriage to be null, and ensured that the process would be free of charge. It also established that each diocese must have its own tribunal.
Pope Francis’ reforms were intended to simplify and streamline the process, while also safeguarding the indissolubility of marriage.
His visit to the Rota for the course fell nearly one year after the new process went into effect Dec. 8, 2015, coinciding with the feast of the Immaculate Conception and the launch of the Jubilee of Mercy.
The Roman Rota is one of three tribunals in the Roman Curia, and is the court of higher instance, usually at the appellate stage, with the purpose of safeguarding rights within the Church.
In his speech to course participants, Pope Francis said that bishops, while having been made “teachers of the faith” through their consecration, must also “continually learn.”
Pope Francis meets with the Roman Rota at the Vatican (L’Osservatore Romano).
To learn in this sense, he said, “is to understand the needs and questions of humanity today and to look for answers in the Word of God and in the truth of the faith.”
He pointed to Bl. Paul VI’s 1975 apostolic exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi, in which the late Roman Pontiff encouraged evangelization efforts to take place “not in a superficial way,” but by
“descending into the concrete situations of people.”
“Attention to people is the underlying theological and ecclesial motive for this formation course,” the Pope said, adding that spiritual health and “the salus animarum (salvation of souls)” of the persons entrusted to them “is the end of every pastoral action.”
The mission of a bishop, he said, is ultimately expressed in the First Letter of Saint Peter, in which the apostle encourages pastors at the time to tend to their flock not because they are forced to, “but willingly, as would God,” and to do so with “a generous heart” while providing an example for the flock.
“In this perspective, it is necessary to decisively eliminate every impediment of a worldly nature which makes it difficult for a large number of faithful to access ecclesiastical tribunals,” he said, stressing that economic or organizational problems “cannot be an obstacle to the canonical verification of the validity of marriage.”
Francis then spoke of the “healthy relationship” between justice and charity, explaining that Church law can’t ignore “the fundamental principle of salus animarum.”
Because of this, ecclesiastical tribunals “are called to be a tangible expression of a diaconal service of the laws in regard to this primary end,” he said, noting that the salvation of souls indicates “the horizon of mercy.”
Pope Francis noted that the questions the bishops bring from their own dioceses and experience of marriage pastoral ministry “require answers and actions that are not always easy.”
However, he voiced his confidence that the course would help them to find “the most appropriate approach to the various problems,” and thanked the Dean of the Rota, Msgr. Pio Vito Pinto, as well as the other speakers, who included Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, for their “competent legal, theological, and pastoral contribution.”
Pope Francis closed his speech by encouraging the bishops to return to their dioceses “enriched with notions and useful tips in order to perform your ministry more effectively, especially regarding the new marriage process.”
This process, he said, is “an important help” in terms of to growing their flocks in imitation of Christ the Good Shepherd, “from whom we must daily learn the wise search of the unum necessarium (one thing necessary): the salvation of souls.”
He prayed that the Holy Spirit, who “invisibly but truly guides the Church,” would help both them, and also the Successor of Peter to respond with availability and humility to the cry of help of so many of our brothers and sisters who need to discover the truth of their marriage and their ways of life.”
BishopsCompassionMarriagePope Francis
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Nadiya Savchenko - Wikipedia
Nadiya Savchenko
Надія Савченко
People's Deputy of Ukraine
27 November 2014[1]
Batkivshchyna, No.1[2][3]
Nadiya Viktorivna Savchenko
(1981-05-11) 11 May 1981 (age 38)
Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Social and Political Platform of Nadiya Savchenko (since 2017)[4]
Other political
Batkivshchyna (2014–2016)[5][3]
Hero of Ukraine[6][7]
Order For Courage[8]
Branch/service
Ukrainian Armed Forces
3rd Army Aviation Regiment, Brody, Lviv oblast
Nadiya Viktorivna Savchenko (Ukrainian: Надія Вікторівна Савченко; born 11 May 1981) is a Ukrainian politician and former Army aviation pilot in the Ukrainian Ground Forces. People's Deputy of Ukraine 8th convocation from 27 November 2014.[9][10]
During the 2014 War in Donbass Savchenko, a first lieutenant in the Ukrainian Ground Forces, served as instructor with a volunteer infantry unit, the Aidar Battalion. In June 2014, she was captured by pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine[11] and handed over to Russia where she was accused of having directed artillery fire that killed two Russian state-television journalists at the positions of pro-Russian forces in Ukraine.[12]
She was subsequently charged and convicted of murder and illegally crossing Russian state border[13][14][15] despite being abducted from Ukrainian territory one hour before the deaths of the journalists.[16][17] One of her lawyers, Mark Feygin, said she was a prisoner-of-war and called on the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations to demand her immediate release and that of the other Ukrainian POWs lest Russia be held in violation of the Geneva Conventions.[18][12] European Union ministers and their representative regarded her detention as illegal and that her trial did not respect basic human rights, including the right to fair proceedings.[19]
In November 2014, while still imprisoned, Savchenko was elected to the Verkhovna Rada in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, and she formally resigned from her military post.[1][13][20] On 25 May 2016, Savchencko was exchanged in a prisoner swap for Russian GRU officers[21] Yevgeny Yerofeyev and Alexander Alexandrov captured by Ukraine.[22]
After returning to Ukraine, Savchenko declared her intention to participate as a presidential candidate in 2019 Ukrainian presidential election.[23] However, she was arrested on 22 March 2018, charged with planning a terrorist attack to overthrow the Ukrainian government.[24][25] She was released from detention on 15 April 2019.[26]
Savchenko was one of Ukraine's first women to train as a military aeroplane pilot, and is the only female aviator to pilot the Sukhoi Su-24 bomber and the Mil Mi-24 helicopter.[27]
1 Life and military career
2 Capture by Donbass People's Militia
3 Detention and trial in the Russian Federation
5 The charge of preparing a terrorist attack in Ukraine
6 Political views
7 Public image
Life and military career[edit]
Savchenko is a Ukrainian military pilot and a former first lieutenant of the Ukrainian Air Force. She resigned after being elected as a member of the Ukrainian parliament.
