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AC Copper
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Copyright © 2018 AC Cooper
How Photography is Changing History
No matter what medium we’re talking about, many people believe in the power of art to change the world. Whether it be an influential song, a seminal piece of literature, or a heart-stopping photograph, there are plenty of examples that showcase the power of the arts to influence culture, politics, and history. Today, we’re going to take a look at how photography, specifically, is changing history.
Alan Kurdi by Nilufer Demir (2015)
This photo of a drowned 3-year-old boy on a beach in Turkey highlights the harsh reality of the life-and-death risks refugees face when fleeing the Syrian War. As it circulated on social media, this photo became the defining image of the Syrian refugee crisis. As this tragedy shed light on the issue, European nations were prompted to open their borders to refugees in order to avoid the deaths of other children like Alan Kurdi.
The Death of Neda by Unknown (2009)
This photograph captures the face of Neda Agha-Soltan who was allegedly shot by a pro-government sniper during a protest in Iran. When this photo was taken in 2009, Iran was experiencing the worst civil unrest the country had seen since the revolution in 1979. The state had barred most foreign media, making this photo a rare glimpse into the realities of the situation inside the country. This image was also one of the first to “go viral,” demonstrating the power of the internet in disseminating photography and helping it to impact the world.
Gorilla In the Congo by Brent Stirton (2007)
This photo of a dead silverback gorilla who was killed after violence erupted in Virgunga National Park highlighted the innocent animals who are often blameless victims of human conflict. It also reminds viewers that humans are not only killing endangered animals through environmental destruction, but through direct violence. Three months after this photograph was published, a treaty was signed between nine African countries to help protect the Virunga mountain gorillas.
Iraqi Girl at Checkpoint by Chris Hondros (2005)
This photo shows a young Iraqi girl who had been orphaned mere moments before by U.S. soldiers who killed her parents at a checkpoint. This image, among others surfacing at the time, prompted the American military to review and revise some of its procedures. More importantly, this photo helped to turn the tide of public opinion against the Iraq War as Americans began to question the violence committed against citizens who they were supposed to be “liberating”.
Famine in Somalia by James Nachtwey (1992)
Photographer James Nachtwey returned from the 1992 famine in Somalia with several haunting images. One photo in particular of an emaciated woman in a wheelbarrow made a big impact after it was published in the New York Times Magazine. The public support initiated by the photo in favour of organisations such as The Red Cross is said to have been the largest since the Second World War. As a result, one and a half million lives were saved.
Bosnia by Ron Haviv (1992)
American photographer Ron Haviv captured a Serb kicking a Muslim woman who had been shot by Serbians as ethnic tensions were rising in Bosnia. After TIME published the photo, debate sparked internationally over how other countries should respond to the conflict. When the leader of the nationalist militia was later indicted for crimes against humanity this photo was used as evidence against him, demonstrating how photography can sway not just the court of public opinion, but the courts of law as well.
When it comes to the biggest crises in our collective lives as humans, whether that be war, famine, or environmental destruction, photography has an unparalleled power to showcase the realities of those tragedies. While it is tempting to ignore life’s hardships, photography makes that response impossible and galvanises both individuals and governments to effect big changes that have the power to shape history.
Five Things You Can Do To Curate An Art Show
Story Telling with Photography
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Adventure Together - Family Adventure Travel Holidays
New Zealand >
South East Asia >
Indonesia - Alor & West Timor
Indonesia - Flores, Komodo & Lombok
Malaysian Borneo
China >
Beijing & Great Wall
Shaanxi & Sichuan
Indochina >
Cambodia & Mekong Delta
Indian Subcontinent >
South America >
Diving/Snorkelling
On The Road To Mandalay
Having grown up hearing about Rudyard Kipling's poem with its famous line of, "On the road to Mandalay", it is with great excitement that I set off with my husband, 2 children and my parents for a 4 weeks adventure to the exotic land of Myanmar. Not that we will actually be arriving in Mandaly exclusively by road - there are 4 flights, an 11 hour bus journey and a day journeying up the Irrawaddy River by boat before we will be able to set eyes on the former royal capital of Myanmar that so inspired Kipling to write his love filled poem.
Myanmar, previously known as a Burma, sits between the western coasts of Bangladesh and Thailand and has a population of roughly 48.7 million.
It was long considered a pariah state while under the rule of an oppressive military junta from 1962 to 2011.
The generals who ran the country suppressed almost all dissent - symbolised by the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi - and stood accused of gross human rights abuses, prompting international condemnation and sanctions.
A gradual liberalisation process has been under way since 2010. Htin Kyaw was sworn in as president in March 2016, ushering in the first democratically elected government into office after decades of military rule.
Rightfully, the job belonged to Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, but Suu Kyi was barred by the constitution from becoming president, and she made it clear that whoever sits in that chair will be her proxy. She has said repeatedly she will run the government from behind the scenes and this does indeed seem to be the case.
In a nation so new to democracy but still heavily controlled by the military and a country experiencing rapid growth in both trade and tourism, it will be very interesting to see how the old blends with the new.
I hope you enjoy sharing our journey with us over the next month.
I leave you with some words of Rudyard Kipling...
Ship me somewheres east of Suez, where the best is like the worst,
Where there aren't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst;
For the temple-bells are callin', an' it's there that I would be
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea;
On the road to Mandalay....
My name is Fiona Rouse. As Director of Adventure Together I am excited to be able to share my stories and knowledge with you, hopefully giving you and your family the inspiration to get off the beaten track.
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TOP>Activity status>Hiroshima>Onomichi City
Hiroshima Onomichi City
We held as an official 60th anniversary event and also as a memorial event for 5 years of recovery from East Japan Earthquake "The Biggest Painting in the World 2015 60th Anniversary of Establishing Diplomatic Relationship between Saudi Arabia and Japan".
23.Apr 2016
We held as an official 60th anniversary event and also as a memorial event for 5 years of recovery from East Japan Earthquake “The Biggest Painting in the World 2015 60th Anniversary of Establishing Diplomatic Relationship between Saudi Arabia and Japan”.
The Third Exhibition of the Biggest Painting in the World 2020 Haneda Airport
October 1 ~ November 20: The Third Exhibition of the Biggest Painting in the World 2020 Haneda Airport, under the theme “Connect All the Towns in Japan, Connect All the Countries in the World”, is being held at Sky Gallery, 6F, Terminal 1 of Haneda Airport. From October 1 to 9, the big paintings from Miyoshi City, Onomichi City, Kaita Town, Fuchu Town, Kitahiroshima Town and Saka Town in Hiroshima are exhibited. Please stop by when you come to the Airport.
The Biggest Painting in the World 2020 Onomichi was completed
The Biggest Painting in the World 2020 Onomichi was completed at Setoda Primary School in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture.
Visited the Mayor and the Director of Board of Education of Onomichi City
Visited the Mayor and the Director of Board of Education of Onomichi City on the same day, and were given the words of commitment to the project.
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Allison Milne
“Who was Ebenezer Parkman to the town of Westborough?” By Allison Milne
April 11, 2018 by Westborough Library Local History
Editor’s note: Allison Milne is a senior at Westborough High School and a volunteer in the Local History department of the Westborough Public Library.
Ebenezer Parkman was not one of the original members of the town of Westborough, but without this man as its first minister who knows what would have become of our little bubble or the people who lived here.
A drawing of Ebenezer Parkman by a student after he died.
His Hiring
Before his long career even began, Parkman was invited to Westborough’s meeting house–its center of religious and political life–to interview for the minister position. The meeting included not only himself but another contender named Mr. Eliot. In the meeting men who had taught either Mr. Parkman or Mr. Eliot were brought in to speak, accompanied by ordained reverends who knew one of the two nominees. This procedure was done to aid in the decision, because the town was seeking advice and recommendations for the two men, and it was the best way they thought to get a background check on the candidates. During the Election of a Gospel Minister, the two men were interviewed multiple times in an attempt to find a minister who would work well with the people of Westborough and maybe even settle into the town. After the many meetings and the long decision time trying to find the best fit, Parkman was offered the job.
It may have taken months for Parkman to decide to take the offer from the town, but once he signed the contract there was no way he would not go down as one of the early influencers on Westborough. Ebenezer took his time with the decision since he knew coming from a wealthy family in Cambridge to a small rural new town would take him sometime to settle into the community. Once he responded to the offer he would be leaving a footprint in the town’s story, but he definitely did not have a love-at-first-sight relationship with the town. Perhaps the reasons for his hesitations were also why the minister before Parkman, Daniel Elmer, was never “ecclestically settled.” While Elmer did practice and give sermons in the town for a little while, he eventually sold his house in Marlborough and moved out of the area. It is believed he passed away in New Jersey. Unlike Elmer, Ebenezer brought his entire family to live out their days in Westborough. But Parkman did not come easily: he asked for items to be added to the contract that would make the town more appealing to him.
Ebenezer Parkman was a Harvard-educated man who, as the first minister for the town of Westborough, held the community accountable for the deals it made. His sermons touched on topics like the best ways to live your life, but as a man who grew up rich it took Ebenezer Parkman a while to realize that as a new town, Westborough could not comply with every wish and demand he had. The contract he was offered contained a promise from the people of Westborough to supply him with cut and ready firewood and a few other things like a horse, which all would aid in saving time that he could not waste. He asked a lot from the citizens, especially when it came down to taking care of their side of the transaction, but the people grew to understand he was making these demands as a reward for giving so much to the town and its people. When he was appointed to the position, the town appointed James Edger and Edward Baker as the committee to watch over every need Ebenezer had. But before he even started to work, Parkman noticed that the two men who were to help with his needs were already slacking on their half of the agreement. But after compelling them to act by delivering the firewood and satisfying other parts of the agreement, the preaching finally began.
Life in Cambridge vs. Life in Westborough
Ebenezer was the son of an original member and ruling elder at the New North Church in Boston’s North End. His family was taught to “revere the Parkman name,” but this name ended up damaging Ebenezer’s name in the history books. “Parkman” was displayed on advertisements depicting slave sales, and those sales are known to have happened in the house of Parkman’s brother. While Ebenezer was spreading guidance in how to live life according to God’s will, his brother was selling off human lives for his own benefit. The reason this fact tarnished Ebenezer’s name is that it is known that Ebenezer himself was seen visiting his brother in that same house throughout their lives, so he knew what was happening.
During this time period, people being sold was a regular event, but Ebenezer’s soul was still affected by it. He also became heavy from other challenges and experiences, such as losing his first wife, getting sick himself, and repenting for everyone around him. His life’s work was spent giving sermons, but he began with a highly ranked family status in the Boston area. When he moved out to Westborough and left his wealthy childhood behind, he had to build his rank in the town’s system and work to lose the title of outsider.
His Lifelong Involvement and Interactions in the Community
Parkman was once very judgmental of how things were run in Westborough, in addition to its way of life, but time passed. As his opinions changed, Rev. Parkman stopped traveling to his family’s house in Cambridge to avoid the townspeople and finally joined his wife and children every night in the house they occupied in Westborough. As noted before, Ebenezer’s acceptance of the job did not include the acceptance of the culture and way of life, but with his existence on earth passing him by he grew into the life of a citizen. As he became more content with the lifestyle of Westborough, the townspeople began to invite him over. The first one to do so, or to truly treat him as one of them, was Mr. Gershom Rice.
After Parkman let himself be immersed into Westborough life, he ended up spending moments of his spare time with criminals at court cases and executions to educate and learn about them himself. This was the start of a new period for everyone connected to the town. Ebenezer aided in the building of a powerful town, but one where people only thrive when the town is as well. To make a difference in the world, immersion first needs to take place so everyone can trust one another and believe in each other’s abilities. Ebenezer took a while to become connected to others in the community, but with his power of talk, he helped himself and others to create lives and to serve as tools for God to spread His message and wisdom.
For his duration as minister of Westborough, Ebenezer Parkman did not only work with the people of Westborough, but he built relationships with people in surrounding towns to keep his people happy as well. For decades Ebenezer ended up being “intimately connected to the life of Westborough” and as time went by, his connections and relationships grew stronger. People began to share town gossip with him, as well as information about the land and people he would call home for the rest of his life. He was given supplies like cider from those he helped. A few years into Reverend Parkman’s career, he became acquainted with some men who held the same occupation as him, and they formed a club.
It may have taken a while for Rev. Parkman and Westborough residents to come together as friends and equals, but once they did, the little town grew to be a place where other famous speakers, preachers, and even men involved in government stopped by between their big events, thanks to Parkman sticking around as the minister.
His Diaries
Many of the gifts he received and the experiences he had throughout his life were recorded in his daily diary entries, which reveals his openly honest perspective on everything he encountered. His early entries, not surprisingly, contain hesitations on being offered and then accepting the minister job, but most of the diaries entries include his viewpoints on the townspeople and the experiences he went through while holding the position of first minister.
Ebenezer Parkman was an opinionated man, although he learned to accept things as life went on because of the politeness from the people and the town. The reason why he was so committed to his own ideas may have rested in his ability to be hard on himself, as when he wrote statements like, “(my) consumption of Time and the misimprovement of my Talents.” Proclamations such as this one causes one to believe that the reason he judges others is that he is just as harsh on himself. He had some horrendous days, so the way to notice how his day went is by watching how used contractions in his entries, like “din’d” and “s’d.” Was he trying to transfer his emotions to paper quickly?
There are points in his career and writings where his thoughts and especially his actions revealed stress. When he brings up illness and “the end”in his diary, we can see life events causing anxiety and a strain on his beliefs. As the years pass by in his daily entries, it is hard not to notice him age with weariness, and it seems he constantly had tiring weeks while his life continued to get worse, with losses and illnesses surrounding him. To rebound from all these horrible situations, the people around him aided in simple moments and shared their troubles of just living. For example when the town lost a citizen, they all came together to feel the loss and spent time together to do things for one another, like preparing food, cutting stalks, and husking corn, including Ebenezer who felt the pain of loss as well.
Everytime the end of a year approached, Parkman always seemed to gain his mentality back, at least enough to be thankful towards the men and women who had helped him get through the year by lodging and feeding him. Before getting better, the weight of everything on his mind would result in repetitions in sermons and him not wanting to go many places. He even skipped diary entries for days or even weeks. But once he repented and wrote down detailed confessions on his and his loved one’s sins at the end of each year, he gained back some energy and became the socialite he was known as being, just in time for the start of the new year.
While growing old, Parkman spent his spare time writing secret reflections along with performing services that helped his family’s spiritual welfare. He believed he was diligent in his work, but all that work was leaving him unprofitable and negligent so he needed to supplement the weaker areas. For a long period of his life, his entries contained thoughts and events that happened around him in town, but over time the entries changed to talk of “temporal possessions” and “temporal transitory Enjoyments.” This meant he only saw everything around him, including life, to be temporary and that enjoyment of life could get in the way of services that needed to be done for God. Parkman spent his life with his eyes set on the sights of fixing everyone, including his own sins and misfortunes. He was consumed by dark thoughts, but he found reasons to continue his work when there was a “special appearance of God for Us,” an example being when his wife was brought back to health after laying on what was believed to be her deathbed.
Parkman’s legacy is in his diaries, since the most interesting part about this man is that there is so much information about him and an abundance of stories on him. Instead of putting him high up on a pedestal, his journals and other records about him let people know there are many aspects to this man. One of the stories that is consistently taken from his journal is one about a fire that had happened just before he had arrived and that took the lives of a father, his sons, and a worker. His diaries help historians and anyone who is interested know what society and general life was like in Westborough during his lifetime.
Ebenezer may not have truly been the first minister for Westborough, but he was the first one to move his entire life and live in town. He left an imprint more influential and larger than any other minister Westborough has ever experienced. Seeing as Parkman passed away while still living in Westborough, his preachings may have repeated once in a while, but the topics he spoke of jumped from math to literature and so forth, and his diaries ended up full of entries about food or riding someplace. As Reverend, Ebenezer bought land in Westborough to grow both his wealth and the influence of his occupation everywhere, which was amazing for the slow-moving community that took him in as minister. One thing that never seemed to change as time passed is the town’s devotion to the almighty God himself. With an unwavering dedication, the people took to Rev. Parkman’s idea of fearing the thought of not being enough and it submerged itself into the minds of his audience, enough so that they needed to build a new place for him to talk seeing as the crowds grew as his speeches grew more popular and people kept coming to hear his life lessons.
Without the serious professionalism from this one man, this new town may not have been organized and created in the way it is today, with thriving, wealthy, and educated individuals. Parkman was given an opportunity to do what he enjoyed, while still supporting and maintaining a lavish lifestyle. As he aged, everything seemed to put distress on his mind, but he is greatly appreciated for setting up a system where relationships do not only happen between people in town but also included those in neighboring towns. Even though in his journals Ebenezer Parkman seemed to know what he wanted and always planned out everything, he still received help to get things done. He was an intelligent leader and valuable citizen for Westborough. Ebenezer Parkman and his diaries will forever be famous and known as one of the most highly influential figures this town has ever seen.
Works Consulted
Walett Francis G., The Diary of Ebenezer Parkman 1703-1782 First Part 1719-1755,
Worcester: Amer Antiquarian Society, 1974
Heman Packard De Forest and Edward Craig Bates, The History of Westborough, Massachusetts,
Westborough: Westborough: The Town, 1891
Categories: Allison Milne
Taggs: Church Influential Figure Parkman Westborough's First Minister
Previous Post: “Snake Oil Liniment” in the Westborough Chronotype
Ellen Milne
2 years ago Permalink // Reply
Fascinating analysis Allison. Thanks.
glenn r parker
I enjoyed your article very much. Thank you, Glenn
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Benson Blake Photography
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By Benson Blake / in Events / Saturday, February 24, 2018
It's been a while since my last post, but I couldn't contain myself after such a great photography convention last week. I had such a great time at the annual Virginia Professional Photographers Assoc...
By Benson Blake / in Portraits / Saturday, August 23, 2014
Mr. & Mrs. Palmer have been married for an amazing 50 years this year. I had the honor of capturing portraits of the Palmers and their children last week. This is the first professional portrait t...
By Benson Blake / in Portraits / Monday, August 4, 2014
The Berhe family was a delight to work with last week. The combined family of 23 joined me in Woodbridge, Virginia for a portrait session at Old Hickory Golf Club. Leading up to that day, the weather ...
By Benson Blake / in Personal / Friday, July 4, 2014
This year, I decided to venture towards Washington DC for the annual July 4th fireworks display. It's been many years since I've been anywhere near the national mall at show time. I had a location in ...
By Benson Blake / in Portraits / Thursday, May 29, 2014
I recently had the pleasure of photographing the Garcia family on location. I last photographed them six years ago when the youngest was only five months old. Now that the children are older, their gr...
By Benson Blake / in Personal / Tuesday, April 15, 2014
The cherry blossoms of 2014 put on a spectacular show of beauty as the tidal basin greeted thousands of admirers. The pink and white blooms have showed off once again. I walked the length of the tidal...
By Benson Blake / in Personal / Thursday, November 14, 2013
On Saturday November 9th, Atlanta-based photographer Ross Oscar Knight hosted a photo walk in the nation’s capital. The event welcomed more than 30 photographers to DC to share their passion of image ...
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Pakistan: 5 German nationals killed in drone strike
Officials say strikes in Pakistan by drones like the MQ-9 Reaper have not stopped some militants' desire to travel there.
NEW: In all, 11 people are killed
Five Germans among those dead, officials confirm
Three others are also foreign nationals
The strike comes a day after U.S. issued a travel alert for Americans in Europe
(CNN) -- Pakistani intelligence officials confirmed Tuesday that five German nationals were killed in a drone strike in northwest Pakistan a day earlier.
The Germans were among 11 suspected militants killed Monday. Three others were foreigners whose nationalities were not disclosed, said the officials -- who did not want to be named. The rest were Pakistanis.
There were no immediate comments from Germany.
The strike happened in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, the officials said.
Missiles struck a building that held the eight, who are believed to have been members of the group Jihad al Islami, the officials said.
The strike comes a day after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued a joint bulletin warning that terror attacks were being plotted against targets Europe. European intelligence officials said Monday that a group of jihadists from Germany were at the heart of the plots, but it was not immediately clear if the warning and the suspected drone strike were related.
The reported plots prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a Europe-wide security advisory for Americans traveling abroad.
The alert did not cite specific countries because the information about the threat was not specific enough to do so, a State Department spokesman said Monday.
"We have credible information that justified the alert, but it is not specific at this point," said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.
Japan issued a similar alert Monday, citing the warnings issued by the United States and by Britain, which raised the level highest for France and Germany.
On Friday, Sweden raised its threat level from "low" to "elevated," the third-highest threat level on a scale of five that ranges from "no threat" to "low threat" to "elevated threat" to "high threat" to "very high threat."
Several European governments said Sunday that they were not raising their already-high alert levels. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sunday that the U.S. advisory was "in line with the general recommendations that we have addressed to the French population."
"The terrorist threat remains high in France, the alert level remains unchanged at level red."
Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office changed its travel advisory for British citizens in France and Germany from a "substantial" threat of terrorism to a "high" threat, but the office said it does not comment on intelligence matters and thus could not say whether the change was related to the U.S. travel alert.
A spokeswoman for Germany's interior ministry said the country will remain at Level 2 alert, which indicates a "high, probable risk" of a terrorist attack.
Spain has remained at this stage since January of this year.
The four-page U.S. bulletin, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, is titled "Al Qaeda Threat to Europe."
A group of jihadists from the German city of Hamburg is alleged to be at the heart of the alleged al Qaeda plot to launch coordinated terrorist attacks against European cities, European intelligence officials said.
Western intelligence officials say they learned about the alleged plot after Ahmed Sidiqi, a German citizen of Afghan descent, was arrested in Afghanistan in July and taken to the U.S. air base at Bagram for questioning.
He has not been charged and intelligence sources in Germany said he was cooperating with the investigation.
In early 2009, Sidiqi and 10 others left Hamburg for the tribal areas of Pakistan -- where most joined a jihadist group fighting U.S. and coalition forces across the border in Afghanistan, according to German intelligence officials.
Sidiqi told American interrogators that at least one member of his travel group was to be a "foot soldier" in the plot, with other members of the group helping to plan the attacks, a European counterterrorism official told CNN.
Sidiqi divulges new, unverified information every day, the German intelligence sources said.
A German Foreign Ministry official told CNN Monday that German authorities have been given access to Sidiqi in Afghanistan.
Over the weekend, CNN spoke with Sidiqi's sister in Hamburg, who said his family was shocked by the allegations against him. She said Sidiqi told his family in 2009 that he was traveling to Afghanistan to start a new life with his wife. They last heard from him shortly before his arrest, when he phoned to tell them that he would soon be returning home because he missed his family, said his sister, who described him as a devout, family-loving man.
German officials said the Hamburg group members were recruited from the Taiba mosque in Hamburg. In the 1990s, that same mosque -- then called Al Quds -- was attended by Mohamed Atta, who went on to become the lead hijacker in the 9/11 attacks.
A friend of Atta from those days has emerged as a crucial figure in the new plot, European intelligence officials tell CNN. Naamen Meziche, 40, a French citizen of Algerian descent, worked to persuade a number of young men praying at the Taiba mosque to join in jihad, the officials said.
Though his exact whereabouts are unknown to authorities, he is thought to be in the Afghan/Pakistan border area. Meziche's wife told CNN that he was overseas.
According to a European counterterrorism official, Meziche had connections to al Qaeda dating to the 1990s that he rekindled once he arrived in Pakistan's tribal areas.
Most of the members of the group which coalesced late in 2008, left Pakistan before authorities had a chance to stop them, despite constant surveillance of suspected militants at the Taiba mosque, according to German intelligence officials.
The group used several routes to get to Pakistan, some going overland through Iran and some traveling by air via the Persian Gulf. Managing the logistics, according to German intelligence officials, was a man known as Asadullah M., 52, a Hamburg resident of Afghan origin who is thought to be in the Pakistani tribal area along the Afghan border.
Eight members of the travel group, including two wives of the militants, eventually made it to the tribal areas of Pakistan, where they joined the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), an Uzbek militant group with strong ties to al Qaeda, according to German intelligence officials.
One member of the group was Rami Makanesi, 25, a German of Syrian descent. Another was Shahab Dashti, a German citizen of Iranian descent. He appeared in an IMU video in late 2009. Wielding a knife and gun, he urged other Germans to join in jihad against American forces in Afghanistan. Several other Germans in the video were shown firing weapons in what appeared to be live-fire exercises. Several scenes featured what appeared to be the group's members using rockets and guns to practice storming enemy positions, honing the type of combat skills that Western counter-terrorism officials fear could be used in Western cities in a "Mumbai-style" attack.
In November 2008, more than 160 people were killed in an assault on hotels and other "soft targets" in Mumbai by members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist group based in Pakistan.
One European counterterrorism official said Sidiqi told his interrogators that Meziche had assumed a planning role in the new reported plot -- assisted by Asadullah M. -- which Osama Bin Laden himself approved. Sidiqi said that Dashti, who appeared in the IMU video, was tasked to be a "foot-soldier" in the plot against Europe, a European counterterrorism official told CNN. German intelligence officials believe Dashti is still at large in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Dashti, who previously followed a Western lifestyle, began attending the Taiba mosque after converting from Shia to Sunni Islam, in part, German intelligence officials said, to distance himself from a domineering father.
Family members reached by CNN over the weekend said they believe he was tricked by extremists into going to Pakistan. His wife traveled with him to Pakistan and is still believed to be in the Afghan-Pakistan border region.
The imam of the Taiba mosque is Mamoun Darkazanli, a German businessman from Syria who was identified by the 9/11 Commission as having links to al Qaeda financiers. Spanish authorities charged him in 2003 with membership in al Qaeda, but as a German citizen he was not extradited. He faces no charges in Germany. Attempts by CNN to reach Darkazanli for a response on the latest plot have been unsuccessful.
In the years after 9/11 the Taiba mosque became a magnet for al Qaeda sympathizers across Europe. "They all wanted to come and pray where Mohamed Atta prayed," a German intelligence official told CNN.
Hamburg authorities shut the mosque a few weeks after Sidiqi was arrested. The decision to shut the mosque was difficult, said officials in Hamburg, because the presence in one place of so many militants made it easier to monitor their activities. But they said the mosque had become a recruiting center for jihadists across Europe.
Several militants now back in Germany who failed to make it to Pakistan's tribal areas are of continuing concern to members of German intelligence services, who have kept them under observation.
"Their greatest enemy is the United States," a German intelligence official told CNN.
A recent report by Hamburg's intelligence services said that 45 jihadists lived freely and openly in the city, from where they supported al Qaeda. High evidence thresholds under the German legal system have made it very difficult for authorities to make arrests, German officials told CNN. In addition to those actively supporting al Qaeda, another 200 Islamists living in the city are described as having "violent tendencies."
German intelligence officials told CNN that Hamburg, like many other European cities, faces a challenge from Islamist extremists, but that some cities, including London, face greater challenges. They said they are increasing resources to confront the problem of Islamist extremism.
Radicalization, they said, is on the rise because of the growth of German-language extremist websites and the revolution in social media. A senior German counterterrorism source told CNN that some 200 people have left the country since 9/11 to receive training with militant groups in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, and that dozens have returned.
According to German intelligence officials, the uptick in U.S. drone strikes in the tribal areas of Pakistan has not staunched the enthusiasm of German militants wishing to travel there.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen and journalist Nasir Habib contributed to this report.
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A Downtown Music Theater Company
The Coterie creates new works of music theater that feature sophisticated scores and narratives that speak to a contemporary audience. Eager to cultivate an operatic vernacular for the 21st century, The Coterie does not shy away from amplification, provocative subject matter, or popular musical influence: the projects are classical music hybrids that often graft rock, pop, jazz, musical theater, and folk strands into their D.N.A.
Royce Vavrek
Co-Artistic Director
Royce Vavrek is an Alberta-born, Brooklyn-based librettist and lyricist known as “an exemplary creator of operatic prose” (The New York Times) and “a favorite collaborator of the postclassical set” (Time Out New York). His writing has been called “sharp, crisp, witty” (See Magazine), “meticulous” (Operavore, WQXR Radio), “full-throated” (CulturePOP), “taut” (The New Yorker), “dramatically wild” and “exhilarating” (The New York Times). His collaboration with composer David T. Little has led Heidi Waleson of the Wall Street Journal to proclaim them “one of the most exciting composer-librettist teams working in opera today.” Their first full-length opera, “Dog Days,” received its world premiere in September of 2012 at Peak Performances @ Montclair, in a production co-produced by Beth Morrison Projects and directed by legendary American maverick Robert Woodruff. The work was celebrated as the Classical Music Event of the year by Time Out New York, one of the year’s best by the New Jersey Star Ledger and a standout opera of recent decades by The New York Times. The production will travel to Fort Worth Opera and LA Opera in 2015 with the original creative team. Royce and David’s other collaborations include “Am I Born” for the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Brooklyn Youth Chorus, “Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera” for Bard Conservatory; “archaeology,” commissioned and recorded for The Opera America Songbook; and “Last Nightfall,” premiered as part of the 21c Liederabend, Op. 2 at The Kitchen. They are currently working on JFK, a grand opera commissioned by Fort Worth Opera and American Lyric Theater about John F. Kennedy’s final night. Read More
Lauren Worsham
Lauren Worsham is a New York-based actress and singer whose favorite roles include Lisa in the world premiere of Dog Days at Montclair Peak Performances, Amy in Where’s Charley at New York City Center, Cunegonde in New York City Opera’s Candide, Lili in Goodspeed Opera House’s Carnival (dir. Darko Tresnjak), Cinderella in Kansas City Rep’s Into the Woods (dir. Moisés Kaufman), Clara in Weston Playhouse’s The Light in the Piazza and Olive in the first National tour of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Other theater credits include Jerry Springer the Opera at Carnegie Hall, Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel) at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera,Master Class (Sophie) at Paper Mill Playhouse and The Fantasticks (Luisa) at Emelin Theatre. She also performs in concert frequently, including programs at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Oregon Bach Festival, Joe’s Pub, Galapagos Art Space and New York City Opera’s VOX Program. She is the co-founder along with librettist Royce Vavrek and co-Artistic Director of the downtown opera company The Coterie and she’s the lead singer for the rock band Sky-Pony. Upcoming: Lauren will sing the role of Flora in NYCO’s 2013 production of Turn of the Screw.
Eric Hurtig
Eric Hurtig joined The Coterie in 2010, bringing his background in film and TV development and production (WNET/WLIW, Andrew Lauren Productions, North Country Cinema) to the company. Eric has served as consultant and associate producer on film and television projects at WNET, New York Public Media; is Slifka Fellow and Associate Director of the Bernard L. Schwartz Center for Media, Public Policy and Education at Fordham University; and is a Research Associate at IESE Business School’s New York Center. Eric is a graduate of Concordia University’s (Montreal) Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema (B.F.A.)
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Introduction panel of The Creative Mind
"All we need…is to set the creative mind to work." --George Washington Carver
THE CREATIVE MIND
THE CREATIVE MIND is a traveling exhibit that celebrates the contributions of African Americans to medicine, mathematics, engineering, and all branches of science. It features the careers and achievements of some of today’s outstanding black scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and medical professionals and highlights the work of notable figures from the past. A “Did You Know?” section brings in additional information about each field, pointing to future career possibilities for creative minds of the next generation.
The exhibit consists of seven colorful, flexible panels—an introduction and separate panels devoted to medicine, mathematics, engineering, biological sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences. Each panel is approximately seven and a half feet high and three feet wide. The exhibit can be displayed freestanding with the easily assembled support structures that are provided, or it can be suspended on a wall. For shipping, the panels roll up into plastic tubes.
THE CREATIVE MIND made its debut in 2012 at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and at the Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences, in Washington, D.C. Since then, it has been exhibited at the Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems Information Center, Linthicum Heights, MD; the Madison Science Museum, Madison, WI; the Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville, KY; the Zion-Benton Public Library, Zion, IL; the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Medicine; the Mid-America Science Museum, Hot Springs, AR; the Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ; the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; the Northern Virginia Community College Libraries, Woodbridge, VA; the Family Heritage House Museum, Bradenton, FL; the Summerton Community Center, Summerton, S.C.; Collin College, Frisco, TX; Walsh University, North Canton, OH; Western New Mexico University, Silver City, NM; the Department of Physics, Washington University, Seattle, Buffalo State, the State University of New York, Cortland, the University of Maryland, College Park; the Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas, Texas; the Lynn University Library, Boca Raton, FL; and the Center for the Humanities and Arts, University of Arkansas, Pulanski Technical College, Little Rock.
During February - March 2020, it will be on view at the African American Museum of Nassau County, Hempstead, NY; the Mesa Community College Library, Mesa, AZ; and Shape Up Mississippi, Vicksburg, MS.
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It is available for loan to schools, universities, libraries, and other qualified institutions. The standard loan period is three months, but it is negotiable. There is no rental fee for this traveling exhibit, but exhibitors must cover the costs of shipping and insurance. There are fees for loss or damage and for late return.
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Chauncey DeVega on the Ed Schultz Radio Show and How We Can Take Back the Gadsden Flag From the Tea Party GOP
I am going to be on The Ed Schultz Radio Show today, i.e Monday, August 29th at 2:30pm EST discussing my piece on the role of racism and racial resentment in the Tea Party GOP's assault on President Obama.
You can listen here.
While I prepare for my ten minutes of fun, I thought that sharing the following would be thought provoking. This one is for you military grognards, history buffs, and ghetto nerds.
One of our allies John Kurkman, of the great site Random Walks, was kind enough to send the following piece on the Tea Party's repeated abuse and misappropriation of history to WARN. He originally posted his essay on his own site, but I asked for a bit more. John kindly followed through.
In the spirit of Clerks 2, I think we can take the Gadsden Flag back from those mouth breathing brigands. I really do.
Is it Too Late to Rehabilitate the Gadsden Flag?
Years ago, my eldest brother was in a small town just south of Minneapolis, and it was one of those hundreds of thousands of Mayberry towns that are scattered throughout America that would be categorized by, well, you know who, as the “Real America”.
And within the town was a funny little curio shop. And within the window of the shop were two fist-sized chunks of raw copper that were so strangely twisted, in a bizarre visual kind of congealed from a molten state as to look like they had just recently arrived from orbit, that my brother had to have them.
After a brief and unsuccessful haggle with the portly and cheerful pink-faced owner of the shop - who looked like Sergeant Schultz from Hogan’s Heroes – he went ahead and bought them.
And after some friendly banter, he invited my brother into a back room of the shop to show him “some other stuff he might be interested in”.
Now, I’ll interrupt the narrative for a moment to point out a particular about me and mine, which is that we are sturdy Viking types on both sides of the family. As such, being your standard blue-eyed, tow-headed Aryan darlings - in other words, “Real Americans” - we are occasionally are privy to some things that, well, others would prefer not be known about them. You’ll see why I mention this in a minute.
So, anyway, Sergeant Schultz takes my brother into the backroom, where he sees, jammed from floor to rafters, probably the largest collection of Nazi memorabilia ever seen outside of Glenn Beck’s fetish room.
In my brother’s words “The little hairs on the back of my neck and arms stood up. It was pure fucking evil in that room”. Well, of course not. They were just objects. But then ol’ Schultzie let it be known his sympathies towards and against certain ethnic groups, with a particular affinity towards final solutions. It was as if a rock had been turned over, and little, slimy, multi-legged critters were sent scurrying about.
Long story short, my brother exited the shop with the copper purchase rescinded. Too bad, as he really liked the copper pieces, but the intangible price was a little too high.
Now, what is the fucking point of all this? Well, in a later conversation, I lamented as to how much of our Northern European culture had been impoverished. How so many of our symbols had been denied to us due to the Nazi pollution, the misappropriation of all our cool Nordic shit.
“Oh, I don’t know, you can’t use the swastika anymore”.
“Ah, you fuckin' idiot! The swastika’s not Nordic. It’s Sanskrit, Hitler took it from ancient India. All that Aryan bullshit. It wasn’t ‘ours’ to begin with”.
Ah, well, there you see the result of one element of an effective propaganda, known as the cognitive illusion of “anchoring” or “priming”. Of course, ignorance, a less than fully informed state within the subject, would preferably exist first, but this is not a strict requirement. What you do is, by first implanting a plausible lie into the subject, they are then primed to accept an implausible lie closer to the first lie than the truth.
Not surprisingly, those PR firms that established the formative parameters and narratives of the Tea Party did something similar. Presenting as literally or distinctly such a batch of disgustingly soft-bodied, unattractive, brittle-minded, shallow-thinking, cranky old right wing Christians, whose chief and only joy in life is to piss and moan, is of no attraction to, well, to anyone.
(And yes, once the cameras were off of them, the talk is invariably about God, Jesus, and turning the good old US of A into a decent white Christian nation. The kind of nation, ironically, where Jesus Christ, (whisper this part ) because he’s a JEW, should never be allowed to hold public office. The kind of nation that respects and holds dear the Ten Commandments, especially that tenth one, and that part about not coveting thy neighbor’s slaves. But I digress… If you are interested, a fun behind-the-scenes Tea Party narrative can be found here.
After considering what characteristics could be considered cool, those wonks took an associational leap of faith, cobbled together the initials T E A to present a form of a rebellious insurgency, which though still considered old and doddery to the general public, would look especially cool within the rabidly zealous cohort.
In essence, the PR lizards offered the wretched old fat fucks the easy image of a formidable rebel force. Wow! Talk about a hard sell, but…
Which brings up the second cognitive illusion within this propaganda ploy known as “ease of representation”, or, if you will, the fallacy of spontaneous generation, or the implanting of a event or situation which, the more it impresses upon one emotionally, is then more likely to be thought of as objectively real.
At first, this fallacy sounds like “anchoring”, but the difference is “anchoring” is presented as a reasonable or common sense thing, which in turn the scared little animal mind uses to rationalize the emotion of fear. “Ease of representation”, on the other hand, starts from an emotional impression, and adds value to the “common sense” fact. As such, combined, they are a powerful feedback loop.
All you need now is the right symbol, one that will unleash the appropriate associational cascade. In the case of 1930s Germany, they had the swastika. In the case of 2000s America, there is the Gadsden Flag**, the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag.
And why not? It’s got all sorts of things going for it, including direct sensory impact. Yellow, nature’s poison warning color, advertising “Do Not Fuck With Me!” Snake. Primal primate fear response. And associational plus, an appeal to victimizers: “I’m pathetic and powerless, but I can still hurt you somehow! Haha! Beware! Boo!”
Plus, on a smoky ship deck or over a distance, the Gadsden Flag is easy to see.
And then, of course, there are all of the associations with the American revolution.
So, should a faction of the Republican party, a rabidly insane bunch of “fat, arrogant, overpaid, overfed, sanctimonious, overindulged, white, racist, over-privileged, disgustingly soft-bodied, pudge ball, business criminal, asshole cocksuckers”* like the Tea Party be allowed to mangle a symbol of American unity to further their own selfish, useless, tiny-brained, fucked-up Ayn Randian vision of how Lily White and Christian and seriously puckered up asshole tight America should be? I don't think so. The question is, is it too late?
Considering that the latest polls suggest that Tea Partiers are more unpopular than atheists and Muslims, perhaps it's time they stop appropriating a perfectly good symbol. They've already managed to ruin the word "patriot".
My understanding is, now that they've put their anal taint on this symbol, even a request from stalwart Americans like Marine veterans to fly the flag is getting a refusal.
“In Connecticut, lawmakers refused to fly the Gadsden flag at the capitol building in April because of the Tea Party’s “political nature,” but they also refused to display it on the Fourth of July at the request of a group of retired Marines. A man living near Phoenix, Ariz. was recently ordered by his homeowners’ association to remove the Gadsden flag flying outside his home, despite his protests that he wasn’t displaying it to support the Tea Party. The American Civil Liberties Union came to his defense, citing a violation of First Amendment rights. In Colorado, a similar dispute over the same flag is ongoing as well”.
Is it too late to stop the pejorative process that is going on with, not just the flag, but words like “patriot”, ‘liberty”, “freedom”?
To those who have misappropriated the flag, nothing can be done, save, well, my favorite idea which is to let them have their Christian/John Galtian paradise. Let them seastead. Or wall off Arizona, ship ‘em all down there, and let them work out their fantasies.
As for us regular folks? I suspect some small of education might help. Perhaps a commercial with US Marines and former Marines, reminding all of us citizens that the Gadsden flag is not only their flag, but your flag too. It should be, always, a symbol of national unity, and not divisiveness.
And, uh, no, I’m not all that broken up that the swastika is permanently stigmatized. If necessary, I can come up with a nice little symbol of my own. Maybe something along the lines of the Artist Formerly Known As…
Nah. Been done already.
*appropriated courtesy of George Carlin, with minor modifications
**The Gadsden Flag first went into battle as the personal flag of Commodore Esek Hopkins, a battle flag for the Continental Marines. It is one of the first flags of the US Marine Corps.
Posted by chaunceydevega at 2:08 AM
Tags: Arts, Chauncey DeVega says, Tricknology
John Kurman said...
This Kurkman guy, helluva writer, and he has the same named site as mine.
Coincidence? or conspiracy...
chaunceydevega said...
I heard of him too. A dangerous fellow. Be weary of him and don't trust him too much ;)
In any case, I proudly wear the title "Ally of WARN".
cd...Me again, with another little nit-pick (as usual).
1) The "Don't Tread on Me" flag was designed by Christopher Gadsden for the Revolutionary War - as a sign of unity among the "Original 13s" (with NE as its head and SC, its tail) - against the British!
The writer's, “Is it too late to stop the pejorative process that is going on with, not just the flag, but words like “patriot”, ‘liberty”, “freedom”? comment seems to me, made in the vacuum of bullshit, "American Exceptionalism," particularly since none of those words - or the flag - had anything to do with us Black folk at the time Mr. Gadsden came up with the idea of the flag, which the Marines (born from the Navy) then used!
So, how could the flag always be a symbol of national unity and not divisiveness? Unless, of course (as was the case, both then and now) our 2 cents don't matter..
2)As much as many want to say that the Tea Party is misappropriating shit, I'd have to disagree. Mr. Gadsden was from Charleston, SC (from which I also hail) and that "location" - has PLENTY to do, not only with the "Southern Strategy," but "...a rabidly insane bunch of “fat, arrogant, overpaid, overfed, sanctimonious, overindulged, white, racist, over-privileged, disgustingly soft-bodied, pudge ball, business criminal, asshole cocksuckers like the Tea Party..." to which any history - but "revisionist" - will attest.
3) An interesting aside: back in 1961, the, then owner of the "The Gadsden House" (as we call it back home) at 329 East Bay St. in Charleston, commissioned the late, Mr. Philip Simons (a Black man, who started out as a blacksmith and became the city's/country's pre-eminent ironwork artisan: see "Charleston blacksmith: the work of Philip Simons") - to create the gate with the Don't Tread on Me snake on it: http://www.biopharm-leeches.com/gadsdenhouse/
I just wish people would tell the damned truth about this country and stop "white-washing" history. I, for one, would have more respect for them and might even coonsider more seriously their attempts at building one America versus the, at least two (based on my lived reality in this country) that has existed since their daddies founded this country.
@Deb. Good stuff. You know we love critical inquiry here at WARN. Brother John, your thoughts?
You are right, of course - with some slight modifications.
As a nation, we've any number of shameful moments in our past. Some groups, for example, American Indians, view Old Glory as a symbol of oppression and exclusion. One of far too many examples. The Confederate flag, as another.
I'll not wager that there were some few free black warriors that fought under the Gadsden flag. I suspect there were, but it does not follow that this in any way abrogates the long and storied horrors that occurred to the contrary.
In short, charges of empty rhetoric, or privileged white cultural bias, or unconscious exceptionalism I do not deny. I am a white guy.
But the fact is, I don't really give a shit about that as it's beside the point.
The point is: going forward. What's the vision? This is, I think, where you and I as Americans need to have a discussion.
Does the Tea Party wish to white-wash history? There's too much evidence to suggest that this is true. Is this a vile and dishonest thing? I think I've made clear that it is.
Question, why are they doing it? It is to stifle, to confine, to mangle the worthwhile aspirations of this country to become what it might be - a mature, decent, well-behaved grownup of a country.
I think that someday, somehow, we just might make it. But we don't get there by pursuing an infantile agenda of jumping back into the womb as the Tea Party would have us do - devoling into soft little fetuses in some Arcadian colonial fantasy.
Like it or not, part of the battle for vision is vision, our symbols. Do our symbols represent a privileged few of us or all of us?
I vote for all of us.
cd...Thanx, happy to oblige!
Mike..."In short, charges of empty rhetoric, or privileged white cultural bias, or unconscious exceptionalism I do not deny. I am a white guy.
Good to know we're on the same page there.
However, your - "But the fact is, I don't really give a shit about that as it's beside the point." says to me, that your quite comfortable in that place which, rather than being "besides the point," "IS" the point, mirrored not only in your statement, but in the actions of the Tea Party and other white folk who say, "I'm not a racist but..."
Tell me, how can there be "vision" if the lens through which it is seen is still coated with that same "empty rhetoric, or privileged white cultural bias, or unconscious exceptionalism" that you own as a white guy?
Over the years, I've learned not to be too big on symbols or symbolism (particularly when neither truthfully represents me, or anything about me). "Going along to get along" may have its place with some folk, but I am not one of them.
IMHO, doing so, is, and has always been a trap into which too many of us, Black folk have fallen all too readily - in the hopes of "belonging." And while I do understand why (the benefit of looking backward not just forward), I think our main focus should be on knowing and healing ourselves, before putting all our eggs in this sought-after "well-behaved grownup of a country" which has shown, time and time again, beyond measure, that it doesn't give a shit about how we think, feel or survive. As my grandmother always said, "It's not what they say, Debi, it's what they do!" And as much as I want this country to be about "all of us," based on what's been done to date - it still ain't.
You asked (and answered) why they do it. I disagree that - "It is to stifle, to confine, to mangle the worthwhile aspirations of this country to become what it might be..." Rather, I think it is simply - their belief in the irrevocable theory of "Divine Right" which Europeans, brought with them when they settled America. They may have been in search of "freedom" from monarchy, but their want for "Divine Right" monarchy remains evident in this country and it seems, they feel no one but God should have the right to question or change that - especially not a society-identified, Black man!
Yes, vision is important in order to move forward. But if vision is not informed by what has happened in the past, then for me, there isn't any real "vision," nor any actual "going forward" - which is where are today, still.
Tips and Support Are Always Welcome
Who is Chauncey DeVega?
I am a political essayist, cultural critic, educator, and host of the podcast known as "The Chauncey DeVega Show".
I have been a guest on the BBC, National Public Radio, Ring of Fire Radio, Ed Schultz, Sirius XM's Make it Plain, Joshua Holland's Alternet Radio Hour, the Thom Hartmann radio show, the Burt Cohen show, and Our Common Ground.
I have also been interviewed on the RT Network and Free Speech TV.
I am a contributing writer for Salon and Alternet.
My writing has also been featured by Newsweek, The New York Daily News, Raw Story, The Huffington Post, and the Daily Kos.
My work has also been referenced by MSNBC, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, the Associated Press, Chicago Sun-Times, Raw Story, The Washington Spectator, Media Matters, The Gothamist, Fader, XOJane, The National Memo, The Root, Detroit Free Press, San Diego Free Press, the Global Post, The Lost Angeles Blade as well as online magazines and publications such as Slate, The Week, The New Republic, Buzzfeed, Counterpunch, Truth-Out, Pacific Standard, Common Dreams, The Daily Beast, The Washington Times, The Nation, RogerEbert.com, Ebony, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Fox News, Breitbart, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Juan Williams, Herman Cain, Alex Jones, World Net Daily, Twitchy, the Free Republic, the National Review, NewsBusters, the Media Research Council, Project 21, and Weasel Zippers have made it known that they do not like me very much.
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Few municipalities are as breathtaking on approach as Québec City. Situated along the majestic St. Lawrence River, much of the oldest part of the city -- Vieux-Québec -- sits atop Cap Diamant, a rock bluff that once provided military defense. Fortress walls still encase the upper portion of the old city, and the soaring Château Frontenac, a hotel with castle-like turrets, dominates the landscape. Hauntingly evocative of a coastal town in the motherland of France, the tableau is as romantic as any in Europe.
Québec City is the soul of New France and holds that history dear. It was the first significant settlement in Canada, founded in 1608, 400 years ago, by Samuel de Champlain. Much of 2007 was spent sprucing up the city for its 400th-anniversary celebrations in 2008, adding more access to the waterfront and an entirely new pavilion called Espace 400e that will open in spring 2008 and be the central location for celebrations throughout the year. Now it hasbecome a Parks Canada discovery center. Because of its beauty, history, and unique stature as the only walled city north of Mexico, the historic district of Québec City was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 -- the only area so designated in North America.
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TWO POSSIBLE ROADBLOCKS
1. Groatsworth of Wit
I had hoped not to have to comment on university wit playwright Greene's famous reference in his Groatsworth of Wit. But we'd better look at it now as it seems pertinent. Here is the smallest extract to convey the sense from this long piece of prose:
Base-minded men all three of you, if by my misery you not be warned for unto none of you (like me) sought those burrs to clean: those puppets (I mean) that spake from our mouths, those anticks garnished in our colors. Is it not strange, that I, to whom they all have been beholden: is it not like that you, to whom they all have been beholden, shall (were ye in that case as I am now) be both at once of them forsaken? Yes trust them not: for there is an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his 'tiger's heart wrapped in a player's hide' supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you: and being an absolute "Johannes Factotum", is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country.
It's generally agreed that this is a reference to Shakespeare, and Stratfordians regard it as evidence that Shaxper was Shakespeare. But is it? Greene is a very clever, if unstable playwright. He's saying none of us (playwrights) (and it's usually said the other three are Marlowe, Nash and Peele: Note 1), sought those burrs to clean. The burrs are actors. He calls them puppets speaking from the mouths of playwrights, and antics decorated in the playwrights' colours. That's what he thinks of actors.
He goes on to say is it not strange that you and I to whom the actors all have been beholden are suddenly forsaken by them. Now he tells us the actors have ceased to do business with this group of playwrights.
'Trust them not for there is an upstart crow beautified with our feathers..' The them = the actors, not to be trusted. The upstart crow is an actor. The derogatory designations for actors by playwrights included apes, and crows. So there is an upstart actor clothing himself in the beautiful plumage of the playwrights. This important phrase means an actor is holding himself out to be a playwright.
There is a line in the play Henry 6th part 3 (act 1, scene 4, line 137) which reads:
O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide
This play is generally ascribed to Shakespeare. This trilogy is also considered to be one of Shakespeare's earliest efforts. But would you want to start your career as a dramatist by writing 3 five act plays about a rather long and dreary reign of a king who acceded to the throne when 6 months old, was incompetent and simple minded as a ruler, but as a person was quite scholarly, founding King's College Cambridge, and Eton? Either the dramatist had a compelling reason to tackle this project - perhaps a particular interest in the baronial struggle between the Yorkists and Lancastrians - or he may have collaborated with others - possibly including Greene - in its creation.
This phrase about the tiger's heart and player's hide, reminiscent of the play, re-worded to fit what Greene has to say here, is further convincing evidence that he's talking about a player pretending to be a playwright - and a very good playwright at that, a tiger of a playwright. The phrase cleverly points to the playwright Shakespeare, assuming Shakespeare had a hand in Henry 6th part 3. To clinch the matter in case there's any doubt, Greene continues
supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you.
We have to be careful here because most if not all the casual sayings used day to day now are quite different from those of the Elizabethans. For example, as a schoolboy my Shakespeare notes said about the phrase "hoist with his own petard" that the petard was a small engine of war filled with gunpowder, used to blow open a door etc. and that therefore the phrase meant be blown up by your own explosive device. It was many years later that I found out this old phrase had been colloquialized and by Shakespeare's day meant to blow a f--t so monstrous as to practically lift yourself off the ground!
But back to Greene. This is not the playwright, who is one of the best with his 'tyger's heart.' This is the upstart crow - the actor pretending he can bombast out a blank verse as the best of the playwrights can. What absurd impudence. In case there's any doubt as to who he's talking about, Greene continues:
and being an absolute Johannes Factotum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country.
So the actor is a 'jack of all trades' who's conceited enough to pretend he's a Shake-speare, the only one in the country. Even the hyphen is a distinguishing mark here, because Shake-speare often used the hyphenated form, and we'll discuss that later in our search for who he is. The 'jack of all trades' well describes Shaxper, and this quotation from Greene shows us that Shaxper was actually passing himself off, at least to his fellow sharers and actors, as Shakespeare. I suggest this is a problematic quotation only when thinking there is only one Shakespeare = Shaxper. But we already know that he cannot be Shakespeare. Once you have two persons referred to in the quotation it's no longer, I believe, a mystery as to what he's saying.
2. The Parnassus Play
There's another quotation that we need to consider
Kemp: Few of the university pen plaies well, they smell too much of the writer Ovid, and that writer Metamorphosis, and talke too much of Proserpina and Juppiter. Why heres our fellow Shakespeare, puts them all downe. I, and Ben Jonson too. O that Ben Jonson is a pestilent fellow, he brought up Horace giving the Poets a pill, but our fellow Shakespeare hath given him a purge that made him bewray his credit.
Burb: It is a shrewd fellow indeed.
The 'I' that begins the short sentence above was sometimes used in those days as an alternative for 'aye', or our 'yes'. And Burb: is short for Burbage.
On the face of it this seems convincing Stratfordian evidence for Shaxper as Shakespeare. Here we have two of the most famous actors of their day, sharers and actors with Shaxper in the very company of players that included many of Shakespeare's plays in their performances. They should certainly know what they are talking about, and here we have Kemp referring to 'our fellow Shakespeare' who 'puts them all down', 'them' being the university playwrights (Note 1). No wonder many Stratfordians say this proves Shaxper was Shakespeare. But before giving up on facing this apparently intractable problem, let's look at it a little more closely and try to see what's going on here.
What we find is that there were three plays, all apparently written anonymously, called:
The Pilgrimage to Parnassus
The Return from Parnassus Part 1
Being anonymous we cannot really know when they were written or by whom, but they are alive with jibing references to the theatre industry. It's been said they were performed between December 1597 and January 1602, without explanation as to why or how this precise dating is arrived at. But we don't need to quibble about dating. More important, it's said that they were performed by students of St. John's College, Cambridge, apparently at the University.
By way of explanation, in classical Greece, Parnassus = a great mountain in central Greece, sacred to Apollo, Bacchus and the Muses. Anyone who slept on this mountain became a poet. The Muses were goddesses presiding over poetry, music, dancing and all the liberal arts. There were 9, daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. They resided principally on Mount Parnassus.
The author of the Return from Parnassus calls actors 'mimic apes.' This type of persiflage - and worse - is nothing new in the history of the arts (Note 2).
The late Elizabethan literary warfare was more seriously embittered partly because of the rising tide of Puritan Protestantism vs. Catholic orthodoxy, for which about 300 Protestant supporters lost their lives burned at the stake during the 5 year reign of Queen (Bloody) Mary and it's said about 300 Catholic supporters were executed during the last 30 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign. These are substantial numbers when we remember that the total population of London was under 200,000 and of the entire country probably well under 4 million. It's said there were about 4 million at the time of the Black Death in the mid 1300s, when some whole villages were completely wiped out, leaving about 2.5 million, gradually rising after that despite subsequent lesser plagues to the late 1500s that concern us here. So the entire population of England then was probably about that of greater Toronto, in Canada, or about half the population of Chicago, in the US, at the end of the 20th century.
It so happens that long ago when I was not at Cambridge, but 'the other place' I took part in a play as an actor. My part was very, very, small. I'm no actor, but at least as well as the performance I took part in the rehearsals, saw what was going on, and learned something about how to direct and produce, or not to, in a university play. It was a bit of a romp. And in the 20th c. I don't think the university was exactly a spawning ground for playwrights, as it was in the 1500s. So this personal experience is of very limited value. But that said, let's see what goes on in Act 4 of the Return from Parnassus, part 2.
Will Kemp, the Globe clown actor, and sharer at the Globe playhouse until he left in 1599, and Richard Burbage, the principal 'tragic' actor and sharer at the Globe, are in the play to give instruction in their art to young hopeful actors. They have the conversation we've quoted, before the instruction begins.
Kemp begins "Few of the university pen plays well, they smell too much of the writer Ovid and that writer Metamorphosis..."
He mixes a plural noun with a singular verb, then he thinks the work that Ovid wrote, the Metamorphoses, is another writer. Remember this is a university audience. It's a real put down and must have caused some amusement. I doubt very much that Kemp and Burbage played these parts. It's true Kemp is a famous clown, but he's supposed to be an instructor here, and presumably talking seriously. But he's being ridiculed for his ignorance. The actors were probably students, the writer(s) possibly also, or former St. John's men.
To finish Kemp's first sentence ... 'and talk too much of Proserpina and Juppiter.' He goes on to say that Shakespeare 'puts them all down.' He cannot mean by not using any of these three beings he's mentioned by name, because Shakespeare in his work uses all three, and Ovid and Jupiter quite frequently. And where, one may ask, does he 'put them all down' ? For example, Hamlet's instructions are to the players not to overplay their parts, not criticizing the playwright. Hamlet merely says he'll add a few lines to make it germane whereby to 'catch the conscience of the king.'
This leads us to conclude that Shaxper, among his fellow actors, was holding himself out to be Shakespeare. They must have been very gullible to believe this, as any playwright would know. It may also mean that this audience, or the writer(s) of this play probably knew who the real Shakespeare was.
It appears to mean that Shaxper obtained, or was handed, the plays of Shakespeare as they were produced and then passed them on to the Globe company as his own, and conceitedly tried to live up to the part. The Parnassus writer(s) ham it up some more by bringing Jonson into it. Jonson was constantly sniping at his fellow playwrights. For example in Every Man in his Humour, said to be a great comedy and one of his best plays, where we're only in Act 1 scene 4, when the character Captain Bobadil says...
I would fain see all the poets of these times have such another play as that was (Hieronymo); they'll prate and swagger, and keep a stir of devices, when as I am a gentleman, read 'em, they are the most shallow, pitiful, barren fellows that live upon the face of the earth again.
A 'stir of devices' might be translated as a 'potful of plays'.
No playwright cares to have this kind of comment on his work. And Jonson is always at it. His play the Poetaster has more such comment. He ran a sort of literary dog fight with the playwright Dekker in particular. No wonder when Jonson visited Scotland and stayed with the Scottish poet William Drummond, that poet noted in his private jottings that Jonson was
'a great lover and praiser of himself and a contemner and scorner of others.'
Horace was a Latin poet (68 BC to 8 BC) among whose works was his Satires.
Jonson includes Horace as a character, with Ovid, Virgil and Augustus Caesar as well as many others, in his play the Poetaster. Near the end of the play Horace asks Caesar for, which is granted, permission to give a pill to a poet (Crispinus)
Would give him a light vomit that should purge
His brain and stomach of those tumorous heats...
Here's a sample of the result
CRIS. O! I shall cast up my-(spurious)-(snotteries)-
HOR. Good. Again.
CRIS. (Chillblained)-O-O-(clumsie)-
HOR. That (clumsie) stuck terribly.
MEC. What's all that. Horace?
HOR. (Spurious snotteries), (chillblained), (clumsie)
TIB. O Jupiter!
GAL. Who would have thought there should have been such a deal of filth in a poet?
And so on. I put the words which Crispinus 'brought up' in brackets, as the printed play uses italics.
So the reference to Horace giving the Poets a pill is straightforward enough. But first Kemp says Shakespeare 'puts them all down' and finally says Shakespeare 'hath given him (Jonson) a purge that made him bewray his credit'.
Commentators have searched about to find what these phrases refer to. Some suggest that Shakespeare the dramatist put Jonson down by collaborating with Dekker and, or, Marston in some of their play ripostes to Jonson, possibly in the 'Satiromastix, or the untrussing of the humorous poet.' Others have suggested that Shakespeare may have done this in his play Troilus and Cressida, in the opening, and the character of Ajax who seems unnecessarily wooden for the part he plays in the action.
Since Jonson's 'pill' is so obvious, specific, and there for all to see, I suggest Shakespeare's 'putting them all down' and his 'purge' must be even more obvious and straightforward. Shakespeare's plays were very popular, more so than the University Wits plays, and much more so than Jonson's plays. If and when Jonson's and Shakespeare's plays were being performed opposite one another in different theatres, the theatre playing Jonson would be half empty, and the one playing Shakespeare would be packed. That, I suggest, is the purge that destroyed Jonson's credibility.
I hope we don't have to go through all these internecine literary wars to find the elusive Shakespeare. It seems to me both of those quotations are clear enough if we have a conceited pseudo-playwright who is a small part actor, as well as a superb poet and dramatist being a different person. If there were two men involved, both quotations seem to me to make abundant sense. And to top it off, in the Parnassus play Burbage is made to say (speaking of their 'fellow Shakespeare')
It is a shrewd fellow indeed.
which as I think I've shown in previous chapters, is exactly what Shaxper is.
After this necessary diversion, which concerned me until I studied it more closely, I think we can say with reasonable certitude that both excerpts refer to two persons, not one Shakespeare, which is precisely the point I've arrived at in the present enquiry.
Looking at this problem caused me to turn to Troilus and Cressida long before my plan for considering it in the context of the plays.
It amazes me that some scholars seriously discuss whether this play is a comedy. I suggest it's more a requiem for a poet/dramatist. It's true that the publisher referred to it as a comedy, but this is an Elizabethan speaking. I'm reminded of the opera convention that a 'comic opera' or 'opera comique' is not necessarily a comedy, people may die wholesale in it, but it means there is recitative, or spoken dialogue, whereas grand opera has nothing but words which are sung. By analogy in plays it would presumably mean having prose interludes interspersed within the blank verse, as is the case in the play Troilus and Cressida.
One scholar, in his introduction to the play, wonders why Shakespeare wrote it. I suggest it contains a theme in his life. He mentions the story in his long narrative poem which is his second earliest published work, The Rape of Lucrece, again in The Merchant of Venice, Henry 5th, 12th Night, Hamlet, and alludes to it in All 's Well that Ends Well. What is this theme?
Here are the last 15 lines of the play, a form of Epilogue, spoken by Pandarus, an archetype for procurers of women for brothels:
Full merrily the humble-bee doth sing
Till he hath lost his honey and his sting,
And being more subdued in armèd tail,
Sweet honey and sweet notes together fail.
Good traders in the flesh, set this in your painted cloths,
As many as be here of Pandar's hell,
Your eyes, half out, weep out at Pandar's fall;
Or if you cannot weep, yet give some groans,
Though not for me, yet for your aching bones.
Brethren and sisters of the hold-door trade,
Some two months hence my will shall here be made.
It should be now, but that my fear is this,
Some gallèd goose of Winchester would hiss.
Till then I'll sweat and seek about for eases,
And at that time bequeath you my diseases.
Here are the editor's notes:
(The first 4 lines) an allusion to impotence caused by venereal disease.
'Eyes, half out'; half blind, another reference to the ravages of venereal disease
'Aching bones'; another result of syphilis
'hold-door trade'; whores who stood at the open doors of brothels to attract customers
'gallèd goose of Winchester'; a gallèd goose is a person suffering from venereal disease, either a prostitute or her client. The brothels in Southwark were under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Winchester.
'Sweat'; the standard treatment for venereal disease.
Now we can answer the question of the editor who asked, why would Shakespeare write this play. I think the answer may be disturbing, but very simple. Shakespeare apparently had syphilis. He seems to know first hand what he's writing about in these 15 lines. He even tells us he should write his will now, but will do it in two months. If I'm right, and I think I have to be, then this should be a late play, or the play may have been written a little earlier, with this final speech tacked on late in his life. It doesn't really matter to us which it is. Dating the plays is not what we're after here. And we know they can't really be dated accurately in any case. One Stratfordian list dates it 1601, and 15th from the last. Another undated list has it 13th from the last.
I suggest those 15 lines at the end of the play tell us that this terrible disease had really taken hold of Shakespeare. Pandarus was a procurer, not a customer. One would think that a procurer would ordinarily have enough sense to be content to make his living from the 'avails' of the business and leave the prostitutes and their diseases to the customers. But in these 15 lines Pandarus is telling us in some detail what it's like to be a sufferer, and that is what makes me conclude that it's Shakespeare speaking to us about himself. It's his personal experience that gives us the veracity of those lines. It's his prognosis that he has to make his will soon.
This comes as a complete surprise to me, and probably to you. I think I'm right about this because there was no need to tack this speech on at the end of the play. It's said that Shakespeare used Chaucer (1340? -1400) as a source. Chaucer wrote a 5 book epic in verse on Troilus and Criseyde. I could find nothing in it related to sexual or any other diseases. That is something added by Shakespeare. I, for one, certainly did not expect to find this result so early in our investigation. A Shakespeare with syphilis narrows the field of candidates very considerably.
We have not come to the end of the remarkable evidence attending this play. The quarto edition, published in 1609, has what's called the 'quarto epistle.' Here's how it's headed
A NEVER WRITER TO AN EVER READER. NEWS.
For those who have followed along from the beginning of this enquiry it's an obvious identifier for de Vere. 'A Never' becomes 'An E. Ver.' (Edward Ver) This is cleverly done. It implies that the person who wrote this is not a writer, or playwright, it also may imply that the playwright is now a never writer - he will never write again. This was true of de Vere in 1609; he had died in 1604. The Ever (E. Ver) reader is a reader of de Vere's work. It seems the publisher is writing posthumously for the writer to the reader. It's presumed not to be acted, but to the reader, to be read.
The text of this 'epistle' begins
Eternal reader, you have here a new play, never staled with the stage.
The publisher, assuming he wrote the 'epistle,' calls it a comedy. But then he says
...this author's comedies, that are so framed to the life, that they serve for the most common commentaries of all the actions of our lives...
It continues some sentences later
And believe this, that when he is gone, and his comedies out of sale, you will scramble for them... but thank fortune for the scape it hath made amongst you, since by the grand possessors' wills I believe you should have prayed for them rather than been prayed...
This is a snag if we are thinking, as the heading indicates, it might be our first candidate, de Vere, who wrote the play, because de Vere died 5 years before this publication.
But it so happens that the Stratfordian editor has this to say
Troilus and Cressida has a number of unsolved , if not insoluble, problems. The exact date and place of the first performance are uncertain: we do not know whether it was ever publicly performed: we do not know for certain the nature of the manuscript which formed the copy for the Quarto (1609)... and, more significantly, critics are hopelessly divided as theatrical directors in their interpretation of the play.
The play was entered in the Stationers' Register on 7 February 1603
"Mr Robertes
Entred for his copie in Full Court holden this day to print when he hath gotten sufficient authority for yt...."
Presumably Roberts did not obtain the necessary authority as he did not publish the play. Six years later, on 28th January 1609, there is another entry relating to the play:
"Ri(chard) Bonlan
Henry Walleys Entered for their Copy...."
It was duly printed later that year.....
The Quarto Epistle
On the whole it seems most likely that this epistle was written soon after the private performance of the play and before the public performance. It must have turned up during the printing of the Quarto, but may well have been written in 1602 or early 1603, at the time of the original entry in the Stationers' Register, when it was hoped to publish the play.
This is helpful to us because it explains why the epistle says 'when he is gone.' If, and only if, de Vere was Shakespeare, this would fit. He was not 'gone' in 1602-3, but in 1604. And the 'grand possessors' suggests nobility. If, and only if, de Vere was Shakespeare, these may be Elizabeth Trentham, dowager Countess of Oxford, and her 16-17 year old son, the 18th Earl of Oxford, who were moving house in 1608-9 when she sold King's Place, and where a near neighbour was an acquirer of manuscripts for a publisher.
But, to tie all this together, the quarto original front page says
Written by William Shakespeare
It may come as a shock to many people to find that Shakespeare probably had syphilis. This disease apparently produces many idiots, but also, rarely, creates a super genius.
Milton was one. His enemies said it was caused by his dissolute youth. His principal biographer, Denis Saurat, devotes a chapter-long appendix to his health. Fortunately for posterity, Milton described in literary detail the progressive nature of his descent into blindness. This enabled Saurat to provide a modern medical diagnosis. It excludes the more usual (today) types of eye disease...
...We conclude then, after considering the whole body of available documents, that Milton's blindness was due to retinitis, complicated perhaps by glaucomatous troubles developed from eyestrain as a result of a generally bad state of health, probably attributable to hereditary syphilis... It is a matter of general observation that, from the point of view of the intellectual faculties, there are two categories of hereditary syphilis; some are degenerates, unintelligent - or even idiotic, some others, on the contrary, are endowed with a precocious and supernormal intelligence. Milton evidently belonged to this last category.
Milton was not the only intellectual super genius proceeding from a syphilitic body. Beethoven, the 'Shakespeare of music' was another. In his case he had one syphilitic and one tubercular parent. The degenerative congenital disease caused his progressive deafness.
There is a (2001) web site on Beethoven that says
There are various theories circulating today regarding Beethoven's health and hearing loss. It has been suggested that Beethoven was suffering from Syphilis (now discredited) or that he was poisoned. I have listed the presently accepted causes of his ailments and death, though tests are being carried out on his hair and should prove the matter conclusively.
To summarize: one lab. report on his hair found high lead concentrations, evidence that lead poisoning may have caused his life long illnesses. Another lab. reported distinctive trace metal patterns associated with genius, irritability...were not present, a third lab. found mercury levels were undetectable...
These results provide no evidence that Beethoven received medical treatment for syphilis, usually treated in the 1820s with mercury compounds. This supports the concensus of Beethoven scholars who believe that Beethoven never had syphilis. Rumours that Beethoven suffered from syphilis have been discounted in all serious musicological literature for the last 30 years.
None of this distinguishes between hereditary (congenital) syphilis and contracted (caught) syphilis. The fact that a lab. found no trace of mercury is the only positive piece of information here. Even that is not conclusive. Being congenital, it may never have been suspected. Being Beethoven, he might have refused treatment.
If we go back a few years, Sir George Grove, in his 1879 first edition of the Dictionary of Music and Musicians, after detailing the results of the post mortem examination of the auditory apparatus of Beethoven, said that
the whole of these appearances are most probably the result of syphilitic affections at an early period of his life... this diagnosis, which I owe to the kindness of my friend Dr. Lauder Brunton, is confirmed by the existence of two prescriptions, of which, since this passage in the text was written, I have been told by Mr. Theyer, who heard of them from Dr. Bartolini.
Dr. Bertolini (not Bartolini) was Beethoven's physician for many years. When the doctor thought himself at the point of death he ordered his letters and notes regarding Beethoven to be destroyed because of his 'delicate regard for Beethoven's reputation.' If the composer's illnesses were typhus, or deafness, why would this affect his reputation? The implication in Grove's writing is rather that Beethoven contracted the disease in his youth.
Our problem with Shakespeare is that since it's a pseudonym we don't know yet who he is. We can only rely on Pandarus' speech to be telling us his condition. It may be either hereditary or contracted syphilis.
The only candidate we have at present begun to consider is de Vere, and it seems that he had syphilis. Although the information about the courtesan in Venice implies contractual syphilis, that might not have been the case. The 16th Earl, de Vere's father, was involved with a woman who was disfigured by his relatives slitting her nose, the 'punishment' for a whore. It's quite possible then, that de Vere's father contracted syphilis before the 16th earl married de Vere's mother. In this way de Vere might have had congenital syphilis. The 'lameness' and 'not an able body' he writes about in later life may have had this progressive disease as their cause. Whichever form of it he may have had, it may also explain why he did not have any more children by his wife Elizabeth Trentham for 11 years after the birth of his only legally born son who survived. The answer is given in the first two lines of the quotation from the Troilus play, about the bee losing its sting. He was impotent through the disease.
It is probable, then, that Shakespeare, Milton, and Beethoven had one or other form of syphilis, and perhaps in each case more likely to have been hereditary than contractual.
To put this in perspective, dyslexia was unidentified as a disorder at the beginning of the 20th century. Only recently has it been related to a gene: DYX3. It's
...a language disorder in which a person with normal vision has difficulty comprehending written language. Its main characteristic is a confusion in the orientation of letters, which is caused by the person's reading in the wrong direction across the page, the inability to perceive certain similarities or differences in letters or words, and the inability to pronounce unfamiliar words. The cause of dyslexia is unknown, but a central nervous system defect is suspected.
Why introduce this entirely different malady? Let me list for you three cases of dyslexia: Albert Einstein; Winston Churchill; General George Patton. The point I'm making here is that any type of hereditary disease or disorder is not the fault of the person, the child, who inherits it.
All the unexpected evidence stemming from Troilus and Cressida begins to strengthen the candidacy of de Vere as Shakespeare, but we have a long way to go yet before making a decision. We have not even begun to consider Shakespeare's poems and plays, and have only been led fortuitously to the last few lines of the Troilus play.
Now we can begin our search for the real poet/dramatist.
The University pen playwrights are generally considered to be, in the decade of the 1590s:
Robert Greene, St. John's College (BA) and Clare Hall (MA), Cambridge
Thomas Lodge, (son of Sir Thomas Lodge, Lord Mayor of London), Oxford
John Lyly, Magdalen College, Oxford
Christopher Marlowe, Bene't (later Corpus Christi) College, Cambridge
Thomas Nashe, Cambridge
George Peele, Oxford.
Other University-educated playwrights included
Francis Beaumont, Oxford and Inner Temple (law school)
John Fletcher, Bene't College, Cambridge.
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, St. John's College, BA, Cambridge and
Christ Church College, MA, Oxford and Gray's Inn (law school).
An enthusiastic patron of playwrights was the Earl of Southampton, who also attended St. John's College, Cambridge.
As can be seen from the list, some references do not give the college attended.
Name Calling in the Arts
I played over the music of that scoundrel Brahms. What a giftless bastard.
Berlioz composes by splashing his pen over the manuscript and leaving the issue to chance.
Arnold Schoenberg would be better off shovelling snow.
More up to date, and apropos -
I did not say actors were cattle. I said actors should be treated like cattle.
TROILUS, CRESSIDA. SHAKESPEARE AND SYPHILIS
Since writing this chapter further research has disclosed more on the development of the Troilus and Cressida tale. The original Homer's Iliad description of the girl variously described later as a slave girl, prisoner, and favoured mistress of Achilles, named her Brise'is. Her husband was killed by Achilles at the sack of the city of Mynes. Homer also tells us about Chryse'is, captive mistress of Agamemnon, released by him to her father Chryses after the prophet Calchas had said the gods were displeased with the Greeks because he kept her and refused her father's ransom offer. She later became Criseyde, or Cressida. Agamemnon was angry, saying he liked her better than his wife Klytemnestra. Agamemnon was commander-in-chief of the Greek forces at Troy. Agamemnon now said if I have to give back Chryse'is to her father I'm not going to be the only one without a girl captive I like; so, Achilles, I want your Brise'is instead. Achilles began to draw his sword, but the gods persuaded Achilles not to fight over this. Agamemnon got Brise'is. Achilles sulked in his tent and refused to fight, until his friend Patroklos was killed wearing the armour of Achilles.
Passing through the hands of a number of early writers, the story became altered and embroidered along the way, including a series of mis-translations and misunderstandings. For our purposes we can begin with the mediaeval story of Roman de Troie by Benoit de Sainte-Maure (c. 1160). For him the Troilus and Cressida story is an episode of only about 1,300 lines in a total of some 30,000 on Troy.
The bare bones of the story developed in the middle ages is that in Troy city Troilus, younger son of King Priam, sees the beautiful widowed Cressida at a religious ceremony, and falls madly in love. His friend Pandarus finally discovers who Troilus is pining for, says why didn't you say so, she's my relative (niece, cousin, etc). As both Troilus (T) & Cressida (C) are nobility, it must remain a secret to preserve their reputations. After some resistance C agrees to a meeting arranged by Pandarus. A torrid secret love affair follows. Then the Greek and Trojan leaders agree to exchange C for Antenor, a Trojan warrior. C's father had previously deserted to the Greeks, so she will be returning to her traitorous father. Both T & C are devastated by the news. She promises somehow to return to T in 10 days. Days and months go by, but no return of C. Then T sees a keepsake of his to C on Diomedes, a formidable Greek fighter. Now he knows the truth. She has deserted him for a Greek. Hence, false Cressida.
Some of the Benoit details are mirrored in Shakespeare's play: Benoit's Briseida receives the greetings of the Greek leaders; she loses interest in returning to Troy; Diomedes gives her a 'steed' he captured from Troilus; there is a truce; she gives a keepsake from Troilus to Diomedes; Troilus sees the keepsake on Diomedes' armour; Troilus fights bravely in despair at her treachery.
There is a twist where Benoit has Troilus unhorse Achilles who in the next battle has his subject Myrmidons surround and unhorse Troilus, who is then slain by Achilles before he can stand up. In Shakespeare it is Hector who is deliberately surrounded by the Myrmidons when he is taking an unarmed rest from battle; they slay him as Achilles watches. In Benoit the episode ends with mourning for Troilus. In Shakespeare all three, Troilus, Cressida and Diomedes, are alive at the end of the play.
There is no hint of sexual diseases in the Benoit episode.
Boccaccio (1313-1375), the famous Italian writer, tells the story at book length in his il Filostrato. Here the main interest is the love between Troilo and Criseida. C is a widow. She is also libidinous, and if she can't have T because she's been exchanged for Antenor then she will have Diomedes the Greek warrior who's determined to get her. There is no hint of sexual diseases in the Boccaccio story.
It's said that Chaucer (1340? - 1400) used Boccaccio as a source for his Troilus and Criseyde (in 5 'books'). Chaucer's older English is not an easy read for a non-expert in the 21st century. But he seems to me to be diffident in giving his sources; he referred to 'other books' and said he didn't know whether she had any children. Chaucer was a religious man. He ends his story with Christian moralizing. There is certainly no hint of sexual diseases in Chaucer.
It was necessary to read the Boccaccio (in translation) as well as the Chaucer because we're considering de Vere as a candidate for Shakespeare, and we know that de Vere could read and write fluently in Latin and Italian. It would have been no problem for him to have read the Filostrato in Italian. He probably read both Boccaccio's and Chaucer's versions.
But there is something else to consider. A writer named Robert Henryson wrote a poem of only 616 lines in the same stanza form as Chaucer. He called it Testament of Cresseid. Apparently we have no dates for Henryson but the work was already published by 1492. He says that after reading Chaucer he found another book which gave a subsequent history of Criseyde. Deserted by Diomedes she became a common prostitute in the Greek camp. She cursed the gods for this and they in return gave her leprosy. She became so disfigured that when Troilus met her begging and gave her 'alms' (a donation to a beggar) he didn't recognize her. She didn't recognize him either. Later she found out who he was and died of a broken heart.
It's said this work by Henryson was reprinted without attributing it to him as part of the Troilus and Criseyde edition of Chaucer published by Thynne in 1532 and again by Speght in 1598. It's very likely that 'Shakespeare' read the Boccaccio in Italian, Chaucer in older English, and both Thynne and Speght in the Elizabethan editions of the T & C story. The addition of leprosy by Henryson is still not a reference to a sexual or venereal disease.
According to Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia leprosy is uncommon in Europe. It's a relative of tubercular diseases. In one of its forms, a milder one, fingers and toes lose feeling, become cut off from the rest of the body and may in time break off. In the more contagious form the body is not able to resist; in extreme cases the voice may change drastically, blindness may occur or the nose may be destroyed. Throughout the ages leprosy has been one of the most dreaded diseases and its victims the most avoided. Almost all cultures believed that victims of leprosy were spiritually unclean.
This story has certainly moved a long way from Homer's tale of the dispute between Agamemnon and Achilles over favourite mistresses. In his Troilus and Cressida play it would have been an easy step for Shakespeare to transmute the Henryson leprosy into his closing medical diatribe on syphilis. My point about Shakespeare is that he doesn't moralize on syphilis. He tells us what it's like to have it.
To Chapter 8 To Chapter 10
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Unique in the world: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
By RITA KUEBER
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is the only one of its kind in the world, and it’s right here in Northeast Ohio. Cleveland Rocks!
In September 1995, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened its architecturally illustrious doors and has never looked back. The opening was celebrated with a ribbon cutting, parade and a once-in-a-lifetime concert that featured unique collaborations like Chuck Barry performing with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, as well as iconic performers James Brown, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, and Johnny Cash at the nearby Municipal Stadium. Over the past 23 years, the Rock Hall has had 12 million visitors, or over half a million people every year. Statistics compiled in March, 2018 indicate its total impact in business sales in Cuyahoga County was $199 million, with visitors spending an estimated $127 million in 2017. Additionally, last year total attendance was a record-breaking 568,000, with 80 percent of visitors coming from outside the region. “We think like a museum, like an attraction, yet we’re really a destination,” CEO Greg Harris states.
One way to look at the Rock Hall is as a good return on an investment that involved a local public/private/government partnership starting in the 1980s. With rock and roll entering its sixth decade, a movement started to preserve the legacy of the early artists and groups of the genre, many of which had origins in R&B, Gospel and American Roots music of the 1920s. (Some scholars say the art form is even older as rockabilly from the 1930-50s includes songs written in the 1890s.) Leadership of this movement for a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was made up of music industry executives including Jann Wenner, founder and publisher of “Rolling Stone” magazine, and Ahmet Ertegun, the co-founder and president of Atlantic Records who was well-known for discovering new talent and helping to launch their careers. (Ertegun was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987).
The movement to honor and preserve the genre’s artistic merits became The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, and the search for a permanent home generated a nationwide competition. Cities like Memphis, Detroit and Philadelphia, noted for their historical prominence, musically speaking, were in the running, as were New York and San Francisco. The first induction ceremony took place in 1986 in New York, and just a few months later, thanks to a massive community push, Cleveland was named as the permanent location for the Rock Hall.
Harris was working in Philadelphia at the time. “Philly wanted the hall too,” he recalls. “But [then Mayor George] Voinovich believed in it, local leadership raised the money from corporate, individual and public dollars, and Cleveland had such a strong DNA from Alan Freed (founder of what’s considered the first rock concert, the Moondog Coronation Ball), the Belkin family bringing great rock acts to the city, radio station WMMS gathering hundreds of thousands of signatures, and the great, sophisticated listenership – the passionate fans in Northeast Ohio – that all drove the Rock Hall here. It’s an incredible success story.”
The House That Rock Built is a 150,000-square-foot building with a glass-enclosed, double pyramid adjacent to a 162-foot tower. It was designed by internationally renowned architect I. M. Pei, who has designed some of the most visually arresting buildings in the world, including the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, and the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong. In multiple interviews Pei stated he wanted to capture “the energy” of Rock and Roll with the design. The Ertegun plaza is the main floor lobby/and concert area. The building also has 55,000 square feet of exhibition space with 10,000 to 12,000 of that dedicated to the Hall of Fame floor, plus a movie theater, administrative offices, café and gift shop. Outside, a 65,000-square-foot brick plaza is an additional venue for concerts.
The nonprofit Foundation housed in the seven-story glass pyramid on the south shore of Lake Erie is both a Hall of Fame, honoring current artists, and a museum with historic items curated and preserved. “The terms hall of fame and museum are not mutually exclusive,” Harris says. “We are a cultural and history museum – an art museum, because the art is the music itself. When we have a live band, people are directly feeling the impact of the art we have here.”
“We are the most relevant museum in the entire world,” he states. “Every person who walks in comes in with a reservoir of memories to honor and celebrate this music: the best road trip, the best time spent with friends, a heartbreak, a marriage – every visitor coming through brings these experiences which connect us all and we celebrate that connection every day.” While most visitors are from other states and Canada, the Rock Hall has also hosted visitors from more than 100 countries.
Like most vibrant, creative work, the Rock Hall is not without its critics. Probably one of the most pervasive is connected to the Induction process, with the top complaint being ‘that fill-in-the-blank-group is not rock and roll.’ For perspective, Year One inductees in 1986 included Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and the Everly Brothers. Last year’s inductees in 2018 were Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues, Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
“Rock and roll is a very wide tent, and there are lots of genres under that – heavy metal, dance, garage, stadium – it all fits under the tent,” Harris says. “Rock was never just four skinny guys with long hair and guitars. It was always so much more. We embrace that diversity. And we understand that people feel protective of the artists they think are the best. We love that they really care about who’s inducted and who’s not. We love that they are passionate about the relevancy to being part of the Hall of Fame.”
Harris talks about how judging an artistic creation is a very subjective process, and yet is pleased to point out that the critic/industry vote and the popular fan vote synced up last year. “Look at the 2018 class – from the Cars to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a singer and guitar player who influenced Elvis and Jerry Lee. That’s an induction class that speaks to how the breadth and diversity – from arena rock to gospel – all fit naturally and all are worthy of being inducted.”
Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. They should have demonstrated an impact on the artform, influencing the next generation, as well as being an excellent musician. An international body of more than 1,000 voting members has a say as to who is inducted, but fans also get a chance by voting at the Rock Hall or on its website (rockhall.com). The 2019 Class, with nominees from Devo to Janet Jackson, Kraftwerk to Stevie Nicks, will be announced soon.
In addition to the Hall of Fame, the building houses a museum with priceless artifacts carefully saved for future generations. “We preserve Jerry Garcia’s guitar like it’s a Van Gogh,” Harris says. “We have trained professionals, interpreters, and ethnomusicologists – we have a couple of PhDs on staff. They work with scholars and researchers to share our treasurers and the stories that resonate with people – that’s part of our mission, which is to engage, teach, and inspire through the power of rock & roll.”
This past summer the Rock Hall sponsored 70 consecutive days of live music on their plaza. Their education programs range from Toddler Rock to the immersive Power of Rock theater. Every year 20,000 students from Cleveland and surrounding suburbs visit and learn math, science and social history through the prism of popular music.
In short, the Rock Hall is a very busy place, that continues to invest in the visitor’s experience. “We are part of the Northeast Ohio landscape because the community came together to get the award, to build it and collectively get the project done. We carry on that legacy, improving the facility and reaching new audiences.
“It’s been terrific for 23 years, and we’ve made significant improvements for the next 20 years as well,” Harris adds. “People should come down and check out our vibrant, interactive and authentic rock and roll experience.” For more information, visit rockhall.com.
This summer the Rock Hall offered 70 consecutive days of free concerts.
I. M. Pei’s iconic building on Lake Erie houses The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Inside, the Rock Hall has more than 50,000 square feet dedicated to exhibits with artifacts from a diverse variety of musicians and artists.
By editoradmin|2018-11-30T09:26:54+00:00November 30th, 2018|Monthly Feature|0 Comments
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You are here: Home / Become a Fairtrade Business / Fair Trade Mark
Since the launch of the first Fair Trade label (Max Havelaar) in 1998, Fair Trade, specifically Fair Trade coffee has been more recognized. The Fair Trade label became a certified standard to protect the producers by receiving a justified reward. At the same time, it follows the standards set by the International Labour Organization; to forbid hiring of child labour or slaves, provide a safe working environment, and protect the rights of setting up labour organizations. Fair trade also incorporates the rules by International Bill of Human Rights. The concept of Fair Trade also advocates for gender equality and to foster a long term business relationship between producers and consumers for a more transparent supply chain.
Now, the two fair trade certification standards that are internationally highly recognized are as follows:
The trademarks aim to increase consumers’ awareness to raw material trading which is important to farmers and workers who rely on this. Products with The FAIRTRADE Certification MARK means its producers and traders meet the Fairtrade standards, and are audited by the independent certification organization, FLO-CERT.
According to a 2013 GlobeScan survey carried out in 17 countries, nearly 6 in 10 consumers have seen the Fairtrade Mark. The Fairtrade Mark is most visible in the UK where 96% of the UK consumers have seen it, and in Switzerland, Netherlands and Ireland where 9 in 10 of those consumers trust it. The Fairtrade Mark has the highest level of trust in Switzerland (91%), followed by UK, Ireland and Netherlands.
Fair Trade marks are different from organic marks, though Fair Trade encompasses the elements of environmental protection and sustainability. More than half of the Fair Trade products in Hong Kong are organically planted, therefore, a lot of the Fair Trade products also come with organic marks.
[1] https://www.fairtrade.net/fileadmin/user_upload/content/2009/news/releases_statements/2013-09-03_ConsumersFavourFairtrade_Media_release_FairtradeIntl.pdf
World Fair Trade Organization – their members 100% commit to Fair Trade principles, activities and reciprocal record reports.
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fishing life
Lonely Planets Top 10 Cities to Travel in 2013
After unveiling its top 10 countries to visit this 2013, Popular travel guide Lonely Planet has posted its list of cities they recommend travelers to visit this year. The list is very diverse, covering all continents except Antarctica, with each city providing a unique experience to tourists of all ages and preferences.
San Francisco, California – This darling of America’s western coast has been a hotbed for kindred spirits, attracting people of different cultures, beliefs, and orientations. The city has something more to give this 2013 than the Golden Gate Bridge and Haight Street: San Francisco will host the 34th America’s Cup, and big changes have been happening along the city’s busy waterfront.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – The cultural capital of Holland has been a favorite among travelers, but this year is special. The city’s famous canal ring turns 400 years old. It is Vincent van Gogh’s 160th birth anniversary, while his color-swirled museum is 40 years old. The Rijksmuseum, which houses a large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, is set to reopen after a 10-year restoration. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, often considered among the world’s best, is celebrating its 125th anniversary. The Artis Royal Zoo and Felix Meritis Cultural Center mark 175 years and 225 years respectively. With all these celebrations, expect a slew of celebratory concerts, exhibits, and street festivals throughout the year.
Hyderabad, India (pictured) – Hyderabad’s recent history is nothing to celebrate about. After India’s independence from Great Britain, the palaces and pleasure gardens of this once princely state capital were sold off and looted. You need trained eyes to be able to see this city’s unique beauty, but things are about to change. Several palaces in the Old City have been refurbished, such as the Falaknuma Palace, a seven-star hotel beautifully restored by the Taj Group. Other monuments and buildings are also being repaired.
Derry, United Kingdom – Also known as Londonderry, this Maiden City in Northern Ireland has been declared the UK City of Culture for 2013, which is why this historic walled city is undergoing a renaissance. Its calendar is packed with cultural events, such as the 10-day All Ireland Fleadh, the biggest Irish festival in the world. There are also pageants, dance, and music festivals to be held throughout the year.
Beijing, China – The 2008 Summer Olympics may be long gone, but its effects can be seen throughout China’s capital city such as the presence of English street signs and plenty of architectural gems like the Bird’s Nest. The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway has recently been opened, connecting the two cities in just under five hours. The city is also bearing witness to the rise of new subcultures.