Nadiya Savchenko and her younger sister Vira were born in Kiev in the Troieshchyna neighbourhood.[28] Their father was an agricultural engineer, their mother a designer and cargo manager.[29] Savchenko's father was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union while her mother was an anti-communist.[28] Her mother and sister Vira said in an interview that she and her sister were brought up in a Ukrainian-speaking household and attending Ukrainian-language schools.[29][28]
At 16, Savchenko was already determined to become a pilot. She joined the Ukrainian Army, working as a radio operator with the country's railway forces before training as a paratrooper.[29] She was then the only Ukrainian female soldier in the (2004–2008) Ukrainian peacekeeping troops in Iraq. Upon returning, she successfully petitioned the Defence Ministry for the right to attend the prestigious Air Force University in Kharkiv, which until then had been open only to men;she was expelled twice during her study there as unsuitable candidate to train as a pilot but both times was successfully re-instated and continued to train as a flight navigator instead , initially as a SU-24 Navigator and later on a Mi-24 Attack helicopter she graduated in 2009 and served in 3rd Regiment of the Army Aviation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the city of Brody . She amassed 170 flying Hours on MI-24 as Navigator [30][28]
In 2011, the Ukraine Defence Forces published a 20-minute documentary about Savchenko and her military career.[31] She also featured in a United Nations Development Program as part of a drive to promote equality in the Ukrainian military.[32] Savchenko found her time in Brody boring and often got drunk.[28] She was unhappy flying on the Mi-24 attack helicopter, instead of fast SU-24 bomber .[28] Her former commanding officer at Brody, Edward Zahurskiy, described her as a problem officer, who was unstable, insubordinate, and lacked discipline.[28]
In December 2013, Savchenko's 3rd Army Aviation Regiment was ordered to Kiev by President Viktor Yanukovych.[28] Savchenko then (without permission from her commanding officer) joined the Euromaidan demonstrations.[28] Savchenko kept a low profile during the protests; there is video of trying to persuade demonstrators not to throw petrol bombs at riot police.[28] After the president had fled Ukraine in late February 2014, Savchenko and her unit returned to Brody.[28]
Angry over her unit not being deployed in the War in Donbass Savchenko defied orders and left Brody and she volunteered as an instructor in the Aidar Battalion.[33][28]
Capture by Donbass People's Militia[edit]
During the War in Donbass, Savchenko fought as a volunteer in the east of Ukraine in the Aidar Battalion.[14][15] On 17 June 2014, at 10:46 am[34] she was captured near the village of Metalist, Slovianoserbsk Raion, by members of the Zarya Battalion, an armed pro-Russian militant group that declared allegiance to the self-declared People's Republic of Luhansk.[35] On 19 June, a video of her interrogation at an undisclosed location appeared on the internet; she was shown handcuffed to a metal pipe.[14][15][36] On 20 June, the chief of counter-intelligence Vladimir Gromov said that Savchenko was being well treated. On 22 June, there were media reports that Savchenko had been transferred to Donetsk.[37]
Detention and trial in the Russian Federation[edit]
Savchenko at the Moscow Basmanny court trial (February 10, 2015).
See also: Killing of Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin
On 8 July 2014, there were media reports that Nadiya Savchenko was being kept in a detention centre in city of Voronezh, the Russian Federation. On 9 July, Vladimir Markin [ru], spokesman for Russia's Investigative Committee (a federal agency subordinate to the Russian President), confirmed that Savchenko was indeed held in Voronezh where she was facing charges of complicity in the 17 June killing of two Russian journalists, Igor Vladimirovich Kornelyuk (a correspondent for All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company), and sound producer Anton Voloshin, who died during a mortar attack on a rebel checkpoint outside Luhansk.[38] Ukrainian officials said the reporters did not comply with safety requirements and were not accredited.[39] According to Savchenko's defence team, she was alibied by the billing data for Savchenko's and Kornelyuk's mobile phones, provided by Ukrainian Security Service, as she had already been captured by the Russian-backed separatists one hour before the mortar attack that killed Russian journalists.[40]
Since late 2015, Russia's Investigative Committee insisted she crossed the border voluntarily without documents, and in the guise of a refugee.[41] This contradicted previously published evidence and media reports: long before the alleged crossing, Russia's pro-Kremlin TV channel NTV reported that Savchenko had been captured by "rebels" and then handed over to the Russian authorities.[42] Ukrainian officials said she had been illegally taken to Russia by Russian intelligence services in collaboration with pro-Russian rebels.[43][44] In 2016, journalist Semen Zakruzhnyi followed the Investigative Committee's alleged route pointing out to numerous inconsistencies and concluding that neither Savchenko nor Russian investigators ever visited the places mentioned in the indictment.[45]
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strong protest against the illegal transfer of Savchenko to Russia, calling the kidnapping of the Ukrainian citizen an act of state terrorism.[46] On 8 July, President Petro Poroshenko instructed the General Prosecutor of Ukraine to take all measures to bring about Savchenko's release.[47] In response, Vladimir Markin at Russia's Investigative Committee claimed that Savchenko was a terrorist and that the chances of her being released were on a par with those of Petro Poroshenko replacing Barack Obama as President of the United States.[48]
A rally nearby Russian Consulate in Seattle in support of freedom for Savchenko, 2015
During her long trial in Russia, Savchenko has been held in a cage—which is standard practice[49] in Russia for defendants held without bail, despite the European Court of Human Rights ruling that defendants should never be held in a cage in the courtroom.[12] On 10 July, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in a website statement that her detention and trial is "A violation of all international agreements, all norms of law and is unacceptable."[39] President Poroshenko emphasized that "Nadiya Savchenko is a symbol of the struggle for Ukraine. While in captivity she has demonstrated the true, strong, martial Ukrainian spirit of a serviceman who doesn't betray the Motherland."[50] The President also said he had ordered a new lawyer for Savchenko.[39]
Russian opposition rally in Moscow, March 2015
As of 11 July 2015, Savchenko's Russian defence lawyer is Mark Feygin, who is known for his defence of Pussy Riot.[51] On 27 August 2014 during a hearing at the Sovetsky district court of Voronezh, Savchenko appeared wearing a T-shirt with the Ukrainian state symbol (Tryzub) and spoke exclusively in the Ukrainian language.[52] She also stated that she had been detained in Russia since 24 June, not 30 June as the Russian investigation reported.[52] At the conclusion of the hearing, the court extended Savchenko's detention for a further two months and ordered that she be sent for a month to the Serbsky Institute for a forensic psychological evaluation, which Savchenko opposed.[53]
On 22 December 2014, Moscow City Court upheld the decision to extend the arrest of Savchenko until the end of the investigation, which was scheduled to be concluded by 13 February 2015.[20] Savchenko subsequently began a hunger strike.[54] The European Union and the United States have condemned Savchenko's detention and have called for her release.[55] Her lawyer, Mark Feygin, said she was a prisoner-of-war.[18]
Savchenko officially became a Ukrainian delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, or PACE, on 26 January 2015; thus on a legal level, she obtained parliamentary immunity in all PACE signatory states, including Russia, from that date. Despite this she was not released. Aleksey Pushkov of the Russian Duma stated that her appointment to PACE was an attack against Russia, and that gaining diplomatic immunity does not absolve one from previous crimes. However, the Russian delegation to PACE struck a different tone, stating that it "fully supports the release of Nadia Savchenko."[56][57][58] PACE has declined to strip Savchenko of her parliamentary immunity, and instead has stated that Savchenko must be immediately released, finding her 2014 abduction and subsequent imprisonment to be "a violation of international law amounting to her de facto kidnapping".[59]
On 2 March 2015, President Petro Poroshenko awarded Savchenko with the title of Hero of Ukraine.[6]
On 24 July 2015, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee of Russia, contrary to the information of Savchenko's capture published earlier by Donetsk People's Republic,[11] stated that she voluntarily crossed the Russian border with intention of committing acts of sabotage and freely moved on the territory of Voronezh Oblast until 30 June when she was arrested.[60][61]
In February 2016, the US State department's spokesperson Jen Psaki voiced deep concern over the continued ill-treatment and deteriorating health of Savchenko, and called on Russia to honour its commitments under the September 2014 Minsk agreements, and the 15 February implementation plan by immediately releasing Savchenko and other Ukrainian hostages.[62] Other urges to release her followed.[63] On 7 March 2016, US Secretary of State John Kerry protested about Savchenko's continued detention, specifically mentioning concerns about her interrogations, solitary confinement, and forced "psychiatric evaluation".[64]