Christchurch, New Zealand – The Garden City is rising from the rubble that shook this beautiful city in 2010 and 2011, as it is being rehabilitated with new energy and inventiveness. The local cuisine has surprising offers; have lunch in a Burmese restaurant and dinner in a Turkish kitchenette. Live music venues dotted the city, while innovative artworks rise from empty demolition sites.
Hobart, Australia – Located in the island of Tasmania, this sleepy harbor town has attracting the outdoorsy kind of tourists. But with the opening of the Museum of Old and New Art, scores of culture geeks have been arriving on the city’s shores. This year is also the unveiling of the Theatre of the World exhibition in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, curated by the former director of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. The city’s growing culinary credentials are also worth noting and tasting.
Montral, Canada – The country’s Francophone center has been cited by respectable publishers as among the world’s happiest (Lonely Planet, 2010) and hippest (New York Times, 2011). Quebec is the location of Stephen Spielberg’s upcoming summer release “Robocalypse” and the city has been inviting everyone to its new urban beach. This year is also the launch of the new Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, culminating its ambitious “Space for Life” project. Meanwhile, Montral’s social calendar is highlighted by the unveiling of the Grvin wax museum, the 50th-anniversary celebrations of the Place des Arts, and the opening of Point Zero Hotel, which is owned by the popular Canadian fashion label.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Ethiopia’s impressive economic growth is reflected in the fast-paced changes happening in its capital city. Addis Ababa is not only the diplomatic capital of Africa, it is also a thriving metropolis and a city possessed with its multifaceted assets.
Puerto Iguaz, Argentina – Its main natural gem, the Foz de Iguaz, has won its slot among the world’s new seven wonders of nature following a worldwide poll. This vast waterfall, spreading along the Argentine-Brazil border, welcomes a spike of travelers arriving in Puerto Iguaz, the main tourist base. The city offers some of the best hostels, luxury hotels, and spas on this side of South America.
Source: Lonely Planet
Photo credit: reddees / Shutterstock.com
Travel Guide – GuideTo.Com
Tags: 2013, Cities, Lonely, Planets, Travel
5 Most Dangerous Mountains for Climbers
5 Myths About Ecotourism
How to Deal with Border Officers
Avoiding Getting Your Backpack Lost
How to Call Home From Abroad
© Copyright 2020 fishing life. All Rights Reserved
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Dr Neil's Garden
Old Church Lane
Duddingston Village
Edinburgh, EH15 3PX
E: Info@DrNeilsGarden.co.uk
(Closed to 5th March 2020, except by prior arrangement)
Hiring The Garden
Hiring the Tower
The Plants
Thomson’s Tower
Opening Times & Event Info
Dr. Neil’s Garden is now closed for Winter until 5th March 2020, see What’s On page. Featured events below are unchanged
Entry is free of charge (except during advertised events) but donations are welcome – see our Support Us page. For commercial group visits we encourage some payment.
– Illustrated Talk “Through The Year In An Edinburgh Garden” Thursday 7th November
– Illustrated Talk “Sir Walter Scott – Laird of Abbotsford and Elder of Duddingston” Thursday 5th December
– Christmas Wreath Making Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th December
– Christmas Table Decoration Saturday 7th December
The Garden Room Café
This is now closed to March 2020
For more information on events and special weekends see the What’s On page.
The Tower is open to the public free of charge on Sundays 2pm – 4pm during July and August, or by special arrangement.
History of Thomson’s Tower
Click For Full Size
Thomson’s Tower is a unique octagonal building located on the shore of Duddingston Loch. It was designed in 1825 by William Henry Playfair (1789-1857), for the Duddingston Curling Society so that curling stones could be stored close to the Loch edge, and to provide a meeting space for members above.
The Rev. John Thomson (1778-1840) was the minister of Duddingston Kirk from 1805 until his death. He was a well known landscape painter, and when the upper chamber of the Tower was not required by the curlers, Thomson used it as a painting studio where he could work undisturbed. A convivial man, he entertained a wide circle of friends in the manse at Duddingston including fellow-artists JMW. Turner and Henry Raeburn. The famous painting of The Rev. Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch (in the National Gallery of Scotland) was painted by Raeburn.
In 1853 Duddingston Curling Society ceased playing on Duddingston Loch, and the curlers moved to Coates, to the north west of Princes Street. A revived Duddingston Curling Club was formed in the 1890s and still exists today, though their curling now takes place at Murrayfield Ice Rink.
The Tower was completely derelict and roofless in 1978 when it was re-roofed by the Duddingston Village Conservation Society, with donations received from various interested associations, particularly the Rotarian Curling Society of Canada. During 2008-09, Dr Neil’s Garden Trust restored the Tower – with grant aid from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Trust for Scotland and Historic Scotland, and it now contains exhibitions about curling past and present, Playfair, Thomson, and the Garden.
The Tower is open to the public on Sunday afternoons in July and August, 2-4pm, and on request.
We would like to thank Mrs Mary Rankin for the kind donation of some new stones and memorabilia from Comrie and Monzievaird Curling Club.
Mrs Rankin’s father Fred is in the top right of this picture.
© Dr Neils Garden 2020 - Dr Neils Garden is a charity registered in Scotland, Charity No: SC028097:- Website by E-Business Promotion
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Fruit & Sweet Flavours
Café Flavours
Spirit Flavours
> E-liquid Apple
E-liquid Apple
E-liquid Apple 10 ml (0 mg nicotine)
E-liquid Tobacco
E-liquid MB
E-liquid Menthol
E-liquid Blueberry
E-liquid Energy Cow
The number of individuals smoking e-cigarettes all around the world has definitely increased throughout the years. E-cigarettes in Australia are becoming more popular than regular cigarettes.
The cigarettes don’t produce smoke and they do not contain a great amount of the chemicals that could be found in regular cigarettes.
In addition, the e-cigarette can come in various flavours. E-juice can be purchased and they typically come in small vials. The flavours vary from fruit to deserts and cocktails. They are incredibly affordable and enjoyable. Folks always note how incredibly amazing it is when they’re able to get a tremendous amount of flavour with every puff. That’s definitely not the type of comment one would hear in relation to combustible cigarettes. In addition, the flavours can be personalized through mixing.
For those who may think that e-cigs are new to the scene, there was actually a patented version of the electronic cigarette as early as 1963. The patent was created by an American man name Herbert A. Gilbert and he created a smokeless non-tobacco cigarette. It was known to use moist, flavoured air instead of burning tobacco and paper. Although there were a few companies which wanted to place this product on the market, it never actually came into realization and after 1967, it was no longer a part of the public record.
Later on, in 2003, there was a pharmacist in China named Lik who created the first newer generation of the e-cigarette. His version used an element that emitted piezoelectric ultrasound vapour. This version of the e-cig was made available in the market in 2003/2004 and received an international patent in 2007. Find more at www.e-juice.com.au today! There are plenty of e-cigarettes available in Australia.
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Eddie Chambers
Charles White
12 inch messages
caa.reviews
While precious few books on the subject of 'American Art' recognised the importance of Charles White, by contrast, such was his stature in narratives of African American art, that he inevitably featured in such publications. Typical in this regard was the book, published in 1960 by New York Graphic Society Art Library, Cedric Dover's American Negro Art, with the paperback edition being published a decade later. Not surprisingly, Charles White was well represented in the volume, in terms of reproductions of his work and references to him and his art. For example, beginning on page 49, in the chapter titled THE CONTINUITY OF NEGRO ART.
"Charles White is a painter by the right of having raised drawing, with conte crayon or Chinese ink, to the level of painting. He is also a preacher, but a preacher so inspiring and searchingly eloquent that people of all faiths and nations have been uplifted by him. Indeed, his power has made the necessary exclusion of several of his pictures from this book the most distressing trial in its preparation. It is relieved by letting him state his philosophy:
The substance of man is such that he has to satisfy the needs of life with all his senses. His very being cries out for these senses to appropriate the true riches of life: the beauty of human relationships and dignity, of nature and art, realized in striding towards a bright tomorrow.... Without culture, without creative art, inspiring to these senses, mankind stumbles in a chasm of despair and pessimism.
My work takes shape around images and ideas that are centered within the vortex of the life experience of a Negro.... I look to life and to my people as the founthead of challenging ideas and monumental concepts. I look to Rembrandt, Goya, Daumier, Kollwitz, Orosco, Gatuso for greater knowledge of craft. I look for security in alliance with the millions of artists throughout the world with whom I share common goals. And I look to all mankind to communicate with and to appropriate my works..."
Reproductions of Charles White's work appeared throughout the book, beginning, as a frontispiece illustration, a work titled as "One of a series of ink drawings based on the spirituals" 1958 Courtesy Harry Belafonte. Thee were a total of 9 reproductions of White's work in this book, several of which were full page. A photograph of White, with one of his works, appeared in the SOME OF THE ARTISTS section.
© All material on this website is subject to copyright laws, and may not be reproduced without permission directly from Eddie Chambers.
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About Eklektric
About Founder & CEO
Why Eklektric?
Pro AVL Asia November – December 2017
Pro Sound News September 2017
Pro Sound News Europe – May 2017
info@eklektric.com
Email: info@eklektric.com
The Eklektric view
No stranger to the world of live sound, entrepreneur Jim Sides is back and open for business with Eklektric LLC. And he has Asia in his sights.
Discovers Simon Luckhurst.
From Meyer Sound to NEXO USA, and Apogee Sound to VUE, few in the audio industry boast the enviable credentials of Jim Sides. When he called an end to his full-time involvement with VUE Audiotechnik last year, the loudspeaker company he co-founded with EAW’s Ken Berger back in 2012, many assumed that he done his time in the industry and would now be off to enjoy the finer things in life. But, for Mr Sides, it seems the entrepreneurial spirit never dies.
‘I was considering what I wanted to do,’ he recalls. ‘Do I want to just ride off into the sunset or do I want to do something new and utilise some of the skills I’ve learnt over the years? I co-founded VUE Audiotechnik having just come out of Meyer Sound. At the time, I wanted to do something unique and different, and also introduce some new technologies to the marketplace. It’s up and running now and it’s doing very well, but at the end of the day that’s not where I wanted to wind up my career.
‘At the same time, I wanted to start expanding my horizons, and have the flexibility to not travel so much,’ he continues. ‘I’ve worked it out so that I’m leaving VUE in a good fashion. I’m still a shareholder but that’s now where it ends for me.’
This departure from VUE has given to Mr Sides the opportunity to explore these new horizons, and, like any good entrepreneur, spot the niche in the market. He’s since started a new business called Eklektric that draws on a skilled network of experts to provide businesses with advice and consultation on a wide of range of matters.
‘Looking at the way consultants in our industry work, generally speaking, they’re very focused on one discipline,’ says Mr Sides. ‘One usually hires a consultant for a specific task, which is all well and good, because you need experts when you’re building or expanding a business. I felt that one of the things that was missing in our industry was a person or a consultancy that could cover a wide swath of things, from sales (meaning distribution, setting up sales policies and procedures, as well as how to sell products cleverly), marketing (what’s your message and how to expand that message globally), business development (how to set up a business, how to operate a business, what are your challenges and what are your opportunities in setting up a business), and also just being a person that the CEO or company executives can talk to on a one-to-one basis, that can really be empathetic to what they’re going through.
‘Often, especially in entrepreneurial situations, it’s lonely at the top and the person running that company can feel pretty isolated. All of these kinds of things crop up running a business and what Eklektric offers is really help in a broad sense and across many, many disciplines. That comes from being an entrepreneur myself – I’ve successfully launched two start-ups that have turned international, and both have done extremely well over the years.’
In addition to his own unique skill set, Mr Sides feels his reputation in the industry also offers him an advantage that can benefit others trying to fill his shoes.
‘Apogee Sound was one of the pioneers for many technologies that are being used today in loudspeaker systems and designs.’
‘We had a terrific impact on the industry. Subsequently, I helped to bring a French company into the United States with NEXO when I launched NEXO USA. And, of course, my foray with Meyer. I’d never really worked for anyone before and then I took up working with Meyer for almost 10 years. That saw me travel all over the planet as well, even living in Germany for almost six years. So it’s taking my experience and my credentials building businesses, both in the United States and internationally, that I feel can help people.’
The target for Eklektric is the market Mr Sides knows best: start-up companies and small businesses that lack experience but possess the drive and flexibility necessary for make constructive changes. ‘I’m really specialising working with smaller companies,’ he states. ‘Smaller really means anything from US$10 million turnover to US$50–60 million a year. That’s who I really feel most comfortable with because there’s a lot more freedom. There are a lot of production companies and business that are small and these companies really drive this industry, and if you take that kind of entrepreneurial spirit and drive (which the Asians have innately just in the way their cultures are geared towards achieving success) I really tap into that.’
From its base in California, Eklektric has its sights firmly set on the other side of the world, in part because of Mr Sides’ own appreciation for the many challenges and opportunities present.
‘I’m already really busy just off the back of my reputation, which is brilliant,’ he says. ‘But I definitely want to expand on that and I’m very keen to do more business in Asia,’ he explains. ‘I’ve done a lot of work there over the years and it’s a market I really like a lot. There are so many possibilities and so many opportunities. It really gives people the ability to reinvent themselves. I guess a comparable time would be back in the 1800s when the gold rush happened here in California. It’s similar to what has happened in Asia over the past 30 years. It’s definitely a place of opportunities if you know how to take them and move with them.’
For many westerners, the stark contrast between different Asian cultures can be a stumbling block to success, but Mr Sides considers it a strength of his. ‘It’s what I enjoy,’ he smiles. ‘I enjoy all the various different cultures, I love people and I love the differences between them. Over the years, the change in China, for instance, has just been remarkable. There are such interesting markets and a terrific amount of growth potential.’
Mr Sides undoubtedly possesses an informed and unrivalled view of the industry that keeps calling him back. In an industry experiencing immense and rapid change, it can be useful to have someone on board that can take an eclectic view.
Pro AVL Asia November/ December 2017 PDF
Avl Asia
contractng
Eklektric
Eklektric founder
Jim Sides
Loudspeaker Systems
Nexo Usa
We are available for existing clients 24hr a day & 7 days a week Monday-Friday: 9am to 5pm PST Saturday & Sunday: Closed
©2017 Copyright Eklektric LLC.
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ENBD REIT Completes Share Buy-Back Programme
ENBD REIT has acquired 4.4 million shares from the market in its share buy-back programme, which was completed on 9th September 2019
The buy-back programme has achieved its aim of realising value for current shareholders
SHUAA Securities LLC (previously Integrated Securities LLC) acted as independent broker
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 11th September 2019: ENBD REIT (CEIC) PLC (“ENBD REIT”), the Shari’a compliant real estate investment trust managed by Emirates NBD Asset Management Limited, has announced that it has completed its share buy-back programme, as part of its strategy to realise value for shareholders holding equity, which has been trading at a significant discount to the REIT’s asset valuations. The initiative has also achieved its objectives of preventing disproportionately negative movements in the share price resulting from small trades as well as providing additional liquidity.
ENBD REIT allocated up to USD 3.5 million for the programme, to facilitate the acquisition of 4,401,340 shares at a price no higher than 10% of the previous day’s volume weighted average trading price (“VWAP”) and its previous six months’ VWAP as prescribed by the regulator. The programme was effective from 21st February 2019 until 30th September 2019 unless fully executed at an earlier date. The buy-back programme was placed on hold during ENBD REIT’s closed period, from 1st April 2019 until the announcement of its full year results. ENBD REIT conducted the programme in accordance with the terms of the general authority granted to the Board by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting on 3rd June 2018, and relevant approvals obtained from the regulator.
Anthony Taylor, Head of Real Estate at Emirates NBD Asset Management, said:
“The rationale for implementing the buy-back was to realise value for shareholders by repurchasing shares that were trading at a significant discount to the market valuations of our underlying assets. Other benefits of the programme included improved liquidity for our stock and preventing disproportionate movements in the share price, which had been caused by small trades prior to the programme commencing. The buy-back did not result in an improved share price, which continues to be affected by soft real estate and equity market conditions, but we are pleased with its overall outcome and may look to continue it in the future.”
ENBD REIT’s management and directors identified value in utilising excess cash held within the REIT to purchase and subsequently cancel shares, with the aim of achieving higher returns and projected dividend yields for investors in the future. The buy-back programme was limited to the extent that it did not impact ENBD REIT’s ability to pay dividends and acquire further assets, in line with its strategy to grow and diversify its real estate holdings.
Shares acquired during the programme have been cancelled within the regulatory timeline. SHUAA Securities LLC (previously Integrated Securities LLC) were appointed as independent brokers to execute the programme on behalf of ENBD REIT, via the Order Book of Nasdaq Dubai. ENBD REIT’s Board of Directors did not participate in the share buy-back programme.
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Movies A - Z
F This Movie! 393 - Batman & Robin
Chill with Patrick and Adam Riske.
Download this episode here. (51.1 MB)
Subscribe to F This Movie! in iTunes.
Listen to F This Movie! on Stitcher.
Also discussed this episode: Poetic Justice (1993), Revenge (1990), Lock Up (1989), Jason X (2001), Psycho II (1983), The Good Guy (2009), It Comes At Night (2017)
Posted by Patrick Bromley at 5:00 AM
Labels: 90s action movies, 90s movies, alicia silverstone, arnold schwarzenegger, batman, batman and robin, comic book movies, george clooney, joel schumacher, junesploitation 2017, podcast, superhero movies, uma thurman
J.M. Vargas June 26, 2017 at 8:12 AM
Adam: 'What is Mr. Freeze's favorite Disney movie? FROZEN!'
WRONG! Everybody knows Mr. Freeze is a big fan of John Candy in COOL RUNNINGS! ;-)
John Murphy June 26, 2017 at 8:44 AM
Mr. Freeze doesn't just enjoy Disney. He's also a fan of Blue Sky's Ice Age.
Who is Mr. Freeze's favorite rapper?
Vanilla Ice!
(Sorry for so many comments)
My bad, I hadn't gotten to the part where Adam already made the Ice Age joke. I am a comedy failure.
Hopefully we're still cool. ;)
J.M. Vargas June 26, 2017 at 10:07 AM
Let's be civil and nICE!!! to one another. :-P
John Murphy June 26, 2017 at 10:53 AM
I will! The last thing I would want to do is give anyone the COLD shoulder!
Adam Riske June 26, 2017 at 10:58 AM
I'm shocked Arnie couldn't just make the computer freeze when Barbara Gordon was hacking the telescope.
I can't wait for the all Mr. Freeze sequel to Batman V. Superman. Dawn of Just-ice.
Sorry, John, but Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. have put your Mr. Freeze sequel idea in COLD storage.
John Murphy June 26, 2017 at 12:24 PM
Icy what you did there. :)
J.M. Vargas June 26, 2017 at 2:46 PM
What can I say? I'm a cold blooded customer. :-P
I like this idea of a Mr. Freeze that just spews ice facts.
"Silly Batman! Don't you know that the freezing point of water is 32 degrees fahrenheit or 0 degrees celceus?!"
Chaybee June 26, 2017 at 9:53 AM
Cheers, guys! Riske, always a pleasure conversing with you!
roomrules June 26, 2017 at 10:13 AM
cool, will make a booze game out of it. Everytime Patrick does the fake Arnie accent, I will drink a schnaps. "Who killed the dinosaurs??"
Andrew B June 26, 2017 at 12:07 PM
Couldn't agree more about It Comes at Night. So much rage at the end.
I also just read The Caped Crusade by Glen Weldon, which chronicles the entire history of Batman. Highly, highly recommended! It's really funny and is very fair to this movie, as you two were. I'm definitely not a fan, but I agree it's a fascinating movie.
benpeterson June 26, 2017 at 1:44 PM
Never would say it's good but I like it, always have. Now I just view it through a Ken Russell lens, which is mostly stylistically yes, but enough
Andres B. June 26, 2017 at 3:02 PM
Glad to hear you guys saw It Comes at Night. I had a different reaction in that I really enjoyed it, despite sitting with the worst audience I've ever experienced in my life...They thought it was a comedy.
The real highlight of my night was the trailer for A Ghost Story. I've never been brought to tears from a movie trailer before and I cannot wait for that film to come out. Any thoughts about the film/trailer? (Won't come out for another 3 weeks here in Canada).
Adam Riske June 26, 2017 at 3:26 PM
I've heard nothing but praise for A Ghost Story so I'm curious.
Rob DiCristino June 26, 2017 at 7:09 PM
I second Adam's ranking order. Always ready to go to bad for Batman Forever.
Daniel Epler June 26, 2017 at 11:57 PM
Really fantastic show guys. I was actually worried when I saw you were covering this. After all, what the world REALLY doesn't need is one more movie talk show trashing on this movie (*cough*everyyoutubecritic*cough*). Yeah, it's bad we get it. Glad to see you guys taking a much smarter and better approach. Well, I shouldn't be surprised, right? Thanks guys!
Also, I really liked It Comes at Night. Yeah, it's bleak as hell but I think there's a place for movies like that if they're really well made. I think I was also just so thankful to get to see a non-blockbuster in a theater. It's kind of rare where I live.
Jack Thursby June 27, 2017 at 2:48 AM
Appreciate the level-headed review. This is a film that got (and continues to get) such an oversized beating from critics and the "nerd community" (who are really most annoyed that Schumacher finds Batman a little bit silly and a little bit kinky).
It isn't a good film but it's far from unwatchable. I agree with Patrick, it's the lazy, half-assed script (a near beat-for-beat copy of Batman Forever in terms of structure) that is the most egregious.
Brian Sager June 27, 2017 at 11:17 AM
I'm so glad the way this podcast turned out. I love Arnold's terrible performance, and all of the chincy production design. I'll take the beautiful disaster of B&R over the kind of confused, bland mess that is Batman Forever.
Brad L June 27, 2017 at 6:42 PM
What is Mr Freeze's favorite status of a police investigation?
A cold case.
What is Mr Freeze's favorite type of informer?
What is Mr Freeze's favorite Walter Hill movie?
Trespass (starring Ice T AND Ice Cube)
What is Mr. Freeze's favorite Woody Woodpecker character?
CHILLY Willy. Get it, uh? Because he's (C)OLD!!! :-P
Meredith June 28, 2017 at 8:02 PM
I get pretty upset...for a long time...when I don't like a movie. I think it has something to do with feeling like my response was maybe wrong and wanting to understand why. I hate feeling like I missed something or I don't understand what other people liked about it. Actually I can accept it a lot better if someone who DOES like the movie explains it to me, I just feel more settled about it, which is I'm sure why I'm here. Like my sister will like stuff I dislike, but when she lays out her argument it's better because I trust she's not an insane person. I need to feel sane, Adam. That's it.
Most recently I didn't like Zodiac or The Third Man. It kind of killed me.
I don't understand your first comment. Did I help you feel sane about something with my thoughts on the show?
What were your hang-ups with Zodiac and The Third Man. I will happily explain why I think they're great movies :-)
Meredith June 28, 2017 at 11:15 PM
Oh I was just responding and answering your question on the show about why some people feel so disappointed when they end up disliking a movie they wanted to like.
So what'd you like about Zodiac? And since there was no resolution, at which point did you feel satisfied? It seemed a lot like an "if only" scenario to me. Oh, if only I had faxed that other station this handwriting sample. If only I had a fax machine. If only they questioned that guy, if only I could get in touch with that other guy. It may be historically accurate (Id never heard about the murders before and didn't realize they were unresolved), but I got tired of them missing their opportunities and stuff. I liked the scene when they interviewed Lee. Other than that, I didn't know how to feel satisfied with this.
I kept feeling like I wasn't sure why I should care about Harry Lime. Didn't seem that great or innocent a guy and it was a messy period and place with tons of other, similar stuff going on, and I wasn't surprised by any turn of events. Was this about the love story?
E.S.A.D.D. June 28, 2017 at 11:22 PM
I love that you were disappointed by Zodiac because it couldn't resolve things for you, because much like A Serious Man, the theme of the movie was unknowability; having to confront the reality that there are questions you may never know the answers to, and that all your surest techniques of solving a problem may still be unreliable or ineffectual. Great movies move past storytelling and are about exploring an experience. My go to analogy is that you don't listen to a song and demand a coherent storyline, or praise its "world-building", you listen to it, likely over and over, because it's enjoyable.
Adam Riske June 28, 2017 at 11:23 PM
Re: disappointment...I remember now :-)
Zodiac is the best movie of the 2000s in my humble opinion. I think the movie is about obsession and how the case ruined many lives including investigators (news and law enforcement) because it became all-consuming. It's true crime so it won't be resolved however there is some catharsis in Graysmith staring right back at evil (i.e. who he thought was the Zodiac killer).
The Third Man is a classic I love. I think the story is more about Holly Martins and Harry Lime's friendship than anything. It tells an interesting story where a detestable person (Lime) can get away with horrible crimes because his friends don't want to believe he's a bad person (Martins, Lime's gf etc.). Joseph Cotton gives, I think, one of the great film performances in that movie.
There's an episode of the animated series The Critic, a show that was cancelled way before its time, in which the titular character Jay Sherman is kidnapped by someone who is made fun of by her friends because she likes movies she shouldn't and dislikes movies she should.
I identified with this woman for quite a while, until I came to the following realisation: I like what I like and dislike what I dislike, and I don't have to defend either of these positions.
If F This Movie has a message, Meredith, I think this might be it.
Gives self pat on the back and puts on 2001's Thirteen Ghosts for the umptieth time. Oh, it's garbage you say? It has 14% on Rotten Tomatoes? Meh. I love it, and that's the only thing that matters.
Meredith June 29, 2017 at 11:54 AM
Hey thanks guys! Sorry for my delay.
ESADD - Well thanks, I'll keep that in mind. That's definitely somewhere I'd like to be in life: accepting of the questions and experiences I cannot answer or understand. God, I'm far from that.
Adam - Appreciate your little explanations! There was a line near the end about how it was ruining some of their lives, but I guess I was just more interested in the moment in finding the killer. I remember feeling sorry for Chloe Sevigny's character for falling in love with a guy who wasn't present for her to begin with. He was the same at the end as he was in the beginning.
Nonnymouse - Right on, lady.
Who is Mr. Freeze's favourite Regency-era arbiter of men's fashion? George Bryan "Beau" Brummell. Because, you know, "brumal" means relating to the winter.
Yeah, I know it doesn't work when written down. Or at all.
Oh, screw you.
Why isn't he called Doctor Freeze? Did he lose his medical license when he became a supervillain?
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You are here: Home Historical Photos Krupp Import jul_14__1983.html
FOSTORIAN WAS PART OF FAMILY OF INDUSTRIOUS MILLERS
Thursday September 15, 1983
Pix #1 - The Speck brothers were part of a family of four generations of millers by birth and preference. From left to right top row: H.B. Speck, J.C. Speck, J.K. Speck; Front row: A.H. Speck, J.M. Speck, William P. Speck.
Corinne Speck, long-time resident of Fostoria, deceased, was a friend of mine for many years...often helping me with names and other data for Potluck articles.
But there was one story, a very interesting one about her family, which she never revealed. I came across it recently, and it is the heart of today's article.
"Speck" is a Swiss name. Corinne's great grandfather came to this country from Switzerland with two brothers when he was young and continued in the grain milling business, which he had learned in his native land, settling in Maryland where he operated several mills during his lifetime.
Corinne's great grandfather was the father of five boys, and all of them followed in their father's occupation, running mills in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Four of those brothers had large families, and with few exceptions their sons followed the milling business.
One of the sons of the second generation who was named Peter Speck. He too followed the milling business, operating mills in Washington County, MD, until 1880, when he moved to Tiffin where he located and ran a mill until he died at 71, in 1896.
Peter Speck had six sons, shown in the accompanying photo, all of whom had their lessons in a mill which he operated for 19 years on the banks of the historic old Antietam Creek in Maryland.
The older borthers had migrated to Ohio several years before their father moved there. J.M. Speck operated mills in Maryland and southern Pennsylvania Other brothers operated mills in and around Tiffin and other Ohio cities for many years.
William P. Speck operated a mill in Franklin County, MD, before coming to Ohio. He also had been in mills in Clifton and Republic and at one time was with Mennel Milling Company here in Fostoria.
A.H. Speck operated mills in Maryland and Pennsylvania, later coming to Tiffin. He was also with Sneath-cunningham Grain Company at Tiffin.
J.C. Speck, the fourth brother, also milled in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio. Later, he accepted a postition with the Rea and Page Milling Company, Marshall, MO.
J.K. Speck, the youngest of the six brothers, had his milling experience along with the others at Tiffin and Ashland.
H.B. Speck began his career in the milling business at age 12.
He is the one who provided the information for an article which appeared in American Miller magazine, and from which excepted and quoted parts are in this article. The article was among personal effects of Corinne Speck and was sold at public aution after her death. Ray Dell bought the framed article and that is how I came to see it and recognized another bit of interesting history for readers.
About H.B. Speck...he occasionally took care of his father's mill, when he was called for jury service. The mill, in Franklin County, PA, was described as an old "one-horse" burr mill. Run by an overshoot waterwheel. There was one run for wheat flour and one for feed and meal grinding.
Quoting H.B. Speck's article: "Coming to Tiffin with my parents in 1880, I helped my father in the home mill until 1886, when I accepted a position with einsel Shears & Co., who had built a new 200-barrel plant. I was in their employ four years, the last two years as head miller. That was when I was 21".
"About that time I started to remodel my father's mill, which was in Tiffin on the Sandusky River. I had charge of this mill from 1890 to 1895, when I went in to the milling business for myself. In July 1895 I bought my father's interest in the Home Mill at tiffin and continued to operate it until the fall of 1913, when I sold the plant to H.K. James Milling Company".
"After selling this mill, I bought and remodeled a mill in Norwalk, which I operated two years before selling. Next I bought a mill at Gibsonburg, which I sold after running it four months. I also took over the mill at Bettsville, remodeling it and putting in a Midget Marvel mill. This mill I ran for two and a half years and then sold it and bought the Palo Alto Mill, seven miles south of Tiffin on the Sandusky River".
Besides the six Speck brothers mentioned above, they had cousins who were also in the milling business, three of which were mentioned in the original article: Frederick Speck, Walter Speck and Samuel Speck.
There were four generations of Specks, all practical millers.
As your author read the copy of the original article in American Miller, many thoughts flooded my mind, and led me to present this article.
I thought about the pioneering spirit of that first Speck who left his native Switzerland and came to America...the closeness that must have existed between he and his sons and the reverence and respect the sons of all generations of Specks must have had for their fathers to follow in their chosen milling careers...the contribution that all of those men made to this country with their talents, both inherited and learned. Milling was an important skill back then, to provide a variety of ground products from grain to feed both man and animals.
Four generations of Specks devoted their lives to providing the basic ingredient for bread...the staff of life. Their dedication affected the lives of millions in the many areas if this country where they settled and worked.
Corinne's father, one of the six brothers who pursued the milling occupation, was William P., shown in the first row in the accompanying photo, extreme right.
Around 1913 he was employed at the Mennel Milling Company. This author will be interested in knowing if there are any ex-employees of Mennel Milling still living, who worked with Speck.
It is unknown if William P. Speck ever milled in Tiffin. He and his wife Mary (Alleman) came to Fostoria in 1913 when Corinne was 10 years of age.
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GRYDN
Follow GRAYDEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Message From Grayden
"First of all, If you're reading this- Thank You. Even something as little as you taking a few minutes out of your day to view this page means the world to me.
Over the past four years, I have focused on making music and making a name for myself within the underground community. When I first started, I was a cocky little 15 year old kid who thought that every day he had to go out and act like he had something to prove. Granted I've always loved the music, but my focus and priority was completely out of whack. In lament's terms, I wanted to blow up. All I could think about was sitting down to make a song and waking up the next morning to millions of views and record label offers. Needless to say I didn't know SHIT about how any of this stuff works. As time went on, I began to shift my focus from being 'the next big thing' to growing with my music and getting better at what I love doing. Fame should never be the reason why people want to make music or any other kind of art. Since shifting to this perspective, I have watched my sound grow and get so much better. I feel more confident in it than i ever have before. I cannot thank you enough for not only taking time to read this, but listening to my music as well."
-Grayden
Where Does the Name GRYDN Come From?
"I get this question all the time. When I first started making music, I struggled to think of a name to release music under. I wanted it to be memorable, but I didn't want to create a fake name for myself. This is how I landed on the idea of just taking the vowels out of my name to make it more visually appealing. I figured it would be better to just be myself rather than create a goofy cliche stage name."
Grayden is inspired by many relevant artists and producers. Among some of his favorite artists are Mac Miller, Joey Bada$$ (and the entirety of Pro Era for that matter), A Tribe Called Quest, J.Cole, Anderson .paak, Method Man, Action Bronson and JID.
Grayden gains production inspiration from the likes of The Alchemist, Knxwlegde, 9th Wonder, Just Blaze, and the many extremely talented underground producers he has met along the way.
Since the beginning of 2014, Grayden has honed his skills as a Producer, Artist, DJ, and Engineer working specifically with hip-hop music. The interest for this began in the middle school band where Grayden played drums and fell in love with playing and creating music. After months of mowing lawns and saving up his money, Grayden invested in Native Instruments Maschine and Presonus Studio One to learn hip hop production and vocal recording. After months of practice, Grayden has finally been able to coin his own sound and take his music to the next level. Now equipped with Ableton Live, Maschine, and corresponding hardwares, Grayden hopes to further his sound and leave a lasting impact on all those who hear his music.
Grayden has collaborated with several North Carolina artists such as Hooligan Chase, Danny Blaze, TLG Music Group, Kid Infamous, Chris Jordan, Yahweh, Carson James, and Nate Adamz. He has also reached outside of North Carolina through working with Dessy Hinds (Pro Era Records), Mantra, Yung Tu$$, Walk, and Glodeinmane.
Grayden attended Apex High School in Apex, North Carolina. He now currently attends The University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he studies Exercise Science and DJ's College Nights every Thursday as well as various parties in the area.
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Tony V, BrunoBrunan, Jonathan Kos-Read, THOR, Andrés Nieto Porras , John O'Nolan, John Hope ,PortoBay Hotels , Thomas Leuthard,
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Global City break
Major metropolis tourism
Big cities around the world are now major tourist
destinations for many vacationers seeking urban discovery...
Global Cities and tourism
Short stays multiplication is a factor
Tourism as an urban function
Millions of visitors per year
Accessibility is a contributor
Special tourist areas
Most popular Global Cities in terms of tourism
After London in 2011, Bangkok is now the most touristic city in the world. A melting pot of cultures and nationalities, the Thai capital attracts nearly 16 million tourists every year.
London is now the second most visited city in the world, and the first in Europe, but also one of the most expensive cities. It attracts 15.8 million tourists per year.
Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Pompidou Center, Louvre Museum, and other tourist places make Paris one of the most touristic cities in the world with 14 million visitors a year.
Low crime rates, understandable language, a very good public transport network and great respect for the environment make Singapore the 4th most visited city in the world.
New York has nearly 12 million tourists. It is a very attractive city with many symbolic spots known around the world such as the Empire State Building, Central Park and the Statue of Liberty.
Named European Capital of Culture, Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey. Located between Asia and Europe, it receives 10.3 million visitors each year and this figure increases year by year.
With 11% growth, tourism in Dubai is booming. The city aims to become the world capital of tourism in the coming years. Dubai is also the “shopping capital of the Middle East”.
More sought after Global Cities
Staying in a Global City
The best way to discover and explore a big city is by staying in an apartment and immersing yourself in local life. A holiday apartment is both the starting point for walks to discover the city and a base for a break from time to time. You can easily rent an apartment online and for-sale.com is a good example for you to understand how holiday accommodations work.
Global City : more than a term!
Urban hierarchy
Command functions
Popularized by the American sociologist and economist Saskia Sassen in the form of global cities (1991), the term refers to the metropolises situated at the top of the urban hierarchy on a global scale. Capable of commanding the global economy, they are the places where the central powers of world economy are located.
Evolving criteria
Globalization is key!
Geographers and economists multiplied the criteria and rankings to establish a list of global cities, and the expression no longer designates an absolute definition but rather a degree of globalization, based mainly on economic criteria. Anne Bretagnolle has compiled a list of these rankings to identify the most frequently mentioned cities.
Evolving definition
Increasing number
According to S. Sassen’s criteria, there were only three global cities on an international scale: Tokyo, London and New York. The other major world cities would be “global” only at regional scales. This classification of Global cities, meaning “strategic sites” has largely evolved since the rise of major cities in emerging countries.
Demographic, cultural, economic and political power
“World Megalopolitan Archipelago”
This denomination refers to specific attributes that only certain large agglomerations possess. These global cities are at the top of a global urban network and contribute to the world order.
A demographic and cultural importance
The first defining characteristic of a world city, or global city, is the fact that it constitutes a multimillion population agglomeration. The peculiarity of this population is to be multiethnic.
A center of economic activities and power
A Global City and its agglomeration can constitute a center of economic power embodied by the stock market but also by the business districts usually present in such power centers.
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The warning whiff of cancer
Cancer-detecting breath test starts Phase II clinical trial
A new Phase II clinical trial (NCT02612532) named LuCID, has been launched by the Cancer Research UK team in Cambridge in partnership with Owlstone Medical. It aims to find if signals of different cancer types can be picked up in patterns of breath molecules.
A breathalyser-type device detects cancer ‘signatures’ in patients’ breath by measuring volatile organic compounds (VOC) in exhaled breath.
As part of normal metabolic activity, the body’s cells produce a range of VOCs, of which some escape to the lungs and are exhaled. It is thought that different cancers can cause recognisable changes in the pattern of VOCs.
If the technology is proven to work, then it is hoped that the breathalyser could be used by GPs as an initial screening for cancer.
Cancer isn’t the only disease where breath tests can be used as a screening mechanism. It is thought that the chemical footprint left by Parkinson’s disease can also be measured in breath and it works by the same principal as the test for cancer. In a group of 29 people with early Parkinson’s and 19 people of a similar age who did not have the condition, analysing chemical signatures in the breath could detect Parkinson’s with roughly 80% accuracy.
A slightly more unconventional method of detecting the early warning signs of cancer is the use of cancer-detecting dogs. Back in 2015, the NHS approved the use of cancer-sniffing dogs in a trial run by the Milton Keynes charity Medical Detection Dogs. An initial study showed that specially trained dogs can detect prostate tumours in urine in over 90% of cases.
The hypothesis that dogs could detect cancer was first written about in 1989 in The Lancet. Two dermatologists described how a dog spent several minutes each day sniffing a coloured lesion that its owner had on her thigh, and even tried to bite it off at one point. Following these incidents, the owner had doctors inspect the lesion, where they discovered that it was a malignant melanoma. However, the issue with using sniffer dogs is that they test thousands of cases with little reward; and after the first dozen tests, they can easily become bored and less effective than when they just started testing.
Whatever method is utilised, spotting cancer at the first possible instance is an important target to aim for and one which could ultimately save many lives. The sooner tests such as these that give reliable results are used, the sooner cancer can be fought more effectively.
Sam Thomas, HealthCare21 Communications, Macclesfield
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BOWYER AND HEATH boatman
by Denise E Johnson » Sun Sep 29, 2019 8:41 pm
Jemima or Jemimah Heath the daughter of John Heath and Mary was baptised in Wolstanton St Margaret on the 1st January 1775. Jemimah Heath married Samuel Boyer or Bowyer in Stoke-on-Trent on the 27th August 1797. Samuel’s occupation was a boatman. (There are many variants of spelling for Bowyer). A number of children including:-
Joseph Bowyer was born at Stanley on the 24th January 1818 and died on 28th December 1903. He was the youngest son of Mr Samuel Bowyer. He first attended a dame’s school at Stanley, taught by Mrs Willott, and afterwards the Parochial School at Endon Bank, leaving at the age of eight to go with his father’s boat.
He was among the first to attend the Sunday School conducted by the Parish Clerk (Mr James Baddeley) in one of the stone-built cottages in the village of Endon, whence the children were taken to service at the Parish Church.
His earliest years of labour were devoted to the boating of limestone from Froghall, for Joseph Brindley of Longport, varied by occasional journeys with the boat into the Black Country of South Staffordshire.
When sixteen years of age, his father died, and Joseph took charge of the boat in his own account, bringing his earnings to his mother with whom he continued to make a home, and carrying limestone from Froghall as before. Three years later, when only nineteen years old, he made an expedition in charge of his boat to London, the object of his journey being to fetch some carved stone for the entrances to the great mansion at Trentham which the Duke of Sutherland was then building. Being detained for eleven days at Paddlington canal basin, Joseph had opportunities for sight-seeing iun the great city, and appartently turned them to account, for to the last he retained a recollection of the places of interest which came under his observation.
Returning to Trentham he was a participator in the young Duke’s coming of age functions.
During a period of seven years, Joseph found employment under Mr Trubshaw, the contractor, in boating stone and other materials from various parts of the country for the building of Trentham Hall, so that he could boast of having a had a not inconsiderable hand in the rearing of the present magnificent pile.
Stone flags from Yorkshire, anddd slates from Wales, formed some of the cargoes he carried, as he pursued the even tenor of his way along the canal system.
Later, on, he conveyed stone blocks on which to rest the metals of one of the earliest railways in the country – that from Crewe to Stafford – only to find in a few years those blocks supersede by wooden sleepers.
Going back somewhat, Joseph was married to his first wife, Jane Wakefield of Ladderedge at Leek Parish Church at the age of twenty three. He took her to live at Post Bridge, Endon, where she died in less than three years afterwards and was buried at Endon, leaving behind two children. After completing his job at Trentham, and for the railway contractor, Jospeph once more undertook the boating of lime and limestone, this time for Mr Edward Heaton, who then had kilns at Post Bridge, Endon, and in whose service he remained until Mr Heaton relinquished his business.
Seven years after the decease of his first wife Joseph married Sabra Sheldon of Brown Edge. The marriage took place at Stoke Church and in due course they had thirteen children of whom, however, only four survived.
Sometime later he boated coal and slack for Richard Deane, colliery proprietor of Norton, who owned as many as twelve boats.
His leisure time was spent in a becoming and orderly manner, for many years he was a member of Robert Heath’s Bible Class at Brown Edge, a communicant and a great believer in the due and proper observance of the Sabbath. ‘Not slothful in business, serving the Lord’ may well be written as his epitaph and may the example he left behind be a pattern for many of the younger generation in Brown Edge and the neighbourhood.
The above was an account written New Year’s Eve 1903 by G. H. Heaton.
Joseph and Sabra eldest child Caroline was aged three weeks at the time of the 1851 census Brown Edge, living with her mother and grandparents. Caroline’s first married Josiah Sheldon on the 30th December 1872 at Brown Edge St Anne’s. Caroline and Josiah had a number of children including
[color=#000040]Jesse Sheldon born Brown Edge. Jesse married Louisa Davenport a number of children. Before enlisting on the 29th August 1904 at Burslem, Jesse was working for Heath &Sons Ltd. Sneyd Colliery, Burslem.
Jesse was discharged from the North Staffordshire Regiment on the 19th October 1918 with ill health due to serving in the forces.
Jesse died on the 29th October 1918 aged 38 years of 46 Navigation Road Burslem.
Jesse is buried with Honour at Stoke-on-Trent Cemetery Burslem.[/color] Commonwealth War Graves.
Caroline Sheldon nee Bowyer second marriage was to Ephraim Sherratt in 1894 Civil Marriage Wolstanton. Ephraim and Caroline had a son Ephraim Sheldon.
There is a lovely photograph of Caroline Bowyer wearing a bonnet and shawl and holding a clay play in her hand. Source A Brown Edge History by Alan Pointon 1908 – 1981.
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Eric Clapton announces Christmas album release
Eric Clapton will release his first full-length Christmas album, “Happy Xmas”, on October 12.
Billboard reports the project’s 14 tracks are a mix of standards - including “White Christmas,” “Silent Night” and "Away In A Manger" - and lesser known holiday tunes alongside a new original song, “For Love On Christmas Day.”
The legendary guitarist dedicated his take on “Jingle Bells" to the "memory of Avicii," the Swedish DJ who was found dead in Muscat, Oman from an apparent suicide in April.
"I had in my head that these holiday songs could be done with a slight blues tinge, and I started to figure out how to play the blues lines in between the vocals,” says Clapton. “I got it down and one of the most identifiable songs on the album, the one that became the foundational style, is ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.’”
Clapton co-produced “Happy Xmas” with Simon Climie, as well as providing an illustration of Santa Claus for the record’s cover.
The guitarist recently played a sold-out show at London’s Hyde Park, and will return to live action with two dates at New York’s Madison Square Garden this fall.
“Happy Xmas”
01. White Christmas
02. Away In A Manger (Once In Royal David’s City)
03. For Love On Christmas Day
04. Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday
05. Christmas Tears
06. Home For The Holidays
07. Jingle Bells (In Memory Of Avicii)
08. Christmas In My Hometown
09. It’s Christmas
10. Sentimental Moments
11. Lonesome Christmas
12. Silent Night
13. Merry Christmas Baby
14. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
VIDEO: Eric Clapton performs Slowhand rarity at Greenwich Town Party
Eric Clapton: Life In 12 Bars film and soundtrack get spring release
Eric Clapton announces only North American shows of 2018
VIDEO: Eric Clapton rocks Beatles classic on George Harrison tribute concert reissue
Search Eric Clapton at hennemusic
Labels: Eric Clapton
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Home Unlabelled Workers Exposed To ‘Trash & Bodily Fluids’ At L.A. City Hall Building, Citations Issued In Response To Typhus Case
Workers Exposed To ‘Trash & Bodily Fluids’ At L.A. City Hall Building, Citations Issued In Response To Typhus Case
California’s occupational safety and health agency found that workers at a Los Angeles City Hall building “were exposed to unsanitary conditions from trash and bodily fluids,” issuing multiple citations for failing to keep the structure’s passageways and exteriors clean.
State inspectors responded to a complaint submitted by Deputy City Atty. Elizabeth Greenwood. She said she contracted flea-borne typhus last year while working at City Hall East, an 18-story high-rise that sits across the street from L.A.’s iconic City Hall. The City Attorney’s Office, along with several other municipal agencies, is located inside the facility.
Greenwood, who is still recovering, filed a $5-million claim against the city in March. She accuses Democratic Mayor Eric Garcetti and other elected officials of recklessly endangering the public by allowing human feces and garbage to accumulate outside of her workplace, luring rats that carried typhus-infected fleas to the property.
“The people that live and do business in the city of Los Angeles expect the city of Los Angeles to not casually allow them to catch a medieval disease as they walk into City Hall,” said Greenwood in a recent interview with CBS2/KCAL9 News.
Typhus, which is seldom fatal, usually reaches humans by flea bites or flea feces. It cannot be passed person to person, according to public health officials.
The Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA, determined that the city did not provide adequate cleaning services for City Hall East’s entrances and walkways outside. According to the Los Angeles Times, homeless people often sleep in those spaces overnight. The Times went on to report that Cal/OSHA issued one citation to the City Attorney’s Office and another to the General Services Department, which oversees the maintenance of city buildings. The combined fines amounted to nearly $2,000. Both violations will be appealed.
“Our office clearly has no role in maintaining the building’s exterior grounds,” said a spokesperson for the City Attorney.
More from the L.A. Times:
Cal/OSHA took action roughly eight months after a pest control company issued a report linking rodent infestation at City Hall to several homeless camps in the immediate area. Maintenance officials never mentioned those findings during three City Council meetings called to discuss the rat problem.
The report, submitted by pest company Cats USA, identified unsanitary conditions in the Civic Center, such as leftover food, human waste and hypodermic needles. …
Greenwood said she viewed Cal/OSHA’s actions as vindication, arguing that (L.A. City Attorney Mike) Feuer has repeatedly failed to take responsibility for how she contracted her illness. “They checked for fleas in the dead of winter, when fleas are dormant, and declared it was not their fault,” she said in an email.
Earlier this year, Greenwood claimed she had faced retaliation from her employer for contacting Cal/OSHA.
Los Angeles County set a new record with 124 typhus cases confirmed in 2018, according to the California Department of Public Health. However, Greenwood is the only City Hall employee to go public with a typhus diagnosis. She said doctors told her she would continue to test positive for the illness for another 6-12 months.
Workers Exposed To ‘Trash & Bodily Fluids’ At L.A. City Hall Building, Citations Issued In Response To Typhus Case Reviewed by Facts on August 22, 2019 Rating: 5
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Sadly, we have lost an enigma of ice skating journalism, with the death of Sandra Stevenson.
Sandra Ann Catherine Stevenson was born on 27th July 1941 in Greenock, Scotland, where her father, a Royal Navy Officer, was stationed at the time.
Post-war the family settled in Coventry, but tragedy struck Sandra at an early age when her mother died.
Sandra was both clever and independent. At 14 she found herself a “Saturday job” and used the money she earned to fund the bus fare and entrance fee to the Ice Rink in Solihull. This teenage interest put her on a path that shaped her adult life. She progressed to lessons and passed her Preliminary Ice figure test, at Birmingham, in 1958, going on to pass further tests in both figures and ice dance.
At the same rink, also in 1958, a young John Curry came 3rd in The Walker Trophy for under 10 Boys. Sandra could not have envisioned the part he was to play in her future life.
As I have already mentioned Sandra was a clever young lady and made her family very proud when she gained a place at the prestigious University of St. Andrews. This was the first University in Great Britain to admit women but in the 1950’s it was still only the academically excellent women who would have been awarded a place, to follow in the footsteps of Agnes Blackadder, the first female graduate of St Andrews.
It was while at St Andrews that Sandra first tried her hand at writing. To help with her expenses she obtained apart time job with D C Thomson publications, most known for The Beano and Dandy comics and My Weekly magazine.
Some of her early pieces were printed in the comic ‘Bunty’, a great favourite of mine and many other young girls, before stepping up to magazine pieces.
On graduating, Sandra gained employment in the chorus line of professional skating shows and was soon appearing, as a member of impresario Gerald Palmers ”Carnival of Ice 1962”, as a member of the Corps de Ballet. She knew that she would never become a principal and made the decision to combine her love of skating with her love of writing but she also needed money to keep her afloat financially.
To this end Sandra moved to London for a secretarial job but was soon offered another job, by a visitor to her office, as what was then termed an airline stewardess. This deviated from skating but as an avid traveller she was happy to accept. Thus, another chapter in her life started that compelled her to put down roots. The job required her relocation to Los Angeles, which she disliked, but when her base changed to New York she loved the city so much that it remained her home for the rest of her life.
It was not long before she was challenged, and her perspicacity shone through when, with colleagues, she fought the airline for female equality with the male employees and the right of the women not to rely on youth and appearance to keep their positions!
Sandra loved travel and even after leaving the airline travelled extensively. During her travels she began attending Ice skating major championships and made many contacts in the sport. At the same time she was still writing about the sport.
In 1968 she covered her first World Championships as a freelance writer and covered every British, European, World and Olympic Championships from then until 2014.
In 1971 Sandra became the Ice Skating correspondent for The Guardian, later transferring to the Telegraph where she remained until 2014.
Sandra covered the Grand Prix series and all the major ice skating events in the world and made the journey from New York to England every year to cover the British Championships for her newspaper.
She travelled to so many countries, often leaving one for the next without a chance to return home in between. This led to some interesting situations and she would amuse us with anecdotes. One, I remember, was a trip to Japan where she forgot about the dateline and after a long flight arrived at her hotel in Japan in what she thought was the following day only to find that because of the time difference it was still the day she left and had arrived a day too early!
She also contributed to many Ice skating magazines both online and on paper and so it was no surprise that when the BBC proposed a book about skating they asked Sandra to write it. “The BBC Book of Skating” was published in 1984. She also had a hand in “Spice on the Ice”, The Karen Barber and Nicky Slater story. Sandra lengthened her name to Alexandra Stevenson, although she also still wrote under the name of Sandra Stevenson, as well as Sonja Springs.
Sandra felt privileged to report British gold medals during the glory years of John Curry, Robin Cousins and Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
She had an encyclopeadic knowledge of skating and personally knew almost all the major players in the sport. I know that whenever I asked her if she could put me in contact with anyone in the sport in any part of the world she was almost always able to do so.
Her health began to fail and she suffered badly from arthritis, but she still loved her job so much and enjoyed meeting up with her many friends in the media at major competitions. She entertained with her great sense of humour and was also was a great help to colleagues.
The extent of her dedication was evident when she attended her last event with a carer as her body was failing her but she was still able to turn in good copy for her newspaper, for the last timer. She was not about not let them down.
Soon after, in 2015, Sandra realized that she would have to give up her Manhattan apartment and made the move to an assisted living facility but by December 2016 her health was such that she required hospice care.
Sandra was such a presence at competitions that her absence was noted by all who looked forward to seeing her and by 2016 she was already missed.
We thank Sandra for making difference with a skating journalism career that spanned 50 years
Sandra died in the Calverton Hospital, Bronx New York City on 7th July 2018.
Elaine Hooper
NISA Historian
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international dispute resolution specialists
THE IDR GROUP ®
The International Dispute Resolution Centre
70 Fleet Street
London EC4Y 1EU
Email: anthonyconnerty@idrgroup.org
www.idrgroup.org
Members CVs and Contact Details
More detailed information can be obtained by contacting individual Members direct: see their Contact Details
Dr Nayla Comair-Obeid (Lebanon)
Dr Nayla Comair-Obeid is the founder and managing partner of the Obeid Law Firm, Beirut. She is an attorney, a professor of law and an arbitrator.
She specialises in international business contracts, construction contracts, telecommunications, insurance, licensing and franchising contracts, and in Islamic and Middle Eastern laws. She has acted as a consultant for government entities, as well as for national and international firms.
She regularly serves as counsel and as sole arbitrator, party – appointed arbitrator and chairman of international arbitral tribunals conducted in Arabic, French and English under the rules of the ICC and other international arbitration institutions. She has acted in ad hoc arbitrations, including arbitrations conducted under the UNCITRAL Rules.
Dr Comair-Obeid is the Chairman of the Lebanese branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a former Commissioner of the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) in Geneva, a Council Member of the Institute of World Business Law of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, and Correspondent of the Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law for the Lebanon Country Survey.
She holds a PhD in Business Law with first class honors from the University Paris II (Panthéon-Assas) and is Professor of International Arbitration at the Faculty of Law of the Lebanese University. She is the author of numerous publications in Arabic, English and French, and is a frequent speaker at legal conferences, seminars and workshops in Lebanon, France, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Dubai and Bahrain.
She is a Chartered Arbitrator and has been appointed a Trustee for the Middle East and Indian Sub-Continent of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Languages: Arabic, French and English.
Dr Nayla Comair-Obeid
Obeid Law Firm
Makarem Building, Sami El Solh Avenue
B.P 116/2234 Law Courts Beyrouth 1109 2020
Beirut – Lebanon
Tel : + 961 1 395 163
Email: info@obeidlawfirm.com
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Feds: Guam #1 for Medicare Ambulance Fraud
By News Release @ 12:40 AM :: 1039 Views :: Ethics, Health Care, Law Enforcement
Guam Ambulance Company Executives Plead Guilty to Medicare and TRICARE Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme
One of the Largest Single Medicare Ambulance Fraud Cases Prosecuted Nationwide
News Release from US DoJ, Oct 29, 2019
Two former owners and an employee of an ambulance services provider headquartered in Guam pleaded guilty yesterday for their roles in a health care fraud and money laundering scheme that resulted in a loss to the United States of approximately $10.8 million. This is one of the largest single Medicare ambulance fraud cases prosecuted nationwide.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Shawn N. Anderson of the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, Special Agent in Charge Eli S. Miranda of the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Justin Campbell of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Seattle Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Timothy DeFrancesca of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Regional Office made the announcement.
Clifford P. Shoemake, 63, of Guam, Casey C. Conner, 60, of Saipan, and Nicholas A. Shoemake, 31, of Guam, the former owners and an employee, respectively, of Guam Medical Transport (GMT), pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood of the District of Guam, to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions with the proceeds of specified unlawful activity. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 29, 2020.
Medicare and TRICARE are federal health benefit programs, which, under certain conditions, reimburse providers for medically necessary, non-emergency, scheduled ambulance transportation to and from dialysis treatments, provided to beneficiaries with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Ambulance services are medically necessary when provided to such beneficiaries who cannot be transported by any other means without endangering their health, or were bed confined before, during and after the transportation.
According to their admissions at the plea hearing, from approximately March 11, 2010, to approximately March 21, 2014, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to defraud Medicare and TRICARE by submitting claims for reimbursement for medically unnecessary ambulance services that GMT provided to patients with ESRD. The defendants admitted they were aware that GMT was transporting patients who did not qualify for ambulance transportation under applicable Medicare and TRICARE regulations and guidelines, with which they had failed to familiarize themselves. Specifically, the defendants admitted they were aware that many of GMT’s patients were not bed-confined, and did not have acute medical conditions that would otherwise qualify them for ambulance transportation. As part of the scheme, the defendants directed GMT employees to remove from internal documents references to GMT patients’ ability to walk because they knew that Medicare and TRICARE would not provide reimbursement for the patients. The defendants further admitted they were aware of, but failed to address, concerns about GMT’s Medicare and TRICARE billing practices raised by other GMT employees. The conspiracy resulted in improper payments to GMT of approximately $10.8 million, the defendants admitted.
The defendants further admitted to conspiring to engage in money transactions involving the proceeds of their health care fraud scheme. Specifically, they admitted that they used the proceeds of their health care fraud scheme to pay for personal expenses, such as vacations, personal income taxes, a personal residence and other items. They then caused these expenses to be falsely categorized as business expenses of GMT, thereby improperly reducing GMT’s taxable income and GMT’s corresponding tax liability, they admitted.
To date, five former GMT owners and employees have pleaded guilty to their roles in defrauding Medicare and TRICARE in this scheme. One additional former employee pleaded guilty to obstructing justice by falsifying materials that GMT prepared in response to an HHS subpoena that was served on GMT in approximately September 2012.
The FBI, IRS-CI and HHS-OIG investigated the case. Senior Litigation Counsel John A. Michelich and Trial Attorney Michael P. McCarthy of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marivic P. David of the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands prosecuted the case.
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Lycian tomb unearthed in home of Santa Claus
November 06 2017 16:27:00
Excavations on a land in the southern province of Antalya’s Demre district, known for being the home of Santa Claus and visited by thousands of tourists every year, have unearthed a 2,400-year-old rock tomb from the Lycian era.
Archaeological excavations were initiated in the area by the Museum of Lycian Civilizations.
Nuri Bilgiç, a 40-year-old local of the Köşkerler neighborhood, was driving a bulldozer when he found a rock nearly four meters underground. But he then realized that it was a historical artifact and halted the work before informing the Demre Gendarmerie Forces.
The gendarmerie took measures in the region and asked for help from the Museum of Lycian Civilizations in Demre.
Nilüfer Sezgin, the museum’s director, and archaeologists detected a rock tomb underground.
Excavations carried out by three archaeologists and eight workers unearthed the Lycian rock tomb, which dates back to 4th century B.C.
Officials believe the two-floor and 5x4-meter-sized tomb, which is from the same period of rock tombs found next to an ancient theater in the ancient city of Myra, was robbed in the ancient era.
The tomb symbolizes the Lycians, who were sailors. Its lower part is in the shape of a bow and the upper part is in the shape of a house. The tomb has the features of the Lycian architecture and was carved from a basic rock.
The one-chamber and three-door tomb is believed to have been swallowed by alluviums when the Demre Stream (Myros in ancient times) flooded in the 6th century A.D.
On the left of the tomb, there is one more Lycian tomb on a 50- to 60-meter-high rock.
Museum officials said excavations would continue around the tomb to find other possible tombs.
“When working on my own land, the bulldozer found this artifact. We immediately removed the bulldozer from the land and informed the gendarmerie. It is a nice tomb. We did what every citizen should do,” the landowner said.
lycia,
Dentist collecting ancient artifacts for 25 years
Odunpazarı Museum announces call for artist residency program
'Parasite' scores upset at SAG awards, boosting Oscar chances
Painting found in Italian museum wall is stolen Klimt
Viking-era runestone may reflect fears of climate change
Italian firms enjoy investing in Turkey: Survey
Nine out of every 10 Italian companies are pleased to invest in Turkey, according to a Rome-based institution's research.
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It May Have Been A Closer Race…
14 Dec 2008 Author: The Christian Progressive Liberal
If this John McCain had showed up on the campaign trail, as opposed to the one he brought, sans hood, robe and burning cross. Via Yahoo News:
WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. John McCain pledged Sunday to work with his former Democratic rival, President-elect Barack Obama, on economic and national security issues.
He also rejected Republican attempts to link Obama to the scandal surrounding Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Mike Duncan, has accused Obama of not fully addressing contacts with Blagojevich concerning the Senate seat vacated by Obama.
Blagojevich has been accused of federal corruption, including trying to sell off that seat.
“You know, in all due respect to the Republican National Committee and anybody, right now, I think we should try to be working constructively together, not only on an issue such as this, but on the economy, stimulus package, reforms that are necessary,” McCain said in a broadcast interview.
“I don’t know all the details of the relationship between President-elect Obama’s campaign or his people and the governor of Illinois, but I have some confidence that all the information will come out,” McCain said. “It always does, it seems to me.”
The Arizona senator said he will disagree sometimes with Obama on important issues, but that the nation’s problems are too daunting for political divisiveness.
McCain gets it, while the rest of his ReThug buddies are too busy trying to bust labor unions in the auto industry by not voting for the legislation that would save millions of jobs, not to mention just flat out using their minority status in the Congress to be obstructionist to anything coming forth from the Obama Administration. McCain was humbled by his defeat, and now appears willing to return to the John McCain we at least respected, if not liked, regardless of his party affiliation.
Which is more than I can say for his running mate. She’s still trying to make everything relevant to her, including the arson committed on her church. Instead of taking McCain’s example, Sarah Palin is still trying to be relevant in an area where she’s inherently IRRELEVANT. Our country needs unity, not polarity…and she still never misses an opportunity to demonstrate just HOW CLUELESS SHE REALLY IS. Because McCain appears to have learned his lesson, one can almost forgive him for picking his nurse to be his running mate.
Tags: Bipartisan, John McCain, Unity
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Middle East politics, culture and satire.
Three dictators walk into a bar
Photo Shop
Lebanon Solves Global Food Crisis – By Eating Faeces
The tiny nation of Lebanon has come up with a radical solution to solve the global food crisis that will go a long way towards creating a sustainable food source for the entire planet: human faeces. The bold scheme has been running for a few years now and has proved so successful that the country has decided to publicise it and launch a campaign to make it go global.
Lebanese Food and Health Minister Wael Abou Faour announced the innovative solution in a press conference last week, creating a lot of controversy and debate about the unconventional food source. Many Lebanese were not aware of the type of food they were consuming but they all agreed that it tasted as good as meat if not better. A study revealed that the faeces-based food was safe to eat and had no harmful health effects.
A Lebanese chef involved in the experiment explained that with the use of the right spices and herbs in specific amounts it was possible not only to conceal the taste and smell of faeces but also to make it taste as good as the best cuts of meat. The basic components are black pepper, paprika, cumin, coriander and other classic Lebanese spices and herbs. He recommends using Lebanese faeces for its high quality, which is expected to open up a huge export market for Lebanese producers.
The slogan for the Lebanese sustainable food campaign is ‘From you and back to you’ which neatly describes the efficiency and environmental benefits of the idea. Not only it will help reduce meat consumption and solve food shortages, it will also reduce the amount of waste that Lebanon has to deal with. As a spokesman put it ‘the Lebanese invented the alphabet which changed the world, and now we are changing the world again’.
The campaign however received negative coverage in some local and international outlets, and it’s thought that Israel is behind this slanderous campaign to discredit Lebanon on the international stage, in its effort to stifle Lebanese creativity and competition. The media tried to represent the story as a health scandal by attributing false statements to Lebanese officials, but these attempts will be exposed for what they are, according to the same spokesperson.
The ideal uses for faeces-meat, which will be rebranded ‘Lebanese recycled meat’ (LRM) are in kebabs, shawarma, hamburgers, and other Lebanese classic dishes, as well as in pasta and other minced-meat dishes. It is recommended that novices should start with small amounts of LRM to get used to it, gradually increasing the percentage until they are eating 100% recycled meat. The campaign website provides great recipes and preparation methods.
The Lebanese have been generally very proud of the programme, and have been taking to social media to express their support for the campaign. There is already talk of nominating Lebanon for the Nobel Prize, and it is hard to see anyone else beating them to the prize. A tiny country has once again surprised the world with its creativity and innovation.
By Karl Sharro at November 14, 2014
Labels: Lebanon, on the lighter side
Karl reMarks is a blog about Middle East politics and culture with a healthy dose of satire.
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Follow @karlremarks
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إعلان انتخابي: الطائفية تراث حافظ عليها
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How would we report the EU referendum if it were happening in the Middle East?
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These days, everyone is talking about the Scottish Independence Referendum, especially when they’re not talking about ISIS. But sadly...
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God is of Lebanese Origin!
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Get Lippy for Men’s health
Every hour one man dies in the UK from prostate cancer.
Movember is a global organisation that is committed to changing the face of men’s health. They do this by challenging men to grow moustaches during the month of November, using their “hairy facial banner” to start conversations about men’s health and also to raise funds especially for research into prostate and testicular cancer.
Since the movement began over 10 years ago, the organisation has raised nearly £350 million and funded more than 800 research and aid programmes across the world.
It’s not too late for men to join in this year’s Movember!! Start growing a moustache in any form and it is bound to attract comment. Spreading awareness of men’s specific health problems as well as raising funds is a key part of the programme.
There are a few rules, you must start clean shaven and no beards or false moustaches are allowed!
Growing a moustache is also an excuse for fun. Get your friends involved or have a Movember fund raising evening at your home, pub or club.
Movember have lots of tips of how to get involved and also how to raise funds , including through emails to tell people what you are doing and using social media to post a photo of yourself.
Around the world, and also around the UK there are various community events taking place to support Movember, and at the end of the month participants are invited to join in a number of gala celebration parties being held in major centres including Belfast, Edinburgh, London and Cardiff.
There are also some great prizes on offer. Leading gaming brand PlayStation is proud to be a Movember major partner for 2014. Raise a minimum of £25 and you will be entered for a prize draw to win a full PlayStation gaming package. Raise £50 or more, and you will be entered in a drawy to win a beautifully crafted Swiss made Maurice Lacroix watch.
The whole event is all about having fun as well as the underlying important cause, and there are heaps of tips and ideas on the official website
More and more companies are joining in Movember
Major organisations are involved in Movember. Last year British Seed Houses produced a 36ft by 9ft moustache for the National Trust landmark the Cerne Abbas giant to herald the Movember campaign.
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Browser service
Browser service or Computer Browser Service is a feature of Microsoft Windows to let users easily browse and locate shared resources in neighboring computers. This is done by aggregating the information in a single computer "Browse Master" (or "Master Browser"). All other computers contact this computer for information and display in the Network Neighborhood window.
Browser service runs on MailSlot / Server Message Block and thus can be used with all supported transport protocol such as NetBEUI, IPX/SPX and TCP/IP. Browser service relies heavily on broadcast, so it is not available across network segments separated by routers. Browsing across different IP subnets need the help of Domain Master Browser, which is always the Primary Domain Controller (PDC). Therefore, browsing across IP subnets is not possible in a pure workgroup network.
In Windows XP, Computer Browser Service provides backwards compatibility for versions that don't use Active Directory. For My Network Places, Windows Explorer, and the net view command, Computer Browser is still needed in XP.
Windows NT uses the Computer Browser service to collect and display all computers and other resources on the network. For example, opening Network Neighborhood displays the list of computers, shared folders, and printers; the Computer Browser service manages this list. Every time Windows NT boots up, this service also starts.
Computer Browser is responsible for two closely related services: building a list of available network resources, and sharing this list with other computers. All Windows NT computers run the Computer Browser service, but not all of them are responsible for building the list.
Most computers will only retrieve the list from the computers that actually collect the data and build it. Windows NT computers can therefore have different roles. Let's take a look at them:
Domain master browser: In NT domains, the primary domain controllers (PDCs) handle this role. The PDCs maintain a list of all available network servers located on all subnets in the domain. They get the list for each subnet from the master browser for that subnet. On networks that have only one subnet, the PDC handles both the domain master browser and the master browser roles. Master browsers: Computers maintaining this role build the browse list for servers on their own subnet and forward the list to the domain master browser and the backup browsers on its own subnet. There is one master browser per subnet. Backup browsers: These computers distribute the list of available servers from master browsers and send them to individual computers requesting the information. For example, when you open Network Neighborhood, your computer contacts the backup browser and requests the list of all available servers. Potential browsers: Some computers don't currently maintain the browse list, but they're capable of doing so if necessary, which designates them as potential browsers. If one of the existing browsers fails, potential browsers can take over. Nonbrowsers: These are computers that aren't capable of maintaining and distributing a browse list.
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St. Clair Blueways Summer Paddle Series
by LIAA Support
Attendees at a Recent Paddle Series Event
With summer upon us (to some degree), LIAA staff was able to get out on the water and participate in the Blueways of St. Clair Summer Paddle Series. The paddle series features group paddles (with local citizens) in six unique water trails/communities in St. Clair County. Each paddle includes interpretive discussions with a local historian and naturalist. Each paddle concludes with a dinner at a local restaurant. The pilot paddle series is part of a larger marketing and promotion program that LIAA helped develop in partnership with St. Clair County Metropolitan Planning Commission to promote the Blueways of St. Clair system of water trails and the Trail Town communities that support them. The paddler series, as well as the development of a paddling guidebook and strategic plan for the Blueways are part of a larger planning effort that was supported by a generous grant from Michigan’s Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program.
Finding Michigan Strawberries
by Jim Muratzki
Photo Courtesy Michigan Agritourism Association
There’s nothing quite like a fresh-picked Michigan strawberry. Starting in 2018, LIAA has helped the Michigan Agritourism Association promote their member’s U-Pick fruits on their website, www.michiganfarmfun.org. Built on LIAA’s Community Center content management platform using the Asset Mapping extensions, michiganfarmfun.org features a vast amount of information about Michigan farms that welcome guests to meet the farmers, acquire their produce, and try their value-added products. In 2019, at the request of the Association, LIAA made some changes to the search tools on the site to ensure users find what they’re looking for. Specifically, we updated the search synonym feature to include phrases and not just single words. So, whether you’re looking for U-Pick Strawberries or You Pick Strawberries, you get a list of farms that are sure to give you that fresh-picked experience.
LIAA Welcomes Community Planner Zach Vega
by Harry Burkholder
Zach Vega
LIAA is pleased to announce its newest addition to the LIAA team, Zach Vega. Zach will work to support LIAA’s wide spectrum of resilience and community development programs. Zach is certified by the National Charrette Institute (NCI) and by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Zach comes to LIAA with a B.A. in Political Science from Saginaw Valley State University and a recent Master’s in Urban & Region Planning from Michigan State University.
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Mattie Brice
Support Games Criticism
Dispatches from IndieCade
Posted byMattie Brice October 20, 2014 October 20, 2014
Earlier this month was IndieCade, a festival that celebrates indie video games down in Culver City near LA. It’s actually a little more than that, also including non-digital games and tends to be more open to experimental and fringe work. It is open to the public and one of the more inclusive games events, and probably one I’d still appear at to see how things are moving along in the not-too-mainstream, not-too-artsy realm of games. I’m also a judge for the festival, meaning I help funnel games towards the jury to select for the awards and general inclusion into the festival. I want to take you through some highlights and games I saw there, and even some that didn’t make it into the festival but I judged and think are worth noting.
I’m really into going to talks at conferences and conventions because I feel like it’s a good litmus test for where most influential thought is at; not necessarily the most radical, but usually ahead of the curve and educational for conference-goers who can’t be plugged into Twitter and academia 24/7. This IndieCade was centered around community, which is fitting since that word has been on everyone’s lips for the past year. Thankfully that meant a lot of talks about diversity, inclusion, history, and outside influences. Look out for recordings of these when/if they go up!
The first talk I went to was “Let’s Not Make a Scene,” which mostly raised a lot of questions about groupings of people and how that works in industrial, artistic, and advocacy communities. The panelists were smart enough to not really get prescriptive of what is and isn’t a scene, and showed quite human complexities around scene making and power dynamics. Particularly salient was the story of how TIGSource forum devs set an unintentional standard and in-/out-group dynamic when many of those developers rose to prominence and were basically dubbed ‘the indie scene.’ A group of friends and peers became an aesthetic movement, and then became an industry in of their own. The problem with this is that power structures when it comes to visibility and resources were set mostly by the values of this group, however unintentionally, and access to all that surrounds the indie industry is affected by how many degrees, and what kind, of association you are away from this original group of people. This is also a conversation going on with the ‘Queer Games Scene,’ which I am included in per my wishes or not, and there’s a question as to how a similar dynamic will be created in this movement. Though I don’t think these two situations are comparable, I was glad it was still evoked and interrogated so we can at least be wary of replicated power structures of any group of people.
Another panel that went over rather well was “Let’s Do Something About it” (only now seeing the repetition) with regards to race and class issues in games. In a weird way, I left it mostly glad I was not on the panel; not because it was bad, because, like, finally other people are being recognized and I don’t have to be one of the very few people talking about race in games. They had a wonderful line up with devs and writers in different aspects of their careers and analysis, but were pretty resonant about their experiences of being in games spaces and having the topic of race shut down on them. It was good to hear, thankfully no one really does that to me so I don’t speak about that aspect often, but the panel showed how various aspects of racism and classism sneak up in the independent scene. The most salient point I took away from it was how non-white people just don’t even see the opportunity to get involved; either the resources they need are never offered to them or spaces are so white and east asian and don’t make the effort to extend out an invitation. This is in contrast to how there are so many initiatives to get women into these spaces, that sexism is the current ticket-item everyone is focusing on, instead of taking a multi-prong approach to diversity and inclusion issues.
The last day of the conference I spent mostly in City Hall, which was appropriate because it was all the more serious, political talks of the conference. The first session was an overall town hall kind of meeting, where people aired out concerns and action plans for change in the industry. What I deduced from the session is how people really wanted to be heard, on an individual level, about their feelings and thoughts about what’s all going on in games, and don’t often get the chance. There was a lot of grand statements and aimless frustrations, but it was probably helpful and shows we need public venues to vent grievances that might lead to some actual plan of action. My contribution to that discussion was the need to actually listen to people who know what they are doing, like activists and other people who engage with social change more frequently than the average indie dev, to have the resources and platform to enact change.
I was then part of a microtalk session called “Why ___ Matters,” where each panelist filled in their own part about what matters to games. There were definitely recurring themes, such as looking outside of games and the gaming community for reference and life, and also the negligence to self-care and valuing people’s livelihood. My talk in particular was ‘Why Reality Matters,’ where I hopefully challenged the body-detached attitudes of games as a whole, both in craft and the treatment of artists and activists. If you are a frequent reader of my work and tweets, you probably wouldn’t be surprised at the things I talked about, but all in all, I wanted to have reality be a design inspiration, and for play to be more applicable to reality and its issues.
And, of course, it is a games festival, so there are lots of games I witnessed and played. One was Squinky’s Coffee: A Misunderstanding, which is a super interesting theatrical, narrative generating awkward situation simulator. There are multiple performers in this game: two are the main characters, who read and interpret lines given to them from the drivers, two other players selecting options, and there’s also a musical accompaniment that also gets instructions. What is most interesting to me about Squinky’s game is it’s a sort of social catharsis game for awkwardness, when two people have separate goals and comforts that collide with one another. It also shows how people’s actions can be interpreted multiple ways depending on their context. We get a lot of this from some more narrative based roleplaying games, yet there’s an added usually unreachable element when you have it set up like a performance. The mundanity of it all made it pretty relatable.
Elegy for a Dead World by Dejobaan Games and Popcannibal was actually a game I looked at last year for the IGF and was quickly on board with the concepts it was playing with. The game puts the player in these beautiful panoramas of abandoned worlds and at certain scenes prompts them to leave some words. It’s pretty open-ended, though it has options to give the player a sort of ad-lib structure to work with. I think it aims to be interpretive and meditative; there are few games that ask you to reflect and be creative. It’s very moody and a great start to an interesting idea. I’d like to see more invitations for interpretation, and I’d also like to see how the metanarrative of it all comes together once it’s released.
I was also pretty wowed by Ice-Bound from Down to the Wire, another narrative game. I am a more narratively-interested person, but I don’t think other aspects of games stood out for me this year at the festival. And Ice-Bound is a good example of a future of indie games that I’d like to see, where access to technology reframes our relationship to storytelling. The game is part physical book, part digital-technology AR sorta interpreter, where you see different kinds of information on both and are trying to uncover what happened. This really got me inspired to remember and rethink games in the past that were part physical artifact, and part digital. In particular, manuals and strategy guides, how can we incorporate those into contemporary play?
There were definitely a lot of games I didn’t get to play that I wanted to (mostly LARPs and other RPGs, like Service), and lots of games worth mentioning, but here are a few that didn’t make it to the festival that I judge that was interesting for one reason or another:
Beyonce: Two Souls: I mean, the title should say it all? It was one of the few games I actually laughed with, using humor in a particularly video gamey way. Not like in a meme-knowledge manner but in a sort of surrealist deliverythat really uses the medium and conventions. I hope it becomes more developed than when I saw it, which was months ago so I imagine that’s the case, I’d definitely check it out for laughs with Queen Bey.
FutureCoast: An ARG that taps into the climate change discussion through player-generated apocryphal fiction. The most interesting aspect of it were the recorded voicemails left by people around the world depicting some sort of natural disaster that evokes climate change anxieties. On top of that, people could create what is basically a playlist of these voicemails, connected by whatever topic or theme they noticed. I thought it created a really interesting look at the collective unconscious about how people feel out of control about the environment, and it’s being exhaled through all these apocalypse stories.
The Sun Also Rises: I just found out this is also the name of a Hemmingway piece, and I don’t like Hemmingway, but alas, this is a pretty looking game that is very ‘post-Kentucky Route Zero’ game, if the gentlemen at Cardboard Computer don’t hate me for saying that. It’s set in US-occupied Afghanistan, and the main conversation is between a boy growing up in that culture and an American soldier. When I saw it, I think they were prototyping some narrative experiments that didn’t really jive well with me, but I think through development it’s going to turn out really interesting and be quite the pertinent theme. Just realizing now that it has two different kinds of non-white people as main characters without being awful stereotypes, so that’s cool!
Of course there was a lot more going on, but hopefully you all click through all that and see there’s interesting stuff going on, and a lot of it you can support! At least three of these games have/had fundraisers, which shows public patronage of weirder stuff could stay an important part of developing fringe work. Next weekend is the Queerness and Games Conference, which will round off my busy October, so stay tuned for my notes from that! It’s going to be great, and I believe it will be streamed, so keep an eye out!
This article was community supported! Consider donating or being my patron so I can continue writing: Support
Posted byMattie Brice October 20, 2014 October 20, 2014 Posted inShowTags: IndieCade, Industry, Narrative
Dispatch from Arse Elektronika – Some Things Games Can Learn from Sex & Tech
More Than My Pain
Advocacy anna anthropy Art Atlus Bastion Bethesda BioWare Christine Love Class Conversations Criticism Dating Sims Design Development Don't take it personally babe it just ain't your story Dragon Age II EAT Fashion Final Fantasy Final Fantasy XIII Forest Ambassador For The People Four Leaf Studios Gender GOTY Industry Katawa Shoujo Love Interest Mainichi Media Narrative Nationality Persona 4 Pokemon Queers in Love at the End of the World Race RPGs Sexuality Skyrim Square Enix Supergiant Games Survivor Tarot Theory The Stanley Parable
Mattie Brice, Proudly powered by WordPress.
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Our History – 1881-1981
“When does a church begin? Whose is the dream? Who lays the fire–arranges the tinder–fans the sparks–carries the glowing ember?” How did it happen that a Methodist Church, now known as the Medina United Methodist Church, was established in 1881?
To find answers to these questions one must go back to the earliest settlers and the earliest history of the vicinity. This early history, which may seem remote and unrelated, does not answer the questions fully, but it furnishes a basis for many significant happenings, all of which influenced in one way or another the establishment of a church.
The church is located on the banks of the Medina River in one of the most beautiful sections of the state of Texas. The name, Medina, dates back to 1689 when the Spanish explorer Alonso De Leon came through the country on his first expedition. He crossed and named on his way northwestward the rivers, Nueces, Hondo, Medina and Guadalupe. In a translation of his diary, it is stated that the Medina River was named on April 11, 1689.
From the earliest days, people coming into this section have spoken of the beauty of the land. The hills, the valleys, and the clear sparkling streams truly manifest the handiwork of God. One would think that in such a place a church would have been established at an earlier date, but this did not happen. It takes people to form a church, and those people were not here. The white man was late in settling on the upper waters of the Medina River. It was not until the 1860’s and ’70’s that settlers were beginning to come into the region. However, these people were by no means the first inhabitants. Different tribes of Indians had been around for hundreds of years. The many Indian Mounds and burial sites in the vicinity, the arrow heads, spears, tomahawks and other implements made of flint, which have been found to be so numerous, are mute evidence of this fact.
This section of the state seemed to be a favorite of the Indian and this, one can understand so well. The beautiful region with its hills and streams, its tall grass, wild berries and abundance of game made it a paradise for the Indian with his type of life.
As the years went by, the white man began venturing into the region. First. hunting trips were made; later, shingle camps were set up along the streams, and finally, a few settlers began to arrive. Over the years, struggles, and savage warfare developed between the white man and the red man. Following an Indian attack, some families would become and move away. Only the courageous remained.
These early residents lived in constant danger of raids by the Indians and suffered many losses in both life and property. In time, the Texas Rangers and the Bandera County Minute Men, a local organization for protection against Indians, did much to help eliminate the raids. Two well known local men, “Big Foot” Wallace, a part-time resident, and “Seco” Smith, were members of the local group. Both men led scouting groups in this section in pursuit of raiding Indians. “Seco” Smith later became an active member of the Medina Church, and a daughter, Beulah Smith Moore, served the church more than forty years as pianist and Sunday School teacher.
Mr. and Mrs. W.D. “Seco” Smith
Early Members
In time, as the Indians were driven out, more and more white people were moving in. Small settlements were soon found on Hicks Creek, Laxson Creek and on the North Prong and West Prong of the Medina River.
For several- years, the Indians continued to come in occasionally from Mexico and the border area, making raids down the river valleys. The last time that a person was killed by a raiding group of Indians in Bandera County was in the latter part of 1876. The Indians came down Wallace Creek, crossed below where the town of Medina now stands, and went on to Sabina! Canyon. At Seco Pass they encountered and massacred Mr. Jack Phillips, a Deputy Sheriff who lived on Winan’s Creek, who was traveling horseback on official business. This incident delayed the starting of a settlement at Medina. Mr. H. H. Carmichael, a graduate of Columbia University, came to Texas, was married on October 22, 1876, and moved directly to Bandera County. He bought land that included the future site of the Medina Methodist Church. He was having a house built on his property about three hundred yards from where the church now stands. It was almost finished when the Indian raid occurred. Having no neighbors nearby and thinking it was an unsafe place to live, he had his house torn down and rebuilt in Bandera. It was two years later in 1878 before another house was built at the same site. This was the first house in Medina. Shortly afterwards, other families began moving in and a town was started.
However, Methodism in the Medina area is older than the town itself. Some of the earliest settlers were devout Christians who knew the need of religious training for their families. Thus, the Methodist circuit riders received a hearty welcome when occasionally they came into the territory. When a preacher would arrive at someone’s home, word would be sent to all the neighbors, who dropped whatever they were doing and gathered to hear the parson preach.
In one respect, the early settlers were fortunate in that most of the circuit riders who came were some of the greatest preachers in the Southwest. Among these were Rev. John W. DeVilbiss and Homer S. Thrall, two volunteers from the Ohio Conference, who came to Texas in 1842 to assist in the ministry in the state. Both were young, well educated and very capable preachers. Rev. DeVilbiss preached the first protestant sermon in San Antonio in April, 1844 and organized Travis Park Methodist Church in June,1846. “At that time the work in what is now the Southwest Texas Conference had developed until there were three stations among the appointments – Austin with H.S. Thrall as pastor, San Antonio with J.W. DeVilbiss as pastor, and Corpus Christi with John Haynie as pastor.”
Rev. DeVilbiss built a home on the Medina River in Bexar County and lived there at the time of his death in 1885. During his lifetime he made many trips into all the surrounding territory, preaching and conducting camp meetings. The first sermon by a Methodist minister to be preached in Bandera was by Rev. DeVilbiss in 1861.
From 1882-1885, Rev. Homer S. Thrall was presiding elder of the San Antonio District. The Bandera-Medina charge was in the San Antonio District at that time, and every time there was a quarterly conference the early settlers had an opportunity to hear him preach. Church records reveal third quarterly conferences were always held following services conducted by the presiding elder. Many times there would be a series of services for several days while the presiding elder was there.
Rev. Thrall visited in many of the local homes and had a tremendous influence in the lives of the people.
The second Methodist minister to preach in Bandera was Rev. Andrew Jackson Potter in 1862. Rev. Potter first met Rev. DeVilbiss in Kerrville in that same year while DeVilbiss was conducting a quarterly conference there.
Early Preacher and Presiding Elder
Rev. Potter was an Army Chaplain stationed at Camp Verde during the Civil War. When he heard that DeVilbiss was to be in Kerrville, he got permission from his commanding officer to attend the conference. Rev. DeVilbiss asked Rev. Potter to take turns with him in preaching during the series of services. Rev. Potter said, “The good Lord poured out His Spirit upon us and we had some glorious seasons of divine grace.” There was no preacher that year on the Kerrville circuit because of the war. The only preaching the people had was when the quarterly meetings were held. Rev, Potter said the Kerrville quarterly conference meeting was truly a happy occasion for him. He said that a friendship developed between him and Rev. DeVilbiss that lasted the rest of their lives. The two men were so different. Rev. DeVilbiss was described as a mild, gentle person who never carried a gun as he traveled the circuit in Indian occupied territory. He was fortunate that he never encountered Indians on his trips. On the contrary, Rev. Potter was a fiery, aggressive person who had been a gambler, a horse racer, and an Indian scout before he was converted and became a preacher. He was never found to be without his gun, whether it was to be used in hunting game or as a protection against wild animals, Indians, or outlaws. Even when preaching, during times of danger, his gun was always within reach.
Rev. Potter had many friends in this area. He owned a place and lived on Mason Creek in Bandera County for several years. He was known by friend and foe alike as “Fighting Jack” Potter. Many stories have been told about his experiences during his life time.
He was a brave, courageous, dedicated person who preached anywhere he could get an audience, whether it was in a home, school, church, store, saloon, or on a street corner. He knew how to handle tough characters and outlaws and many times had them listening to his preaching instead of being involved in mischief and wrong doing.
While stationed at Camp Verde he preached to prisoners, soldiers, and inhabitants of the surrounding area. Having only one song book to use in congregational singing, he decided to teach some of the songs to a group of soldiers. They memorized the songs and sang them quite well. Sometimes they would accompany him on his preaching missions to neighboring communities and would assist with the singing. This added a great deal to the services and pleased the congregations immensely.
After the war was over, Rev. Potter was assigned to the Kerrville circuit which Included the Bandera and Medina area. He organized the Bandera Methodist Church in- 1867 with fourteen charter members. Two of the charter members, Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Stevens, who lived on Hicks Creek near Medina, traveled to Bandera by wagon pulled by oxen in order to attend church services. They had to use oxen because the Indians stole all horses brought into the country. Mr. Stevens stated that he had all of his horses stolen on two different occasions and had to resort to the use of oxen.
Youth Group in J. T. Stevens’ Hack, Driven by Homer Stevens
Ida Stevens, Vannie Shuptrine, Lee Walker and an unidentified person at Church Picnic in 1924
From 1867 to 1871, Rev. Potter served the Bandera Mission, which included all of the surrounding territory. He never missed an opportunity to visit in homes and carry the message of God to the frontier people. Usually, in those early days, the preacher would spend the night when visiting a family. The mode of travel, the distance traveled, and the threat of being attacked by Indians made this necessary. Through these visits, a close Christian fellowship usually developed.
Rev. Potter was the local minister when the Harvey Stanard family moved to Laxson Creek in 1871. Soon after their arrival, Rev. Potter called on the family. Years later, Mrs. Stanard told of that first visit by Rev. Potter. She said that in the evening prayer before retiring for the night, he asked for “God’s blessing upon the poor widow and her orphan children.” It being such an impressive prayer, she waited until the next morning to tell the parson that she was not a widow; that her husband had gone to San Antonio to get supplies. She said that first visit was followed by many more in their home, and that Brc. Potter was always a welcome guest.
Harvey A. Stanard
Donor of land for the Medina Church
Mrs. Harvey A. Stanard
Organizer of first Sunday School at Laxson Creek
Mrs. Stanard, seeing a need for religious training, organized a Sunday School in her log cabin home and invited all the neighbors to attend. Rev. Potter encouraged her in her work because he was a strong believer in Sunday School. Later, for quite some time, Dr. Hudspeth of Bandera would ride over to assist Mrs. Stanard with her Sunday School work. Evidently, according to records found, this was the first organized Sunday School in the Medina vicinity.
Shortly after organizing the Sunday School, Mrs. Stanard also started teaching a school in her log cabin home. The following year, the neighbors helped build a log cabin school house nearby for her to use. Afterwards, Sunday School and church services were held in the school house,
One of our present members tells of her grandmother talking about attending church services at the Laxson Creek school house. She said they traveled from their West Prong home in a wagon pulled by oxen. The men would always carry their guns and stand them in the corner of the room during the services. She said that sometimes, following the services, Indian tracks would be found outside. Also, she said, at times, the oxen would become frightened by the Indians, break loose and run off with the wagons. In those early days, people faced many dangers and hardships, yet they would travel ten to twenty miles, or more, in order to attend religious services.
In 1880, Mr. and Mrs. 0. W. McBryde moved to Medina and settled on the West Prong of the Medina River about two and one-half miles above the town. By this time, there being no longer a threat from Indians, a number of families were moving in and establishing homes.