Parliament of Ukraine in April 2015
In March 2016, Savchenko wrote: "It is an absurd situation when those who abduct people and subject them to torture then act as if they have a right to judge them! How can one talk about a fair trial? In Russia, there are no trials or investigations—only a farce played out by Kremlin puppets. [...] those in the world with democratic values ought to learn their history lessons before it's too late and remember that there was a time when Europe was tolerant toward Hitler, and America wasn't decisive enough, and this led to World War II."[65]
On 10 March 2016, while on a hunger strike, Nadiya Savchenko made a last statement to the court, which included the statement: "I admit no guilt and I recognize neither the court nor the verdict. If I am found guilty, I will not appeal. I want the entire democratic world to understand that Russia is a Third World country with a totalitarian regime and a petty tyrant for a dictator and it spits on international law and human rights."[12]
According to her lawyer Mark Feygin, "her case will certainly be decided in Kremlin by Putin and his associates".[40] On 21 March 2016, the court of Donetsk, Russia found Savchenko guilty of illegally crossing the Russian border and the murder of two Russian journalists.[66]
Savchenko was freed in a prisoner swap on 25 May 2016[22] for two Russian servicemen.[7][67][68] She was released from custody in Rostov-on-Don and immediately on a presidential flight brought to Boryspil.[7] Technically, she was granted a pardon by president Vladimir Putin.[69] Immediately in the Boryspil International Airport she was awarded the Golden Star and received an honorary title of Hero of Ukraine.[7]
Since her release Savchenko suffers from insomnia and nightmares.[28]
Political career[edit]
Savchenko in Parliament of Ukraine, 31 May 2016
In the October 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Savchenko was placed first on the party list of Batkivshchyna.[70][3] (In a June 2016 interview with Radio Free Europe she stated that the party wasn't her first choice, but it "isn't the worst".[28]) In this same election her sister Vira Savchenko was also a candidate for Batkivshchyna in an electoral constituency in Yahotyn.[71][72] Nadiya Savchenko was elected as a deputy to the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament of Ukraine, as a result of the election.[73] Because of this Savchenko resigned from the Ukrainian army on 7 November 2014.[13] The Russian government has recognized the elections of Ukraine, meaning that the Russian Federation was holding a member of parliament from another nation under arrest.[74][75][13] Vira Savchenko finished third in her constituency with 7.02% of the votes (winner Serhiy Mishchenko [uk] won 40.41%) and was thus not elected.[72]
In late November 2014, Savchenko signed her parliamentary oath and passed it to Ukraine through her lawyer and was thus sworn in as People's Deputy of Ukraine (MP) on 27 November 2014.[1][76]
On 25 December 2014, Savchenko was included in Ukraine's quota for representatives in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE); as noted above, legally this granted her parliamentary immunity in all PACE signatory nations, including Russia.[77]
On 6 November 2015, Savchenko's first draft law was introduced to parliament, while she was imprisoned in Russia.[78]
On 27 May 2016, after returning from Russia in a prisoner exchange, Savchenko said she was prepared to become President of Ukraine if the Ukrainians wish so.[79]
In 2016, Savchenko left Batkivshchyna, but remained a member of its parliamentary faction.[5] This was announced on 12 December 2016 right after Savchenko had admitted she had recently held a secret meeting with separatist leaders Aleksandr Zakharchenko (of the Donetsk People's Republic) and Igor Plotnitsky (of the Luhansk People's Republic) in Minsk.[5][80] On 15 December 2016, Batkivshchyna expelled Savchenko from its parliamentary faction in response to her Minsk meeting with Zakharchenko and Plotnitsky.[81][82] The party saw this meeting as "negotiations with terrorists" and "adamantly opposed" it.[81][nb 1] Following this controversy, the Ukrainian parliament stripped Savchenko of her PACE membership on 22 December 2016.[84][85] On 27 December 2016, Savchenko established the Civic Platform RUNA (an acronym for Ukrainian People's Revolution).[86] According to Savchenko RUNA will not be a "political project" but rather a "mechanism" and a "natural association of people" who do not follow "populist slogans."[86] In July 2017 her new political party "Social and Political Platform of Nadiya Savchenko" was officially registered.[4] The same month she stated her intent to take part in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election.[87] In January 2019 Savchenko claimed she could not officially register her candidacy because she was not allowed a visit from a notary in prison.[24] Her registration was eventually denied early next month because she did not pay the requested deposit of 2.5 mln hryvnias (approx. 90,000 US dollars).[88] On 30 May 2019 Savchenko stated that her party would take part in the July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[89] But since it could not collected the necessary deposits for a place on the nationwide electoral list, the party nominated 7 candidates in constituencies.[90] Savchenko herself in Zaitseve (constituency #51) and her sister Vira in Avdiivka (constituency #45).[91]
The charge of preparing a terrorist attack in Ukraine[edit]
On 15 March 2018, the Attorney General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko charged Savchenko with preparing a terrorist attack on the Ukrainian parliament.[92] According to Lutsenko, she planned to destroy the Verkhovna Rada building using mortar fire and kill all surviving members of the Rada with automatic weapons.[93] On 15 March 2018 Lutsenko asked the parliament to annul Savchenko's parliamentary immunity in order to prosecute and arrest her.[93]