In 1881, the people, seeing a need for regular church services for their families, organized the West Prong Methodist Church, which later became the Medina Methodist Church. George Killough was the first minister. There were eighteen charter members. They were:
Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Akin
Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Akin
Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Renshaw
Mr. and Mrs. S. J. Thorn
Mr. and Mrs. George Smith
Mr. and Mrs. O. W. McBryde
Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Baker
Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Stevens
Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Tegart
Most of these people continued to live in the community and were faithful members of the church for the rest of their lives. Two of them, Mr. J. P. Akin and Mr. J. S. Akin became local preachers and assisted a great deal with the preaching after other churches were organized in nearby settiements. One year, J. P. Akin preached regularly at the Polander Springs church and made re’ arts at quarterly conferences concerning his work. He performed many marriages in the vicinity. A number of our local residents say that their parents were married by Bro. Akin.
Mr. and Mrs. O.W. McBride
Charter members and donors of land for the West Prong School
Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Stevens
Charter members, and some members of their family
Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Akin
Charter members and local preacher
Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Tegart
Charter members, and family
Mr. and Mrs. S.J. Thorn, Charter members, and Family
During the years that followed the establishment of the church, names of charter members are found listed over and over again as official members attending quarterly conferences. They were listed as stewards, trustees, or Sunday School superintendent. Also, several of them served as delegates to District conferences. Mr. O. W. McBryde served many times, especially
when the church was a member of the Llano district. At one time, his wife stated that she did not think her husband ever missed a district conference, rain or shine.
Mr. W. B. Baker was another faithful worker and attendant at church services. He attended so regularly that his horse became well trained. One day he hitched his horse to the buggy and went to town to buy some supplies. He left the horse with the reins loose for a short time while he was in the store. When he came out, the horse and buggy were gone. He looked at home, thinking the horse might have gone home, but it was not there. When he found the horse, it was standing very contentedly at it’s customary place in front of the church.
On September 1, 1881, the people in the West Prong community petitioned the commissioners court for a free public school. Mr. !sum Chisum took the petition to Bandera and a school was granted. Mrs. Chisum was hired to be the first teacher. Mr. 0. W. McBryde donated land for the school. The house was built by the people of the community near the West Prong cemetery at the mouth of Coal Kiln Creek. When the building was completed, Sunday School and church services were held there regularly for the next eight years.
In the 1900 flood the building was washed away. After the flood was over. the men went down the river, found the boards and brought them back. The school house was rebuilt on higher ground nearer the cemetery.
West Prong School House, where church was organized in 1881
A few years ago, one of our local citizens told about remembering the camp meetings that were held at West Prong. At times, cedar brush arbors would be built. He said that people would come from all around and camp for the week or two of the services. Sometimes the entire flat would be covered with wagons and camps. To help with the food supply, several men would usually donate calves which were butchered for meat. He said there were some great preachers in those days who inspired the people with their powerful sermons.
Years later, after there was no longer a West Prong School building, memories still lingered. One day Mr. O. W. McBryde, who was over 90 years of age, was sitting on his front porch looking asross the river at the site where the building once stood. He was reflecting on years past. While talking to himself his granddaughter overheard him making the following comments: “Sez I to myself, ‘those little boys need an education; so I donated land for the school. I went to Center Point and bought lumber, and the neighbors helped me build the school house’.” The granddaughter, who overheard those remarks is now a very active member of the Medina Church. During the years, others have spoken fondly of the days when they attended school and church at West Prong.
Little is known about the activities of the church during the first two years after it was organized. No quarterly conference records for those years have been found. Fortunately, a short church history was written by Mrs. Fred Whisenhunt and Mrs. Carl Bush in 1934 while a few of the charter members were still living. This history reveals many important facts. An error, possibly a typographical error, in that history lists 1886 as being the date of the first written Sunday School records. In fact, the first written conference records found were those for a conference held at Bandera on January 25, 1884. The record contains minutes concerning both Sunday School and church for the last quarter of 1883. Evidently, Sunday School was organized about the same time as the church because there was a Sunday School in 1883 as the minutes show. Some reports and direct quotations taken from quarterly conference records, especially those from the pastor’s reports, are being used in this history, because they reflect a true picture of the progress of both the Sunday School and church.
The following information was taken from the first written quarterly conference records found. These minutes reveal that the West Prong Methodist Church was a member of the Bandera Charge, San Antonio District, West Texas Conference. The presiding elder was absent when the conference began, so A. G. Nolan the preacher in charge, occupied the chair following services that he conducted. After some business and the pastor’s report on the state of the Sunday Schools and churches, it was decided on motion to postpone further business and await the arrival of Homer S. Thrall, the presiding elder. On January 28th, the conference resumed with Rev. H. S. Thrall in the chair.
The minutes show that for the preceding year $105.00 was listed as the pastor’s salary. It was recorded that $114.00 had been paid. For presiding elder, $30.00 was listed with $22.22 having been paid. For bishop $2.50 was listed and $2.50 was paid. For conference claimants $5.80, foreign missions $4.00, and domestic missions $8.50, each of which was paid. For Sunday School supplies $6.25 was spent. J. R. Coe, James A. Hudspeth and B. F. Langford were elected district stewards. It was recorded that the next quarterly conference would be held at West Prong. The minutes were signed by H. S. Thrall, presiding elder and B. F. Langford, secretary and recording steward.
Homer S. Thrall
Presiding Elder for the West Prong Church 1882-1886
At the second quarterly conference on April 19, 1884 at the West Prong School House, it was reported that $39.50 had been collected during the quarter for the support of the ministry. Bandera had paid $20.00, West Prong $18.50 and Polander Springs $1.00. The minister reported that there were three Sunday Schools. One was at Bandera with seventy-five enrolled and forty-five in regular attendance, having a superintendent and five teachers. Another school was at West Prong School House with about twenty-five names on the roll, but not more than fifteen had been in regular attendance. The minister stated that the whooping cough had been a great hindrance to attendance at West Prong Sunday School. He said that the school had a superintendent and four teachers and that there was a family school at J. T. Stevens’ house with seven children well supplied with our literature. Bro. Nolan reported that he had visited “pretty generally on the work,” had read the scripture in the families, and had prayers and cathechized the children the best he could.
The third quarterly conference was held at Polander Springs on June 2a, 1884. Polander Springs is located about six miles from Medina on the North Prong near the mouth of Rocky Creek. These springs were named Polander because some Polish people from Bandera camped there while cutting cypress for shingles.
In The History of Bandera County Schools for over a Century” it is stated that the first school on the North Prong of the Medina River was at Polander Springs and that before there was a building, school and church were both held under a cedar brush arbor near the springs. The school, for which the people in the community petitioned the commissioners court on September 1, 1881, was usually called Pecan Valley School, but sometimes it was called Polander Springs School. In 1901, a new school house was built nearby, at the mouth of Rocky Creek. The name was changed to Rocky Creek School, but the church was always referred to as Polander Springs Church.
On June 28, 1884, Rev. Nolan reported that a church had been organized at Laxson Creek with eight members. He stated there were three Sunday Schools in prosperous condition and increasing in interest. They were Bandera, West Prong, and the family school in J. T. Stevens’ home which was doing much good. By the end of the year, it was reported that there were four Sunday Schools, as one had been organized at Polander Springs. W. L. Mayfield was listed as Sunday School superintendent at West Prong. Records show that he continued to serve as superintendent through 1886. Also, they show that he was recording secretary many times at quarterly conference meetings.
Following church services at which he preached on August 22, 1885, the presiding elder, H. S. Thrall, conducted the fourth quarterly conference at West Prong. The pastor, A. G. Nolan, was not present. It was reported that he had been absent since March because of an affliction of sore eyes. J. P. Akin. one of the charter members, was listed in the minutes as being a local preacher. The quarterly conference records of February 20, 1886 reveal that there was a new minister on the charge. He was Rev. James Hammond, who had recently come from England. He was a very capable, energetic young man, who had added a number of new appointments to the Bandera Charge. The records show that $340.00 was set as the pastor’s salary for the year. Bandera was to pay $125.00, West Prong $100.00, Polander Springs $30.00, Myrtle Creek $10.00, San Geronimo $20.00, Pipe Creek $30.00 and Laxson Creek $25.00.
At this meeting, 0. W. McBryde, W. B. Baker, and J. L. Renshaw were elected a building committee for the West Prong Society.
James Hammond
Pastor when church was moved to Medina in 1889
Rev. Hammond reported that the Sunday Schools at Bandera, West Prong, and in the Stevens’ home were in good condition and well supplied with Methodist literature. In reporting on the churches, he said that they were in good condition considering the absence of the former pastor for so long a time. He said Sunday School and prayer meetings had been faithfully sustained by a noble few.
At the second quarterly conference at Polander Springs, Bro. Hammond reported that the Bandera Sunday School was in a flourishing condition with an attendance of about sixty. The West Prong Sunday School was doing well with about forty in attendance. At Laxson Creek, Bro. J. T. “Jack” Stevens was conducting a small Sunday School in his home. A union Sunday School was being conducted at Polander Springs. Protracted meetings had been held at Polander Springs and Pipe Creek with between twenty and thirty having been converted. Four others had been received into the church by letter. These included Frank M. Buckelew and wife.
Later in his report, Bro. Hammond stated: The church conference at Polander Springs held July 11, 1886 recommended Bro. Frank M. Buckelew as a proper person for license to exhort.” At still a later date, he was licensed to be a local preacher, and for many years he assisted in the ministry in the Medina vicinity.
Probably, Frank Buckelew’s early boyhood experience of being a captive of Indians for eleven months and finally being able to escape had a great influence on his decision to preach. In 1866, when he was about fourteen years old, he was captured by Indians in Sabinal Canyon and was taken to where they were camped on the Pecos River. He was often put to test by the Indians, but, proving that he was not a coward, he was allowed to live.
Later, he related, in his book about his captivity, that the Indian boys took special delight in making life miserable for him until one day he suddenly retaliated by giving one of them a severe beating. He said that he was badly scared afterwards, thinking now for certain that the Indians would kill him. On the contrary they applauded the act, and crowding around him they patted him on the back and cried “Bravo, Bravo!”, assuring him that some day he would be heap big chief. During his stay with the Indians he learned to make arrows and bows and how to use them. He often made trips into Mexico with the Indians. It was on one of these trips that he was seen by a Mexican boy who told Mr. Hudson, a white man, about seeing the white boy with the Indians . With the help of the Mexican boy, Mr. Hudson arranged for his escape. He was returned to Bandera to live with an older sister, as his parents were dead.
At Bandera, Frank Buckelew came under the influence of A. J. Potter, who was serving the Bandera charge at that time. In later years, after moving to the Medina vicinity, there was James Hammond, the local minister and Homer S. Thrall, the presiding elder, to provide guidance. With such great Christian leadership he made the decision to preach.
Records of the first quarterly conference on February 19, 1887 at West Prong reveal that the church was now in the San Angelo District of the West Texas Conference, and that A. J. Potter was the presiding elder. At this meeting, J. S. Akin, another of the charter members, was licensed to preach. 0. W. McBryde was serving as Sunday School superintendent.
Bro. J. S. Akin presented to the conference in behalf of the trustees an obligation for a deed to two lots in Medina City for church purposes. The minutes were signed by A. J. Potter, presiding elder and B. F. Langford, recording steward.
The preacher in 1887 was S. A. Dickinson. He reported that there were only two Sunday Schools on the charge, one at Bandera and one at West Prong, both in a prosperous and growing condition. J. L. Renshaw served as Sunday School superintendent at West Prong from 1887-1889. The preacher stated, “The spiritual state of the church is rather low. The attendance at public worship is small especially on Saturdays. At Honey Creek we organized a society.”
J. B. Rankin was licensed as an exhorter at this conference. He, with the local preachers, J. P. Akin, J. S. Akin, and F. M. Buckelew, made four men in the West Prong Church preaching and helping spread the gospel in the Medina vicinty. Someone had really arranged the tinder and fanned the spark!
At the third quarterly conference on August 11, 1888 at West Prong School House the minutes state: “The following building committee was appointed for West Prong Society: 0. W. McBryde, J. S. Akin, S. J. Thorn, J. T. Stevens, and W. B. Baker.”
The minister, J. B. Borden, reported: “The spiritual condition of the church is healthy. There is a good deal of family religion. At least one half of the membership worship God around the family altar.”
On October 19, 1888, quarterly conference was held, following religious services conducted by Andrew Jackson Potter. The minutes state: “The following brethren were elected trustees for West Prong and Laxson Creek societies: J. T. Stevens, 0. W. McBryde, S. J. Thorn, F. M. Wilson, and Robert Harrell. Permission was then granted the aforesaid trustee to build a church at Medina City.”
It seemed to take a long time to make a decision about building a church. At first the plans were to build at West Prong. Later there were thoughts about building at Medina, and finally the decision was made to build at Medina. We are told that J. T. Stevens was very influential in getting the church moved.
Apparently, Mr. Stevens was very helpful in organizing churches. He had been a charter member at Bandera, West Prong, Laxson Creek, and now he was helping get a church at Medina.
It is interesting to note that in 1886 Homer S. Thrall was the presiding elder and James Hammond was the preacher in charge at the beginning of the planning to build a church. Then, at the conclusion of the planning in 1889, Andrew Potter was the presiding elder and James Hammond, after being gone for two years, had returned as preacher. All three of these men had such an important part in the early life of the church. On January 19, 1889 at the first quarterly conference at West Prong, we find there is a new presiding elder, Buckner Harris.
At this meeting, W. T. Chaney, F. M. Buckelew, J. T. Stevens, and B. F. Langford were appointed a committee for building a parsonage at Bandera. Rev. Hammond reported, The Sunday School at West Prong has been somewhat disorganized for want of proper accommodations. We hope when our new church is built at Medina, that we shall be able to do our duty better in this particular. The church generally speaking is in good condition and prayer meetings are being held with some regularity. Aggressive effort is being put forth. Laxson Creek, Medina, and West Prong unite in preparing to build a church at Medina City. This will be a great advantage to the work.” Plans for building the church were progressing.
Following church services on the night of January 22, 1889, the third day after the qaurterly conference, Rev. James Hammond was married to Emma Stevens, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Stevens. The wedding was performed at the West Prong Church by the presiding elder, Rev. B. Harris. Following the wedding, the Hammonds went to the nearby home of Mr. and Mrs. 0. W. McBryde, where they spent the night.
At the second quarterly conference at Bandera on April 20, 1889, Rev. Hammond again spoke of the building of a new church. He reported that the West Prong Sunday School was doing well but that there was room for improvement. He said, “No doubt when the new church is erected, this Sunday School will be as large and useful as it ought to be….The spiritual condition of the church is very good. Good interest is shown in the prayer meetings and the attendance at preaching is encouraging. Many of our members are growing in grace. A spirit of unity and brotherly love in general appears to be increasing…. The church building at Medina City is not yet begun, but it is hoped that final arrangements for securing the lot will soon be made.” The report was signed, James Hammond, Preacher in charge.
On July 27, 1889 at the third quarterly conference at West Prong, Rev. Hammond made the following report: “At West Prong the Sunday School is still small, but the officers and teachers are in earnest. No doubt when the school is held at Medina in our own house it will develop into a large and more useful institution. The spiritual condition of the church is excellent and some of our members are as faithful as can be found anywhere. A camp meeting was held at Bandera for eleven days, but was so constantly interrupted by the rains that little apparent good was seen resulting therefrom. We are looking forward to a good time at our Medina City meeting next month, and arrangements are being made to hold meetings at several destitute points.”
In the spring of 1889, the Harvey Stanard family moved from Laxson Creek to Medina. They bought the place once owned by Mr. Carmichael, where in 1878 the first house in Medina was built. Originally, this place was pa?t of 1,069 acres of Bounty Land which was granted on November 5, 1836 to Antonio Curvier by the President of the Republic of Texas, Mirabrau B. Lamar.
The land was described as being situated on the northeast side of the Medina River about fifty miles northwest of San Antonio in the county of Bexar. In May, 1841, the land was surveyed by John James, Deputy Surveyor of Bexar County, the well known surveyor who laid out so many frontier towns. John James bought the block, plus some surrounding land, making a total of 2,349 acres for five cents per acre. During the Civil War, on February 27, 1863, James sold the 2,349 acres to Confederate General John B. Hood for $6,000. Then, on February 2, 1871, John B. Hood and wife, Anna, sold 1,069 acres of Survey No. 71 to William R. Fleming; who sold the place to Mr. H. H. Carmichael in 1876. On October 28, 1878, Charles T. Parker bought the land, but sold it to B.F. Bellows on July 22, 1879. Mr. Bellows was breaking up the place and selling off lots and smaller places by August 8, 1882. The place that Mr. Stanard bought was from this block of land, which was quite historic in the town of Medina.
When Mr. Stanard bought the property, the West Prong Church was making plans to build in Medina; so Mr. Stanard gave a lot to the church on which to construct the building. It was given through his nephew, Ed Rambie, who signed the deeds, because he held the deed of trust to the property. Mr. Rambie was reared by the Stanards after his mother’s death. Once again, the Stanards were contributing to the establishment and advancement of the church. Unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Stanard both died of pneumonia on January 6, 1901, within four hours of each other. During the years that followed, their children continued to attend Sunday School and church, walking across the pasture about three hundred yards. At the present time, one granddaughter attends regularly and is active in the work of the church, while another, due to health is an inactive member.
During the summer of 1889, the new church building was constructed at Medina on the lot that Mr. Stanard gave. The lot was near the river, but on high ground, fortunately. In fact, the building is on one of the highest spots in the town. The devastating floods of 1900, 1919, and 1978 that did so much damage in other parts of town, did not reach the building.
First Methodist Church Building in Medina, 1889
Except for some remodeling and stuccoing, the building today is the same one that was built in 1889. At that time the building was wooden. It had two front doors and a belfry on the left side, but no bell. Mr. B. F. Bellows desired to give a bell to the church, but for some reason was unable to do so. However, he succeeded in getting a bell donated by his friend, Mr. M. L. Allen, who had a steel factory in Massachusetts. When the bell arrived, it was found to be a big nice one, with some engraving on it. On the back it was stated that the bell had been cast in Troy, New York, in 1889. On the front were the following words:
Presented to Methodist Church South
Medina, Texas
M. L. Allen
of Massachusetts
“Let him that heareth say, Come”
Revelations 22:17
The church members were very proud of the bell. The official board had the secretary, Mr. W. L. Mayfield, write a letter to Mr. Allen expressing their gratitude for his gift.
Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Browning
Early day Sunday School teachers
Daughters and Granddaughters of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey A. Stanard
During the many years since 1889, on each Sabbath morning the bell has been ringing out it’s message, “Come”. On a still day the chimes can be heard at a distance of three or four miles away.
Sunday School and church were moved into the new building at Medina in August, 1889.
The first time that a quarterly conference was held in the new church was on December 7, 1889. The pastor’s salary was set at $260.00 for Medina and $260.00 for Bandera. There were two Sunday Schools, Bandera and Medina.
It was reported that a new parsonage had been built at Bandera for the circuit during the past six months, and that $350.00 was raised to pay on the lot and parsonage. A note was made to pay the balance in two years with 1% interest.
When the fourth quarterly conference met at Bandera on October 8, 1889, it was reported that the West Prong Sunday School had been moved to Medina. During the quarter, Bandera had paid $51.50, Medina $87.90, and Laxson Creek $6.50, making a total of $145.90. The next quarterly conference was to be held at Medina. During the quarter $23.67 was raised for Sunday School supplies and $732.70 for building, repairing, and furnishing the church. Rev. Hammond reported: “Medina City–The Sunday School has moved from West Prong School House into our new church at Medina. The result has been an immediate increase in membership and a gratifying revival of Sunday School effort. This school will now compare with any an the work with reference to prompt attendance and general good order. The self denial of the members in seeking a larger field of usefulness will yield valuable results to the school. A library has been purchased from our Publishing House.”
In reporting on the church, he said:” The spiritual condition of the church, in general, is very satisfactory. A new church building at Medina has been built during the past year, and the brethren have faithfully labored in this glorious life. A good revival was held in our new church with good and we trust, lasting results.”
From 1894-1898, the Bandera Charge was in the Llano District of the West Texas Conference. On October 19, 1895, the pastor, Rev. I. S. Napier, reported that the general state of the church was in excellent condition at Medina City. He said, “We have had a gracious revival of religion at Medina City. Forty-six have joined the church this quarter, to wit; all by ritual, and Claburn Baker, Eliza J. Baker, and Charlie M. Baker by certificate.”
Mary O. Weed
Marvin W. Akin
Ambrose M. Akin
Ethel L. Renshaw
Alma L. Akin
Silas S. Wetherby
Marvin P. Akin
Julia A. Bauerlein
Alta Freeman
James W. Walker
George F. Smith
Melvina E. Walker
William D. Smith
Sarah A. Walker
Ferdinand B. Means
Ida C. Walker
Roxie G. Moody
Minnie J. Baker
Edward N. Smith
Henry F. Baker
Levis Weed
James H. Smith
Benjamin A. Weed
Ethan E. Smith
Irene Wyatt
John F. Cook
Leonard Humphries
John M. Humphries
Thomas A. Baker
Callie Carpenter
John M. Norris
Leola B. Mayfield
Marvin Renshaw
Mary D. Hinds
Robert L. Mayfield
Francis M. Smith
Ida L. Means
James A. Powel
Julia R. Smith
George W. Lowrance
Mary M. Renshaw
Judia Mayfield
Charles W. Young
Rev. Napier continued his report by saying, “We intend to organize an Epworth League at Medina City immediately. We have the names of thirty-three persons for organization of a League—The Medina Sunday School has seemed to grow in interest all year.”
On January 11, 1896, Rev. A. W. Wilson reported there was an Epworth League at Medina City with about forty members, and on December 14, 1896, he reported, “We have organized a Woman’s Missionary Society at Medina City which starts off well.”
J. D. Worrell was the preacher from 1896 to 1898. O. W. McBryde was elected Sunday School superintendent on December 15, 1896 and he continued to serve until February 19, 1898, when William Akin was elected to fill his place. Mr. Akin was superintendent for about fifteen years.
In 1898, there was no Epworth League, and Sunday School attendance was very low due to a serious epidemic of measles. At the fourth quarterly conference, 1899, the minister, M. K. Fred, reported that Sunday School attendance had increased since the middle of May from about seventeen to about forty-five. By 1900, the report was that the Sunday School was doing good work.
During the 1900-1901 year, a Sunday School was organized at Tarpley, but the Laxson Creek Sunday School was abandoned on account of the superintendent moving away. At the quarterly conference at Bandera on February 1, 1902, a building committee for a Tarpley church was appointed.
In 1902-1903, W. F. Gibbons was the preacher. R. B. Hartfield was listed as a local preacher. Sunday School was in excellent condition with an average attendance of fifty.
From 1903 through 1906, B. L. Glazner was the minister. 0. W. McBryde and J. T. Akin were delegates to district conference.
R. B. Wilkes, the pastor in 1906-1907, stated that the spiritual state of the church was very good, but he said there had been some trouble in getting Sunday School teachers that year. However, the Sunday School was reported to be in good condition. It was stated that the older people at Medina were being benefitted very much by a Bible class being taught by Prof. C. 0. Britt. Also, there was a Senior League at Medina doing very good work with Prof. Britt as president. The next year, J. T. Akin was listed as president of the Epworth League. For that year, 1907-1908, M. P. Morton was the preacher. R. E. Buckner, Dr. J. 0. Butler, and Ed Dial were appointed a committee to build a church at Tarpley.
For the year 1908-1909, S. J. Drake was appointed the pastor of the Bandera-Medina Charge. Church congregations were reported to be very good. There was a Senior League, and a Junior League was organized. Also, a Missionary Society was organized, J. D. Scott was presiding elder.
On May 1, 1910, S. J. Drake was removed by District Conference and V. V. Boone was appointed to finish the year. The work of the church was well organized and in good condition. The Bandera Church was to be enlarged and a contract was let for $1,800.00. It was reported that the Medina Church was in need of repairs. During the year the Lewis Caton family moved to Medina and bought property across the road east of the church. This family did much to help support the church in coming years.
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Caton, donors of land for parsonage, and family, about 1910
In 1910-1911, the Medina Church was no longer in the Bandera Gharge. It became the Medina Charge, with J. S. Howell as the resident preacher. In the preceding years, the preacher for the Bandera-Medina Charge had resided in the parsonage at Bandera. Now, a parsonage was needed at Medina; so on January 7, 1911, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Caton deeded a lot fifty feet by two hundred and thirty feet, which lay adjacent to the J. A. Newcomer property, to the church for a parsonage. The building was completed during the year. The first preacher to occupy the new parsonage was Rev. George L. Ryan and family. Bro. Ryan served the church from 1911 to 1913.
In 1912, the church was in need of a new roof; so L. Caton and L. D. Shuptrine were appointed a committee to get a new roof on the building. The L. D. Shuptrine family moved to Medina in the winter of 1911, and bought a place across the river from the church. Two sons-in-law, J. H. Whitmore and J. C. Gallant, also bought places near Medina. The entire group of ten transferred their church memberships to Medina in March, 1912. Some descendants of this family are still active members of the church.
The L.D. Shuptrine Family in the early 1920’s
The church remained the Medina Charge through 191C.” Preachers during these years, following Bro. Ryan, were A. C.Ge’ritte.,1913-1914; J. C.Apige,1914-1915; R. A. Waltrip, 1915-1916; and J. W. Childers served during World War 1 from 1916-1919. Sunday School superintendents during these years were J. T. Akin, and J. C. Gallant.
Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Gallant
Sunday School Superintendent and teachers
Following World War 1, in 1918-1919, Bandera and Medina became one charge again with J. W. Childers as Pastor. J. C. Gallant was Sunday School superintendent at Medina and remained so until 1923. There were eighty-three enrolled in Sunday School with an average attendance of fifty-two. The Sunday School was reported to be doing well considering the bad weather and so much sickness.
Both church and Sunday School attendance was hindered by the 1919 flood. The river stayed high for a long time, It was almost a week before men could swim their horses across, and it was about three or four weeks before wagons, hacks, and buggies were able to cross.
In 1919-1920, the Charge was Medina-Tarpley with J. D. May as minister. His salary was to be $625.00 with Medina paying $500.00 and Tarpley, $125.00. During the year the Aid Society was organized into a Missionary Society with nine members. Again, Sunday School and church attendance was hindered by bad weather and influenza.
For the Medina-Tarpley Charge, in 1920-1921, E. J. Sloan, Jr. was the preacher, but he was released in June 1921 and J. M. Dunn was appointed to finish the year. The general state of the church was in good condition. There was a Missionary Society with eleven members that met twice a month with Mrs. E. Hammond as president. The Missionary Society spent $114.00 on the parsonage that year. Eighty-nine were enrolled in Sunday School with an average attendance of forty-one.
In 1921-1922, the Medina-farpley Charge was no longer in the San Antonio District. It was now in the Kerrville District with A. E. Rector as presiding elder and J. T. Canafax as preacher. J. T. Canafax remained on the Charge for three years during which time he married Bessie Hammond, daughter of Emma Hammond and the late Rev. James Hammond.
Rev. J. T. Canafax Mrs. J. T. Canafax
Minister 1921-1923
In December, 1922, the Woman’s Missionary Society bought a piano for the church. Before then, a reed organ had been used. The piano cost $300.00. The women collected money to make a down payment. They sold eggs, chickens, turkeys, and all kinds of things to raise enough money for the down payment.
Methodist Parsonage and the Joe Newcomer Girls in 1922
Bro. Canafax stated that the church was fairly active, but that he was especially proud of the Sunday School and the work it was doing. He said the Woman’s Missionary Society was to be commended for all the good work it was doing.
Youth Sunday School Class and Teacher, Mamie Caton in the early 1920’s
That year the church was valued at $1,500.00. if was insured for $1,000.00 and the parsonage for $1,050.00.
In 1922-1923, Bro. Canafax reported that the Sunday School was in excellent condition, but that more room was needed for classes. There were 127 enrolled in Sunday School with an average attendance of seventy-two. The adult class raised money to paint the church, and the women made another payment on the piano.
During the 1920’s, the Methodist and Baptist people cooperated in planning their church services so that there would be preaching at one of the churches each Sunday. At that time both churches were half-time, with services every other Sunday. The preachers arranged their schedules so that they were out of town on alternate Sundays. Each church had its own Sunday School regularly each week, but had worship services with the other church when its minister was out of town.
J. C. Evans was the preacher in 1923-1924, for the Medina-Tarpley Charge. There were ninety enrolled in Sunday School with nine teachers and officers. Walter Rees served as superintendent of the Sunday School from 1923 to 1925. The Epworth League was reported to be doing excellent work. The League bought and paid for forty-seven copies of the Cokesbury Hymnal for church use. The Woman’s Missionary Society raised some money and made another payment on the piano.
In May 1924, F. E. Whisenhunt, J. H. Whitmore, and Walter Rees were appointed a committee to work with the board of trustees in making a decision about the parsonage property. They were to use their judgement and discretion in deciding whether to sell the parsonage property and erect a new parsonage near the church, or to move the old parsonage building to the church property, or whether to repair the parsonage at its present site. The committee decided to repair the parsonage and leave it where it was.
From 1924-1927, M. P. Burton was pastor of the Medina-Tarpley Charge. While he was minister, a car that had been presented to the charge was given to him. The Epworth League at this time was in excellent condition with twelve to twenty present each Sunday. The League raised money to buy two new windows for the church. The Woman’s Missionary Society raised fifty-four dollars to make another payment on the piano. During the months that followed, the women continued their money making projects. They made their final payment on the piano in the summer of
1925. Then, they started working again to raise funds to do some work on the church.
Attendance at Sunday School and church during these years was good. D. O. Tallman was superintendent of the Sunday School from 1926 to 1928. The next year Prof. E. M. Bowman served as superintendent.
B. J. Gossett was minister of the Medina-Tarpley Charge during the 1927-1928 year. The following year he was minister of the Medina church only. During this time the Woman’s Missionary Society bought a new mattress for the parsonage and paid to have some work done on the church.
J. D. Scott was minister of the Medina Charge in 1929-1930. On December 5, 1929, the Woman’s Missionary Society sent a quilt that they had made to the Orphan’s Home.
In 1930-1931 Medina was in the Bandera Charge again with G. T. Hester as pastor. J. C. Gallant was appointed Sunday School superintendent again. He continued to be superintendent for about twelve years.
In 1930 the Woman’s Missionary Society bought new pews for the church. A project of making their own was undertaken. Some ends that had been cut for pews at another church, but not used, were bought and lumber was purchased for the backs and seats at a total cost of $200.34. J. H. Whitmore was paid $54.00 to make the benches, and Percy Pue was paid $10.00 to varnish them. The cost of the varnish was $12.65. That made a total cost of $276.95. These pews are still being used in the church today.
That same year the W.M.S. sub-district meet was to be in Medina. The ladies needed some extra tables for the noon meal: so they bought some material for $5.95 and had tables made. In the early spring of 1931, the Woman’s Missionary Society bought lumber for the building of an outhouse near the church.
During depression years, the cost of these improvements was great. However, the Woman’s Missionary Society got busy with their various projects and raised the money. The cooperation between all was wonderful. During the years, throughout the history of the church, many of the projects that the women had could not have been carried out without the help of the men. They were always there, supporting the women and donating their labor. So many of the improvements would have been impossible without this free labor. Also, during the years, it is found that the youth and children helped in many ways.
To help raise money in 1932, the W. M. S. had a bazaar and sold plate lunches on election day. They served a plate lunch for twenty-five cents. The Methodist ladies continued this project of serving lunch on election day for several years.
In the 1930’s, attendance at both Sunday School and church was very good. In his report in 1933, the minister, Rev. W. Vasco Teer wrote, “At Medina, the young people’s Sunday School class is one of the finest I have ever known. It is well organized and functioning in all of its departments.” This class, taught by Mrs. Carl Bush, who was a good scholar of the Bible, had twenty-four enrolled with a high percentage of attendance every Sunday. At that time all classes were meeting in the church, occupying different corners and sections of the building. Badly in need of extra space for classes, the Medina Methodist Church asked for permission to move the Medina Methodist Parsonage from its location to the church lot where it could be used for Sunday School rooms when not in use as a parsonage. The committee members elected to move and arrange the building on the church lot were E. H. Sewell, J. C. Gallant, Walter Rees, F. E. Whisenhunt, and J. H. Whitmore.
The idea of moving the parsonage had originated in the Woman’s Missionary Society. On February 23, 1933 a committee composed of Mrs. E. H. Sewell, Mrs. Carl Bush, and Miss Beulah Smith was appointed to contact the trustees about selling the parsonage to help raise money for building a Sunday School room, or moving the parsonage near the church.
Beulah Smith Moore
Pianist and Sunday School Teacher
During the years there were discussions about the wise thing to do. Those were depression years, and there was very little money available. However, the women continued to investigate the possibility of getting extra space for Sunday School classes. On January 25, 1934, two trustees, E. H. Sewell and Walter Rees, and a carpenter, Brook Banta, met with the women to discuss moving the parsonage. The vote was unanimous to tear down the old parsonage and rebuild near the church.
The trustees hired Mr. Brook Banta to oversee the job. The rest of the labor during the construction was volunteer. The old building was torn down and the lumber was used to erect the new building on the lot by the church. On January 28, 1934 the quarterly conference authorized the trustees to sell the parsonage property and turn the money over to the building committee to be applied on the new parsonage.
The women got busy with a number of projects to help with the building expenses. Among their projects was a hen sale which brought in $16.85, and a merchant sale and dinner with a profit of $87.12.
When the parsonage was completed, the youth classes were moved into the building. This relieved some of the crowded conditions in the church.
For several years the parsonage building had one partition down the center, dividing it into two long Sunday School rooms. Later, when a resident minister was appointed and the building was again needed as a parsonage, it was remodeled and made into living quarters. After the minister moved into the parsonage, the youth Sunday School class continued to meet in the living room for a number of years.
W. Vasco Teer remained the minister of the Bandera-Medina Charge for three years. During this time his wife died and the people shared in the sadness of his loss.
On June 7, 1934, the W. M. S. appointed Beulah Smith, Mrs. Fred Whisenhunt, and Mrs. E. H. Sewell as a committee to raise money to make a payment on the parsonage debt.
In 1934-1935, E. W. Dechert became minister of the Bandera-Medina Charge and served for two years. He was followed by 0. E. Moreland, who served during the 1936-1937 year. During this year, the W. M. S. decided to meat all day once a month instead of meeting twice a month as they had been doing.
From 1937 to 1940, H. Ellis Thomas was minister of the Center Point-Medina Charge. One cold wintry Sunday morning while he was preaching, in 1938, some people became chilled during the service. There was a big wood burning stove which stood in the center aisle near the front of the church, but it did not heat the entire building sufficiently. A lot of cold air entered through cracks and crevices. After sitting with cold feet all during the service, one member, Mrs. E. H. Sewell who was president of the Woman’s Missionary Society, decided that something needed to be done about the situation. The following Monday morning she began to contact members to see if enough money could be raised to remodel the church. She continued working until all members had been contacted. She found, with all the help in labor that members were willing to give, that a sufficient amount of money could be raised for the project. Plans were made and by early spring, the remodeling was under way. The official board appointed Mr. D. O. Tallman to be in charge of the work.
Medina Church after remodeling in 1938
The decision was made to stucco the building. Also, it was decided to place the belfry in the center and have only one front door instead of two. As additional Sunday School space was needed, rooms were built on either side of the rostrum. The men spent many hours completely remodeling the church. Women and children helped by pulling nails out of boards that were to be used again and by doing other odd jobs. Also, the women took turns preparing lunch and bringing it for the workers each day. The minister, H. Ellis Thomas, a very capable leader, did his share of the remodeling.
By June, the church was completed and ready for dedication. A committee composed of Mrs. Fred Whisenhunt. Mrs. Walter Rees, and Miss Beulah Smith was appointed to send invitations to former pastors and others. On June 19, 1938, the dedication service was held. The building was dedicated to the work of God, and it has been used for that purpose since.
After the church was remodeled, Mrs. B. P. Collins had a tree planted in front of the building on the left. Later, another tree was planted on the right side. In the fall of 1938, the Woman’s Missionary Society bought a new stove for the church and started making payments on it.
Following the unification of the three major branches of Methodism in 1939, the Woman’s Missionary Society became the Woman’s Society of Christian Service. On September 20, 1940 the pastor. H. Ellis Thomas, made a formal statement dissolving the old organizations and creating and organizing the new United Methodist Church and the Woman’s Society of Christian Service. Mrs. A. N. Sewell, the local president of the Woman’s Missionary Society at that time, became the president of the new organization, the Woman’s Society of Christian Service.
Vernon Williams, Wallace LeStourgeon, and James A. Gallant served as Sunday School superintendents during the 1940’s. Interest and attendance at Sunday School was very good during those years, especially during the latter part of the decade when the attendance ranged from eighty to one hundred each Sunday.
From 1940 to 1942, B. E. Breihan served the Medina-Legion Charge. In April, 1942, the Woman’s Society of Christian Service bought fifty new songbooks, including two with hard backs.
In 1942-1943, E. F. Kluck served the Bandera-Medina Charge. He was followed by Ralph W. Seiler, who served very efficiently through 1942-1944.
In 1945-1946 the charge was Medina-Hunt with Clement E. Lewis serving from November 1945 until April 1946. Murphy Duncan served from June 8, 1946 until August 11, 1946. George Hardy, Chaplain of the Veterans Administration Hospital at Kerrville, finished the year.
In 1946-1947, Medina again had a resident minister, Russel Heaner. In 1946, plans were being made for constructing a building which could be used for Sunday School and church functions, for youth activities and for community affairs. Church members made donations and public subscriptions were taken from people in the community. Rev. Heaner was very active in contacting people to help with the project. The money was raised and the youth center building was erected. Since that time, it has been very useful both to the church and the community. The Rotary Club and the Volunteer Fire Department use the building regularly.
After the youth center was built, Mrs. Isabel Anderson, an associate member and friend of the church, sent her gardener, Swen Nilson, to plant shrubs and trees in the church yard. Most of the shrubs and trees found in the yard today are those put out at that time.
Beginning with the 1947-1948 year, Rev. John Campbell became the resident pastor. He served the Medina Church for three years. Mrs. Campbell was active in youth work, organizing and directing youth groups. She sponsored banquets and other social events for the youth.
In May, 1950, Philip Riley became minister at Medina and served the church for three years. In 1951′ the W. S. C. S. bought an unfinished communion table for $15.00 and finished it themselves. That same year the official board had the street paved in front of the church.
In 1952, Vernon Williams was again appointed superintendent of the Sunday School. He has continued to be the superintendent since that date. In 1952-1953, attendance at both Sunday School and church was good. More space was needed for classes. Plans were discussed for building an annex to the church for Sunday School rooms, but a severe drought caused the building plans to be dropped.
That year, in addition to the Woman’s Society of Christian Service, a Circle was organized with both doing good work. An excellent Vacation Bible School was held that summer with Mrs. Fred McKissick as director and with fourteen workers and forty-seven children enrolled. The M. Y. F. was reorganized with Richard Carr as president.
In October of 1952, Mrs. Velma Elliot gave material for an altar cover, and Mrs. Meda Bauerlein made the cover in memory of Mrs. B. P. Collins.
In 1953-1954, Charles Runk was appointed minister of the Medina Church. Soon after he arrived, the parsonage was completely redecorated, making it comfortable and attractive. New windows were placed in the church and the window frames were painted. The pastor’s study was redecorated, and a piano was purchased for the Youth Center. The young people were very active in Sunday School, church, and M. Y. F. They had a large class and had to meet in the living room of the parsonage. The junior class had to meet in the kitchen of the Youth Center.
During the 1954-1955 year, Charles Runk was married to a local girl, Onita Fee. The church school was in excellent condition with one hundred enrolled. In the summer, there were never below seventy in attendance. As more class rooms were needed so badly, the porch of the Youth Center was enclosed to provide four more classrooms. Vacation Church School was excellent again that year with fifty-four enrolled.
In September, 1954, Charles Runk was placed in a new appointment and Rev. E. A. Morgan was appointed to take his place as resident minister at Medina. Rev. Morgan remained the minister for the next nine years, until he retired in June, 1963.
Rev. and Mrs. Elmer Morgan
The church floors were refinished in 1955. In 1957 candle holders for the communion table were given by Mrs. W. B. Dukes in memory of her husband. From 1960 to 1963 there was an active M. Y. F. group sponsored by Mrs. Morgan. Enrollment in Sunday School dropped to sixty-five with an average attendance of forty. One reason for the decrease was the economy of the country. Younger couples with children could no longer make a living on the farms and ranches in the vicinity. They were having to move to the cities to find employment. At the same time, older people and retired people were buying the farms and ranches. Many of these did not live in Medina permanently. They wanted the places in the beautiful hill country for recreational purposes on weekends and during vacations.
In 1963-1964 the Medina and North Medina Lake churches were in the same charge with David Parsons, Jr. as minister. On February 9, 1964 the Medina Lake Church asked that the name be changed to Lakehills United Methodist Church. This change was granted.
Don Lilljedahl was the pastor for the Medina-Lakehills Charge during the 1964-1965 year and during the first half of the following year. At that time, he was transferred to a new position. John Provance of Lakehills preached for several weeks until Jack W. Franklin, Chaplain at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Kerrville, was appointed to complete the year.
In October, 1965, the W. S. C. S. bought new Methodist Hymnals for the church. Most of the books were given as memorials. On March 27, 1966, a spiral back song book for the piano was given to the church by Mrs. Florence Jenness in memory of her husband.
In 1966, a central heating and cooling system was installed in the church. A nice sum of money was left to the church by Mr. Ratcliff, the father of Mrs. E. I. Bailey. This was applied to the cost of the air conditioning unit. The remainder of the money came from donations of church members.
The M. Y. F. was quite active at this time. In September, 1966, four of the youth who were in a civics class chose as their project the varnishing of the chairs in the Youth Center, provided the W. S. C. S. furnished the varnish. Of course, the women were very happy to do so.
In October, 1966, Mrs. W. 0. Hatfield, Jr. refinished the old pulpit so that it could be used in the vestibule of the church as a place to put the memorial book which the W. S. C. S. had bought. The old pulpit had been replaced by a new one that had been given to the church by Mr. and Mrs. C. O. Nesting in memory of Mrs. Nesting’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Stanard. The pulpit which is still being used today, was made and finished by Charles Applegate of Bandera.
Another memorial gift to the church was a lighted cross to hang above the pulpit. It was given by Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Akin in memory of their parents. Earlier a large picture, “Saliman’s Head of Christ”, was given to the church by Mrs. L. L. Smith in memory of Mrs. Mollie Harrell.
B. L. Mattingly was appointed pastor of the Medina-Lakehills Charge in 1966. He remained the minister for the next six years.
During the 1967-1968 year, a new roof was put on the Youth Center and some repairs were made on the church. A communion service for use in homes was given to the church by Mrs. Florence Jenness. Mr. and Mrs. E. I. Bailey gave a new red carpet runner for the church. This was given in honor of Rev. and Mrs. Elmer Morgan.
There was a building improvement program during the 1969-1970 year. The sanctuary was paneled and other necessary repairs were made. Also, two rooms, the hall, and the bathroom of the parsonage were remodeled and paneled. The Woman’s Society of Christian Service bought material to remodel and enlarge the kitchen in the Youth Center. Murry LeStourneon donated his labor in doing the work. A partition was removed, and a room that was once a small Sunday School room was added to the kitchen to provide more space. Additional cabinets were built and a new linoleum floor was laid.
In 1970-1971, there were more improvements of the church property. With the leadership and able assistance of Mr. and Mrs. Dean Isaacs, who had returned to make their home at Medina, the Youth Center was remodeled. The stage was torn out, a wall was built and the space was put into Sunday School rooms. Murry LeStourgeon helped pour the concrete floor.
The next project was to refinish the church pews. This, also, was under the leadership of the Isaacs. A number of people, including the youth, helped with this work.
The United Methodist Women, as the woman’s organization was now called, bought cushions for the church pews in 1971. Most of the cushions were given by members of the U. M. W. in memory of loved ones.
For the 1971-1972 year, Lewis B. White was appointed the minister of the Bandera-Medina Charge. He remained the minister for three years.
During the 1971-1972 year, the improvements in the Youth Center were completed. A new ceiling was put up and two new window air conditioners were installed. Another room in the parsonage was paneled and all windows were glazed and painted. Also, the outside woodwork was painted. A concrete porch and step were constructed at the parsonage.
During the same year, an organ was purchased for the church. It was dedicated on April 16, 1972. Funds for the organ were received from the estate of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Akin. Mrs. Dean Isaacs was organist. She has served in that capacity since, while Dean Isaacs has served as song leader.
During a bad hail storm in 1974, a number of windows in the church were broken. The U. M. W. appointed a committee composed of Thelma Gallant, Mrs. E. I. Bailey, Mrs. George Williams, and Kathryn McBryde to investigate the possibility of replacing the windows with stained glass windows. The committee made a number of trips to the Black Glass Company in San Antonio and brought back samples of both stained glass and faceted glass to show church members. The decision was made to use the faceted glass, not only because of its beauty, but because it was more hail proof. There was concern as to whether the money could be raised for such a major project, but in a very short time all windows were given as memorials to loved ones. In addition to the windows, the front doors of the church and the four interior doors were also given as memorial gifts. The list of the donors will not be made here as the names can be found on bronze plaques on the window sills and on the walls near the doors.
After the windows were installed, a dedication service was held on September 29, 1974 with Bishop 0. Eugene Slater and District Superintendent Milton Dare taking part. Rev. Lewis B. White was minister at the time.
As a result of the generous giving of so many, the building became a beautiful little church. However, something seemed to be missing. One Sunday morning the Sunday School Superintendent, Vernon Williams, made the remark that the thing that was missing was a steeple. At the next official board meeting, a motion was made to buy a steeple from the general fund. All were in favor of this. The steeple was bought and placed on the church. Now, the church building seemed complete, with its steeple pointing toward heaven.
Mr. and Mrs Vernon Williams
Sunday School Superintendent for over 30 years.
In 1975-1976, J. Wesley Jones was appointed to the Bandera-Medina Charge. The following year. 1976-1977, C. Herman Murph was appointed to serve the Medina Charge. He is still the minister during this centennial
In 1950, the Methodist Church and the Baptist Church each deeded the other one-half of lots number seventeen and nineteen of the Reed Addition. Each church owned a long, narrow lot running all the way across from one church to the other. This was not very convenient for parking or for other church use; so a committee was appointed to see what arrangement could be made. Two from the Baptist Church, F. A. Masters and J. B. MacNaughton, and two from the Methodist Church, J. C. Gallant and W. G. Ankele, were appointed to work out an agreement between the two churches. An agreement was made to convey the northwest half of lots numbered seventeen and nineteen to the Baptists and the Southeast half of each of these lots to the Methodists. This transaction was effected through mutual deeds by the trustees of the Medina Methodist Church and the deacons of the Medina Baptist Church on March 23, 1950. These deeds were duly recorded in the Deed Record of the County Clerks Office of Bandera County on April 5, 1950. Those signing the deeds were Methodist Church trustees W. G. Ankele, Clarence Bauerlein, and W. C. Bush, and Baptist Church deacons H. L. Porter, C. C. Allen, R. D. Garrison, and J. R. Justice.
From 1958 to 1970, Rev. Allen Schoff, a retired minister living in the community, assisted greatly with church work. He preached when the minister was out of town. Also, he helped with-the communion service, and taught a men’s Bible Class. Likewise, Mrs. Schoff was very active in church work, serving as assistant pianist, teaching a Sunday School class, and working in the women’s organization.
In 1978, the U. M. W. bought carpet for the Youth Center. Also, they bought 120 new chairs. Most of the old wooden chairs were sold and the money was applied on the new ones. The tables in the Youth Center were given a few years earlier by Mrs. Luciel Muehl. Also, she gave a sixty-four piece set of stainless flatware to be used for church dinners and Rotary Club meals.
During the past thirty years, most of the funds raised by the United Methodist Women were from the annual bazaar held each year on the first Saturday in December. Through the cooperation of all the church women, the bazaar has always been very successful. During the past several years, additional funds were raised by selling greeting cards and gift items throughout the year. The women used the money for improvement of church property and for church sponsored activities.
On February 25, 1959, the W. S. C. S. voted to start a “Love Offering”, which was to be used for sending flowers to the sick and for other acts of love. Since that time, the women have continued their “Love Offering” fund, through which they can express their love and concern for others.
About 1976, a metal canopy was put up at the front entrance of the church. Also, hand rails, given by Mrs. Ira Bell, were placed by the steps at the front entrance. Two years later a metal canopy was placed at the rear entrance.
The most recent improvement was made a few weeks ago when the men’s restroom in the Youth Center was remodeled. Also, some work was done on the ladies’ restroom and a small porch was built on the south side of the building. As in the past, the labor was donated by G. T. Williams, Jr., Henry Lewis, Hough LeStourgeon, Ward McCollough and others.
This brings the history of the church up to the time of the Centennial Celebration on April 26, 1981. The entire membership has cooperated and worked hard for a successful celebration.
Henry Lewis and G.T. Williams, Jr.
Working at latest church improvement project
Methodist Church in Centennial Year 1981
Now while looking to the future, we come to the close of this church century ‘…with profound gratitude to the God who gave us the heritage which is ours,and who challenges us with the tremendous opportunity of this day in which we live.” May the Medina United Methodist Church meet this challenge and continue to carry the glowing ember in years to come.
By: Thelma Gallant
INTERIOR CHANGES
1997 Remodel
1960 before Pulpit window installation
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русский Українська English (UK)
Ships 1/144
German T ype UB-I submarine
German Type UB-I submarine
The Type UB I was a class of small coastal submarines (U-boats) built in Germany at the beginning of the First World War.
Built to meet the need for small maneuverable submarines able to operate in the narrow, shallow seas off Flanders, the vessels were intended to be quickly constructed, then shipped by rail and assembled at their port of operation. The design effort began in mid-August 1914 and by mid-October the first 15 boats were ordered from two German shipyards. The German Imperial Navy subsequently ordered an additional pair of boats to replace two sold to Austria-Hungary, who ordered a further three boats in April 1915. A total of 20 UB Is were built. Construction of the first boats for Germany began in early November 1914; all 20 were completed by October 1915. Several of the first boats underwent trials in German home waters, but the rest were assembled and tested at either Antwerp or Pola. The German boats operated primarily in the Flanders, Baltic, and Constantinople Flotillas. The boats were about 28 metres (92 ft) long and displaced 127 tonnes (125 long tons) when surfaced and 142 tonnes (140 long tons) while submerged. All had two bow torpedo tubes and two torpedoes, and were equipped with a deck-mounted machine gun.
In 1918 four of the surviving German boats were converted into coastal minelayers. Of the seventeen boats in German service, two were sold to Austria-Hungary, one was sold to Bulgaria, and nine were lost during the war. One of the five Austro-Hungarian boats was sunk and another mined and not repaired. The five surviving German boats, the four surviving Austro-Hungarian boats, and the Bulgarian boat were all turned over to the Allies after the end of the war and were broken up.
Dowload instruction.
© MikroMir 2020
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Help Me to Create My Bucket List
I know a young woman who has a great ambition. She wants to see a major league baseball game in the city and at the home field of each major league team. I met someone years ago who has planned to go to the state capital of every U.S. State. I know of people who plan to visit numerous famous churches, from Notre Dame in Paris, to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, to St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in NYC.
Those are all laudable endeavors but I thought it might be fun to have one of my own. So, here it is: I would like to see in my lifetime, the most beautiful and/or famous and/or significant libraries around the world. I thought it would be fun to start with The George Peabody Library, shown below.
Have you got beautiful or significantly important libraries that you might recommend to me? Of course, they must have public access. Feel free to find a way to add your proposed library to my list. If possible, add a pic and tell me a little bit about it!
The following information about The George Peabody Library was found on the History page at www.peabodyevents.library.jhu.edu.
The George Peabody Library, formerly the LIbrary of the Peabody Institute of the City of Baltimore, dates from the founding of the Peabody Institute in 1857 when George Peabody dedicated the Institute to the citizens of Baltimore.
the Institute originally comprised a free public library. . . . It first opened in 1878. The building contains five tiers or ornamental cast-iron balconies. The skylight is 61 feet high.
The library contains over 300,000 titles, including those in archaeology, British art and architecture, history, biography, literature, languages, the classics, geography, exploration and travel and maps.
The George Peabody Library is now a non-circulating collection that is open to the general public.
It Already Happened!
I have often read of the different approaches writers take to their work. Some have every scene mapped out in advance, every character portrait painted, before the opening words find their way to the page. Others just—let it happen. It seems to me that both approaches have their benefits—and their downfalls. If all is planned in advance, will there be surprises sufficient to continue to engage the reader? On the other hand, if events are allowed to happen without any advance thought, will what ultimately transpires prove to be internally consistent? Then, of course, we writers tell our stories through our characters and—as every writer knows—characters have minds of their own.
It is true. A writer may begin with the purest of intentions, but as things trip off from the ends of the writer’s fingers to the keyboard and onto the screen—things happen. Characters do and say things that were not anticipated. These things may leave the writer shocked, laughing, or even mourning. Add to that the fact that characters think their own thoughts, from the purest to the most despicable. Thus, this writer often finds herself wondering: was that always inside of me? Was it just a matter of my not having entertained those thoughts in the past?
From where do these unexpected turns and revelations come? Does a writer dream them first? Are they floating around in her subconscious mind until they simply burst out from the tips of her fingers? And, what is this writer to do with the wayward character who simply will not abide by the rules, who displays skills of which I previously had been unaware, who says the most outrageous things, or perhaps, who says nothing at all. . . ?
When I started writing my first full-length work, I knew the opening scene, the key issue I wished to address, and the ultimate means by which the central dilemma would be resolved—but that was about it. As I set out, characters came and left as scenes unfolded before me. (I wonder, when a reader says that the work has twists and turns and unexpected surprises, do those things line up with what this writer herself was surprised to discover?) The unexpected quick wit of a participant in the story could make be burst into laughter. The history that a character told could leave me loving or hating him, but in either case, knowing him better. And what was I to do with the character who, as the story unfolded, turned out to be something I had not known in advance? There were times in my writing when, until the words were presented before me in black and white on the computer screen, I was as surprised as might be any future reader. And then, of course, I also experienced the phenomenon of a character who showed up unexpectedly in a scene. Nearing the end of my first work, putting together the final scenes, I wrote: “One more time, the great oak door opened and closed. Mara glanced upwards. The latest and last of the Council members to arrive. . . .”
The sound of my fingers skittering over the keyboard stopped.
I looked up from the keyboard to the screen for confirmation. Was it possible? Could that person be there, in that role, at that time, doing that thing? I started to examine this new discovery, using all my best lawyerly skills. Does it work? Is it consistent?
Yes, characters can do amazing things. To illustrate this further, I thought I would share a quick excerpt from an article I recently read. “A Hard-Boiled Music,” by Otto Penzler, was published in the September 16, 2013, issue of National Review. The article is about a recently deceased author, Elmore Leonard. Penzler compares Leonard’s writing to “a beautiful jazz riff.” I admit I have not read any works by Leonard, so I am unable to speak to his “voice.” In any case, according to Penzler, it was Leonard’s “habit” to have only “a vague idea of what he wanted to write. . . .” Leonard “rarely knew where the plot was going to take him.” Rather, for Leonard, “by the time he had gotten to the halfway mark, his guys, as he called them, had taken over, frequently surprising him.” Penzler then proceeds to tell the following story about a conversation he had once had with Leonard:
He liked to talk about his books while they were in progress and once was dismayed about an unexpected turn of events. He was telling a story when he said he didn’t know what he was going to do. He was up to page 130 and some minor character had just shot the guy who was supposed to be the hero—or at least the most important figure in the book, as it was not Leonard’s style to make his characters genuine heroes. . . .
I suggested rewriting the scene in which his protagonist went and got himself killed. He looked at me incredulously. “No, you don’t understand,” he said. “It already happened. He’s dead. You can’t bring him back.”
Yes, characters can surprise us. For this writer, it is that fact that drives me in my continuing endeavor to tell a story.
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OECD Home Bribery and corruptionLithuania has made significant legislative reforms to fight foreign bribery and should now ensure effective anti-bribery enforcement
Lithuania has made significant legislative reforms to fight foreign bribery and should now ensure effective anti-bribery enforcement
18/12/2017 - Lithuania has taken significant steps to strengthen its legislative framework to combat foreign bribery. Yet further efforts are needed to ensure effective enforcement of anti-bribery laws with regard to corporate liability and imposing sanctions for foreign bribery, including confiscation, according to a new report by the OECD Working Group on Bribery.
The 44-country OECD Working Group on Bribery has just completed its report on Lithuania's implementation of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and related instruments.
The Working Group made recommendations to improve Lithuania's fight against foreign bribery, including:
Train investigators and prosecutors on confiscation, and take steps to ensure that law enforcement authorities and prosecutors routinely seek confiscation in foreign bribery cases;
Ensure that Lithuania’s Special Investigations Service is adequately resourced to carry out foreign bribery investigations;
Strengthen frameworks to detect, investigate and prosecute foreign bribery-based money laundering; and
Improve efforts by relevant supervisory authorities and professional associations to raise awareness of the need to detect and report the foreign bribery offence.
The report also notes a number of positive developments, such as the enactment of a comprehensive, standalone whistleblower protection legislation that will enter into force on 1 January 2019, and significant reforms to Lithuania’s anti-money laundering legislation, as well as its criminal sanctions framework, increasing the maximum available sanctions for natural and legal persons for foreign bribery. The report recognises the extensive awareness-raising efforts by Lithuania’s Special Investigations Service in the public and private sectors. Lithuania also has two ongoing criminal investigations for the foreign bribery offence. The Working Group will follow-up on the practice of prosecutors and judges in respectively seeking and imposing fines in foreign bribery cases to ensure that these are effective, proportionate and dissuasive.
The Working Group on Bribery – made up of the 35 OECD Member countries plus Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Lithuania, Peru, Russia and South Africa – adopted Lithuania’s report in its second phase of monitoring implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention. The Report, available here, lists all of the recommendations of the Working Group to Lithuania on pages [77-80], and includes an overview of recent enforcement actions and specific legal, policy and institutional features of Lithuania’s framework to fight foreign bribery.
Lithuania will provide an oral follow-up report to the Working Group on its implementation of certain recommendations by December 2018. It will further submit a written follow-up report by December 2019 on steps it has taken to implement all of the recommendations. This report will be publicly available.
For more information, journalists are invited to contact Daisy Pelham of the OECD’s Anti-Corruption Division (tel. +33 1 45 24 90 81).
For further information on OECD’s work to fight corruption, visit : www.oecd.org/corruption/
Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.
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To gain a 10% discount, use the link below & the code MusicWeb10
Geoffrey BUSH (1920-1998)
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime - an Opera in One Act (1972) [53:20]
Concerto for trumpet, piano and strings (1962) [20:45]
David Johnson (tenor), Lynne Dawson (soprano), Alan Watt (baritone), Donald Maxwell (baritone), Anne Pashley (soprano), Eirian James (mezzo-soprano), Anne Collins (contralto), John Winfield (tenor), Philip Riley (baritone), Geoffrey Moses (bass-baritone), Musicians of London/Simon Joly.
Patrick Addinall (trumpet) Hamish Milne (piano) BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Bryden Thomson
rec. BBC Studio Recording 27 July 1986 (Savile), BBC Broadcast 8 May 1986 (Trumpet)
LYRITA REAM.1131 [74:08]
I often tell people that I do not like opera: and then spend the next fifteen minutes listing the exceptions. From Gilbert & Sullivan’s Yeoman of the Guard to Iain Hamilton’s The Constantine Conspiracy and from Mozart’s Magic Flute to Harrison Birtwistle’s Punch and Judy, I have been enchanted by a combination of music, acting, scenery and effects for nearly 50 years of listening to classical music. I guess, what I mean when I say I do not like opera is a) I would rather hear a symphony, sonata, or concerto and b) I have not spent much time studying and thinking about the genre.
Geoffrey Bush is a case in point. Although there are not too many of his works recorded, I have long rated his Symphonies No.1 and No.2 ‘The Guildford’, as well as the Overture: Yorick, and the splendid Music for Orchestra. All these works have been issued and re-issued by Lyrita over the years. Another facet of Bush’s achievement are the songs and chamber works. These have been explored by the Chandos and Lyrita labels.
Although I have read Geoffrey Bush’s two volumes of autobiography, Left, Right and Centre, (1983) and An Unsentimental Education (1990), I never really ‘clocked’ that he had composed six operas and stage pieces plus incidental music for The Merchant of Venice. At least the information never sunk in.
The present opera, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime has impressed me. I would love to see a full performance. The libretto, the music and the performance line up to present a hugely satisfactory and ultimately entertaining stage work.
Christopher Palmer (Bush, 1990) has evaluated Geoffrey Bush’s operatic achievement: the operas are ‘good, short, comic operas, with witty librettos and sparkling spontaneous sounding music, which have always been in short supply.’ Add to this the fact that most of Bush’s operas are easy to stage – limited scenery changes and props, no chorus and small orchestra – it is not hard to see the potential for them being economical productions (at least as far as any opera can be deemed economical!)
Whilst at Lancing College, Bush had played the part of Gwendolen Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest. This led to his admiration for Oscar Wilde, and ultimately to the present production.
Geoffrey Bush’s opera Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime is based on the eponymous short story, published by Oscar Wilde in The Court and Society Review, in 1887. Four years later, it appeared in the collection Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories. This volume included ‘The Canterville Ghost’, ‘The Sphinx without a Secret’’ and ‘The Model Millionaire.’ I do not want to ‘plot spoil’, as I guess that there are people who have forgotten ‘my lord’s’ story. I will say that it is tale about a member of the nobility, who is told by a palmist that he will commit murder. He resolves to get the deed out of the way before he marries his beloved, Miss Sibyl Merton…
The opera is presented in one act with three scenes. Bush has removed some of the action from the story and has simply referred to it in passing. This conveniently brings the work down to under the hour. The first scene is set in Lady Windermere’s house where the guests are enjoying a party. Scene two plays out in the shop of an anarchist in Soho. The third is set on the banks of the Thames, near Blackfriars Bridge, EC4. In his book Left, Right and Centre (1983), Bush points out that this is a happy coincidence: it was the address of the Guildhall School, who had commissioned the opera. It was premiered there on 5 December 1972.
The size of the band was limited by the dimensions of the Guildhall School’s orchestra pit. Bush wrote for only 30 players, omitted a section of violins and included a piano. There is no chorus: where it would be required in the libretto during the opening party scene it falls to an ensemble of soloists.
The progress of the opera is quite conventional with ‘set numbers’ interspersed with recitatives, often unaccompanied and occasionally spoken parts. The orchestral part is clever. Often pared down to the minimum, it complements the singing perfectly. Bush has quoted a few bars of music by Mendelssohn and Wagner. Look out for Sibyl’s ‘Victorian Ballad’ in Scene 1. This is a setting of words by Dollie Radford, who was a contemporary of Oscar Wilde. Palmer (Bush, 1990) has noted that this song reflects the composer’s interest in Victorian music (Bush edited music by Parry, Stanford and Sterndale Bennett for the Musica Britannica series). This ballad is not pastiche, but per Palmer, ‘a Victorian ballad seen from a contemporary composer’s point of view – [through] the Stravinskian distorting mirror.’
Musically, Lord Arthur Savile's Crime is immediately approachable. Bearing in mind that this was a comic opera set in the days of Queen Victoria, the composer felt that the use of ‘jazz’ was inappropriate; neither were the paradigms of expressionism such as ‘total chromaticism, dissonances, angular vocal and dislocated rhythmic structures…’ (Bush, Musical Times December 1972) suitable either. Furthermore, Bush has avoided the use of a simplistic musical language that may have been acceptable in some ‘comic operettas’ of the past. I think that he has created a perfect fusion of his own style that ‘compliments the great subtlety of elegant wit and irony of the libretto.’
The other work on this CD is the Concerto for Trumpet, Piano and String Orchestra, dating from 1962. The liner notes explain that it is an orchestrated and heavily revised version of Bush’s Sonata for trumpet and piano written in 1945. The present incarnation was first performed at the Royal Festival Hall on 16 December 1963, with David Mason, trumpet and Ian Lake, piano. The Concerto is in three movements: an opening toccata, a dreamy nocturne and a finale. The heart of this work is the moody and lugubrious Nocturne that oozes ‘smoochiness’ and evokes smoke-filled jazz clubs of a past generation. I guess that I feel this work is a little imbalanced. The opening toccata and the finale are totally different in mood, perhaps neo-classical, but certainly not overtly jazzy. The middle movement holds its own against cross-genre masterpieces such as Richard Rodney Bennett’s Jazz Calendar, Mátyás Seiber’s Improvisations for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra and Leonard Salzedo’s Rendezvous for a similar combination. By the way, if you do not know these three works, and like jazz-infused classical music, try to hear them.
The CD booklet provides the ‘complete’ libretto, which is helpful: dialogue is omitted. It could have been keyed into the tracks. On the other hand, all soloists sing their parts with such clarity of diction that the libretto is hardly necessary, except for study purposes. The briefest of glances at the list of performers require no recommendation from me. There is a generous essay on Geoffrey Bush as well as a good introduction to the opera and concerto. The sound quality is perfect, bearing in mind that these works have been quarried from Richard Itter’s archive of ‘off-air’ recordings. These are proving to be a major treasure trove of British music.
Geoffrey Bush Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime is yet another superb release from Lyrita that explores one more facet of one of Britain’s much undervalued composers.
Previous review: Paul Corfield Godfrey
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Governors of Connecticut
William Leete
From: The Governers of Connecticut
By: Frederick Calvin Norton
WILLIAM Leete is generally known in history as the sturdy governor who sheltered and defended the regicides when they were in Guilford. This was one of the unimportant incidents of a particularly busy life, yet it has found a place in various local histories and in more pretentious biographical works. His ancestors were members of an ancient family. Gerard Letie, or Leete, owned lands in 1209, during the reign of King John, in Morden, Cambridgeshire. Matthew Lety, John Leet, Henry Leete, were all Englishmen of prominence and their names appear in the public rçcords previous to the year 1550.
William Leete was the son of John Leete, of Dodington, and Anna Shute, daughter of one of the justices of the King’s Court. He was born in Dodington, Huntingdonshire, England, in 1612 or 1613. Educated as a lawyer, Leete was for a time clerk of a Bishop’s Court at Cambridge, where he witnessed the oppression and cruelties imposed on the unoffènding Puritans.
In 1643 Leete and Samuel Desborough met the Court at New Haven, when New Haven colony was planned and organized. He was one of the deputies from Guilford to the General Court of New Haven colony until 1650; and from 1651 to 1658 was magistrate of the town. During the latter year he was elected deputy governor of the colony, and continued in the office until he was chosen governor in 1661. He held this position until the union of the colony with Connecticut in 1664. After the consolidation of the colonies Leete was an assistant until 1669 when he was chosen deputy governor of Connecticut colony. He was reelected to this office annually until 1676, when he became governor of the colony.
Shortly after his election as governor, Leete moved to Hartford from Guilford, and he resided in that town until his death in 1683. His remains were buried in the old cemetery at Hartford; and Treasurer John Talcott made an entry in his account book that it cost the colony eleven pounds of powder for firing the “Great Gun at Gov’r leetes funerall.”
Governor Leete was a popular official; his administration abounded with good results through a particularly difficult period, and his great integrity won the approbation of friends and enemies. Dr. Trumbull wrote of him: “He died full of years and good works.” Paifrey summed up his public life in these words: “Leete was an intelligent and virtuous ruler and Connecticut prospered under his care.”
The story of Governor Leete’s experience with the regicidesGoffe and Whalley - when they fled to New England, upon the restoration of Charles I., is as follows:
Ezra Stiles in that curious little volume, “The Judges,” states that Goffe and Whalley were in Guilford twice. The first time was when they were flying from Boston to New Haven. The second visit has been the foundation of a story, which, according to Dr. Bernard C. Steiner, the brilliant historian of Guilford, is much disputed as some of the details are clearly wrong. Goffe and Whalley probably went to Governor Leete’s home and were secreted there several days and nights. Finally the judges returned to their
place of concealment in New Haven. There is a tradition given credence in several histories that the governor’s daughter, Anna, who afterward became the wife of John Trowbridge of New Haven, fed the regicides from the governor’s table. Dr. Steiner, an eminent authority, says these men were hidden in Guilford, if at all, in June, i66i. President Stiles relates the story thus:
“It is an anecdote still preserved in that family that she (the governor’s daughter Anna) used often to say that when she was a little girl these good men lay concealed some time in the cellar of her father’s store, but she did not know it until afterward; that she well remembered that at the time of it she and the rest of the children were strictly prohibited from going near that store for some days, and that she and the children wondered at it and could not perceive the reason of it at that time, though they knew afterward.”
“Tradition says that they were, however, constantly supplied with victuals from the governor’s table, sent to them by the maid who long atter was wont to glory in it - that she had fed those heavenly men.” As the governor’s daughter, Anna, referred to in this anecdote, was born on March 10, 1661, and the regicides were there in June of the same year, the error is obvious.
Return to [History at Ray's Place]
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Hear the Hagia Sophia’s Awe-Inspiring Acoustics Get Recreated with Computer Simulations, and Let Yourself Get Transported Back to the Middle Ages
in Architecture, Art, Music, Science, Stanford | January 4th, 2018 3 Comments
The technology used to produce, record, and process music has become ever more sophisticated and awe-inspiring, especially in the capability of software to emulate real instruments and acoustic environments. Digital emulation, or “modeling,” as it’s called, doesn’t simply mimic the sounds of guitar amplifiers, pianos, or synthesizers. At its best, it reproduces the feel of an aural experience, its textures and sonic dimensions, while also adding a seemingly infinite degree of flexibility.
When it comes to a technology called “convolution reverb,” we can virtually feel the air pressure of sound in a physical space, such that “listening in may be viewed as much as a spatial experience as it is a temporal one.” So notes Stanford’s Icons of Sound, a collaboration between the University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) and the Department of Art & Art History. The researchers in this joint project have combined resources to create a performance of Byzantine chant from the 6th century CE, simulated to sound like it takes place inside a prime acoustic environment designed for this very music, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.
Built by the emperor Justinian between 532 and 537, when the city was Constantinople, the massive church (later mosque and now state-run museum) “has an extraordinarily large nave spreading over 70 meters in length; it is surrounded by colonnaded aisles and galleries. Marble covers the floor and walls.” Its center is “crowned by a dome glittering in gold mosaics and rising 56 meters above the ground.” The effect of the building's heavy, reflective surfaces and its architectural enormity “challenges our contemporary expectation of the intelligibility of language.”
We are accustomed to hear the spoken or sung word clearly in dry, non-reverberant spaces in order to decode the encoded message. By contrast, the wet acoustics of Hagia Sophia blur the intelligibility of the message, making words sound like emanation, emerging from the depth of the sea.
The Icons of Sound team has reconstructed the underwater acoustics of the Hagia Sophia using convolution reverb techniques and what are called “impulse responses”—recordings of the reverberations in particular spaces, which are then loaded into software to digitally simulate the same psychoacoustics, a process known as “auralization.” CCRMA describes an impulse response as an “imprint of the space,” which is then applied to sounds recorded in other environments. Typically, the process is used in studio music production, but Icons of Sound brought it to live performance at Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall last year, and made the group Cappella Romana sound like their voices had transported from the Holy Roman Empire.
“To recreate the unique sound,” writes Kat Eschner at Smithsonian, “performers sang while listening to the simulated acoustics of Hagia Sophia through earphones. Their singing was then put through the same acoustic simulator and played during the live performance through speakers in the concert hall.” As you can hear in these clips, the result is immersive and profound. One can only imagine what it must have been like live. To complete the effect, the production used “atmospheric reinforcement,” notes Stanford Live, “via projected images and lighting." The audience was “immersed in an environment where the unique interplay of music, light, art, and sacred text has the potential to induce a quasi-mystical state of revelation and wonder.”
The only sounds the researchers were able to record in the actual space of the ancient church were four popping balloons. By layering the reverberations captured in these recordings, and compensating for the different decay times inside the Bing, they were able to approximate the acoustic properties of the building. You can hear several more audio samples recorded in different places at this site. In the video above, associate professor of medieval art Bissera Pentcheva explains how and why the Hagia Sophia shapes sound and light the way it does. While purists might prefer to see a performance in the actual space, one must admit, the ability to virtually deliver a version of it to potentially any concert hall in the world is pretty cool.
via The Smithsonian
David Byrne: How Architecture Helped Music Evolve
The Same Song Sung in 15 Places: A Wonderful Case Study of How Landscape & Architecture Shape the Sounds of Music
What Did Ancient Greek Music Sound Like?: Listen to a Reconstruction That’s ‘100% Accurate’
Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness.
BARBU EDUARD says:
There ARE mosaics of humans in the Hagia Sophia. It isn’t all floral or geometric. It was first a church. Islamic conquerors covered human forms. now a museum, you can see the early Christian mosaics.
Rad says:
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Randomville
Music => Music Discussion => Topic started by: Dan on April 21, 2016, 01:31:01 PM
Title: RIP Prince
Post by: Dan on April 21, 2016, 01:31:01 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/arts/music/prince-dead.html
I know quite a few on here will be devastated.
Title: Re: RIP Prince
Post by: Chris on April 21, 2016, 01:40:12 PM
Quote from: Dan on April 21, 2016, 01:31:01 PM
Someone just played "I Would Die 4 U" in our office and changed his name back to The Artist Formerly Known As Prince. Stay classy, co-workers!
Post by: Butter on April 21, 2016, 01:48:33 PM
This both sucks and blows. Someone on another site posted this, from the Rock and Roll HoF induction ceremony in 2004... Prince starts destroying everyone else on stage at about 3:30.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y
Post by: euro60 on April 21, 2016, 01:53:23 PM
This is shocking. First David Bowie, out of the blue. Now this, completely unexpected as well.
Anyone know what the cause of death was?
Supposedly he had been sick with the flu in recent days, but I don't think anyone knows yet.
Let's Watch Prince's Super Bowl Halftime Show, The Best We've Ever Seen (http://deadspin.com/lets-watch-princes-super-bowl-halftime-show-the-best-w-1772302774)
Post by: va-vacious on April 21, 2016, 04:18:36 PM
So much sadness. :(
Evidently he was in the recording studio. At least he was at home and not on the road.
Post by: MissKitty on April 22, 2016, 08:40:44 AM
In the 80s and 90s I can honestly say I was not a big fan of Prince - I mean, I liked some of his stuff (Delirious and When You Were Mine are fucking ACES ALL THE WAY) - but it wasn't until I saw him live that I "got it," and I have CR to thank for that. I had been on the fence about going but he and the two friends we went with cajoled me into it.
At the time, 80 quid seemed a lot of money to pay out for someone I was rather ambivalent about, but I am SO GLAD the three of them talked me into going.
Prince sold out 21 nights at London's O2 Arena and we bought tickets for the closing night. Upon entry, attendants gave everyone glow sticks, which apparently they hadn't done on previous nights (at least according to those around us who had already attended one or more of the other nights). Everyone was told that Prince would tell us when to crack the glow sticks, which he did for Purple Rain. What a sight it was to see 10K+ people in the round, all waving purple glow sticks in unison! Bloody brilliant and still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.
Prince played for 3 1/2 hours and I was astonished at how many songs of his I knew (and I have never in my life owned a single Prince album - but CR owns enough of them for the both of us). And I was even more astonished at just what a phenomenal performer he was. He gave the audience 110 percent, easily, and probably could have given us another 3 1/2 hours if the venue would have let him. As it was, we heard he went to some small club afterward and played for another couple of hours, just to unwind.
Of all the shows I have ever seen - and I've seen quite a few over the years - that Prince show at the O2 is easily in my top five of all time. I just can't quite believe we'll never get a chance to see him perform again.
Post by: Kwyjibo on April 22, 2016, 09:16:22 AM
Quote from: Butter on April 21, 2016, 01:48:33 PM
Whoa. I love that you don't even know he's there until he starts making everybody else on stage seem irrelevant. The "what the fuck did I just watch" face that Dhani Harrison is making at 4:45 says it all. Prince's exit is smooth as hell.
Post by: Zafer Kaya on April 22, 2016, 12:25:43 PM
Now he can always see the sun.... Day... or NIGHT!!!!
He wrote a tear-jerky gospel song with a metal guitar solo in it about "purple rain." Then made it the centerpiece of an album and a movie where the iconic moment would be him playing the song while sporting a hot perm and wearing a pirate blouse.
It worked. That's how much of a genius he was.
Post by: dirk on April 22, 2016, 01:03:06 PM
Starting tonight at 6PM their time (7PM Eastern) they are going to be playing every Prince song in alphabetical order (A-W, since apparently there are no Prince songs that start with X,Y, or Z). They estimate it will be about 26 hours of straight Prince.
I was blown away by the MSP reaction to his death. I knew he was a huge deal there, but had no idea how big. In a matter of hours, they organized a mini concert/memorial outside of 1st Avenue, shutting down the street for hours with lots of local big names showing up. Then 1st Ave opened up for HUGE all night dance party. No cover and it went until 7 AM. There were still people waiting to get in at 3AM. I can't think of anyone the Cincinnati would have a similar reaction for.
Quote from: dirk on April 22, 2016, 01:03:06 PM
Who are "they" in this information?
Post by: scurvygirl on April 22, 2016, 01:40:05 PM
Probably The Current.
Oops. Yeah, it's the Current.
If you didn't watch or DVR SNL last night, check your On Demand for it. The whole episode was a Prince tribute.
Post by: Butter on April 25, 2016, 11:09:26 AM
I probably watched like 6 hours of Prince videos this weekend from the various MTV outlets. So many great songs, many that I barely remembered or hadn't even heard before.
"Mountains"
"Take Me With U"
"Black Sweat"
Late Saturday night, VH1 showed the "long version" of a live concert video where he performed "I Would Die 4 U" and "Baby I'm a Star"... and Baby I'm a Star literally goes on for like 15 minutes. He just goes nuts and has Sheila E. do something like 4 drum solos... at some point, he takes a scarf off and literally rips his shirt open... you can just see the buttons flying off. Prowls the stage for this whole jam session before finally ending it after 20 minutes. It was amazing... Makes me sad I never saw him live.
Post by: Ella Minnow Pea on April 25, 2016, 09:34:48 PM
I still can't believe he's gone. I had a rental car this weekend, and the XM preview station was the Prince tribute channel. I realized that I didn't know many of his songs after the early 90s (i.e. when I moved to North Carolina - I don't think any of the radio stations here played prince other than the newer "play anything" formats - but they stick with the 80s hits). You just can't help to dance to so many of his songs. I've watched clips shared on Facebook - so many performances that I'd never seen before, but again demonstrate what a great artist he was. I've started watching the SNL special, but I'm watching it a clip at a time to make it last longer.
My strongest Prince memories are from Junior High. We could bring in songs to play in Music class, and I remember that Darling Nikki was strictly forbidden. Then Purple Rain was featured quite a bit at one of the seventh grade dances (DJ'ed by our band director). He was one artist that just about everyone in junior high could agree to listen to.
Post by: Dan on April 26, 2016, 11:01:26 AM
Prince is number 1 on the charts again.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/26/arts/music/prince-death-album-sales-charts.html
Post by: MissKitty on April 26, 2016, 12:58:29 PM
Quote from: Dan on April 26, 2016, 11:01:26 AM
It is heartening to know that fans are actually buying music again. It's too bad it took the death of such a profound performer/artist for it to happen, but it's nice to see. I don't remember this happening with David Bowie, but maybe I just didn't notice?
When I worked in music retail BITD, it was a windfall every time an artist died. For instance, when John Denver died his stuff started flying off the shelves, even though he hadn't had a hit in years. He wasn't even anywhere close to our store's core demographic, but still we sold boxloads.
I think it's mostly because of a) the outpouring of love for him and b) none of his music is available on streaming. And I really think it's mostly b.
If you could find "When Doves Cry" or "1999" on youtube/spotify/etc then I bet there'd be a lot fewer purchases.
I hadn't thought of that. I bet you are right.
Post by: kcneon on April 26, 2016, 09:26:16 PM
It did happen with Bowie following his death, too. Blackstar was his first Number 1 US album. And I think he had another album chart. Lack of Prince music for streaming had to contribute, as Dan said.
But Prince is just another level yet. He's one of those few national treasures. I happened to catch the 5:30 national news when I got home the day he passed. ABC covered the story for EIGHT minutes!!!! Wow. That is a ton of time for 30 minute national news coverage. RIP Prince, we'll miss you and your crazy good talent!
Post by: Nate on April 29, 2016, 10:34:25 PM
From personal experience, Minneapolis this last week has been like nothing I've ever seen. Like someone said on the first page, the street outside First Avenue was shut down and about 10,000 people showed up to grieve and celebrate his music. There were all-night dance parties last weekend too after mainroom shows by Bob Mould (they played 'When You Were Mine' in homage to the purple one). I was not around when Elvis and John Lennon died, but people have said this feels similar. I'm still in shock, honestly. I wasn't even a diehard fan!
I've been posting tons of local stories about Prince on my FB page this week from friends and acquaintances and I'm just going to repeat one here, which has always made me laugh the dozens of times I've told it to friends. We need laughs. This year has been terrible for music fans, or moozeekfans even.
"When I was working for Prince in the studio, he called and said to get him qtip. I'm thinking great, where am I supposed to find a qtip, but then remember there are the kind in the recording studio to clean tape heads, so I bring him one of those. He says thanks, closes his office door and immediately calls again (he'd always call instead of just ask you in person). Again, he asks for qtip and hangs up. WTF?! I was young and fairly new and starting to panic, so I call his assistant, even though it was like 2 in the morning. She explains to me the rapper Q-Tip is in town and he wants to see him. Thaaaaanks! This is what happens when you hire white boys."
Post by: c-lando on July 14, 2016, 08:39:27 AM
Quote from: Nate on April 29, 2016, 10:34:25 PM
I'm just now seeing this. So hilarious.
Post by: c-lando on October 04, 2019, 10:40:06 AM
For anyone who hasn't been deep into Prince's catalog but absolutely loves to listen to his guitar solo at the R&R Hall of Fame:
https://youtu.be/RdQqxHW5F5c
It does not get sexier than this song, if you're into sexy songs.
It THROBS, PULSATES. Jeeebus.
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Nigel Beale
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Professor of the Classical Tradition in the Visual Arts at the University of Warsaw (Institute of Archaeology). He studied Art History and Classical Archaeology at the Jagiellonian University, Kraków, and Christian Archaeology at the Pontificio Istituto di Archeologia Cristiana, Rome. He received a PhD in 1987, and a post-doctoral degree (habilitation) in 1996. He held a Saxl Fund fellowship from the Warburg Institute (1989), a J. Paul Getty postdoctoral fellowship in the History of Art and Humanities (1991), a Mellon fellowship at Villa I Tatti (Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, 1994/95), a Paul Mellon fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art, Washington (1996, 1997, 1998, and 2001) as well as a Getty Research Institute fellowship (2006). Since 1992 he has taught courses in Italian Renaissance art and the classical tradition in the visual arts in the 18th and 19th centuries. He is the author of nearly 200 papers and reviews published in such periodicals as: the Journal of the Warburg Institute, Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz, Prospettiva, Renaissance Studies, I Tatti Studies, Fontes, Iconographica, Pegasus, Arte Cristiana and Arte Lombarda. He has published twelve books, including: Sol verus: studia nad ikonografią Chrystusa w sztuce pierwszego tysiąclecia [Sol verus: Studies in the iconography of Christ in the art of the first Christian millennium] (1991); Soggetti classici sui cassoni fiorentini alla vigilia del Rinascimento (1996); Chopin among Artists and Scholars (2010); The Villa Laurentina of Pliny the Younger in an Eighteenth-Century Vision (2016); Nel segno di “Quo vadis?”. Roma ai tempi di Nerone e dei primi martiri nelle opere di Sienkiewicz, Siemiradzki, Styka e Smuglewicz (2017). He also edited Falsifications in Polish Collections and Abroad (2001) and Chopin e l’Italia (2015).
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He holds a master of economics degree, specialising in the fields of public finance management in budgetary units and security in state-owned companies. He completed post-graduate European studies at the University of Warsaw and Maastricht University, as well as studies in strategic auditing, management, accounting, financial controlling, and security management. He attended numerous courses and international conferences in, e.g., France, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, the United States and Canada. For many years he served as Deputy Commander of Warsaw Metropolitan Policeand Chief Accountant – Head of the Finances and Budget Department for the Warsaw Metropolitan Police , where he was responsible for managing and spending public funds in the area of current and capital expenses, special purpose funds, aid funds, and where he was supervising all of the operations in the areas of investment, procurement, ICT, transportation and occupational medicine. For three years he served for the United Nations Organization two of which he was appointed at the Sarajevo MHQ, where he also served as Commander of the Polish Police Contingent within International Police Task Force in the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was involved in establishing Police Museum in Mostowski Palace, a division of the National Museum in Warsaw, to which he was actively supporting for many years. In 2013, he was conferred with the status of officer veteran by the Minister of Internal Affairs. He was awarded the UN Peace Medal and various state and police commandations.
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French Paper, La Croix, on the Institute of the Good Shepherd
By way of Le Forum Catholique this morning I noticed this piece in the French newspaper la-Croix on the Institute of the Good Shepherd. The NLM is happy to provide a translation of the piece:
Abbé Laguérie and the Institute of the Good Shepherd, installed in Bordeaux
A year and a half after its inception, the traditionalist Institute has been able to allay concerns and dream about other horizons.
On Ash Wednesday, there were a hundred faithful under the white gothic vaults of Saint-Eloi in Bordeaux. "We had almost as many this morning, including 80 students from our school, and we do that weekly," says Father Philippe Laguérie, now officially the parish priest the past year, after several years of occupation of this church which had been abandoned by the diocese.
In the sacristy, a portrait of Archbishop Lefebvre hangs beside another of Benedict XVI. "Archbishop Lefebvre had a historic role in maintaining the tradition. Without him, there would be far fewer priests in a position to say the traditional Mass," says the priest, ordained in 1979 by the founder of Écône and who, in 2006, had chosen reconciliation with Rome. "Times have changed," he says. "We are no longer in the terrible excesses of the years 1970-1980."
"And this, the Society of St. Pius X... must [come to] understand." Now in charge of this parish at the heart of Bordeaux, it seeks to live the Mass according to the Missal of St. Pius V. "We are on the right track," says the priest, suggesting a figure of 600 faithful that, he says, are "people who have found a sacramental practice with us."
On the side of the archdiocese, after the turmoil at the announcement of the establishment of the Institute of the Good Shepherd, it welcomes the journey. "Things have become calmer. Abbé Laguérie and the Institute of the Good Shepherd have really played their part in belonging to the Catholic Church," said Fr. Jean Rouet, vicar general of the diocese. "There is a mutual respect that was born and which is very encouraging," confirms Father Laguérie. "If there is still a small scars, the wisdom of Cardinal Ricard is gradually forgetting past difficulties."
19 Priests and 35 Seminarians
Composed of five priests at the beginning, the traditionalist Institute today claims 19 priests and 35 seminarians. Four deacons are to be ordained on February 23 at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, the Pope's cathedral. Numbers that Father Laguérie now considers sufficient to try the success of Saint-Eloi. An agreement has just been signed with the Bishop of Versailles, but the former pastor of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet [meaning Fr. Laguerie -- NLM] is already dreaming of Lyons and Paris.
In the capital, 1500 signatures were sent to Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois for the creation of a "personal" parish (i.e defined not by territory but by affinity), which would be entrusted to the Institute of the Good Shepherd . "The archbishop of Paris has already done much, for example, by allowing a Mass in Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois which is not a small chapel. On this side, Parisians have all the masses they want, acknowledges Father Laguérie. But one can not limit oneself to the apostolate of large area... to Sunday. The Christian life is not limited to Sunday Mass. There is also the catechism, scouting, youth, training… "
The priest of Saint-Eloi recalls that in his own explanatory letter, Benedict XVI suggests precisely the creation of personal parishes for the faithful attached to the old form of the Roman rite. "Thanks to his own distinction which distinguishes between "ordinary form" and "extraordinary form", things are working well, confirms P. Rouet. We live together in variety... Suddenly, things are regulated. "Nevertheless, when the Archbishop of Bordeaux has organized a series of catecheses on Vatican II, attended from 2000 to 3000 people throughout the diocese, Saint-Eloi preferred to organize its own conferences on Vatican II.
Understandable of course. We can see right within Rome itself the debate about the understanding of Vatican II; between the Bologna school and those who dispute that school's interpretation, such as Archbishop Agostino Marchetto -- and I daresay, the Pope and many others in the curia.
A concluding thought: the sense one might walk away from with this article is that the Institute of the Good Shepherd may well be providing some kind of template for a hoped for regularization of the SSPX to the Church as well.
Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2008
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Due to the confidential nature of Children Act proceedings I am unable to provide names of cases or full details. The below anonymised cases provide a snapshot of the work I have personally undertaken over the last ten years. Where a case has been reported in the Law Reports the citation is given in bold. I represent mothers, fathers, grandparents and other carers (boyfriend etc) all over England and Wales from Manchester and Newcastle to the midlands, London and Kent
Re H (Children) [2018] EWFC 61
This lengthy High Court matter involved allegations of non-accidental head injury (or shaken baby syndrome). Our client, the mother, was cleared of any wrong doing but unfortunately the involvement of the criminal court (she was still being prosecuted) and the fact that she lost the family home meant that there was a significant delay in the children returning home. The then President of the Family Division gave judgment giving guidance when issues such as this arise.
Re G
At the conclusion of a 12 day fact finding hearing, the local authority applied to withdraw their applications for care orders, conceding that they could not prove their allegations of shaken baby syndrome against the parents. The court commented on the rigorous examination of the evidence that took place and found that the evidence did not support any suggestion that the intracranial bleeding was inflicted; instead the court was clear that the origin was benign.
Re Y
We represented a grandfather who regularly looked after his grandson. It was established that the child suffered from osteopenia and that the force needed to cause the fracture in question was within the limits of normal handling. Subsequently, the local authority withdrew their applications for care orders.
Re B
After allegations of shaken baby syndrome and a lengthy fact finding hearing, our client was exonerated and able to resume care of the children.
Re T
Our client, along with the father, was accused of causing numerous fractures to her infant daughter. We were able to clear the mother of any wrongdoing and now she is caring for both of her children again.
Re M
Proceedings were issued after a child was admitted to hospital after a seizure. He was found to have subdural and retinal haemorrhaging and the parents were accused of shaking him. After lengthy proceedings it was accepted by the court that the father had caused the injury inadvertently. After some work around risk it was established he was low risk and the parents were able to resume care of their son.
Re C
We represented the mother who, along with the father, was accused of shaking her baby. After a ten day fact finding hearing exploring some medical complexities such as EDS, the local authority were unable to establish threshold. The child returned home the following day.
Re R
This case involved the death of a two year old child. Cause of death was unknown but some bruise raised concern over non-accidental injury. Through independent medical instruction, we were able to demonstrate natural causes prior to any fact find and subsequently the local authority withdrew their application for a care order in relation to the surviving sibling.
Proceedings were issued in relation to two children following the infant being found to have bruising and numerous fractures. Our client was exonerated and resumed care of both children.
Re K
This matter involved an appeal to the Court of Appeal after a series of procedural irregularities meant that the parents were no longer receiving a fair trial. The case was remitted for a re-hearing before a High Court judge.
Re L
Representing the mother, accused of fracturing her baby’s arm, we were able to demonstrate through independent expert instruction, that there was in fact no fracture and therefore no basis for the local authority to be involved with this family. The local authority withdrew their application for a care order.
After spending many months under a child protection plan due to concerns around repeated bruising, proceedings were issued and we represented the mother. Given the number of people who cared for the child when bruising was discovered (including medical professionals) it was clear that a medical disorder was the likely culprit for this bruising. We were eventually able to secure a report confirming that EDS was the most likely cause of the bruising. The local authority withdrew their application for a care order.
Re P
This mother had been involved in proceedings years ago which resulted in a finding of non-accidental injury against her. On having another baby, the local authority issued proceedings. We sought expert risk assessment to establish that the risk was low and manageable. Following a programme of safeguarding the mother was allowed to be unsupervised with the baby and now has another baby too.
Proceedings were issued in relation to two children following allegations that the mother suffered from FII (previously Munchausen’s syndrome) and that the father was implicit in this behaviour. Proceedings such as this are often protracted but it was clear that the children were doing well in their parents care and that the evidential basis for FII was poor. The local authority withdrew their applications for care orders.
Re Y (Fact Finding), Re [2018] EWFC B20 (27 April 2018)
We represented the father who was at home alone with his baby when he became unconscious. The father had tried to assist him when he had choked on some milk. At the conclusion of a lengthy fact finding hearing, it was accepted that the father’s actions were in an attempt to revive the child and threshold was not me.
This mother was accused of shaking one of her infant twins. We were able to establish that there was a relevant genetic mutation at play which predisposed him to bleeding. On that basis, the local authority withdrew their applications for care orders.
Proceedings were issued following a baby collapsing at home in the father’s care. Our client, the mother, was cleared of any wrong doing fairly early on and was able to resume care of the child whilst the court determined the rest of the case.
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Carl Honoré is an award-winning writer, broadcaster and TED speaker.
The Wall Street Journal hailed him as “an in-demand spokesman on slowness.” CBC Sunday Edition called him “inarguably, the world’s leading evangelist for the Slow Movement.” The Huffington Post described him as “the unofficial godfather of a growing cultural shift toward slowing down.”
After working with street children in Brazil, Carl covered Europe and South America for the Economist, Observer, Miami Herald, Houston Chronicle, Time, National Post and other publications. His first book, In Praise of Slow, examines our compulsion to hurry and chronicles a global trend toward putting on the brakes. The Financial Times said it is “to the Slow Movement what Das Kapital is to communism.” His second book, Under Pressure, explores the good, the bad and the ugly of modern childrearing - and offers a blueprint for change. It was hailed by Time as a “gospel of the Slow Parenting movement.” Carl’s latest book, The Slow Fix, explores how to tackle complex problems in every walk of life, from health and relationships to business and politics, without falling for superficial, short-term quick fixes.
Translated into 35 languages, his books have landed on bestseller lists in many countries. In Praise of Slow was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week and the inaugural choice for the Huffington Post Book Club. It also featured in a British TV sitcom, Argentina’s version of Big Brother and a TV commercial for the Motorola tablet. Under Pressure was shortlisted for the Writers’ Trust Award, the top prize for non-fiction in Canada.
Carl featured in a series for BBC Radio 4 called The Slow Coach in which he helped frazzled, over-scheduled Britons slow down. He presented a TV show called Frantic Family Rescue on Australia’s ABC. He also hosts a podcast called The Slow Revolution.
His TED talk on slowness has been viewed over 2 million times.
On top of writing, broadcasting and researching the benefits of deceleration, Carl rushes (slowly, of course) around the world to deliver speeches and workshops. He recently joined the Advisory Board of Jack Media, which makes a Slow messaging app. He also sits on the Board of Trustees of Hewitt School in New York City.
Carl lives in London with his wife and two children. In his spare time, he plays ‘slow’ sports like hockey and squash.
Agent: Patrick Walsh
Carl Honoré Books
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Browse: Home / Knight’s Armament M110: The New Breed of Sniper Rifle / Page 2
Knight’s Armament M110: The New Breed of Sniper Rifle
5 January, 2012 · by admin · in History, Reviews, Search By Issue, V3N1, Volume 3
Marine sniper firing an Mk11 Mod 0 from a airplane over the ocean. The versatility of the Mk11 is night and day compared to the M40 and M24 bolt action sniper rifles.
Enter the M110 SASS (Semi Automatic Sniper System)
The success of the Mk11 was undeniable and spread to the other branches of the military – the sniper units in particular. Seeing the benefits in September of 2005, Knight’s won the contract for the M110 SASS rifle. The M110 was to replace the M24 bolt action sniper rifles in the U.S. Army. The M110 trials had many submissions including ArmaLite, Remington and DPMS Panther Arms. It would not be until April of 2008 that the M110 would see its first combat action with U.S. Army snipers from Task Force Fury in Afghanistan. During the early M110 period, the Marines purchased 180 XM110 variants they designated Mk11 Mod 1 and then in 2010 ordered 803 M110 rifles.
The M110 has many similarities to the Mk11 Mod 0, however with many enhancements. . The stock on the M110 is adjustable for length with a dial on the rear allowing for the length to be increased or decreased as desired. The stock has one moveable sling swivel mount on the bottom rear plus two QD mounts on the front of the stock on each side. The receiver is manufactured from an aluminum forging and incorporates fully ambidextrous selector lever, bolt catch and magazine release. A button right above the magazine catch on the right side of the receiver is the ambi-bolt release. This allows the right handed shooter to release the bolt without his hand ever leaving the pistol grip. On the left side of the receiver under the bolt catch is a button to release the magazine for a left handed shooter. The trigger is Knight’s 2-stage match trigger, which is exceptional for a sniper rifle.
The upper receiver utilizes the new URX (Upper Receiver Extending) free floating rail with an integral folding front sight. This saves space and makes for a dependable back-up sight. The bottom of the handguard is removable for cleaning. Quad Mil-Std 1913 rails allow attachment of any accessory imaginable. The top rail is continuous for adding thermal, night vision and scopes. The handguard comes with three KAC rail protectors that allow the rifle to be shot in a normal shooting position. It is also equipped with a Harris Type S bipod. The 20 inch Obermeyer heavy barrel has 5R grooves with a 1 turn in 11 inch twist that optimizes the 168 and 175gr match bullets of the M118 and M118LR ammunition. The M110 barrel has an A2-style compensator attached to the end. The pinned-on gas block has a Mil-Std 1913 rail on top of it. The M110 is a self-regulated direct gas operated rifle. The upper receiver is manufactured from a forging and now has an integrated fired cartridge case deflector. Early rifles, due to the upper being made from an extrusion, had the fired cartridge case deflector attached to the rail as a separate piece.
The bolt carrier group follows in the tradition of the original AR-10 in that it is chrome plated making for ease of cleaning. The bolt carrier has a captive firing pin retainer pin that prevents it from being lost during cleaning. The bolt utilizes a 1-piece gas ring that is much more durable than the standard 3-ring set. The extractor and, in particular the spring, have been enhanced since the inception of the rifle.
The M110 is packed with four 20-round and four 10-round magazines and pouches. The M110 can also use the Magpul LMag as well.
Sgt. Steve Warden firing the M110.
The optic used is the Leupold 3.5×10 Illuminated Reticle SASS scope with .5 MOA elevation clicks and 30mm SASS mount manufactured by Knight’s. The shooter can adjust the brightness of the reticle to suit the lighting conditions he faces. The scope is provided with lens covers.
The SASS also is equipped with a Knight’s Armament Company sound suppressor. The suppressor interfaces with two vertical slots cut on both sides of the gas block. There is an alignment pin on the underside of the gas block that prevents improper installation. The suppressor has a decibel reduction of -28dB.
Additional accessories include an operator’s repair parts kit that includes scope ring cap screws, bolt rings, extractor assembly, spring, pin and buffer, cam pin and firing pin. Am optics cleaning kit is provided and a torque wrench for the scope mounts. A complete cleaning system is provided as well. This includes an Otis DMR/M14 7.62 cleaning kit, Dewey rod and bore guide, multiple brushes, rod ends, pipe cleaners and swabs. Cleaning patches a bore snake and CLP is provided as well. A sling is provided as well. All this is provided in a large Hardigg box that is hermetically sealed with a pressure release valve.
The ammunition used in this test and evaluation firing was the M110 Silver State Armory (SSA) M118LR ammunition. There were 200 rounds fired with the barrel being cleaned every 10 rounds. The range was 100 meters and the rifle shot consistently sub-MOA. The best group was 5 rounds in a 1/2 inch group. The average was 3/4 inches. This is accuracy of a match bolt action rifle. Silver State Armory ammunition is match grade and they manufacture their own brass cartridge cases and blend their own powders to the particular load. Additional rounds of the 168gr OTM ammunition were fired with the same results as the M118LR.
It this shooter’s opinion there is no bolt action rifle out there that can beat the M110 on accuracy, speed and firepower. A sniper with a M110 can easily engage the same number of targets in less than half the time a well trained sniper can with a bolt action rifle. The suppressor makes it that much better: less noise, less invitation to reveal your position and no affect on accuracy. As expected, no malfunctions of any sort were encountered with the M110.
The M110 has a weight of 12.82 pounds equipped with iron sights, bipod adapter and scope. With M118LR ammunition the muzzle velocity is 2,571 feet per second. The overall length of the M110 is 40.5 inches with the stock at its shortest setting. The sound suppressor only adds 1.62 pounds to the rifle. The maximum effective range is 875 yards and is subjective to the skill of the shooter.
It is most unfortunate Gene Stoner did not live to see his AR-10 finally get into the U.S. inventory and equip the most elite snipers this world has ever known. He was way ahead of everyone in the late 1950s; they just did not have the vision to see it. Gene Stoner’s legacy has been the defense of this country and allies for nearly 50 years and being one of the most brilliant weapons designers of all time. Thanks to Reed Knight, Stoners vision was realized, produced and reintroduced to the U.S. military. Combining the genius of Gene Stoner with Knight’s technical and manufacturing abilities of KAC, the AR-10 will be with us for another 50 years.
by Christopher R. Bartocci on 5 January, 2012.
← International Legal Affairs: Volume 3, Number 1
Glauberyt: The Last of the Polish Submachine Guns →
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Shell to build LNG plants in U.S., Canada for transport fuel
By: admin | 2:31pm EST March 5, 2013
GEISMAR, La., Tue Mar 5, 2013 — Royal Dutch Shell said it would build two small-scale gas liquefaction units in Louisiana and Ontario as part of an investment plan to unlock value in the use of liquefied natural gas as a transport fuel.
“These two units will form the basis of two new LNG transport corridors in the Great Lakes and Gulf Coast regions,” Shell said in a statement on Tuesday.
Shell said it was also working to use natural gas as a fuel in its own operations, which follows an investment decision in 2011 on a similar corridor in Alberta, Canada.
Shell, which has bet the most heavily of all the top oil firms on a future for cleaner-burning natural gas, said it is using its expertise to make LNG a viable fuel option for the commercial market.
In the Gulf Coast corridor, Shell plans to install the liquefaction unit at its Geismar Chemicals facility to supply LNG along the Mississippi river and intra-coastal waterway and to exploration areas offshore Gulf of Mexico and onshore Texas and Louisiana.
This entry was posted in Top News and tagged Royal Dutch Shell. Bookmark the permalink.
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IMT statement: for revolutionary change, not climate change!
The international climate strike movement has created waves across the world. Over the past year, during the course of several global days of action, millions of young people from over 100 countries have walked out of school in order to join the ‘Fridays for Future’ protests, demanding immediate action against the climate crisis.
Spanish | Italian | German | Swedish | Norweigan | Czech
By taking to the streets en masse, occupying roads, and shutting down cities, these demonstrations have forced politicians to sit up and take notice.
What’s more, these mobilisations have filled a new generation with a sense of confidence, power, and purpose. For the protestors, the idea of mass, militant action is now the norm, not the exception. The word ‘strike’ is now firmly at the forefront of young people’s minds. The lesson is clear: if you want something, you must organise and fight for it.
Starting last year in Sweden with the weekly protests of one school student, Greta Thunberg, the #YouthStrike4Climate movement has rapidly spread internationally. In every country, the situation is the same: students and youth are entering into political activity, demanding ‘system change, not climate change’.
It is clear that urgent action is needed. A massive reduction in emissions and pollution levels is essential. And large-scale mitigation measures must be taken, such as the construction of flood defences and reforestation. But the capitalists and their political representatives are completely incapable of carrying out the radical changes that are required.
We must be clear: it is capitalism that is killing our planet / Image: Socialist Appeal
Global action is needed to solve a global problem, but capitalist governments are impotent. Some world leaders have declared a ‘climate emergency’. But this is an empty phrase when uttered from the lips of these big business politicians. After all, under capitalism, it is not they that really decide. Instead, the future of humanity and our planet is left to the caprices of the so-called ‘invisible hand’ of the market.
Greta Thunberg has pointed out that scientists are being ignored, and asks for governments to listen to the scientific evidence and advice. Similarly, activists from the Extinction Rebellion movement have tried to ‘raise awareness’ and convince politicians through a strategy of highly visible direct actions.
But the capitalists and their politicians will not be persuaded by moral arguments, nor by facts and figures. At the end of the day, we cannot expect this out-of-touch elite to do anything to protect the earth, as their only criterion is maximising profit at the expense of the rest of us.
Corporations will cut corners and ride roughshod through regulations wherever necessary in order to reduce costs, outcompete their rivals, capture new markets, and maximise their profits.
Capitalist politicians have nothing to offer in response to this destruction. All they can suggest is that we must club together and make individual choices to reduce our environmental footprint.
But the ‘solutions’ that flow from this are entirely reactionary. In essence they are just a ‘greenwashing’ of austerity – telling workers and the poor that they must tighten their belts to solve a problem created by the capitalists and their rotten system.
Most importantly, this liberal, individualistic mantra flies in the face of the facts. One recent study, for example, showed that 100 big companies (mainly big fossil fuel producers) are responsible for over 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. This highlights where the real blame for climate change lies.
In response to this fact, some left-wing politicians – such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the USA – have raised the demand for a ‘Green New Deal’, calling for governments to curb carbon emissions by investing in renewable energy supplies and creating green jobs.
These vague proposals generally amount to a Keynesian strategy of attempting to regulate and manage the capitalist system. But capitalism cannot be managed. It cannot be tamed and made ‘green’. As long as the economy is based on production for profit, it will be big business that dictates to governments, not the other way round.
We must be clear: it is capitalism that is killing our planet. Its insatiable pursuit of profits is responsible for the race to the bottom in which environmental standards and living conditions are driven ever further down. It is profit-driven corporations that decide what is produced and how it is produced. But this is not done according to any plan. Instead, our economy is left to the anarchy of the market.
It’s the profit motive, not economic growth itself, that is the problem. This is why calls from certain quarters of the green movement for ‘zero growth’ and ‘degrowth’ are reactionary. ‘Zero growth’ under capitalism is called a recession – and it is the working class and the poor who are made to pay. An argument for permanent recession is an argument for permanent austerity.
The only way to bring about a sustainable economy – where rising living standards are not in contradiction with protecting the planet – is on the basis of a democratic, rational, socialist plan of production.
Only with the socialist transformation of society can we satisfy the needs of the majority in harmony with the environment / Image: Socialist Appeal
In private hands, the major monopolies generate obscene levels of waste and environmental damage. Nationalised under a socialist economic plan, however, they could employ modern green technologies to slash emissions and pollution in the space of a few years, while providing quality food, shelter, education, transport, and healthcare for all.
By combining the best scientific minds with the skills of workers in industry, under democratic workers’ control, we can put all of society’s technological abilities and resources at the service of humanity and the planet.
In many countries, support for Green parties has risen on the back of growing environmental concerns and a general distrust of traditional establishment parties. But fundamentally, the Green leaders are just liberals, who do not challenge the system or see the division of society into mutually opposed classes.
From the conclusion that capitalism is the root of the problem, it follows that we must fight for radical change on a class basis: linking the militancy and radicalism of the student climate strikes with the wider labour movement, with workers and youth fighting together for bold socialist environmental policies.
In this respect, the upcoming international days of action on 20 and 27 September potentially represent a big step forward for the movement. Greta Thunberg has correctly urged workers across the world to join students on these global walkouts. In some places, trade unions have already backed this call, promising to strike or protest alongside young activists.
The next step is for the whole of the labour movement to emulate these examples and throw its full weight behind the climate strikes. The power of the organised working class, armed with a socialist programme, would be unstoppable. As the Marxists have always stated, not a lightbulb shines and not a wheel turns without the permission of the working class.
Only by abolishing the capitalist system and replacing it with socialism can we plan the use of the planet’s resources in a democratic way. Only with the socialist transformation of society can we satisfy the needs of the majority in harmony with the environment, instead of generating profits for a parasitical minority.
The science and technology exist to deal with climate change. But under capitalism, these forces are destroying planet earth, not saving it. Socialism or barbarism: that is the future before us. We need a revolution.
Maximum mobilisation for the September climate strikes!
Students and workers – unite and fight!
Capitalism is the problem – socialism the answer!
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SRMGI
Solar Radiation Management Governance Initiative is an international, NGO-driven project that seeks to expand the global conversation around the governance of SRM geoengineering research
What is SRM?
DECIMALS Fund
The research collaborators
A proposal to assess the effects of solar radiation management on future Caribbean climate
Small island developing states (SIDS) have been advocating for global mean temperatures to be held to a maximum of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels because it is seen as a threshold which adaptation capabilities and capacities will be exceeded. Geoengineering, specifically SRM, is one of the proposed approaches to reduce and/or drastically slow the increase of temperatures. To date, there has been little to no analysis of the potential effects on regions, such as the Caribbean, where the quality of life is strongly linked to climate conditions. This research, conducted by Dr Leonardo Clarke and team, aims to assist the Caribbean SIDS region in formulating its stance on the use of geoengineering as a means to minimize the impacts of climate change. The project is hosted at the University of the West Indies, Mona.
Jamaica seen from the ISS. Photo credit: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center (https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov).
Dr Leonardo Clarke (Jamaican) – Principal Investigator
Dr Leonardo A. Clarke is a Lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica. He is also a Researcher with the Climate Studies Group, Mona (CSGM). His interest is in the mechanisms that drive present and future climate variability in the Caribbean, in particular the relationship between Caribbean precipitation and sea surface temperatures in the tropical North Atlantic and the equatorial Pacific. He will lead a Caribbean research team for the SRMGI-TWAS DECIMALS project.
Jayaka Campbell (Jamaican)
JD Campbell is an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. He is a computational physicist with a focus on atmospheric sciences, more specifically, the generation of regional climate modelling scenarios at scales relevant to the small size and complex terrain of the nations of the Caribbean and its neighbours. His research includes examining the impact of climate, climate change and climate variability on the key economic drivers and social sectors (agriculture, water, health, etc.) of the Caribbean. Like so many before him, JD Campbell credits his success to the support of his family, friends and the seemingly never-ending guidance of his mentors.
Abel Centella (Cuban)
Institute of Meteorology, Cuba
Abel Centella is the current Director of the Basic Systems of the Institute of Meteorology in Cuba (INSMET) since 2017. INSMET provides meteorological services, training and research on weather and in climate fields. It is a pioneering institution which has been responsible for the investigation of climate impacts in Cuba and conducts adaptation assessments at the national level. Today, Mr Centella’s responsibilities include coordinating the operational processes of the observations, telecommunications and forecast systems of the Met Service in Cuba. He has held other positions at INSMET which include being the Science Director from 2002 to 2016, Head of the Climate Center from 1999 to 2001, and a Research Scientist from 1986 to 1999. Mr Centella’s experiences include being the Coordinator of the First National Communication of Cuba as well as the Coordinator of the National Climate Change Group in Cuba, being lead author of the ‘Variations and Changes of the Climate in Cuba’ National Report, authoring several publications related with climate change and variability and receiving the National Academic of Science of Cuba award for research on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in Cuba, being a member of the Caribbean Climate Change Modelling Group, and leading several research initiatives on regional climate modelling as well as regional projections including 1.5 warming.
Dr Tannecia Stephenson (Jamaican)
Dr Tannecia Stephenson is co-Director of the Climate Studies Group, Mona, and Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Physics at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Jamaica. Her research interests are Caribbean climate variability, climate extremes, seasonal predictions using statistical models, statistical downscaling and assessing comparative vulnerability using aggregate indices. She has been affiliated with a number of climate variability and change projects and has published a number of journal articles, technical reports and short monographs with collaborators. Her work experience includes conducting research as a visiting fellow at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. Dr Stephenson has served on a number of international committees and teams, including the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) Science Advisory Team (CORDEX-SAT) and the Task Team on Guide to Climatological Practices (TT-GCP) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Fifth Open Panel of the Commission for Climatology (CCl) Experts (OPACE 5). She is also a lead author on Chapter 10 “Linking global to regional climate change” for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report.
Prof. Michael Taylor (Jamaican)
Michael Taylor is the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of the West Indies, Mona. He also co-directs the Climate Studies Group, Mona (CSGM). His research focuses on determining the scientific imprint of climate change in and at the scale of the Caribbean islands. He was a coordinating lead author for chapter 3 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on 1.5 degrees.
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The Mousetrap - First English play of my life in London !
List and search London Business > Entertainment > Theatre
Getting the opportunity to watch the world's longest running play, "The Mousetrap" at Saint Martin's theatre, was a great feeling. It was Valentine's day in 2012 and I was going to watch an English play for the first time in my life. I was also excited about the fact that it was going to be the second surprise for my wife on the Valentine's day. I surprised her by sending a bouquet of roses, a card and chocolates at her work desk in the morning. The play was hopefully, going to be the 2nd surprise. Well, its usually her who does all the surprising and the lovey dovey stuff but this time I was given the responsibility, probably for the first time !
I only told her that we would be going for dinner and didn’t mention about the play. She had mentioned to me quite often about how she wanted to go to the theatre. So, according to my plan, I asked her to come to Leicester square tube station (which lies on the Picadilly and the Northern line) at around 17:00 Hrs so that we could have pre theatre dinner as I had to wake up at 04:15 am the next day for work. As her mood was not quite good since 2 days, she was not showing much interest in having dinner in central London. She said, "What's the point in travelling so far from Hounslow to central London just for the dinner. Can't we have it somewhere nearby our house?". I was a bit worried about the timings, as the show was going to start at 19:30 or 07:30 pm and we had to be present at the box office by 19:00 or 07:00 pm. I was worried about the fact that if she didn't turn up it would all go in vain. Hence I lied to her saying that "I have already booked a table for two and have paid £50 which is not refundable !". She said, "Well,ok. I am getting ready and will be there by 18:30".
In the meanwhile, I went to the theatre and got the 2 tickets for which I had paid beforehand. So, I showed the email confirmation printout at the counter and got two upper dress circle tickets. I went there at 18:15 and though they mentioned that one could collect the tickets at the box office at 19:00, it was already opened at 18:15. It might be due to the valentine's day rush, not sure though.
My wife, Shruti, arrived at 18:30. I greeted her and she thanked me for the flowers and we headed towards the Theatre. I told her that its good that she managed to make it on time otherwise our table reservation might have been cancelled. She didn’t react much and said, "Never mind, we can always find some place to eat". By the way, here is how one can get to St. Martin's theatre from Leicester square tube station : After I got off at Leicester square tube station, as guided by the underground official, I took exit 4 and the first set of staircase to the left. After climbing the stairs, I took a right and after about 2 to 3 minutes there came a big enough right turn. There is a "Subway" joint at the right turn. A few minutes before the right turn, I also saw a Chinese herbal medicine shop. So, I took the right turn and the theatre was right in front of us. Just so that she does not get a hint, I apologized to her and mentioned that I couldn't get tickets to any of the theatres as due to Valentine's day, all the tickets were sold out. She looked at the theatre on which it was written in bright red big font "The Mouse trap celebrates 60 years !", and said, "I wish we could have gone to watch this :(". I said, "Its okay, we can always go some other time". We walked parallely to the glass doors of the theatre, watching through it and left the doors behind and walked a bit more.
After a while I held her hands and told her that I knew a shortcut and turned back and took her right into the theatre :). She was a bit confused and initially thought me of going in for nature's call or something :P. But when I showed her the tickets, she couldn’t believe it for a moment. Her mood changed suddenly and she was quite happy and thanked me for the surprise.
Since we had been to a theatre for the first time, we were looking around curiously. The interiors reminded me of the olden days. There were photo frames of the actors who play and used to played in the play and a bit of their history.
There was a small counter near the main doors for refreshments and a bar upstairs. While going to the bar I took a few snaps of the huge portraits hanging on the walls. By the way, I enquired if photography was permitted in the theatre and the lady at the counter told me that it is allowed. She obviously meant that photography is allowed in the theatre but not in the play hall. However, just before the play began and the curtains were still on, I saw many clicking pictures with their mobile phones. There were security guards at the gates, handing over information booklets to the ones interested. They were not free though. I guess the small ones were for about £2 to £4 (pounds) and the bigger ones were for about £10. Our seats were at the top in thelast row. There was a separate entrance for the upper dress circle seats.
We took our seats at around 19:15 and the play began at about 19:35. Just after about 5 to 10 minutes past the start of the play, I got a feeling of deja vu and felt as if I have seen this play before. Same story, same hotel, same plot, same characters ! Just after a few minutes, I realised that a few years ago I had watched a Marathi Natak (Marathi is the local language of the state Maharashtra in India and Natak means play in Marathi). Well I love watching movies but I hardly watch plays.
So, I had watched this play on TV and I whispered about this in Shruti's ears. She didn't immediately recollect but after sometime she also agreed to me. I think we had watched that play together. It was quite surprising that almost everything in the play was exactly the same as the Marathi Natak. Except for a few bits like the snow or may be the 3 blind mice rhyme etc., because it doesn't snow when it is 35 degrees (:P) Celsius in Mumbai or Pune (Poona, formerly) where the Marathi play must be shot. By the way Mumbai or Bombay as we all know it, is the capital of the state Maharashtra and Pune is a very famous city known for its quality education and is sometimes also known as the Oxford of the East! So out of curiosity, I tried to Google about the Marathi play but found nothing. For a while I thought that may be I was wrong and both the plays might be different. But then I found a Marathi discussion board which
mentioned about this suspense Marathi play. And strangely it was being compared with some other English play, which was Agatha Christie's as well. But when I came to know about the title of the play I was certain that this Marathi play was certainly 'inspired' by Agatha Christie's "The mousetrap" because the Marathi play's name was "Trap" ! Well I would like to mention here that, its not that I didn't enjoy watching the Marathi Natak. It was also very well directed and presented and interesting. I would also like to mention that out of the many states in India, according to my knowledge, Marathi and Bengali theatre are the best, in India. Coming back to the English play, its total duration was 2 hours and 15 minutes. There was a break of 15 minutes between the two hours. Along with the seriousness and the suspense element, there were plenty of funny bits as well. All acted superbly. There wasn't a single flaw. The play moved ahead as smoothly as a movie ! I truly enjoyed the show and was more happy to see my wife pleasantly surprised on Valentine's day. I personally like suspense shows and would definitely recommend everyone to watch it at least once. After the movie we had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant nearby. Before I finsih, I would like to request you all to not disclose the suspense (murderer) to anyone who has not watched the play. We'd been requested to do the same by the play members after the play finished.
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For more than 30 years the team at Thames Valley Positive Support has worked hard to make a significant difference to people living with HIV across Berkshire. Originally an amalgamation of several different HIV support groups in the area, TVPS now stands proudly as the only HIV charity in Berkshire. Our work spans prevention, testing and post-diagnosis support.
That all people are aware of their HIV status, have the right level of support if they are positive and are sufficiently informed to protect themselves if they are negative.
Our core purpose:
To provide emotional and practical support to those living with, or affected by, the virus and to empower them to achieve a full and rewarding life.
To increase the level of testing to ensure people know their HIV status and to avoid late diagnosis.
To increase awareness and information so new infections can be prevented.
A positive diagnosis can be a very frightening experience and we are here to provide information, reassurance and support in a totally confidential and supportive environment.
The introduction of anti-retroviral drugs in the early 90’s and the continuing medical advances means that many positive people now live a normal life span, albeit with side effects of the medication. However, the stigma associated with the virus is as strong as it has ever been and TVPS prides itself on its ability to constantly challenge that stigma and dispel the myths that surround this often-misunderstood condition.
Unlike the 1980’s there is no single group where HIV is more prevalent. It is a virus that can affect anyone, and our client base is reflective of this, being made up of all sections of the community. Everything we do is about making life better for people living with HIV in Berkshire, and we are currently supporting approximately 550 people who are HIV positive.
Slough and Reading, Berkshire’s two major towns, have a higher than average prevalence of HIV than many major UK cities. This means there are more positive people living in our county than in many of our major cities including Newcastle, Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds, meaning our support services are more needed in the county than ever.
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Our free testing services are ever more critical as on top of the population known to be positive, there are people who are positive but still undiagnosed, risking transmission to others and damage to their long-term health.
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Erich Korngold’s Die tote Stadt
History can be a cruel, unforgiving judge of the arts. The music of the Austrian composer Erich Korngold (1897–1957) is but one example of history’s cruelness. Distinguished as a prodigy from his childhood, Korngold received high accolades from Mahler and Strauss before reaching adolescence. At this time his music was performed by leading ensembles in Austria and even won the attention of so a discriminating pianist as Artur Schnabel, who toured Europe with Korngold’s 1910 Piano Sonata. His early fame was marked by two operas, Der Ring des Polykrates and Violanta, both of 1916, the latter of which earned the praise of Puccini. These were followed in 1920 by the opera Die tote Stadt, which was acclaimed internationally with dual premiere performances in Hamburg and Cologne, the former under the direction of Otto Klemperer. By 1928, he was ranked as one of the two greatest living composers in Europe, the other being Arnold Schönberg.
Things changed dramatically for Korngold in the 1930s, at which time he was forced to flee Austria because of his Jewish faith. He immigrated to the United States, settling in Hollywood and quickly making a reputation as a composer of film scores. Two of his scores, The Adventures of Robin Hood and Anthony Adverse, received Oscars. Despite the success of his work in film, he soon tired of the Hollywood industry and abandoned it altogether in 1946. He eagerly returned to concert music, although his post-Hollywood scores were greeted with far less enthusiasm; the erstwhile Wunderkind had become a middle-aged man.
In the decades after the war and after his death, Korngold’s music suffered neglect and harsh criticism, largely because of the Hollywood association and because of his obstinacy to abandon a musical style that was regarded as passé. To this day, his legacy is associated primarily with his Hollywood work. One wonders what he might have achieved had the war not interfered with his musical activities.
Korngold’s third opera, Die tote Stadt (“The Dead City,” the city being Bruges), is a remarkable score, completed when the composer was twenty. The libretto, written jointly by Korngold and his father, tells the story of the obsessive refusal of a man (Paul) to accept the death of his wife (Marie) and to abandon her memory. So intense does his obsession become that he imagines meeting a woman named Marietta, a dancer in an opera troupe touring through Bruges, whom Paul believes to be his wife reborn. Paul suffers extreme anxiety and hallucinations from this meeting, and his increasingly erratic behavior ostracizes him from his friends. In the third and final act, his behavior reaches such a level of hysteria that he imagines murdering Marietta, which becomes the turning point in his realization that this has all existed in his imagination. The shock of this realization snaps him out of his stupor and cures him of his obsession with his dead wife.
It is tempting to draw comparisons with Alban Berg’s opera Wozzeck, composed at approximately the same time, though first performed in 1925. Both operas feature an antagonist named Marie, who is brutally murdered by the protagonist. Both feature strongly Expressionist music that mirrors the deteriorating mental states of the characters. Hysteria, anxiety and obsession are important themes in both. Additionally, both operas feature extended musical interludes between scenes, transitory music that concludes one scene and anticipates the next. This might suggest some sort of mutual influence between the two composers—Berg surely would have been aware of the then-more-famous Korngold—or perhaps the psychological elements of the stories were a powerful Zeitgeist after World War I.
One aspect that even the uninitiated listener of Die tote Stadt will perceive (this being another point of comparison between the two operas) is its stylistic plurality. The score features lush Romantic music typical of Brahms, Wolf or Mahler in their happiest moments alternating suddenly with fiercely Expressionist music that could be mistaken for Schönberg’s or Berg’s music from the same time. Stylistic plurality was certainly not an isolated phenomenon in the early twentieth century; for example, Strauss’ 1916 version of Ariadne auf Naxos exploits it unashamedly. These composers and various others might have seen this as a means to preserve listener accessibility in a hectically changing musical climate. However, the stylistic changes in Die tote Stadt are most likely a means to depict Paul’s varied mental states, one moment happy and rapturous, the next moment bewildered and confused. The shifts in style that become increasingly haphazard as the opera progresses draw us more deeply into Paul’s bipolar condition leading up to the imagined murder.
The score features a virtuosic handling of a massive Straussian orchestra, including a wind machine, church bells, organ, harmonium and a variety of behind-the-scene instruments. All of these resources are called upon in Scene 3 of Act 2, a fantastic musical depiction of a hallucination in which Paul imagines Marietta rehearsing the resurrection scene from Meyerbeer’s opera Robert le diable (Meyerbeer, like Korngold, was a Jewish composer, whose operas deeply impressed Korngold). However, the rehearsal degenerates into a decadent burlesque, which horrifies the already unhinged Paul. The surreal bizarreness of the scene, something akin to the Prologue of Berg’s second opera Lulu, is matched by an original and imaginative harmonic vocabulary and a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of orchestral color. The scene is introduced by a massive build-up in the orchestra, with music that is as harmonically advanced as anything of its time:
The music of this passage fills a massively wide pitch spectrum, with virtually all orchestral instruments participating. Jarring, unresolved dissonances are created through a crushing bitonality of Eb major and D major, with hints of Ab major and G major. In fact, this assembly of differing harmonies is somewhat reminiscent of an Ives symphonic score. Just imagine how effectively this passage illustrates Paul’s tortured mental condition, as he witnesses the abominations of this rehearsal. The listener is left as bewildered and overwhelmed as Paul similarly is.
Yes, history has been cruel to Korngold’s music, but Die tote Stadt, rightly so, is enjoying something of a revival in the twenty-first century, nearly one hundred years after its completion. According to operabase.com, there are 132 performances of 23 productions in 22 cities of this neglected masterpiece between 2012 and 2015. Perhaps history can be kind after all.
What is Andantino?
The Italian tempo markings that are part of our musical vocabulary have been notoriously ambiguous for centuries. Part of this may be attributed to their inexactness (contrary to the precision of metronome markings), to their double use as terms of expression and of speed (as with adagio), to their changes in meaning over time, and to the occasional incorrect use of the Italian language, which is often a foreign tongue to many musicians. Andantino is one such instance of incorrect Italian. Meaning “a little andante,” the term is, strictly speaking, not a part of the Italian vocabulary, being found only in musical contexts. Despite its use since the eighteenth century, it is a term that is fraught with misinterpretation.
The problem most likely stems from the root andante itself; specifically, is andante a fast or a slow tempo? If fast, then the addition of the diminutive suffix “ino” entails a faster speed; if the converse, then it entails a slower one. There is generally no such misunderstanding when diminutive suffixes are added to other markings, such as the commonly encountered prestissimo and allegrissimo (faster than presto and allegro, respectively), allegretto (slower than allegro), or larghetto and adagietto (faster than largo and adagio, respectively). Presto, allegro, largo and adagio are unambiguous indications of speed; as a result, diminutive suffixes added to these terms are generally unequivocal.
One wonders who the first musician was to introduce the term andantino—probably not an Italian—and how the term gained currency in eighteenth-century Europe. Its time of origin seems to be the mid-eighteenth century, at some point in the course of Wolfgang Mozart’s lifetime. Of the important eighteenth-century treatises that addressed the meanings of Italian tempo indications, andantino was not mentioned in Sébastien de Brosard’s Dictionaire de musique of 1703, Alexander Malcom’s Treatise of Musick of 1721, James Grassineau’s Musical Dictionary of 1740, Johann Joachim Quantz’s Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte zu spielen of 1752, or Leopold Mozart’s Violinschule of 1756. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the first theorists to mention it in his Dictionaire de musique of 1768, in which he described it as “an andante with less gaiety in the beat” (thus, slower than andante). Subsequent treatises by Türk (1789), Clementi (1801) and Hummel (1828) agreed with Rousseau, although J. B. Cartier’s L’art du violin of 1798 ranked it faster than andante and slower than allegro. (Cartier also listed allegretto as faster than allegro, which would imply that his interpretation of Italian diminutive suffixes was incorrect.) Of these theorists, only Clementi was a native Italian speaker.
The first musical usage of andantino, to my knowledge, was the second movement of Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg’s Partita in G Major of 1756, the year of Leopold Mozart’s Violinschule and Wolfgang Mozart’s birth. Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (though not Johann Sebastian Bach), Wolfgang Mozart and (less so) Joseph Haydn used the term on occasion, and evidence supports the claim that these composers understood the term to be slower than andante (meaning, for them, andante was a slow tempo). Consider, for example, the Andantino section from Mozart’s Fantasia in C Minor, K. 475 of 1785:
Following a turbulent allegro section, this andantino passage demands a slow tempo (though certainly not as slow as the opening Adagio) for the thirty-second notes to be articulated properly. For example, the performer must execute the thirty-second note following the double-dotted eighth-note rest at the end of the first measure in such a way that it is not perceived as a sixteenth note. A fairly slow tempo is thus necessary for this to be accomplished, perhaps slow enough for the eighth note to be the main beat.
However, at some point thereafter, the term entered a checkered period of convolution and confusion. Beethoven, a composer always concerned for indicating the proper tempo markings, was deeply troubled by the term and used it sparingly. His concern with it is seen in the frustration he expressed in an 1813 letter to his Edinburgh publisher, in which he requested that folk melodies sent to him for harmonization that carried the term andantino be accompanied by clarification as to whether they were faster or slower than andante. Through the nineteenth century, andantino somehow transformed from a slower andante to a faster andante (meaning, for nineteenth-century musicians, andante was a fast tempo), yet instances of confusion and misinterpretation persisted. Merely one example is the way in which nineteenth-century composers, following Beethoven’s lead, combined common tempo markings as a means for specifying more precise indications. We find frequent instances of the indication Allegretto quasi andantino in such nineteenth-century scores as Schubert’s Rondo in A Major for piano, D. 951 and the third movement of Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, Op. 73. Confusion deepens when the reverse is found (Andantino quasi allegretto), as in the second movement of Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3, Op. 61 and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Which of the two is a faster tempo? Or are they two ways of expressing the same thing?
For better or worse, there is no English, French or German equivalent for andantino, which might explain why Claude Debussy used the term over the course of his career, even once French became his chosen language for musical indications. Andantino is the tempo specified in his “Menuet” from Suite bergamasque, and the more explicit Andantino con moto in Arabesque No. 1 and Ballade. The exquisite “Reflets dans l’eau” from Images I opens with the rather troubling term Andantino molto; does the qualifier molto imply a faster or a slower speed? Debussy was prone to using macaronic forms—which would suggest that the term conveyed a meaning that no French word could—as with the indications Andantino sans lenteur in the famous Rêverie and Andantino, doucement expressif in the third movement of the String Quartet, Op. 10. The latter, however, is accompanied by a metronome marking of eighth note equals 80, which in this instance demonstrates that andantino was a request for slowness and tranquility.
Surprisingly, the term, despite its ambiguity, has survived into the twentieth century, appearing in the scores of Sibelius, Stravinsky, Villa-Lobos and Hindemith. Despite the numerous examples that may be found of the its usage, andantino remains something of an enigma even to this day. It is a term whose very appearance on the page may imply something psychological to the experienced musician, yet whose true meaning defies a precise definition.
A celebration of the music of christmas
We all understand and experience the Christmas season in a variety of ways. For some it is a significant religious and spiritual event; some see it as a lucrative commercial enterprise; and some welcome this one time of the year for the unparalleled peace and joy that it conveys. Somehow, the season has a unique way of appealing nearly to everyone, regardless of faith, ethnicity, age or gender.
Christmas can also be a welcome opportunity to explore a rich body of music that we encounter for a brief period of time each year. Christmas is a seasonal celebration, and like all such celebrations the music associated with it is performed almost incessantly during the season and then discarded and forgotten, only to be taken up again with the same intensity and passion the following year. During the four-week period preceding December 25, Christmas music is ubiquitous, performed on radio, television, movies, shopping malls or any venue where music can be heard. By December 26, we are all more than ready to bid a fond farewell to the pieces that have overrun our listening sensibilities, and spend the following eleven months in complete neglect of anything Christmas. In truth, this is one of the advantages of seasonal music, for its prolonged absence gives us fresh ears for it once it returns.
The carols and hymns of Christmas, for me, are wondrous, and not just during this four-week period. Many of these staple pieces have a fascinating and unique history, particularly those pieces that in some way observe the Nativity (versus those that only celebrate the holiday season, which are generally more recent compositions). Many of these tunes are centuries old, whose music and words often have been updated to accommodate changing styles and tastes. Some originated during forgotten times by forgotten composers and authors, who nevertheless captured and preserved their faith and spiritual sentiments in works that remain popular today. In a sense, this body of music is a significant and vital document of a bygone era.
For a church musician, such as I am, Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year, and in many ways the most rewarding. Church services are filled with music (vocal and instrumental), and the musician is obliged each year to find pieces that reflect the festiveness of the season, yet have a sense of freshness for the listener. When I began this type of work, I searched in earnest each season for music that was appropriate for the Christmas service: music that would be as pleasing for the musicians to perform as for the congregation to hear. At first I relied on arrangements prepared by others, but in time my personality took over, and I prepared my own arrangements.
Part of my work in this capacity has been recently published by Carl Fischer Music in a collection entitled Twenty Christmas Hymns for Piano. This is a collection of piano arrangements of twenty Christmas hymns that are intended to accompany a Christmas liturgical service (although they would be appropriate for any Christmas occasion). What is unique to this collection, I believe, is that each hymn is presented in three versions based on difficulty: Easy, Intermediate and Advanced. My intent was to suit the tastes and abilities of a wide diversity of church musicians by providing arrangements of varying levels of difficulty and diverse musical styles. Easy versions are restricted in length to one to two minutes, composed according to fundamental keyboard techniques and are intended to be relatively uncomplicated to prepare for performance. Intermediate versions are somewhat longer in length and incorporate more advanced keyboard techniques; additionally, they may deviate from the character of the original hymn. Advanced versions, lastly, may be considered true concert pieces that demand a greater amount of time for preparation; they are technically and musically more demanding than the other versions and often explore musical styles and techniques not related to the original hymn.
As an example, I have attached the three versions of God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen, a widely familiar hymn whose words offer hope and reassurance, though, curiously, with music of a plaintive character (click on any image for a larger view). The Easy version clearly poses no problems for the experienced musician. The Intermediate and Advanced versions take a different approach by incorporating keyboard styles of two early piano preludes of Alexander Scriabin. The hymn is thus integrated into a fin de siècle musical context, one quite foreign to the hymn, yet it is still readily identifiable by anyone familiar with this popular tune. Each version becomes progressively more demanding, musically and technically, and thus the musician wishing to perform this hymn may choose among the three versions based on his or her abilities and tastes.
If anything, this collection should substantiate how astonishingly flexible these hymns are; they can preserve their identities in virtually any musical context. I have also provided written commentaries on each hymn, in which the hymn’s origins and usage over time are addressed. Please visit http://carlfischer.com for information about purchasing this arrangement (cat. no. PL1039).
Note: My special thanks to Subtilior Music Engraving for typesetting the arrangements in this collection.
the engravers of universal edition
Founded in 1901 in Vienna, Universal Edition (UE) rapidly became a music publisher whose catalog was built primarily on the works of contemporary composers. Under the directorship of Emile Hertzga, the firm signed publishing contracts with such now-famous composers as Béla Bartók, Frederick Delius, Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schönberg, Anton Webern and Leoš Janáček. This philosophy continued under the leadership of Alfred Schlee, who became director of the firm in 1938 during the German Anschluss. From the 1950s through the 1970s, Schlee avidly pursued and promoted music of the leading composers of the European avant-garde, including Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, Harrison Birtwistle and Mauricio Kagel.
It is this period that is of particular interest in the firm’s history. What is remarkable is that hundreds, if not thousands of scores of these post-World War II composers were engraved and published, many scores, in fact, of exceptional notational complexity and originality. No work seems to have been refused because of its complexity. Scores such as Stockhausen’s Gruppen, Boulez’s Pli selon pli, Berio’s Coro and Sinfonia attest to UE’s willingness to engrave and publish that which might have met with instant rejection elsewhere. Profits from the sales of these scores most likely did not outweigh the production costs at the time, but presumably Schlee regarded these publications as financial investments for a future time.
Who were the persons who were responsible for engraving these formidable scores? Their names are not known, their works bear no signatures, but the high craftsmanship of these scores clearly shows that they must have been engravers of extraordinary standards and inestimable patience, who spent years in apprenticeships to develop their skills. As was the case with most music publishers at this time, they would have worked in teams: A division of labor would have been established, in which senior engravers would have been responsible for the actual engraving work and junior engravers or apprentices for other peripheral responsibilities.
I am not entirely certain what engraving techniques were used at this time. Judging from the appearance of many of these scores, I believe that they used a technique known as “plate engraving,” or more specifically “punch engraving.” In this technique, a variety of tools are used to “punch” musical characters into copper or pewter plates. This was a slow, time-consuming process, which must have been dreadfully difficult with scores of such complexity. To add to the difficulty, the engravings were produced from right to left in mirror-image form, such that the image would be produced in its correct form when transferred to paper. Imagine the difficulty and the mental strain in typing a document in MS Word from right to left, instead of the customary left to right.
Inevitably, technology put an end to much of this labor. In the twenty-first century, music engravers are fortunate to have computers and software that can manage these tasks more quickly and efficiently and often with a cleaner, more elegant look (depending, of course, on the skill of the user). One person with a computer and engraving software can accomplish what a team of engravers did just as quickly, if not more quickly, since many of the cumbersome tasks of plate engraving are now automated (although a fair amount of mental work is still required). This ultimately means greater speed in production and lower costs.
As a means to understand some of the challenges these engravers faced, I thought it would be informative to engrave a segment from a UE score; more specifically, to typeset it in digital form, since my engraving career began long after the days of plate engraving. I chose one system, an intentionally challenging one, from the third page of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Klavierstücke No. 8, composed in 1954–55. The first image at the bottom of this blog entry is this system as it appears in the original publication.
The notation is highly complex, but the complexity can be justified by the musical intent. The piece is structured from three- and four-part counterpoint, with voices crossing between the hands and often crossing wide registers. Stockhausen’s notation clarifies the identity of the voices for the performer largely through beaming; hence, the need for an eighth-note beat. Additionally, the spacing of the beat (in non-reduced size) is nearly equidistant at 1.5 centimeters over the course of the system. No doubt this was the composer’s stipulation to the aid the performer in reading the music in the absence of bar lines. This engraving is elegant, clean, finely proportioned and admirably clear; it is aesthetically pleasing to the score-reader’s eye, despite the fact that certain notational conventions are no longer in use.
My rendition of this system, prepared in Score and duplicating as much of the original as possible, is the second image at the bottom of this entry.
The entire process for me from start to finish, including note input, editing and proofreading, required 90 minutes, an astronomical amount of time for typesetting a single system of piano music. Inevitably, the look is different in a variety of ways. For example, the horizontal spacing in the original cannot be matched exactly, since the wider shaped noteheads in the typeset version demand slightly more space. Given that the software freed me from handling numerous factors and calculations, it seems highly likely that the time required by the UE engravers to produce the original engraving would have been far greater. Days or weeks may have been needed to complete this relatively short piece comprising nine such systems.
This undertaking certainly extended my appreciation and admiration for the work of these engravers. The next time you study a score prepared by Universal Edition, or any music publisher for that matter, spare a moment to appreciate the fine work of the engravers who prepared the score. Many of them were first-class artisans, whose fine attention to detail was partly responsible for the success of the scores and their composers. And they all remain anonymous.
Postscript: Of course, I realize that I have committed a copyright infringement by including the example from the original publication. But I hope that amnesty is granted, since no profit will be made, and its inclusion here is a means of paying homage to those who produced it.
debussy's declaration of love
Claude Debussy’s opera Pelléas et Mélisande contains a wealth of moments that are musically stunning and dramatically exhilarating. Act IV, Scene 4, in particular, offers one such moment that should be appreciated for its effectiveness as well as its simplicity. This scene, curiously the first part of the opera that Debussy began to compose in 1893, is a climactic moment in the drama, representing the instant in which Pelléas and Mélisande declare their knowingly illicit love for one another, followed by Pelléas’ violent death at the hands of Golaud. Taking place by a well in the park, the scene depicts a clandestine meeting between the two characters, in which Pelléas informs Mélisande that he must leave forever. Rather than explaining the reason for his departure, he repeatedly insists to her that she knows why, to which she responds that she does not (the reason, of course, is their mutual and forbidden love). This insistence, combined with the obvious anxiety that the two characters are experiencing in the wake of their secret tryst, creates a moment of heightened nervousness and tension, quite different from anything that has preceded it.
The point at which Pelléas and Mélisande declare their love is astonishing, yet remarkably simple. In the measures preceding this declaration, Debussy composes a breathtaking build-up in the orchestra—an exceptional happening in this mezzo-piano opera—that cuts off abruptly when Pelléas suddenly kisses Mélisande:
This build-up is accomplished in a variety of ways. Harmonic tension is provided by a series of ninth and seventh chords (dominant seventh chords, minor seventh chords and even a Tristan-chord), all of which, despite being harmonic dissonances, are denied any type of resolution. Loudness contributes to this build-up as well. In the above example, Debussy specifies molto cresc. leading to forte and beyond, one of a handful of instances in the entire opera in which anything of this loudness may be found. Lastly, the marking Animez peu à peu, notated seven measures before the kiss, establishes a gradually quickening pace that continues until the indication Librement.
What makes this love declaration following the hair-raising build-up so dramatically effective is that it is accompanied by an abrupt silence in the orchestra. The tension accumulated from harmony, dynamics and tempo simply stops, leaving the vocal parts alone in silence. As a result, the declaration is set in relief. Additionally, the silence restores calm and eases all tension once the declaration has been made, as if the two characters, for the first time since meeting in Act I, can finally relax. Of course, this is Debussy’s dramatic expertise at work, but quite possibly part of his strategy was to avoid the expected Wagnerian (and verismo) procedure of accompanying such a pivotal moment with a furor of orchestral volume and grandeur. This moment is one of many instances in the opera, in which silence is used to underscore the dramatic significance of a passage, and is perhaps the most effective as well.
A subtlety may be seen in the different way in which Debussy set the words “Je t’aime” in each part. Pelléas’ setting, immediately following the orchestral crescendo and the rash kiss, is high in his tenor register and is clearly one of great excitement. The metric accent is placed on the word “t’aime.” By contrast, Mélisande’s setting is at the bottom of her register (“in a low voice,” as Debussy indicated) with the metric accent on “Je” and “-si” (of “aussi”). The character of her declaration is withdrawn and subdued, seeming more like a well-mannered response to Pelléas (but presumably is not). Moreover, Mélisande’s “t’aime” is set to a single note, rather than divided into syllables as in Pelléas’ part. In effect, the settings of these critical words are “I love you,” followed by “I love you, too.”
I have wondered if there is any significance to Debussy’s different setting of these words, yet can only speculate that it could be a way to emphasize differences in the personalities of the two characters: the heightened emotional character of the impetuous Pelléas as opposed to the subdued and reserved character of the enigmatic Mélisande. Differences notwithstanding, Debussy introduces another musical subtlety to suggest an emotional kinship between the two characters. The notes in Pelléas’ part (E and D) lead directly by stepwise motion, in an almost cadential way, to Mélisande’s repeated C’s; in effect, the declarations, though audibly different, interconnect in terms of pitch.
This moment is merely one of many remarkable musical/dramatic instances in Debussy’s opera. I would be hard pressed to think of other examples in the opera repertoire, in which love is declared so effectively and so simply, with such intense drama and such ingenious musical design. Tension and release, in which silence plays a critical role, make this declaration of love one of the most moving and dramatically effective instances in this opera.
Le Marteau sans maître Revisited
I recently heard a radio broadcast of the 1957 recording of Pierre Boulez’s Le Marteau sans maître (made just two years after the premiere performance), featuring Boulez as the conductor, Severino Gazzelloni as the alto flute player and Jeanne Deroubaiz as the alto singer. This was the first recording I had heard of this piece many years ago during a time of impressionable adolescence, and it indeed made quite an impression on me at the time. Having been conditioned since then by later recordings of the piece made by Boulez, I was initially skeptical of the worth of this premiere recording of this seminal piece, since later recordings would obviously be superior in every possible way.
On the contrary, the 1957 recording was absolutely electric, in many ways revelatory, and completely renewed my initial zest for this masterpiece. Merely one engaging feature of this recording was its way of clarifying structural design, in particular the subtle and complex relationship between René Char’s often impenetrable surrealistic poetry and Boulez’s music. One of the many innovations of this piece is a technique that Boulez has called “center and absence,” a means of incorporating the structure of a poem into the structure of the music, while the former is absent (used also in the later Pli selon pli). This recording somehow clarified the significance of this technique in this piece, revealing how the words and the voice act as commentaries on what is essentially instrumental music structured from poetry. As a result, form became audible: The teleological progression over the course of the piece, in which the voice is gradually absorbed by the instruments, became an exhilarating phenomenon.
The recording offers much more. Boulez has gained ample attention, and rightly so, for his ear as a conductor. His recordings, particularly those of Debussy and Stravinsky, have received accolades for their precision of pitch, orchestral balance and textural clarity. What is often overlooked is the magnificence of Boulez’s ear as a composer, perhaps because this side of his work has been overshadowed by his conducting activities. The acuity of his ear is especially apparent in the opening movement of Le Marteau (“avant l’artisanat furieux”) composed for an unorthodox instrumental quartet comprising alto flute, vibraphone, guitar and viola. In the 1957 recording, the listener can hear a remarkably original, yet remarkably coherent fusion of these four disparate instruments: They occupy and traverse a unique polyphonic nexus organized around an alto tessitura. Ultimately, the musical ear necessary to maintain cohesion and logic with four such disparate instruments, to compose a clear polyphonic texture with a firm harmonic basis, must surely be extraordinary.
Much of what is special about this recording, I believe, is the timing and tempos; specifically, fidelity to the tempo markings in the first published version of the score. For example, the tempo of the opening movement approximated the indication in the first published version, a blistering 208 quarter notes per minute. One of several revisions in the subsequent 1964 edition is that the tempos of the “l’artisanat furieux” cycle were reduced; the tempo of the first movement was reduced drastically to 168 quarter notes per minute, and the other movements in this cycle reduced proportionately. Boulez seemingly drew lessons from repeated performances of this piece that demonstrated that some of his initial tempo markings were simply too fast. Paul Griffiths, in his usual eloquent and observing way, has remarked that a sense of ease and breadth, resulting partly from a gradual slowing of tempos, has been introduced in the four recordings of this piece that Boulez made in the four decades between 1957 and 1984 (Paul Griffiths, “Le marteau de son maître, or Boulez selon Boulez”). This may be attributed to lessons absorbed from performance experience or even a certain inevitable mellowness that results from advancing age.
Despite the probable need for this tempo reduction from a practical standpoint, the drawback is that slower tempos and a feeling of ease detract the music from the power of Char’s poetry. The three poems used in this piece are characterized by a peculiar mixture of brevity, violence and vagueness. Symbols in the poems are incorporated to suggest an imagery that, although deeply expressive, is often difficult to comprehend. Contemplate, for example, what is implied in the opening line of “l’artisanat furieux”: “The red caravan on the edge of the nail.” Additional symbols, such as a corpse, a horseshoe and a Peruvian knife, are invoked in the three remaining lines of the poem and abandoned. The relationship of all of these images to the whole can be perplexing, and few analyses of this piece successfully address this crucial matter.
Boulez’s exceptional ear has captured the expression of this verse and translated it into a musical imagery that is likewise violent and oftentimes vague, featuring stops, starts and pauses that seem to disrupt the musical continuity. This discontinuity can be especially apparent and problematic with slower tempos. What is astonishing about the 1957 recording is that the bumps in the musical road are not jarring or disruptive, but logical, effective and in line with the character of the poetry. The question becomes was it correct to modify the music to ease performance if it sacrifices the logic of the musical design (Boulez seems to believe so).
Additionally, this recording was made at a time when the piece was new and its performance practices still unfamiliar. Performance indications in the score are numerous, at times accompanying each and every note. Changes are multitudinous and can happen instantly. The performers in this recording, magnificent by any standard, must have suffered great apprehension when presented with their parts, and later when recording the piece in the composer’s presence. Surely, this recording must suffer from a variety of inaccuracies (I would need more hearings to affirm this). Decades later and with great advancements made in contemporary performance practice, the piece is no longer the fearmonger that is once was; the tension and anxiety that once resulted from performing it are no longer there, or no longer as severe, and the piece will most likely enter the standard repertoire as pieces that in their own day were regarded in this way.
This is not to lament the fact that the piece will become be a part of future musicians’ repertoire; it has certainly earned that privilege. However, the 1957 recording presents us with a unique opportunity to experience a certain anxiety in the early days of the piece’s history, an opportunity that could prove revelatory with many pieces now in the standard repertoire. (Regrettably, this recording is difficult to find; Amazon.com offers it on vinyl LP only, meaning that it has never been transferred to CD and is seemingly no longer in issue.) Much of the power of this piece stems from the demands it places on the performers through its detail and its inexorable insistence on ability. Yet it only reaffirmed for me that Pierre Boulez should be ranked as one of the (perhaps the) greatest composers of the second half of the twentieth century.
Bach's Andante
I recently recalled an event that happened during my adolescent days when my superb piano teacher, Mr. Stephen Erickson, assigned me Bach’s Prelude in B Minor from Book 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier. With the score open on the music stand, he instructed me to read it at sight, which I did, quite well I believe. At the conclusion of my performance, he observed with some excitement that this prelude was one of the few keyboard pieces by Bach that was accompanied by an original tempo marking (Andante). An awkward silence ensued; he must have expected some sort of reaction from me, some sort of excitement that matched his own, perhaps. But he became disappointed when I had no reaction whatsoever, and he offered no further observations on the matter. Sixteen-year old boys are rarely excited by such insights.
Relearning this prelude and a few other pieces from the Well-Tempered Clavier many years later, it finally did occur to me that this was indeed something remarkable. Only four of the ninety-six pieces in the two books are accompanied by an original tempo marking, the other three being “Largo” for the B-Minor Fugue in Book 1, “Largo” for the G-Minor Prelude in Book 2, and “Allegro” for the B-Minor Prelude in Book 2. Clearly, Bach’s “Andante” was a request for a moderate tempo for this prelude. But isn’t this obvious from the opening measures?
Surely no experienced musician would play this as an allegro, or, at the opposite side, as an adagio. Why did Bach feel the need to include “Andante” for this prelude, yet not any others? What was unique about this piece?
“Andante” is the present participle of the Italian andare, to walk. All musicians recognize this common designation and understand that it indicates a leisurely, moderate “walking” tempo, something, perhaps, midway in the hazy tempo continuum between Allegro and Adagio. However, this was not the case for musicians in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. According to Sébastien de Brossard’s Dictionaire de musique of 1703:
Andante…means above all for basso continuos that all the notes must be made equal, and the sounds well separated.” (Robert Donnington, The Interpretation of Early Music, 388).
Bach’s “Andante” indication, thus, is not a tempo marking, but rather an indication for performance; it stipulates that the eighth notes in the left-hand part (present in nearly every measure of the piece) should be performed as written, not to be played as inégale (the same indication may be found in "Et in unum dominum" from the Mass in B Minor, which likewise features an eighth-note bass line). In modern terms, this would be indicated as “straight eighths, not swung eighths,” an unequivocal indication for us that would have been utterly incomprehensible in Bach’s time. “Andante” as a tempo indication seems to have arisen in the decade of Bach’s death. Leopold Mozart notes in his Violinschule of 1756:
Andante, going (gehend). The word itself tells us that one must give the piece its natural gait.
(Robert Donnington, The Interpretation of Early Music, 389).
Exactly how the term was transformed from an indication of performance to an indication of speed and/or mood remains unknown. But from this point on, “Andante” became a ubiquitous indication in music, although occasionally troubled by confusion and misinterpretation.
Mr. Erickson, if you happen to stumble upon this entry, my apologies for not recognizing the significance of your observation. I am not entirely sure if you realized what Bach was specifying (my deadpan reaction did not invite any further discussion), but you were quite correct in pointing out the rarity of this indication. Such, however, is adolescence.
Postscript: It occurred to me that I never truly considered what the actual tempo (i.e., the “tempo giusto”) of this prelude is, if we accept that Bach’s “Andante” is an indication of performance. The eighth note is the general rhythmic unit in this prelude, with sixteenth notes occurring in but four isolated instances. Thus, a tempo based on the eighth note is seemingly a reliable determination. Consideration must also be given to the right hand’s ability to manage two independent voices; the soprano-alto pairing of voices in the right hand in the above example is continued for the duration of the piece and can present a few treacherous instances of finger co-ordination for the performer.
With these factors in mind, an actual “Andante” might indeed be the most appropriate tempo: a moderately paced tempo, not too fast and certainly not too slow, that is fairly unwavering for the duration of the piece (save for sectional cadences). Consider the range of the approximate metronome values from the following eight recordings of this piece (featuring performances on harpsichord and piano):
Vladimir Feltsman: quarter note = 56
Sviatoslav Richter: quarter note = 60
Rosalyn Tureck: quarter note = 68
Wanda Landowska: quarter note = 72
Maurizio Pollini: quarter note = 80
Glenn Gould: quarter note = 86
Kenneth Gilbert: quarter note = 88
Roger Woodward: quarter note = 94
From 56 to 94, this is quite a spread, but none of the performances approaches an “Allegro”; even Glenn Gould, notorious for his extreme tempos, keeps his tempo relatively tame. Personally, I believe a metronome value in the 80s is the most appropriate for this piece, regardless of the choice of keyboard.
Could it be, then, that Bach’s “Andante” is both a manner of performance and a tempo indication?
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A Podcast? shigidy posted 2007 Oct 30 at 19:40 PDT 2007 Oct 30 at 19:40 PDT shigidy 1
jrkookid
making a game!!! SolidKAYOS posted 2007 Oct 21 at 18:57 PDT 2007 Oct 21 at 18:57 PDT SolidKAYOS 6
360 back in the house!!!! jrkookid posted 2007 Oct 17 at 18:19 PDT 2007 Oct 17 at 18:19 PDT jrkookid 2
My First Flash Game SuperJer posted 2007 Oct 17 at 17:18 PDT 2007 Oct 17 at 17:18 PDT SuperJer 4
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Homeslice
Michael Vick (funny) SuperJer posted 2007 Oct 16 at 16:42 PDT 2007 Oct 16 at 16:42 PDT SuperJer 2
mrsticks
FUNNY MENTOS AD mrsticks posted 2007 Oct 12 at 14:43 PDT 2007 Oct 12 at 14:43 PDT mrsticks 0
CornJer
So playing god is the new fad. molkman posted 2007 Oct 8 at 12:53 PDT 2007 Oct 8 at 12:53 PDT molkman 2
adamnomak
Splatter mario mrsticks posted 2007 Oct 7 at 11:17 PDT 2007 Oct 7 at 11:17 PDT mrsticks 1
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SuperJer
SUPERJER.COMIC SolidKAYOS posted 2007 Oct 2 at 03:32 PDT 2007 Oct 2 at 03:32 PDT SolidKAYOS 83
Superjer gets new car jrkookid posted 2007 Sep 29 at 18:27 PDT 2007 Sep 29 at 18:27 PDT jrkookid 4
general_zim
I'm thinking of upgrading my HP SolidKAYOS posted 2007 Sep 26 at 18:21 PDT 2007 Sep 26 at 18:21 PDT SolidKAYOS 14
The_sloth
Bye everybody i leave for ever :( i stop this Forum SolidKAYOS posted 2007 Sep 24 at 20:00 PDT 2007 Sep 24 at 20:00 PDT SolidKAYOS 16
Halo Pc jrkookid posted 2007 Sep 24 at 10:13 PDT 2007 Sep 24 at 10:13 PDT jrkookid 5
Look what I made in photoshop! Yay! mrsticks posted 2007 Sep 24 at 06:56 PDT 2007 Sep 24 at 06:56 PDT mrsticks 2
Theou Aegis
Any of you seen this? Theou Aegis posted 2007 Sep 23 at 19:39 PDT 2007 Sep 23 at 19:39 PDT Theou Aegis 0
want to kno how to help me with my sniper game? CornJer posted 2007 Sep 23 at 10:42 PDT 2007 Sep 23 at 10:42 PDT CornJer 11
molkman
I maid some dumb comics. CornJer posted 2007 Sep 23 at 06:54 PDT 2007 Sep 23 at 06:54 PDT CornJer 10
Japanese people don't know how to play baseball... CornJer posted 2007 Sep 22 at 09:59 PDT 2007 Sep 22 at 09:59 PDT CornJer 4
Games! (According to Superjer.com T_T) Crytax posted 2007 Sep 19 at 18:15 PDT 2007 Sep 19 at 18:15 PDT Crytax 30
MacDiddy's 3 jrkookid posted 2007 Sep 19 at 16:05 PDT 2007 Sep 19 at 16:05 PDT jrkookid 13
Salmon that spawn trout Homeslice posted 2007 Sep 17 at 13:08 PDT 2007 Sep 17 at 13:08 PDT Homeslice 0
So I made a webserver... DJchul3l3y posted 2007 Sep 17 at 07:22 PDT 2007 Sep 17 at 07:22 PDT DJchul3l3y 5
DJchul3l3y
Habbo DJchul3l3y posted 2007 Sep 17 at 07:09 PDT 2007 Sep 17 at 07:09 PDT DJchul3l3y 11
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Middle-Schoolers on Red Bull
Charlotte LoBuono
Energy drinks can bring on attention and behavior problems in children that interfere with school.
When you see kids racing around the playground, many if not most look like they have been drinking energy drinks. But when children actually do drink these sugar-sweetened, caffeinated beverages, they run the risk of attention and behavior problems that can cause difficulties at school.
Researchers at Yale University School of Public Health found that those middle school students who drink sugar-sweetened energy drinks have a 66 percent greater risk of hyperactivity and inattention than those who do not drink them.
We were surprised that it was not just the quantity of sugar-sweetened beverages, but the type of beverage.
The findings are especially serious because the inability to sit still and pay attention can affect school performance.
The study findings lend support to recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics to limit the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages that children drink.
“We were surprised that it was not just the quantity of sugar-sweetened beverages, but the type of beverage,” Jeannette Ickovics, corresponding author on the study, told TheDoctor in an email.
A lot of research has focused on sugary sodas, she said. However, in this study, the researchers found energy drinks are the real culprit in terms of their association with hyperactivity and inattention symptoms.
The researchers surveyed almost 1,700 middle school students from an urban school district in Connecticut. The average age of the students was about 12 years old. Boys were more likely to drink energy drinks than girls and Hispanic and black students drank more energy drinks that their white peers.
“We don’t know exactly why that is,” said Ickovics. It may be related to advertising and the appeal of the combination of sugar and caffeine.
So what can schoos and parents do? Schools can restrict sales of these drinks in their cafeterias and vending machines, Ickovics said. And advertising aimed at children can also be limited in terms of content and the television programs and times during which energy drinks are promoted.
“We need to understand more about the content of energy drinks,” she added. Scientists know they contain a lot of sugar and caffeine, but are not sure about the effects of other ingredients.
The team plans to continue to examine changes in the consumption of energy drinks among middle school students and their impact on children's performance in school, looking at the association between consumption of energy drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages with measures of academic achievement, such as grades and test scores, health and mental health issues.
The study was published recently in Academic Pediatrics.
ADHD on the rise
Parents get an “F” in lunch
Soda and attention problems
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The Slingsbys
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The Slingsbys ............................................................Pro Termino Vitae Sic Nos Non Nobis
HomeDiscover "Slingsby" At War Family TreesCoats of ArmsSlingsby Day The Slingsby SocietyTracing the Family on the Internet Internet Geneology ResourcesThe Red HouseSlingsby, N YorkshireWhat's New
Slingsby Hall, Slingsby
History of The Red House
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Hello to Slingsbys all over the world, especially all of you who contacted last year!! This was a new project for 2007 which continued to be developed until about 2009 when circumstances meant that I was unable to continue. The site has remained up and running ever since and in 2015 people are still writing to me. Apologises to anyone in the past who wrote and did not receive a reply. Unfortunately the site might have remained online, but I didn't. However I am now in a position to spend some time on the site and hopefully bring it up to date and add some new and interesting news.
The purpose of this site is to stir up as much interest in the Slingsby name as possible and to encourage people to share information including their ancestory. Slingsby is not a common name but seems to appear in the phone books of nearly every English region, in Ireland and no doubt in Scotland and Wales too. A quick search of the internet finds the Slingsby name listed in Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. This is the first attempt at putting something together and I make no apology for the fact that it is rather amateur but this will change as I gain more experience. We had to start somewhere! We already have two major family trees here, the Slingsbys of Brayton, North Yorkshire and the Slingsbys of Idle, West Yorkshire, and I have more to add but we need all you Slingsbys to contact us tell us where you are in the world, and where possible share your Slingsby family history with us.
The site has been up for 8 years and has been visited by Slingsbys from all over the world. These pages have generated a lot of interest and this year I am going to start redeveloping the site.
You can contact me, at any time, but please be patient as it sometimes takes me a while to write back to everyone.
The items listed in the menu on the left hand side of each page will take you to pages or other web sites containing interesting facts about Slingsbys including the execution of Sir Henry Slingsby for Treason, Slingsby Aviation, H.C. Slingsby, the Village of Slingsby, entries in Samuel Pepys' Diary, T. S Elliott, and many more. So take some time to enjoy them.
I would welcome any contributions in the form of emails or articles or comment that would enrich our understanding of the development and diversification of the family. There must be many stories to tell out there, so if you are a frustrated writer try writing something for me to publish here!
*****News letters will be produced in the near future*****
The latin inscription at the top of this page was originally on the front of the Red House at Moor Monkton, the 17th century residence of Sir Henry Slingsby (the elder). The inscription was moved to the Jacobean Chapel where it remains over the door to this day. "Pro Termino Vitae Sic Nos Nobis" is generally believed to translate as "For our term of life, so we build not for ourselves." An apt inscription for a web page so I have adopted it (if that's allowed). The Red House was the ancestral seat of the Slingsbys from 1560 until the turn of the 20th Century.
The crest above is a stylised version of one attributed to the de Slingsby family of Scriven Park, and the Red House near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. The original is a black Griffin with a red band across the middle described in heraldic terms as " a griffen segreant debrussed of a fesse gules." In the Parish Church of All Saints in Knaresborough there is a plaque on the wall of the Slingsby Chapel which depicts all the Coats of Arms related to this branch of the Slingsby family. The Slingsby family were influential in North Yorkshire especially during the English Civil War. While I can't claim a direct line to these Slingsbys they do provide an interesting starting point for this site. Further pages will document the early and colourful history of this branch of the family. To view the Coats of Arms click here.
We have added our family tree to the site and will welcome any other contributors. However the site need not be limited to Slingsby family history. It should also inform and celebrate the achievements of Slingsbys today.
If this is your first visit may I suggest that you start with Discover "Slingsby" which can be selected here or from the menu on the left hand side at the top of this page.
If you are a returning visitor, please check the "Whats New " page for any recent additions and changes to the site
About Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | ©2007 - 2008 TheSlingsbys
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In Martial Arts there is no right or wrong, only the last man standing.
Directed by: Kar Wai Wong
Tony Leung Chiu Wai, as
Ziyi Zhang, as
Gong Er
Hye-kyo Song, as
Zhang Yongcheng
Cung Le, as
Benshan Zhao, as
Ding Lianshan
Chen Chang, as
Qingxiang Wang, as
Master Gong Yutian
Elvis Tsui, as
Mr. Hung
Chia Yung Liu, as
Master Yong
Chiu Yee Tsang, as
Hoi-Pang Lo, as
Uncle Deng
Shun Lau, as
Master Rui
Xiaofei Zhou as
Sister San
Average Stars:Avg:
Reviewed on: February 12th, 2014
Tony Leung Chiu Wai as Ip Man in one of the film's many, beautifully filmed fight scenes.
This was Hong Kong's official submission to the Oscars in the best foreign language category. It didn't make the final cut, but it did manage two other nominations for cinematography and costume design. Given how beautiful it looks, but how leisurely it is paced and ultimately empty it all seems, I'd say the Academy made the right choice with this one.
The plot is based very, very loosely on the life of Ip Man, a Kung Fu grandmaster who taught, among others, Bruce Lee. The story begins just before the Japanese invasion of China in World War II. Ip is from a rich family. His wealth gives him plenty of time to practice his martial arts. He is chosen by the southern Kung Fu schools to represent them in a fight against a Northern Grandmaster. During the events around this fight, Ip meets the beautiful Gong Er, whom he becomes smitten with despite already being married, although their relationship remains quite chaste. The film then stretches out epic like, covering roughly the next 20 years of Ip Man's life, including his loss of wealth during the war and his transformation into a common Kung Fu teacher, albeit a very talented one.
There are several fight scenes scattered throughout the film and each one is a work of art. They are all carefully choreographed and seem more like ballet than battles. Director Kar Wai Wong loves using slow motion and he makes good use of it, particularly in the rain, which streams down in several fight scenes to magnificent effect. Unfortunately, as beautiful as they are, they are no substitute for an engrossing plot. And at over 2 hours, a more engrossing plot is what this movie is most in need of, not another fight scene, as beautiful as it might be filmed.
It is actually Gong Er's story that is the most interesting. The daughter of a Kung Fu grandmaster, she has learned the art well and even wins a fight against Ip Man. After her father's death it falls to her, since she has no brothers, to avenge his death. Her end is a sad one and the film suffers when she's not on the screen.
Although he's most famous in America for being one of the people who taught Bruce Lee, the film ends before that period of Ip Man's life and Lee is never shown. In Hong Kong and China however, Ip Man is well known in his own right and this film is just one of many filmed versions of his story that have been produced. While others have attempted for a more factual account of his life, this one is aiming for a more impressionistic telling and doesn't overly concern itself with facts, skipping huge chunks of Ip Man's life and leaving out many details that even a cursory examination of his biography reveals.
I've never been a huge fan of Kung Fu movies and those who are fans of that genre may find more to enjoy here than I did. To me this is just a beautiful looking film, but also one that runs on far too long. I was sated by the imagery after the first fight.
Ziyi Zhang in The Grandmaster
I have enjoyed many foreign films but The Grandmaster is not one of them. The slow pacing and long running time are more painful than a kick to the head. The camera constantly lingers on objects and character's faces. Those shots create a mood but they do not exactly advance the plot.
The fight scenes are gorgeously shot in slow motion. They contain some special effects that make the participants seem to float on air. Even though this movie is based on real experiences it takes place in a romantic world that never really existed. It cannot decide if it wants to be an epic love story or an action film.
The cinematography is as beautiful as Ziyi Zhang, who has been stirring libidos since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). She plays a character here that we have become quite familiar with, that of the beautiful martial artist with the angelic face. She seems so sweet and demure, yet can be dangerous when crossed.
The Grandmaster is as visually beautiful as a striking orchid. It gets your attention with colorful petals and the depth of its stigma. However, like a flower, this film creates no emotional attachment. I mean, how much can you get from staring at a flower for two hours, no matter how attractive it is.
Reviewed on: October 31st, 2014
Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Ziyi Zhang in The Grandmaster.
The Grandmaster (Yi dai zong shi) is a stunningly beautiful film as well as a leisurely paced one. On that we all agree. In style it reminded me of an old Hollywood musical. The sets and the way it was shot are very glamorous and old fashioned. The clothes are equally splendid, perfectly conjuring up fashions from the 1930s through the 1950s. Mid-twentieth century wars and the ensuing societal upheaval make for a vivid backdrop even if the script barely scratches the surface of historical fact.
Scott compared the fight scenes to dance. I agree. They are like big production numbers. They are as precisely choreographed as any tap routine by Fred and Ginger. Unfortunately they are also about as threatening as a dance by Fred and Ginger. They are beautifully shot and edited but lacking in any sense of danger. This is probably the least violent martial arts film I've ever seen. Eric, I agree that the movie has an identity crisis. It can't commit to either personality. It isn't romantic enough to be an epic love story and it's way too slowly paced to be a decent action flick.
The love story never takes off. It needed some passion but never manages to get above a low simmer. Gong Er is a frustrating character. What Scott didn't mention was that she alone chose her fate. There was no family pressure brought to bear, she even went against her father's dying wishes. So she vows to never teach, marry, or have children in order to spend her life seeking vengeance. Get over yourself already.
Ip Man, meanwhile, spends most of the movie pining after her from afar. When they do get together they fight a little but mostly just talk about martial arts. He's married, she's intent on being a martyr, end of story. I never felt like I really got to know either of them. It's all very melodramatic and tragic but it lacks depth. Ziyi Zhang and Tony Leung Chiu Wai are both fine actors but they're never allowed to develop any chemistry together.
My brothers have often kidded me for my habit of mentioning Barbra Streisand in reviews for movies she isn't in. Well here I go again. The Grandmaster is set during the same time period as The Way We Were. Gong Er and Ip Man are a bit like Katie and Hubbell. The women are single-minded and stubborn to a fault, while the men both come from money and have a more laid back approach to life. But that's where any similarity ends. The Way We Were is a classic love story while The Grandmaster is merely decorative.
Photos © Copyright Annapurna Pictures (2013)
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[To v3.0 forum] > v2.0 pre-2020 archive Board Index < New Insights and Mad Ideas
Are the planets growing?
Beyond the boundaries of established science an avalanche of exotic ideas compete for our attention. Experts tell us that these ideas should not be permitted to take up the time of working scientists, and for the most part they are surely correct. But what about the gems in the rubble pile? By what ground-rules might we bring extraordinary new possibilities to light?
First unread post • 1391 posts
pavlink
Re: Are the planets growing?
Unread post by pavlink » Sun Jan 05, 2014 3:45 am
During a presentation at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Francisco in December, GPS expert Ben Harris (of the University of Texas at Arlington) described some tricky measurements of the Earth’s mass using the armada of GPS satellites that are in orbit around our planet. He noticed a mass discrepancy when compared with “official” mass measurements as quoted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
“The nice thing about GPS satellites is that we know their orbits really, really well,” said Harris. This orbital knowledge helped Harris calculate the Earth’s vital statistic to a very high degree of precision. After analyzing 9 months of data from the GLONASS, GPS and Galileo satellite systems, he found that his measurement of Earth’s mass came in at between 0.005 and 0.008 percent larger than the IAU measurement.
http://news.discovery.com/space/is-eart ... gn=rssnws1
That's official, Earth is growing.
We live in a double star system.
We need to study double star systems.
Solar System as 4D energy vortex
http://files.kostovi.com/8835e.pdf
allynh
Unread post by allynh » Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:39 am
HA! Blame it on "Dark Matter". HA!
Thanks, pavlink.
Is Earth Surrounded by Dark Matter? : Discovery News
http://news.discovery.com/space/is-eart ... 140103.htm
Dark mater: The stuff that possesses mass, yet refuses to interact with radiation, so we can't 'see' it. Its nature has eluded scientists for decades, but there could be a reservoir of the stuff sitting right on our doorstep — if the weird measurements made by Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites are proven to be caused by a halo of the so-called non-baryonic matter around our planet.
PHOTOS: Hubble’s Latest Mind Blowing Cosmic Pictures
What does this mean? Well, it could indicate some unforeseen error in data collection or analysis (in the GPS or IAU measurements), but there is another more intriguing possibility.
ANALYSIS: How Low Can a Dark Matter Halo Go?
This mass discrepancy could be the influence of a halo, or ring, of dark matter surrounding Earth. By Harris’ reckoning, to explain his measurements, the invisible planetary dark matter halo would need to straddle the equator and be 191 kilometers (119 miles) thick by 70,000 kilometers (43,500 miles) wide.
As noted by New Scientist’s Anil Ananthaswamy, Harris has yet to factor in the effects of relativity and gravitational interactions with the sun and moon.
This research highlights the gaps in our knowledge dark matter. Non-baryonic matter is believed to account for 85 percent of all matter in the universe, but we have yet to directly observe this elusive form of matter, let alone create it in immense particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider. We know it’s out there, however, bulking-out galactic clusters and warping spacetime. Through indirect means, such as gravitational lensing and orbital motions, we can detect the stuff and this most recent GPS measurements provide another tantalizing means of understanding the subtle mass effects on a potential Earth-dark matter coupling.
ANALYSIS: Dark Matter Matters, Especially When You Can’t Find It
Interestingly, the hypothetical presence of dark matter could have another subtle effect on our planetary neighborhood. During measurements of spacecraft flybys of Earth, very slight anomalies in spacecraft speed have been detected. For example, NASA’s NEAR asteroid spacecraft used our planet for a gravitational speed assist in January 1998. During the flyby, in addition to the extra velocity the flyby provided, there was an additional mystery boost of 13 millimeters/second. This tiny boost, which has been spotted in other spacecraft flybys, is known as a “flyby anomaly,” and one of the contributing factors could be the gravity exerted on the spacecraft by an invisible halo of dark matter.
The most recent flyby, however, of NASA’s Juno Jupiter mission in November, has yet to revel any velocity anomaly, only adding to the mysterious nature of flyby anomalies.
Source: New Scientist
Ben Harris
http://www.uta.edu/mae/index.php?page=f ... harris.php
It seems they are developing tools for people to access the GPS data to find interesting results.
What is GPSTk?
http://www.gpstk.org/bin/view/Documentation/WebHome
The goal of the GPSTk project is to provide an open source library and suite of applications to the satellite navigation community--to free researchers to focus on research, not lower level coding.
The more such studies occur, the more "anomalies" will be found and blamed on things like "Dark Matter" rather than GET.
BTW, I love the comment about the "flyby anomaly". Things are GETting interesting. HA!
Unread post by allynh » Thu Jan 16, 2014 3:06 pm
They finally published -
Pterosaurs: Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy
by Mark P. Witton
I've been waiting for years for them to publish this book since we discussed Dr. Witton's articles around page 42. HA!
Graham Hancock is working on a fun new book and posted this article on his website.
From Indonesia To Turkey New Archaeological Discoveries Uncover The Mysteries Of A Lost Civilisation By Graham Hancock
http://www.grahamhancock.com/forum/Hanc ... zation.php
Illustrated (see end of article) with 26 photographs by Santha Faiia shot on location at Gobekli Tepe in September 2013 and at Gunung Padang in December 2013
Artist's impression of Gunung Padang as it would have looked in antiquity by and courtesy of architect Pon S Purajatnika. ©
Click for full size image.
"Everything we've been taught about the origins of civilization may be wrong," says Danny Natawidjaja, PhD, senior geologist with the Research Centre for Geotechnology at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. "Old stories about Atlantis and other a great lost civilizations of prehistory, long dismissed as myths by archaeologists, look set to be proved true."
I'm climbing with Dr Natawidjaja up the steep slope of a 300-ft high step-pyramid set amidst a magical landscape of volcanoes, mountains and jungles interspersed with paddy fields and tea plantations a hundred miles from the city of Bandung in West Java, Indonesia.
The pyramid has been known to archaeology since 1914 when megalithic structures formed from blocks of columnar basalt were found scattered amongst the dense trees and undergrowth that then covered its summit. Local people held the site to be sacred and called it Gunung Padang, the name it still goes by today, which means "Mountain of Light", or "Mountain of Enlightenment", in the local Sundanese language. The summit, where the megaliths were found arranged across five terraces had been used as a place of meditation and retreat since time immemorial, archaeologists were told, and again this remains true today.
However neither the archaeologists, nor apparently the locals realized the pyramid was a pyramid. It was believed to be a natural hill, somewhat modified by human activity, until Natawidjaja and his team began a geological survey here in 2011. By then the summit had long since been cleared and the megalithic terraces recognized to be ancient and man-made, but no radiocarbon dating was ever done and the previously accepted age of the site - about 1,500 to 2,500 BC -- was based on guesswork rather than on excavations.
The first scientific radiocarbon dating was done by Natawidjaja himself on soils underlying the megaliths at or near the surface. The dates produced - around 500 to 1,500 BC - were very close to the archaeological guesswork and caused no controversy. However a surprise was in store as Natawidjaja and his team extended their investigation using tubular drills that brought up cores of earth and stone from much deeper levels.
First the drill cores contained evidence - fragments of columnar basalt - that man-made megalithic structures lay far beneath the surface. Secondly the organic materials brought up in the drill cores began to yield older and older dates - 3,000 BC to 5,000 BC, then 9,600 BC as the drills bit deeper, then around 11,000 BC, then, 15,000 BC and finally at depths of 90 feet and more an astonishing sequence of dates of 20,000 BC to 22,000 BC and earlier.
"This was not at all what my colleagues in the world of archaeology expected or wanted to hear" says Natawidjaja, who earned his PhD at Cal Tech in the United States and who, it becomes apparent, regards archaeology as a thoroughly unscientific discipline.
The problem is that those dates from 9,600 BC and earlier belong to the period that archaeologists call the "Upper Palaeolithic" and take us back deep into the last Ice Age when Indonesia was not a series of islands as it is today but was part of a vast southeast Asian continent dubbed "Sundaland" by geologists.
Sea level was 400 feet lower then because huge ice caps two miles deep covered most of Europe and North America. But as the ice caps began to melt all the water stored in them returned to the oceans and sea-level rose, submerging many parts of the world where humans had previously lived. Thus Britain was joined to Europe during the Ice Age (there was no English Channel or North Sea). Likewise there was no Red Sea, no Persian Gulf, Sri Lanka was joined to southern India, Siberia was joined to Alaska, Australia was joined to New Guinea - and so on and so forth. It was during this epoch of sea-level rise, sometimes slow and continuous, sometimes rapid and cataclysmic, that the Ice Age continent of Sundaland was submerged with only the Malaysian Peninsula and the Indonesian islands as we know them today high enough to remain above water.
The established archaeological view of the state of human civilization until the end of the last Ice Age about 9,600 BC was that our ancestors were primitive hunter gatherers incapable of any form of civilization or architectural feats. In the following millennia settled agriculture was very gradually developed and perfected. Around 4,000 BC the increasing sophistication of economic and social structures, and growing organizational abilities, made possible the creation of the earliest megalithic sites (such as Gigantija on the Maltese island of Gozo for example) while the first true cities emerged around 3500 BC in Mesopotamia and soon afterwards in Egypt. In the British Isles Callanish in the Outer Hebrides and Avebury in southwest England, both dated to around 3,000 BC, are the oldest examples of true megalithic sites. The megalithic phase of Stonehenge is thought to have begun around 2,400 BC and to have continued to around 1,800 BC.
Within this well worked out and long-established chronology there is no place for any prehistoric civilization such as Atlantis. But interestingly the Greek philosopher Plato, whose dialogue of Timias and Critias contains the earliest surviving mention of the fabled sunken kingdom, dates the catastrophic destruction and submergence of Atlantis by floods and earthquakes to "9,000 years before the time of Solon" - i.e. to 9,600 BC, the end of the last Ice Age. Since the Greeks had no access to modern scientific knowledge about the Ice Age and its rapidly rising sea levels (often accompanied by cataclysmic earthquakes as the weight of the melting ice caps was removed from the continental landmasses) the date Plato gives is, to say the least, an uncanny coincidence.
In Danny Natawidjaja's view, however, it is no coincidence at all. His research at Gunung Padang has convinced him that Plato was right about the existence of a high civilization in the depths of the last Ice Age - a civilization that was indeed brought to a cataclysmic end involving floods and earthquakes in an epoch of great global instability between 10,900 BC and 9,600 BC.
This epoch, which geologists call the "Younger Dryas" has long been recognized as mysterious and tumultuous. In 10,900 BC, when it began, the earth had been emerging from the Ice Age for roughly 10,000 years, global temperatures were rising steadily and the ice caps were melting. Then there was a sudden dramatic return to colder conditions - even colder than at the peak of the Ice Age 21,000 years ago. This short, sharp deep freeze lasted for 1,300 years until 9,600 BC when the warming trend resumed, global temperatures shot up again and the remaining ice caps melted very suddenly dumping all the water they contained into the oceans.
"It is difficult," Natawidjaja says, "for us to imagine what life on earth must have been like during the Younger Dryas. It was a truly cataclysmic period of immense climate instability and terrible, indeed terrifying, global conditions. It's not surprising that many large animal species, such as the mammoths, went extinct during this precise time and of course it had huge effects on our ancestors, not just those 'primitive' hunter gatherers the archaeologists speak of but also, I believe, a high civilization that was wiped from the historical record by the upheavals of the Younger Dryas."
What has brought Natawidjaja to this radical view is the evidence he and his team have uncovered at Gunung Padang. When their drill cores began to yield very ancient carbon dates from clays filling the gaps between worked stones they expanded their investigation using geophysical equipment - ground penetrating radar, seismic tomography and electrical resistivity - to get a picture of what lay under the ground. The results were stunning, showing layers of massive construction using the same megalithic elements of columnar basalt that are found on the surface but with courses of huge basaltic rocks beneath them extending down to 100 feet and more beneath the surface. At those depths the carbon dates indicate that the megaliths were put in place more than 10,000 years ago and in some cases as far back as 24,000 years ago.