On 22 March 2018, parliament stripped Savchenko of her parliamentary immunity and allowed her arrest.[94] The same day she was arrested on suspicion of planning an assault on the parliament and supporting a coup d'état .[95] Savchenko claimed that she did not plan any terrorist attack, but instead talked with undercover Ukrainian government agent provocateurs who sought to discredit her.[95][96] She was released from detention on 15 April 2019.[26]
Political views[edit]
Savchenko believes that Ukraine should become "more or less a dictatorship" with a strong leader to stand up to Russia and win,[97] with Augusto Pinochet, Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel, Ronald Reagan, and Nelson Mandela as examples.[97] Savchenko has suggested Ukraine should accept the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea as an attempt to end the War in Donbass.[97]
On 15 March 2018 Savchenko claimed that "people now lawmakers" were involved with the deadly sniper shootings during the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution and that the government that came to power after the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution did not want to fully investigate these shootings.[98]
Public image[edit]
Savchenko at the residence of Geoffrey R. Pyatt, the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, 1 July 2016
Savchenko's trial has caused a significant response inside Russia and internationally.[99][19][100][101][102]
After news of her arrest was reported on 19 June, Savchenko became the subject of an impassioned Ukrainian social media campaign portraying her as a national hero.[103] This social media campaign used the hashtag #SaveOurGirl (that mid-July 2014 had generated more than 15,000 tweets); apparently inspired by the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls used in the May 2014 Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping social media worldwide campaign.[103]
According to BBC News Savchenko is portrayed extremely negatively in the media of Russia: "Crude, and at times sexist, innuendo is used to demonise Ms Savchenko".[103] The Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda said that Savchenko is known as a "killing machine in a skirt", and Tvoy Den called her "Satan's daughter".[103] Russian social media, however, tends to be more nuanced towards her with several anti-Kremlin users mocking perceived oddities in the Russian authorities' version of events, in particular their claim that she entered the country as a refugee.[103] In March 2016, Russian composer Vladimir Nazarov wrote in an open letter to Putin saying that "not even in my worst nightmare could I have imagined that I would have to ask you not to kill a woman."[104] In March 2016, Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny stated about Savchenko's trial, "However you look at it, this doesn't benefit Russia".[105] Navalny said that whoever planned to make Savchenko "a trophy prisoner" had miscalculated.[105] He described the trial as such an "obvious stitch-up" you could "see the threads".[105]
When Savchencko was released from Russian prison in May 2016 opinion polls for the Ukrainian presidential election showed 15% would vote for her; by early 2017 this number was below 5%.[97] Savchenko blames an alleged government smear campaign (that is casting her as someone who may have been turned into a Russian agent) for this collapse.[97]
Other Ukrainians detained by Russia include:[102]
Oleg Sentsov
Olexandr Kolchenko
Stanislav Klykh[106]
Mykola Karpyuk
Akhtem Chiygoz
^ On 16 December 2016 Batkivshchyna declared it would not use the Imperative mandate (depriving her parliamentary seat) against Savchenko.[83] Faction leader Yulia Tymoshenko stated the party did not regret putting Savchenko in its electoral list for the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, because "then we needed to rescue Ukraine's patriot from prison of the occupying country."[83]
^ a b c "CEC registers 357 newly elected deputies of 422". National Radio Company of Ukraine. 25 November 2014. Archived from the original on 26 November 2014.
"Parliament to form leadership and coalition on November 27". UNIAN. 26 November 2014.
Gorchinskaya, Katya (27 November 2014). "Ukraine's new parliament sworn in". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014.
^ "People's Deputy of Ukraine of the VIII convocation". Official portal (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ a b c "Extraordinary parliamentary election on 26.10.2014: Electoral list of All-Ukrainian Union 'Batkivshchyna' in 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election". Central Election Commission of Ukraine. 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
^ a b Week’s milestones. Calculated escalation, overhaul by Groysman, and imitation of mobilization, UNIAN (25 July 2017)
Savchenko informs about registration of her party, Kyiv Post (19 July 2017)
^ a b c Savchenko's sister: Nadiia left Batkivschyna in Oct, UNIAN (13 December 2016)
Savchenko Quits Ukrainian Party, But Plans To Continue Politics, Radio Free Europe (13 December 2016)
^ a b "Порошенко присвоил Савченко звание Героя Украины". Korrespondent. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
^ a b c d "Ukrainian Pilot, Nadiya Savchenko, Is Exchanged for 2 Russian Prisoners". New York Times. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
^ Порошенко нагородив льотчицю Савченко орденом "За мужність" [Poroshenko awarded the pilot Savchenko with the "Order For Courage"]. 112.UA (in Ukrainian). 24 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
^ "PACE Member File: Nadiia SAVCHENKO". Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
^ "Офіційний портал Верховної Ради України". itd.rada.gov.ua. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
^ a b ""Открытая Россия" опубликовала видео задержания Савченко". TV Rain. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
^ a b c d Gessen, Masha (10 March 2016). "Nadiya Savchenko Gives Russia the Finger". The New Yorker. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
^ a b c d "Ukraine pilot Savchenko files resignation from Ukraine army as elected deputy — lawyer". TASS. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
^ a b c "Ukraine conflict: Russia charges pilot over deaths". BBC News. 9 July 2014.