Columnar basalt does form naturally - the famous Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland is an example - but at Gunung Padang it has been used as a building material and is laid out in a form never found in nature.
"The geophysical evidence is unambiguous," Natawidjaja says. "Gunung Padang is not a natural hill but a man-made pyramid and the origins of construction here go back long before the end of the last Ice Age. Since the work is massive even at the deepest levels, and bears witness to the kinds of sophisticated construction skills that were deployed to build the pyramids of Egypt or the largest megalithic sites of Europe, I can only conclude that we're looking at the work of a lost civilization and a fairly advanced one."
"The archaeologists won't like that," I point out.
"They don't!" Natawidjaja agrees with a rueful smile. "I've already got myself into a lot of hot water with this. My case is a solid one, based on good scientific evidence, but it's not an easy one. I'm up against deeply entrenched beliefs."
The next step will be a full-scale archaeological excavation. "We have to excavate in order to interrogate our remote sensing data and our carbon dating sequences and either to confirm or deny what we believe we've found here," says Natawidjaja, "but unfortunately there's a lot of obstacles in our way."
When I ask what he means by obstacles he replies that some senior Indonesian archaeologists are lobbying the government in Jakarta to prevent him from doing any further work at Gunung Padang on the grounds that they "know" the site is less than 5,000 years old and see no justification for disturbing it.
"I don't deny that the megaliths at the surface are less than 5,000 years old," Natawidjaja hastens to add, "but I suggest they were put here because Gunung Padang has been recognized as a sacred place since time immemorial. It's the deepest layers of the structure at between 12,000 and more than 20,000 years old that are the most important. They have potentially revolutionary implications for our understanding of history and I think it's vital that we be allowed to investigate them properly."
Gunung Padang is not the only ancient site that raises huge question marks over the story archaeologists tell us about our past. On the other side of the world, in southeastern Turkey, another man-made hill has been excavated during the past decade, this time by Professor Klaus Schmidt of the German Archaeological Institute. The site, called Gobekli Tepe (which means "Potbellied Hill" in the local Kurdish language) consists of a series of immense megalithic stone circles on the scale of Stonehenge and was deliberately buried (creating the appearance of a hill) around 8,000 BC by the mysterious ancient people who made it. The circles themselves date back to 9,600 BC, however, with the oldest work being the best. At least twenty further circles on a similar scale, identified by ground penetrating radar, are still deeply buried. Some of these, Klaus Schmidt told me when I visited Gobekli Tepe in September 2013, are likely to be much older than those already excavated.
At 7,000 or more years older than Stonehenge the megaliths of Gobekli Tepe, like the deeply buried megaliths of Gunung Padang mean that the timeline of history taught in our schools and universities for the best part of the last hundred years can no longer stand. It is beginning to look as though civilization, as I argued in my controversial 1995 bestseller Fingerprints of the Gods, is indeed much older and much more mysterious than we thought.
In essence what I proposed in that book was that an advanced civilization had been wiped out and lost to history in a global cataclysm at the end of the last Ice Age. I suggested there were survivors who settled at various locations around the world and attempted to pass on their superior knowledge, including knowledge of agriculture, to hunter-gatherer peoples who had also survived the cataclysm. Indeed even today we have populations of hunter gatherers, in the Kalahari Desert, for instance, and in the Amazon jungle, who co-exist with our advanced technological culture - so we should not be surprised that equally disparate levels of civilization might have co-existed in the past.
What I could not do when I wrote Fingerprints, because the evidence was not then available, was identify the exact nature of the cataclysm that had wiped out my hypothetical lost civilization, and this absence of a specific "smoking gun" was one of the many aspects of my argument that was heavily criticized by archaeologists. Since 2007, however, masses of scientific evidence have come to light that have identified the smoking gun for me in the form of a comet that broke into multiple fragments now known to have hit the earth 12,980 years ago. The impacts (some on the North American ice cap, some elsewhere) caused floods and tidal waves and threw a vast cloud of dust into the upper atmosphere that enshrouded the entire earth for more than a thousand years, preventing the sun's rays from reaching the surface, and setting off the Younger Dryas deep freeze.
I believe it is possible that Gobekli Tepe may prove to be the work of the survivors of a great civilization lost during the Younger Dryas (interestingly the so-called "origins of agriculture" have been traced back by archaeologists to the vicinity of Gobekli Tepe and to the exact period in which Gobekli Tepe was created). But it is to Gunung Padang that I now look for a possibly even more stunning confirmation of my theory. Danny Natawidjaja's geological survey has revealed not only deeply buried massive constructions and very ancient carbon dates at Gunung Padang but also the presence of three hidden chambers, so rectilinear in form that they are most unlikely to be natural. The largest of these lies at a depth of between 70 and 90 feet beneath the summit of the pyramid and measures approximately 18 feet high, 45 feet long and 30 feet wide.
Could it be the fabled "Hall of Records" of Atlantis? If Dr Natawidjaja's geological excavation is allowed to proceed, despite strenuous attempts by local archaeologists to prevent it, then we should know the answer to that question, one way or another, by the end of 2014.
Note: GRAHAM HANCOCK is working on a sequel to Fingerprints of the Gods, provisionally titled Magicians of the Gods, to be published in October 2015 by Coronet in the UK, by Saint Martin's Press in the US, by Kadokokawa Shoten in Japan and by Corbaccio in Italy.
All Photographs by Santha Faiia: © Do not reproduce without permission from santhafaiia@gmail.com
Click thumbnails for fullsize images
He's basing the event around the "Younger Dryas" event about 10,000 bc. They are still using the concept of the "ice age" to explain the changing sea levels; that water was tied up on the continents. It will take them time to accept the concept that during the "Younger Dryas" event the Earth grew 10% to 15%, generating water as well as crust, drowning the land, killing the large mammals with higher gravity.
You had mountains like the Appalachians crumble into their current jumbled form, and mountains like the Rocky's break out sharp and fresh, all in living memory.
10,000 bc is the top range of the age, since radio-carbon readings will get distorted over time. Things are GETting interesting. HA!
Unread post by jtb » Thu Jan 16, 2014 6:44 pm
A flat earth thread was recently locked out, but it made me think: it is speculated that a single continent once existed, standing in the water and out of the water, that expanded into the present configuration of land masses (continents). Could it be possible that Earth was once a single circular disk-shaped land mass, like a galaxy, surrounded by water that expanded into its present spherical shape? The Big Bang universe went from being uniform and spherical to flat and clumpy, so why couldn't Earth have gone from disk-shaped to spherical during that process?
This is a Neal Adams video that discusses Pangea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1oza6jybOA
Essentially, if all of the land was on one side of the globe, there would be no physical way for it to split up, and slide up hill. That the ocean would flood most of Pangea leaving the Pacific high and dry. HA!
Maxlow took the Earth back as far as he could to half the size of the Moon where it grew to its present size. It could not have been a flat disk, because there needs to be the hollow core where the aether transmutes into hydrogen.
The Milky Way Galaxy started as a quasar, a sphere, spit out from Andromeda, then started fissioning parts to spread the electrical load, spinning out the galaxy shape as each star fissioned out gas giants and rocky planets to handle that electrical load. All the while the stars were growing, spitting out growing planets, no flat disks here.
Plus a flat disk would have all of the water and atmosphere in the center leaving the surrounding edge not only high and dry, but most of it outside the atmosphere. HA!
Unread post by jtb » Fri Jan 17, 2014 4:19 am
Thanks for the explanation, allynh. Since a flat earth myth is common among all ancient cultures like a world wide flood, I have to research it. Every challenge to the myth is a step closer to the truth.
Unread post by allynh » Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:24 pm
I suspect that xkcd reads this thread. Everybody wave. HA!
http://xkcd.com/1318/
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.p ... :_Actually
Title text:
Protip: You can win every exchange just by being one level more precise than whoever talked last. Eventually, you'll defeat all conversational opponents and stand alone.
Actually, measurements suggest it's flat.
The picture is designed to have us thinking about a planet (presumably Earth), such that when we read the first speaker's comment, we interpret it as "The Earth is flat", which was the earliest view of the planet. (The speaker does not explicitly state their subject, however, which leads to the comic's punchline.)
Actually, it's a sphere.
The second speaker explains that the Earth is actually a sphere, tracking the progression of knowledge of the Earth's shape.
Actually, it's an oblate spheroid.
The third speaker provides further detail on the shape, that rather than being spherical, the Earth is actually an oblate spheroid. On Earth, this occurs because a rotating body tends to bulge at the equator (where the matter experiences greater centrifugal forces - analogous to experiencing more force at the outside of a round-a-bout rather than at the centre), and is known as the equatorial bulge.
Actually, it's a sphere defined by the EGM96 coefficients.
A more accurate description is the Earth Gravitational Model 1996 which provided a detailed map of Earth's gravitational field. This therefore refines the oblate spheroid model even further.
Actually, it's that plus local topography.
The next speaker notes that this is still a very high level model of the planet (necessary because of the sizes involved) and that the true shape of the planet is given by the actual local topography (i.e., mountains, hills, valleys, etc.) which can be thought as overlaid on the planet wide models.
Actually, it's embedded in a universe that's curved.
Changing tack, the remaining speaker notes that our planet sits in a curved space-time, where our planet's gravity, as well as all other objects, bends the space and time around them. On the largest scale, this has the potential to lead to a curvature of the four dimensional space-time of the universe, hence "universe that is curved". Such a universe can either be "open" or "closed", depending on how much mass and energy there is. In a "closed" universe, if you drew a large enough triangle in space, you would find that the angles did add up to more than 180 degrees (just like if it was drawn on the surface of a balloon - in this case, the angles would add up to more than 180 degrees).[1] In an "open" universe, the sum of the angles would be less than 180 degrees.
Finally, the first speaker comments again, and we now interpret this as referring not to the planet but to the universe itself - current observations suggest that the balance of matter and energy in the universe is such that the universe is, in fact, flat on the largest scales. (Whether this is coincidence or reflective of underlying laws is currently unknown.)
The arguments could continue around the circle, now referring to the universe. They aren't generally applicable but going round the circle a second time suggests that some similar truth may apply at the scale of the universe, which in turn is again embedded in something else (a kind of meta-universe). The circular layout of the comics invites to continue without end, a nice example of meta-humor.
The comic may be a reference to "The Relativity of Wrong," an essay by Isaac Asimov which uses the Earth's shape as a central example of the role of models in science.
The pun of the title text lies in the ambiguity of the last sentence. "Eventually, you'll defeat all conversational opponents and stand alone" can literally be interpreted as 'winning' all the debates and standing alone as a sole champion, which would seem to be a flattering thing, but the other interpretation, arguably more likely to occur, suggests that the speaker is going to drive away all conversational partners by being an insufferable nitpicker and end up alone, with no-one wanting to speak to them.
↑ An example of closed geometry is spherical geometry, where the sum of the angles of a triangle is π < A + B + C < 3π http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_trigonometry
[Six people are standing upon a white circle as if it were a miniature planet. Each person is facing the reader and says something to the person on their right. All texts are displayed as a near-continuous stream over their heads to form one circle that encloses the whole picture.]
[From topmost, going clockwise.]
Cueball: Actually, measurements suggest it's flat.
Ponytail: Actually, it's a sphere.
White Hat: Actually, it's an oblate spheroid.
Megan: Actually, it's a sphere defined by the EGM96 coefficients.
Hairy 1: Actually, it's that plus local topography.
Hairy 2: Actually, it's embedded in a universe that's curved.
Then this is from the good Doctor. I would love to have him GET the new stuff coming out. Boy, would he be surprised. HA!
The Skeptical Inquirer, Fall 1989, Vol. 14, No. 1, Pp. 35-44
By Isaac Asimov
http://chem.tufts.edu/answersinscience/ ... fwrong.htm
I RECEIVED a letter the other day. It was handwritten in crabbed penmanship so that it was very difficult to read. Nevertheless, I tried to make it out just in case it might prove to be important. In the first sentence, the writer told me he was majoring in English literature, but felt he needed to teach me science. (I sighed a bit, for I knew very few English Lit majors who are equipped to teach me science, but I am very aware of the vast state of my ignorance and I am prepared to learn as much as I can from anyone, so I read on.)
It seemed that in one of my innumerable essays, I had expressed a certain gladness at living in a century in which we finally got the basis of the universe straight.
I didn't go into detail in the matter, but what I meant was that we now know the basic rules governing the universe, together with the gravitational interrelationships of its gross components, as shown in the theory of relativity worked out between 1905 and 1916. We also know the basic rules governing the subatomic particles and their interrelationships, since these are very neatly described by the quantum theory worked out between 1900 and 1930. What's more, we have found that the galaxies and clusters of galaxies are the basic units of the physical universe, as discovered between 1920 and 1930.
These are all twentieth-century discoveries, you see.
The young specialist in English Lit, having quoted me, went on to lecture me severely on the fact that in every century people have thought they understood the universe at last, and in every century they were proved to be wrong. It follows that the one thing we can say about our modern "knowledge" is that it is wrong. The young man then quoted with approval what Socrates had said on learning that the Delphic oracle had proclaimed him the wisest man in Greece. "If I am the wisest man," said Socrates, "it is because I alone know that I know nothing." the implication was that I was very foolish because I was under the impression I knew a great deal.
My answer to him was, "John, when people thought the earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together."
However, I don't think that's so. It seems to me that right and wrong are fuzzy concepts, and I will devote this essay to an explanation of why I think so.
When my friend the English literature expert tells me that in every century scientists think they have worked out the universe and are always wrong, what I want to know is how wrong are they? Are they always wrong to the same degree? Let's take an example.
In the early days of civilization, the general feeling was that the earth was flat. This was not because people were stupid, or because they were intent on believing silly things. They felt it was flat on the basis of sound evidence. It was not just a matter of "That's how it looks," because the earth does not look flat. It looks chaotically bumpy, with hills, valleys, ravines, cliffs, and so on.
Of course there are plains where, over limited areas, the earth's surface does look fairly flat. One of those plains is in the Tigris-Euphrates area, where the first historical civilization (one with writing) developed, that of the Sumerians.
Perhaps it was the appearance of the plain that persuaded the clever Sumerians to accept the generalization that the earth was flat; that if you somehow evened out all the elevations and depressions, you would be left with flatness. Contributing to the notion may have been the fact that stretches of water (ponds and lakes) looked pretty flat on quiet days.
Another way of looking at it is to ask what is the "curvature" of the earth's surface Over a considerable length, how much does the surface deviate (on the average) from perfect flatness. The flat-earth theory would make it seem that the surface doesn't deviate from flatness at all, that its curvature is 0 to the mile.
Nowadays, of course, we are taught that the flat-earth theory is wrong; that it is all wrong, terribly wrong, absolutely. But it isn't. The curvature of the earth is nearly 0 per mile, so that although the flat-earth theory is wrong, it happens to be nearly right. That's why the theory lasted so long.
There were reasons, to be sure, to find the flat-earth theory unsatisfactory and, about 350 B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristotle summarized them. First, certain stars disappeared beyond the Southern Hemisphere as one traveled north, and beyond the Northern Hemisphere as one traveled south. Second, the earth's shadow on the moon during a lunar eclipse was always the arc of a circle. Third, here on the earth itself, ships disappeared beyond the horizon hull-first in whatever direction they were traveling.
All three observations could not be reasonably explained if the earth's surface were flat, but could be explained by assuming the earth to be a sphere.
What's more, Aristotle believed that all solid matter tended to move toward a common center, and if solid matter did this, it would end up as a sphere. A given volume of matter is, on the average, closer to a common center if it is a sphere than if it is any other shape whatever.
About a century after Aristotle, the Greek philosopher Eratosthenes noted that the sun cast a shadow of different lengths at different latitudes (all the shadows would be the same length if the earth's surface were flat). From the difference in shadow length, he calculated the size of the earthly sphere and it turned out to be 25,000 miles in circumference.
The curvature of such a sphere is about 0.000126 per mile, a quantity very close to 0 per mile, as you can see, and one not easily measured by the techniques at the disposal of the ancients. The tiny difference between 0 and 0.000126 accounts for the fact that it took so long to pass from the flat earth to the spherical earth.
Mind you, even a tiny difference, such as that between 0 and 0.000126, can be extremely important. That difference mounts up. The earth cannot be mapped over large areas with any accuracy at all if the difference isn't taken into account and if the earth isn't considered a sphere rather than a flat surface. Long ocean voyages can't be undertaken with any reasonable way of locating one's own position in the ocean unless the earth is considered spherical rather than flat.
Furthermore, the flat earth presupposes the possibility of an infinite earth, or of the existence of an "end" to the surface. The spherical earth, however, postulates an earth that is both endless and yet finite, and it is the latter postulate that is consistent with all later findings.
So, although the flat-earth theory is only slightly wrong and is a credit to its inventors, all things considered, it is wrong enough to be discarded in favor of the spherical-earth theory.
And yet is the earth a sphere?
No, it is not a sphere; not in the strict mathematical sense. A sphere has certain mathematical properties - for instance, all diameters (that is, all straight lines that pass from one point on its surface, through the center, to another point on its surface) have the same length.
That, however, is not true of the earth. Various diameters of the earth differ in length.
What gave people the notion the earth wasn't a true sphere? To begin with, the sun and the moon have outlines that are perfect circles within the limits of measurement in the early days of the telescope. This is consistent with the supposition that the sun and the moon are perfectly spherical in shape.
However, when Jupiter and Saturn were observed by the first telescopic observers, it became quickly apparent that the outlines of those planets were not circles, but distinct ellipses. That meant that Jupiter and Saturn were not true spheres.
Isaac Newton, toward the end of the seventeenth century, showed that a massive body would form a sphere under the pull of gravitational forces (exactly as Aristotle had argued), but only if it were not rotating. If it were rotating, a centrifugal effect would be set up that would lift the body's substance against gravity, and this effect would be greater the closer to the equator you progressed. The effect would also be greater the more rapidly a spherical object rotated, and Jupiter and Saturn rotated very rapidly indeed.
The earth rotated much more slowly than Jupiter or Saturn so the effect should be smaller, but it should still be there. Actual measurements of the curvature of the earth were carried out in the eighteenth century and Newton was proved correct.
The earth has an equatorial bulge, in other words. It is flattened at the poles. It is an "oblate spheroid" rather than a sphere. This means that the various diameters of the earth differ in length. The longest diameters are any of those that stretch from one point on the equator to an opposite point on the equator. This "equatorial diameter" is 12,755 kilometers (7,927 miles). The shortest diameter is from the North Pole to the South Pole and this "polar diameter" is 12,711 kilometers (7,900 miles).
The difference between the longest and shortest diameters is 44 kilometers (27 miles), and that means that the "oblateness" of the earth (its departure from true sphericity) is 44/12755, or 0.0034. This amounts to l/3 of 1 percent.
To put it another way, on a flat surface, curvature is 0 per mile everywhere. On the earth's spherical surface, curvature is 0.000126 per mile everywhere (or 8 inches per mile). On the earth's oblate spheroidal surface, the curvature varies from 7.973 inches to the mile to 8.027 inches to the mile.
The correction in going from spherical to oblate spheroidal is much smaller than going from flat to spherical. Therefore, although the notion of the earth as a sphere is wrong, strictly speaking, it is not as wrong as the notion of the earth as flat.
Even the oblate-spheroidal notion of the earth is wrong, strictly speaking. In 1958, when the satellite Vanguard I was put into orbit about the earth, it was able to measure the local gravitational pull of the earth--and therefore its shape--with unprecedented precision. It turned out that the equatorial bulge south of the equator was slightly bulgier than the bulge north of the equator, and that the South Pole sea level was slightly nearer the center of the earth than the North Pole sea level was.
There seemed no other way of describing this than by saying the earth was pear-shaped, and at once many people decided that the earth was nothing like a sphere but was shaped like a Bartlett pear dangling in space. Actually, the pear-like deviation from oblate-spheroid perfect was a matter of yards rather than miles, and the adjustment of curvature was in the millionths of an inch per mile.
In short, my English Lit friend, living in a mental world of absolute rights and wrongs, may be imagining that because all theories are wrong, the earth may be thought spherical now, but cubical next century, and a hollow icosahedron the next, and a doughnut shape the one after.
What actually happens is that once scientists get hold of a good concept they gradually refine and extend it with greater and greater subtlety as their instruments of measurement improve. Theories are not so much wrong as incomplete.
This can be pointed out in many cases other than just the shape of the earth. Even when a new theory seems to represent a revolution, it usually arises out of small refinements. If something more than a small refinement were needed, then the old theory would never have endured.
Copernicus switched from an earth-centered planetary system to a sun-centered one. In doing so, he switched from something that was obvious to something that was apparently ridiculous. However, it was a matter of finding better ways of calculating the motion of the planets in the sky, and eventually the geocentric theory was just left behind. It was precisely because the old theory gave results that were fairly good by the measurement standards of the time that kept it in being so long.
Again, it is because the geological formations of the earth change so slowly and the living things upon it evolve so slowly that it seemed reasonable at first to suppose that there was no change and that the earth and life always existed as they do today. If that were so, it would make no difference whether the earth and life were billions of years old or thousands. Thousands were easier to grasp.
But when careful observation showed that the earth and life were changing at a rate that was very tiny but not zero, then it became clear that the earth and life had to be very old. Modern geology came into being, and so did the notion of biological evolution.
If the rate of change were more rapid, geology and evolution would have reached their modern state in ancient times. It is only because the difference between the rate of change in a static universe and the rate of change in an evolutionary one is that between zero and very nearly zero that the creationists can continue propagating their folly.
Since the refinements in theory grow smaller and smaller, even quite ancient theories must have been sufficiently right to allow advances to be made; advances that were not wiped out by subsequent refinements.
The Greeks introduced the notion of latitude and longitude, for instance, and made reasonable maps of the Mediterranean basin even without taking sphericity into account, and we still use latitude and longitude today.
The Sumerians were probably the first to establish the principle that planetary movements in the sky exhibit regularity and can be predicted, and they proceeded to work out ways of doing so even though they assumed the earth to be the center of the universe. Their measurements have been enormously refined but the principle remains.
Naturally, the theories we now have might be considered wrong in the simplistic sense of my English Lit correspondent, but in a much truer and subtler sense, they need only be considered incomplete.
Unread post by allynh » Mon Feb 24, 2014 1:12 pm
This is an interesting interactive map showing different sea level rise.
SCALGO Live
http://scalgo.com/live/global
This has nothing to do with Global Warming or rising sea levels due to melting the ice. If you set the height to 10 meters(about 30 feet), you barely see any change on a global scale. You have to zoom in to a region to notice such small changes. Set it to 100 meters(about 300 feet) and you will see some areas flooded.
Set the level to 500 meters(about 1,500 feet) and look at the different parts of the world. Those areas above the water still have a large curve from when the Earth was smaller. Those raised areas will break, flatten out over time as the Earth grows.
Unread post by allynh » Thu Feb 27, 2014 5:59 pm
This is ironic. HA!
Einstein's Lost Theory Uncovered
http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... uncovered/
A manuscript that lay unnoticed by scientists for decades has revealed that Albert Einstein once dabbled with an alternative to the Big Bang theory, proposing instead that the Universe expanded steadily and eternally. The recently uncovered work, written in 1931, is reminiscent of a theory championed by British astrophysicist Fred Hoyle nearly 20 years later. Einstein soon abandoned the idea, but the manuscript reveals his continued hesitance to accept that the Universe was created during a single explosive event.
The Big Bang theory had found observational support in the 1920s, when US astronomer Edwin Hubble and others discovered that distant galaxies are moving away and that space itself is expanding. This seemed to imply that, in the past, the contents of the observable Universe had been a very dense and hot ‘primordial broth’.
But, from the late 1940s, Hoyle argued that space could be expanding eternally and keeping a roughly constant density. It could do this by continually adding new matter, with elementary particles spontaneously popping up from space, Hoyle said. Particles would then coalesce to form galaxies and stars, and these would appear at just the right rate to take up the extra room created by the expansion of space. Hoyle’s Universe was always infinite, so its size did not change as it expanded. It was in a ‘steady state’.
The newly uncovered document shows that Einstein had described essentially the same idea much earlier. “For the density to remain constant new particles of matter must be continually formed,” he writes. The manuscript is thought to have been produced during a trip to California in 1931 — in part because it was written on American note paper.
It had been stored in plain sight at the Albert Einstein Archives in Jerusalem — and is freely available to view on its website — but had been mistakenly classified as a first draft of another Einstein paper. Cormac O’Raifeartaigh, a physicist at the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland, says that he “almost fell out of his chair” when he realized what the manuscript was about. He and his collaborators have posted their findings, together with an English translation of Einstein’s original German manuscript, on the arXiv preprint server (C. O’Raifeartaigh et al. Preprint at http://arxiv.org/abs/1402.0132 2014) and have submitted their paper to the European Physical Journal.
“This finding confirms that Hoyle was not a crank,” says study co-author Simon Mitton, a science historian at the University of Cambridge, UK, who wrote the 2005 biography Fred Hoyle: A Life in Science. The mere fact that Einstein had toyed with a steady-state model could have lent Hoyle more credibility as he engaged the physics community in a debate on the subject. “If only Hoyle had known, he would certainly have used it to punch his opponents,” O’Raifeartaigh says.
Although Hoyle’s model was eventually ruled out by astronomical observations, it was at least mathematically consistent, tweaking the equations of Einstein’s general theory of relativity to provide a possible mechanism for the spontaneous generation of matter. Einstein’s unpublished manuscript suggests that, at first, he believed that such a mechanism could arise from his original theory without modification. But then he realized that he had made a mistake in his calculations, O’Raifeartaigh and his team suggest. When he corrected it — crossing out a number with a pen of a different color — he probably decided that the idea would not work and set it aside.
The manuscript was probably “a rough draft commenced with excitement over a neat idea and soon abandoned as the author realized he was fooling himself”, says cosmologist James Peebles of Princeton University in New Jersey. There seems to be no record of Einstein ever mentioning these calculations again.
But the fact that Einstein experimented with the steady-state concept demonstrates his continued resistance to the idea of a Big Bang, which he at first found “abominable”, even though other theoreticians had shown it to be a natural consequence of his general theory of relativity. (Other leading researchers, such as the eminent Cambridge astronomer Arthur Eddington, were also suspicious of the Big Bang theory, because it suggested a mystical moment of creation.) When astronomers found evidence for cosmic expansion, Einstein had to abandon his bias towards a static Universe, and a steady-state Universe was the next best thing, O’Raifeartaigh and his collaborators say.
Helge Kragh, a science historian at Aarhus University in Denmark, agrees. “What the manuscript shows is that although by then he accepted the expansion of space, [Einstein] was unhappy with a Universe changing in time,” he says.
This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on February 24, 2014.
A steady-state model of the universe by Albert Einstein
Unread post by allynh » Thu Mar 13, 2014 11:00 am
I was sending e-mail to a friend explaining about the Green Sahara and in the process found some of the links from upstream are missing stuff, so I figured it was best to update the information.
I went looking for the links about the Green Sahara on the PBS NewsHour site. The NewsHour site no longer has the video or a complete transcript, I had to recover the text from a pdf. It is clear that the video and transcript were lost/altered because it is critical of the Global Warming Dogma.
I looked on YouTube and found the National Geographic episode of the find. Read the recovered NewsHour transcript and the National Geographic article before you watch the video.
PBS. National Geographic. Skeletons of the Sahara
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzB8OGaYXm4
This is the recovered NewsHour transcript.
Scientists Find Stone Age Burial Ground From Once-green Sahara
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science- ... age_08-14/
But here, in the middle of the Sahara, we got a cemetery, a very interesting lifestyle. So that's really what we're getting out of this.
Two different groups of people
JEFFREY BROWN: All right, now, you brought two skulls. I don't usually get to say this sitting here at the NewsHour, but you brought two skulls to the table.
PAUL SERENO: They're three for the interview.
JEFFREY BROWN: What did they tell us about the kind of people? As I said, they were two different peoples at two different times, right? And these represent the two types?
PAUL SERENO: Yes, and this is really a fairly stunning part of the discovery that two very different kinds of people -- they're our species. They're 6,000 and about 9,500 years old.
But if you look at these faces a little bit more closely, these are two men, adult men, but very different faces. So we have squared orbits here that are separated, different shape to the nose, different shape to the chin, a lot of different shape to the back end of the skull. These are clues that they're really very different people.
We may get some genetics out of the teeth eventually to go along with the differences in skull shape, but this is what we use to really determine different human populations, populations that are separated in time.
JEFFREY BROWN: All right, so this is the older one, and they were tall?
PAUL SERENO: Very tall. This man here, we have his complete skeleton. He's sort of bundled up in a tube. You wouldn't know it from looking at him how he was buried how tall he is, but he's six-foot five, and that's...
JEFFREY BROWN: Six-five?
PAUL SERENO: That's an average for the adult males.
JEFFREY BROWN: Wow.
PAUL SERENO: So they were very tall, the early population.
JEFFREY BROWN: And then the later ones, what year are we talking about here?
PAUL SERENO: About 6,000 years ago, this population -- we call them Tenerians. We call this Kiffian, and we call these Tenerians. Their average was below six feet. This man here stood a little bit below my height, about five-foot-six.
'A remarkable grave'
JEFFREY BROWN: Is it unusual to find two very different populations on the same site?
PAUL SERENO: Well, what we did in analyzing the skull shape of this individual and that individual is, first, show how different they are. And then, second, we linked across the Sahara populations from North Africa, the coast of the Mediterranean, all the way over to the Atlantic coast, an ancient population with this kind of skull.
So we see a migration into the Sahara, when it turned green, from those parts. And then they were driven out by a dry period. And when it turned wet again, another kind of person moved in.
Where these people came from, ultimately, and where they became the Tenerians, that's for future research. We're really interested, because the Sahara is inhabited today by some very interesting nomads. And we're wondering, ultimately, are we looking at the roots of that population?
JEFFREY BROWN: There's another photo that I want to show our audience. This is a finding from the cemetery of a -- well, you can describe it -- a mother and children?
PAUL SERENO: Yes, this is a remarkable, remarkable grave. There's really nothing been found in the fossil record, pre-historic record, anything like this.
It's a woman about 30 to 40 years of age reaching out towards two young individuals we presume to be her children. By the way, they're posed, very intimate pose, an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old. The 5-year-old is literally hugging the 8-year-old, reaching for the woman.
We found pollen clusters, evidence of flowers that were laid down underneath these burials, and arrowheads that were tossed into the grave before they were ceremoniously buried.
But emotion, a sincere intimacy that -- the human feelings that you get from this grave -- we brought it back exactly as we found it, 5,300 years old.
Climate change connections
JEFFREY BROWN: Now, one of the themes then -- climate change -- is very topical now. So what connections do you make?
PAUL SERENO: It's really stunning. Elephants, hippos, crocodiles, six-foot fish in the middle of the Sahara.
JEFFREY BROWN: In a place that now is all desert.
PAUL SERENO: It is not just desert; it's a desert within a desert. That's how they describe the Tenera. I mean, bone dry, hyper arid. And this is -- 5,000 years ago, things became drier and drier. We're talking just 5,000 years.
Humans didn't do that. Little wobbles in our Earth's orbit are the driving factor, ultimately, for these kinds of climate change, but climate change it is. And it really affected the populations that lived there. It really drove some out and allowed some others to colonize the place. It drove human history.
JEFFREY BROWN: And just briefly, you said what is coming next, in terms of some of the research. You're going to be involved? What happens?
PAUL SERENO: Oh, we're interested in fine-tuning our understanding.
I mean, basically, we want to know how the recent populations -- everybody wants to know how the recent populations relate to these ancient populations. Are we looking at the roots of the people who are living there today, the Egyptians, the Berbers, the Tuaregs?
And where do they come from? And, ultimately, we're interested in human history. And we have a much better view of the humans today that lived in the center of the Sahara than we did before we ran into that site.
JEFFREY BROWN: All right, Paul Sereno, thanks very much.
PAUL SERENO: You're welcome.
The National Geographic article requires you to sign in, but I was able to trick the site to show me the text. HA!
Lost Tribes of the Green Sahara
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/ ... -text.html
On October 13, 2000, a small team of paleontologists led by Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago clambered out of three battered Land Rovers, filled their water bottles, and scattered on foot across the toffee-colored sands of the Tenere desert in northern Niger. The Tenere, on the southern flank of the Sahara, easily ranks among the most desolate landscapes on Earth. The Tuareg, turbaned nomads who for centuries have ruled this barren realm, refer to it as a "desert within a desert"a California-size ocean of sand and rock, where a single massive dune might stretch a hundred miles, and the combination of 120-degree heat and inexorable winds can wick the water from a human body in less than a day. The harsh conditions, combined with intermittent conflict between the Tuareg and the Niger government, have kept the region largely unexplored.
Sereno, a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence and one of the world's most prolific dinosaur hunters, had led his first expedition into the Tenere five years earlier, after negotiating agreements with both the leader of a Tuareg rebel force and the Niger Ministry of Defense, allowing him safe passage to explore its fossil-rich deposits. That initial foray was followed by others, and each time his team emerged from the desert with the remains of exotic species, including Nigersaurus, a 500-toothed plant-eating dinosaur, and Sarcosuchus, an extinct crocodilian the size of a city bus. The 2000 expedition, however, was his most ambitiousthree months scouring a 300-mile arc of the Tenere, ending near Agadez, a medieval caravan town on the western lip of the desert. Already, his team members had excavated 20 tons of dinosaur bones and other prehistoric animals. But six weeks of hard labor in this brutal environment had worn them down. Most had mild cases of dysentery; several had lost so much weight they had to hitch up their trousers as they trudged over the soft sand; and everyone's nerves had been on edge since an encounter with armed bandits.
Mike Hettwer, a photographer accompanying the team, headed off by himself toward a trio of small dunes. He crested the first slope and stared in amazement. The dunes were spilling over with bones. He took a few shots with his digital camera and hurried back to the Land Rovers.
"I found some bones," Hettwer said, when the team had regrouped. "But they're not dinosaurs. They're human."
Heat, thirst, and, for the moment, dinosaurs were forgotten as the team members followed Hettwer back to the three dunes and began to gingerly survey their slopes. In just a few minutes they had counted dozens of human skeletons. Parts of skullcaps pushed up through the sand like upturned china bowls; jawbones clenched nearly full sets of teeth; a tiny hand, perhaps a child's, appeared to have floated up through the sand with all its finger bones intact. "It was as if the desert winds were pulling them from their final resting places," said Hettwer. Insinuated among the human bones was a profusion of clay potsherds, beads, and stone tools finely worked arrowheads and axheads and well-worn grindstones. There were also hundreds of animal bones. In addition to antelope and giraffe, Sereno quickly recognized the remains of water-adapted creatures like crocodiles and hippos, then turtles, fish, and clams. "Everywhere you turned, there were bones belonging to animals that don't live in the desert," said Sereno. "I realized we were in the Green Sahara."
For much of the past 70,000 years, the Sahara has closely resembled the desert it is today. Some 12,000 years ago, however, a wobble in the Earth's axis and other factors caused Africa's seasonal monsoons to shift slightly north, bringing new rains to an area nearly the size of the contiguous United States. Lush watersheds stretched across the Sahara, from Egypt to Mauritania, drawing animal life and eventually people.
Archaeologists have inventoried the stone tools used by these early inhabitants and the patterns inscribed on their ceramics. They have also identified thousands of their rock engravings, which depict herds of ostriches, giraffes, and elephants. Some of the images suggest that along the way the people of the Green Sahara learned to domesticate cattle. But they remain veiled in mystery. Did they arrive here from the Mediterranean coast, central African jungles, or Nile Valley? Were they nomads, or did they stake out territories and build settlements? Did they trade with each other and intermarry, or did they wage war, or both? As the monsoons began to recede, how did they cope with a drying landscape? The only part of the story that then seems clear is that by some 3,500 years ago the desert had returned. The people vanished.
Seeking answers to such questions is normally the domain of anthropologists and archaeologistsnot dinosaur hunters. But Sereno had become transfixed by the discovery. "There is something soul stirring about looking into the face of an ancient human skull and knowing this is my species," he said. Whenever he could steal a moment from his paleontological work, he pored through every scholarly publication he could find on the Green Saharans, tracked down the authors and badgered them with emails full of questions. Sometimes he would read all night before downing a cup of coffee and heading back to his lab. In 2003, during another dinosaur expedition in Niger, he took three days off to revisit the dunes and survey the site, counting at least 173 burials. To dig any deeper, however, would require more time, money, and expertise.
In the spring of 2005 Sereno contacted Elena Garcea, an archaeologist at the University of Cassino, in Italy, inviting her to accompany him on a return to the site. Garcea had spent three decades working digs along the Nile in Sudan and in the mountains of the Libyan Desert, and was well acquainted with the ancient peoples of the Sahara. But she had never heard of Paul Sereno. His claim to have found so many skeletons in one place seemed far-fetched, given that no other Neolithic cemetery contained more than a dozen or so. Some archaeologists would later be skeptical; one sniped that he was just a "moonlighting paleontologist." But Garcea was too intrigued to dismiss him as an interloper. She agreed to join him.
"I was impressed that he hadn't just ignored the burials and continued looking for dinosaurs," she told me.
They arrived at the site six months later. Clad in a salt-stained T-shirt and jeans, Sereno, vibrating with energy, powered up the first of the three dunes, identifying animal bones with nearly every stridegiraffe vertebra hippo ulna gazelle humerus. Garcea, a petite woman in unwrinkled chinos and a tennis hat, followed at a more measured pace, bending at the waist to scrutinize each item.
At the top, they surveyed a macabre scene. Around them lay dozens of human skeletons in various degrees of completeness, far more than Garcea had seen at all her other digs combined. Nonetheless, she seemed more interested in what looked to me like tiny gray chunks of gravel. "They're potsherds," she said, and held up one inscribed with a pointillistic pattern. She identified the markings as belonging to a people known to scholars as the Tenerian, a nomadic herding culture that lived during the latter part of the Green Sahara era, 6,500 to 4,500 years ago. Then she picked up another piece. She studied it for a moment, looking perplexed. Instead of little dots, this sherd was decorated with wavy lines. She picked up another like it, then another. "These are Kiffian," she said, her voice rising with excitement.
Garcea explained that the Kiffian were a fishing-based culture and lived during the earliest wet period, between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago. She held a Kiffian sherd next to a Tenerian one. "What is so amazing is that the people who made these two pots lived more than a thousand years apart."
Over the next three weeks, Sereno and Garceaalong with five American excavators, five Tuareg guides, and five soldiers from Niger's army, sent to protect the camp from banditsmade a detailed map of the site, which they dubbed Gobero, after the Tuareg name for the area. They exhumed eight burials and collected scores of artifacts from both cultures. In a dry lake bed adjacent to the dunes, they found dozens of fishhooks and harpoons carved from animal bone. Apparently the Kiffian fishermen weren't just going after small fry: Scattered near the dunes were the remains of Nile perch, a beast of a fish that can weigh nearly 300 pounds, as well as crocodile and hippo bones.
Garcea suspected that the Tenerian had made most of the stone tools. Nearly three-fourths of them were hewed from a strange green volcanic rock that bore a glasslike sheen and yielded razor-sharp edges when fractured. The abundance of green flakes on the dunes indicated that the Tenerian spent long periods of time at Gobero making and sharpening their tools. "But it's possible they lived part of the time at the place where they quarried the green rock," said Garcea. One of the Tuareg said he had seen big boulders of it in the Ar mountains, some hundred miles to the northwest.
At dusk the heat gave way to the cool evening air, and the camp divided into three groups. The soldiers, dressed in threadbare fatigues and combat boots with no socks, gathered around their fire, speaking Hausa, Niger's dominant language. At the Tuareg fire, the guides removed their linen chches, which they kept neatly wound around their faces during the day. They reclined on foam mattresses, served each other strong, sugary tea, and quietly discussed Niger's restive politics in their native Tamashek. Meanwhile, the dig team cooked couscous and freeze-dried vegetables on a propane stove, eating by the light of their headlamps. Their conversations focused on the stark differences in the burials. Some appeared to be little more than a tight bundle of bones, as if the body had been bound or squeezed into a basket or a leather bag, which had long since decomposed. These compact burials belied the fact that some of these individuals were surprisingly largeas much as six feet eight inches tall, with thick bones suggesting they had been well muscled.
By contrast, other skeletons belonged to much smaller people, about five-and-a-half feet tall. They were buried on their sides in relaxed positions, as if they had fallen asleep and drifted into death. Some of their graves contained beads, arrowheads, or animal bones. But since no potsherds were found in the burials, it wasn't clear which were Kiffian and which were Tenerian. Until the age of the bones could be determined, no one could say for sure. And what had led the Tenerian to bury their dead in the exact same spot as the Kiffian had laid theirs to rest, thousands of years earlier?
"Perhaps the Tenerian found the Kiffian burials and recognized this place as sacred," Garcea offered. "It's possible they thought these bones belonged to their own ancestors."
The search for answers could not wait long. Gobero held at least 200 burials, which would take several field seasons to excavate. But the constant desert wind was eroding the site year by year, scattering the bones down the sides of the dunes. An even more dire concern was looters. Officials in Niger have identified close to a hundred Stone Age sites in the Tenere and report that nearly all were looted before they could be excavated. Often Tuareg traveling in camel caravans find the sites and scavenge artifacts to sell to dealers in Agadez, who in turn sell them illicitly to tourists. Though the Niger government has outlawed the sale of antiquities, only Gobero and one other site remained unlooted.
Members of the dig team suspected that a few of the soldiers were picking up artifacts as they patrolled the site's perimeter. When confronted by Sereno, they denied it. One night by the Tuareg fire, I asked one of the guides whether he thought anyone might pilfer artifacts. He shrugged. "When you are hungry and your children are hungry, what can you do?" Another confided to me that over the years he had collected a small number of artifacts during his travels in the desert. He produced a leather pouch that held an array of gemlike arrowheads and a beautiful knife chipped from the strange green stone. "These are not for sale," he said. "They are for my children. It is their history. I want them to see it before it is all gone."
SERENO FLEW HOME with the most important skeletons and artifacts and immediately began planning for the next field season. In the meantime, he carefully removed one tooth from each of four skulls and sent them to a lab for radiocarbon dating. The results pegged the age of the tightly bundled burials at roughly 9,000 years old, the heart of the Kiffian era. The smaller "sleeping" skeletons turned out to be about 6,000 years old, well within the Tenerian period. At least now the scientists knew who was who.
In the fall of 2006 they returned to Gobero, accompanied by a larger dig crew and six additional scientists. Garcea hoped to excavate some 80 burials, and the team began digging. As the skeletons began to emerge from the dunes, each presented a fresh riddle, especially the Tenerian. A male skeleton had been buried with a finger in his mouth. Another had been interred inside a frame of disarticulated human bones. Among the strangest was an adult male buried with a boar tusk and a crocodile ankle bone and his head resting on a clay pot. Parts of the skeleton appeared to have been burned, hinting that an elaborate ritual had accompanied his burial.
Garcea paid close attention to these details. In lieu of a written language, such clues are critical to understanding what she described as a culture's "software"its traditions, value system, and beliefs about the supernatural. The very act of burial contains a message, Garcea told me as she delicately brushed dirt from another Tenerian skeleton. "By infusing the land with the remains of your people, you claim it."
Unlike the Tenerian burials, the bundles of Kiffian bones came with few artifacts to shed light on their culture. But bones and teeth alone can say a lot about the daily lives of a vanished people. Their appearance can reveal an individual's sex, age, and general health, and they hold chemical signatures that, analyzed in a lab, can reveal the kinds of food a person ate and the location of the water sources he drank from.
Even at the site, Arizona State University bioarchaeologist Chris Stojanowski could begin to piece together some clues. Judging by the bones, the Kiffian appeared to be a peaceful, hardworking people. "The lack of head and forearm injuries suggests they weren't doing much fighting," he told me. "And these guys were strong." He pointed to a long, narrow ridge running along a femur. "That's the muscle attachment," he said. "This individual had huge leg muscles, which means he was eating a lot of protein and had a strenuous lifestyleboth consistent with a fishing way of life." For contrast, he showed me the femur of a Tenerian male. The ridge was barely perceptible. "This guy had a much less strenuous lifestyle," he said, "which you might expect of a herder."
Stojanowski's assessment that the Tenerian were herders fits the prevailing view among scholars of life in the Sahara 6,000 years ago, when drier conditions favored herding over hunting. But if the Tenerian were herders, Sereno pointed out, where were the herds? Among the hundreds of animal bones that had turned up at the site, none belonged to goats or sheep, and only three came from a cow species. "It's not unusual for a herding culture not to slaughter their cattle, particularly in a cemetery," Garcea responded, noting that even modern pastoralists, such as Niger's Wodaabe, are loath to butcher even one animal in their herd. Perhaps, Sereno reasoned, the Tenerian at Gobero were a transitional group that had not fully adopted herding and still relied heavily on hunting and fishing.
The twilight of the Green Sahara around 4,500 years ago might have been the perfect time to be hunting at Gobero, said Carlo Giraudi, the team's geologist. As water sources dried up throughout the region, animals would have been drawn to pocket wetlands, making them easier to kill. Four middens found on the dunes and dated to around that time included hundreds of animal remains, as well as fish bones and clamshells not usually part of a herder's diet. "The Green Sahara's climate was rapidly changing," said Giraudi, "but just before the lake dried up, the people at Gobero would have thought they were living in a golden period."
Then they were gone, leaving only bones and a few artifacts to bear witness. On my last day at Gobero, Sereno and his colleagues began excavating a particularly poignant burial containing three skeletons. Several members of the dig team interrupted their own work to watch. Soon a few of the Tuareg abandoned their late afternoon tea and wandered over, and a couple of soldiers joined the group. Evening breezes began to sweep away the desert's intense heat. As the sand was carefully brushed away, a petite Tenerian woman came into clear relief, lying on her side. Facing her were the skeletons of two children. Their molars suggested they were five and eight years old when they died. Each child reached tiny arms toward the woman. Her fragile arm bones reached back to them. Between the skeletons lay a cluster of disarticulated finger bones, implying the deceased had been laid to rest holding hands.
Was this a mother and her children? Had a grieving father posed his family in this gesture of love before covering them with sand? The questions rippled around the graveside in English, French, Tamashek, and Hausa. The skeletons exhibited no clear signs of trauma, though four arrowheads turned up near the bones, perhaps part of a burial ritual. But if their deaths weren't violent, how did they all die at the same time? If it was a disease or a plague, who would have been left to bury the bodies in such an elaborate fashion? Maybe, someone suggested, they drowned in the lake.
Back in Arizona, Stojanowski continues to analyze the Gobero bones for clues to the Green Saharans' health and diet. Other scientists are trying to derive DNA from the teeth, which could reveal the genetic origins of the Kiffian and Tenerianand possibly link them to descendants living today. Sereno and Garcea estimate a hundred burials remain to be excavated. But as the harsh Tenere winds continue to erode the dunes, time is running out. "Every archaeological site has a life cycle," Garcea said. "It begins when people begin to use the place, followed by disuse, then nature takes over, and finally it is gone. Gobero is at the end of its life."
In February of 2007, as the team was making plans to return to Niger, hostilities broke out again between some of Niger's Tuareg groups and the government. By December, Human Rights Watch had reported scores of soldiers and civilians had been killed or injured in clashes and by land mines. The government declared emergency rule in the region, prohibiting foreigners from traveling to the Tenere. Sereno and Garcea were forced to cancel the 2007 and 2008 dig seasons. Meanwhile, the wind blows across Gobero, and the desert continues to consume the last remnants of the Green Sahara.
Unread post by Lloyd » Thu Mar 13, 2014 12:01 pm
Mathis' photons may cause expansion as per this post:
http://thunderbolts.info/forum/phpBB3/v ... 357#p93357
Unread post by allynh » Mon Mar 24, 2014 12:37 pm
Here's another fun dinosaur that could not exist in a one gravity Earth.
Bizarre bird-like dinosaur discovered
http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot. ... vered.html
A team of researchers has announced the discovery of a bizarre, bird-like dinosaur, named Anzu wyliei, that provides paleontologists with their first good look at a dinosaur group that has been shrouded in mystery for almost a century.
Anzu wyliei - a bird-like dinosaur nicknamed the "chicken from hell" that roamed the Dakotas 66 million years ago -- appears in its natural environment in this artist's depiction. Discovery and description of the new dinosaur was announced by the University of Utah, Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History [Credit: Mark Klingler, Carnegie Museum of Natural History]
Anzu was described from three specimens that collectively preserve almost the entire skeleton, giving scientists a remarkable opportunity to study the anatomy and evolutionary relationships of Caenagnathidae -- the long-mysterious group of theropod dinosaurs to which Anzu belongs.
The three described fossil skeletons of Anzu were unearthed in North and South Dakota, from roughly 66 million-year-old rocks of the Hell Creek Formation, a rock unit celebrated for its abundant fossils of famous dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops.
The team of scientists who studied Anzu was led by Dr. Matthew Lamanna of Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Dr. Lamanna's collaborators include Dr. Hans-Dieter Sues and Dr. Tyler Lyson of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, and Dr. Emma Schachner of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
According to Dr. Lamanna, "Anzu is far and away the most complete caenagnathid that has ever been discovered.
After nearly a century of searching, we paleontologists finally have the fossils to show what these creatures looked like from virtually head to toe. And in almost every way, they're even weirder than we imagined."
Hell's Chicken
At roughly 11 feet long and five feet tall at the hip, Anzu would have resembled a gigantic flightless bird, more than a 'typical' theropod dinosaur such as T. rex. Its jaws were tipped with a toothless beak, and its head sported a tall, rounded crest similar to that of a cassowary (a large ground bird native to Australia and New Guinea).
This is the skeleton and selected bones of the new oviraptorosaurian dinosaur species Anzu wyliei as presented in the paper by Matthew Lamanna and colleagues published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE [Credit: The skeleton illustration was done by Scott Hartman [skeletaldrawing.com] and the individual bones by Mark A. Klingler/Carnegie Museum of Natural History]
The neck and hind legs were long and slender, also comparable to a cassowary or ostrich.
Although the Anzu specimens preserve only bones, close relatives of this dinosaur have been found with fossilized feathers, strongly suggesting that the new creature was feathered too.
The resemblance to birds ends there, however: the forelimbs of Anzu were tipped with large, sharp claws, and the tail was long and robust.
Says Dr. Lamanna, "We jokingly call this thing the 'Chicken from Hell,' and I think that's pretty appropriate. So we named it after Anzu, a bird-like demon in ancient mythology."
The species is named for a Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh Trustee's grandson, Wylie.
Not only do the fossils of Anzu wyliei paint a picture of this particular species, they shed light on an entire group of dinosaurs, the first evidence of which was discovered almost 100 years ago.
In 1924, paleontologist Charles Whitney Gilmore described the species Chirostenotes pergracilis from a pair of fossil hands found a decade earlier in ~74 million-year-old rocks in Alberta, Canada.
Later, in 1940, Caenagnathus collinsi was named, based on a peculiar lower jaw from the same beds.
More recently, after studies of these and other fragmentary fossils, Hans Sues and other paleontologists determined that Chirostenotes and Caenagnathus belonged to the same dinosaur group, Caenagnathidae, and that these animals were close cousins of Asian oviraptorid theropods such as Oviraptor.
Asian relations
Oviraptor ('egg thief') is widely known because the first fossil skeleton of this animal, described in 1924, was found atop a nest of dinosaur eggs, suggesting that the creature had died in the act of raiding the nest.
With its head crest and presumably feathered forelegs, the newly discovered and described dinosaur Anzu wyliei was nicknamed the "chicken from hell" by its discoverers at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History and University of Utah [Credit: Bob Walters]
This thinking prevailed until the 1990s, when the same type of egg was found with a baby oviraptorid inside, demonstrating that, rather than a nest plunderer, Oviraptor was a caring parent that perished while protecting its eggs.
More than a dozen oviraptorid species have been discovered, all in Mongolia and China, and many are known from beautifully-preserved, complete or nearly complete skeletons.
Additionally, beginning in the 1990s, several small, primitive relatives of oviraptorids were unearthed in much older, ~125 million-year-old rocks in northeastern China. Many of these are also represented by complete skulls or skeletons, some of which preserve fossilized feathers.
Researchers have established that caenagnathids, oviraptorids, and these more archaic Chinese species are closely related to one another, and have united them as the theropod group Oviraptorosauria.
The occurrence of oviraptorosaurs in both Asia and North America was not a surprise to paleontologists, because these continents were frequently connected during the Mesozoic Era (the 'Age of Dinosaurs'), allowing dinosaurs and other land animals to roam between them.
However, because their fossils were so incomplete, caenagnathids remained the most poorly known members of Oviraptorosauria, and indeed, one of the least understood of all major dinosaur groups.
"For many years, caenagnathids were known only from a few bits of the skeleton, and their appearance remained a big mystery," says Dr. Sues.
More fossils, more knowledge
The nearly completely represented skeleton of Anzu opens a window into the anatomy of this and other caenagnathid species.
This is a mounted replica skeleton of the new oviraptorosaurian dinosaur species Anzu wyliei on display in the Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibition at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pa., USA [Credit: Carnegie Museum of Natural History]
Armed with this wealth of new information, Dr. Lamanna and his team were able to reconstruct the evolution of these extraordinary animals in more detail than ever before.
Analysis of the relationships of Anzu reaffirmed that caenagnathids form a natural grouping within Oviraptorosauria: Anzu, Caenagnathus, Chirostenotes, and other North American oviraptorosaurs are more closely related to each other than they are to most of their Asian cousins -- a finding that had been disputed in recent years.
Furthermore, the team's analysis confirmed the recent hypothesis that the enormous (and aptly-named) Gigantoraptor -- at a weight of at least 1.5 tons, the largest oviraptorosaur known to science -- is an unusual member of Caenagnathidae as well, instead of an oviraptorid as had initially been proposed.
"We're finding that caenagnathids were an amazingly diverse bunch of dinosaurs," says Dr. Lamanna.
"Whereas some were turkey-sized, others -- like Anzu and Gigantoraptor -- were the kind of thing you definitely wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Apparently these oviraptorosaurs occupied a much wider range of body sizes and ecologies than we previously thought."
The anatomy and ancient environment of Anzu provide insight into the diet and habitat preferences of caenagnathids as well. Although the preferred food of these oviraptorosaurs remains something of a puzzle, Dr. Lamanna and collaborators think that caenagnathids were probably omnivores -- like humans, animals that could eat either meat or plants.
Moreover, studies of the rocks in which several of the most complete caenagnathid skeletons have been found show that these strata were laid down in humid floodplain environments, suggesting that these dinosaurs favored such habitats.
In this way, caenagnathids appear to have differed greatly from their oviraptorid cousins, all of which have been found in rocks that were deposited under arid to semi-arid conditions .
"Over the years, we've noticed that Anzu and some other Hell Creek Formation dinosaurs, such as Triceratops, are often found in mudstone rock that was deposited on ancient floodplains. Other dinosaurs, like duckbills, are found in sandstone deposited in or next to rivers," says Dr. Lyson, who found his first Hell Creek fossil on his family's ranch in North Dakota when he was only six years old.
Anzu led a life that was fraught with danger. In addition to sharing its Cretaceous world with the most notorious carnivore of all time -- T. rex -- this oviraptorosaur seems to have gotten hurt a lot as well.
Two of the three specimens show clear evidence of injuries: one has a broken and healed rib, while the other has an arthritic toe bone that may have been caused by an avulsion fracture (where a tendon ripped a piece off the bone to which it was attached).
Says Dr. Schachner, "These animals were clearly able to survive quite a bit of trauma, as two of the specimens show signs of semi-healed damage. Whether these injuries were the result of combat between two individuals or an attack by a larger predator remains a mystery."
As much insight as the Anzu skeletons provide, paleontologists still have much to learn about North American oviraptorosaurs.
Ongoing studies of these and other important fossils promise to remove more of the mystery surrounding these remarkable bird-like creatures.
"For nearly a hundred years, we paleontologists knew almost nothing about these dinosaurs," concludes Dr. Lamanna. "Now, thanks to Anzu, we're finally starting to figure them out."
A fully-articulated cast of Anzu wyliei is on public view in Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibition.
The scientific paper describing the discovery appears today in the freely-accessible journal PLOS ONE.
Source: Carnegie Museum of Natural History [March 19, 2014]
A pdf of the paper is at:
A New Large-Bodied Oviraptorosaurian Theropod Dinosaur from the Latest Cretaceous of Western North America
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Ad ... ne.0092022
Unread post by allynh » Sat Apr 26, 2014 12:11 pm
Ancient flying reptile from China fills evolutionary gap | Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/ ... 7P20140424
The fragmentary remains of the Kryptodrakon progenitor found in the famed ''dinosaur death pits'' area of the Shishugou Formation in northwest China are seen in an undated illustration courtesy of Brian Andres.
CREDIT: REUTERS/ILLUSTRATION BY BRIAN ANDRES/OUTLINE BY PETER WELLNHOFER/HANDOUT
(Reuters) - It was the start of something big - really big.
Scientists on Thursday said they have found a fossil from 163 million years ago that represents the oldest known example of a lineage of advanced flying reptiles that later would culminate in the largest flying creatures in Earth's history.
The newly identified Jurassic period creature, a species named Kryptodrakon progenitor that was unearthed in the Gobi desert in northwestern China, was modest in size, with a wingspan of perhaps 4-1/2 feet.
But later members of its branch of the flying reptiles known as pterosaurs were truly colossal, including Quetzalcoatlus, whose wingspan of about 35 feet was roughly the same as that of an F-16 fighter.
Roughly 220 million years ago, pterosaurs became the first flying vertebrates to appear on Earth, with birds - first appearing about 150 million years ago - and bats - appearing about 50 million years ago - coming much later.
Pterosaurs arose during the Triassic period not long after their cousins, the dinosaurs, also made their debut. Their wings were supported by an incredibly elongated fourth digit of the hand - the "pinky finger."
The pterosaurs remained largely unchanged for tens of millions of years - with characteristics like long tails and relatively small heads - and none became very big. But later during the Jurassic period, some developed anatomical changes that heralded the arrival of a new branch called pterodactyloids that eventually replaced the more primitive forms of pterosaurs.
Many of these pterodactyloids had massive, elongated heads topped with huge crests, lost their teeth and grew to huge sizes. Perhaps the defining characteristic of the group is an elongation in the bone at the base of the fourth finger called the fourth metacarpal, and Kryptodrakon is the oldest known pterosaur to have this advance, the researchers said.
'SUCCESS OF THE GROUP'
"In primitive pterosaurs, it is one of the shortest and least variable bones in the wing, but in pterodactyloids it is quite elongated," said Brian Andres, a paleontologist at the University of South Florida, and one of the researchers.
Kryptodrakon lived right before its fellow pterodactyloids began to take over the ancient skies. "We can look at his anatomy and see what were the last changes in his body that may be responsible for the success of the group," Andres added.
Another important element of the discovery is the environment that Kryptodrakon called home.
It lived in a river-dominated ecosystem far from the ocean in a region teeming with life, including a fearsome dinosaur predator called Sinraptor and a gigantic plant-eating dinosaur named Mamenchisaurus that boasted one of the longest necks of any creature ever to walk the planet.
George Washington University paleontologist James Clark said the fact that Kryptodrakon lived in such an ecosystem along with other evidence indicates that the advanced pterosaurs - many of which later ruled the skies over seashore ecosystems and fed on fish in the oceans - actually first evolved far inland in a terrestrial environment.
The origin of the pterodactyloids had been a little bit of a quandary, with their fossil record not extending back in time as much as some scientists had expected. Kryptodrakon is about five million years older than any other known member of the advanced pterosaur lineage, the researchers said.
"This is filling in that time gap," Clark said.
Its genus name, Kryptodrakon, means "hidden dragon" in honor of the 2000 film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," that had parts filmed near where it was unearthed. Its species name, progenitor, means ancestral.
The research was published in the journal Current Biology.
(Reporting by Will Dunham, editing by G Crosse)
Jatslo
Location: King City, Oregon USA
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Unread post by Jatslo » Sat Apr 26, 2014 1:15 pm
The Earth's putting on weight, so I hear.
Return to “New Insights and Mad Ideas”
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Happy Birthday America!
“ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor. ”
From The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
And to recall more recent times, from Elvis, “An American Trilogy,” which is a medley of “All My Trials”, “Dixie” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Recorded live at the Honolulu International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii on January 14, 1973. In essence, a dedication to all those who have died in battle. It is considered the most dramatic presentation The King ever gave on stage.
Etichette: America, history
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He said, she said, and what the dictionary said
Friend! When a woman answers your question, don't believe her; but if she keeps silence, believe her even less.
(Polish proverb from Women in Proverbs Worldwide http://www.womeninproverbsworldwide.com/ )
There's an aphorism frequently applied to rape cases. In the absence of witnesses, detectable physical injury or, these days, DNA evidence, people say it comes down to a matter of 'he said, she said'. At which point they throw up their hands and exclaim it's too hard: what are we to do?
But think about it. Although the words are symmetrical, this is not a balanced equation. The problem is not what he said. It's what she said. Because she is likely to lie or exaggerate. And if you believe her, a man's life will be ruined.
Only, in reality, she is more likely to be disbelieved, and his life is rarely ruined. Her life, clearly, is of lesser consequence. This is because women's speech, how it sounds, what they say, and its relation to 'truth', is suspect and problematic. There is no similar expectation that men will lie about committing rape or sexual harassment. Everyone, on the contrary, is in a hurry to believe them. They're a 'good man', they wouldn't hurt a fly, and so it goes on.
Nothing demonstrates the hidden foundations of this discourse better than the so-called provocation defence, still accepted in a few Australian states and in other countries. It allows men to literally get away with murdering their female partners. The principle is that if provoked, it is understandable that a normal person may 'snap' and lose control of their actions, so that they don't realise what they are doing. It is most frequently used as a defence by men who kill women (but also for what has been called 'gay panic').
In one case, which happened in the last decade, a man murdered his wife because she had told him she was leaving him for someone else. As he reported it in court, she had taunted him and said her new boyfriend was a better lover. At this point, he killed her.
There were no witnesses. No-one can corroborate that she said those words to him. She was not there to tell her side of the story. But what 'he said she said' was enough for the judge to rule that he had been provoked. He was convicted of manslaughter, and given a light sentence. She stayed dead.
There's been too many of these over the years, including the high profile case of Vicky Cleary, that turned her heartbroken brother Phil Cleary into a campaigner against male violence and the complicity of the law.
When he speaks, it's credible. When she speaks, it's not.
The twittering of birds
The very sound of women's voices is questionable. Many people (including some women) can't stand hearing women's voices on the radio. They're too high. They sound like children. They don't have enough gravitas to read the news. The number of comments online which run along the lines of 'I'm not sexist, but I can't listen to a female sports commentator' are legion.
Women's speech has been compared to the twittering of birds. (Perhaps this is partially why Twitter has been such a huge factor in invigorating new feminist activism). There's even evidence to suggest that as women progress into higher positions, they lower their voice in order to fend off these sorts of reactions.
Over the last couple of weeks the language used to describe women's speech has been in the spotlight. In July 2014, Nordette Adams pointed out that the online Oxford Dictionaries used 'a rabid feminist' as an example of usage in the definition for 'rabid'. You can read her post about it here. In January 2016 Michael Oman-Reagan also noticed this and began tweeting about a number of other examples of usage that were .....dodgy, to say the least. His account is here.
It turned out that there were many negative words that were associated with women's speech. The included rabid, shrill, grating, nagging, bossy, shrew, gossip. As a theme, they all add up to support this very, very old idea that there's something wrong with what 'she said'.
What's in a name? Or an adjective?
What a feminist says is like a slavering, diseased dog: full of violence, unable to discriminate between friend and foe, taken by madness, unintelligible, not obeying orders to sit, stay. She is a bitch, after all.
Women's voices are shrill, high-pitched, grating, piercing, unpleasant to listen to. It's even worse when there's a group of them. You can't distinguish between one woman and the next, they all sound alike.
When women speak, they are nagging men, harassing them 'to do something'. Isn't this rich territory for comedians and those dreadful cartoons that appear in the sort of magazines you used to read in the doctor's waiting room? Like Readers Digest and, oh yes, the New Yorker? They are being unreasonable, asking the man to do something that's not important, or he'll do when he's ready. And they've asked him more than once! Wives, if you nag, you'll annoy your husband, he'll leave you for a younger woman.
This trope is accepted without considering the power dynamics behind it - the man annoyed that he is expected to pull his weight in the house instead of having everything done for him, the woman trying to manage house, children and frequently a job in which she is not supported or treated as an equal. Women think they are sharing family responsibilities equally but as their labour is not recognised as such, their partners think they are being unfairly asked to do additional work. The use of the term 'nagging' to describe requests to share work makes it the woman's problem. I could go on.
She's not the boss, she's just bossy. Her authority is not accepted. You don't have to do what she says.
She gossips. With other women. It's idle, frivolous, malicious. She might be talking about men, about YOU! with the other women. You can't believe anything she says, it's just gossip. It's not true. Those women, when they get together.....
I grew up learning that men talk, women gossip. One day, I think I was at high school, as I waited for my father to stop talking to someone so we could leave, I realised that it wasn't true. He was not talking about serious matters. HE WAS GOSSIPING. It was one of those baby steps on my way to becoming a RABID FEMINIST.
Or perhaps I became a shrew. Girls start out nice and docile, but they become shrews and harridans, with opinions, nagging, always wanting their own way. The other women got to them, you see. Don't listen to what the other women say.
Don't listen when they say it happened to them too. It's rumour, speculation, hearsay. It's not evidence. It's just what 'she said'.
Women. Don't talk. Your words are dangerous. Your words can get you in trouble. Your words are the reason you die.
Image courtesy of http://www.halfthedeck.com/
Acknowledgements: many thanks to Michael Oman-Reagan for his fearlessness and strong support of women's voices.
Note: screenshots are taken from Oxford Dictionaries (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/) on 30 January 2016. As a result of the discussion, they are undertaking a review of the examples used.
Posted by Dr Space Junk at 12:23 pm No comments: Links to this post
Labels: gender
The Anthropocene, the nonhuman and the solar system are grand challenges for archaeology
What are the grand challenges for archaeology? Last year, a group of mostly US researchers (Kintigh et al 2014) published the results of a survey conducted in order to find out. The result was a series of general research areas and specific questions, most of which are core issues in what we do, but with some inevitable blind spots and holes.
Here's a few that resonate with me in terms of my own research in space archaeology (thanks to Publishing Archaeology for extracting them from the paper in a nice list):
Why and how do social inequalities emerge, grow, persist, and diminish, and with what consequences?
How do humans occupy extreme environments, and what cultural and biological adaptations emerged as a result?
How have human activities shaped Earth’s biological and physical systems, and when did humans become dominant drivers of these systems?
How do spatial and material reconfigurations of landscapes and experiential fields affect societal development?
Archaeology blogger Doug Rocks-Macqueen thinks there's quite a bit more to be said on these grand challenges. He's asked his fellow bloggers to respond in what ever way they choose, and that's a challenge I can't refuse (bursts into song a la Gilbert and Sullivan).
Challenges are often something that we let others define for us. Something I've gradually learnt over the last decade of being an academic (I was a heritage consultant before, and actually during, this time as well), is to trust my voice. Part of this is allowing deeply buried or incoherent thoughts to rise to the surface and be given shape. Another part of it is turning things you think you're stupid for not understanding properly upside down and making them into questions or problems to be investigated. So I've delved into my brain to work out what I really think, and this is what emerged.
Put actual people back into the Anthropocene
The Anthropocene is a challenge, because despite the brilliant Matt Edgeworth being on the Anthropocene Working Group, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of awareness among that community that there is already a discipline devoted to human-environment interactions in the past. Kintigh et al (2014:15-16) say:
Despite producing key data, archaeologists have largely been left out of this discussion. This is a major limitation, since archaeology, drawing on cross-disciplinary tools capable of tracking the increasingly dominant role of humans in Earth systems, brings a deep-time perspective that stands to make significant contributions to understanding how humans have shaped the Earth.
I even read one paper in which the author coined the term 'technofossil' for objects made of contemporary materials. Dude, they're just artefacts, and not always the most durable ones in human history at that. And in my observation there's little understanding of taphonomy in terms of how archaeological data is derived ....
We can't leave this one to the geologists and earth systems scientists. We need to make ourselves visible and relevant to this debate. What I think this means is synthesising archaeological data at a planetary scale in a way we've rarely done before. Imagine if we calculated the total weight of stone removed from original contexts and moved into others after being knapped, quarried, sculpted, built, used, discarded, from the Pleistocene to the present! In effect, we need to act as planetary archaeologists visiting from elsewhere.
And in this, the fine-grained detail you only get from intensive analysis of a site or an artefact type is still absolutely critical. It is the cumulative effect of living people carrying out individual actions in accordance with their worldview which creates the Anthropocene. As archaeologists, this is at the core of what we do everyday: meshing individual agency with broad scale patterns through time and space.
In some ways I kind of resent being drawn in to the debate on the Anthropocene. Part of me wants to resist trends and buzzwords, as hard as that is to do sometimes. But there is no doubt that this is shaping up to be the big theme of the next decade across all the sciences and humanities, and we need to be leading it, not following.
Last year Matt Edgeworth edited a forum section in the Journal of Contemporary Archaeology on The Archaeology of the Anthropocene. I recommend it to you.
Make humans the environment for other objects and things
Another big challenge is almost the polar opposite of the Anthropocene, which makes human actions central. As archaeologists, we're pretty focused on humans, because that is what differentiates us from geologists and palaeontologists, after all. But everyone else, it seems, is leaving humans behind. Animals, plants, microbes, and the inanimate are all being drawn out of the background into the foreground. The very definition of what it is to be human is being reshaped by looking at the human body as a microbial biome and considering its continuity with what we previously considered external to it. Then there are cyborgs, robots, AIs, artilects, hyperobjects, superobjects, posthumanism and transhumanism. It's just not fashionable to look at the human body as a coherent entity or unit of analysis any more.
So where does that leave archaeology? We've done more than our fair share of theorising about the interaction between humans and material stuff, with perspectives ranging from environmental determinism to phenomenology and taking in actor-network theory, social theory and a myriad more along the way. (Some argue that archaeologists have always been bower birds and have never formulated truly original theories about the world of objects. In some ways, I tend to agree). We've questioned the meanings of the human body and the boundaries between the 'cultural' and the 'natural'. But will we be stranded in an intellectual backwater as the human is completely bypassed?
Maybe not. I think our contribution to these frameworks lies in inverting our lens and looking at the experience of a mountain, a microbe, a mammoth, a melaleuca as human bodies, actions and technologies interact with it. Let's swap subject and object, or situate both in a flat or object-oriented ontology. How did the life of a flea change when hominins lost most of their body hair? How does the daily or annual life of a flowering plant change when Neanderthal people move into Shanidar Cave? I'm not talking about use, or impact, or adaptation. Perhaps the human body is still the unit of analysis, just from the perspective of something else.
Matrioshka Brain, by Steve Bowers
Orion's Arm Universe Project
My own engagement with this challenge at present is looking at materials and structures like degenerate matter and Matrioshka Brains, both far beyond the human scale of existence. I'm interested in what the future holds if we start from the premise that we have always been adapted to large scale networks mediated by material culture - in the words of Andy Clark, 'natural born cyborgs'. Despite dire warnings about AIs who are going to destroy humanity, I don't see why we have to be gloomy all the time. This is just a deficit in imagination. Sometimes it's nice to focus on creativity and transformation. Perhaps that's one reason why we're archaeologists.
Take the solar system perspective
There's no mention of space in Kintigh et al's survey, which is a little disappointing. I'd like to think we'd made a bigger impact than that. But how can space not be a grand challenge?
This is not about going to the Moon or Mars in order to do space archaeology. But archaeologists know all about colonisation, contact, impacts on the environment, adaptation, social life and things. We've seen how population growth and technology change have played out on Earth. Whether your vision of space is dystopian or utopian, we can't go blindly onto other planets without considering the deep history of sentient life on our own. This is archaeology's greatest strength in my view: different futures can't be imagined without understanding the diversity of the past.
I think archaeologists have an important role to play in shaping the discourses around space exploration. The usual rationales trotted out are riddled with 19th century ideas about progress and curiosity and exploration and growth, some drawing very explicitly on assumed human imperatives to colonise and explore. In other words, there's a particular (masculine) version of behavioural modernity that is co-opted to justify the current models of space occupation. Needless to say, I hate that stuff almost as much as I hate evolutionary psychology, which is quite a bit actually.
At this point, however, the two challenges outlined above come to be part of the same question. Really, we should be taking the perspective that Earth is just one of the planets colonised by life at this point in time, and contextualise ourselves within a whole solar system. If there is anything living on other planets, then perhaps they will have their own 'cene'. We can't judge the scale of the Anthropocene in isolation after all. So we need to develop concepts to frame humans a part of a much bigger system than just one planet. Continuities and discontinuities are important here, and we need to be wary of drawing the lines in all the wrong places.
Elsewhere I've argued that a constant gravity is assumed for terrestrial archaeology, and for space archaeology we have to stop considering it as "normal" and recognise that it's just one gravitational regime to which culture is adapted. This is not an entirely new idea: the seeds of it were present in the 19th century (think Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and Otis Mason Tufton). I think one of the challenges of space archaeology is how it makes us look back on Earth, and I don't mean as a pale blue dot, a blue marble, a spaceship, Gaia or the so-called 'overview effect'. Call me unromantic but I want a more robust and nuanced philosophy of existence in the cosmos.
When I started writing, I didn't know this would be where I'd end up. To be honest, parts of it come as a surprise to me, but in a good way. So it seems I've set some challenges for myself here; I hope this discussion may provide some inspiration for others too.
See you in orbit.
Labels: Anthropocene, cyborg, Gravity and microgravity, Matrioshka brain
Space Age Archaeology: A Retro-blog-spective
Just because it's the New Year, I've decided to make a list of my most-read posts from each year since 2004, when I started this blog.
2004: Flying Saucers at Woomera
In September, I was researching Australian space history at the National Archives office in Adelaide. This was in the days when you sat there for hours furiously scribbling notes in pencil until your fingers bled. One of the files I looked at was the (formerly) secret UFO file from Woomera. What I discovered in this file gave me pause for thought....
2005: The Little Lemon
Racehorses and space. You wouldn't think there was a connection, would you? However....this is what happened when my father tried to name a racehorse after Laika the dog during the Cold War.
2006: Space biscuits and recognition for space archaeology
Once upon a time in the dim past of internet history there was a lovely man called Nicey who ran a website devoted to tea, biscuits, and sit downs. It was called, appropriately, Nice Cup of Tea and A Sit Down. It was charming and funny and full of biscuits (proper Commonwealth biscuits, not the American version of the scone), and they loved space archaeology! I wonder what happened to him?
2007: Nostalgia for Infinity: exploring the archaeology of the final frontier
This was the abstract for a session on space archaeology at the World Archaeological Congress in Dublin, which I was convening with Beth Laura O'Leary. The title incorporated the name of a spaceship that will be familiar to anyone who has read the works of Alistair Reynolds.
2008: A rocket cake to be proud of!
No-one doesn't love a rocket cake, and for some reason anything I post about space-related food and drink goes down a treat. Kudos to my friend Kaylene Manderson, who made this masterpiece!
2009: Quirky, yet methodologically sound: a review of Space Travel and Culture: from Apollo to Space Tourism.
Michael Allen wrote a review of this book, in which I had a chapter, and more-or-less called my contribution "quirky, yet methodologically sound". I was enchanted.
2010: Space food: recreating an authentic space experience on Earth. A review of The Astronaut's Cookbook.
I wasn't joking about the food-and-drink bit. Another book review, but this time by me, and I have a little digression into the history of Australia's monopoly on the manufacture of Space Food Sticks. Snap them up if you find them gathering dust on a supermarket shelf, because they went out of production last year. But whatever you do, do not attempt to actually eat one. They're not very nice.
2011: Consuming the Space Age: The Cuisine of Sputnik
Nicola Twilley of Good Magazine ran a week-long distributed online conversation about food-writing. I decided to write something about space food, and this was the result. A little bit of history, a little bit of politics, a cocktail recipe, and the Sputnik Burger!
2012: Space-craft: rockets, jetpacks, and other DIY space paraphernalia
They don't love me for my unique insights into space history or brain-splintering forays into theory. What the readers of my blog really want is recipes and spacey things for kids. I'm cool with that, though. Here's some excellent things you can make, collected together from all over the internet, and yes, there is another cake.
2013: The Anthropocene in the Solar System
I didn't post much in 2013. I had left the university for a break to return to my first profession, heritage consulting. In April, I went to the Society for American Archaeology conference in Hawai'i, and managed to injure myself rather badly, necessitating a long 18 month rehabilitation. In May, I gave a TEDxSydney talk, and shortly afterwards, life took an even more unexpected turn which I'll tell you about one day over a beer. BUT there were other good things. The lovely brain-the-size-of-planet Matt Edgeworth invited me to give a paper at the Chicago Theoretical Archaeology Group conference on the Anthropocene (so sometimes someone does actually want me for my theories), and this was later published in the Journal of Contemporary Archaeology. You can read the abstract in this blog post, and the article here.
2014: How to avoid sexist language in space - Dr Space Junk wields the red pen
They asked for it, and I delivered. Not cakes this time, but what I hope is a practical guide to eliminating locutions like "manned mission" that reinforce the idea that women like/are like fluffy kittens and aren't really suited to the man's business of space. Which, incidentally, was exactly what a Russian cosmonaut trainer said in a public talk in Adelaide last year, so don't even try to tell me it's not an issue.
2015: How would lunar mining affect the cultural significance of the Moon?
Terrestrial mining is something I know a fair bit about. In my former career as a heritage consultant, I spent a LOT of time on mining sites, and in remote areas where mining exploration was taking place. My job was the make mining companies comply with legislation that was supposed to protect Aboriginal heritage places. In this excerpt from a forthcoming paper, I consider how these principles might play out in space.
I raise a glass of dry Australian sherry to you, dear readers! I feel that 2016 is going to be an exciting year in space.....
Labels: Dr Space Junk, Off-Earth mining, space cocktail, Space food
The Anthropocene, the nonhuman and the solar syste...
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In Search of Lost Innocence
Landscape as metaphor and stage
Alejandro Malo
Cloud Phenomena of Maloja. Film by Arnold Fanck, 1924
Landscape, long before being image, was literature and longing. Since ancient times, almost every civilization led an educated class that longed to return to the simple life of the countryside, back to nature with its deeper order and less troubled appearance. In the West, despite its widespread tradition against the city life and akin to recover the rural simplicity, it is only during the Renaissance that the joy of those running away from the maddening crowds turns into the full enjoyment of nature, first in poetry and only afterwards as a growing presence in paintings. In the East, at least since China’s Tang Dynasty, a fertile dialogue is established around the landscape between poetry and painting, and the genre develops very soon and evolves in multiple aspects.
Centuries later, while other visual media were confronted by the emergence of photography to take in and emphasize the subjectivity of their gaze over this topic, photographic landscapes devote their attention to exoticism or the magnificence of natural views and offered a deceptive closeness to a naturalist interpretation. The romantic vision of nature took root strongly across images ranging from the Bisson brothers to Ansel Adams. In them, beauty was something external to be captured in each shot, a reserve where solitude was a regained innocence and open spaces offered an inexhaustible source of peacefulness for the contemplative eye under the changing light’s mantle.
Gradually, as these perspectives became advertising and marketing leitmotifs, this genre had to be reinvented and new possibilities sought elsewhere. Already in 1975, with the exhibition New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape, it became clear that human intervention was inseparable from our new perception of landscape. The aseptic style of the authors gathered in this exhibition, considered almost forensic and where the emotional charge seemed absent, caused the sensation of being somehow close to a crime scene’s lingering memories, but devoid of its dramatic charge. During the following years, some authors, with a similar methodology but against this trend, looked after landscapes as representation of their own temperament, metaphor of an inner life that finds in the environment an affinity and a strong individual expressive capacity. Finally, photography assumed the same subjectivity of other means. As an example, Hiroshi Sugimoto wrote about his Seascapes: "Every time I view the sea, I feel a calming sense of security, as if visiting my ancestral home". In that phrase, anyone can guess a sort of poetic inclination and a strong artistic weight that facilitates dialogue with paintings, as was done in 2012 by exposing this series with Mark Rothko’s work.
However, Eden’s innocence became impossible in a world where human presence outreach tainted glaciers and forests with the same nonchalance. In the second half of the twentieth century, the landscape was transformed from man facing nature, to be a metaphor for our own humanity and, at the same time, scene of our fears, hopes and tragedies. We read as landscape every place where a scenario simulates an open space, no matter whether an emotional or conceptual projection of ourselves, but also we read it under the titanic action of mining, between the megalopolis’ streets or against the inventiveness of major transformation projects. Hybridization of genres has allowed the unreal calm of sensationalist scenes as in Fernando Brito’s pictures and the catastrophe of Chinese dumping sites of Yao Lu to be shown as images of bucolic appearance. We bit the fruit of our pride and today paradise is a shy promise. We need to build works, with concrete actions to transform the announced catastrophe in a redemptive epiphany. The landscape is, with its potential for imagination and denunciation, the much needed tool.
Alejandro Malo (Mexico, 1972). Lives and works in Mexico and is the director of ZoneZero. Since 1993, he has taken part in various cultural projects and worked as an information technology consultant. He has collaborated in print and electronic publications, and given workshops and conferences on literature, creative writing, storytelling and technology. In 2009, Malo joined the team of the Fundación Pedro Meyer, where he directs the Archives and Technology departments.
Tags: Mexico Alejandro Malo Article Landscape
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2018 Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet: Photos
Paris Close
The 2018 Billboard Music Awards is almost underway!
Tonight (May 20), artists and celebrities everywhere will congregate at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for Billboard's eighth annual music awards ceremony. The event, which will be hosted by none other than American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson, airs live from coast to coast at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT Sunday on NBC.
Amongst the entertainers slated to perform on the main stage later on is everyone from "Never Be the Same" chanteuse Camila Cabello and "In My Blood" heartthrob Shawn Mendes to Demi Lovato and Christina Aguilera, who will put on a special show of their newest duet "Fall in Line" for the first time, ever.
Dua Lipa's BBMA showcase this evening marks the English pop star's inaugural premiere on an award show in the United States, and K-pop sensations, BTS, will also take center stage to debut their new single "Fake Love" during the ceremony.
To get you pumped for the reception ahead, see how the stars arrived on the 2018 Billboard Music Awards red carpet in our live style gallery, below.
Source: 2018 Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet: Photos
Filed Under: andy cohen, ariana grande, bebe rexha, billboard music awards, camila cabello, Christina Aguilera, Demi Lovato, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, john legend, kelly clarkson, Kesha, Mila Kunis, nick jonas, salt n pepa, shawn mendes, taylor swift, tyra banks
Categories: Entertainment News, Music News
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Alicia Keys, Will Smith Sing in Star-Studded Trailer for ‘Carpool Karaoke: The Series’ [WATCH]
CC Roberson
Apple Music's Carpool Karaoke: The Series has released a new star-studded trailer featuring celebs like Tracee Ellis Ross, Alicia Keys, and Will Smith.
The series is based on CBS' popular The Late Late Show with James Corden segment in which Corden drives around in a car singing hit songs with celebrities. One of the most popular segments from the show features former First Lady Michelle Obama singing hits by Missy Elliott and Beyoncé. The YouTube video has nabbed nearly 57 million views to date. Overall, Carpool has generated nearly 1 billion views, according to CBS. Apple surprised the industry when it bought the viral sensation after it sparked a bidding war among cable and subscription VOD outlets. The show will be distributed to 100 countries worldwide and fits right in with Apple's streaming-music venture.
The trailer is set to James Brown’s “Get Up Off That Thing,” and features actors, singers, and athletes singing inside and outside of the car. Will Smith is spotted standing up through the sun roof surrounded by a huge live marching band. Shaquille O’Neal, Seth MacFarlane, Metallica, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Ariana Grande are among the celebrities also scheduled to appear in the series. Corden appears in at least two episodes, alongside Will Smith and LeBron James.
Carpool Karaoke: The Series will launch on Apple Music August 8. It will be available via subscription regularly priced at $9.99 per month.
Watch The Late Late Show With James Corden's Carpool Karaoke clip with Michelle Obama:
20 Hilarious Hip-Hop Tweets Guaranteed to Make Your Day Better
Source: Alicia Keys, Will Smith Sing in Star-Studded Trailer for ‘Carpool Karaoke: The Series’ [WATCH]
Filed Under: alicia keys, James Corden, will smith
Categories: Entertainment News, Music News, Television
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London, WC1R 4JH
Home Members Staff News Contact
mjones@36stone.co.uk
Contact Clerks:
Email: clerks@36stone.co.uk
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BA (Hons) - Oxford University
Areas of Experience:
International Trade and Finance
International Commercial Litigation
Mark’s practice encompasses a wide range of commercial litigation and arbitration.
He acts in arbitrations both in London and abroad, and appears regularly in the English Courts, including the specialist Commercial Court, Admiralty Court and the Court of Appeal. During the last few years, he has been instructed to act as sole counsel for clients on appeals to the Court of Appeal on 4 occasions. In many of his cases, Mark is regularly pitted against leading QCs.
His commercial practice has a particular focus on all matters relating to shipping and international trade. His expertise extends to all corners of the shipping industry, from charterparties and bills of lading to salvage, from cargo claims to collisions, from ship finance to performance guarantees, and from marine insurance to general average. He has a particular specialism in shipbuilding disputes and cases arising out of contracts for the sale and purchase of second hand tonnage, and the related finance, security and guarantee contractual arrangements.
Over the years, he has been involved with some of the most important shipping cases, such as the “ATLANTIK CONFIDENCE” (Court of Appeal), the “SEA ANGEL” (Court of Appeal), and the “STARSIN” (House of Lords), and the “MSC NAPOLI”.
Mark has extensive experience of arbitration, having been involved with hundreds of arbitrations during his career. He appears regularly as counsel in arbitrations both in London (under various institutional rules, inc. ICC, LCIA and LMAA) and abroad (e.g. Dubai, Singapore and the U.S.). He is very familiar with the workings of the Arbitration Act 1996, and has conducted and opposed applications under many of its provisions, including s.9 (stay), s.18 (appointment), s.24 (removal), s.44 (urgent relief ), ss.30 & 67 (jurisdiction), and ss.68 and 69 (challenges and appeals). Mark also has experience of various interlocutory applications, including applications for urgent injunctive relief (such as freezing orders) both in the context of domestic litigation and also in support of foreign proceedings and arbitrations.
Mark sits in a part-time judicial capacity as a Recorder (a Deputy Circuit Judge), and is authorised to hear a wide range of cases, both criminal and civil.
Mark accepts appointments as an arbitrator, whether by a party, as a chairman, or as a sole arbitrator. In appropriate cases, he may be appointed as a sole arbitrator to determine lower value or simpler disputes on the basis of papers and written submissions alone. He is always willing to adopt suitable procedures designed to achieve the fair resolution of a dispute in a proportionate, cost-effective and swift manner. Please contact the clerks for further information about appointing Mark as an arbitrator.
Mark also provides expert evidence on English maritime and commercial law for use in foreign proceedings.
Before commencing his career at the Bar, Mark trained as a litigation solicitor at Ince & Co focusing on shipping, trade and insurance.
"Mark is extremely hard-working, thorough, commercial and easy to get on with."
"He is a very thorough barrister who really gets into the bones of his cases."
"Experienced in shipping and commodities disputes. "
"He is a rigorous and creative lawyer."
"A very good, bright junior. Hard-working and clear-thinking. A skilled litigator."
Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2019
"First-rate. Well versed in shipping and commodities disputes, including the sale and carriage of physical commodities."
"A very intelligent guy. I was incredibly impressed. He was exceptional to work with. A brilliant brain. "
"Destined to take silk, he is frighteningly intelligent and has great people skills. He produces formidable and very detailed opinions. "
"He is frighteningly intelligent and has great people skills. I think he is a class act and the kind of person destined to take silk."
"“Excellent to work with; his analysis of cases is second to none."
"A respected barrister who handles a wide range of shipping matters, but who is particularly adept at shipbuilding and ship sale disputes. He has additional expertise carriage and sale of goods cases."
"He is solid and reliable and a very sound practitioner. "
"He has a great deal of understanding of where a case is and how to deal with it from a practical point of view. "
"His advice is always very clear and precise. His experience as a solicitor helps in understanding the client’s perspective. "
"He is particularly noted for his expertise in shipbuilding and marine insurance disputes. "
Chambers & Partner UK Bar 2015
Appointments & Memberships
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators – Member (MCIArb)
London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), Young International Arbitration Group and European Users’ Council
London Maritime Arbitrators’ Association (LMAA), Supporting Member
Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR)
London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association (LCLCBA)
British Maritime Law Association (BMLA)
London Shipping Law Centre (LSLC)
Association of Average Adjusters (AAA)
1988-1993 Winchester College (Scholar)
1994-1997 Oxford University: BA (Hons) Jurisprudence
1997-1998 College of Law (London): Legal Practice Course
1998-2000 Ince & Co LLP
2000 Called to the Bar (Lincoln’s Inn, Kennedy Scholar)
2018 Appointed a Recorder (Crime & Civil)
Mark was a scholar at Winchester College before going on to study Law at Oxford University (St Edmund Hall), graduating in 1997. He completed the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in London, and then spent 2 years training as a solicitor at Ince & Co, London, specialising in shipping, trade, insurance and general commercial litigation. Mark moved to the Bar in 2000, and was awarded a Kennedy Scholarship by Lincoln’s Inn. He completed his 1st 6 months of pupillage at Essex Court Chambers (Gordon Pollock QC) and his 2nd 6 months at Stone Chambers (Steven Gee QC). He joined Chambers as a tenant in 2001.
Work Undertaken
Shipping & International Trade
Mark’s practice has a considerable shipping component (both ‘dry’ and ‘wet’), and covers all aspects of international trade, whether it be the carriage of goods, the sale of goods, or the related financial and insurance transactions. He has been involved with some of the leading shipping cases of the
last 10 years, such as:
The ‘Sea Angel’ [2007] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 517 (Court of Appeal), [2007] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 335: acted for successful sub-contracting salvors in claims arising out of the large scale “TASMAN SPIRIT” casualty in Pakistan in the Commercial Court and then in the Court of Appeal involving novel and important issues relating to the doctrine of frustration of contract.
The ‘Starsin’ [2004] 1 AC 715 (House of Lords): acted for the successful Appellant shipowners / demise charterers on appeal to the House of Lords in one of the most important shipping cases in the last 10 years involving a wide range of issues relevant to the carriage of goods under bills of lading.
Mark has been instructed in many significant high value disputes. This is most evident in his shipbuilding work, where he has been involved with disputes involving sums in excess of US$200 million.
‘Dry’ Shipping: The core of Mark’s shipping practice is “dry” shipping, comprising the full range of bill of lading/charterparty disputes, time charter disputes, unseaworthiness claims, unsafe port disputes and other cargo claims.
The breadth of his ‘dry’ shipping practice can be seen from the following selection of recent and noteworthy cases:
Acting for owners in significant unsafe port claim (circa US$6 million) concerning open water port in Indonesia – claim settled during arbitration.
Acting for major shipping company in long-running dispute under pool agreement for liner services arising out of significant loss of containers overboard - case involves proceedings in multiple jurisdictions and arbitration.
Acting for shipowners and charterers in respect of substantial competing claims made by OW Bunker subsidiary and physical supplier (involving bunkers consumed both before and after expiry of credit period).
Acting for a division of an oil major in its claim for approx. US$8.5 million against the operators of one of the World’s largest tanker fleets following an explosion on board a tanker vessel.
Cosmotrade SA v Kairos Shipping Ltd, The “ATLANTIK CONFIDENCE” aka Kairos Shipping Ltd & Anr v Enka & Co LLC & Ors [2013] EWHC 1904 (Comm) [2013] 2 Lloyd’s Rep. 535; [2014] EWCA Civ 217, [2014] 1 WLR 3883, [2014] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 586 (Arbitration, Commercial Court, Admiralty Court & Court of Appeal): acting for the time charterers, Cosmotrade SA, in this leading case concerning the loss of the vessel “ATLANTIK CONFIDENCE”, and all her cargo, in April 2013, resulting in cargo claims in excess of US$30 million; the case has involved various worldwide freezing orders against the vessel’s owners obtained in the Commercial Court and a limitation action commenced by those owners in the Admiralty Court; the Court of Appeal overturned 30 years of practice and assumption among English shipping lawyers and academics, by ruling that a limitation fund may be constituted by guarantee.
ED&F Man v Unicargo Transportgesellschaft GmbH and Polska Zeluga Morska PP, The “LADYTRAMP” [2013] EWCA Civ 1449 [2014] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 412 (Arbitration & Court of Appeal): acting for Polska Zeluga Morska PP in its intervention in this case before the Court of Appeal; case concerned the carriage of a cargo of sugar in bulk under the industry standard Sugar Charter Party 1999 form, and in particular the correct interpretation of a clause in that form allocating risk of delays resulting from “mechanical breakdown” in the context of a fire at a cargo terminal; also raised issues as to the proper and correct scope of an appeal on a point of law under section 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996 as the appellants had sought to raise ‘new’ points before the Court of Appeal that had not been taken in the underlying arbitration.
Acting in multi-party Commercial Court proceedings concerning charterparty claims totaling over US$2 million arising out of a collision; case involved a very wide range of issues, including time bars, demurrage, seaworthiness, identity of contractual parties and more.
Advising major Korean owners in respect of their claim against an oil major for their wrongful cancellation of a charterparty: including the oil major’s counterclaim, the overall value of the case is about US$1.8 million.
Advising charterers regarding their escape from a very long term charter (in excess of 15 years to run) and very expensive charter (some US$10,000/day over the market rate at the relevant time) in the face of an aggressive stance taken by owners and their bank: the charterers were successful in escaping the charter without repercussions, and in doing so saved themselves in excess of US$50 million (subject to accelerated benefit adjustments).
Acting for two parties in multi-party arbitration involving difficult questions arising out of the misnaming of contractual parties in the chain of contracts concerned.
Advising shipowners faced with a claim under bills of lading regarding the carriage of a cargo of rice from Vietnam to Liberia: the case involves disputes as to jurisdiction and the possible application of a time bar extinguishing the claim in its entirety.
Progress Bulk Carriers Ltd v Tube City IMS LLC, The “CENK KAPTANOGLU” [2012] EWHC 273 (Comm), [2012] 2 All ER (Comm) 855, [2012] 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 501: Acting in this case about the negotiation of a settlement by an owner following its repudiatory breach of a charter – the case is one of the very rare reported cases on the doctrine of ‘lawful act’ economic duress.
Acting in well-known multi-faceted and multi-jurisdictional dispute arising out of the total loss of a bulk carrier and its cargo: Mark acted for the charterers in their arbitration against the owners concerning cargo claims worth in excess of US$14 million.
Acting in legally complex claim for compensation by charterers following the exercise of a contractual withdrawal clause by owners.
Acting for the owners in a dispute with charterers worth about US$2.75 million about the correct operation of a ‘substitution clause’ and the appropriate adjustment to be made to the hire rate under a long-term charterparty.
Advising charterers in a significant dispute arising out of the charter of a cruise ship, involving claims in the region of Euro 50 million.
Buyuk Camlica Shipping Trading & Industry Co Inc v Progress Bulk Carriers Ltd, The “HILAL I” [2010] EWHC 442 (Comm), [2010] 1 Lloyd’s Rep Plus 102, [2011] Bus LR D99: Acting for successful charterers in arbitration involving numerous disputes under long term charter, and on subsequent appeal to the Commercial Court (inc. various issues regarding the operation of the Arbitration Act 1996).
Acting for ship owners in defence of US$3.6m Commercial Court claim arising out of the carriage of a mobile drilling rig.
Acting for owners in dispute arising out of a Contract of Affreightment involving the carriage of pipes from China to Venezuela in which owners were defending claims made by the charterers for non-performance in excess of US$4.6 million.
Acting for shipowners and container lines in various major losses of containerized cargoes involving high value claims by multiple parties in multiple jurisdictions and raising complex issues of jurisdiction and marine limitation of liability.
Edwinton Commercial Corp v Tsavliris Russ (Worldwide Salvage & Towage) Ltd, The “SEA ANGEL” [2007] EWCA Civ 547, [2007] 2 All ER (Comm) 634, 2 Lloyd’s Rep 517 (Court of Appeal); [2007] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 335 (Commercial Court): Acting for successful sub-contracting salvors in claims arising out of the large scale “TASMAN SPIRIT” casualty in Pakistan in the Commercial Court and then in the Court of Appeal: the case involved novel and important issues relating to the doctrine of frustration of contract, and is the most recent appellate decision on that doctrine.
Homburg Houtimport BV v Agrosin Private Ltd, The “STARSIN” [2004] 1 AC 715 (House of Lords): acted for the successful appellant shipowners / demise charterers on appeal to the House of Lords in one of the most important shipping cases of the last 10 years involving a wide range of issues relevant to the carriage of goods under bills of lading.
Ship Construction, Sale & Purchase, Management and Finance: Mark has particular expertise in matters arising out of the construction and sale of ships, and the various contracts relating to ship finance (including loan facilities, guarantees, mortgages, assignments, and other securities). He has experience of working with all parties involved with the acquisition, management and financing of vessels, in both contentious and non-contentious situations – whether it be advising on contractual terms, advising on restructuring arrangements, enforcing lender’s securities, or acting for parties to newbuild and sale contracts in arbitration and Court proceedings.
By way of example:
Acting for buyer against a major drilling company in multi-million dollar claim arising out of the aborted sale of a Semi-Sub Tender Barge (ad hoc arbitration in Houston under hybrid of LMAA / AAA rules, QC opposition).
Acting for buyers in 4 arbitrations arising out of the cancellation of 4 shipbuilding contracts for 4 multi-purpose container vessels each worth in excess of US$6million; successfully steering the lead arbitration through two preliminary issues, and obtaining a final award for over US$7.5 million enabling buyers to procure payment under the refund guarantee; following yard’s refusal to engage with the remaining 3 arbitrations, successfully obtaining final awards (after overcoming numerous difficulties arising out of the yard’s refusal to cooperate with the arbitrations) resulting in payment being made under remaining guarantees.
Acting in an arbitration concerning the construction of a super-yacht in which the claims made exceeded Euro 280 million: brought in for his arbitration expertise to handle a rare challenge against one of the 3 arbitrators, a leading commercial QC, on the basis of apparent bias under s24 of the Arbitration Act 1996; drew up what is believed to be a unique form of arbitration agreement involving the appointment of a substitute arbitrator and the creation of hybrid arbitration tribunals to hear different aspects of the case.
Advising the lead bank financing the owners of 8 VLCCs as to how best to protect its interests in relation to the restructuring of 8 long term charter parties (governed by English law) and the potential insolvency (in Germany) of various of the owners: the case involved complex issues, including the inter-relationship between English contract law and German insolvency rules and the operation of liens over sub-freights, with sums sin excess of US$40 million at stake.
Advising the banks financing the purchase of two LPG carriers (each worth over US$29 million), as to how best to protect their security interests during the shipbuilding projects.
Advising the Scottish buyers of two state-of-the-art freezer trawlers (each worth well in excess of US$30 million) to be constructed by a Turkish yard during the course of their negotiations with the yard and the parties’ respective banks about the wordings of the refund and payment guarantees required.
Acting for the sellers of a second-hand vessel in their defence of a claim brought by the buyers in arbitration on the basis of the vessel’s condition on delivery.
Advising the guarantors standing behind the buyers of two vessels (each worth over US$30 million) in circumstances where the two buyers (both BVI companies) had gone into liquidation and disclaimed the two shipbuilding contracts under BVI insolvency law: the case raised numerous very complex issues of law, and Mark was responsible for marshalling specialist advice from junior barristers on particular sub-issues (e.g. the cross-border impact of BVI insolvency rules).
Advising in relation to the cancellation and renegotiation of 10 shipbuilding contracts for the construction of 10 chemical tankers in a project worth over US$260 million.
Advising the bank standing behind the buyers of 8 newbuild chemical tankers, each with a price of US$26.6million (total project value in excess of US$212million), in the context of arbitrations between the buyers and sellers.
Acting for the buyers (and their financial backers) of 2 newbuild bulk carriers, in 2 London arbitrations involving potential claims with a total value of US$70 million and raising difficult issues about guarantees, anticipatory breach and renunciation, and the scope of ‘without prejudice’ communications.
Advising the buyers of 5 vessels as to their rights to cancel the 5 shipbuilding contracts and their prospects of recovering the substantial sums of money already paid under those contracts.
Acting for sellers of a vessel in their defence of claims in excess of US$12.5million brought by the buyers in London arbitration proceedings.
Advising managers in dispute with owners about managers’ decision to acquiesce to charterers putting vessel off-hire at a loss of over US$1million in earnings.
Acting in various cases concerning substantial pleasure yachts (including for Russian owners of a super-yacht in a warranty claim for Euros 1.75 million).
Acting for well-known individual in dispute over ownership of 2 substantial pleasure yachts.
Marine Insurance: Mark provides advice and appears in arbitration and Court in marine insurance matters. He has handled disputes over policy construction, coverage and non-disclosure in the context of all forms of marine cover: cargo, hull and P&I, and is familiar with the practice of the Lloyd’s market.
Advising cargo underwriters in respect of a general average claim, the payment of a ransom to pirates in excess of US$7 million, and the impact of ‘waiver of subrogation’ clauses in the context of K&R insurance.
Acting for cargo underwriters in a claim involving alleged breach of Class warranties, s.39(5) of the MIA 1906, and alleged breach of associated / affiliated company warranty.
Acting for the London underwriters in their defence of an insurance claim for in excess of US$5.6 million by the owners of the “HANDY V” relating to the failure of the vessel’s main engine; the case involved highly technical expert evidence on various engineering matters, and the scope of the Inchmaree Clause.
Advising hull underwriters in London arbitration claim for the recovery from their insured of some US$1,750,000 paid out following the grounding of a vessel: position in the London arbitration under the insurance policy is complicated by concurrent Chinese proceedings regarding general average.
Advising charterers of vessel which suffered significant damage caused by a chemical cargo, involving claims of circa US$12 million made under the relevant charterparties and insurance policies and raising difficult questions about (i) the inter-relationship between dangerous cargo and seaworthiness obligations, and (ii) the application of the doctrine of inherent vice.
Acting for insurers in a claim arising out of the loss of a significant cargo of livestock following the capsize of the carrying vessel.
Advising owners in relation to claim for $2.4million under P&I cover, and in particular as to the operation of the “pay to be paid” clause and the proposed structure of the underlying settlement.
‘Wet’ Shipping & Admiralty: Mark is one of an ever-reducing number of junior barristers with experience of a wide range of ‘wet’ shipping and Admiralty matters, including salvage, collisions, general average, marine limitation of liability and pollution claims. He is familiar with the law and practice of Admiralty Court, and has acted in a number of cases involving the arrest of vessels in the English jurisdiction (and the fall out of such arrests).
His ‘wet’ work is wide-ranging, but includes:
Drafting a Practice Note on a stream-lined procedure for collision claims (as part of a committee comprising the Admiralty Judge, the Admiralty Registrar and senior representatives of the Admiralty Solicitors Group).
Acting in various collision cases (inc. open sea, in port and on navigable rivers).
Advising leading cargo recovery agents concerning standard form general average bonds and guarantees, and potential revision of the same.
Acting in proceedings in the Admiralty Court arising out of a collision involving multiple parties and claims totaling circa US$19 million.
Acting in the Admiralty Court proceedings following the grounding of the “MSC NAPOLI” for well-known charities seeking to recover pollution clean-up costs.
Acting in the Commercial Court for the guarantors in a general average claim.
Acting for owners in arbitration arising out of the collision between their vessel, a fully laden container ship, and a laden oil tanker at Mumbai.
Acting in various LOF and ad hoc salvage arbitrations for salvors (both professional and non-professional), ship and cargo interests.
Acting for ship respondents on appeal to the Lloyds Appeal Arbitrator, successfully reducing the salvage award from US$2.75 million to US$2.2 million.
Law of the Sea & Maritime Legislation, Crime & Regulations: Mark also has a niche practice in the field of the Law of the Sea and maritime crime & regulations.
Advising one of the World’s leading marine exploration companies, Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc, in relation to the exploration and exploitation of the 18th Century wreck of HMS Victory, believed to hold gold bullion worth some £600 million; case involved the as yet untested jurisdiction of the Marine Management Organization under the Marine & Costal Access Act 2009 as regards the regulation of the activities of so-called ‘treasure hunters’ in respect of the exploration, preservation, recovery and exploitation of wrecks and underwater cultural heritage located on the seabed outside UK territorial waters but within the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
Advising the Attorney-General of the Bahamas on the possible revision of elements of the maritime legislation of the Bahamas.
Advising and defending owners, managers and officers in various prosecutions brought by the UK authorities / the Maritime and Coastguard Agency under, inter alia, the Merchant Shipping Act 1985 and regulations made thereunder (having formerly acted as prosecuting counsel for the MCA on various occasions).
Serving on two of the BMLA’s working groups: one considering the UK Government’s proposals for the implementation of the Bunkers Convention 2001, and the second considering the implementation by the UK of the European Directive on Environmental Liability.
Mark has been instructed in hundreds of disputes that have been referred to arbitration, both in the UK and abroad. Matters of confidentiality preclude mentioning most such disputes by name, but examples of his work include:
Acting for a major Indian company in an arbitration held in Dubai regarding a significant dispute arising out of the launch and management of a new state-of-the-art hospital in Dubai
Acting for buyer against a major drilling company in multi-million dollar claim arising out of the aborted sale of a Semi-Sub TenderBarge (ad hoc arbitration in Houston under hybrid of LMAA / AAA rules, QC opposition.
Acting for buyers in 4 arbitrations arising out of the cancellation of 4 shipbuilding contracts for 4 multi-purpose container vessels each worth in excess of US$6million (including preliminary issues and various applications to overcome respondent refusing to cooperate in arbitrations)
Acting for applicant in rare challenge against one of the 3 arbitrators, a leading commercial QC, on the basis of apparent bias under s.24 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (including drafting of a unique form of arbitration agreement involving the appointment of a substitute arbitrator and the creation of hybrid arbitration tribunals to hear different aspects of the case)
Acting for in various s.44 applications for the preservation of evidence and assets
Polish Steamship Company & Anr v Novel Commodities SA (Arbitration & Commercial Court): worldwide freezing order for the sum of US$5.25 million granted under section 44 of the Arbitration Act 1996; obtaining permission pursuant to the Dadourian Guidelines to enforce freezing order in Switzerland
Acting on s.30 challenge to scope of jurisdiction premised on mistaken terms of reference
Acting on s.30 challenge to jurisdiction on basis of ineffective notice of arbitration (including scope of power of tribunal to order security for costs of such an application)
Acting on s.18 application for appointment of arbitrator when parties failed to agree sole arbitrator
Acting for two parties in multi-party arbitration involving questions arising out of the misnaming of contractual parties in the chain of contracts concerned
Mark’s general commercial work is wide-ranging, as illustrated by the diversity of the following examples of his work:
Bonhams v Lawson & Ors: acting as lead counsel for one of the parties against several well-known QCs in high profile multiparty case in the Commercial Court concerning the sale at Goodwood by Bonhams of a Ferrari 375 Plus Grand Prix for a price in excess of £10 million; disputes over title to the car have raged for over 20 years; jurisdictional challenge and anti-suit injunction; preliminary issues due to be heard in late 2015; major trial listed for early 2016
Berezovsky v Hine & Ors: selected by Mr Justice Mann to act as his judicial assistant (to be funded by the parties) in the well-publicized and exceptionally high value ‘oligarch’ dispute between Boris Berezovksy and a number of others, including Vasily Anisimov and the estate of the late Arkadi Patarkatsishvili; Mark’s role would have been unprecedented and wholly groundbreaking, had the parties not settled the actions during the 2-day pre-trial review shortly before the 6 month trial was due to begin in the Chancery Division
Progress Bulk Carriers Ltd v Tube City IMS LLC[2012] EWHC 273 (Comm), [2012] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 501: Acting in the latest reported case about the doctrine of ‘lawful act’ economic duress
Acting in a dispute between high net worth individuals about the development of property in the UAE, involving complex issues of applicable law and jurisdiction arising in relation to the law of trusts, partnership, property and oral agreements
Advising a guarantor in a complicated case where the debtors are subject to liquidation in the BVI and have disclaimed the relevant contracts under BVI law
Gracechurch Capital v Republic of Cameroon: Acting for the Government of Cameroon in Commercial Court proceedings relating to a claim brought by an alleged assignee of significant tranches of government debt
Advising a major company in the paper business in a dispute arising out of a contract for the disposal and relocation of extensive plant and machinery among group companies based in the UK, China, Spain, India and Germany
Acting for a well-known internet service provider in a number of significant commercial disputes, some involving successful High Court proceedings and others involving advising / preparation for mediation
Advising an international firm of solicitors facing claims of professional negligence from their former client arising out of their handling of a long term and significant arbitration on their behalf (successfully settled in mediation)
Acting in High Court proceedings for the enforcement of German Judgments by way of charging orders over share holdings
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation v IAA(UK): Acting for the defendants in a Commercial Court claim for US$1,5000,000 by a major airline regarding the storage and sale of aircraft parts
The Car Agency (International) Ltd v Daimler Chrysler UK Limited: Acting in a dispute involving the import of a significant number of cars into the UK from the US and allegations of (inter alia) malicious falsehood
JP Morgan Chase v Peraticos & Ors: Acting in Commercial Court proceedings involving claims of approximately US$11million arising out of the collapse of the Pegasus shipping group
Miller Brewing v Mersey Docks & Harbour Company & Ors [2004] FSR 81: consideration of how the rights of third parties should be protected when the court grants a party interim relief
Mark has acted in cases involving loan agreements, guarantees and performance bond disputes, as well as trade-related finance (including documentary credits and bills of exchange). His experience extends beyond advising on the relevant agreements to include acting for institutions financing major projects that encounter serious difficulties and is therefore familiar with the longer term strategic thinking required when such parties are standing ‘behind’ the principal parties involved with the projects in question.
Advising a UK bank in relation to facilities that it provided to customers operating in international commodity markets as to the proper operation under English law of mechanisms used in international trade such as ‘trust receipts’ and various negotiable documents
Advising a major German bank as to its, and its customer’s rights, under instruments issued by a Chinese bank (involving as to whether the documents were guarantees or performance bonds, the effects of variations to the underlying contracts, and so on
Acting for the banks standing behind the buyers in various major shipbuilding projects that have stalled, and in some cases, been cancelled (One such case involves the construction of 8 chemical tankers, each with a price of US$26.6million (total value well in excess US$200 million), and another involves a US$260 million project for the construction of 10 vessels)
Mark has been instructed in various insurance matters, and is frequently asked to advise and act for both insureds and underwriters in a wide range of
disputes. He is familiar with the workings of the London market.
Acting for London underwriters in their defence of an insurance claim for in excess of US$5.6 million by the owners of the “HANDY V” relating to the failure of the vessel’s main engine
Acting for underwriters seeking to recover from their insured the sum of US$1.75m following over-payments made on account
Advising on claim arising from the theft of a ‘super car’
Acting for cargo underwriters in a claim involving alleged breach of Class warranties, s.39(5) of the MIA 1906, and alleged breach of associated/ affiliated company warranty
Advising the charterers of a vessel which suffered significant damage caused by a chemical cargo, involving claims of circa US$12million made under the relevant charters and insurance policies and raising difficult questions about (i) the inter-relationship between dangerous cargo and seaworthiness obligations, and (ii) the application of the doctrine of inherent vice
Advising the insured in relation to claim for $2.4million under liability insurance, and in particular as to the operation of the “pay to be paid” clause in the policy and the proposed structure of the underlying settlement
Acting for political risk insurers in claim arising out of expropriation of geothermal power station
Advising cargo underwriters in respect of a general average claim, the payment of a ransom to pirates in excess of US$7 million, and the impact of ‘waiver of subrogation’ clauses in the context of K&R insurance
The 36 Group
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Phone: +44 (0)20 7421 8000 (London)
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Commercial: clerks@36commercial.co.uk
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© 2018 The 36 Group All Rights Reserved Privacy Notice Terms of Business Website by Caffull Ltd and Simon Petherick
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New UK Government Scheme May Make Britain a 3D Printing Hotbed
June 9, 2014 by Heidi Milkert 3D Printing
Last June, Britain’s Business Secretary, Dr Vince Cable announced a £14.7 million investment to develop 3D printing projects within the UK. It is already paying off, bringing more jobs back to domestic soil. The success of the program has shown politicians just how important a strong manufacturing sector can be for the nation.
Manufacturing is a key sector of the United Kingdom’s job market, one which employs over 2.5 million people and contributes almost £140 billion a year to their economy. A strong manufacturing sector usually means a strong, vibrant economy. This is why the government has announced yet another £100 million earmarking of funds, for the sole purpose of strengthening the manufacturing supply chain, and bringing jobs back to the United Kingdom from other nations.
Britain’s Business Secretary, Dr Vince Cable
Business Secretary Vince Cable stated: “A strong manufacturing sector is vital to a balanced economic recovery and I want to ensure that Britain’s supply chains are up to the task of supporting the sector in the long term.”
Companies within the UK will be able to bid for a portion of the funds which are now made available via the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI). The funds are to be put to use to strengthen research and development initiatives, as well as train employees to operate new means of manufacturing. such as additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. With 3D printing, there can oftentimes be a somewhat steep learning curve. Unlike traditional manufacturing techniques, which require mainly laborious tasks, 3D printing requires an understanding of the software which controls the printers. This means that those within the manufacturing sector need new training, which can cost companies a great deal of money. Companies can bid for funding at the AMSCI website.
“This is another welcome boost for British manufacturing, which will have a positive impact on the wider economy,” said Chief Executive of EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, Terry Scuoler. “Our own research shows that in the last three years, one in six companies have re-shored production back to the UK with many turning to a UK-based supply chain for parts and components. High value manufacturing creates jobs and wealth here so I’m delighted to see the Government getting behind it.”
The UK is not alone in their drive to enhance their manufacturing sector via the latest technologies, such as additive manufacturing. The governments of the United States, Finland, Japan, and China, among others, have all helped fund initiatives to further the development of 3D printing technology within their nations. There is no doubt, that there is an almost war-like mentality among several nations, which has increased the rapid progress we have seen in the development of new manufacturing capabilities. No nation wants to be left behind because those who don’t adapt to the latest means of manufacturing will see a drastic negative economic impact.
How big of an effect will this funding have on the UK economy? Let us know your opinion in the 3DPB.com forum thread related to this article.
Tagged with: 3d printing britain • bristish manufacturing • britain additive manufacturing • funding for additive manufacturing • UK manufacturing
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Truth and Alternatives to Militarism in Education
Truth and Alternatives to Militarism in Education (TAME) mission is to raise awareness of the ways by which militarism encourages violence, consumes resources, and threatens our well-being.
We present critical perspectives on the role of the military and the idealized portrayal of war to youth in particular, parents, educators, and the public in general.
We work to expose the negative aspects of a military presence and an ongoing recruitment in our educational institutions, including the system of promises and inducements used to entice young people into the military.
Anti-war group decries USF's ties to military
by Jerome R. Stockfisch / Tampa Tribune
TAMPA — Counter-recruiting. Demands that the university break ties with the military. A mass die-in.
It may not be the 1960s, but Students for a Democratic Society is dusting off the old playbook to launch an anti-war, anti-U.S. military campaign at the University of South Florida.
SDS, perhaps the largest and most influential radical student organization of the 1960s, is springing back to life in the wake of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. SDSers from USF have scheduled a news conference today to demand that the university sever memorandums of understanding it has entered into with U.S. Central Command based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, and U.S. Southern Command based in Miami.
Bundeswehr ties to put best boot forward
In the middle of Berlin, the German defense minister is opening a new showroom. The aim is to bring more young people into the Bundeswehr's barracks - but there were a few uninvited guests at the grand opening.
Jörg Jankowsky of the Bundeswehr's career center explained the purpose of a new showroom the German military opened in an unassuming office in the middle of Berlin. It is on the ground floor, near the capital's Unter den Linden boulevard with its fast-food restaurants, fashion shops, and bakeries. In between a shoe shop and a pharmacy, the new military showroom offers free information about career opportunities in the German armed service.
'Advertising death'
Inside the new information center, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen is talking to a group of 10th grade students from a Berlin school, and her handlers don't want the press disturbing them as they have their pictures taken with the politician.
Report from the week of action for military-free education and research
The first ever international week of action for military-free education and research was held between 25-31 October 2014. This follows on from a day of action last year. Antimilitarists across the world took action to raise awareness, and challenge, the role the military has in education and research in educational institutions. This role gives them access to young people - to lay the groundwork for recruitment later in life, and to promote military values.
Different groups used the week of action in different ways. Some challenged military presence in schools through direct action, some publicly debated the presence of the military in education, others showed films, wrote articles, and campaigned on social media.
A Pacifist in the Cadets
The author of this article wishes to remain anonymous, so she is known as 'E'.
'When E first saw pupils walking down from the school along the road carrying weapons (to the firing range, as it turned out) – she thought “SHIT! KIDS WITH GUNS – WHAT’S THAT ALL ABOUT!”
Today – it is “THE NORM” for E, she doesn’t even give it a second glance as it’s just an everyday occurrence. Now E, or as she is NOW called Sergeant H hands the guns to the kids of 13 and 14 and puts the bullets into their bullet holders – even though she says, that at the time it feels normal and ordinary – when she thinks about it, it feels wrong.
Protesters disrupt conference on military space law
This action took place as part of the International Week of Action for Military-Free Education and Research #milifreeedu
“A rational dialogue with the administration will not solve the issues at hand.”
These were the words of a protester at the disturbance of McGill’s Institute of Air and Space Law (IASL)’s five-day Strategic Space Law Intensive Program on October 28. The program is meant to train lawyers in how to navigate space law. About ten people, mostly McGill students, disrupted the conference taking place at the Best Western hotel with chanting and condemnations of the program before pushing past security and escaping arrest.
Cologne Initiative "School without Army"
David Hartsough, Waging Peace -Seattle Oct24, 2014
David Hartsough, longtime activist and author of Waging Peace -Seattle Oct 24, 2014
Stop recruitment of 16 year olds into the UK armed forces
We call on the UK Government to stop its policy of allowing 15 year olds to apply and 16 and 17 year olds to be recruited into the Armed Forces. The recruitment and targeting of young people and vulnerable groups has been criticised by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. 2014 is the year to end this policy.
What better way to commit our country to peace during the commemoration of World War One and remember the hundreds of thousands who died from the UK alone, including boy soldiers like Rifleman V J Strudwick who was killed at 15? Why is it that in 2014 the UK is the only country in Europe - and the only country among the permanent members of the UN Security Council - to recruit 16 year olds into its armed forces?
Honor Charter “Neutralizing children from Conflict"
Syrian Women’s Forum for Peace adopted what came in the statement of the Honor Charter “Neutralizing children from Conflict" by Building Syrian State Current, issued on 05/10/2014.
The charter requests from the conflict parties to declare their commitment to the following:
1- Avoid targeting areas that are likely to be inhabited by children.
2- Prevent recruiting children under age of 18 and prevent them from any involvement in combat operations or intelligence action.
3- Prevent the participation of children in any kind of political movement, including rallies of pro-opposition and pro-regime, festivals of electoral rhetoric and everything related to political action.
4- Avoid media exploitation for children related issues.
5- Prevent using schools for any political or military purposes, and to facilitate any process related to children’s education
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The Fine Lines of Awful
This post was written yesterday, but I plain forgot to post it both yesterday and earlier today because we're busy painting our house. Sorry folks! You get what you pay for, I guess. Probably won't be a post tomorrow, either.
There is nothing quite so terrible and tedious as rooting for a bad baseball team. And the Cubs have been a baseball team the past few years.
I bring this up because this has been a particularly dirty week for me. I would really like to see the Pirates pull out the division, even if this seems particularly unlikely at this late date and with the Reds coming up next on the schedule. That means the Pirates really needed to catch up this series. I won’t happen now, though they won’t come away any worse than tied with the Reds heading into this weekend’s big series. They may even be two up depending on how things play out today. For all this to happen, though, at least for the past few days, I had to root against the Cubs. I also had to root for the Mets and Nationals, which isn’t quite so bad, but two teams that probably get more attention than they deserve thanks to where they play. I’ll wash away this past series with a nice, hot shower and get to root even more fervently than usual for the Cubs against the Cardinals to end the season, though, so that will be nice.
Still, geez, the Cubs were pretty bad this year, coming off a pretty bad year last year. I think many got the feeling that flaming out against the Dodgers in 2008 was the closing of that title window, but I don’t think anybody realized how hard and how quickly that window slammed. Things were still okay, if disappointing, in 2009 when the Cubs managed an 83-78 record. They were second in the division that year, finishing 7.5 behind the Cardinals. Nine games out of the Wild Card, though. Since then, though, the team has gone 272-372 to date. And will most likely get worse, seeing as they finish up with two of the best teams in baseball. If they were totally inept, it would at least be interesting to see how they found ways to lose. But they’re not. They’re just bad, and it’s hard to watch.
Baseball is an awfully long season. That’s one big reason why watching a bad baseball team is the worst. Your football team is bad? You just have to suck it up for sixteen Sundays, or ten to twelve Saturdays, depending on what level of college you’re talking about. Basketball or hockey teams are unbearable? That’s up to 82 games, which isn’t chump change, but it’s still half of a baseball season. And the schedule is structured so much differently to play that many games. You only get once a week to watch football (even if it’s not necessarily on Sundays any more). Basketball and hockey play, what, three times a week or so? Baseball plays practically every day. Every single day of summer, your local baseball team is trotting out, and in these unfortunate cases, they’re trotting back with a loss far more often than not.
Another big reason for the awfulness is how players are developed. In basketball and football especially, you are probably also following the college game and know who your team is likely to be rewarded with for losing. For Colts fans during the Curtis Painter year, it was much more bearable to watch the team flounder when you knew it would likely lead to Andrew Luck. Same idea in basketball. Fans of less fortunate teams are already wringing their hands in delight thinking of Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker amongst others. While the losing still isn’t fun, it’s much more palatable.
Hockey and baseball are quite a bit different, though. These sports have well-developed minor league systems and typically take the best players right out of high school. Sure, there are certainly those fans that keep a close eye on the minor league system and have a good idea of what’s in the pipeline, but I don’t think that’s the majority of fans. Without having any idea of who is going to make your team better gives an already very long season an even more futile atmosphere. How players get folded in is much different, too. In football and basketball, you see the player drafted, and you know exactly who to look for in training camps and preseason games. Teams market the hell out of their top draft picks, because you will see them with the team from day one. In baseball and hockey, while you will see a player after he’s first drafted, you usually won’t see him again for a few years while he puts in his time in the minors. There are some exceptions, but they certainly are rare. While you might someday hear about how Andrew McCutchen was a Pirate for (professional) life, that isn’t quite true. The money might have come from Pittsburgh, but he was also an Indian, Curve, and Crawdad, amongst others. Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert? Pacers from day one.*
*Yes, there is the D-League, and Arena and Canadian Football on the other side of things. But I don’t think there’s any argument that those leagues are used far, far differently than minor league baseball and hockey and that those affiliates (for basketball, there is no real minor league football) are far less developed. Heck, even hockey doesn’t have nearly the minor league system baseball does. Practically all baseball teams have six affiliates (AAA, AA, High A, A, Short-Season [aka Low] A, Rookie). The (defending champion) Blackhawks have two affiliates: the Rockford IceHogs and the Toledo Walleye.
When these players do join the team, it’s usually at an awkward time as well, thanks to arbitration rules. Players come up typically some time in June so teams can essentially buy an extra year on their rookie deals and save tons of money. While there are plenty of good reasons to do this both from economic and player development standpoints, it’s no good for the fan of a tanking team. Sure, I think Cub fans wanted to see what Anthony Rizzo had when he came up, but there was no way he was righting that sinking ship. There’s some measure of relief there, I suppose, but it certainly doesn’t balance out seeing your hotshot rookie starting out with a blank slate.
So, yeah, following a bad baseball team is the pits. Following a bad hockey team is nearly as bad, saved mostly that you just don’t have as many games. But, there is a pretty big perk to following both of these sports, whether your team is doing well or not. Playoff baseball and playoff hockey are just top notch. It’s worth a whole other post to explain, but the next level that both these sports go to in the postseason is something to marvel at, whether your team is there or not. And, my goodness, don’t you know it, October is only five days away. My wife might not be as pleased, but I am so pumped. Bring it on!
Enough with the Football, Amirite?
What a difference a week makes.
You might remember I was pretty down on the Colts after that loss to the Dolphins after not being particularly high on them in the first place. I was awfully high on the 49ers, even if I didn’t put it here. At the risk of being awfully knee-jerk, I’ve made a complete 180.
First off, I haven’t addressed the trade here yet, so I suppose I should do that. I thought it was a nice pick up, and not a bad risk given that the Colts fully expect to be back in the playoffs. Their first round pick will not, if things go according to plan, be particularly high. As has been covered to death, Trent Richardson has not been the kind of back you might expect if you were the Browns spending the third overall pick on him. To that end, and to the end that apparently most in the Browns’ new regime didn’t think he was a good fit, getting much of anything in return can be counted as a win for Cleveland. Especially if the Colts look more like the team that lost to the Dolphins and squeaked out a win against the Raiders, which is what the Browns were looking at at the time. I’m sure they’re hoping this turns into a higher pick than the Colts are planning on.
I don’t disagree with the Browns here at all, and they might still turn out to be the “winners” of this trade in the long run. But make no mistake. Even if Richardson doesn’t turn out to be Adrian Peterson 2.0, he’s still a pretty good back. Maybe not as explosive as you’d like, but he’s certainly a back you can depend on. Something that the Colts have not really had since Edgerrin James, honestly. And, as certain YouTube clips highlight, there was a bit of a blocking deficiency, especially with Vick Ballard out. If Ahmad Bradshaw looks anything like he did yesterday for the rest of the season, the Colts are going to have an awfully solid rotation at running back and quite possibly the kind of running game that can chew up the clock after they’ve hopefully built a lead. Which, you know, has been a problem. The Miami game made pretty clear what the Colts lacked. They had offensive firepower, but if your passing game goes cold (as they are wont to do), you’re not going to use much clock. And you certainly don’t want a Colts defense to try to kill the clock for you. This gives the much sought after balance for Colts and will certainly make them a bigger threat in a down AFC.
On the other side of things, maybe the 49ers aren’t quite the team we thought they were. We thought they were pretty darned good with the steady hand of Alex Smith guiding them and apparently a defense to match. But when somebody like Colin Kaepernick takes the reins? Everybody was falling over themselves to anoint him the greatest quarterback ever, with his balance of explosiveness and passing ability. Enough to let Smith finally get out of town, as had been threatened for years. Half a season of Kaepernick was all we needed to see. And after watching him and Anquan Boldin (who the Ravens I’m sure regret losing now) carve up the Packers, you thought maybe they had a point. But, just like hotshot rookies in baseball, the tape will catch up with you. You can’t keep doing the same things over and over again, because professionals will figure it out. After watching the 49ers heavily struggle in back to back weeks now against the Seahawks and Colts, maybe we’ve reached the metaphorical second time through the order. This isn’t to say that Kaepernick is done and not a good quarterback, or even that he can’t right the ship and guide San Francisco back to the Super Bowl. But if he (and his hotshot new-ish coach) can’t make the necessary adjustments and refinements, well, the Bay Area will be longing for the Alex Smith days.
Looking ahead, the Colts will go down to Jacksonville next week. On paper, this isn’t a contest, but you know, of all the division teams, it seems Jacksonville has the most fluky things to happen with the Colts. And it always seems to break the Jaguars way. With a big game against the Seahawks coming up* after that and this big win this past week, this has trap game written all over it. It seems kind of hard to believe you would get trap games in football, with the playing once a week and all. But, gosh, doesn’t it just feel that way? Here’s to hoping the team will stay focused and give their best effort against a lesser team.
*Which I will be at.
On the baseball front, it seems the Pirate dream has died a little bit, mostly thanks to scheduling. It looks to be a pretty sure bet right now the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati will be in the play-in game thanks to matching up both last weekend and this coming weekend. While they could certainly pick up two games playing the Cubs to start the week, it sure seems like a longshot to sweep the Reds in Cincinnati with those games meaning so much. And, very unfortunately, with the Reds hosting the games this weekend, it also seems likely that the playoff game would also be played in Cincinnati. That said, it’s not as if Pittsburgh has been buried on the road this year. While I was certainly hoping for a division crown, I’ll still be plenty of excited for that game. Even if baseball should never, ever have one arbitrary game deciding anything.
The Best Picture Ever
The Cardinals did manage to lose today, even if it did take them fifteen innings. And the Pirates finally found it in them to beat the Padres before starting in on the Reds, so that was good. Still a game to make up, though. That's not what I want to talk about today.
No, instead I want to really get into why this picture from Sports Illustrated's off-beat gallery toady is so great. First of all, for those unfamiliar, that picture was taken in Mackey Arena. That's always a big plus. I don't know if there was a Subway in that strip mall right across from Mackey in 1994, but if so, I'm guessing that's where this came from. Plus, I mean, sandwiches. Who doesn't love a good sandwich? Maybe you prefer Jimmy John's over Subway, or Firehouse, or wherever. But , in general, sandwiches are great. Thirdly, I think just about everybody knows who Dick Vitale is and typically has a pretty strong opinion on him.
Here's a bit of a digression, but this article could use it. It really is amazing to me to hear Vitale from around the time this picture was taken to now. Sometime during basketball season last year, I watched a Purdue-IU game on Big Ten On Demand when Big Dog was there. I don't remember who the other announcer was, but Vitale was definitely the other guy. It was amazing to hear, though. If you only knew modern-day Vitale, you probably wouldn't believe it was the same guy. Seriously. If you have On Demand through DirecTV or whoever, go back and watch an old Vitale game.* You probably think you remember old Vitale. But you don't. That's what I discovered.
*You'll probably have to wait a month or two, because, you know, football season.
Did I call that a digression? Because it really wasn't. It actually leads directly to this next point. Is there anybody else where these sandwiches spell out the absolutely perfect caption? Again, maybe this didn't exactly hold true in 1994 when this picture was taken, but today? Yeah, his name is Dick. But is there a bigger egotistical blowhard in college basketball? Possibly. Maybe even probably. But you're likely going to have Vitale in the conversation. His act is such tired shtick this point, I can't imagine anybody really enjoys it any more. Granted, given that it's ESPN we're dealing with, there's really no hope of Vitale being put out to pasture given how some other, uh, dated and grating, we'll say, personalities have held on.
In all honesty, I hope this picture gains a little bit of legs. Somebody cut out just the sandwich part to paste onto just about any headshot-type picture you a
Football Round Up
I feel a bit cheap in doing this, but we’re going to focus on football today. Yes, I know there’s a big series coming up between the Pirates* and Reds, to the delight of Cardinal fans thankful to gain from that fray one way or the other. This blog, though, just doesn’t necessarily feel like itself when looking forward, though. Not to say I haven’t done that here and I won’t again. Not in the least. But, as one might expect from a historian, I feel more in my element looking backwards to see what can be gleaned, so that’s what’s happening today.
*The Pirates are the free game tonight on MLB.TV, by the way. And Go Rockies, I guess.
I’ll start with the Colts because it will be brief. Plainly put, you can’t keep putting all your eggs in fourth quarter comebacks. As you might have heard, the Colts did amazingly well at that all last year and even in the first game this year. Just like a team that comes out way ahead in fumble recoveries, though, these sort of wins have a way of evening out and bringing a team back to Earth. I’ve been saying this for some time, and lo and behold, the final drive fizzled this Sunday against the Dolphins. If the Colts don’t learn to extend their leads and put teams away* this could turn into an awfully disappointing season. Even for fans who expected a step back in terms of win-loss record.
*Maybe by finding a decent running game for the first time since Edgerrin James left to whittle the clock away and protecting the quarterback once in awhile.
Purdue, well, it’s hard to say. They opened the game beautifully. I sure wasn’t expecting them to look that good. You could see, though, that Notre Dame had figured out Purdue’s defense at halftime, and the Boilers made a poor effort to change tactics themselves. If they made an effort at all. The offense did legitimately look much improved throughout the game, even if the team did nothing with a recovered fumble for a short field late in the game. We finally got to see some real wrinkles, giving me some hope that the offense we have been exposed to at this point was somewhat of a ruse, much how NFL teams show super-vanilla offenses during the pre-season. That praise aside, though, you could very easily convince me that Notre Dame came out flatter than usual after losing a tough, hyped up game to Michigan the week before and just didn’t put in the kind of effort leading up to a Purdue team that has not looked impressive. You don’t have to look any further than Michigan last week to see some good evidence for that sort of hangover. Purdue travels to Wisconsin this week, which is a game that has gone very badly the last few years. The hope is Wisconsin will have a hangover of their own after the debacle they went through last Saturday.
That leaves us with Wabash. Sophomore Michael Putko took the start and looked pretty darned good. The defense looked even better. How good? Good enough that the final tally was 69-0, and that was with the offense basically giving up at halftime. The defense was responsible for three touchdowns* and only let Hanover punt once in the second half thanks to all the turnovers they created. The offense pretty well did whatever it wanted to. Basically, it went a lot like you expect FBS-FCS match ups to go, and not how they actually went this year.
*One of those is probably more properly called special teams, but Wabash did start the play on defense, so there.
What did that game tell us, though, other than Hanover is clearly not at Wabash’s level? It’s hard to say. Hanover looks to be a pretty bad team. Before getting rolled by Wabash, Illinois College also had their way with them, winning 49-13. For what it’s worth, the Blueboys also won easily this past week, beating Grinnell by an eerily similar 42-13. The pollsters also didn’t seem to think too much about this win, only bumping Wabash up to 19th. This doesn’t quite seem right, following Wabash’s jump from 25th to 20th without playing a game. It also doesn’t feel right that Wittenberg is (and has been, the past few years) rated ahead of Wabash when Wabash has pretty well had their way in that series as of late.*
*Wabash has gone 5-3 in their last eight meetings, and one of those losses was a 10-7 loss when Wabash was missing their All-American quarterback due to injury. I would like to think having him would have more than made up that three point difference.
It would seem that Wabash winning this week for homecoming is a pretty safe bet, though. Denison is 2-0, but those two wins have come over Earlham and Hiram. If you remember the stadium guide post, you might remember that those two programs are not exactly powerhouses. Since I have been watching Wabash football (2004), Denison has not only lost every time, but lost badly. The combined score over that period? 399-90. Denison only broke into double digits four times in that period. They have been shut out twice and only managed a safety last year. The average score during this period? 44.3-10. If Denison managed to win this game, it would be an enormous upset.
Going forward? Again, it’s hard to judge, but this defense has the chance to be the best Little Giant defense I’ve ever seen in person. If the offense can hum along like the teams I’m used to seeing, this could turn into a deep run in the playoffs. And with the “Purple Powers” era seemingly out of vogue, who knows? Maybe this could be a very special year. One thing’s for certain, though. No way in hell I buy into the NCAC preseason poll. Wittenberg got eight first place votes, Wabash and Ohio Wesleyan both got one. Wishful thinking, rest of the conference. Wishful thinking.
Stadiums of the NCAC
Initially the plan was to write about football stadiums yesterday, but things got a bit off track. Today, we're doing this. No real intro, beyond this little bit. No chance to meander.
Maybe a small disclaimer, if you want to call it that. I've only been to five Division III stadiums: Wabash, DePauw, Franklin, Illinois Wesleyan, and Wisconsin-Whitewater. I've driven around Marietta's, but never been inside it. I have been inside a locker room at Oberlin's football stadium to shower after a disc tournament (I'm not exactly sure we were supposed to). My dad and I have talked about making the relatively short trip to Springfield to watch Wabash play Wittenberg, but we still haven't done it. Maybe next year (as that game is home this year).
Here we are, presented in the order I found them on Google Maps. The stadia of the North Coast Athletic Conference. All pictures are shown with north at the top, so you can get a sense of the alignment.
Hollett Little Giant Stadium
-Crawfordsville, IN
-Built in 1966
-5,000 seats
-Artificial Turf
-Great view of field from inside Allen Center
-Joined NCAC in 2000, 6 Conference championships (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011)
DePauw University Tigers
Blackstock Stadium
-Greencastle, IN
-Built 1941
-Natural Grass
-This stadium just had major renovations for this season. I haven't seen this stadium to really know what renovations have been made, so it's possible it now has artificial turf. If so, it's not indicated on the DePauw or D3Football websites.
-Joined NCAC in 2012. No conference championships (though I suppose you can't hold that against them yet)
Wittenberg University Tigers
Edwards-Maurer Field
-Springfield, OH
-All seating on one side of the field. Doesn't quite seem fitting for the winningest program in Division III.
-Founding NCAC member. 10 Conference championships (1992, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012)
Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops
Selby Field
-Delaware, OH
-9,100 seats (easily largest in NCAC)
-Founding NCAC member. 2 Conference championships (1989, 2012)
College of Wooster Fighting Scots
Papp Stadium
-Wooster, OH
-Construction date not listed anywhere I could find
-All permanent seating on one side, but stadium is built in a natural bowl, and hillside seating is greatly encouraged
-They bring a single bagpipe player on the road. I'm sure the display at home games is a little grander given their old Coke commercial.
Denison University Big Red
Piper Stadium
-Granville, OH
-Steve Carrell's alma mater. That's cool, right?
Kenyon College Lords
McBride Field
-Gambier, OH
-Seating on one side. Also, I have been on Kenyon's campus, but I wasn't near the football stadium. I have, though, slept outside their tennis courts thanks to Steve messing up our hotel reservations for a disc tournament. We were woken up in the middle of the night by campus security, but they didn't make us leave. I don't really have great memories of Kenyon.
-Founding NCAC member. 1 Conference championship (1989)
Oberlin College Yeomen
Savage Stadium
-Oberlin, OH
-One sided stadium. Sits right next to a lacrosse/field hockey stadium which is much, much nicer. Obviously not a school overly concerned with football.
-Founding NCAC member. No conference championships. (See above?)
Hiram College Terriers
Henry Field
-Hiram, OH
-Unknown construction date
-Looks like it would be a good view from athletic center
-Joined NCAC in 2000. No conference championships. Not to pick on them, but they've won 13 games total since joining the conference. Clearly football is not their sport.
Allegheny College Gators
Fuhrer Field
-Meadville, PA
-Unsure of construction date, maybe 1962?
-This was until recently natural grass, and well-known to be a mud bowl of a field. I think every team hated playing at 'Gheny thanks to that field. It was a great home field advantage. This seems to have dissipated with the new turf.
-Founding NCAC member. 9 Conference championships (1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003)
For what it's worth, Case Western Reserve University was a founding member and stayed until 1998. They won the first conference championship in 1984. Earlham College joined in 1989 and left in 2010. Their best finish was 4-way tie for third in 2008 with Wittenberg, Denison, and Allegheny.
Anybody that knows me knows that just about everything I do or think comes, in some way, through the prism of sport. Much to the chagrin of the women in my life, I’m sure. Right or wrong, sport is a pillar of who I am and absurdly high on my list of priorities. As such, I’m sure it came to absolutely no surprise that sports were going to play a central role in not only my high school experience, but my college one as well (including picking a school).
I think I’ve written here before how I came to be at Wabash, but I’ll recount it again. During my junior year, I was taking a trip with our English class in conjunction with a lot of seniors who had the same English teacher. During that trip, we visited Rose-Hulman, Indiana State, DePauw, and Wabash. In that order, too, if I remember right. Which would also make sense, because you can make a pretty good rectangle starting and finishing from Covington that way. We may possibly have visited ISU first, but I don’t think that was the case, because I distinctly remember eating lunch at the ISU student union.* Anyway, I digress. I knew I wasn’t at all interested in ISU or Rose-Hulman (didn’t really want a big school [nor do I think much of ISU’s academics] and I really knew I didn’t want to be an engineer), but I was intrigued by the last two. I had heard of the Bell Game and had watched a little bit of one way back when.** I had especially heard of Wabash, as it was the “good school” I could go to if I worked hard and kept getting good grades.
*Wabash is very clear that we don’t necessarily believe in student unions, though the idea seems to get kicked around every few years. I don’t think Wabash needs one, personally, but that’s a column probably worth a five page paper.
**No idea what year, or even who won, I didn’t stick with it all the way through. I just remember completely stumbling on it flipping through channels one day and a mom being interviewed who had a kid on each team.
I honestly am not sure how Wabash got that sort of reputation with my family. We had no connection to it before I got there, other than it was in Crawfordsville, which was really close to home. We never attended Wabash anything growing up. Mom never hung out there when she was at Purdue. Dad talks about watching the 1982 championship game on ESPN, but that was about it. He never attended any games in person or spent any time on campus. It just had that reputation, I guess. I never spent a ton of time in Crawfordsville growing up, and honestly did not realize that there was a college in town. I sure wouldn’t have been able to point out where it was before I visited campus before that day. Wabash was just some nebulous idea of a good school that mainly existed to write those ever-dreaded thank you notes for savings bonds.*
*By the way, it really is an awesome idea to do that for kids for birthdays and Christmas (or whatever holiday you observe in December). It helps a ton, especially those bonds that have so much time to mature. But to the kid actually getting them at the time, it’s about the worst present you can imagine.
On that fateful day, we first pulled into some lot at DePauw. I remember getting the impression that the school was rather dirty. Writing all over sidewalks, flyers hanging everywhere. While I certainly understand that’s far from uncommon at schools, it was to another level, at least to my junior-year mind. It just came off as unkempt. Greencastle itself also came off as a bit of a dump, and it still does, if I’m being honest. My view of their campus has changed, though. It’s a perfectly fine campus, if a bit spread out for my taste. Anyway, while I wasn’t too impressed with the school, I did like what I was hearing about the academic opportunities, and the size was more what I had in mind. I filed away that visit for later.
Our bus then made the trip up 231 and pulled into the lot behind Trippet Hall at Wabash. It’s funny to look back on it knowing what I do now. We were frisked away inside Trippet and given a mini-reception in a decked out dining room right behind the main foyer. It was immediately impressed. Of course, looking back on it now, I realize that Trippet Hall pretty much exists to impress prospective students, (older?) alumni, and important guests to the school. After a short welcome from Mike Reidy, we were taken on a tour by a student.* I was blown away. The campus was immaculate. Every building, all the landscaping, was just perfect. The red brick sidewalks were left to their own devices. I could not help it. I instantly fell in love with the place. I didn’t even bother to apply anywhere else, and I was blessed enough to have it all come to fruition.
*This happened at DePauw, too, but (as usual) the Wally totally outclassed the Danny.
One of those perfect buildings was the Allen Fieldhouse. To this day, I have not come across a nicer facility for a school of similar size. I could not wait to start going to games at Wabash and using the Fieldhouse myself. And I was not disappointed, and am usually so excited especially to show off that building when I bring people around campus. I started going to Wabash basketball games regularly that winter, though we didn’t go to football games until I actually started at Wabash. I don’t know why that was, honestly. Probably because Covington is so historically awful at football (but pretty darned good at basketball), I just wasn’t all the interested.
All of this was supposed to be a lead in to look at all the football stadiums of the NCAC, but that sure turned into a long winded intro. Part Two, then, will run tomorrow, just with pictures and a short synopsis.
Another Season Begins
Wabash (finally) kicks off its season on Saturday against Hanover. It shouldn’t be much of a game, and Wabash has already risen to 20th from 25th in the D3Football.com poll* without even taking the field. The defense should be one of the best Little Giants have fielded in years, maybe the best since I’ve been watching. But there is still plenty of intrigue coming into this season, and most of it is at quarterback.
*Also known as the only poll that really matters in Division III. At least as far as I’m concerned. The AFCA does a poll which is usually more friendly to Wabash, but I don’t know anybody who really concerns themselves with that one.
It’s certainly true that quarterbacks (and coaches, to a degree) get too much credit when things go right and too much blame when things go wrong. As you might be able to infer from an 8-2 season being a big disappointment, things have been going pretty right for Wabash, and have been for the last decade, really. This can no doubt be traced through a line of All-American quarterbacks* since I walked onto campus in August of 2004. Russ Harbaugh, Dustin Huff, Matt Hudson, and Chase Belton have all been top ten or better quarterbacks in Division III, and for the most part, they’ve all come through a pretty natural progression and had some good hints at what was coming before their appointed time to start.** Now, though, the chain looks as if it might have been somewhat broken.
*I think all these guys were All-Americans, but if not, they certainly could have been without a doubt.
**A big exception would be Matt Hudson. As I’m pretty sure I’ve written about before, Huff lost what should have been his fifth year senior season after being injured on the hands team against Franklin in the opening game that year. It was as sullen a crowd as you could imagine for winning a tough revenge game. Another quarterback, whose name escapes me, but we called him Augie, started for a game and didn’t do badly. Then Hudson took the reins, and the rest was history.
Chase* was a very good quarterback, and probably the most mobile that I saw. The problem was his size. He was a pretty small dude, especially following the 6’5” or so Hudson. As referenced earlier, Huff couldn’t stay healthy, and he was a pretty good sized guy. Chase inevitably spent some games hurt thanks to his game. This included most of the playoffs in 2011. The back up then, though, was Tyler Burke, who happened to be a senior. Last season, Chase was remarkably healthy, though. So while there were some spots we saw a different quarterback, there was really not much there to get a glimpse of the future and see the next link in the chain.
*I use his first name here for a reason, you’ll see why in a bit.
So this year, as certain as the defense is, the quarterback question is totally up in the air, even to today. Even Coach Raeburn says he doesn’t know who’s going to start on Saturday. The quarterback we’ve seen is senior Andy Walsh. He hasn’t looked bad at all, but I also haven’t seen anything that really gets me excited about him. I’m more hopeful about what I’ve watched him do on the basketball court than anything I’ve seen on grass. He also runs into a lot of the same issues I have with Travis Henry. Maybe even more so. This is a good team, it deserves better than a place holder.
So that brings us to what underclassmen are in the mix. Sophomore Michael Putko apparently saw some game action against Wooster last year, which I kind of vaguely remember, but clearly am not too excited about. There is another sophomore, Bauer Schmeltz, apparently in the mix, who we have not seen. He would get the nod for best name, though.
Myself? You know, I wouldn’t really mind seeing if a freshman could handle things here early in the season. Who wouldn’t like to have four years of an All-American quarterback if you can? There are three in contention. Two won state championships coming out of a couple of Indy’s best programs, which you might have heard is a pretty good football scene these days. That would be Connor Rice and Drake Christen out of Cathedral and Lawrence Central, respectively. I’m sure both would do great. But the last freshman is the one that has my attention.
Hailing from Northmont High School in Dayton, Ohio, is Cameron Belton, younger brother of Chase. It seems from this article that maybe he is a bit of a darkhorse in this race, but if he’s anything like his brother, I would certainly say “yes, please, more of this!” As an added bonus, he’s a bit bigger than Chase. I’ve seen him on the sidelines for games in previous years (as you might expect) and he certainly looks like an athlete. And who can pass up a chance to get Wittenberg and DePauw fans thinking “Man, this Belton kid has been playing for ages!” You would also have to think that, even out of the sophomores competing for the job, Cam would have the best idea of what the football team means to Wabash and the responsibility that comes with being the quarterback.*
*Which I guess means making movies? Just kidding. Although, for real, you should check out Russ’ stuff. It’s good, and he really is one of the most thoughtful writers I came across in my time doing creative writing at Wabash.
We’ll see who takes the first snap on Saturday, and it’s heavily hinted (and not a bad idea) that we will see multiple quarterbacks for the first few games. Judging from the past, Hanover’s defense probably won’t give the best example to judge which guy can handle Wittenberg and DePauw* best. But, you can only play who the schedule gives you, and best to experiment against Hanover and Denison than, say, Mount Union in the playoffs.
*I guess I have to include them, though you might have heard they’re having some football issues. They’ve turned to former IU coach Bill Lynch. Surely there no reason to think that a failed coach at a bad football school could fail, right?
Air it Out
I’m a bit frustrated. The NFL kicks off tonight, which is reason enough to be upset. Thursday games (outside of Thanksgiving) are just plain wrong and are the NFL’s second dumbest idea, just behind putting a team in London.* Adding to this is Purdue’s disastrous outing against Cincinnati has me legitimately worried about this game on Saturday against Indiana State and no hope about the game against Notre Dame. Not that I held out a lot of hope in that game anyway, but you might remember that Purdue had that game won last year and let it slip away, much like they did against Ohio State. Oh, and Wabash, notorious for starting their season late, is even later than usual, not kicking off until next week.
*Full-time or a week or two a year. It’s just stupid for a multitude of reasons.
Even baseball was a source of frustration yesterday. The free online game was an afternoon game yesterday, which usually is great news for me. But, for some reason, MLB could not seem to understand that I’m actually in Indiana, even after putting in my credit card information that usually clears that right up. Awfully frustrating. Not that I was intensely interested in the Braves and Mets, but it helps the afternoons go by faster.
Still, I come back to that game last Saturday. Granted, I didn’t really think Purdue would win that game, especially on the road. But I was certainly particularly interested in the game to get a glimpse of what Coach Hazell had in store for this upcoming season. I’ll admit that I was a little disappointed to hear that Rob Henry was named the starter. Nothing against Henry, I’m sure he’s a great guy who has shown some promise at quarterback. The problem I had is that he’s a senior quarterback trying to install a brand new offensive package. I understand the hopes of the future on the shoulders of David Blough, who’ll be a freshman next year. And that’s great, I’ve heard nothing but amazing hype about this kid. But that doesn’t help much this year. And this year is important.
Purdue will get a lot of slack this year. It’s the first year for the new coach, and I think everybody understands it takes a few years to get your guys in and in position. But there is some excitement about Boilermaker football that has been lacking during the Hope era,* and it would be an absolute shame to squander it because this year’s team took a big step backwards. It seems that giving Danny Etling (a four star recruit)** the reins would seem like a bolder move, especially with an eye toward the future. And, well, if you’re looking to make a big move in the conference in the next couple years, might as well get the kid polished during the year with some wiggle room, right?
*Ironic, isn’t it?
**Blough is a three star recruit, for whatever that’s worth. The answer is usually “not much,” and I’ve read much more hype over Blough than Etling, though that could well be because Blough is from Texas and Etling is from Terre Haute.
I do expect Etling to be starting before the year is over, and I expected that before last Saturday. There are some arguments for starting Henry right now, though. And some that actually extend beyond “the kid’s a senior and paid his due, he deserves a shot,” which is argument enough for a few games. Most of that argument rests on what looked to be a pretty shaky offensive line. I don’t remember that being a particular problem for Purdue the past several years. In fact, the line on both sides of the ball seems to have been a pretty big strength for the program lately. But it looked porous against Cincinnati, forcing Henry into some pretty bad spots and pretty bad decisions. While you want Etling to learn, there’s probably not much to be gained from watching the game on your back. Kind of like Jay Cutler’s problem with the Bears. I’m not particularly a Cutler fan, but I think he’s a much better quarterback than he’s shown in Chicago thus far. It’s hard to be effective when you’re running for your life every play.
After watching the first half of Saturday’s game, though, I felt hopeful. Sure, the touchdown came on a fluky punt play* and the goal line package was a disaster. And the pass protection showed some holes. But Purdue was moving the ball and not doing a bad job at all of running it. The defense was keeping the Bearcats in check for the most part. There were reasons to think it would be a close game. Then halftime happened, and it was the last productive thing about that game. The defense showed the first half was probably more about Cincinnati finding their legs than anything Purdue was doing. The offense totally stopped and took most of the quarter just to gain a positive yard. It was about as ugly a half as you could imagine and things got out of hand quick.
*News flash, nation. Cody Webster still has a cannon leg.
You would like to think you could chaulk Indiana State up as a win now, but I’m unfortunately hesitant. First of all, as you might have heard, the FCS didn’t have a bad opening week, scoring wins at USF, Connecticut, (ranked) Oregon State, and others. In some cases, the FCS schools beat the FBS schools handily. Secondly, Indiana State wasn’t a bad team last year. They spent quite a bit of time ranked in the FCS and heavily flirted with playoff spot before faltering a bit at the end. You might also remember the ISU had Indiana in trouble, if not beat, before finally falling by a touchdown. This year’s tilt in Bloomington was a little different, mostly in that the Hoosiers were able to ring up 73 points. But the Sycamore did manage 35 points of their own. Purdue had better win this game, and I’m certainly expecting them to, but I just don’t feel nearly as confident about it now as I did this time last week.
I was going to write a bit about Wabash’s upcoming season, but this has gone on a bit longer than I thought it would, plus (as mentioned earlier) I’ve got another week before they face off against Hanover, so I’ll save that for another day.
Post Playing Career
This was covered a lot of places on the internet today, but it won't hurt anything if we cover it here, too. Andrew McCutchen, on top of being a very likely MVP choice this year, is also quite the artist in his spare time. After watching him quickly doodle out a Pirates "P" (with flames, of course) while being interviewed by Buster Olney* a Twitter follower challenged McCutchen to draw this old-school Pirates logo.
*Not to mention some pretty impressive Dragon Ball Z and Boondocks.
McCutchen nobly took on the challenge and produced this about two hours after the challenge was issued.
Not too shabby!
Tao of the Underdog
There is a certain art to cheering for underdog teams. And there is a major difference between actually cheering for a team and just latching on because they’re a good story. And that difference, for me, is the Blackhawks and the Pirates.
I wrote about my journey to the Blackhawks fairly recently, so that seems like a good start. I certainly do claim them as my team, but I also certainly can’t claim much more than a bandwagon fan at this point. I came to them during the 2009 season when I had pretty well declared myself an NHL free agent fan with the Blackhawks and Blues as the front runners. It looked like the Blues might claim me, but the Blackhawks atmosphere in the playoffs that year sealed the deal for me. And, despite family ties, I certainly tend more towards Chicago teams than St. Louis ones. I can’t really explain that one, it’s just how these things shake out, I suppose. In any case, yes, breaking through to the Stanley Cup in 2010 was an awesome time, but I really wasn’t there for the last fifty years before that to really experience the drought and the lows the team went through. In short, while there were certainly a lot of underdog years, I never really rooted for the underdog Chicago Blackhawks.
The Pirates are a bit of a different story. I would still consider myself to be more of a Cubs fan. That’s the team I grew up with (much to the chagrin of my family) and the professional team I’ve generally supported above all others.* The Pirates, though, have probably gotten more attention from me lately and I have no qualms in saying they have my favorite player right now in Andrew McCutchen. The feeling I get with the Pirates now is pretty similar to when you’ve “discovered” a mid-level band not long before they break into the big time, or those people who read Twilight before it became a phenomenon.
*This doesn’t really count my brief flirtation with Pirate fandom when I was five, which was more just me saying it than any action taken on it. And it was just because my first Pee Wee team was the Pirates.
I could see the tides were going to turn in Pittsburgh mostly because I took one of the most awful jobs I could imagine working tech support for GPS’s in Carmel.* I was pretty miserable there working for peanuts. Definitely not what I had in mind after all that private schooling. I only worked there for about five months, but it did happen to be five months that fell during baseball season. My love of the Indianapolis Indians and Victory Field is well documented. I mean, just look at the header image. For all the negatives that came with that job, the ability to go to a game or two a week was a nice bonus. And when I was there, it just happened to be the same time as McCutchen, Garrett (G.I.) Jones, Neil Walker, and Nyjer Morgan. Jose Bautista was there, too, for a hot minute, but I don’t think I ever actually saw him. In any case, this was before there was any indication he would become Joey Bats. Anyway, I digress. I got on board because I could see these guys were going to be able to rake, and they weren’t going to be too bad in the field, either. Pedro Alvarez came a little bit later, as did Jose Tabata and Sterling Marte. More firepower. It’s also the reason why, I’m sure, I spent all that time watching Walker play third then suddenly found him playing second with the big club.
*That company did so well they don’t even sell GPS devices any more, just software for your phone.
There wasn’t too much pitching in Indianapolis, at least not then. And that bears out now, too. Pirates pitchers are either known free agents like AJ Burnett and Francisco Liriano or very young hotshots who came up after the core I knew were already in the bigs, like Gerrit Cole or (soon to be) Jameson Taillon. But the idea is the same. I could see the tide turning, and I had a personal connection to this team. I got to root for this team when the rest of the sports world was still awfully down on them and casual fans for sure had no idea what was coming. I know I corrected more than one person when they tried to use the Pirates as an example of complete ineptitude.
So then the moment happens, and it’s in the process of happening right now with the Pirates. At the time of writing this, they’re sitting at 80 wins. For a long time, all you really heard about was breaking the losing drought. Just one season of at least 82 wins. The team is on the cusp of that now, but you don’t really hear about that any more. There’s one goal, and that’s October. And it should be. The Pirates are leading the toughest division in baseball, and that win on Saturday felt absolutely enormous, even if they did give it right back the next day. That really did feel like a breakthrough win. And there’s such a huge feeling of satisfaction you can take from there that you would never really feel from rooting from a team like, say, the Yankees. Or, hell, probably even the Cardinals, though the 90’s weren’t necessarily the best decade for them.*
*758-794 for the decade, good for a .488 winning percentage.
It’s not always fun at the time, but going through all those fallow seasons does make the good ones that much sweeter, and there really is no better feeling in sports than when a team finally is clicking again and the fanbase is starting to rediscover the team all over again. The Pacers either just finished going through that or are towards the end stages of those feelings, and it has been a hell of a time to be a Pacer fan as of late, if my blog is any indication of that. The Pirates have finally captured Pittsburgh’s attention again, and even from somebody who can’t necessarily call them his own, though it’s close, it’s an awfully good feeling being here now after where the team was.
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HomeLatest News & PoliticsEFCC Detains Shuaibu Salisu, Others Over $2bn Arms Deal
EFCC Detains Shuaibu Salisu, Others Over $2bn Arms Deal
December 1, 2015 AdeLove Latest News & Politics, Today's Trending...., Uncategorized 0
About 20 top officials of the previous administration, who were alleged to have played active roles in the disappearance of $2 billion meant for the procurement of arms and ammunition for the country’s armed forces were taken into custody by the Economic and Finance Crimes Commission, EFCC, for questioning.
Some of the officials taken into custody are the former Minister of State for Finance, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda and a former Director of Finance in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Shuaibu Salisu.
The former minister, who worked under Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was still being questioned by operatives of the EFCC in Abuja as at last night.
Shuaibu Salisu was said to have been arrested and detained for a while over various payments that he allegedly made.
Lol!!! Agbani Darego fires back at a Fan Who Criticized Her Weight … See photos
MAN ARRESTED FOR POSING AS TINUBU (PICTURED)
Amazing!! Newborn Baby starts walking immediately after being born (Video)
May 29, 2017 Yomie Latest News & Politics, Today's Trending.... 2
This is the incredible moment a newborn baby girl shocked nurses by walking minutes after being born in a maternity hospital in Brazil. The video, which was uploaded toFacebook on Friday, has gone viral with […]
Kaduna to spend N2.2bn on salaries of new staff
August 6, 2016 AdeLove Latest News & Politics, Today's Trending...., Uncategorized 2
The Kaduna State Government said on Friday that N2.2 billion would be paid to 1,200 newly recruited staff of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Andrew Nok, said this […]
NUJ Kicks Against Sale Of NTA, FRCN, Others
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council, has condemned the call by a serving senator that some federal agencies should be sold. The union’s condemnation was contained in a communiqué it issued late […]
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David Adedeji Adeleke, better known by his stage name Davido, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Lagos, Davido made his music debut as a member of the music group KB International. Gallery: He released his debut album Omo Baba Olowo in 2012, […]
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Nigerian, Lagos Based Afro-Life Musician Adedamola, Popularly Known As FireBoy Dml Is Currently One Of The Artists Newly Signed By YBNL Boss Olamide. His Real Name Is Adedamola Adefolahan, He Hails From Abeokuta, Ogun He Studied English Language At The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife Where He Was Known For […]
Naira Marley was conceived in Agege, Lagos State, Nigeria yet later moved to Peckham, South London when he was just 11-years of age. As indicated by him, as a youthful fellow, he never wanted to turn into an artisan, however, he had the youth aspiration of becoming into an MC […]
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He started recording music at age 11 and managed to release a collaborative album with the Glorious Five, a group he and a couple of his church friends formed. In 2009, he signed a record deal with […]
Tiwatope Savage (born 5 February 1980), professionally known as Tiwa Savage, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress. She currently has a songwriting deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Savage signed a recording contract with Mavin Records in 2012.She also signed a management and publishing deal with Roc Nation in June 2016. She co-wrote the track “Collard Greens & […]
Flavour N’abania
Chinedu Okoli (born 23 November 1983), better known by his stage name Flavour N’abania or simply Flavour, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and performer. He began his musical career as a drummer for a local church in his hometown of Enugu State. Flavour is popularly known across Africa and the world for his hit song “Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix)”. He is currently signed […]
Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua (born Oluwaseyi Odedere; December 21, 1985), professionally known as Seyi Shay (pronounced Shay-yee Shay), is a Nigerian-based singer, songwriter and actress. She wrote and produced three songs for the soundtrack to Konami’s video game Crime Life: Gang Wars (2005). She also wrote “You Will See”, a song that was included on Melanie C’s third […]
Divine Ikubor (born in 2000), known professionally as Rema, is a Nigerian singer and rapper. In 2019, he signed a record deal with Jonzing World, a subsidiary of MAVIN RECORDS. His first song DUMEBI, made airwaves and topped several music charts in Africa. He rose to prominence with the release of the song “IRON MAN“, […]
Teniola Apata, better known as Teni, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and entertainer. The younger sister of Nigerian singer Niniola. She attended Apata Memorial High School and has a degree in business administration from American InterContinental University. Teni released debut single “Amen” And signed a deal with Shizzi’s Magic Fingers Records. She leave […]
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Alma Gottlieb
Bio, C.V., & Contact
Beng Community Fund (BCF)
Birth as Ritual/Ritual as Birth
March 11, 2019 by Alma Gottlieb 2 comments
Cultural anthropologist, Robbie Davis-Floyd, is a leading anthropologist in the fields of childbirth, midwifery, and obstetrics.
A Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas-Austin, she has studied childbirth practices firsthand in the U.S., Mexico, and elsewhere, and has promoted the work and legitimacy of midwives around the world.
Robbie Davis-Floyd (back row, right) honored by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) for helping create a nationally recognized certification process for professional midwives in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada
She has also lectured as a featured, keynote speaker at over 1,000 universities and health practitioners’ conferences in the US and internationally, always taking the opportunity to learn more about the maternity care systems of the countries she has visited.
Robbie Davis-Floyd speaking at the 2014 Symposium of the California Endowment
Davis-Floyd serves as a Board member of the International MotherBaby Childbirth Organization (IMBCO) and its new International Childbirth Initiative (ICI): 12 Steps to Safe and Respectful MotherBaby Family Maternity Care. She is also Senior Advisor to the Council on Anthropology and Reproduction, and Associate Editor of Medical Anthropology Quarterly.
Considering the cumulative impact of her energetic and creative efforts on many fronts to promote healthy childbirth without unnecessary, high-tech interventions, it is probably no exaggeration to say that Robbie Davis-Floyd has long served as the “public face of anthropology” to the international childbirth movement. Her work has been instrumental in bringing anthropological insights into the global childbirth arena and in effecting humanistic changes in childbirth practices in many countries. Indeed, given the impact of her work, she is considered a “living legend” among birth activists both within and beyond anthropology.
Despite the enormous impact of her research, writing, and speaking on childbirth practices in the U.S. and elsewhere, birth is by no means the only topic that Davis-Floyd has studied. She’s recently given birth to a delightfully readable, new book, The Power of Ritual, co-authored with neuroanthropologist, Charles Laughlin.
Cultural anthropologist, Claire Farrer, has called the new volume “an exquisite and informative book,” writing:
I wish that this book had been available during my long teaching career–I would have used it in all my relevant courses!
Beyond professors and students, because of its breezy writing style, combined with its captivating examples from common experiences in Westerners’ lives, the book will surely appeal to many “ordinary” readers. Birth educator, Debra Pascali-Bonaro, has written:
Before I read The Power of Ritual, I thought I knew what ritual was, yet now I know that it is so much more–it can be everything from a simple conversation-opener to a powerful healing process, from an individual’s daily habits to full-scale ceremony. I have learned much from this book that I can apply to my own life to enable me to more consciously perform my daily, family, and professional rituals.
Robbie and I recently chatted about the book online. You can read our conversation below.
Meanwhile, you can learn more about Robbie Davis-Floyd’s work on her website here, including her C.V. You can also find a view of Davis-Floyd’s many published books here, and downloadable PDFs of most of her dozens of published journal articles and book chapters here.
RDF: Robbie Davis-Floyd
AG: Alma Gottlieb
AG: You’re well known for helping develop and promote the anthropologies of childbirth, midwifery, obstetrics, and reproduction. Your fans may be surprised at the focus of this book on ritual. Yet, your first book (developing from your dissertation), Birth as an American Rite of Passage, used ritual as an analytic frame.
In that sense, would you say that The Power of Ritual reprises the conversation about ritual that you began nearly 30 years ago? Or, takes it in new directions? Or both?
Put differently (and more broadly), why would an anthropologist of childbirth write a book about ritual?
RDF: I’ve come full circle, as I did not start out as a birth anthropologist! My original graduate training was in both Folklore and Anthropology, and my interest in ritual was sparked by one of my Folklore professors, Roger Abrahams, whose writings on ritual I found enticing.
I did my Master’s thesis on the folklore of a Texas madam, Edna Milton, who for many years ran the notorious Chicken Ranch in La Grange, Texas—featured, after its closing, in the movie, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The article I wrote about how Edna’s masterful use of jokes and other forms of language manipulation kept her in total control of the Chicken Ranch, its customers, and its employees was published in the Journal of American Folkore and was widely used for teaching for many years, as it clearly shows how jokes and folktales can be used for manipulation, plus it is hysterically funny!
In the middle of my PhD studies, I took some time off to spend a year traveling around Mexico and learning Spanish. I returned to Mexico often and worked with two shamans—Don Lucio, a traditional shaman and “weather-worker” (trabajador del tiempo) from a small village in central Mexico, and Edgardo Vasquez Gomez, a wealthy businessman living in Cuernavaca who had traveled the country in his younger years studying sorcery (brujeria), magic, and traditional healing, and later combined that with the teachings and philosophy of the Russian philosopher, G. I Gurdjieff. Both had large followings, and both could actually manipulate energy and perform what I experienced as magic. If you combined them into one person, you would get someone very like Carlos Castaneda’s Don Juan.
I know that Castaneda’s work has been discredited, but the two shamans I worked with were real—as were the effects of the (very different types of) rituals they performed. We used to joke that Edgardo was Don Juan. In my doctoral program, I later wrote several long papers on myth, ritual, and shamanism in Mexico and expected to do my dissertation research with those two. (That was before computers, and those papers, sadly, were lost in a house fire.)
But then I had a baby, got “bitten by the birth bug,” and decided, instead, to research women’s childbirth narratives, as I was still in folklore mode. Yet the more women I interviewed, the more one question grabbed me:
Given the highly individual nature of each woman’s birth experience for that woman, why is birth treated in such a standardized way in American hospitals?
I began to research the scientific literature on birth. I soon realized that the vast majority of “standard obstetric procedures” did nothing to make birth safer. Instead, they made it more predictable and controllable—while unnecessarily harming women and babies in the process.
Davis-Floyd has chronicled how fetal heart rate monitors keep women attached to a bed and claim attention on a machine’s readouts, rather than on a laboring woman’s subjective experience
At first, I was confused. Like most people, I had assumed that obstetrics was based on science. When I realized it wasn’t, I had to ask the most basic anthropological question: Why? Why would doctors do things to women that didn’t make birth safer? The explanation hit me like a bombshell.
’”Standard obstetric procedures” do not come from the logic of science but, rather, from the logic of ritual. Like most rituals, they reflect the core values of their culture—in this case, the culture of technocratic societies.
They are designed, as so many rituals are, to try to control the uncontrollable forces of nature, to keep fear at bay–in this case, fear of both death and lawsuits. So, I switched from simply analyzing women’s birth narratives to a focus on analyzing obstetric procedures as rituals.
To fully explore this notion, I needed to understand ritual more, and its primary characteristic– the use of powerful symbols to convey meaning. I took a summer seminar at the University of Virginia with Christopher Crocker on what was then called “symbolic anthropology” (now “interpretive anthropology”). I also taught myself medical anthropology, which I had never formally studied. But I had to become an expert in it, as pregnancy and childbirth had long ago become defined as medical events.
After reading almost everything that Victor Turner, Clifford Geertz, Arnold van Gennep, and many others had written about ritual, I saw that birth, which used to be a physical and social rite of passage replete with social rituals, had become a completely medicalized rite of passage. The rituals that characterize birth everywhere had become medical rituals, officially disguised as “standard procedures.”
Dissatisfied with the many definitions of ritual I read, I created my own:
a ritual is a patterned, repetitive, symbolic (and often transformative) enactment of a cultural (or individual) belief or value.
Obstetric rituals enact the core values of what I called “the technocracy”—a term that came to me from Peter Reynolds, via his book, Stealing Fire: The Atomic Bomb as Symbolic Body, but that I redefined:
a technocracy is a hierarchical, bureaucratic, capitalist, and (still) patriarchal society organized around the supervaluation [a word I coined] of the progressive development of high technologies and the global flow of information via those technologies.
I generated a list of what we might perceive as characteristics of rituals: symbolism, rhythmic repetition, order, formality, framing, performance, acting, stylization, staging, and often, intensification toward a climax. In my dissertation (which became my first book, Birth as an American Rite of Passage), in a chapter called “Birth Messages,” I dissected each standard obstetric procedure—its official rationale, the scientific evidence against it, women’s highly varied responses to it—and explained how it acted as a ritual by enacting, displaying, and transmitting specific core technocratic values and beliefs to women, their partners, and their practitioners.
In Birth as an American Rite of Passage, Davis-Floyd analyzes the wheelchair as a powerful symbolic statement conveying the clear message that the woman in labor is “disabled”
At first, some ritual scholars like Ron Grimes argued that I was metaphorizing obstetric procedures as rituals, but that they were not really rituals—they were like rituals—because most scholars saw ritual as religion-based. But since the publication of my book in 1992, and its second edition in 2003, my analysis of hospital birthing practices as rituals has held, and its framework for understanding the characteristics of “secular ritual“ (using childbirth as an example) has been widely used.
AG: What a fascinating intellectual history! So, for this book on ritual, how did you decide to collaborate with a co-author who specializes in neurological approaches to human experience?
RDF: From analyzing birth narratives, I saw that women’s perceptions of themselves and their ability to give birth were profoundly affected by technological hospital rituals (such as IVs, electronic fetal monitoring, Pitocin induction or augmentation, episiotomies, immediate cord clamping, etc.). So I knew there was a missing piece in my growing understanding of ritual. It seemed clear that ritual can affect the human brain–but how?
Davis-Floyd’s research has helped document the much higher likelihood of a C-section once a woman’s labor is “induced,” or accelerated, with Pitocin
I searched the literature but found no answers until, one day, while browsing the book stalls at the annual American Anthropological Association conference, I saw a book way at the back of the Oxford exhibit booth. That particular book was literally glowing at me—in much the same way that I could often see the reins of energy that Edgardo held in his hands glowing during group meetings. I pulled the book out, and my life changed! It was called The Spectrum of Ritual, and it gave me the answers I was looking for. Here, finally, was the missing piece—the neurophysiology of ritual, the explanations for how ritual works on the brain and, thus, where it gets its power over us humans—starting with its multiple roles among animals.
A few years later, I met one of its authors, Charles Laughlin, at a conference. We both had read everything the other had written, so our meeting was intense and our ensuing friendship equally so. We eventually decided to co-author a book on The Power of Ritual–because I wanted to expand my study of ritual into other arenas besides birth, while Charlie wanted to put his highly esoteric work on ritual (characterized by what he termed ”neurognosis”) in more straightforward language, so he could make it accessible to people with IQs lower than 180. I kept telling him, “Just dumb it down and tell stories”!
AG: Did you run up against differences in approach?
RDF: Not really. Charlie accepted my definition of ritual as the one we would use. We also used most of my list of the characteristics of ritual. At some point, though, we realized that some factors on my original list, such as the fact that rituals generally work to preserve the status quo yet, paradoxically, can also be used to generate rapid social or religious change, were actually effects of ritual, not characteristics.
In this book, I finally was able to write about my long-ago work with the two Mexican shamans. Unfortunately, it was all from memory, since, as I previously mentioned, the graduate school papers I had written about those experiences had all burned up in a house fire.
AG: This book begins with a theoretical discussion of how to define and analyze ritual, but it ends with a surprisingly down-to-earth section offering models for how contemporary readers might create their own rituals for important moments in their lives, whether for menarche, meditation, lucid dreaming, prayer, birth (as Melissa Cheyney has shown, homebirthers in particular create lots of rituals for honoring, de-medicalizing, and helping them through the labor process–see her article, “Reinscribing the Birthing Body: Homebirth as Ritual Performance”), death, or other significant events or experiences.
When we think about “engaged anthropology,” we usually have more economic or political transformations in mind. Would you consider the “how-to” section of the book another variety of “engaged anthropology”?
RDF: Yes! And also of “applied anthropology.” Anthropological understandings gained from studying people and their lifeworlds should be expressed in ways that enable people to apply them to their own lives and use them for their own purposes. We need to come down out of our ivory towers and make our work relevant and useful in immediate ways. That is why Charlie and I put so many personal examples of ritual into our book—to engage readers with those experiences and help them directly apply them, should they wish to do so.
AG: So, what’s next?
RDF: Our refinement of both of our life’s works in this book is now feeding back into the third edition of Birth as an American Rite of Passage, which I am working on now, and which will be a complete revision and update (this time with a co-author, the amazing Missy Cheyney). Another full circle!
But I‘ve never confined myself completely to birth and related subjects. In addition to ritual and symbol, I’ve also intensively studied cults (as described in The Power of Ritual), medical doctors who became holistic healers (as described in From Doctor to Healer: The Transformative Journey), futures planning via global scenarios, and aerospace engineers. But those are stories for another time. That’s one of the great values of anthropology. Once you have the tools, you can study any phenomenon that captures your interest!
AG: Any other future projects in the works?
RDF: Betty-Anne Daviss and I are in the process of finishing Childbirth Models on the Human Rights Frontier: Speaking Truth to Power—a sort of follow-up to our book, Birth Models That Work (2009), which has been called “seminal” (though we would have preferred “ovarial”) because it was the first book to describe truly functional birth practice models that are woman-centered and evidence-based—as opposed to the dysfunctional, non-evidence-based maternity care models that predominate almost everywhere.
This new follow-up volume describes models that are way more “out on the edge”—in high-poverty, disaster, and war zones, for example. It also discusses birth models that are more iconoclastic, while addressing professional bullying and competition among doctors, and the de-skilling of obstetricians in techniques for vaginal breech birth.
Our next project will be an edited volume called The Global Witch Hunt: The Ongoing Persecution of Woman-Centered Birth Practitioners. Its purpose is to call attention to the often-intense persecution of some of the most skilled midwives and obstetricians in the world, who will often go out on a limb to honor the wishes for a normal birth of women considered high-risk, by attending them at home or in hospital, but then get punished for putting the woman, not the protocols, first. The “witch-hunted” practitioners will tell their own stories in each chapter, while we co-editors (Betty Anne-Daviss, Hermine Hayes Klein, and myself) will contextualize those stories in the Introduction and Conclusion.
In another vein, for years I have been writing short stories, which I hope to publish some day in a book called Robbie’s Reader: Vignettes of My Magical Life—for my life has indeed felt magical, primarily because my anthropological research and international talks have taken me all over the world, filled my life with adventure, and given me great stories to tell!
Academic Career, Anthropology, Author interviews, Books, Childbirth, Cultural Anthropology, Ethnography, medical anthropology, Medical issues, Mexico, Midwives, Motherhood, Pregnancy, Social Shaping of Bodily Experience, Women's issues Reproduction
Mary Azoy
Wow. Awesome work. I’m sharing this with a number of next-generation women/nurses/midwives I know and love, including my daughter-in-law.
Books by Alma Gottlieb
The Blueberry Wars
Goose Lessons
When Women’s Laughter Keeps Men in Line; or, What Gathering-Hunting Women of Central Africa Have in Common with Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, et al.
To Be a Man Is Not a One-Day Job: A Conversation with Daniel Jordan Smith
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Posts Tagged ‘National Public Radio’
New Initiatives Making Great Head Way In Dementia
Posted in @AliveandSocial, @AlzSpks, @AlzSpksRadio, AARP, adult children, Advocate on Steroids for Alzheimer's, Advocate on Steroids for Caregiving, aging, Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's Awareness, Alzheimer's Community, Alzheimer's Forum, Alzheimer's Gathering, Alzheimer's Speaks Resource Website, Alzheimer’s patients, alzheimers, boomers, Brown Bag Lunches, Care Partners, Caregiver, Caregiver Alert Center, caregivers, caregiving, carers, caring for edlerly, caring for loved ones, caring for parents, cognitive disabilities, confusion, Corporate Responsiblity, Dementia, Dementia Awareness, Dementia Capable, Dementia Chats, Dementia Community, Dementia Films, Dementia Forum, Dementia Friendly, Dementia Gathering, Dementia Videos, Denial, elderly, Employee Assistance Program, Empowerment Through Dementia, End of Life Planning, End stages of Dementia, Families, Financial Planners, Find Opportunities within an Obstacle, Frontotemporal Dementia, FTD, gift ideas, Grief, grief and loss, Guilt, HIs Neighbor Phil - New Film on Dementia & Families, Hospice, Human Resources, Inside Alzheimer's, joy and celebration, lessons learned, Lewy Body, Life or Death with Dementia, Living with Alzheimer's disease, Long Term Care Insurance, Lori La Bey, loss, MCI and EOAD, Memories - The Songs and Spirit of Christmas, memory care, memory loss, Memory Loss Gathering, NPR, nursing home, parenting parents, Patient Centered Care, Person Centered Care, Person CenteredCare, Purple Angel - Demetia Symbol, Purple Angel Dementia Symbol, Purple Angle Program, Sandwich Generation, seniors, Sharecare, ShareCare's #1 Online Influencer On Alzheimer's, Simple Pleasures, Songs on Dementia and Alzheimer's, Speaker on Alzheimer's disease, Speaker on Caregiving, Special Series on Alzheimer's and Dementia, support group, Taboo Conversation, Teens and Dementia, Teens and Memory Loss, The Purple Angel Project, The Purple Angel Project forAlzheimer's & Dementia, Tips, Us Against Alzheimer's, Us Purple Angel Project, Vascular Dementia, YOung Onset Alzheimer's, Young Onset Dementia, tagged Activist, ational Council of La Raza (NCLR), biotech, conscious caring resources, dementia, Drew Holzapfel, finance, George Vradenburg, Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease, healthcare, Jason Resendez, Jill Lesser, Kathleen Sebelius, Ladies’ Home Journal, Latinos Against Alzheimer's, LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Network & Coalition, Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer's Disease (LEAD) Coalition, National Alzheimer's Project Ac, National Public Radio, New York Daily News, Patient-Caregiver and Faith Initiatives at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, pharma, philanthropic, Surviving Grace, The Boston Globe, The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease, The Washington Post, Trish Vradenburg, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, Virginia Biggar, Vradenburg Foundation, WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s, Women’s Day, World Dementia Counci on April 25, 2016| Leave a Comment »
New Initiatives Making Great Head Way
In Dementia
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We are doing a two hour special Tuesday, April 26th to highlight the expansive work of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. The first hour we will talk with Founders George and Trish Vradenburg. The second hour we will focus on several of their subgroups to find out what they are up to as well.
George Vradenburg is Chairman of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, which he co-founded in October 2010. George was named by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to serve on the Advisory Council on Research, Care, and Services established by the National Alzheimer’s Project Act and has testified before Congress about the global Alzheimer’s pandemic. He is a member of the World Dementia Council. George and USAgainstAlzheimer’s co-convene both the Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s Disease (LEAD) Coalition and the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease. He and his wife, Trish, have long been dedicated members of Washington’s civic and philanthropic community. George is Chairman of the Board of The Phillips Collection, Trustee of the University of the District of Columbia and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and The Economic Club of Washington. He has served in senior executive and legal positions at CBS, FOX and AOL/Time Warner. George and Trish published Tikkun Magazine for 10 years (Editor-in-Chief Rabbi Michael Lerner is Trish’s brother).