^ a b c "Russia Charges Ukrainian Pilot Savchenko Over Journalists' Deaths". NBC News. 9 July 2014.
^ According to version by the prosecution, the rebels who captured Savchenko let her go and she crossed Russian border, "I have right for everything", by Novaya gazeta
^ Azar, Iliya (21 March 2016). "Я ее взял и лично передал Плотницкому" (in Russian). Meduza.io. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
^ a b Feygin, Mark (24 December 2014). "Russia's illegal prisoners of war". The Washington Post.
^ a b "Mogherini calls for immediate release of Nadiya Savchenko". European External Action Service. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
^ a b "Moscow City Court upholds extension of Savchenko arrest". Interfax-Ukraine. 22 December 2014.
^ Ерофеев и Александров: на кого обменяли Савченко [Erofeev and Alexandrov: who was exchanged for Savchenko] (in Russian). Bbc.com. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
^ a b "Russia 'frees Ukraine pilot Savchenko in prisoner swap'". BBC. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
^ Savchenko said that she will participate in the presidential elections in Ukraine in 2019 (Russian)
^ a b ‹See Tfd›(in Ukrainian) Savchenko complains that the SBU prevents her from going to the presidency, Ukrayinska Pravda (15 January 2019)
^ They planned to finish everyone off. The case of Nadezhda Savchenko almost reached the court (Russian), by RFE/RL
^ a b Hnatyuk, Vyacheslav (16 April 2019). "Savchenko and co-defendant Ruban released from detention". KyivPost. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
^ Надежда Савченко [Nadezhda Savchenko] (in Russian). Grani.ru.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "The Many Faces Of Nadia Savchenko". Radio Free Europe. July 2016.
^ a b c "Meet The Tough-As-Nails Ukrainian Pilot That Russia Wants To Try For Murder". Radio Free Europe. 11 July 2014.
^ Надежда Савченко: 'Умирать не страшно' [Nadezhda Savchenko: 'I'm not afraid of death']. Lvovskaya Pravda (in Russian). 28 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
^ Военный летчик Надежда Савченко [Military pilot Nadiya Savchenko]. Військове телебачення України [Ukrainian Defence Forces Channel]. 5 July 2012.
^ "Russia to Charge Ukrainian Woman 'Top Gun' Savchenko Over Deaths of Two Journalists". International Business Times. 12 July 2014.
^ "Nadiya Savchenko is kept in Voronezh jail and only we can save her". SaveSavchenko.tsn.ua. 11 July 2014.
^ "New evidence in Savchenko's case proves her innocence, – lawyers". 112 Ukraine. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
^ Мать пилота Надежды Савченко: Моя дочь в плену, боюсь, ее держат на наркотиках! [Mother of pilot Nadezhda Savchenko]. Komsomolskaya Pravda in Ukraine (in Russian). 1 July 2014.
^ "Captured Ukrainian Officer Nadiya Savchenko: 'Your Russian authorities will kill me. All of Ukraine is behind me!'". Voices of Ukraine. 20 June 2014.
^ Террористы готовы обменять героическую летчицу на 4-х боевиков [Terrorists ready to exchange heroic pilot for four militants]. tsn.ua (in Russian). 22 June 2014.
^ "Ukrainian Officer Charged With Complicity In Killing Of Russian Journalists". Radio Free Europe. 9 July 2014.
^ a b c Meyer, Henry (10 July 2014). "Russia Denies U.S.-Style Rendition of Ukrainian Pilot Vet". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
^ a b Dzhanpoladova, Natalia; Gostev, Aleksandr (17 December 2014). Алиби Надежды Савченко [Nadezhda Savchenko's alibi] (in Russian). Radio Liberty. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
^ Vasilyeva, Nataliya (9 July 2014). "Ukrainian charged with Russian journalists' deaths". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
^ Shishkin, Philip; Alpert, Lukas I. (10 July 2014). "Ukraine Forces Take Another Rebel-Held Town". The Wall Street Journal.
^ "President instructs to take immediate measures to return Nadiya Savchenko to Ukraine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. 9 July 2014.