Trish Vradenburg is Vice-Chair of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, which she co-founded in October 2010. Trish began her career in Washington, D.C. as a speechwriter in the U.S. Senate. She has written for various television shows, including Designing Women, Family Ties, and Kate and Allie. Trish’s novel, Liberated Lady, was chosen as Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selections and has been translated into three foreign languages. As a journalist, she has written extensively for the New York Daily News, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Ladies’ Home Journal and Women’s Day. Surviving Grace, Trish’s quasi-autobiographical play, was produced at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Off Broadway at the Union Square Theater. It is now being performed at various community theaters throughout the country, as well as in Portuguese in Brazil. She serves on the Council of Theater J, and on the boards of DC Vote and the Vradenburg Foundation. She presently writes three blogs.
Jason Resendez directs the LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Network & Coalition, the nation’s first national initiative to activate Latino health, policy, and community stakeholders in the fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia. Previously, Jason served as senior manager of strategic partnerships at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the nation’s largest Latino advocacy organization.
Drew Holzapfel serves as the Executive Director of The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease, a coalition of private sector leaders from pharma, biotech, finance and healthcare delivery. Prior to joining the initiative, Drew was at Pfizer working on the company’s Alzheimer’s pipeline strategy and in commercial development for late stage compounds.
Jill Lesser is President of WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s. Motivated by her own personal experiences as caregiver to her mother with Alzheimer’s, she brings her passion and dedication to the cause. She joined the Board of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, a nonprofit organization dedicated to stopping this disease. Now, as President of the women’s network, her focus is to amplify the powerful voice of women – a group that is largely affected as both the patient and caregiver. Her organization gives women a platform to speak up, advocate for research funding and promote research challenges to find a cure.
Virginia Biggar directs the Patient-Caregiver and Faith Initiatives at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. Ginny brings 20 years of media and communications experience as a writer, reporter and filmmaker to the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s campaign. Ginny was a reporter for National Public Radio in Los Angeles and Washington D.C. prior to joining UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.
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1: SCI Archives 3: History 4: Volunteers 5: Catalogue 6: Contact
Nelly Forget was born in Paris, belongs to a generation whose childhood and adolescence has been strongly affected by WWII. She took part in several workcamps in Europe, worked in the International Secretariat, and had significant experience in Algeria. Subsequently she has spent most of her professional life as an advisor on development in various African countries.
Origin of the text
Olivier Bertrand: Breaking down barriers 1945-1975, 30 years of voluntary service for peace with Service Civil International.
Paris (2008)
see Table of Content
voir version française
4.1: Alamgir Faruque
4.2: Appadurai Navam
4.3: Begert Willy
4.4: Bernis Emile
4.5: Bertrand (Valentin) Claire
4.6: Boelsma Marius and Marianne (Studinger)
4.7: Ceresole Pierre
4.8: Chaumet Simone
4.9: Crook Elizabeth
4.10: Cunningham Nicholas
4.11: Das Chopras Devinder
4.12: von Fellenberg Theodor
4.13: Ferguson (Williams) Fiona
Current page is 4.14: Forget Nelly
4.15: Gillette Arthur
4.16: Guiborat Dorothy
4.17: Gwynn Roger
4.18: Hegnauer Ralph
4.19: Hegnauer Idy
4.20: Helsloot Wilbert
4.21: Hildesheim Max
4.22: Judd Frank
4.25: Kishore Bhupendra
4.26: Kobayashi Shigeo
4.27: Kobayashi Ann (Smith)
4.28: Konu Gerson
4.29: Lampert Fritz
4.30: Lehmann Nicole
4.31: Lutz Susanne
4.32: Martin Pierre
4.33: Mauderli Margrit
4.34: Mekki Kader
4.35: Neligan John
4.36: Olgiati Rodolfo
4.37: Paraire Nicole
4.39: Palmer David
4.40: Peel Cathy (Hambridge)
4.41: Perna Franco
4.42: Petit Jean-Pierre
4.43: Petit Marie-Catherine
4.44: Pierce Martin
4.45: Pierce Juliet (Hill)
4.46: Rahman Mohammed Ataur
4.47: Rabier Paulette
4.48: RL
4.49: Sahnoun Mohamed
4.50: Salam Alhaj M.A.
4.51: Sanford Wilhelm Helen
4.52: Sato Hiroatsu
4.53: Sato Phylis (Clift)
4.54: Schröter Bertram
4.55: Seshan Valli (Chari)
4.56: Seshan A.S.
4.57: Starborg Solvig
4.58: Watt Nigel
4.59: Trüb Fridolin
4.60: Whitaker Linda (Rogers)
4.61: Wilkinson Greg
You are here: » Volunteers» Forget Nelly
Nelly Forget
I started high school in 1939, and passed the first part of matriculation in 1945. More than half of my schoolmates had been Jews. They had all been rounded up by the French authorities and sent to concentration camps. It goes without saying, that my generation was already familiar with situations of injustice and violence.
Being an only child and rather isolated, I sorely wanted to meet other young people. One year after matriculation just after the War, my parents offered me a trip to England, which at that time was a rather unique opportunity. Nevertheless, I refused, preferring to visit my grandmother (who died soon afterward), but I promised to go to England the following year.
Even before discovering SCI, I had had experience of workcamps in Central Europe. In 1948, through the Student Travel Agency, I went to Czechoslovakia with a group of about one hundred French people, all members of the Communist Party. This was shortly after the communists took control of Czechoslovakia. It was just after the start of the struggle with Tito, and the coming down of the iron curtain. My parents did not receive any news from me for weeks and no one knew whether I would be able to come back. It was a very difficult time, but I was in a real vantage point for observing what was going on. This experience radically cured any leanings I might have had towards communism. But, at the same time, I had discovered the value of work camps. It was one incredibly big camp involving about 1 000 volunteers. We were organized in national teams or ‘brigades’ for the work. Our job was to rebuild a railway, the work was quite gruelling. We were encouraged to work as ‘shock’- workers, and medals were distributed at the end. I received the silver medal of ‘oudarnyka‘. The brigades were separated from one another, and not supposed to mix. Opportunities for meeting people from different brigades were limited to mealtimes and during free time after work when we would sometimes dance. Dancing anything different from folk dances was considered a form of political opposition. But secretly (we had to be careful ) we managed to do other forms of dancing, as the regime deemed it decadent or even degenerate Young Czechs would explain that, if they were sons of the bourgeoisie, they would not have any chance of entering university. I remember attending the political examination which applicants had to sit and pass before being admitted to university, which took place under huge pictures of Marx, Lenin and Stalin. I was also able to see how the French communist brigade functioned, and discovered its bureaucratic language. One day, Yugoslavia was a ‘socialist paradise ‘, and the next Tito was described as ‘a venomous toad’ (common language among communists at that time). The young militants justified the changes, at the same time claiming “You cannot tell everyone everything”, and so on. For me, it was an exciting experience, very negative with regards to communism, but very positive from the point of view of discovering what ‘working together’ meant.
A year later, thanks to a cousin I became acquainted with SCI and went on one of its camps in the South-East of France, at a place called Vercheny. It is in the part of the Alps called the Vercors, where the Resistance had been very active during WWII. Following the derailment of a train organized by the Resistance, all the men of the village had been rounded up by the Germans and sent to a concentration camp. Only a few of them had come back.
The workcamp was organized to help a Paris-based association, which worked with street children in a Paris suburb. The oldest and highest part of the village, which had been almost entirely destroyed during the war, had been donated to the association, and SCI had been asked to assist in its reconstruction and conversion into a holiday home for the street children. The village had agreed to host some German volunteers in the group. Despite its dramatic story; it was the first time that any German people had come to the village, since the War. At the end of the camp all the volunteers, irrespective of nationality, were invited by the villagers into their homes. A fine gesture of reconciliation .The work camp only lasted two weeks. I was very enthusiastic. The volunteers (among them two Germans) were really friendly. The team leader was a charismatic personality, who had a long experience of dealing with people living on the margins of society, which had encouraged him to take care of children. Boys did the construction work, and girls had to work in the washhouse, as huge quantities of children’s clothes had been donated by the Canadian Embassy. I also did some digging. Half of the volunteers stayed on after the camp, in order to train the permanent staff. I do not remember any organized discussions, but the atmosphere was very different from that of my previous camp in Czechoslovakia. In Vercheny there was a real feeling of freedom, which was such a big contrast. Genuine relationships were established and real friendships were created among the volunteers. Some of them are still in touch with one another today.
I enjoyed the experience so much that I decided to give up my university studies (I had done two years studying English and one of law) and go and work as a long-term volunteer. Against my parents’ advice, I went to England (Lincolnshire) where I worked for six months with SCI. Part of the time I worked in a camp organized by the Quakers, and the rest of the time in another organized by the British branch of SCI (IVS). There were about 20 volunteers (British, Germans, Scandinavians and Italians – I was the only French person). We worked for farmers who were conscientious objectors. Most of the money we earned was used to finance SCI projects in India. We got along very well with the farmers, who received the volunteers into their homes, where sometimes they would read poetry or plays. We lived in tents, or in barrack huts which had been used for German prisoners of war and for displaced persons.
The work was hard, especially potato picking. We were so tired in the evenings that we were unable to have formal discussions, but nevertheless we were able to get to know each other. We had a deep feeling that we were building peace in our daily work. I am very grateful to SCI for this.
After three months of farming work, I was assigned to a kind of youth hostel in London, managed by the British branch of SCI (IVSP). It was a sort of clearinghouse, which would dispatch volunteers to the various workcamps. There I met some of the early companions of Pierre Cérésole - the founder of the movement. There were also paying guests in the hostel, just like in a boarding house. We were on friendly terms with them. There was, of course, household work to do, mainly cooking, but I also had the opportunity of meeting lots of other volunteers. Afterwards, I was sent back to France, where I was employed by SCI International Secretariat, which was at that time in Paris (rue Guy de la Brosse). The Secretary at that time was Willy Begert assisted by his wife Dora. I was full of admiration and affection for them, even though they were much older than me. We worked with one another on an equal-footing, and I learned a lot from them.
I worked with them for a year. I did secretarial work. I had to deal with all sorts of activities and I met many people. From time to time, I had to organize workcamps, for example for a new handicapped people’s association. Among other things, I remember the arrival of American volunteers and how amazing it was for me to discover how their concerns were so different from those of us Europeans. Their lifestyle seemed to situation, and appeared exceedingly cautious, which sometimes made relationships rather difficult. There was a black man among them. Everyone went out dancing with him. At that time it was an extraordinary experience for a black man from ‘the South’, to be able to live with white people. It was during this same period that the first Algerian volunteers came over to France.
At that time, the International Secretariat had an on-going relationship with the Youth Division of UNESCO. Willy Begert was very competent, and he often had to chair the coordination meetings with other organizations. He was highly considered, and he went to work for the UNESCO later on. From the point of view of practical organization the International Secretariat was very modest. Apart from generally lacking in equipment and having only extremely limited resources, it was very rich from the human point of view.
My voluntary work experience was then further extended in a displaced persons camp in Donaueschingen, South-West Germany, where there was a very long-term camp. It was very interesting and it gave me the opportunity of seeing another aspect of an enormous European problem of the time. The camp housed refugees from Sudetenland - the Germanspeaking part of Czechoslovakia - and from other Central European countries expelled from their homelands after 1945. Their total number in Europe was then around 10 million. It was a terrible situation, which is not well-known to-day. These people did not even understand the variety of German that was spoken by the other Germans around them. They had been first received in Schleswig-Holstein, and then some of them had been sent down to the camp of Donaueschingen. The whole camp was made of barrack huts; we Service Civil people lived in one of them .The refugees were paid to build their own houses. They only received help from SCI. This decision had been made by the chief administrator, who wanted to open the minds of the refugees to something more positive beyond camp life. I did not speak German, but I had learned some basic vocabulary for shopping and for construction work. With the bitter cold weather people would remain indoors, and so we only had limited contact with the families, except for one who frequently invited the volunteers in. We also had contact with the French soldiers, since this was part of the French occupation zone. As I was ‘head-sister’ in the camp and the only French person, I was delegated to liaise with the Army. I remember once visiting the local commanding officer to ask for permission for the soldiers to visit the camp. He appeared to suspect the camp of being a brothel! A few soldiers came during their free time for a change. Once an armed French military-policeman told me “You must be a saint working for the Germans”.
We were long-term volunteers. The work was very hard, especially since the winter was cold. The water in the rooms froze overnight. There were few women volunteers. Women did the construction work, but also looked after the cooking and did the house work. Every week, they had to hand wash dozens of sheets in freezing water. There was always a man who would help them, and he would say that it was harder than construction work. Women also had to carry big cooking-pots full of food to the men on the construction site. It was in this camp that I received a letter from Pierre Martin asking me to be in charge of the Algerian branch. At first I refused. I had already been a volunteer for two years and at that moment I was more interested in Scandinavian countries. A Finnish volunteer I had met at the camp in England, had found me a job as a teacher of French in Finland. I really liked the idea and was shortly expected to start working there.
I remember very well how I came to change my mind, realizing that it was a vital decision. Since then, Algeria has left an indelible mark on my whole life. In those days I used to receive ‘Le Monde’ newspaper, and one day I read an article about a general strike in Spain. It was the first one since the beginning of the Franco regime. By then, I had already turned down Pierre’s offer, because I could not see what I could possibly do in such a colonial set up as there was in Algeria at that time. Then, suddenly, while reading the article about that strike, it occurred to me that things might possibly change, that some events could actually bring about a new situation; even under a totalitarian regime like Franco’s. I was, in a way, shaken by this act of liberation. “I am going to Algeria” I said; and that is how, thanks to that strike, I left for Algeria shortly after.
Fifty years later, Algeria still stands out as a decisive time in my life –a strong point, something that is always with me. I left Metropolitan France in May 1951. Arriving in Algiers I was met on the quayside by an Algerian volunteer, Kader (who is still a very good friend today). The welcome I received was typical of the friendly group with whom I was going to work. I was taken to SCI headquarters: a small flat in a narrow alley, where meetings took place on the ground floor, whilst a mezzanine was used as a bedroom above. But I did not live there for any length of time, since I managed to move in with SCI friends (In fact I moved about twenty times in a year and a half.)
Pierre Martin was working in the south, and we only met briefly now and then to liaise with one another. The Algerian branch included several regional groups, with which I had only a limited administrative relationship. In the Algiers group, the most important one in the whole country there were, in fact, only a small number of active members. However, there were French people from France and Algeria, particularly men in their 30s 40s, mostly middle management types, who had taken part in WWII. Initially there were no students and no young people among the membership, but they did come later when we started the new work in the slums.
Then, the Algerian members (they were called ‘French-Muslims’), were almost all students, and there were even some secondary school pupils. Amongst them there were also a few Algerian girls. The young Algerians did not hide their passionate nationalism, and openly denounced the evils of colonialism (the massacres of 1945, electoral fraud, non implementation of the 1947 statute etc.). At the same time, they were attracted by the international character of SCI, happy to have contact with ike-minded people, and more than willing to discuss issues. Mixing French and Algerians, boys and girls, working together on common projects was unique- a challenge; but, on the other hand, for many people around us, it was scandalous. Only a very small minority of Europeans and Algerians used to meet in a friendly manner on an even footing. Every European family used to have their own ‘Fatma’ (servant) or a native gardener, but fraternal relationships did not exist between them.
Very soon, I had to make a choice. Through other connections, I had come into contact with French people who had told me, in no uncertain terms, that one should not fraternize with the ‘bicots’ (‘niggers’ or ‘wogs’). I had to choose, and I said: “I have chosen”. We used to go out together and to meet with SCI people. Social life was very rich from that point of view. I remember once, when Willy Begert was in Algiers, we went out with an Algerian friend. We were coming back home on foot, when a police patrol arrested us, truncheons raised. The men were searched with their hands up. The policemen asked us for our identity cards. They wanted to know what we were doing, and added: “A French girl does not go out with “bicots”. In the Kabylie region, when the villagers saw European volunteers working hard on a SCI workcamp with native Algerians, they could not believe that they were volunteers; they thought they were convicts.
Upon my arrival, I went to a workcamp that had been set up by Pierre Martin. It was an international workcamp, a very tough one. In the middle of nowhere, it was a three-hour walk to the nearest bus-stop, and it was nearly impossible to find food supplies in that area. The objective was to set up a mains water supply for a dispensary belonging to a Protestant mission. Later on, SCI stopped cooperating with those missionaries, as they had decided only to admit local people to the dispensary on condition that they first received a Christian religious education. Obviously it was not the best way of being accepted in Algerian society.
Before then, the work of SCI had been limited to the Kabylie region, but, Pierre Martin recommended that new activities should be developed in urban areas throughout the country, as there was an urgent need and our work would be more visible there. One evening, at ‘La Robertsau’, the restaurant for Muslim students (where I later went regularly), I dined with a priest and two friars. We did not establish a close relationship that evening, but they suggested that I should meet Marie-Renée Chéné, who was working alone in a slum at Berardi-Boubsila, an eastern suburb of Algiers. One of the friars told me “That woman is a bit crazy, but she certainly does a lot of work”. That was how it all started.
So I went to see her. To give an idea of SCI working conditions at that time; Beradi was approximately 17 kilometres from the centre of Algiers, and I didn’t even have the money to pay for a return ticket by bus. It was summertime, so I went on foot thinking that I would be tired by the time I got back. That’s how it was for a SCI secretary in those days. In Berardi, I found the rather squalid dispensary, where Marie-Renée worked in two small rooms.
She was a social worker. A very religious-minded person, she was nevertheless secular in her ways. She worked for the Parish of Hussein Dey (an Algiers suburb) for virtually no salary at all. Her only material support was the municipal health centre, whose van would take her there so that she could take care of the people. She was an extraordinary person. I have never met anybody who had such compassion for people.
She really suffered for them. She was not really an organizer, and she did not like institutions, and red tape. She was fully committed to her work, and she drove others through her example. I was rather taken aback by her welcome. “What are you doing here? I don’t need anybody! I don’t need people who come and gawp, or talk about ‘the poor’. “Precisely”, I retorted, “our motto is Deeds, not Words.” Clearly, she appreciated my attitude, and we started working together right away.
I began going to the slum regularly. Initially, my duty was to stand against the door to prevent people from invading the treatment room. Later on, although I am anything but a good dressmaker, I gave sewing lessons to the little girls. Then, a volunteer who was in charge of the laboratory at the hospital came. Others followed. Consequently, it was decided to organize a workcamp for girls to include developing care activities and sewing courses. In September 1951, the first international volunteers arrived: first from Norway, but unfortunately after only two weeks they had to be sent back home for health reasons. Then an American and a British volunteer were also sent back home after a month for the same reasons. They were falling like flies, because the slum was so dirty, so squalid and so full of all sorts of diseases. Clearly the French volunteers were more immune to such ills. Then two Swiss nurses arrived: Rachel Jacquet and Gabrielle Uzzieli. They had just been working in a mining area in Belgium where the conditions were really tough. With them the turnover of volunteers decreased. But tragically, shortly after returning home to Switzerland, Rachel Jacquet died. She had been exhausted by the work, and this had been compounded by the fact that she had refused to eat more than the little children she took care of.
While female volunteers were developing educational work and making it a permanent activity (Rachel had opened a girls’ school), SCI boys were building barrack-type school buildings. First of all, one for the girls, and then another for the boys. Simone Chaumet taught there later on. They improved the road, dug gutters and drains, and stairs along the steep streets. Then, extraordinarily (for those times), around the workcamp in Berardi, different organizations started cooperating with us .Students from Muslim and Catholic centres came, as well as a few girls. The Confederation of Education showed films, and the Organization for the Promotion of Active Teaching Methods sent along instructors.
SCI workcamp with Marie-Renée became a centre which attracted young people who wanted to give a helping hand, and almost all our activities expanded. After the girls’ school, a boys’ school, literacy courses, a social secretariat (in the shell of an old ambulance), a dispensary with more medical staff, a People’s Committee. A comprehensive survey of living conditions was carried out, and the road system improved. An association of Algerian Youth for Social Action was established in 1952, and was involved in the work carried out at Berardi. In other words, there were important spin-offs (most of which did not, unfortunately, survive the War of Independence). For the first time, not only individuals, but organizations bringing together French and Algerian youth were working side by side, and all of it because of projects initiated by SCI. This boom in activities, aimed at improving conditions in the community, was not only proof that there were real expectations (even from a small number of people), and a possible response to be found from these young people of different origins; it was also the start up of Community Centres created in 1955 on Germaine Tillion’s initiative.
After being sent on an official mission to Algeria, - for which she was eminently competent in view of her earlier work as an ethnologist - in 1955 Germaine Tillion joined the staff of the Governor-General Jacques Soustelle. Her appointment was made with a view to implementing social and educational policies, which, in turn, would lead to the creation of Community Centres. After seven years experience in the Aurès (a
mountainous area South-East of Algiers) she had thought a lot about ways of helping people struggle “against the evils of nature and the wickedness of traders and bureaucracy”. But, as an ethnologist, she insisted on visiting people in the field, and among those she visited, was Marie-Renée Chené.
What had been done in Berardi-Boubsila was, to a large extent, the prototype of the urban ’Community Centre’, and it became a training centre for the staff of the new organization, which recruited several people from amongst SCI volunteers. There is so much continuity between the two experiences that I find it sometimes difficult to differentiate between them. The former rural teachers and trainers in basic education had probably the same impression: each one found in the ‘Community Centre’ the best elements of their previous experience. Apart from that, the work of SCI has left another legacy: ‘l’entraide populaire familiale’ (an association promoting self-help between working-class families), created in 1950 to assist the social work of Marie-Renée on legal matters. It is still in operation in 2006, and receives trainers working with mentally handicapped people.
Soon after my arrival in Algeria, I realized that being the Secretary of the Algerian branch was not a job for me. In the context of this period, this function should have been filled by an Algerian. I wrote to Hélène Monastier, one of the earlier volunteers, and the then President of the International Committee, to tell her that this was a very interesting job, but that it should be done by an Algerian, not a European. So I put forward the name of Mohammed Sahnoun, then a student and an active member of the Algerian branch. She agreed with me.
After thus finding a successor, I stayed on another year in Algeria, still involved with SCI, and at the same time, teaching at the university to make a living. I carried on going to Berardi. Marie-Renée, who had become a very good friend, told me that I had a gift for social work, and that I should not remain just an amateur volunteer, but should get a vocational degree. So I went back to France and undertook studies in social work. Three years later, with my degree under my arm, I came back to Algeria and became fully involved in the adventure of the Community Centres, together with friends from SCI; but I was much too busy to be able to go back to actually taking up employment with SCI.
By then, Emil Tanner had replaced Mohamed Sahnoun as Secretary of the Algerian branch. The War of Independence had already started, and from the beginning SCI was kept under surveillance, and had to limit its activities. But solidarity and personal relationships between people remained. When members of SCI were put in jail, others took care of them and their families at their own risk. People would cross the country to visit the camps to find those who had disappeared, and they carried parcels to the prisoners. During this period, the Algerian branch was efficiently supported by the International Secretary (especially Dorothy Abbott). Consequently money was collected to help SCI members who had been incarcerated, so that they could obtain a lawyer.
This story would not be complete without mentioning the tragic events, related to the War of Independence which are now history, but which have had a long-lasting effect on SCI.
Simone Chaumet, after working at Berardi, had lived for two years in Kabylie teaching. Then, she settled down in an Algiers suburb, with Emil Tanner, who had been Secretary of SCI and was training apprentices. Their neighbours would come to ask for help in writing letters, and for caring for people; the house was open to everybody, and their car was used as an improvised ambulance. On the 25th of May 1962, the two of them were kidnapped, and were never to be found again. Along with Rachel Jacquet, three losses were thus directly brought about by the work of SCI (Madeleine Allinne, op.cit).
The fate of the Community Centres has been referred to elsewhere. First of all, they had to bear the persecution of the French authorities. In 1957, several of its members, including Nelly, were arrested and subjected to torture, and again in 1959.
The fact that SCI had mixed groups, working in harmony, having positive relationships with the local people, without the protection of the army; all this, at a time when people were shooting at each other, was , to say the least, highly suspicious. It meant that we were necessarily involved in a ‘guilty relationship’. We were doing what other people were not doing, thus demonstrating that it was possible to bring about change, and consequently for the status quo to be brought into question. This could evidently not be tolerated by many people. All the projects for reform had failed because there was, in fact, no willingness for change. The criticisms made of the Community Centres had probably already been addressed to SCI, but the Community Centres were working on a much larger scale and they were ,after all part of a government department.
In March 1962, a few days before the ceasefire, six heads of Community Centres were killed during a meeting by an anti-independence commando group, supporters of French Algeria (l’Algérie Française). The most eminent among the victims was the writer Mouloud Feraoun, who had supported SCI since 1948 when one of the very first SCI workcamps in Algeria had taken place in a nearby village to where he was teaching. Albert Camus was also a supporter of SCI.
I came back to France and worked with a group of sociologists and in so doing – rather ironically – I joined Germaine Tillion at the Ministry of Education. Later on, I worked as an adviser in several African countries. In post-independence Senegal I really worked like a militant, which was rather unusual for that kind of mission. Again the idea was to promote change by giving more responsibility to ordinary people. But, again, as always, I was faced with resistance to change, and to the ideals which underpinned my experience with SCI; to which I have always been faithful.
Today, most of my friends are those with whom I worked with in Algeria; an experience which has had a deep influence on all of us. Despite the passing years, and whatever direction our individual paths have taken, we are united by a sort of closeness. There is no divergence between us, and none of our paths have deviated.
Some years ago I received a letter from an Algerian friend who after his workcamp experience with SCI had gone on to a prestigious career. 30 years had gone by, and he wanted to meet Marie-Renee again, but he was unable to. He wrote:
“I would simply like to tell her how important her example has been to me. Despite a quarter of a century of constant and disorderly changes, a period of confused and violent excitement, she has represented something which has determined my way of building my life, and my attempts at making it useful. Her memory has been a constant benchmark for me, something bright and warm”.
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Showing Collections: 1 - 50 of 102
Collection 083 Papers of Richard E. Scheel
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews, slides, photographs, correspondence and a personal diary created by Dr. Richard E. Scheel, missionary to Ethiopia with Sudan Interior Mission (S.I.M.) from 1951-1971.
Collection 089 Papers of Paul P. Stough
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Collection 090 Papers of George F. Spotts
Scope and Contents An oral history interview, correspondence, reports and clippings relating to George Spotts’ work as a Youth for Christ staff member in France and the United States involved in evangelistic work among teenagers.
Collection 092 Ephemera of Robert B. Ekvall
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews, correspondence, photographs, and a manuscript that describe Robert B. Ekvall's education at Wheaton College, work as a missionary in China and Tibet, and military and diplomatic activities during World War II and after in China and Southeast Asia.
Collection 093 Oral History Interview with Earl A. Winsor
Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Earl Austin Winsor (1897-1983) in which he discusses his education at Wheaton College as a student (1919-1920) and teacher (1920-25, history, and 1939-1949, math and physics) and his missionary experiences in Africa under Africa Inland Mission, serving in what is now Zaire. Wheaton personalities, mission experiences, especially those relating to his education work, and analysis of his exposure to African government, churches, tribal customs, and health practices....
Collection 096 Oral History Interview with Wayne G. Bragg
Identifier: CN 096-096
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Wayne G. Bragg (1931-2009), in which he describes his missionary experiences in Brazil and the Caribbean working with university students, his student days at Wheaton College, and his experience at Wheaton College as a faculty member. Dr. Bragg was interviewed by Mary Ann Buffington at Wheaton College on February 15 and May 9, 1980.
Collection 104 Oral History Interview with Bruce F. Hunt
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews in which Bruce Finley Hunt (1903-1992) discusses his boyhood in Korea, college and seminary education at Wheaton College, Rutgers University and Princeton Seminary; a portion (1928-1942) of his missionary work in Korea and Manchuria; and his impressions of Korean culture. The time period covered by the interviews is roughly 1903-1976.Bruce Finley Hunt was interviewed by Robert Shuster on March 22 and May 21, 1980 and October 16, 2002 in Abington, PA and...
Collection 105 Oral History Interview with Paul D. Votaw
Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Paul Dean Votaw (1917-2007) in which he describes his childhood; education at Wheaton College, Dallas Seminary, and Princeton Seminary; and missionary activities in Syria and Lebanon. The time period covered by the interview is roughly 1917-1954.Reverend Paul Votaw was interviewed by Robert Shuster on March 4, 1980, at the Graham Center offices in Wheaton. The first ten minutes of the interview are barely decipherable due to technical difficulties. The...
Collection 115 Oral History Interview with Raymond Elliott
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Raymond Leroy Elliott (1924-2008), Wycliffe Bible translator working among the Ixil Indian tribe in Guatemala. Interview topics include educational work and life in Wheaton, translation activities, missionary training, mission responsibilities, and political, social, and cultural events in Central America. The time period covered by the interviews is roughly 1924-1980.Raymond Elliott was interviewed by Chris Matthews, a Wheaton College graduate student,...
Collection 116 Oral History Interviews with Helen Elliott
Scope and Contents Oral History interviews conducted with Helen Ruth Belcher Elliot (1927-2012), missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators to the Ixil Indian tribe in Guatemala. Topics include Wheaton College during the 1940s, field experiences, Guatemalan culture and religion, and family activities. Topics covered in the interview include: Elliott's childhood, marriage and early family life, education at Wheaton College (including courses, academic and social life), decision to become a missionary with...
Collection 122 Oral History Interview with Gladys M. Fleckles
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Gladys Marie Fleckles (1946-2006) in which she describes her short term missionary experience with OMF in Japan. Other topics include her graduate work at Wheaton, undergraduate study at John Brown University, and work in the admissions department of Wheaton Graduate School. The time period covered by the interview is roughly 1946-1980.Gladys Fleckles was interviewed by Mr. John Svadbik twice in May 1980. The time period covered by the interviews is...
Collection 132 Papers of Bud Schaeffer
Scope and Contents Prayer letters written by Bud and Alice Schaeffer about their mission work with Overseas Crusades. Materials relate their experiences in the Philippines, Australia, and the United States with Sports Ambassadors, which sends various athletes to foreign nations to share their faith. The groups are known by the name Venture for Victory.Letters documents the Schaeffers' work with Overseas Crusades (particularly sports evangelism with Venture for Victory and Sports Ambassadors) and...
Collection 134 Papers of Marian Chapman
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews, photographs, and prayer letters relating to the ministry of Marian Gold Chapman, a missionary with Latin America Mission in Cartagena, Colombia (1957-1975); Bogota, New Jersey (1975-1977), and Coral Gables, Florida (1977-1979).
Collection 171 Papers of Albert and Mary Lee Bobby
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews and personal papers of Albert and Mary Lee Bobby, missionaries in Lisbon and Santiago do Cacem, Portugal, under The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM). Collection includes interviews, articles, correspondence, prayer letters, manuscript notes, and other material from the Bobbys about their mission work, including evangelism and radio broadcasting. The correspondence also includes information on various theological issues and American Christian leaders. The oral history...
Collection 177 Papers of Zoe Anne Alford
Scope and Contents This collection contains curriculum materials and lecture notes, manuscripts of messages, correspondence, prayer letters, financial records, clippings, maps, promotional materials, minutes, photographs, newsletters, oral history interview, documenting Zoe Anne Alford's work in India and among Navajo Indians in New Mexico. The collection provides a broad overview of her education, preparation and missionary career, extending from her grammar school education into her retirement. It provides an...
Collection 186 Papers of M. Douglas Hursh
Scope and Contents Two oral history interviews, manuscript material, photographs, and memorabilia relatingn to Marion Douglas Hursh's work with Sudan Interior Mission's Kano Eye Hospital, Kano in Nigeria from 1942-1962. Topics covered concern Hursh's education and work as a medical missionary at the Sudan Interior Mission's Kano Eye Hospital in Kano, Nigeria, as well as various aspects of church life and mission activity in Nigeria. Events described in the interviews cover the time period from 1904 to 1982.
Collection 200 Papers of Robert and Winifred Hockman
Scope and Contents Collection documenting the medical missionary service of Robert and Winnifred Hockman with the United Presbyterian Church in Ethiopia, including correspondence written by Hockmans to Robert Hockman’s parents, photographs, a scrapbook about the life and death of Robert Hockman, and oral history interviews with Winifred Hockman. The collection contains extensive material on the Italo-Ethiopian War and the work of the International Red Cross.
Collection 201 Oral History Interview with Russell P. Shedd
Scope and Contents Three oral history interviews with Russell Philip Shedd, in which he describes his upbringing by missionary parents in Bolivia; education at Wheaton College, Faith Seminary (PA), and the University of Edinburgh; Billy Graham's evangelistic meetings at Harringay and Edinburgh in 1954/55; evangelism opportunities in Scotland, 1953-55; and work with the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society in Portugal, 1959-62, and Brazil, 1962-82. The time period covered by the interviews is 1929 to...
Collection 228 Oral History Interview with Lyndon Hess
Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Lyndon Roth Hess in which he describes his missionary service in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) between 1932 and 1975 as a teacher of missionary children, assistant to village pastors and other work with the Lunda people. Topics include cultural influences on missionary children, education at Wheaton College, missionary service with Brethren Assemblies in Zambia teaching children of missionaries, the national African church, tribal tensions, Marxism, influence of...
Collection 237 Records of the Slavic Gospel Association
Scope and Contents Correspondence, minutes, prayer letters, audio tapes, films, and other materials documenting the work of the Slavic Gospel Association. Records deal with the early career of Peter Deyneka Sr.; work of individual missionaries; long range planning for the mission; radio ministry; literature publication and distribution; and evangelism in Europe, North America and South America. Collection contains significant information about the church in eastern Europe. Most of the documents in the collection...
Collection 242 Oral History Interview with Ruth E. Hess
Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Ruth Edna DeVelde Hess (1909-1997), a missionary with the Plymouth Brethren Church at Sakeji School for missionary children in Zambia. Topics discussed include: Hess' life as a child in Wheaton, Illinois, and education at Wheaton Academy and Wheaton College; marriage to Lyndon Roth Hess; calling to be teachers of missionary children; decision to go to Africa; their work at Sakeji School from 1932 to 1982; and descriptions of life and customs in Zambia among the Lunda...
Collection 248 Papers of William J. Barnett
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews and booklet of short stories and photographs created by William John Barnett, relating to his upbringing in Kenya as the son of missionaries with Africa Inland Mission (AIM) and his own later medical missionary service in Tanzania, Kenya, and the Comoro Islands from 1950-1990.Series: Audio TapesOral history interviews with William John Barnett in which he describes his childhood in Kenya with his missionary parents;...
Collection 255 Oral History Interview of Helen Frame
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Helen Nowack Frame (1908-1999) in which she discusses her childdhood growing up in China, decision to become a missionary for Overseas Missionary Fellowship, education at Wheaton College, years of service in China, culture and political events in China; leaving China in 1951 with her husband Raymond and their children and resettlement in the Philippines, teaching at Faith Academy, development of the Bible Institute, return and activities in Wheaton. The time period...
Collection 257 Oral History Interview with James B. Dillon
Scope and Contents Oral history interview with James B. Dillon in which he discusses his conversion, marriage work in Liberia for the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM), the programs of radio station Eternal Love Winning Africa (ELWA), the cultural diversity of Liberia, and the nature of indigenous Liberian hymns and worship.James Dillon was interviewed by Wheaton graduate student Claire Bureau for her ethnomusicology course on October 29, 1983 at the Billy Graham Center on Wheaton College campus. The time...
Collection 259 Oral History Interviews with Donald A. Cook
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Donald Arthur Cook (1923-2014) in which he describes his service with the Overseas Missionary Fellowship in Japan between 1956-1972. Topics discussed include upbringing, education at Wheaton College, experiences in the United States Air Force, American response to WWII, decision to join China Inland Mission (later OMF), evangelistic methods in Japan, administrative work, language difficulties, administrative duties in OMF headquarters in Hokkaido and in Tokyo,...
Collection 260 Oral History Interviews with Jeannette Thiessen
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Jeannette Louise Martig Thiessen (1927-2014) in which she discusses her family life in Illinois, favorite professors and her education at Wheaton College, nurses' training, and years in India (1952-1974) working with her husband under the sponsorship of the Mennonite Mission to the Lepers and American Leprosy Mission. Other topics discussed include: the Indian caste system, Indian politics, economics, literacy, hospital work with lepers, the Indian church, education...
Collection 262 Oral History Interview with Raymond Buker Jr.
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Raymond Bates Buker in which he describes growing up in Burma as the child of missionaries, his education at Wheaton College, his decision to become a missionary under the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society, language study; evangelization, church planting, translation, medical missions and education activities in Pakistan, working with Muslims and the Sindhi, Bhils, and Marwari tribal people, 1954-1969. Other topics discussed include: the culture, politics...
Collection 263 Oral History Interview with Margaret Carlson
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Margaret Johanna (Larson) Carlson in which she describes growing up in Ecuador as the child of missionaries, her education at Westmont and Wheaton Colleges, her nursing experience, and her missionary service with her husband at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Seminary in Hong Kong. Other topics discussed include: the founding of a HCJB radio station by her father, Reuben Larson, and her involvement in Wheaton College's HNGR Program. Individuals described...
Collection 272 Papers of Jennie Fitzwilliam
Identifier: CN
Scope and Contents Letters with some translation, photographs, a Lisu translation of the New Testament, combined catechism and hymnbook in the Atsi Kachin language, slides, and four oral history interviews all related to Jennie Fitzwilliam's mission work with Overseas Missionary Fellowship (formerly China Inland Mission) among the Lisu and Kachin peoples in southern China along the Burmese border. Included are recollections of Fitzwilliam's husband, Francis, J.O. Fraser and the early history of missionary work...
Collection 277 Papers of Jim Elliot
Scope and Contents Correspondence, journals, notebooks, school records, poems, clippings, drawings, and other materials describing the ministry of Jim Elliot and his spiritual preparation for the mission field and death at the hands of Waorani Indians. Microfilm edition of materials available for researcher use.[Note: In the Scope and Content description, the notation "folder 2-5" means box 2, folder 5.]The materials in this collection consist of...
Collection 278 Papers of Elisabeth Elliot
Scope and Contents Correspondence, slides, clippings, publicity releases, reviews, manuscripts, video and audio tapes relating to Elliot's careers as a missionary in Ecuador, author, teacher and speaker; videos of an oral history interview and several of her lectures on marriage, loneliness, suffering, and other topics. The collection is particularly rich in material relating to the so-called Auca Incident and her own work the Waorani, whose enemies called them the "Auca."
Collection 279 Oral History Interview with Elizabeth Evans
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Elizabeth Morrell Evans (1899-1976) in which she discusses her childhood; education at Wheaton College; work with J. Elwin Wright; her Christian education activities; the development of the New England Fellowship, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the World Evangelical Fellowship; and her work as a missionary in Taiwan. The time period covered by the interviews is 1899-1976.Elizabeth Evans was interviewed by Robert Shuster on October 8, 1984...
Collection 282 Oral History Interview with Bonnie Jo Adolph
Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Bonnie Jo Adelsman Adolph in which she discussses her missionary service in Ethiopia with Sudan Interior Mission from 1966-1974. Topics discussed include Adolph's education at Wheaton College, decision to become a missionary, living in Taiwan during her husband's military service, reasons for choosing Sudan Interior Mission, her husband's medical work in Ethiopia, observations about Sudanese culture, the church in Sudan, and the Adolphs short term mission service in...
Collection 283 Oral History Interview with Nancy Folkerts
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Nancy Wood Folkerts. Topics discussed include her childhood as a pastor's daughter; study at Wheaton College; her marriage; training in London; work as a missionary in British Cameroon (now Republic of Cameroon), especially Bible study and literacy programs for women and 3H clubs for girls; the political and social situation in Cameroon; Cameroon independence; medical problems in Cameroon; the work of her husband, Fred, at the Baptist Teacher Training College and as...
Collection 284 Oral History Interview with Gladys Wright
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Gladys Lyle Wright (1902-1994), in which she discusses her work as a teacher in Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of Congo). Topics discussed include: Wright's family background, education at Wheaton College and Moody Bible Institute, her work as a missionary in the Belgian Congo for the Africa Inland Mission, memories of the Congolese people and culture, and her experiences at Wheaton when she was on the staff of the College after retriring from the mission...
Collection 287 Oral History Interview with Margaret Crossett
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Margaret Rice Elliott Crossett in which she describes her childhood with her missionary parents in China, her education at Wheaton College, and missionary career with her husband, Vincent Crossett, in China and Taiwan with China Inland Mission/Overseas Missionary Fellowship (1929-1948, 1961-1973). Topics discussed include Crossett's childhood in China; description of Chinese indigenous worship practices and syncretism in Chinese religious culture; Crossett's...
Collection 289 Oral History Interview with G. Paul Groen
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Paul Groen in which he describes his education at Wheaton College, missionary work the Christian Reformed Church in Nigeria and the Nigerian church, particularly among the Tiv people, and the country's economy, educational system and political history between 1964 and 1973. Other topics discussed include: Tiv customs and religion, the church among the Tiv and its indigenous leadership and transition of leadership from missionaries, relations with Roman Catholics...
Collection 290 Oral History Interview with Merle A. Steely
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Merle Ashel Steely, who worked as a missionary with Sudan Interior Mission between 1951 and 1977 in Liberia and Nigeria. Topic discussed include: Steely's conversion while in military service, education and employment at Wheaton College (including the 1950 revival there), his missionary work in Liberia at radio station ELWA and with Sudan Interior Mission in Nigeria, teaching in mission and government schools, evangelism and church planting, Billy Graham's 1960...
Collection 297 Papers of Kenneth L. Shingledecker
Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Kenneth L. Shingledecker in which he describes his work with college students in Student Training in Missions, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, planning Urbana '79 student missions convention, missionary work in Kenya for Daystar Communications, and the development of Christian leadership in the church in Kenya. The collection also includes a folder of prayer letters, ranging from 1985-1990.Topics covered in the oral history interview include...
Subject: Missionaries X
Buswell Library Special Collections 1
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Home // Entertainment // Music
Caleb Johnson's 'Testify' Offers Raw, Soulful Sound
STACK reviews 'Testify,' the debut album from 'American Idol' winner Caleb Johnson.
As I listened to American Idol winner Caleb Johnson's debut album Testify, three "R"s came to mind: raw, rugged and rock 'n' roll. In fact, Johnson, who co-wrote most of the material, frequently uses the word "raw" to describe tracks on the album.
One of the most strikingly raw tracks is "Only One," which explores the turbulent relationship between a couple whose love survives fighting and turmoil. In the same vein, "Fighting Gravity"Â is about battling to stay in a relationship that's on the rocks. Although the production is simple and scaled down, with just a piano and Johnson's husky voice, it is a very passionate track.
One of the most strikingly raw tracks is "Only One," which explores the turbulent relationship between a couple whose love survives fighting and turmoil. In the same vein, "Fighting Gravity" is about battling to stay in a relationship that's on the rocks. Although the production is simple and scaled down, with just a piano and Johnson's husky voice, it is a very passionate track.
The intense title track, heavy on percussion, blends gospel, soul, rock and blues and sets the tone for the entire album.
"Save Me" is a guitar-driven track Johnson describes as "almost like a religious experience-type song."
A particularly danceable number is "Let Me In," which Johnson compares to dance songs of the 1960's. The track has a classic rock feel to it.
The introspective ballad "Change" tells the story of a guy who regrets mistreating his girlfriend and expresses his willingness to change to get her back.
"Another Life" is the closest Johnson comes to contemporary pop on the album. The song seems a little out of place among the edgier rock pieces, but it has a clean, quick, sharp beat, and it's a good change of pace. With lighthearted camp appeal, "As Long as You Love Me" and the fun, catchy, opening track, "Sailing Away," have a slight pop feel to them.
The sexiest and raunchiest track on the album is the provocatively titled "Devil's Daughter." A true example of rock 'n' roll, it's a wild, unvarnished song that's great for the dance floor.
Topics: NEWS | CLEAN | TRACK
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High adult mortality among Hiwi hunter-gatherers: Implications for human evolution
Kim Hill, Ana Hurtado, R. S. Walker
Extant apes experience early sexual maturity and short life spans relative to modern humans. Both of these traits and others are linked by life-history theory to mortality rates experienced at different ages by our hominin ancestors. However, currently there is a great deal of debate concerning hominin mortality profiles at different periods of evolutionary history. Observed rates and causes of mortality in modern hunter-gatherers may provide information about Upper Paleolithic mortality that can be compared to indirect evidence from the fossil record, yet little is published about causes and rates of mortality in foraging societies around the world. To our knowledge, interview-based life tables for recent hunter-gatherers are published for only four societies (Ache, Agta, Hadza, and Ju/'hoansi). Here, we present mortality data for a fifth group, the Hiwi hunter-gatherers of Venezuela. The results show comparatively high death rates among the Hiwi and highlight differences in mortality rates among hunter-gatherer societies. The high levels of conspecific violence and adult mortality in the Hiwi may better represent Paleolithic human demographics than do the lower, disease-based death rates reported in the most frequently cited forager studies.
Journal of Human Evolution
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.11.003
life table
sexual maturity
life-span
Pongidae
Hiwi (Venezuela)
Human life history
Hunter-gatherer demography
Mortality rates
Hill, K., Hurtado, A., & Walker, R. S. (2007). High adult mortality among Hiwi hunter-gatherers: Implications for human evolution. Journal of Human Evolution, 52(4), 443-454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.11.003
High adult mortality among Hiwi hunter-gatherers : Implications for human evolution. / Hill, Kim; Hurtado, Ana; Walker, R. S.
In: Journal of Human Evolution, Vol. 52, No. 4, 04.2007, p. 443-454.
Hill, K, Hurtado, A & Walker, RS 2007, 'High adult mortality among Hiwi hunter-gatherers: Implications for human evolution', Journal of Human Evolution, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 443-454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.11.003
Hill K, Hurtado A, Walker RS. High adult mortality among Hiwi hunter-gatherers: Implications for human evolution. Journal of Human Evolution. 2007 Apr;52(4):443-454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.11.003
Hill, Kim ; Hurtado, Ana ; Walker, R. S. / High adult mortality among Hiwi hunter-gatherers : Implications for human evolution. In: Journal of Human Evolution. 2007 ; Vol. 52, No. 4. pp. 443-454.
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title = "High adult mortality among Hiwi hunter-gatherers: Implications for human evolution",
abstract = "Extant apes experience early sexual maturity and short life spans relative to modern humans. Both of these traits and others are linked by life-history theory to mortality rates experienced at different ages by our hominin ancestors. However, currently there is a great deal of debate concerning hominin mortality profiles at different periods of evolutionary history. Observed rates and causes of mortality in modern hunter-gatherers may provide information about Upper Paleolithic mortality that can be compared to indirect evidence from the fossil record, yet little is published about causes and rates of mortality in foraging societies around the world. To our knowledge, interview-based life tables for recent hunter-gatherers are published for only four societies (Ache, Agta, Hadza, and Ju/'hoansi). Here, we present mortality data for a fifth group, the Hiwi hunter-gatherers of Venezuela. The results show comparatively high death rates among the Hiwi and highlight differences in mortality rates among hunter-gatherer societies. The high levels of conspecific violence and adult mortality in the Hiwi may better represent Paleolithic human demographics than do the lower, disease-based death rates reported in the most frequently cited forager studies.",
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AU - Hill, Kim
AU - Hurtado, Ana
AU - Walker, R. S.
N2 - Extant apes experience early sexual maturity and short life spans relative to modern humans. Both of these traits and others are linked by life-history theory to mortality rates experienced at different ages by our hominin ancestors. However, currently there is a great deal of debate concerning hominin mortality profiles at different periods of evolutionary history. Observed rates and causes of mortality in modern hunter-gatherers may provide information about Upper Paleolithic mortality that can be compared to indirect evidence from the fossil record, yet little is published about causes and rates of mortality in foraging societies around the world. To our knowledge, interview-based life tables for recent hunter-gatherers are published for only four societies (Ache, Agta, Hadza, and Ju/'hoansi). Here, we present mortality data for a fifth group, the Hiwi hunter-gatherers of Venezuela. The results show comparatively high death rates among the Hiwi and highlight differences in mortality rates among hunter-gatherer societies. The high levels of conspecific violence and adult mortality in the Hiwi may better represent Paleolithic human demographics than do the lower, disease-based death rates reported in the most frequently cited forager studies.
AB - Extant apes experience early sexual maturity and short life spans relative to modern humans. Both of these traits and others are linked by life-history theory to mortality rates experienced at different ages by our hominin ancestors. However, currently there is a great deal of debate concerning hominin mortality profiles at different periods of evolutionary history. Observed rates and causes of mortality in modern hunter-gatherers may provide information about Upper Paleolithic mortality that can be compared to indirect evidence from the fossil record, yet little is published about causes and rates of mortality in foraging societies around the world. To our knowledge, interview-based life tables for recent hunter-gatherers are published for only four societies (Ache, Agta, Hadza, and Ju/'hoansi). Here, we present mortality data for a fifth group, the Hiwi hunter-gatherers of Venezuela. The results show comparatively high death rates among the Hiwi and highlight differences in mortality rates among hunter-gatherer societies. The high levels of conspecific violence and adult mortality in the Hiwi may better represent Paleolithic human demographics than do the lower, disease-based death rates reported in the most frequently cited forager studies.
KW - Hiwi (Venezuela)
KW - Human life history
KW - Hunter-gatherer demography
KW - Mortality rates
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JO - Journal of Human Evolution
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10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.11.003
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The local history of hippias of Erythrai: Politics, place, memory, and monumentality
Matt Simonton
NCIAS: Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, School of (SHARCS)
Recent studies of local historiography in ancient Greece have overlooked the importance of Hippias of Erythrai, whose lone surviving fragment reveals complex processes of memory making and the politics of place. This article argues that Hippias should be understood as a participant in Early Hellenistic struggles between democracy and oligarchy, concluding with an exploration of how the historian's language interacts with the text and iconography of a Late Classical Athenian monument.
Monumentality
Simonton, M. (2018). The local history of hippias of Erythrai: Politics, place, memory, and monumentality. Hesperia, 87(3), 497-543.
The local history of hippias of Erythrai : Politics, place, memory, and monumentality. / Simonton, Matt.
In: Hesperia, Vol. 87, No. 3, 01.07.2018, p. 497-543.
Simonton, M 2018, 'The local history of hippias of Erythrai: Politics, place, memory, and monumentality', Hesperia, vol. 87, no. 3, pp. 497-543.
Simonton M. The local history of hippias of Erythrai: Politics, place, memory, and monumentality. Hesperia. 2018 Jul 1;87(3):497-543.
Simonton, Matt. / The local history of hippias of Erythrai : Politics, place, memory, and monumentality. In: Hesperia. 2018 ; Vol. 87, No. 3. pp. 497-543.
@article{7e4d477c2b76475f892f6c8a7f3282d0,
title = "The local history of hippias of Erythrai: Politics, place, memory, and monumentality",
abstract = "Recent studies of local historiography in ancient Greece have overlooked the importance of Hippias of Erythrai, whose lone surviving fragment reveals complex processes of memory making and the politics of place. This article argues that Hippias should be understood as a participant in Early Hellenistic struggles between democracy and oligarchy, concluding with an exploration of how the historian's language interacts with the text and iconography of a Late Classical Athenian monument.",
author = "Matt Simonton",
journal = "Hesperia",
publisher = "American School of Classical Studies at Athens",
T1 - The local history of hippias of Erythrai
T2 - Politics, place, memory, and monumentality
AU - Simonton, Matt
N2 - Recent studies of local historiography in ancient Greece have overlooked the importance of Hippias of Erythrai, whose lone surviving fragment reveals complex processes of memory making and the politics of place. This article argues that Hippias should be understood as a participant in Early Hellenistic struggles between democracy and oligarchy, concluding with an exploration of how the historian's language interacts with the text and iconography of a Late Classical Athenian monument.
AB - Recent studies of local historiography in ancient Greece have overlooked the importance of Hippias of Erythrai, whose lone surviving fragment reveals complex processes of memory making and the politics of place. This article argues that Hippias should be understood as a participant in Early Hellenistic struggles between democracy and oligarchy, concluding with an exploration of how the historian's language interacts with the text and iconography of a Late Classical Athenian monument.
JO - Hesperia
JF - Hesperia
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Curator of North American Anthropology, The Field Museum
awali@fieldmuseum.org
Alaka Wali is curator of North American Anthropology in the Science and Education Division of The Field Museum. From 1995 to 2010 she was the founding director of the Center for Cultural Understanding and Change. During that time, she pioneered the development of participatory social science research and community engagement processes based in museum science. She currently curates the North American collection and is leading the curatorial team working on renovating the Native North American Hall. She has also engaged contemporary Native American artists to collaborate on curating experimental exhibitions that combine contemporary art with historical items from the Field Museum’s collections. Her research focuses on the relationship between art and the capacity for social resilience. She is a team member for the Neubauer Collegium’s research project “Open Fields: Ethics, Aesthetics, and the Very Idea of a Natural History.” Wali was born in India and maintains strong ties to her birth homeland.
Neubauer Collegium
“Foreword. World Anthropologies,” co-authored with V. Dominguez, in American Anthropologist, Vol 12 (4), pp. 807-808 (2018)
“Anthropologists and Museums: An Interview with Joseph Weiss,” co-authored with J. Weiss and V. Dominguez, in American Anthropologist, Vol 12 (4) pp. 808-812 (2018)
“Commentary: Museums in the World,” in American Anthropologist, Vol 12 (4) pp. 812-813 (2018)
“Art, Artifact and Commodity in a Natural History Museum,” in Stories of Almost Everyone, ed. A. Moshayedi, Los Angeles, CA: Hammer Museum/Delmonico+Prestel, pp. 172-175 (2018)
"A new approach to conservation: using community empowerment for sustainable well-being," co-authored with D. Alvira, P. S. Tallman, A. Ravikumar, and M. O. Macedo, in Ecology and Society 22(4):6. (2017)
"Voices Now: Alaka Wali: A Conversation with Sam Beck," in Anthropology Now, Volume 9, Number 3, New York: Taylor and Francis (2016)
"Contextualizing the Collection. Environmental Conservation and Quality of Life in the Buffer Zone of the Cordillera Azul National Park," in Wali and Odland, eds. The Shibibo-Conibo: Cultures and Collections in Context. Fieldiana Anthropology. New Series No. 45. The Field Museum of Natural History, pp. 21-33 (2016)
"Resident and user support for urban natural areas restoration practices," co-authored with P.H. Gobster, K. Floress, L.M. Westphal, C.A. Watkins, J. Vining, in Biological Conservation Vol 203, pp. 216-225 (2016)
Native North American Hall Renovation, Field Museum, 2018 - present
Omni Wakan: Lakota Artist Rhonda Holy Bear (with Rhonda Holy Bear and Justin Richland), Field Museum, 2016-17
Drawing on Tradition: Kanza Artist Chris Pappan (with Chris Pappan and Justin Richland), Field Museum, 2016-17
Looking at Ourselves: Rethinking the Sculptures of Malvina Hoffman, Field Museum, 2015-16
Bunky Echo-Hawk: Modern Warrior (with Bunky Echo-Hawk), Field Museum, 2013-2015
Fashion and the Field Museum Collection. Maria Pinto (with Maria Pinto), Field Museum, 2012-13
Restoring Earth (Permanent Exhibition), Co-Curator (Anthropology Components), Field Museum, 2009-11
The Ancient Americas (Permanent Exhibition), Field Museum, 2007-08
Urban Gardens: Growing Chicago’s Communities (with Madeleine Tudor), Field Museum, 2001-02
Living Together: Common Concerns Different Responses, Field Museum, 1995-97
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Pages with script errors, Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters, Use mdy dates from February 2019,
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1850 establishments in Oregon Territory
Advance Publications
Newspapers published in Portland, Oregon
Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
Publications established in 1850
Pulitzer Prize-winning newspapers
Whig newspapers (United States)
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service winners
This article is about the newspaper. For the 2011 film, see The Oregonian (film). For other uses, see Oregonian.
Tabloid (since April 2, 2014)
Advance Publications[1]
Oregonian Media Group[2][3]
Therese Bottomly[4]
288/75 (full-time/part-time)[5]
1500 S.W. First Avenue[6]
Portland, Oregon 97201, United States
140,000 Daily[citation needed]
The Oregonian is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast,[8] founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850, and published daily since 1861. It is the largest newspaper in Oregon and the second largest in the Pacific Northwest by circulation. It is one of the few newspapers with a statewide focus in the United States.[8][9] The Sunday edition is published under the title The Sunday Oregonian. The regular edition was published under the title The Morning Oregonian from 1861 until 1937.[10]
The Oregonian received the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, the only gold medal annually awarded by the organization. The paper's staff or individual writers have received seven other Pulitzer Prizes, most recently the award for Editorial Writing in 2014.[11]
The Oregonian is home-delivered throughout Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, and Yamhill counties in Oregon and Clark County, Washington four days a week (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday); it is also home-delivered in parts of Marion and Columbia counties.[12] Although some independent dealers do deliver the newspaper outside that area, in 2006 it ceased to be available in far eastern Oregon and the southern Oregon Coast and, starting in December 2008, "increasing newsprint and distribution costs" caused the paper to stop delivery to all areas south of Albany.[13]
Establishment Edit
One year prior to the incorporation of the tiny town of Portland, Oregon, in 1851, prospective leaders of the new community determined to establish a local newspaper—an institution which was seen as a prerequisite for urban growth.[14] Chief among these pioneer community organizers seeking establishment of a Portland press were Col. W.W. Chapman and prominent local businessman Henry W. Corbett.[14] In the fall of 1850 Chapman and Corbett traveled to San Francisco, at the time far and away the largest city on the West Coast of the United States, in search of an editor interested in and capable of producing a weekly newspaper in Portland.[14] There the pair met Thomas J. Dryer, a transplanted New Yorker who was an energetic writer with both printing equipment and previous experience in the production of a small circulation community newspaper in his native Ulster County, New York.[14]
First weekly issues Edit
File:The Weekly Oregonian 1859.jpg
Dryer's press was transported to Portland and it was there on December 4, 1850 that the first issue of The Weekly Oregonian found its readers.[15] Each weekly issue consisted of four pages, printed six columns wide.[15] Little attention was paid to current news events, with the bulk of the paper's content devoted to political themes and biographical commentary.[15] The paper took a staunch political line supportive of the Whig Party—an orientation which soon brought it into conflict with The Statesman, a Democratic paper launched at Oregon City not long after The Weekly Oregonian's debut.[15] A loud and bitter rivalry between the competing news organs ensued.[15]
1860s–1870s Edit
Pittock era Edit
Henry Pittock became the owner in 1861 as compensation for unpaid wages, and he began publishing the paper daily, except Sundays.[16] Pittock's goal was to focus more on news than the bully pulpit established by Dryer.[17] He ordered a new press in December 1860 and also arranged for the news to be sent by telegraph to Redding, California, then by stagecoach to Jacksonville, Oregon, and then by pony express to Portland.[17]
Scott era Edit
File:Scott-Harvey-W-1874.jpg
From 1866 to 1872 Harvey W. Scott was the editor.[18] Henry W. Corbett bought the paper from a cash-poor Pittock in October 1872 and placed William Lair Hill as editor.[17] Scott, fired by Corbett for supporting Ben Holladay's candidates, became editor of Holladay's rival Bulletin newspaper.[17] The paper went bankrupt around 1874, Holladay having lost $200,000 in the process.[17] Corbett sold The Oregonian back to Pittock in 1877, marking a return of Scott to the paper's editorial helm.[17] A part-owner of the paper, Scott would remain as editor-in-chief until shortly before his death in 1910.
One of the journalists who began his career on The Oregonian during this time period was James J. Montague who took over and wrote the column "Slings & Arrows" until he was hired away by William Randolph Hearst in 1902.[19]
Sunday Oregonian Edit
In 1881, the first Sunday Oregonian was published.[20] The paper became known as the voice of business-oriented Republicans, as evidenced by consistent endorsement of Republican candidates for president in every federal election before 1992.
New location Edit
File:The Oregonian Building circa 1900.png
The paper's offices and presses were originally housed in a two-story building at the intersection of First Street (now First Avenue) and Morrison Street, but in 1892 the paper moved into a new nine-story building at 6th and Alder streets.[20] The new building was, the same as its predecessor (and successor), called the Oregonian Building. It included a clock tower at one corner, and the building's overall height of 194[21] to 196[22] feet (around 59 m) made it the tallest structure in Portland, a distinction it retained until the completion of the Yeon Building in 1911.[22] It contained about 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of floor space, including the basement but not the tower.[21] The newspaper did not move again until 1948. The 1892 building was demolished in 1950.[23]
See also: Ben Hur Lampman
File:Morning oregonian.jpg
Following the death of Harvey Scott in 1910, the paper's editor-in-chief was Edgar B. Piper, who had previously been managing editor.[24] Piper remained editor until his death in 1928.
The Morning Oregonian and KGW Edit
In 1922, The Morning Oregonian launched KGW, Oregon's first commercial radio station. Five years later, KGW affiliated with NBC (1927). The newspaper purchased a second station, KEX, in 1933,[25] from NBC subsidiary Northwest Broadcasting Co. In 1944, KEX was sold to Westinghouse Radio Stations, Inc. The Oregonian launched KGW-FM, the Northwest's first FM station,[26] in 1946 (acclaimed by "The Oregonian" May 8, 1946), known today as KKRZ. KGW and KGW-FM were sold to King Broadcasting Co in 1953.
In 1937, The Morning Oregonian shortened its name to The Oregonian. Two years later, associate editor Ronald G. Callvert received a Pulitzer Prize for editorial reporting for "distinguished editorial writing...as exemplified by the editorial entitled "My Country 'Tis of Thee".[27]
Move in 1948 Edit
File:New home of The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, Pacific Northwest's largest newspaper (80087).jpg
In 1948, the paper moved to a new location within downtown, where its headquarters ultimately would remain for the next 66 years, on SW Broadway between Jefferson Street and Columbia Street. The new building was designed by Pietro Belluschi and again was named the Oregonian Building.[20] The block was previously home to the William S. Ladd mansion, which had been demolished around 1925.[17] Circa 1946, The Oregonian purchased the block for $100,000, which led to complaints from paper editor Leslie M. Scott because of the outrageous price.[17] Three years later, Scott purchased a nearby block for the state at $300,000 while holding the office of Oregon State Treasurer.[17]
The new Oregonian building was to contain the KGW radio station and a television studio, as well as a large and opulent dining room.[17] The contractor was L. H. Hoffman, who was under a very profitable cost-plus contract.[17] Aside from the "extravagance of design", construction materials in short supply, the nation was under heavy inflation, and Belluschi's plans were never ready, leading to massive costs.[17] The Oregonian had to borrow from banks, the first time in over 50 years.[17] New company president E. B. MacNaughton was forced to exhaust the company's loan limits at First National Bank, then turn to the Bank of America.[17] MacNaughton then eliminated an extra elevator, the dining room, and KGW's radio and television studios.[17] The building still cost $4 million, twice the original estimate.[17]
The building opened in 1948, but The Oregonian had to sell it to Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company for $3.6 million in a leaseback arrangement.[17] Further financial issues led to the 1950 sale to Samuel Newhouse.[17]
In 1950, Advance Publications founder S. I. "Si" Newhouse purchased the paper. At that time, the sale price of $5.6 million was the largest for a single newspaper.[28] The sale was announced on December 11, 1950.[17] In 1954, Newhouse bought 50% of Mount Hood Radio & Television Broadcasting Corp, which broadcasts KOIN-TV, Portland's first VHF television station, KOIN AM (now KUFO), and KOIN-FM (now KXL-FM). The Oregonian's circulation in 1950 was 214,916; that of the rival Oregon Journal was 190,844.[29]
In 1957, staff writers William Lambert and Wallace Turner were awarded that year's Pulitzer Prize for Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting - No Edition time.[30] Their prize cited "their expose of vice and corruption in Portland involving some municipal officials and officers of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America, Western Conference" and noted that "they fulfilled their assignments despite great handicaps and the risk of reprisal from lawless elements."[30]
The Oregon Journal Edit
What was to become a long and heated strike began against both The Oregonian and The Oregon Journal began in November 1959.[31] The strike was called by Stereotypers Local 49 over various contract issues, particularly the introduction of more automated plate-casting machinery;[32] the new-to-American-publishing German-made equipment required one operator instead of the four that operated the existing equipment.[31] Wallace Turner and many other writers and photographers refused to cross the picket lines and never returned.[33] The two newspapers published a "joint, typo-marred paper" for six months until they had hired enough nonunion help to resume separate operations.[32] Starting in February 1960, striking union workers published a daily newspaper, The (Portland) Reporter;[8] its circulation peaked at 78,000, but was shut down in October 1964.
In 1961, Newhouse bought The Oregon Journal, Portland's afternoon daily newspaper. Production and business operations of the two newspapers were consolidated in The Oregonian's building, while their editorial staffs remained separate.[34] The National Labor Relations Board ruled the strike illegal in November 1963.[8] Strikers continued to picket until April 4, 1965,[33] at which point the two newspapers became open shops.
Late 1960s–early 1980s Edit
In 1967, Fred Stickel came to The Oregonian from New Jersey to become general manager of the paper; he became president in 1972 and publisher in 1975.[35]
As part of a larger corporate plan to exit broadcasting, The Oregonian sold KOIN-TV to newspaper owner Lee Enterprises in 1977. At the same time, KOIN-AM and -FM were sold to Gaylord Broadcasting Co. Since S. I. Newhouse died in 1979, S.I. Jr. has managed the magazines, and Donald oversees the newspapers.
The Oregonian lost its primary "competitor" and Portland became a one-daily-newspaper city in 1982, when Advance/Newhouse shut down the Journal citing declining advertising revenues.[citation needed]
Late 1980s Edit
Hilliard era Edit
William A. Hilliard was named editor in 1987, and was the paper's first African-American editor.[36] A resident of Oregon since the age of 8, Hilliard had already worked at The Oregonian for 35 years; he had been city editor starting in 1971 and executive editor since 1982.[37]
1989 Edit
The Oregonian established an Asia bureau in Tokyo, Japan in 1989, becoming the first Pacific Northwest newspaper with a foreign correspondent.[citation needed]
Also in 1989, The Oregonian recalled an edition featuring an article that criticized a prominent local business and advertising customer; in 1992, the Wall Street Journal cited The Oregonian as an example of a newspaper muffling its criticism of business to appeal to commercial advertisers.[citation needed] The Oregonian endorsed a Democratic candidate for president for the first time in its history when it supported Bill Clinton in 1992.[38]
1990s Edit
The year 1993 was an eventful year for The Oregonian. Robert M. Landauer, then editorial page editor, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Writing for "a bold campaign to defuse myths and prejudice promoted by an anti-homosexual constitutional amendment, which was subsequently defeated", according to the Pulitzer judges. The integrity of The Oregonian became the subject of national coverage when The Washington Post broke the story of inappropriate sexual advances which led to the resignation of Oregon senator Bob Packwood four years later. This prompted some to joke, "If it matters to Oregonians, it's in the Washington Post" (a twist on the Oregonian's slogan "If it matters to Oregonians, it's in The Oregonian).[39] Finally, Newhouse appointed a new editor for the paper, Sandra Rowe, who relocated from The Virginian-Pilot.
“ Business has everything—power, influence, sex, drama—and our job is to pull back the curtain: That bank merger last week? Who got screwed? Who came out on top? This is what really happened. Business news should be handled as finely crafted drama; it's got substance and great meaning. Business should be the backbone of the newspaper. ”
—Sandy Rowe, from AJR in 1999[40]
Rowe era Edit
Sandra Rowe joined the paper as executive editor in June 1993.[41] She formally became editor in 1994 with the retirement of William Hilliard, but Hilliard had effectively already given her control of the editor's reins in 1993 as he focused his attention on his duties as the newly elected president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors for 1993–94, in his final year before retirement.[37]
According to Editor & Publisher, soon after Rowe's arrival, she introduced organizational changes to the newsroom. Instead of having a large number of general assignment reporters, she organized them around teams, many of which often develop "subject expertise" that "reflect[s] the interests of readers, not traditional newsroom boundaries."[5] Examples (over the years) include "Northwest Issues and Environment", "Living In the '90s"/"How We Live", "Politics and Accountability", "Health, Science, and Medicine", "Sustainability and Growth", and "Higher Education".[5][42] Accompanying the reorganization was a more bottom-up approach to identifying stories: "instead of having an assignment-driven newspaper, you have the beat reporters coming to editors with what is going on", with the team editors responsible for deciding what stories were covered by their teams.[5]
The position of public editor was established at The Oregonian in 1993, and Robert Caldwell was appointed.[43] Michele McLellan assumed the role three years later, and was delegated the authority to decide whether or not a newspaper error should result in the publication of a correction.[44]
Pulitzer Prize Edit
Staff writer Richard Read won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting, for a series, The French Fry Connection.[45] The articles illustrated the impact of the 1997 Asian financial crisis by following a case of french fries from a Washington-state farm to a McDonald's in Singapore, ending in Indonesia during riots that led to the Fall of Suharto. The newsroom celebrated The Oregonian's first Pulitzer in 42 years with champagne, McDonald's french fries and a brass band. The series also received the Overseas Press Club award for best business reporting from abroad, the Scripps Howard Foundation award for business reporting and the Blethen award for enterprise reporting.[46][47]
Co-worker Tom Hallman Jr. was a finalist for the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing, for his "unique profile of a man struggling to recover from a brain injury". Reporter Mark O'Keefe won an Overseas Press Club award for human rights reporting. The editors of Columbia Journalism Review recognized The Oregonian as number twelve on its list of "America's Best Newspapers", and the best newspaper owned by the Newhouse family.
In 2000, The Oregonian was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of an environmental disaster created when the New Carissa, a freighter that carried nearly 400,000 gallons of heavy fuel, ran aground February 4, 1999, north of Coos Bay, Oregon. The articles detailed "how fumbling efforts of official agencies failed to contain the far-reaching damage", according to the Pulitzer jury. That same year reporters Brent Walth[48] and Alex Pulaski[49] were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Writing for their series on political influences in pesticide regulation.
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service Edit
The Oregonian and news staff were acknowledged with two Pulitzer Prizes in 2001. The paper was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service,[50] for its "detailed and unflinching examination of systematic problems within the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, including harsh treatment of foreign nationals and other widespread abuses, which prompted various reforms." The series was reported and written by Kim Christensen,[51] Richard Read, Julie Sullivan-Springhetti[52] and Brent Walth,[48] with editorials by the Editorial Board.
Staff writer Tom Hallman Jr. received the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing[53] for his series, The Boy Behind the Mask, on a teen with a facial deformity.
In 2003, music critic David Stabler was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing for "his sensitive, sometimes surprising chronicle of a teenage prodigy's struggle with a musical talent that proved to be both a gift and a problem". Michael Arrieta-Walden became public editor in 2003; when he ended his three-year term in the position, no successor was named.[54]
File:The Oregonian building.JPG
2004 criticism Edit
In 2004 the paper faced criticism after a headline characterized a 1970s sexual relationship between then-mayor Neil Goldschmidt and a 14-year-old girl as an "affair", rather than statutory rape.[55][56][57]
The paper endorsed a Democrat for president for the second time in its 150-year history when it backed John Kerry for president in 2004.[38]
2005–2006 Edit
In 2005, staff reporters Steve Suo and Erin Hoover Barnett were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for "their groundbreaking reports on the failure to curtail the growing illicit use of methamphetamines". That same year, Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights published two reports on The Oregonian, claiming the paper under-reported Palestinian deaths in its news stories of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and excluded the Palestinian narrative in its Opinion Pages.[58][59]
Editorial writers Doug Bates and Rick Attig were awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing for their editorials on the conditions at the Oregon State Hospital.[60] As of late 2006 and early 2007, the paper's circulation averaged 319,625 for the daily edition and 375,913 for the Sunday edition, giving The Oregonian the 22nd-largest circulation among all major newspapers in the U.S.[61]
In 2007, The Oregonian and its journalists were recognized with several awards. Sports columnist John Canzano was selected as the nation's No. 2 sports columnist in the annual Associated Press Sports Editors Awards. Three Oregonian reporters—Jeff Kosseff, Bryan Denson, and Les Zaitz—were awarded the George Polk Award for national reporting, for their series about the failure of a decades-old, multibillion-dollar, federal program established by the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act intended to help people with severe disabilities find employment. Instead it "awarded executives handsomely but left disabled workers in segregated jobs often paying less than minimum wage."[62][63]
On April 16, 2007, it was announced that the staff of The Oregonian was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for their "skillful and tenacious coverage of a family missing in the Oregon mountains, telling the tragic story both in print and online."[64] In addition, the paper's reporters were finalists in two other categories. Les Zaitz, Jeff Kosseff and Bryan Denson were finalists for the Pulitzer for National Reporting for the same series that also won the George Polk Award noted above. Inara Verzemnieks was nominated for the Pulitzer for Feature Writing for "her witty and perceptive portfolio of features on an array of everyday topics", according to the Pulitzer judges.
In February 2008, Editor & Publisher named editor Sandra Mims Rowe and executive editor Peter Bhatia as "Editors of the Year". The trade journal noted that since Rowe and Bhatia arrived in 1993, the paper and its journalists had won five Pulitzer Prizes and had been finalists a further nine times.[5] E&P also cited "an increased focus on specialized reporting; a reorganized newsroom that promotes "team reporting" concepts over traditional beats; and regular training sessions and seminars that most staffers credit for encouraging fresh ideas and competitive approaches."[5] Pulitzer Board member Richard Oppel, the editor of the Austin American-Statesman, called the paper "one of the finest newspapers in the country, easily in the top 10."[5]
On September 28, 2008, the paper distributed a DVD of Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West as an advertising supplement for that day's edition,[65] two weeks after The New York Times, The Charlotte Observer and The Miami Herald had done the same thing.[66] The Oregonian did so despite Portland mayor Tom Potter's personal request that publisher Fred Stickel not distribute it because the "tenor of the video contributes towards a climate of distrust towards Muslims", and because the paper's willingness to distribute the DVD bestows upon it "an impression of objectivity and legitimacy it does not deserve."[65] Stickel cited "freedom of speech", and an "obligation to keep our advertising columns as open as possible" as reasons for not rejecting the DVD.[65]
Newsroom staff in 2008 was about the same size as it was in 1993, though there were fifty fewer full-time staff members than there were in 2002; about half of those positions were eliminated after a buyout in late 2007.[5] The paper's outside news bureaus grew from four to six during her tenure.[5]
In 2009, The Oregonian was scooped for a third time on a story of an Oregon politician's sex scandal, this time involving Mayor Sam Adams about what Newsweek called his "public deception and private bad judgment" about his past relationship with a teenage legislative intern.[67] Nigel Jaquiss of Willamette Week broke the story after 18 months of investigations; Jaquiss's reporting on another sex scandal involving Neil Goldschmidt earned Jaquiss a 2005 Pulitzer Prize. Jaquiss thinks The Oregonian's failure to follow up on leads that both he and Oregonian reporters had received was a case of "one-newspaper towns being a little too cozy with local power brokers."[67] A media ethics teacher and consultant for The Poynter Institute for Media Studies suggests that the pattern of failure to cover such stories "may have more to do with the culture at The Oregonian, which has recently "built its reputation on thoughtful, narrative coverage ...[that] doesn't lend itself well to digging up sex scandals."[67]
In August 2009, the paper's owners announced the end of a policy that protected full-time employees from layoffs for economic or technological reasons;[35] the change took effect the following February.[68] In September 2009, publisher Fred Stickel announced his retirement, effective September 18, ending 34 years in the position; his son Patrick, president of the paper, was appointed interim publisher but was not a candidate to succeed his father,[35] and Patrick Stickel retired on December 30, 2009.[69] N. Christian Anderson III was named as the new publisher in October,[70] and began work in the position at the beginning of November 2009.[71] After more than 16 years as editor, Sandra Rowe retired at the end of 2009.[72][73] Peter Bhatia, then executive editor, succeeded her as editor.[72]
Layoffs of 37 in February 2010 left the paper with a total of about 750 employees, including more than 200 in the news department.[68] In September, the newspaper announced that its "TV Click" was to be replaced by TV Weekly, a publication from the Troy, Michigan-based NTVB Media.[74] Unlike "TV Click", TV Weekly requires a separate subscription fee; The Oregonian is following the example of the Houston Chronicle[75] and other major newspapers and switching to "some form of 'opt in and pay' TV sections (rather than dropping the sections) and have found only about 10 percent to 20 percent of subscribers use the sections."[74]
In 2013, publisher N. Christian Anderson announced the paper was restructuring and that beginning October 1, the Oregonian Publishing Company would be dissolved.[1] Two new companies would be formed: the Oregonian Media Group, which will focus on providing content on its online news site, OregonLive.com though it would continue to publish a daily print edition of the paper; and Advance Central Services Oregon, which would provide production, packaging, and distribution support for the new company. Ownership remained with Advance Publications. Though the paper would be printed seven days a week, home delivery would be cut to four days a week: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.[1] These changes were put into effect, as scheduled, on October 1.[76] The paper also announced that "significant" layoffs were expected.[1] In addition, Anderson announced that the new company would likely move from its downtown Portland building.[77]
On April 2, 2014, the paper switched from broadsheet format to the smaller tabloid format.[78]
On April 14, 2014, it was announced that the paper's editorial staff—consisting of Mark Hester, Erik Lukens, Susan Nielsen, and Len Reed[79]—had won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing, for their coverage of the state of Oregon's public employee retirement system. Reporter Les Zaitz was named as a finalist for Explanatory Reporting for his work on Mexican drug cartels.[11]
File:The Oregonian street vending box (new tabloid format) with The Portland Tribune.JPG
Editor Peter Bhatia left the paper in May 2014 to take a teaching position at Arizona State University. In July 2014, it was announced that Mark Katches had been hired as the paper's editor, and would also be the Oregonian Media Group's vice president of content.[80] Also in July 2014, the newspaper moved its headquarters from the building at 1320 SW Broadway that it had occupied since 1948 to a smaller space elsewhere in downtown Portland.[81] The new headquarters takes up around 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2) of space in the Crown Plaza office building, at 1500 SW First Avenue.[6]
N. Christian Anderson left the Oregonian Media Group in May 2015, to become editor and publisher of The Register-Guard, in Eugene, Oregon.[82] Anderson became publisher of The Oregonian in 2009, subsequently being named president of the Oregonian Media Group when that new company replaced the Oregonian Publishing Company in October 2013, with the title of publisher thereafter no longer being used, and in turn was appointed to the new position of chairman of the group in September 2014.[82] Steve Moss succeeded Anderson as Oregonian Media Group president,[83] and the chairman position was to go unfilled.[82]
Moss announced in July 2016 that he would depart at the end of August.[7] In the article about Moss's impending departure, it was disclosed that the newspaper's Sunday circulation was at that time approximately 170,000.[7]
On October 24, 2016, the paper's editorial board announced that it would once again decline to endorse a candidate for President of the United States, a practice it first abandoned in 2012. This decision was criticized by some readers, who wondered why the board would offer endorsements in state elections without also taking a position on the presidential race. The board justified its decision by citing the paper's general focus on local issues, writing "Our goal as an editorial board is to have an impact in our community. And we don't think an endorsement for president would move the needle. So that's why we focus our endorsement energy where voters may not have made up their minds and need help with the decision."[84]
Editor Mark Katches left the company in July 2018, to take a job in Florida. Therese Bottomly, who had already been working for The Oregonian since 1983, was appointed interim editor at that time, and in September 2018 she was named editor and vice president of content at The Oregonian/OregonLive.[4][85]
Targeted publications Edit
The staff of The Oregonian also produces three "targeted publications"—glossy magazines distributed free of charge to 40,000–45,000 wealthy residents of the Portland metropolitan area, and sold on newsstands to 5,000 others. A fourth glossy magazine, Explore the Pearl, is produced in conjunction with the Pearl District Business Association, and mailed to "high-income Portland Metro households" within Lake Oswego, West Linn, Mountain Park, Lakeridge, Forest Heights, Raleigh Hills, Oak Hills, West Hills, Dunthorpe, and Clark County.[86]
Explore the Pearl A look at "all of the hot spots—retailers, restaurants and galleries—the Pearl has to offer."[86] 61,000[86] www.explorethepearl.com
Homes+Gardens Northwest "Take[s] you inside real Northwest homes and gardens, where residents and professionals have created spaces perfect for the finest Northwest living"[87] 40,000[87] $120,000 (median)[87] hgnorthwest.com
Mix "Celebrates our fascination with fine food and the casual entertaining that marks the Northwest lifestyle"[88] 40,000[88] $95,000 (median)[88] mixpdx.com
Northwest Captures the "experience of living the good life here in Oregon and the Northwest"[89] 45,000[89] $164,000 (average)[89]
The Oregonian Printing Press Park
Oregon portal
32x28pxJournalism portal
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Hunsberger, Brett (June 20, 2013). "The Oregonian will go to four-day home delivery". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/06/the_oregonian_will_go_to_four-.html. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
↑ "About Oregonian Media Group (FAQ)". OregonLive.com. June 20, 2013. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/06/about-oregonian-media-group.html.
↑ "About Oregonian Media Group". Oregonian Media Group. Archived from the original on 2017-11-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20171112231354/http://www.oregonianmediagroup.com/about/.
↑ 4.0 4.1 Manning, Jeff (September 8, 2018). "Therese Bottomly named editor". The Oregonian: p. A2. https://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2018/09/therese_bottomly_named_editor.html. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named eandp
↑ 6.0 6.1 Njus, Elliott (July 24, 2014). "Oregonian Media Group to move into new downtown offices". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2014/07/oregonian_media_group_to_move.html. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Steve Moss stepping down as president of Oregonian Media Group". The Oregonian. July 25, 2016. http://www.oregonlive.com/editors/index.ssf/2016/07/steve_moss_stepping_down_as_pr.html.
↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named orpubhist
↑ "Our History". Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. http://www.orenews.com/history.
↑ "Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861–1937". University of Oregon. https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn83025138/. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
↑ 11.0 11.1 "The 2014 Pulitzer Prize Winners: Editorial Writing". April 14, 2014. http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2014-Editorial-Writing. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
↑ "Get The Oregonian Delivered To Your Home Or Business". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/oregoniansubscribe. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
↑ "Oregonian to halt delivery in Eugene-Springfield area". The Register-Guard (Eugene, Ore): p. B1. December 13, 2008. http://special.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/business/4141527-41/story.csp.
↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 H.W. Scott, History of Portland, Oregon: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Prominent Citizens and Pioneers. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co., 1890; pg. 413.
↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Scott, History of Portland, Oregon, pg. 414.
↑ Scott, H. W. (1890). "The Press". History of Portland, Oregon. Syracuse, New York: D. Mason & Co. Reprinted in Access Genealogy. AccessGenealogy.com.. http://www.accessgenealogy.com/oregon/multnomah/press.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-23.
↑ 17.00 17.01 17.02 17.03 17.04 17.05 17.06 17.07 17.08 17.09 17.10 17.11 17.12 17.13 17.14 17.15 17.16 17.17 17.18 MacColl, E. Kimbark (1979). The Growth of a City: Power and Politics in Portland, Oregon 1915–1950. Portland, Oregon: The Georgian Press. ISBN 0-9603408-1-5.
↑ Notson, Robert C., "Making the Day Begin", Oregonian Publishing Company, 1976, p.8.
↑ James J. Montague, collected papers, Ithaca, New York
↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Notson, Robert C. (December 6, 1981). "100 Years of Sunday Reading". The Sunday Oregonian, pp. NW4-NW11.
↑ 21.0 21.1 "Oregonian Building Said Most Fireproof On Coast, Ahead of Its Time, When Built". (October 5, 1947). The Sunday Oregonian, p. 16.
↑ 22.0 22.1 "Yeon Skyscraper Starts March 10". (February 6, 1910). The Sunday Oregonian, Section 4, p. 12.
↑ "Building Gone From Old Site". (November 19, 1950). The Sunday Oregonian, p. 18.
↑ "Henry L. Pittock, Leader in Pacific Coast Journalism, Dies at Age of 83". Editor & Publisher: 7–8. February 1, 1919. https://books.google.com/books?id=G7xNAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA4-PA7.
↑ "Oregonian Acquires Radio Station KEX". (September 1, 1933). The Morning Oregonian, p. 1.
↑ Notson, Robert C., "Making the Day Begin", Oregonian Publishing Company, 1976, p.22.
↑ "The Pulitzer Prizes 1939 Winners". http://www.pulitzer.org/awards/1939. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
↑ Notson, Robert C. "Making the Day Begin" Oregonian Publishing Company, 1976, p.27.
↑ "The Press: Snap the Whip". Time magazine. January 23, 1950. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,858588,00.html.
↑ 30.0 30.1 "The Pulitzer Prizes 1957 Winners". http://www.pulitzer.org/awards/1957. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
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↑ Notson, Robert C. "Making the Day Begin". Oregonian Publishing Company, 1976, p.51.
↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 "At 87, 'Oregonian' Publisher Stickel to Retire". Editor & Publisher. Associated Press. September 10, 2009. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110501050254/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Departments/Top%20Stories/at-87-oregonian-publisher-stickel-to-retire-28556-.aspx. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
↑ Sarasohn, David. "William A. Hilliard (1927–)". The Oregon Encyclopedia. http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/hilliard_william_a_1927_/. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
↑ 37.0 37.1 Hallman Jr., Tom (May 15, 1994). "William A. Hilliard, Editor Emeritus". The Oregonian: p. L1.
↑ 38.0 38.1 "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN; Newspapers Publish Endorsements". The New York Times. October 19, 1992. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10611F7395C0C7A8DDDA90994DA494D81. Retrieved 2006-11-22.
↑ Koberstein, Paul (1999). "Dubious Achievements: The Oregonian 1974–1999 (The Oregonian's Big Oh's)". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on May 2, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070502041450/http://www.wweek.com/html/25-oh.html. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
↑ Simons, Lewis M. (November 1999). "Continuation of Follow the Money". American Journalism Review. http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=3171. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
↑ Nicholas, Jonathan (June 15, 1993). "Some like it hot ... and this newspaper's getting warmer". The Oregonian: p. D1.
↑ Newsroom Roster Script error from the paper's website
↑ Robert Caldwell, Editorial Page Editor Script error from the paper's website
↑ Details Matter: Accuracy Script error, a July 23, 2002 article written by Michele McLellan for the Newspaper Credibility Handbook at the American Society of Newspaper Editors website
↑ "Richard Read of The Oregonian, Portland, Pulitzer Prizes". http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/6877.
↑ "Foundation Announces National Journalism Awards Winners". Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131231002252/http://www.scripps.com/foundation/news/releases/99mar9.html.
↑ "Times' Reporters land-swap series wins Blethen award". http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19991112&slug=2994832.
↑ 48.0 48.1 "Brent Walth-School of Journalism and Communication". http://journalism.uoregon.edu/member/walth-brent/.
↑ "Alex Pulaski". http://www.osba.org/Member%20Databases/OSBA_Staff/Alex%20Pulaski.aspx.
↑ "The Oregonian, Portland, The Pulitzer Prizes". http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/6932.
↑ "Kim Christensen-LA Times". http://www.latimes.com/la-bio-kim-christensen-staff.html.
↑ "Julie Sullivan Springhetti". https://multco.us/communications/julie-sullivan-springhetti.
↑ "Tom Hallman Jr. of The Oregonian, Portland, Pulitzer Prizes". http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/6922.
↑ Arrieta-Walden, Michael (March 26, 2006). "Thanks to all for sharing your wisdom". The Oregonian (Organization of News Ombudsmen). http://www.newsombudsmen.org/cgi-bin/ono_article.pl?mode=view&article_id=1144122399.
↑ Rosen, Jill. "The Story Behind the Story". American Journalism Review. http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=3706. Retrieved 2006-11-22.
↑ Jaquiss, Nigel (November 22, 2006). "The 30-Year Secret". Willamette Week. http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-3198-the_30_year_secret.html. Retrieved 2006-11-22.
↑ Vetter, Christopher. "We are Dealing with a Child Molestor". Inside Portland. http://insideportland.com/affair.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-22.
↑ "The Oregonian: A News Coverage Report May–October 2004" (PDF). Accuracy in Israel/Palestine Reporting. March 2005. http://www.auphr.org/docs/Oregonian_Report_04072005.pdf. Retrieved 2006-11-22.
↑ "Excluded Voices: A study of Palestine/Israel in the Opinion Pages of The Oregonian Newspaper" (PDF). Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights. March 21, 2006. http://www.auphr.org/docs/OregonianEditorialReport.pdf. Retrieved 2006-11-22.
↑ The Pulitzer Board Presents The Pulitzer Prize Winners 2006
↑ "Top 100 Daily Newspapers in the U.S. by Circulation, 2007" (PDF). BurrellesLuce. 2007. http://www.burrellesluce.com/top100/2007_Top_100List.pdf. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
↑ "Polk Awards Announced—Honor 8 Papers From New York To Oregon". Editor & Publisher. February 2007. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110501050241/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Departments/Top%20Stories/polk-awards-announced-honor-8-papers-from-new-york-to-oregon-37750-.aspx. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
↑ "Long Island University Announces Winners of 2006 George Polk Awards". Long Island University. 2007. http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/polk/press/2006.html. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
↑ 2007 Pulitzer Prize Winners – BREAKING NEWS REPORTING, Citation from the Pulitzer Prize website
↑ 65.0 65.1 65.2 E&P Staff (September 28, 2008). "'Oregonian' Distributes 'Muslim Terror' DVD—After Mayor Asks It to Refrain". Editor & Publisher. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110501050246/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Departments/Top%20Stories/oregonian-distributes-muslim-terror-dvd-after-mayor-asks-it-to-refrain-32114-.aspx. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
↑ Greg Mitchell; Joe Strupp (September 13, 2008). "Newspapers Deliver Millions of 'Terror' DVDs to Subscribers – In 'Swing States'". Editor & Publisher. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110501050250/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Departments/Top%20Stories/update-newspapers-deliver-millions-of-terror-dvds-to-subscribers-in-swing-states-31982-.aspx. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
↑ 67.0 67.1 67.2 Winston Ross (February 3, 2009). "The Paper Chase". Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/id/183028/output/print. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
↑ 68.0 68.1 "Oregonian lays off 37". Portland Business Journal. February 24, 2010. http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/02/22/daily29.html. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
↑ Gunderson, Laura (December 30, 2009). "Patrick Stickel, president of The Oregonian, retires from paper". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/12/post_35.html. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
↑ "Chris Anderson named The Oregonian's new publisher". The Oregonian. October 26, 2009. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/chris_anderson_named_as_new_pu.html. Retrieved 2009-11-26.