^ Савченко похитили боевики в сговоре со спецслужбами РФ – МИД [-Savchenko captured by militants with Russian special forces] (in Russian). liga.net. 9 July 2014.
^ Zakruzhnyi, Semen (Закружный, Семён) (2 March 2016). Как Надежда Савченко путешествовала по России. Репортаж Семёна Закружного. Open Russia (Открытая Россия) (in Russian). Retrieved 14 March 2016. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
^ "Ukraine's Foreign Ministry expressed strong protest against transfer of Nadiya Savchenko to Russia". inforesist.org. 8 July 2014.
^ РОЗПОРЯДЖЕННЯ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ № 951/2014–рп: Про невідкладні заходи щодо повернення в Україну громадянки України Надії Савченко [DECREE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE № 951/2014-рп: On urgent measures on returning to Ukraine the citizen of Ukraine Nadezhda Savchenko] (in Ukrainian). president.gov.ua. 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014.
^ В России по-хамски объяснили, когда освободят летчицу Надежду Савченко [In Russia, they explained the release of the pilot Nadezhda Savchenko in a crude manner] (in Russian). Tsn.ua. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
^ Herszenhorn, David M. (18 November 2013). "Presumed Innocent, but Caged in Court". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
^ "President does everything to liberate pilot Nadiya Savchenko from Russian captivity". Press office of President. 10 July 2014. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
^ "Захисник "Pussy Riot" став адвокатом льотчиці Наді" [Defender of "Pussy Riot takes on Nadiya Savchenko case]. Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 11 July 2014.
^ a b "Savchenko in court: We already do not have Yanukovych, you soon won't have Putin". Ukrayinska Pravda. 27 August 2014.
^ "For Savchenko the arrest was extended and she was placed in the Institute of court psychiatry". Ukrayinska Pravda. 27 August 2014.
^ Oliphant, Roland (11 January 2015). "Nadia Savchenko: The most controversial prisoner of the war in Ukraine". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
^ "US calls on Russia to immediately release detained Ukrainian citizens Savchenko and Sentsov". Interfax Ukraine. 18 October 2014.
^ "Россия не собирается освобождать Савченко и регламент ПАСЕ ей не указ". Unian.
^ "Российская делегация в ПАСЕ в корне поменяла позицию по Савченко". Liga.
^ PACE Grants Savchenko Immunity, Demands Her Release From Russian Jail, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (26 January 2015)
"Nadia Savchenko to obtain diplomatic immunity on January 26, Russia will have to let her go". Interfax Ukraine.
^ "Resolution 2034 (2015) Final version: Challenge, on substantive grounds, of the still unratified credentials of the delegation of the Russian Federation". Council of Europe. 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
^ "Russian migration service destroys Savchenko's abduction theory — Markin". TASS. 24 July 2015.
^ "Александр Бастрыкин: Яценюк воевал против российской армии в Чечне". Российская газета. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
^ "Continued Detention of Nadiya Savchenko" (Press release). United States Department of State. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
^ Адвокат Савченко озвучил беспрецедентный ультиматум Госдепа США к властям РФ [Savchenko's lawyer announces an unprecedented ultimatum from the US State Department to the authorities of the Russian Federation]. Політолог (politolog) (in Russian). 6 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
^ Kerry, John (7 March 2016). "Continued Detention of Nadiya Savchenko" (Press release). United States Department of State. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
^ "'I Will Return To Ukraine, Dead Or Alive' -- Savchenko's Unspoken Last Words In Russian Court". Radio Free Europe. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
^ "Ukrainian army ex-pilot found guilty of death of Russian journalists near Lugansk — court". Tass.ru. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
^ "Ukraine's first female combat pilot freed in prisoner exchange with Russia". Los Angeles Times. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
^ "Jailed Ukraine pilot Nadia Savchenko heads home after prisoner swap with Russia". The Telegraph. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
^ Tsvetkova, Maria (25 May 2016). "Russia's Putin pardons Ukrainian pilot, sends her home in prisoner swap". Reuters. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
^ Bateson, Ian (13 October 2014). "Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna: Two women at top will propel party into parliament". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
^ Bateson, Ian (8 October 2014). "Sister of captured war hero enters politics". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
^ a b Кандидати на мажоритарних округах: Одномандатный избирательный округ № 98 [Candidates for majority districts: Single-mandate constituency No. 98] (in Ukrainian). RBK Ukraine. 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
^ "CEC registers pilot Savchenko as MP". Interfax-Ukraine. 19 November 2014.
^ Список депутатов, проходящих в Раду по спискам и мажоритарке, – предварительные данные [List of deputies elected to the Rada] (in Russian). 112.ua. 29 October 2014.
^ "Russia reluctantly recognizes Ukraine's elections". Radio Vaticana. 28 October 2014.
^ Савченко Надія Вікторівна [Nadiya Viktorivna Savchenko] (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
^ Verkhovna Rada includes pilot Savchenko in PACE delegation, Interfax-Ukraine (25 December 2014)
^ Savchenko first co-author of the bill introduced by the Council, Ukrayinska Pravda (6 November 2015)
^ "Nadiya Savchenko Ready to Run for President of Ukraine". Newsweek. 27 May 2016.
^ Savchenko Meets Russia-Backed Separatist Leaders, Stirring Outrage, Radio Free Europe (12 December 2016)
^ a b ‹See Tfd›(in Ukrainian) "Batkivshchyna" faction expelled from Savchenko, Ukrayinska Pravda (15 December 2016)
^ ‹See Tfd›(in Ukrainian) Savchenko was expelled from the faction "Fatherland", Ukrayinska Pravda (20 December 2016)
^ a b Batkivschyna not to request Savchenko relinquish deputy mandate, Interfax-Ukraine (16 December 2016)
^ "Ukraine's parliament votes to dismiss Savchenko from PACE delegation". Uatoday.tv. 22 December 2016. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016.
^ Rada dismisses Nadia Savchenko from PACE delegation, UNIAN (22 December 2016)
^ a b "Ukraine's Savchenko Unveils New Public Movement". Radio Free Europe. 27 December 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
^ Savchenko intends to run for president of Ukraine, Kyiv Post (27 July 2017)
^ https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/election-commission-refuses-to-register-savchenko-as-presidential-candidate.html
^ https://www.unian.info/m/politics/10568991-savchenko-s-party-to-run-for-parliament.html
^ https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2019/06/26/7219206/
^ Радіо Свобода Україна (15 March 2018). "У ГПУ є незаперечні докази, що Савченко планувала теракт в Раді – Луценко". Retrieved 22 March 2018 – via YouTube.
^ a b "Луценко: Савченко лично планировала теракт в зале Верховной Рады". 112.ua. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
^ "Rada strips MP Savchenko of parliamentary immunity, allows arrest". Retrieved 22 March 2018.
^ a b "Ukraine arrests war hero over 'coup plot'". 22 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
^ "Opposition Ukrainian MP and war hero detained on coup plot charges". Retrieved 22 March 2018.
^ a b c d e Freed from Putin’s Russia, a Ukrainian pilot puts Poroshenko and his party – ‘enemy No. 2’ – in her sights, The Globe and Mail (28 February 2017)
^ "'War Hero' Savchenko Accused Of Terror Plot". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
^ Kashin, Oleg (8 March 2016). Комментарий: Надежда Савченко - из украинского героя в российский символ [Commentary: Nadezhda Savchenko - from Ukrainian hero to Russian symbol] (in Russian). Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
^ "Free Savchenko: Open letter to European leaders". freesavchenko. tilda.ws. Tilda. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
^ Rettman, Andrew (14 March 2016). "EU ministers to speak out on Ukrainian pilot". EUuobserver. Brussels. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
^ a b "On Nadiya Savchenko and other Ukrainians held by Russia: Statement to the PC". osce.usmission.gov. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
^ a b c d e "Ukraine woman pilot Savchenko in middle of media war". BBC News. 11 July 2014.
^ 'В страшном кошмаре не мог представить, что буду просить вас не убивать женщину' ['In the most terrible nightmare I could not imagine that I would ask you not to kill a woman']. tvrain.ru (in Russian). 8 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
^ a b c Rainsford, Sarah (24 March 2016). "Savchenko case: Will Kremlin release Ukraine pilot?". BBC News. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
^ Coynash, Halya (25 March 2016). "Russia uses Kadyrov's thugs against defence witnesses in Ukrainian political trial". khpg.org. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
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Serhiy Taruta
Ihor Baluta
Semen Semenchenko
Hennadiy Moskal
George Tuka
Pavlo Zhebrivskyi
NKC: js2016902421
WorldCat Identities (via VIAF): 160144647696703028125
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nadiya_Savchenko&oldid=903567820"
People from Kiev
Ukrainian female military personnel
Ukrainian Air Force officers
Prisoners and detainees of Russia
Ukrainian people imprisoned abroad
Ukrainian people convicted of murder
Ukrainian prisoners and detainees
2014 controversies
People of the Euromaidan
People with insomnia
Pro-Ukrainian people of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine
Ukrainian victims of human rights abuses
Ukrainian people taken hostage
Women in the Iraq War
Women in 21st-century warfare
Recipients of the Order For Courage, 3rd class
Batkivshchyna politicians
Independent politicians in Ukraine
Individuals designated as terrorist by the government of Ukraine
Ukrainian women in politics
Eighth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada
Ukrainian military personnel of the War in Donbass
Recipients of the title of Hero of Ukraine
Recipients of the Order of Gold Star (Ukraine)
Ukrainian female aviators
21st-century women politicians
CS1 Ukrainian-language sources (uk)
CS1 uses Ukrainian-language script (uk)
CS1 uses Russian-language script (ru)
Articles with Ukrainian-language external links
CS1 maint: Unfit url
Articles containing Ukrainian-language text
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