↑ Stern, Henry (November 4, 2009). "The Daily Show: Can a new publisher reverse the slide at The Oregonian?". Willamette Week. http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-11262-the_daily_show.html. Retrieved 2009-11-26.
↑ 72.0 72.1 "Oregonian Editor Rowe retiring, Bhatia named successor". Portland Business Journal. December 7, 2009. http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/12/07/daily10.html. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
↑ Bottomly, Therese (April 13, 2010). "ASNE honors former editor of The Oregonian, Sandy Rowe". The Oregonian. http://blog.oregonlive.com/oregonianeditors/2010/04/asne_honors_former_editor_for.html. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
↑ 74.0 74.1 "In four weeks, TV Click will be replaced by TV Weekly: Questions and answers". The Oregonian. September 12, 2010. http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2010/09/in_four_weeks_tv_click_will_be.html. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
↑ "The Chronicle Bids Adieu To The Free Weekly TV Section". Houston Press. April 12, 2010. http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2010/04/tv_weekly_chronicle.php. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
↑ Bhatia, Peter (October 1, 2013). "Oregonian Media Group debuts with changes to The Oregonian, OregonLive.com". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian-media-group/index.ssf/2013/10/oregonian_media_group_debuts_w.html. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
↑ Manning, Rob (June 20, 2013). "Q&A: Big Changes Coming For The Oregonian". Oregon Public Broadcasting. http://www.opb.org/news/article/qa-big-changes-coming-for-the-oregonian/. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
↑ Giegerich, Andy (April 2, 2014). "Keeping tabs on the Oregonian's new format". Portland Business Journal. http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/2014/04/keeping-tabs-on-the-oregonians-new-format.html. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
↑ "The 2014 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Editorial Writing". The Pulitzer Prizes. http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/editorial-staff-oregonian. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
↑ "Mark Katches named new editor of The Oregonian and VP of Oregonian Media Group". The Oregonian. July 1, 2014. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2014/07/mark_katches_named_new_editor.html. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
↑ Mesh, Aaron (July 25, 2014). "Two Veteran Staffers Are Leaving The Oregonian". Willamette Week. http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-31930-two_veteran_staffers_are_leaving_the_oregonian.html. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
↑ 82.0 82.1 82.2 Staff report (May 5, 2015). "Chris Anderson leaving Oregonian Media Group for new role at The Register-Guard". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2015/05/chris_anderson_leaving_oregoni.html. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
↑ Staff report (March 19, 2015). "Steve Moss named president of Oregonian Media Group, which includes The Oregonian/OregonLive". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2015/03/post_223.html. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
↑ Laura Gunderson (October 14, 2016). "Why we won't endorse a presidential candidate: Editorial Endorsement 2016". OregonLive. Retrieved 2017-12-25.
↑ Jaquiss, Nigel (September 7, 2018). "The Oregonian Names Therese Bottomly Its Top Editor". Willamette Week. https://www.wweek.com/news/2018/09/07/the-oregonian-names-therese-bottomly-its-top-editor/. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
↑ 86.0 86.1 86.2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110430041622/http://biz.oregonian.com/pdf/explorethepearl.pdf. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
↑ 87.0 87.1 87.2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 25, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080625014114/http://biz.oregonian.com/pdf/homesgardenssaleskit.pdf. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
↑ 88.0 88.1 88.2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 25, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080625014146/http://biz.oregonian.com/pdf/mixsaleskit.pdf. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
↑ 89.0 89.1 89.2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 25, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080625014129/http://biz.oregonian.com/pdf/ultimatenw.pdf. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
"Oregon Biographies: Thomas Jefferson Dryer," Oregon History Project, Oregon Historical Society, 2002.
Script error
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Tag Archives: Roman Catholic Church
Posted on November 17, 2015 by philandre
I was returning to Gazi Caddesi when, along Muallak Sokak in the south of the old city, I came across two more churches very close to one another. The entrance to the first of the two churches was open and an elderly Kurdish man kindly took the time to show me around. We very quickly established that it had been Armenian (a lot of stone has Armenian script carved into it) and that it has survived, albeit in a state crying out for tender loving care, because one of the buildings around the courtyard is used as a nursery. I could not enter the church itself because the doors were locked, but it and the other buildings comprising the complex are in far better condition than Surp Giragos was in the late 1980s. In other words, it would be far easier and less costly to restore the Armenian church on Muallak Sokak than Surp Giragos itself.
The old city, Diyarbakir.
Back home, the only information I could find about the church is that it had once belonged to the Armenian Catholics.
The Armenian Catholic church.
The Armenian Catholic Church is one of the Eastern Catholic churches of the Roman Catholic Church. The Church accepts the leadership of the pope in Rome and is therefore in full communion with the other Eastern Rite, Oriental Rite and Latin Rite Catholics. The Armenian Catholic Church is regulated by Eastern canon law.
The head of the Armenian Catholic Church is the patriarch of Cilicia and the Church’s main cathedral is that of St. Elie and St. Gregory the Illuminator in Beirut in Lebanon. After the Armenian Apostolic Church formally broke from the Chalcedonian churches in the 5th century, some Armenian bishops and congregations attempted to restore communion with the Roman Catholic Church. During the crusades, the church of the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia entered into a union with the Roman Catholic Church, but this proved a union that did not last. The union was later re-established during the Council of Florence in 1439, but did not have any real effects for centuries.
In 1740, Abraham-Pierre I Ardzivian, who had earlier become a Roman Catholic, was elected as the patriarch of Sis. Two years later Pope Benedict XIV formally established the Armenian Catholic Church. In 1749, the Armenian Catholic Church built a convent in Bzoummar in Lebanon. During the genocide, the Church in Anatolia almost completely disappeared, but it survived in Lebanon and Syria.
An Armenian Catholic community was also formed by Armenians living in Poland in the 1630s. The community, which had been most numerous in Galicia and the pre-1939 Polish borderlands to the east, was expelled after world war two to present-day Poland and now has three parishes in Gdansk, Gliwice and Warsaw.
The Church uses the Armenian rite and the Armenian language in its liturgy. The Armenian rite is also used by the Armenian Apostolic Church and a significant number of Eastern Catholic Christians in Georgia. The rite is shaped by the directives of St. Gregory the Illuminator, founder and patron saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Unlike the Byzantine Church, churches using the Armenian rite are usually devoid of icons and have a curtain concealing the priest and the altar from the people during parts of the liturgy. The use of a bishop’s mitre and unleavened bread are reminiscent of the influence Western missionaries once had on both the miaphysite Apostolic Armenians and the Armenian rite Roman Catholics.
The nursery, the Armenian Catholic church.
Although members of the Armenian Apostolic Church are far more numerous than Armenian Catholics, it is alleged that about one million Armenians belong to the Catholic Church. In 2008, about 3,500 Turkish Armenians were thought to be Catholics. Most such Armenians live in Istanbul. The official website of the Armenian Catholics mentions twelve churches in Istanbul and one in Mardin, but, sadly, nothing about the abandoned church in Diyarbakir.
There has been a strong movement in recent and not-so-recent times among the Eastern Catholic churches favouring conformity with Roman Catholicism in the matter of celibacy. For example, the Armenian Catholic Church dependent upon the patriarch of Cilicia, even as far back as July 1869, passed a resolution that celibacy should be required of all the higher orders of the clergy. Similarly, the 1888 Synod of Scharfa in Syria decreed that “the celibate life, which is already observed by the great majority of the priests of our Church, should henceforth be common to all”, although the deacons and priests who were already married were allowed to continue as before, and a certain power of dispensation in cases of necessity remained with the patriarch.
Google Maps reveals that the second church on Muallak Sokak was a Protestant church; it is also in unusually good condition for an abandoned church in Turkey. On this occasion information about the church exists on the internet and the information confirms it was Armenian:
Surrounded by a high wall and barbed wire, the church is the Armenian Protestant Church of Surp Pirgic (Holy Saviour). It was built in 1870 (the Armenian Protestant Church is a relatively recent offshoot of the Armenian Apostolic Church) and was probably in use until the terrible events of world war one which led to the expulsion and murder of the local Armenian population. It remained derelict thereafter, but in 1983 was seized by the authorities. In 2010 it was restored and turned into a carpet weaving training centre, but the Armenian Protestant diaspora has begun the legal process of reclaiming it and returning it to a functioning place of worship.
What can be said is that a relatively new Protestant church opened a few years ago opposite the city’s Syriac Orthodox church, thereby confirming that Diyarbakir has a Protestant community, although not one that currently uses the city’s older Armenian Protestant church. Both churches along Muallak Sokak looked to me as if what survives today largely dates from the 19th century, but it would not surprise me if the Armenian Catholic church has parts that are considerably older.
The Armenian Protestant church.
An article on the internet about Turkey’s Protestant community suggests that there may be 50,000 altogether, but most Protestants are expatriates from Europe and North America living in Turkey permanently or temporarily. Only about 5,000 Protestants are indigenous Turkish citizens, of whom about 4,000 are converts from Islam and a thousand are converts from Christian churches including the Armenian Apostolic Church.
To get a better view of the Protestant church, I entered the courtyard of a nearby café and lokanta (it was very similar in design and layout to the Aslihan Antik Pansiyon, Café ve Restorant) to climb steps to look over the wall topped with barbed wire. I found myself surrounded by a large group of Kurds celebrating the marriage of a young couple. A majority of the Kurds present, whether young or old, were secular in inclination, which meant that the atmosphere was delightfully boisterous and the sexes could mix. After brief chats with a few of the people present, the owner of the café and lokanta ushered me up some stone steps to a sort of kiosk at first floor level from where I had an uninterrupted view of the dome and the bell tower of the church.
Posted in Architecture, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Armenia, Turkish Kurdistan | Tagged "forgotten genocide", Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Catholic Church, Armenian church, Armenian Protestant Church, Church of Surp Pirgic, Cilicia, Diyarbakir, Lebanon, Muallak Sokak, Protestants in Turkey, Roman Catholic Church, Syria | Leave a reply
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Hustle & Motivate
By Joker Mag
A documentary-style look at real-life underdog stories. Guests share their tales of overcoming adversity through raw and honest storytelling. Brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog.
Behind The Scenes of a Professional Sports Reporter with Manny Espinal
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Igniting Your Brand with Firestarter CEO Frances Reimers
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Shawn Harper is a former NFL offensive lineman who played a total of seven seasons with the Rams, Colts, Oilers, and NFL Europe. He's also the CEO of a multi-million-dollar security services firm headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. But before he was blocking pass-rushers on an NFL field, Shawn was just a kid with a dream. In fact, he barely started in high school sports and played a total of one play his entire first year of junior college. SHOW NOTES [3:01] No ordinary childhood [9:05] The NFL mindset shift [13:10] What separates an average player from a superstar? [20:16] Remembering NFL Europe [26:07] Transitioning from football to business [33:45] Two principles for winning in life Download Shawn’s new book, The Winning Edge for FREE: https://shawnharper.co/ Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Escaping Gang Life & Transcending The Past with Raymond Power
Raymond Power is an actor and writer. He's appeared in eight films and is also a college student with several honors under his belt, including the 2019 DREAM Scholar Award. As a teenager, he joined a gang and served time in prison after getting shot four times. After his release, he started a family which helped him find a new purpose. SHOW NOTES [5:40] Getting shot 4 times [8:17] Out of prison and changing for the better [13:00] What drew you to acting? [17:47] How to stay positive in tough times [20:47] The making of the series Give Me Shelter, based on Raymond's life Give Me Shelter: https://www.shelterproject.co/ Raymond Power IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10491405/ Connect with Raymond Power on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raymond.powerromero Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Hosting a Podcast Celebrating Underdogs & Role Players with Tim Flattery
Tim Flattery is the host of The Moonlight Graham Show, a podcast celebrating the role player, underdog, and the great stories in sports. With 116 episodes and counting, the aptly named show features guests ranging from a Paralympic gold medalist to an NFL long-snapper to the PCL Pitcher of the Year. SHOW NOTES [3:10] How he played a real baseball game on the Field of Dreams [5:35] Why Iowans feel like underdogs [8:00] Landing prolific guests [13:03] Three things to consider before starting a podcast [16:17] Tim's favorite sports underdog story of all-time [20:00] The worst advice you'll hear about podcasting The Moonlight Graham Show: https://www.moonlightgrahamshow.com/ Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Papa Joe DeMaio is a Vietnam Veteran Living His Dream as a Musician
Papa Joe DeMaio is a singer, songwriter, actor, and speaker. A Vietnam veteran, he's battled PTSD and addiction on the way to living his dream. Joe and has toured with the likes of Eddie Money, Pat Travers, Randy Jackson (Zebra), and many other legendary musicians. Today, he's the lead singer of his band, The Papa Joe Show. SHOW NOTES [3:45] What it's like having your dreams squashed at a young age [5:55] Returning home from Vietnam [8:40] The night that changed everything — coming back to music after a 27-year hiatus [15:16] The perils of being a singer with COPD and a guitarist with arthritis [19:00] Joe's piece of advice you need to hear Connect with Papa Joe DeMaio: https://www.facebook.com/Papa-Joe-DeMaio-singersongwriteractor-speaker-521246521620687/ The Papa Joe Show: https://www.facebook.com/thepapajoeshow/ Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Selling Everything & Moving to Hollywood with Kevin Caliber
Kevin Caliber is a Hollywood actor, filmmaker, and fitness model. A Marine veteran, Kevin is known for his work on the Hulu series Future Man as well as Supergirl and The Haves and the Have Nots. Since taking the leap of faith and moving to Hollywood at 30-years-old, Kevin has accumulated over 75 acting credits, 15 as a producer, and has worked with the likes of Seth Rogen and Tyler Perry. SHOW NOTES [5:27] Kevin's current project about a video game character come to life [9:00] How he turned his "pie in the sky" dream into a reality [18:45] Moving from a 5-bedroom house to a 1-bedroom LA apartment and diving into a new, risky career [28:14] The average amount of auditions an actor needs to go on to book ONE role [30:27] The funny story of how he landed his biggest role [37:10] How he built his physique Follow Kevin Caliber on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevincaliber/ Check out 16 Bits on Indiegogo: http://igg.me/at/16bits/x/1365036 Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
From Homeless Teen to Young Australian of The Year with Zack Bryers
Zack Bryers has been a homeless teenager, a soldier in Afghanistan, and a football player for Australia in the IFAF World Championship in Canton, Ohio. In 2018, he was named ACT Young Australian of the Year for his work with at-risk youth. Today, he's helping small businesses grow and leave a lasting legacy. SHOW NOTES [5:25] A near-deadly scuffle [10:10] Out of school and onto the streets [14:30] What Afghanistan was really like [20:15] How he made the Australian national team in 17 months [31:22] The secret power of being undervalued Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Taking Over Las Vegas with VIP Host Manny Kess
Manny Kess is the founder & CEO of The Kess Group, a full service concierge company based out of Las Vegas. His clientele includes A-List celebrities and superstar athletes such as Odell Beckham Jr., Von Miller, Jarvis Landry, Travis Kelce, Stefon Diggs, Kevin Durant, and many more. SHOW NOTES [3:38] How often Manny sees his NFL friends [5:41] Why he chose the Naval Academy over 60 full-ride scholarship offers [8:06] Opening his first restaurant at 21-years-old [15:30] How Las Vegas got on Manny's radar [29:03] Co-producing the $50K Charity Challenge with Floyd Mayweather & Rob Gronkowski [32:27] Crazy client requests Check out The Kess Group: http://thekessgroup.com/ Follow Manny on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mannykess/ Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Building an International Sports Agency with Brittany Gilman
Brittany Gilman spent the better part of her early life as an athlete. From skiing at 2-years-old, to snowboarding professionally, to strength training, she was always driven to be the best. But after an internship turned out to be a waste of time, Brittany decided -- right then and there -- to launch her own sports agency. It wasn't easy, and she learned as she went along. But soon, all the hard work paid off. Now, more than ten years later, BG Sports Enterprises is an international brand development agency that has worked with the likes of Roman Harper, Ezekiel Elliott, Jermon Bushrod, Antoine Bethea, and many others. SHOW NOTES [6:54] A skier's way of rebelling [10:20] Why peanut M&M's may be the secret to mastering your mind [15:37] Going pro post-grad in the mecca of snowboarding [25:10] The early days of BG Sports [36:49] Is HBO's Ballers accurate? [41:10] Advice for those who haven't yet found their purpose Follow Brittany on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BGSport BG Sports Enterprises official website: http://www.bgseinc.com/ Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music provided by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Persevere Past Your Paralysis with Dr. James Perdue
James Perdue always dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. He had the attitude of being invincible and that nothing could stop him. Going to college on a baseball scholarship, the dream felt closer than ever. But just two weeks in, everything changed in a game of pick-up football. After scoring a touchdown, James took a late hit that instantly made him a quadriplegic. While the adjustment was difficult at first, James set his sights on a new dream: to inspire others to overcome their own struggles. Today, Dr. James Perdue is known as "The Professor of Perseverance", a renowned speaker and author. SHOW NOTES [5:32] "It was like I was begging for something to happen to me" [8:23] The day of the injury [14:43] Adjusting to a new way of life [19:38] The 3 P's of Perseverance [26:06] How to get past your self-doubt You can find out more about James on his website: https://professorofperseverance.com/ Check out his YouTube channel for more inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/c/ProfessorofPerseverance Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Comeback From a Heart Attack with Comedian & Actor Brian T Shirley
Brian T Shirley is a comedian and actor who's toured the US, Canada, Japan, and The Bahamas for over 25 years. As an actor, he's appeared in various short films, commercials, music videos, and even series on Amazon and Netflix! But on September 11th of 2018, everything came to a screeching halt. That’s when Brian suffered a near-fatal heart attack and underwent quadruple bypass surgery. Today, Brian is on his "Comeback From a Heart Attack" tour, armed with a new outlook on life. SHOW NOTES [2:45] The one thing you need to make it as a comedian [11:30] What it's like working on a movie set [15:24] First-person perspective of a heart attack survivor [22:53] "I almost cried...it's one of the biggest things I've ever been a part of" [31:42] How to survive the stresses of working for yourself Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Overcoming My Fear of Stuttering with LeRon L. Barton
LeRon L. Barton has been a life long stutterer who was teased, afraid to speak, and often stayed silent in social situations. Refusing to let his speech impediment stop him from living his life, LeRon turned it into energy that's allowed him to appear on over 50 podcasts, become a guest on Al Jazeera, and speak at TEDxWilsonPark. He is living proof that you can overcome obstacles and meet your goals. SHOW NOTES [2:20] Early years, communication, and confidence [6:55] Kobe Bryant and why you need to fail [10:30] Dating and why people don't care as much as you think they do [15:25] Advice for facing your fears Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
28 Years of Surgeries & 2 Visits to Heaven with Jeanne Enstad
I can’t even begin to imagine going through what Jeanne Enstad has: 28 years of major surgeries, 4 open hearts, cancer twice, gangrene in both her legs, a head-on collision with an 18-wheeler, and 2 visits to heaven. By the end of it, she came out with $290,000 in medical bills and a new lease on life. Her first book, “A Journey of Hope to Heaven and Back” has been adapted into a Hollywood screenplay. Despite all she’s been through, Jeanne has kept a positive, upbeat attitude and is striving to help others view life in a different light. SHOW NOTES [5:20] The one telltale sign of a true workaholic [12:01] What it was like coming back from heaven [18:08] A head-on collision and second visit to heaven [25:00] How Jeanne overcomes every challenge [31:58] A life-saving trip to Walmart Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Jim "The Rookie" Morris on Living Your Dreams
In just three months, 35-year-old Jim Morris went from high school science teacher to flame-throwing major league pitcher. He captured the hearts of the nation when Disney turned his story into the feature film, "The Rookie", starring Dennis Quaid. Jim Morris never gave up on his dream. And today, speaking in arenas across the globe, he's showing others how to do the same. SHOW NOTES [5:00] Why Jim Morris gave up on baseball at 24 [7:37] The famous bet that led him back to pursuing his MLB dream [12:16] "No one would even play catch with me" - The story of the try-out [16:14] Fielding movie offers while pitching in AAA [19:08] Jim's biggest piece of advice for young athletes Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Inverted Leadership & The Art of Confident Humility with Joel Hawbaker
Joel Hawbaker is a professional speaker, award-winning teacher, and 3x Amazon best-selling author. Standing at just 5'3", he's fought an uphill battle to prove himself his whole life. From youth sports all the way to college athletics, he's shown that size isn't everything. These days, Joel is living his passion, teaching students of all ages about leadership and what he calls "confident humility". SHOW NOTES [4:25] From studying to become a lawyer to becoming a teacher and coach [10:27] How to become a professional speaker [15:20] The challenges of writing a full-length book [18:00] Why you NEED to read [22:25] What "confident humility" really means Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
From Overweight to Top-5 Triathlon Finisher with Ian Harding
Ian Harding was overweight for most of his young life. Constantly picked on, made fun of, and picked last for team sports, he finally decided to make a change when he was about to graduate college. So he registered for a triathlon while weighing over 300 pounds and not having his own bike. Then, exactly one year later, he raced in that triathlon 100 pounds lighter. Everyone said it couldn't be done. And Ian proved all of them wrong, finishing 5th in his age group. SHOW NOTES [5:17] A really dark time in Ian's life [9:52] How one text message changed everything [14:12] Facing a hater and the details of race day [20:31] What "do it for yourself" means [27:48] How to dig yourself out of dark times Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Weathering The Storm & Crushing It with Owais Raza
When he was just 12-years-old, Owais Raza's father abandoned his family, leaving them in a financial crisis. Too young to get jobs, Owais and his brother turned to the internet. Over the next four years, they figured out how to make money online to support their family. Then, at 16-years-old, Owais found himself in another dilemma -- no one took him seriously enough to pay for his services. So he spent the next year writing his book "The Social Media Specialist" to gain credibility in his community. After a successful launch, he started Mysterious Media, an Instagram marketing agency he still runs to this day. SHOW NOTES [4:40] How to become an authority in your community [9:35] An important message for young entrepreneurs [14:55] The one thing stopping you from starting your business [18:17] Why struggle should light a fire under you [22:56] Taking the emotion out of your actions Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
From Failed Carnival Owner to "The Blind Blogger" with Maxwell Ivey
Maxwell Ivey was born into a carnival family. As a kid, he helped out with everything he could. Problem was, his vision was starting to go. By the time he was a young adult, he was totally blind. In our conversation, Max tells the story of his transformation from "morbidly obese failed carnival owner to a respected amusement equipment broker" in the best shape of his life. Known as "The Blind Blogger", he's always up for new challenges and opportunities. With three published books, his own podcast, and blog, he's trying to help others find the courage to the same. SHOW NOTES [8:00] Max's fatal mistake that could be "argued over by Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder" [12:53] How he went from 512 lbs to a 250-pound "lean mean machine" [16:23] Detailing the daunting task of writing a book [24:33] 3 key pieces of advice you need to hear [29:01] How to build the habit of seeing the positive in every situation Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Tackling a Triathlon with No Experience & Overcoming a Whirlwind of Obstacles with Josh Muskin
When Josh Muskin graduated college, he lost a sense of purpose. As a lifelong athlete, he felt as if he had nothing left to train for. His competitive nature went away. Then, in the fall of 2017, he came across a Facebook post of a friend crossing the finish line at Ironman Canada. And it lit a fire under Josh. He decided right then and there that he was going to do a triathlon -- that's a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon all done back-to-back in the same day. Problem was, he had no experience doing any of those things. So how did Josh prepare himself in just 337 days? And how did he handle all the obstacles that popped up along the way? SHOW NOTES [4:00] Josh's spark of inspiration to do an Ironman [9:10] The intense training process and obstacles that disrupted it [15:09] His mindset leading up to race day [19:21] A treacherous bike ride on an open highway [29:26] Why it's important to keep setting goals in life Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Building a Booming Fantasy Football Brand with CEO of Fantasy Couch Huseyin “The Brain” Aksu
Growing up in a small California town, Huseyin Aksu always had the entrepreneurial spirit. In middle school, he started selling everything from Star Wars trading cards to song lyrics (this was the pre-iPhone era). After working for his college newspaper, Huseyin decided to start doing a fantasy football segment. That idea quickly turned into Fantasy Couch, the largest independent fantasy sports site in the world. Now, ten years later, he’s dishing out fantasy football advice for a living. Here's how he did it. SHOW NOTES [4:12] The industry Huseyin thinks is worst to get into [11:44] Where the chip on his shoulder comes from [16:55] How Fantasy Couch started and grew over time [20:20] The one thing that saved Fantasy Couch from calling it a quits [31:36] Exactly what drives Huseyin to be great [46:09] How to succeed when you're about to give up Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Bouncing Back From a Near-Death Experience with Professional Arena Football QB Collin Saring (Pt. 2)
After coming out of a coma, Collin Saring had to re-learn how to walk, talk, and go to the bathroom on his own. When doctors released him from the hospital, his mind state was equivalent to that of a 12-year-old boy. By the time he felt back to normal, his life came crashing down on him again. Clinically depressed and weighing 305 pounds, he knew he had to dig deep to make a change. But Collin Saring overcame it all and soon found himself signing his first professional football contract. SHOW NOTES [2:54] A scene from Adam Sandler's Big Daddy in real life [7:15] Returning to college football and Collin's only regret [10:58] Depression, weight gain, and digging deep to get out of a year-long rut [16:05] From never playing football again to getting back on the gridiron [25:34] Running full speed into a 6'7" 320 lb former NFL offensive lineman [35:01] How he landed a contract with the Gulf Coast Fire Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
The True Meaning of Resilience with Professional Arena Football QB Collin Saring (Pt. 1)
One summer night after his sophomore year of college, Collin Saring's life changed forever. He spent two and half months in the hospital with a brain infection and was in a coma for two weeks. When he finally came out of it, his mind had regressed to the state of a child. He needed to re-learn everything -- how to walk, how to talk, and how to go to the bathroom on his own. Today, Collin Saring is a professional arena football quarterback for the Gulf Coast Fire. This is his story. SHOW NOTES [4:01] Why Collin Saring's football career didn't start until 7th grade[ [10:55] Taking advantage of a career-changing opportunity [14:17] What it was like being teammates (and rivals) with future NFL players [21:05] A late start to the recruiting process and how mental toughness carries you through adversity [32:45] Sticking around to train through the summer and the night that changed everything Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Realities of Professional Baseball with Creator of The Wave Method Dan Lazzaroni
Dan Lazzaroni a former professional pitcher who endured a rollercoaster of ups and downs throughout his career. He spent time bouncing around the indy leagues before signing a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres. After rising through the ranks, all the way up to Triple-A, a shoulder injury threw his career off the rails. With his dream all but over, Dan had a revelation. He calls it The Wave Method, describing it as "a technique and discipline of how to use the body to properly release a baseball while utilizing the energy within and around oneself to produce maximum efficiency, consistency and velocity." SHOW NOTES [7:57] Dealing with an uncertain future while pursuing a lifelong dream. [9:48] Exactly where Dan's inner belief comes from. [11:09] How Dan landed his first pro contract and the mind-boggling whirlwind that immediately followed. [18:25] What it was like to be traded, lied to, released, and picked up by an affiliated team over the span of 24 hours. [24:21] The many reasons why minor league numbers don't always tell the whole story. [29:14] Processing the realities of a career-ending injury. [35:11] Finding a new purpose in life and the beginnings of The Wave Method. [43:07] The goal of The Wave Method and why it's 100% free. [50:33] Dan Lazzaroni's biggest piece of advice for those dealing with adversity in life. Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
The “Graveyard Mentality” & Being a Leader with Penn State Assistant Baseball Coach André Butler
André Butler went from being barely recruited to a Division 3 school, to being an assistant coach on one of the top Division 1 baseball programs in the country. Coach Butler started a movement at Penn State called the "Graveyard Mentality". He describes his outfield as "a place where the hopes of base hits are laid to rest". The "Graveyard" has helped to not only energize his players but is also a huge reason that the team is off to such a hot start this season. Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Manny Espinal is a Major League Baseball reporter for Big Sports Bulletin and Canal America, a news station in the Dominican Republic. Based out of New York, Manny spends a lot of time at both Yankee Stadium and Citi Field throughout the season interviewing players. In our conversation, Manny gives us a behind-the-scenes look into the life of a professional sports reporter. You can follow Manny on Twitter @_Manny95 Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
How to Build a Career in Sports with Director of MLB at LW Branding Matt Morrison
Matt Morrison put in serious work before finding his home at LW Branding, a boutique branding and marketing agency working with professional athletes such as Kirk Cousins, Matt Carpenter, Brent Suter, and more. His insane work ethic and genuine nature is a reason he's been able to get to where he is today. In this episode, Matt tells his story and provides insights on how to build a career in the sports industry. Check out LW Branding at LWBranding.com Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Appreciating Life After a Near-Death Experience with Former Professional Goalkeeper Jesse Bradley
Jesse Bradley is a former professional goalkeeper who played in Africa and Scotland. He’s also a radio host, podcaster, author, and pastor at Grace Community Church in Auburn, Washington. Since he was 3-years-old, Jesse's mission was to be a professional athlete. He played three sports in high school and was a goalkeeper at Dartmouth where he won two Ivy League championships. While Jesse was playing professional soccer in Zimbabwe, he was prescribed a drug called Lariam to protect against malaria. The controversial drug built up toxic levels in his system, forcing him out of the game and into a battle for his life. Through those dark times, Jesse learned extremely valuable lessons that can help anyone dealing with adversity. You can find out more about Jesse at Exploring-Faith.com! Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Breaking Through The Noise in The Music Industry with Rapper & Producer King Blitz
Before he won Lost Reality Music's $10K contest, King Blitz was grinding on the independent circuit. Through years of raw determination, passion, and unwavering self-belief, he broke through the noise and emerged as the label's new breakout artist. You can keep up with King Blitz at KingBlitzMusic.com Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
From Throwing 81 To 95 & The Post-College Transition with Writer & Coach Tanner Reklaitis
A few years ago, Tanner Reklaitis was a sophomore NAIA pitcher throwing 81 mph. Then, one day, he decided he was tired of being average. After a grinding away on the Driveline training program six or seven days a week for two years, he topped out at 95.9 mph, putting himself closer than ever to being a legitimate draft prospect. Today, he’s helping retired athletes transition into life after sports. Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Being Born Different with Writer & Motivational Speaker Corey Taylor
Corey Taylor was born with a severe facial deformity and has spent the last 30 years of his life inspiring others and showing them that you can overcome any obstacle put in front of you. This is a man who's been through a heck of a lot more than most people and has kept a positive attitude the entire way. Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Overcoming the Loss of a Parent & Making a Positive Impact with CEO of Athlete Nation Hunter Radenslaben
Athlete Nation started as a Twitter account in 2012, when Hunter Radenslaben was just 12-years-old. Heading into his freshman year of high school, Hunter lost his mother to cancer. It was during that time that he made the decision to create something bigger than himself. A place to share uplifting messages that would create a positive impact on the world around him. Today, Athlete Nation is a sports media company helping athletes, brands, and athletic programs share stories that matter. Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Why Average Is The Enemy with Coach Joe Hart
A year ago, Joe Hart decided to change his life for the better. After detoxing his social media and getting back in shape, he made the decision to start sharing his message with the world. That message? Average is the Enemy. Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Growing Confidence Through Hip-Hop with Rapper Anthony John
Quiet and shy growing up, Anthony John turned to music as an outlet. Through consistent hard work, his confidence grew over time. And it's taken him a long way. A short time ago, he won the Funk Flex freestyle contest. Today, he's an up-and-coming artist who's worked with the likes of established hip-hop heavyweights such as Cassidy and Mark Battles. Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
Building a Sports Biz Publication with Front Office Sports COO Russell Wilde
Russell Wilde joined the Front Office Sports team after founder Adam White posted in the University of Miami's Facebook group asking for some help with a new project. Since then, they've built their publication into an authority in the sports business industry. Hustle & Motivate is brought to you by JokerMag.com, the home of the underdog. Subscribe to The Underdog Newsletter: https://jokermag.com/newsletter/ Music by TYSHii & A.N.T.
From College Dropout to Full-Time Online Entrepreneur with Nicolas Sebastian
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Home Featured Cutting Edge
FeaturedGeneral Aviation
written by Aviator August 30, 2015 July 3, 2019
The importance of suitable training for pilots has been recognised since the beginning of manned flight, with flight simulation a critical asset to the safety and advancement of an industry whose sophistication knows no bounds. Megan Kennedy takes a look at the role flight simulation has played in aviation and discovers a cutting-edge industry that just gets better and better.
Modern day simulation is a multi-million dollar industry with a wide range of applications within the aviation sphere. In addition to flight training and management, the training of defence air-crew personnel, aircraft analysis, maintenance drills and training in air traffic control operations all involve simulation-based components. Gaming also has close ties with simulation, as both industries strive to create more immersive realistic experiences through technological advances.
As an established component of training, evaluation, and research, simulation is recognised for its cost saving advantages and significant reduction in aircraft training fatalities, instilling correct and instinctive reaction times in the event of an emergency. Sim Train International’s Dr E. Paul Baxter states that “training sessions in a real aircraft are constrained by having to follow a sequence, e.g., pre-flight checks, clearance, take-off, flight time, and landing. Simulator training has no such constraints. The sim instructor can focus on any one of these components, in any order. Furthermore, the instructor can put the trainee through challenging situations and emergency procedures that would be unwise in an actual aircraft, and do this over and over again until the trainee gets it right”.
The history of simulators can be traced back to the pilots of the first mass-produced powered aircraft, marking at least 100 years of flight simulator technology in aviation. Former manager of Qantas simulation services, Ray L Page muses that “the mythical story of Icarus and Daedalus is usually related to a warning about flying too high because the heat of the sun would melt the glue used to hold together the feathers of the wings – this is probably not a correct interpretation of the warning. The more probable warning was about the danger of flying too high before adequate training and becoming more acquainted with the controls and performance of the flying machine”.
According to Page, “the pilots of the first powered aeroplanes learnt by progressing through a graded sequence of exercises on real aircraft”. Early versions of flight simulation were low-powered aircraft that students would taxi around in for rudder practice, allowing them to get accustomed to the cockpit environment. Promotion to a higher powered aircraft would then allow students to practice elevator control by making short ‘hops’ along the ground without completely taking off. Finally, students would graduate to a fully powered aircraft and achieve flight. A similar system known as the ‘penguin’ system involved the use of an aircraft with a heavily reduced wingspan. This method was developed during World War I and used at the French school of infantry, the Ecole de Combat, with a Bleriot aircraft.
Rudimentary devices used to assess the reaction times of pilots were often tethered to the ground and elevated with a large number of balloons. The Sanders Teacher, which resembled a winged mechanical bull, was constructed from aircraft components and mounted on a universal joint which was faced into the wind for a sense of forward motion. Other devices included a rockable fuselage which was manually jolted back and forth unexpectedly by an examiner to test reaction time, most likely providing much entertainment to all but the trainee inside.
The endless flow of student pilots in World War I required the development of more effective methods of instructing and assessing student pilots without losing the aircraft and occupants in the process. Eventually mechanical or electrical systems were developed to rotate a simulator fuselage automatically, some even reflecting the student pilot’s control inputs. A French device described in 1917 was reported to consist of a dummy fuselage with pitch, roll and yaw motions produced by compressed air motors which also introduced simulated response and speed sensations. Engine noise and basic visual presentations were also described. The most successful and well-known of these simulator devices was the Link Trainer developed by Edwin Link between 1927 and 1929, approximately 25 years after Orville Wright took-off from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in the Wright Flyer biplane. As an amateur pilot himself, Link was disgruntled with the lack of flight training that was available and utilised mechanisms he was familiar with from his development of pianos and organs to construct the first Link Trainer. Patented in 1930, Link advertised his trainer as “an efficient aeronautical training aid and a novel, profitable amusement device”.
In the early 1930s, the US Army Air Corps was hesitant to recognise the usefulness of mechanised simulator devices. However, in 1934, the Army Air Force was given a government contract to fly the postal mail which required daily flights regardless of weather. The ineptitude of young pilots assigned to the task of flying in difficult weather conditions resulted in nearly a dozen deaths within the first few weeks of the contract being awarded. The Army Air Force decided to reconsider their position on the Link Trainer and were impressed by Edwin Link’s ability to fly in to meet them at Newark Field in New Jersey despite the day’s bad weather, thanks to the practice he had undertaken in his own device. The USAAF purchased six Link Trainers, all painted in a trademark blue. The Link Trainer was then produced in numerous versions and sold to England, Japan, France, and Germany, marking the official introduction of the flight simulation industry. According to an article provided by the American Society of Mechanical Systems (ASME) some 10,000 Link trainers were produced to train 500,000 new pilots in the USA and Canada alone.
In the modern era a working Link Trainer is a rare commodity, although the basic premise of flight simulation, accurate and responsive modelling of the behaviour of a flight vehicle, has remained the same. According to Page, “simulation today is a multi-million dollar industry and its application has spread to a vast number of training and analytical requirements”.
Varying functional requirements and roles require different levels and types of simulators. Defence simulators for example require a different cockpit layout to a light aircraft training set-up and not all simulators rely on graphic video components. Instrument-only simulators are an effective substitute to visual-based simulations, especially in the introductory stages of professional training for low visibility scenarios, encouraging pilots to rely on and become familiar with IFR navigation, with cues based solely on flight instruments.
Mick Stone, director and owner of SIMULINC, an Australian company with expertise in the certification of flight simulators, explains, “under current legislation there are many levels and simulators are divided into mainly two categories. The first and the one that most people think of are Full Flight Simulators (FFS). The highest level of these is Level D. That is the simulator that can take a pilot from novice to qualified. There is a specific definition for a full flight simulator and many requirements must be met to achieve Level D. We use the term “fidelity” to describe the degree to which the simulator matches the aircraft. Level D FFS has a very high level of fidelity. The other type of device is called Flight Training Device (FTD). These are synthetic devices that may replicate a specific aircraft but lack some of the modelling and/or components of a FFS, mostly a FTD will not have motion. The introduction of different levels of synthetic device is gaining widespread popularity. Training of crews will then progress through the lower levels of the FTD to the FFS”.
Within modern simulator construction user input is predominantly implemented through digital computer systems, run through operating systems capable of accurately reflecting an occupant’s actions by translating them into simulated responses. This means that even the simplest of home desktop simulators is similar to a fully immersive simulator in that it receives a user input which it processes via digital software systems and outputs the required information accordingly, producing a visual, audible and sometimes physical response from the simulator.
Consumer level home flight simulators were among the first types of simulators to be developed for early computers. Technologies such as 3D graphics and online gaming were first utilised in combat flight simulators such as Red Baron II and European Air War, with game world scenery in flight simulators often modelled on real-world environments. However, this genre of aviation simulation is often simplified to appeal to a wider audience by reducing the number of flight controls and allowing for manoeuvres that would either knock a pilot unconscious or rip an aircraft apart in real life. Combat flight simulation titles are more numerous than civilian flight simulators due to variety of subject matter available and market demand.
For those wishing to create a more authentic home experience, replica control panels are commercially available. Designed to mimic panels found in modern airliners such as Boeing or Airbus designs, these panels can be mounted into a home constructed cockpit frame, normally made from wood. However, on the transition from home-flight simulators to actual flying, CASA’s Roger Weeks warns that “one of the difficulties associated with self-teaching on this technology is that, without realising it, they become performance pilots. They try to fly by performance, rather than by attitude. The cautionary note is that attitude flying (power plus attitude equals performance) is always the correct means of controlling an aircraft. If you have a solid foundation in attitude flying, the transition to flying a simulator or on instruments is that much easier, but if you have taught yourself performance flying you’ll chase the numbers forever”.
Consumer software based simulators such as X-Plane 10 continue to push the boundaries of home flight simulators, advertising VFR and IFR approach scenarios, accurate emergency scenarios, true-to-life scenery and lighting, and realistic ATC and radio communication. Mick Stone mentions that advances in the gaming industry have enhanced the simulation field. “In recent times the biggest improvement has been in the quality of the visual scene,” he explains. “A great deal of this is probably due [to an] increase in the visual computer gaming industry and the simulator visual system has improved accordingly”.
Desktop simulation has become progressively more popular among both students and licensed pilots for preparation and revision purposes, making use of structured tutorials and automated instructors to guide the operator through a range of exercises. The use of downloadable and constantly updated environmental modelling of real-life locations, including accurate depictions of airports are often used to familiarise users with airports or locales before undergoing a ‘real life’ flight.
FTD (flight training devices) otherwise known as ‘fixed’ simulators are widely used due to their relatively small size and cost advantage over the fully immersive motion flight simulators. Businesses such as Jet Flight Simulator have capitalised on this technology by offering customers the opportunity to experience flight in a realistic and responsive cockpit setting without the cost of motion platform technology. Currently in its fifth year of operation, Jet Flight Simulator is Australia’s only privately owned and operated fixed flight simulator based specifically on the Boeing 737-800NG.
According to Canberra office manager of Jet Flight Simulator Nick Walsh, “Jet Flight Simulator Canberra came to be by the owners seeing an opportunity within Canberra for a product that is not only unique but entertaining for the general public and aviation enthusiasts”. Operated Australia-wide and expanding into the USA, Jet Flight Simulator offers customers the opportunity to experience flying operations in a fully operational cockpit, accompanied by a fully trained instructor, emphasising that the instructor’s level of competence is a crucial component in conveying a realistic experience to a customer. Nick explains that prior knowledge varies from instructor to instructor with experience varying from “home simulator environment[s] to GFPT, PPL and CPL licenses to pilots who are currently employed within general aviation/airlines and have thousands of hours of flight time along with all the necessary ratings and endorsements”.
The instructor’s level of competence in the simulator environment and their ability to respond to the theoretical and technical operations of the simulator is crucial to the realism of the experience, meaning a familiarity and a passion for the ins and outs of aviation is important.
“Most [staff] have come from a charter background, however some have worked in training including a former Grade One flight instructor,” Nick says. “Some of the guys also have tertiary degrees in aviation. As far as active flying goes, one is a survey pilot, two others are currently employed with a long established general aviation operator flying Cessna 404, 441 and Metro 23 aircraft. We also have in our employ a first officer in the airlines flying RPT turboprop aircraft for a national carrier. Several of the individual’s flight times amount to around 4000 hours.”
Day-to-day operations of a flight simulator business is centred on the customer experience and varies depending on the customer’s expectations. “Sessions commence with a short pre-flight brief and then it’s into the flying,” Nick explains. “Any technical aspects of airliner operation can be expanded on whilst ‘in flight’, the aim is to provide entertainment as well as information, and it all depends on what the customer seeks from the experience. Most of our customers are the general public and have little or no flying experience. Often though, we encounter people who either travel by air frequently or have a strong interest in aircraft or flying and would like to gain a better appreciation of it, as in the current climate flight deck visits are out of the question. On occasion though we enjoy seeing retired aviators come in to reacquaint themselves with an old passion, prospective boys and girls wishing to gain an insight into becoming a pilot; the Air League (a self-funded youth organisation for Australian boys and girls which encourages an interest in aviation as a career or as a hobby) has been a recent visitor and in a couple of instances, active airline flight crew obtaining some jet familiarisation prior to moving on to larger aircraft”.
Despite the simulator’s limitations, customer feedback is generally positive. “The initial response is usually the same – amazement and excitement. As this particular simulator is fairly accurate in its representation of the B737 flight deck, most of customers (being the general public) are in awe of what comprises a modern airliner’s systems and flight controls.”
The most sophisticated level of aviation simulation is a simulator coupled to a motion platform that moves to reflect physical sensations of flight. Dubbed ‘full’ flight simulators (FFS), these simulators are extremely expensive and are usually tailored to be aircraft specific. Within the commercial industry, simulators have become a crucial component in training and engineering. A notable example of this is the development of the Boeing 777 project in which pilots were already undertaking full simulator training to fly the aircraft before it was even built. This preliminary training sped up the training process of pilots and provided an unprecedented method of testing control methods and systems, smoothing out rough and costly edges in the engineering process.
With the development of FFS’s, Helicopter flight simulators are also becoming increasingly prevalent. Aaron Stroop, Director of HeliSim Australia explains, “helicopter simulators in Europe and the USA are quite popular, however the concept is relatively new in Australia. As a keen pilot I wanted to provide an exciting and realistic experience for the public. There [is] already a number of fixed wing simulators in Sydney, I wanted to offer an entirely different experience”.
Operating out of Bankstown Airport, HeliSim provides an “advanced motion simulator which is elevated from the floor to enable realistic motion”. To reflect reality, the simulator’s field of view screens are larger than those for fixed wing simulators and the interior setup is outfitted to the parameters of a realistic helicopter cockpit. With credits available towards log book hours pending CASA certification, the simulator can be configured for nine different types of helicopters, five turbine and four piston engines: the Robinson R22, R44 and R66, the Bell 206 and 407, the AS350B2, MD500, Enstrom 280FX and the Schweizer 300.
“The leisure market enjoys the experience” says Aaron “and we have a number of regular clients, while the commercial market views simulation as a worthwhile training adjunct”. Confident in the future of the helicopter industry Aaron says “I see the future of training moving toward simulators as it has distinctive cost advantages and allows training in dangerous situations which would not be available to be attempted in the real world”.
For a fully immersive simulator to be effective, the system must convince the user of the reality of the experience with seamless sensory inputs correctly calibrated to the inputs of the user. Any errors could result in an ‘interruption’ of the illusion, a halt in the experience of true training circumstances. Consequently, additional sensory cues are added to the full simulator such as accurate audio, in collaboration with the motion and visual stimuli. In addition to the normal controls, all other possible control interfaces such as circuit breakers, instrument data, and navigation and flight computers are all fully functional in the simulator. This is so that the instructor can induce certain conditions in accordance with training requirements. A successful simulator provides a genuine training experience but also subconsciously tricks the operator’s brain into reflexive actions which can reveal bad habits such as pattern-errors that can result in accidents due to conflicting practices formed in other aircraft.
Dr E. Paul Baxter gives the example of pilots familiar with flying a Beechcraft Baron converting to a Learjet 45, stating that often “students incorrectly applied the landing technique they learned in the Baron to the Learjet”. He goes on to explain that, “when placed under pressure to perform or during periods of intense cockpit activity, even experienced pilots can inadvertently revert to their previous training, that is, they apply techniques and knowledge acquired during training in previous aircraft that may endanger the passengers and crew. Old, well trained, habits die hard”. However, the sophistication of a full simulator “provides a safe environment where trainees can test their skills. During such testing, errors can emerge which are noted by the instructor and corrected during the sim session. Recurrent training makes use of simulators for this reason. It enables trainees to improve and helps experienced pilots to keep their skills up and adapt to new equipment and procedures”.
Aviation-based simulators are also used heavily within the defence industry where simulation practice is not limited to the training of pilots and co-pilots. Peter Redman, Vice President and General Manager of CAE Australia and Asia/Pacific explains, “often in military aviation, you will hear people talk of the “aircrew”, which includes…a range of other crew positions depending on the type of aircraft being flown. In a tanker aircraft, you would have a crew position for an air refuelling officer, sometimes called a boom operator. In a transport aircraft such as the C-130J Hercules, you might have a crew position for the loadmaster, who is responsible for loading and dropping cargo. In a naval helicopter such as the MH-60R Seahawk, you have a crew position for the rear crew sensor operator, who is responsible for the sensors that detect submarines. In all these cases, there are simulators that are developed to train the tasks of these crew positions”.
As an example, Peter Redman discusses the training of aerial refuelling within part-task trainers (simulators that are designed to focus on a specific role within the operation of the aircraft). Aerial refuelling requires accuracy and practice in what is often a complex and potentially dangerous undertaking. These live operations are also very expensive to perform due to the number of aircraft, resources and crew required. “CAE has developed and delivered several A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) air refuelling officer part-task trainers (ARO PTT) to air forces, including the Royal Australian Air Force. The CAE-developed ARO PTT is a sophisticated, high-fidelity training device designed to train the air refuelling officer… on the demanding tasks of a refuelling mission in a safe, cost-effective synthetic environment. The CAE-built ARO PTT features a seven-channel CAE Medallion-6000 visual system combined with 3D goggles and displays to provide a realistic 3D view of the boom itself and approaching receiver aircraft. Using the ARO PTT, crews are able to practice the procedures and techniques of air refuelling operations to become proficient, thus significantly reducing the amount of airborne training required. The ARO PTT can also be networked to a full-mission simulator so that the entire aircrew – pilots and air refuelling officers – can conduct joint training just as they would perform in actual operations”.
Simulators are also increasingly utilised to train defence maintenance personnel. Peter Redman explains, “as you might expect, maintenance professionals need to be proficient at identifying and fixing any maintenance-related issues on an aircraft. Because most militaries want their aviation assets focused primarily on operational commitments, it is not easy or desirable to take an aircraft out-of-service for maintenance training. Therefore, most militaries apply simulation-based training to maintenance training as well.”
Within the sphere of air traffic control, simulators such as ADACEL’s MaxSim have been developed to allow for safer and more economical training practices. As a high fidelity air traffic control system, designed for both civil and military air traffic control training. It involves seated participants responding to real time software input on computer screens and large, wrap-around projections that emulate the view from a control tower. Scenarios are controlled by a user’s physical input into computer systems as well as voice activated technology and the ability for an instructor to introduce different elements to a particular exercise or evaluate a participant’s progress.
The future of simulation within the aviation industry looks bright, with advances in technology creating an increasingly accessible and realistic experience from consumer to professional level users. Mick Stone is one idividual who is optimistic the industry will grow exponentially in the future. “I think it will only increase,” he explains. “Improvements are being made all the time in the varying components and software development, computers are getting faster. Simulation is already used in many other industries and this too will expand.”
Innovations in gaming technology, such as the Oculus Rift, will soon allow the exploration of fully interactive 360-degree environments. Pilot helmets that grant a 360-degree view from within a cockpit are promising new developments within the industry and advances in remote monitoring, engineering and voice recognition are sure to prove as useful as they are fascinating to developers, pilots and flight sim enthusiasts alike.
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A Top End Entrée
Being Brief
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Home / Local News / Education / UWI Guild clears the air on election disqualifications
UWI Guild clears the air on election disqualifications - by Barbados Today March 16, 2017
The Guild of Students at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, is defending its recent decision to disqualify three Barbadian students from contesting this year’s Guild elections.
This after the President of the Barbados Students’ Association (BSA) Kareem Smith last week cried foul on the entire elections process, saying it was unconstitutional.
Smith had further questioned the legitimacy of Returning Officer Annika Bellot to exclude two of the students on the grounds that disciplinary proceedings had been brought against them by the university.
He had also charged that the committee responsible for facilitating the election was not approved by the Student Guild Council, but was “appointed” by the returning officer, contrary to the Guild constitution, which stipulates that those who sit on the committee must be appointed by the Guild of Students.
However, in a statement this afternoon, the Guild neither addressed Smith’s concern that the election had been compromised nor his call for the poll to be postponed “in the interest of fairness and the interest of clarity”.
It only addressed the recent disqualifications, saying that as indicated on the nomination forms, there were two reasons why such action would be taken.
These are that “a prospective candidate must not have come into disrepute by the university administration that would have resulted in disciplinary actions being taken by the students”, as well as “verification by the administration that you are a registered student in good standing.
“Any student who does not meet all of the above requirements listed, will be debarred,” the Guild said, while pointing out that not only Barbadians but also non-Barbadian students were deemed ineligible to contest the 2017/18 elections because they had failed to meet the requirements.
The Guild also pointed out that of the 25 candidates contesting this year’s elections, Barbadians represent the largest contingent by nationality. However, it said strict vigilance was exercised during the election process, for which domestic and international observers were invited to ensure the integrity of its annual exercise.
2 Replies to “UWI Guild clears the air on election disqualifications”
I would like to see the same thing happening at St.Augustine or at Mona.
Suit Barbadians right. They only protest against their own people, why not protest and stop non-nationals from controlling everything on Barbadian soil ???
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A May Day Economic Jeremiad For All Ages
An Act Against Usury
Edward VI, King of England and Ireland
“…For as much as usury is by the word of God utterly prohibited as a vice most odious and detestable as in divers places in Holy Scriptures it is evident to be seen which thing is by no godly teaching, and persuasions can sink into the hearts of divers greedy, uncharitable and covetous persons of this realm, nor yet by any terrible threatenings of God’s wrath and vengeance that justly hang over this realm for the great and open usury therein daily used and practiced, they will forsake such filthy gain and lucre, unless some temporary punishment be provided and ordained in that behalf. For reformation whereof be it enacted by the authority of this present parliament, that from the first day of May, which shall be in the year of our Lord 1552, the said act and statute concerning only usury, lucre, or gain of or for the loan, forbearing, or giving days of any sum or sums of money, be utterly abrogated, void and repealed. And furthermore be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that from and after the first day of May next coming, no person or persons of what estate, degree, quality or condition, soever he or they be by any corrupt, colorable or deceitful conveyance, slight, or engine, or by any way or mean shall lend, give, set out, deliver, or forbear any sum or sums of money to any person or persons, or to any corporation or body politic to or for any manner of usury increase, lucre gain, or interest to be had or hoped for over and above the sums so lent, given, set out, delivered or forborne, upon pain of forfeiture of the value, and well of the sum or sums so lent, given, set out, delivered or forborne, as also of the usury, increase, lucre, gain or interest thereof. And also upon pain of imprisonment of the body or bodies of every such offender or offenders, and also to make fine or ransom at the King’s will and pleasure.”
By this proclamation, the boy-king Edward VI restored the longstanding English legal prohibition against all forms of usury; a prohibition revoked by his father, Henry VIII.
It is well to consider thoughtfully the state of the English economy, and especially its social conditions, during the period where usury was outlawed:
What was our western world like before the debt-economy?
Thorold Rogers, Professor of Political Economy at Oxford University in the middle of the 19th century wrote: “At that time (i.e., the Middle Ages) a laborer could provide all the necessities for his family for a year by working fourteen weeks.”
…the fiery 19th century historian William Cobbett, after visiting Winchester Cathedral and marveling at its beauty, told his son: “That building was made when there were no poor wretches in England called paupers… when every laboring man was clothed in woolen cloth and when all had plenty of meat and bread …”
Thus we have a picture of a well-fed, prosperous community, working commercially, or for gain, about one third of the year and with dozens of holidays a year… It was a time when Englishmen called their land “Merry England,” when they owned their property with allodial title (irrevocably free and clear), instead of paying “rent” (as property owners do now… in the form of property taxes to the government).
It was in the Middle Ages of Europe when the magnificent Gothic cathedrals were constructed with voluntary subscription and labor, edifices of such beauty and power as to amaze the modern onlooker. Dozens were constructed, all without mortgages or debt of any kind; without usury. A society without usury is nowadays derided as inevitably backward, if not impossible. Those who visit the medieval Gothic cathedrals of Britain and Europe gaze upon massive edifices of splendor and proportion which we, with our usury and technology, have yet to equal.
Source: Michael Hoffman, Usury In Christendom (2013)
Tags: debt slavery, edward the confessor, edward VI, interest rates, money-lenders, usury
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2 Responses to “A May Day Economic Jeremiad For All Ages”
Kevin Moore May 1, 2013 at 11:43 am #
With Banks and usury this maxim may be worth a thought for Christians:
“de jure saguinis coronae”
Ancient Latin legal maxim literally meaning “concerning (the) law of (the) blood of crowns” In COMMON LAW since the end of the 16th Century, royal or noble blood has claimed superior status — in particular to the freedom of their body, protection of property and the obligation of any matter brought against then to follow DUE PROCESS (of the LAW), especially right of RELIEF. When an individual claims de jure sanguinis coronae, providing they demonstrate a comprehension of the term and why they should be granted such status (for example–knowledge of the valid argument that you are of royal birth by virtue of being Sons and Daughters of the King of Kings) then the COURT must grant such recognition. This means any failure of DUE PROCESS or failure to account for RELIEF by the COURT obligates to compensate the individual accused.
“The Statute of Jewry 1275 by King Edward 1”
http://www.heretical.com/British/jews1275.html
Kevin Moore May 2, 2013 at 8:21 am #
Ephesians 6:12 “…because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principlalities against authorities, against the rulers of this world, of the darkness of this age….”
http://andrewgavinmarshall.com/2012/10/28/the-global-banking-super-entity-drug-cartel-the-free-market-of-finance-capital/
“I would like to introduce you, the reader, to some realities of our global banking system, resting on the rhetoric of free markets, but functioning, in actuality, as a global cartel, a “super-entity” in which the world’s major banks all own each other and own the controlling shares in the world’s largest multinational corporations, influence governments and policy with politicians in their back pockets, routinely engaging in fraud and bribery, and launder hundreds of billions of dollars in drug money, not to mention arms dealing and terrorist financing. These are the “too big to fail” and “too big to jail” banks, the centre of our global economy, what we call a “free market,” implying that the global banks – and corporations – have “free reign” to do anything they please, engage in blatantly criminal activities, steal trillions in wealth which is hidden offshore, and never get more than a slap on the wrist. This is the real “free market,” a highly profitable global banking cartel, functioning as a worldwide financial Mafia.
Scientific Research Proves the Existence of a Global Financial “Super-Entity”
In October of 2011, New Scientist reported that a scientific study on the global financial system was undertaken by three complex systems theorists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. The conclusion of the study revealed what many theorists and observers have noted for years, decades, and indeed, even centuries: “An analysis of the relationships between 43,000 transnational corporations has identified a relatively small group of companies, mainly banks, with disproportionate power over the global economy.” As one of the researchers stated, “Reality is so complex, we must move away from dogma, whether it’s conspiracy theories or free-market… Our analysis is reality-based.” Using a database which listed 37 million companies and investors worldwide, the researchers studied all 43,060 trans-national corporations (TNCs), including the share ownerships linking them.[1]……………”
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Marco Polo: The Journey of a Beatmaking Pioneer
Marco polo on the anatomy of a producer, how hip hop and beatmaking helped save his life, how he’s redefining beatmaking’s greatest tradition and making stock sounds sound like record samples, why technology’s a ho, why he finally gave in and began selling sound kits, and much more.
By AMIR SAID (SA'ID)
Photo credit: Amir Said © 2016
Editor’s note: This is an epic long read! But worth it.
This interview contains a combination of a series of interviews I conducted with Marco Polo (on several dates) over the past four years, the lengthiest and most recent being in mid-December, 2014. Since these interviews were part of a continuing series with Marco Polo, as one whole composite, I wanted to publish it here the way it was meant to be presented, as a whole rather than in parts.
BeatTips: What is your earliest musical memory? I remember we spoke before and you told me that your father, who was really open minded musically, talk about that and how that impacted you.
Marco Polo: One of my earliest memories of music is fucking dancing to the Thriller LP, playing on record, and literally dancing on a glass coffee table, and that shit shattering and me falling through it, while Thriller was playing, and my parents running downstairs wildin’ out, wondering if I was okay.
BeatTips: How old were you?
Marco Polo: Shit, well it came out in what, 1982? It must’ve been a year after that, so like 4. I was born in ’79, so I was like 3 or 4 years old. And I remember that vividly.
BeatTips: Were you a Michael Jackson fan?
Marco Polo: Oh, my God, [Thriller] that’s my favorite album of all time. I was just speaking about how it’s been so long since that album’s come out, and nothing to me has come close to knocking that as my top album of all time. Thriller, absolutely! Just because it has so many personal memories of a kid, and just now, growing up and being into music and understanding what went into that record and how it sounds, it’s still fucking leagues ahead of any fucking pop record, or R&B record, ever, in my opinion. That shit is epic, the way it makes me feel, the way it sounds, you know. And Quincy’s [Quincy Jones] part, and Michael and what they did to make that album, it’s amazing; it’s timeless!
BeatTips: What you were into, was it just soul, was it jazz? What else was in the house?
Marco Polo: My parents always had music for us, but my pops, specifically, as I got older he introduced me to everything that he listened to, which was jazz, like Miles Davis Kind of Blue, to Steely Dan, to Cream Disraeli Gears album, you know. And him telling me, “Okay, son, Eric Clapton was on the guitar, Ginger Baker was on the drums, Jack Bruce was on the fucking guitar. And then, Italian music, because you know, my parents were born in Italy, then they immigrated to Canada. My pops, loved everything, man. He loved Donny Hathaway, Johnny Guitar Watson, “Super Man Lover.” He would just put that on loop at the end of the night and have a glass of wine, and chain smoke cigarettes, and just repeat that song. And my moms love music, too. She was just more into like mainstream stuff, you know, like she would put shit on like The Gypsy Kings and clean the house on Sunday. My moms is more on the commercial, she just likes to dance, have a good time. So she liked music, but my dad was more like… My pops definitely had the real specific, artsy like, you know, diggin’ in the crates… He actually left me some really ill records. Well, he’s still here, I said it like he died. He’s still here. But whatever was left in his record collection, he gave to me. And just by like the 30 or 40 pieces [records], I knew his shit was ill, because it was like Bob James, Jack Handy, he was a saxophone player, John Klemmer, a lot of jazz and funk and soul. That’s where I get my influences from, cuz he was really open minded to everything, you know.
BeatTips: So was his thing more that he just loved music, or was he actually trying to guide you in that direction?
Marco Polo: No, he wasn’t trying to guide me. He just loved music. He used to DJ when he was young. And he just put me on. It wasn’t like he was trying to steer me in the direction of doing music as a career. He just loved music, and I was just there to listen to it, you know.
BeatTips: But When and how did you first discover hip hop?
Marco Polo: I first discovered hip hop… Well, being in Toronto, I think it was just on radio and TV. Whatever was playing. And one of the first… Much Music was a huge channel for me discovering hip hop and listening to stuff like Maestro Fresh Wes, you know, “Let Your Backbone Slide.” He was like the Big Daddy Kane of Canada. He’s a legend. Shouts to him. Seeing his video, and then whatever was playing at that same time. And I remember hearing Main Source, “Looking at the Front Door,” on the radio back then. And then we had this show called “Electric Circus” on Much Music, which was kind of like a dance show, like “Soul Train” but a Canadian version. It was more dance, but they would have hip hop acts come through and perform. And you know, Large Professor had Sir Scratch, and what’s the other DJ’s name [K-Cut]? They were both from Toronto. And he was always up there, and I would see little glimpses of that as a kid and being in school. And I remember having Rap Tracks II . It was like a compilation on CD. It had like De La Soul -“Say No Go,” and Slick Rick - “A Children’s Story;” Neneh Cherry - “Buffalo Stance.” So that was like the beginnings of me just be familiar with it and liking it. But it wasn’t until high school that I started buying music. And I was late compared to a lot of my friends. Like my first four albums that I bought, that I owned, was Only Built for Cuban Linx — Raekwon; Cypress Hill’s Temple of Boom, which is like their third album; GZA - Liquid Swords; and Das EFX - Hold it Down. One more thing, though. My pop’s bought Tribe’s first album, because he loved “Bonita Applebum.” He bought that shit, brought it home and was like, “I love this song!” So that [People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm] was technically the first album that existed in my home that was a hip hop CD. That was ‘cause of him.
BeatTips: How was your family? Where you upper class, middle class?
Marco Polo: We were definitely middle class. I grew up in a neighborhood that was really well off and well to do. All my friends at young ages had crazy cars and shit like that. But I never really grew up in a situation like that… it was cool, you know. We did well, but you know, I wasn’t spoiled or anything like that.
BeatTips: What about school? How were you as a student?
Marco Polo: In elementary I was good… Then high school hit and … [laughs] got a little crazy, I guess you could say. By grade 10, I ended up leaving and going to…drug rehab for like a year. ‘Cause I was messing around with a bunch of shit. So I went away in about the middle of grade 10 for about a year, and came back in grade 12 or grade 11, and got my life together. You know, at an early age I was into some shit! I came back good, everything done.
BeatTips: But what led up to that?
Marco Polo: I mean, just being a kid. You know, just doing dumb shit, you know what I’m sayin’… Peer pressure, you know… Fuckin’ started selling drugs, selling weed. Before you know it, I was fuckin’ actively using, you know, smoking weed, doing a lot of other shit, too, like… the highest levels of drug use, I was partaking in, at a very young age, which is pretty scary actually. I mean, when I first started smoking weed in high school, definitely. And you know, usually it’s kind of baby steps till the harder shit, till you start doing coke and heroin. But I kind of went up the latter really quick. Just partying, doing a lot shit. And to be honest, hip hop wasn’t even a part of my life at that stage, I was just a wild kid… I ran with some kids that weren’t probably the best influence. I started dealing drugs, I started doing drugs… typical fuckin’ suburban drugs, you know like acid and mushrooms. Then fucking ended up doing heroin... You know, this all happened really fast, like within 1 ½ years to the point where I fucking peeked out…B, I was like 15 years old, 14! So it was really young. I didn’t even have a chance to really… like my whole drug span was like 2 years, tops. I peeked out, and I came to a point where I realized that I needed help, and I let my parents know, ‘Yo, I’m fucked up.’ I was failing all of my classes. Girlfriend dumped me…figured out I was doing all the shit I was doing. But it all kind-of connects to where I’m at now, because I ended up going away for a year, and I stopped doing drugs and drinking, period. And haven’t for almost 13 years, now.
BeatTips: Oh, so you came to your parents?
Marco Polo: Yeah!
BeatTips: They didn’t even know what was going on?
Marco Polo: I mean, they knew I was in some shit. They just thought it was typical teenage shit, like smoking weed, “He’s failing classes,” “He’s skipping school…” But they didn’t know the extent. Just ‘cause, you know, as a parent, you probably don’t even wanna think about your child doing that type of drug at an early age. So they were fucking shell-shocked. It was crazy. But I’m blessed to have amazing parents, you know what I’m sayin’. They went out of pocket… They had to re-mortgage the house to send me to this treatment center. It was crazy. I ended up going to a place called Hazleton in Minnesota, which is a world-renown youth facility. They have an adult center… I mean this is the place where they fucking sent… all the Hollywood stars and their kids. Like I was in treatment with some pretty heavy known people. I can’t even mention, for private identity purposes, but music people, actors, star’s children… I was roommates with like actors you see in movies now. It was a crazy experience, and I learned a lot. I went away for about a year… between 3 or 4 centers, because you start at a main one which is more lockdown. You know, clean up, get it out of your system, and then move on to a halfway house in Louisiana. Then I came back and I managed to keep it together… Definitely got involved with AA meetings and all that.
BeatTips: Do you think that you getting it on track is because (1) you were honest about your problem, and (2) you were young?
Marco Polo: I mean, it was a combination of all those things. Definitely being honest about having some sort of an addiction. And straight up, I had fucked up so much at that point, with just how much I put my family through, that when I came out I was like, “I can’t do this… I can’t do drugs, for myself…” First of all, you can’t do drugs for yourself, because ain’t nothing happening until you do it for yourself. You do it for somebody else, it ain’t gonna work. But then also knowing that my parents had went through so much to put me where I’m at, that was definitely motivation to keep it together.
BeatTips: So after you got cleaned up and you got into music, did you find that hip hop was something that kind of sustained you and kept you away from it?
Marco Polo: YEAH! That’s… Honestly, in treatment, in rehab is where I first started listening to hip hop, like ALL THE TIME… A Tribe Called Quest… it was all over the place. At that point, I didn’t realize how much I liked it. Even before I had went into rehab, I remember my pops, he bought the first Tribe album because he liked “Bonita Applebum”… When I went to rehab, I started really listening to music… and hip hop was definitely one of the genres I really started focusing on. And when I came back home from treatment, I finished high school, and I started working at record stores, CD stores… And actually, I lost a couple of jobs because my music collection started getting crazy… I started stealing fucking records and CDs from these stores, just because I wanted more shit… Yo, I fuckin’ ended up going… you know… being on probation as a young offender; going to jail, getting fired from a job for stealing thousands and thousand dollars worth a CDs… it was crazy, yo! And then luckily, I got out of that situation, you know, cuz Canada’s very, very lenient. If your under 18 and you commit crimes it’s very lenient. It’s like you just do community service. It was all part of the process. Then, it got to the point where my music collection was just so ridiculous… Just on CDs and being a fan, you know, I wanted to do something more. Then I was like, “Yo, I gotta do something with this after I finish high school.” I was like, “I gotta go figure it out; I gotta go produce.” I started to hear Gang Starr albums and Pete Rock [& CL Smooth] albums, and I was like, “Yo, this shit is incredible… I wanna do THAT!”
BeatTips: So now, at that time, you’re out of high school, you’re thinking “I gotta do something with music.” Logical choice is to go to audio engineering school. Is that what you did?
Marco Polo: Yeah. It was called the Harris Institute for the Arts in Toronto. You know, it’s like the typical audio engineering school that they have here. They don’t really teach you about production, it’s more like studio…
BeatTips: What were your expectations and what was the reality?
Marco Polo: I really wanted to learn how to make beats, straight up! That’s what I wanted to get out of the school. What I realized is that, those schools, while they teach you things that might help you make beats, they don’t really… maybe now that might have MPC classes or something like that to go make hip hop beats… There’s not like a class in most of these places. I’m not blaming thing, because I was just amped to go learn about musical things, engineering and studio things. And for someone who doesn’t know anything, it’s definitely good. You’ll learn about signal processing, and plugging in mic cables, and recording, and Pro Tools, and that shit is definitely helpful. But, you know, if you just wanna make beats, you know, really look into the schools and the classes before you sign up for that shit.
BeatTips: So what did you take from that school?
Marco Polo: That’s the biggest thing that I took. Just the knowledge of basic studio equipment, signal flow, like real basic shit, but it’s really important… But to be honest, the moment I started interning at The Cutting Room, which is a studio in New York at started working at when I moved from Toronto. I learned more at that place in two months than I did there in a year in a half.
BeatTips: Before you get to the Cutting Room, at this time, did you really know what a beatmaker/producer was?
Marco Polo: I mean, I was learning… All I knew was music was the only thing that I loved, you know what I’m sayin’. A lot of people figure it out in high school, like, “I wanna do this; I wanna go to university become an accountant;” “I’m gonna be a doctor.” I’m sitting here like, “I don’t wanna do any of that shit! I wanna do something with music… I like MUSIC!” And then the first four full albums that I bought were: GZA - Liquid Swords; DAS EFX - Hold It Down; Cypress Hill - Temples of Boom; and Raewkon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. And then at that point, I went crazy and went back into the stash, and the history, and got everything…From like every BDP album, to every EPMD album. The whole Wu Tang catalogue. Stetsasonic… I wanted to learn about everything to do with hip hop, where it started, you know what I’m sayin’. I was going to the library. Got a new book each time.
BeatTips: What was it that triggered that desire for you to really know hip hop music like that, to read books, etc.?
Marco Polo: I was so into the whole style… of sampling… It was my curiosity. I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t grow up in the 80s listening to hip hop, like the founders and where it came from. So I wanted to learn about it. I feel like, in order to succeed in something, and produce rap, you have to find out where it came from!... And It was the beats! It was fucking hearing Wu-Tang and Primo beats and Pete Rock and going, “Holy Shit!” Like, “What is this shit?” That’s what got me. The production…I wanted the education. Literally, if there was a University of Hip Hop, that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to learn where it came from. Like, obviously, I was gonna get the gear and I was gonna go to school for music, but anything that you wanna master, you gotta study the greats. And that was my approach. When I heard it, I wanted to know everything! I wanted to buy everything, I wanted to listen to everything. Understand it! Then I got to that point where it was literally frustrating just listening. That’s when I was like, “Yo, I wanna make this shit!”
BeatTips: So early on, did you know a lot about hip hop history?
Marco Polo: No. I slowly learned. My beat Yoda, as I call him, my boy, Shylow, was the one who started putting me on to a lot of stuff, and teaching me how to use the MPC, and just putting me on to music. But once the internet kicked in…
BeatTips: But before that. I’m talking about the roots, the history of hip hop. Did you have an understanding? Everyone says, “Hip hop came from the South Bronx…” Did you have an understanding?
Marco Polo: Not for a minute. I eventually learned that. I had to go and learn that shit… I had to go backwards. Wherever my starting point was, I had to go back and figure out where it came from and learn about shit. I’m still learning. There’s so much history in the beginnings of hip hop that I’m not familiar with, and cats who were really integral, and I’m still learning about that.
BeatTips: What was the difference when you lacked the information, knowledge, and education vs. when you started to understand?
Marco Polo: Definitely raised my appreciation for where it came from and where it was at and the evolution of it.
BeatTips: Did it flow through to the music?
Marco Polo: I think so, yeah. Of course. The more I learned, the more I studied, the better I became at my craft, you know. And that whole process is never gonna stop. The moment you think you have it figured out, you’re done.
BeatTips: When you went through this intensive study, what where the things that you discovered that had the biggest influence on you?
Marco Polo: I grew up on the East Coast… I was discovering all these groups and their styles, where they were coming from… Discovering how each producer did things in a certain way.
Let me give you a couple of names that will cover what you were studying, and you give me something that you pulled from them, and that maybe perhaps you innovated upon:
Pete Rock? What was the thing [about] Pete Rock that most influenced you, the thing that you take now with you when you make music?
Marco Polo: His beats were a lot more complex at the time compared to a lot of other producers. The shit that he was doing, like blending different loops, and his use of horns. He was definitely one of the people who had a signature style when it came to using a lot of horns. His drums knocked, his bass knocked. The difference between him and Preem [DJ Premier], I think technical wise, complexity wise, Pete was doing a lot more than other producers, you know what I’m sayin’. He had a lot of things happening on the hook parts of his beats that was different from the verse part, in terms of song structure that I learned. I was like, “Word, when the hook comes, it’s gotta be big and epic. And then when the verse hits, it’s gotta be dumbed down to the bass and the drums so you feel the emcee.” Sound structure, that’s what I learned from Pete. Same with Large Professor, both of them. And just using so many different sounds, and like little vocal chops. Just flavor and detail. Pete Rock to me was someone with mad layers to his music. His sound was horns and crazy things happening. He had a style; you knew when a Pete Rock beat came on. That’s what I was learning after a while… It’s like, figuring out people’s styles, people’s sounds, and how it came to be. Because I was going back to listen to like two or three albums, or from the first and third, like wow, you can see how people evolved. It helped me evolve as an engineer and a producer myself.
BeatTips: What about RZA?
Marco Polo: Aw, MAN! When I heard Cuban Linx and 36 Chambers — Liquid Swords, man, that album is so crazy. It was like a movie to me — those albums, to me. Because you put them on, and they just put you in a zone. And the way he was doing things was so different. He was looping shit off-time, and drums was so grimy; and the mixes was terrible, but in a good way. Man, it just gave you a feelin’… He knew what he was doing. Sometimes looping things the way you do on purpose, you just gotta go off vibe. You can’t always be so technical with music.
BeatTips: What about J Dilla?
Marco Polo: Uh, Jaydee, as I knew him first and then manifested into the J Dilla moniker, was definitely another influence on me. He’s a great to me, but he’s not in my top 5, like Pete, Preem, and Large. I’m being straight up, you know what I’m sayin’. I love Dilla, and there was a lot of records in his early career that were huge for me just learning about hip hop, like The Pharcyde’s “Runnin’,” specifically that song, that was one of my favorite hip hop songs when I was coming up. But Slum Village Fantastic Vol. 2, that was the record that I became a huge Dilla fan. And that record influenced producers everywhere — and I feel like in some ways negatively because some people literally wanted to be that man and emulate him on all levels.
BeatTips: What about Kev Brown?
Marco Polo: Kev Brown. He’s one of the modern beat geniuses. If I had to guess, I would say he was very influenced by Pete [Rock] just like me. But he did his own thing with it. He took bass lines to a whole fucking NEW level! His drumwork is outstanding. He found pieces of gear that worked for him that helped him establish a certain sound. It was like an extension of the SP 1200, but with modern machines. He’s like a dude, where — he inspired me. As a peer, and as a friend. And his production — he’s another dude where I scratch my head as to why more people do not know about him, and why he isn’t — you know, just like myself at times. Like, we both have that in common where we continuously fall under the radar with people. Which is cool. But yeah, Kev is a dude I feel like more people should know about. You know, and what he does, and how evolved. He’s incredible.
BeatTips: Q-Tip
Marco Polo: Q-Tip’s another legend, too. Often overlooked because people see him as just a rapper. Just based on his production on all the Tribe [A Tribe Called Quest] albums, that cements him in top 10 instantly! Midnight Marauders is one of my favorite albums of all time. I love the first two [Tribe albums] as well, but Midnight was the one where I was like, “He’s a production genius.” Talk about influencing people, you know. And even to this day, that whole production style, there sound was very influential with a lot of people.
BeatTips: DJ Premier?
Marco Polo: Primo with the chops. At first, in the Group Home, Jeru, Gang Starr days, he was looping. But then he evolved. He’s one that influenced me to start chopping up records. Primo would take like 3 seconds of a record, not even a full loop, maybe just a melody or a couple of hits, and rearrange it and chop it and make this INSANE rhythm, you know what I’m sayin’, this loop. And then he’d put his signature drums on it, and that shit would put you in a zone. He has me listening to records differently. Instead of just looking for the obvious thing to do, the thing to do is to really, really dissect a song when you’re trying to make a beat. Really listen to detail. Listen to that one or two notes that might be dope sounding, and fuck with them. Preemo. I think the thing about Preem that I finally realized after many years, what I respect about him is, his ability to be simple. And this is not to undermine what he is doing as something that’s like easy — Because NOBODY else can do it. And nobody else has done it to this day! His ability to hear something on a record, a sample on a record that NO ONE else would ever fuck with. Chop it up in a way, bring it out with EQ and mixing, and then his signature drums, that, still to this day, hits harder than anything I’ve ever heard. And to hypnotize you, with two, literally 2- and 4-bar loops. At the peak of his production career, there wasn’t a lot going on. But what was there was so fucking hypnotizing and perfect that you didn’t fucking care. You don’t have to get technical if it’s rights. If it sounds right, if it feels right. You could listen to his shit for 20 minutes fucking straight, a beat. “Kick in the Door” (B.I.G.); “Nas Is Like” (Nas) — you don’t give a fuck that there’s no damn hook change. The shit is GREAT! And that’s my whole thing. It’s like, I think a lot of times people get bogged down with technical shit. But with Preem, it was just an instant feeling. Instantly. The first kick comes on and hits you, and you’re like, “Good God! This is hip hop! This is what it’s supposed to be.” And no one has been able to. Many people have tried, including myself to study and learn; and I’m probably guilty early in my career of making some very Premier-influenced beats. But he’s the master of that shit, man. No one can do that.
BeatTips: But the thing is, that you actually touch on. I’ve seen you do your music. People don’t realize that making something sound simple is not as easy as you think—
Marco Polo: NO! It’s more complex than adding all of this other shit. Getting something and bringing it to life. Yo, go look up all the shit that Premo used and try to do the shit that he did. You will fail. You’ll fucking fail. You will fail, man.
BeatTips: Large Professor?
Marco Polo: I remember hearing “Looking At The Front Door” on the radio. Large was producing for everybody back then. Actually, he was one of the producers I didn’t get into at first, just because I wasn’t aware. I learned later. And one thing that stuck out with him was his drums. His drums was always crazy. They hit hard, his programming was crazy. That’s one influence I get from Large Professor is his drums.
BeatTips: As you studied more of Large Professor's work, what stood out?
Marco Polo: What I thought was amazing about Large Pro, even now, like every year I find a new appreciation for all these people — RZA, DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock —because I’m learning more, like from a technical…When you first get introduced to beats, the technical stuff, you’re not aware of it, you just hear shit. And now that I do it and I make it, I can appreciate them on a higher level. With Large, listening back to Large now, especially on the first Main Source album, his ability to take so many different records that have nothing to do with each other key wise, and make them shits work. Kind of like how what Pete was doing. They were all about layering a lot of different records, you know what I’m sayin’. Like horns from this jazz record, drums from this record, bass loop from this. There’s people today that can’t figure that shit out.
BeatTips: One more name I haven’t mentioned. Tell me Someone you kept as a close study—
Marco Polo: Jake One! Jake One, absolutely. Jake One is one of my favorite producers, also a friend of mine. And before I even made beats, I was a fan of him, like in the Conception Records stage, label, which is — I think was from Seattle and that’s where Jake is from. My boy Arcee from Toronto was doing work with them, and Jake was doing a lot of indie hip hop. He was working with cats like Rascoe, and Gift of Gab, and Charlie Tuna, and he had an impeccable ear for samples. And like, I find shit that he used back like 10 years ago now, and I’m like pissed, like , Yo, he was so ahead of mad people when it came to digging and sampling different shit. And then to watch his evolution to now, fucking doing joints for Drake?! And Dr. Dre, and Rick Ross. And T.I. It’s incredible. But some of my favorite Jake records, and I tell him when I see him, is the back-in-the-day joints where he just found wild loops and samples that no one ever heard and chopped them up and did his thing. But he’s definitely someone who continuously inspires me. And his drums and bass is superior to a lot of producers.
BeatTips: What was the first production setup that you had? Did you learn what to get from that school?
Marco Polo: Nah, just from friends. When I got my student loan for the school, I used that student loan to buy my first MPC; which is the same one you see right here! I was told, “Yo, you should get an MPC, it’s easy to learn.” I had a friend who knew how to use it… I got the MPC because, on some real shit, my friends had MPCs and I know that they could teach me it. And I wanted to learn as quickly as possible. Also, because I knew it was a classic sampler to use, but I’m pretty sure Shylow probably had an XL [MPC 2000XL] and was like, “Yo, if you get one, I’ll teach you.”
BeatTips: What year was this that you got that MPC?
Marco Polo: 2000. At that time, that was the startings of Cool Edit and all those other programs, but I wasn’t fuckin’ with that; I wanted to hit pads, you know what I’m sayin’.
BeatTips: So after that, how long did you work with the MPC before you were like, “Yo, I gotta move to New York?”
Marco Polo: Well, for the first couple of years, I was making beats everyday. They were probably the worst sounding things ever. But you know, I just kept practicing. It’s DJ’ing and battle DJ’ing, you gotta practice everyday. So that’s what I would do. I would sit down everyday and try to make beats. I would listen to my favorite producers and be like, “What did they do there?” And I would straight-up try and copy people’s styles, just as a learning technique… Like, how does Primo do his drums, you know… How does RZA chop shit up. And that just evolved. Then it got to the point where I graduated from school, and they promise you, you know, “Yo, we’re going to get you an internship,” or “We’re going to put you in the industry.” They didn’t do any of that shit! And I was like, “Let me just take this in my own hands.” I had a friend out in Queens, and I was like, “Yo, I gotta make this move.” It was scary as shit, but I was like, “I gotta leave Toronto and move to New York, if I wanna do this for real.” And that’s what I did.
BeatTips: Is this something that you consulted with your parents about?
Marco Polo: I let them know. At first, I could sense that they were a little hesitant in supporting me on it, but they did.
BeatTips: How old were you then?
Marco Polo: I was like 21, 22… I had my boy Lou, out in Queens, who’s actually part of a group (my roommate here is in), called Red Clay. And he was like, “Yo, you can come stay in the basement until you get your shit together.” And that actually led to a bunch of shit. Through Lou I met Ayatollah. And when I got my internship at The Cutting Room that was when Rawkus was doing a lot of recording there. So I met Ayatollah…And before I even got an internship at The Cutting Room, I came to New York to try to scout out studios that I wanted to intern at. And I came and hit like 15 studios in one day with résumés, with this and that, real gun-ho. And then at the end of that day, Ayatollah hit me up and was like, “Yo, just come through, I’m doing a session at this other studio called The Cutting Room.” It wasn’t even on my list. And he was doing — it was around the time he was doing remixes. Remember when The Executioners put their album out, and they had a joint with Inspectah Deck, Pharaoh? And Ayatollah was doing the remix, so I went through. Dropped my résumé off. And bam, like a couple of weeks later they hit me back and was like, “Yo, you want the internship!” And so it just happened…
BeatTips: What was your initial reaction to New York, you know after you made that move and breathed in the oxygen?
Marco Polo: Yeah, man… I loved it. I was so excited, you know what I’m sayin’. It was really overwhelming. Just being in New York. Just the vibe you get, the feelin’! Knowing that this is where hip hop started, it’s a feelin’ that had me motivated.
BeatTips: Did you look at it like you had a real fresh start?
Marco Polo: DEFINITELY… I just… you know, the key I feel like to my story is that I didn’t over-think shit! If I let my feelings — and like what should happen like, “You’re from Toronto, Canada, how are you going to go to New York and become a producer?” If I listened to that voice, I wouldn’t be where I am. I was just like, “Fuck it! I have nothing to lose!” I got this connect, nothing’s promised. I don’t know what’s going to happen. But Fuck it. That’s pretty much how it went down. There was no thinking. If I would have thought every step out like, “How are you going to afford to live in New York? How are you going to get a job, you have no visa?” I just blocked all of that out.
BeatTips: Talk to me about your time working at The Cutting Room recording studio. How long was it before you were allowed to actually assist and start doing sessions?
Marco Polo: I mean, I was in sessions right away. Whether I was actually doing musical things — but I was around it soon as I started working there, you know they let you sit in the rooms. And right away, BAM! I was in sessions with all those classic Rawkus dudes like, Mos Def, Talib Kwali. And this is right around the time Kanye started coming through… I got to see Ayatollah do a lot of sessions. This was right around the time when Kwali was doing the Kwality album, and Sound Bombin III, and “The Life.” And that was the crazy part because I was a fan of all that shit. It was exactly what I wanted to be around. I was bumpin’ heads with artists…I was making beats and making beat CDs. And the shit wasn’t the greatest, but I was still passing CDs out, just to get the name out. And that was the benefit of working there. In Toronto, you’re not going to run into all of these dudes, and give ‘em CDs. But in New York, you’re surrounded by it constantly.
BeatTips: So when you started doing your own sessions, what was the roughest lesson you had to learn?
Marco Polo: To be honest, it never really got to the point where I was mixing records at The Cutting Room. The furthest I got with the engineering there was tracking vocals… And definitely when it comes to engineering it’s a very customer service based industry where the client is always right, no matter what. Like you could have all the knowledge in the world about how shit should sound, if they want their vocals blaring loud, you make their vocals blaring loud….
I came up under some really good mix engineers, one of them who’s my mix engineer today, Joe Nardone. I was heavily involved in the assisting of the Grind Date album of De La Soul, and for Kweli’s [Talib Kweli] second album, or was it his first solo album on Rawkus? What was it called, Kwality? And I used to — I have tracked vocals for a few people. Inspectah Deck on his second album. Carl Thomas, some random shit. But I definitely was a sponge. When I became a manager there, or engineering, or assisting engineering, I was just watching. I was keeping my mouth shut and just , you know, morphing into a sponge and sucking in all the energy that I could. And seeing a lot of people on their come up. Kanye, before he had his first album on Rocafella, was coming through. And I remember Mos Def and Talib talking to each other in sessions like, “Yo, THAT’S the next dude!” I remember Mos Def coming in saying, “This dude Kanye is about to take everything over! Like, he’s about to shut shit down!” And me going like, “Who is this Kanye dude?” I remember Kanye coming in to play beats for De La, during the Grind Date album. I don’t think they used anything, but he came in and played beats for them.
BeatTips: You heard some of those Kanye beats, too?
Marco Polo: I heard some of them, definitely. And they even picked some. But nothing ever happen because I think he’s not on that record.
BeatTips: You could see it, too, that Kanye was gonna—
Marco Polo: No, I couldn’t. Straight up! ‘Because I heard the beats and I really liked them. But the way they were talking about him, I didn’t see it. But that’s no disrespect. I was just, I had my opinions, and I thought the beats were dope. But the way they were talking about him, like second coming of Jesus, take over the game?! Straight up, I wouldn’t of called it. And I wouldn’t of agreed with them, and it’s amazing to see what he did. NOW, I get it. And his evolution, you know, he’s a great producer. But at the time, I didn’t see it like they saw it. So I failed with the future visions on Kanye.
BeatTips: Recently, there’s been a number of high-profile projects that feature some variation of live instrumentation as the beat. There’s Ghostface Killah’s work with Adrian Younge. Then his most recent [project], 36 Seasons. Then RZA’s work on the latest Wu-Tang [Clan album] A Better Tomorrow. That’s again, live instrumentation. And there’s Preem and Royce — PRhyme. That’s Premier [sampling] Adrian Younge’s catalog. How do you see what you do In regards to this? What is different from that sound, which these are obviously live bands, this is live instrumentation as the beat, and what you’ve now progressed to?
Marco Polo: There’s so many ways I can answer this question, and I’m glad you asked it. I have an issue with a lot of this stuff to be honest. First of all, I did something with Adrian on my last album, on Newport Authority II. He asked me to do a remix off The Delfonics album he did. And I flipped the beat, and then Tragedy rapped on it and Lil’ Fame (I’m-a give you that later). So shouts to Adrian, he’s incredible at what he does. My whole thing — I incorporate that type of sampling. I use Komplete to compose my own music, and to me, it’s all a learning process because I do know this: You can over analyze the approach of like, “Yo, let me get a band and we’ll make it sound like records,” and I’ve heard people do that and fail miserably. And on paper, it’s like, “Yo, it’s all live instruments. And live drums…” You think like, “Yo, this is dope.” Or it should be dope. But a lot of times, to me, it’s not! It’s not! There’s something missing. Something’s missing! I don’t care technically what you did. Yes, you have a Fender through the amp that they used in the ‘60s and through this board, and like — but that doesn’t mean shit if it doesn’t sound right and give you that feelin’, you-know-what-I’m-sayin’. I don’t get excited when someone’s like, “Yo, I’m going into the studio with a live band…” I’ve heard people say that, then I heard [the music] and it failed my expectations. After all of these years of breaking things down, to me, I just keep it really simple: Is it dope, or is it not dope? That’s how it should be. But I think people get like, caught up in the whole pitch of, “Yo, but he used this band…” A lot of times, these newer bands that recreate that sound are extremely dope. But what I think needs to happen is producers need to take that shit — like they did records — put it in the damn sampler and add their drums to where it knocks. Because a lot of these live drummers are playing funky breaks all day, and it sounds incredible how it’s recorded, but the knock is not there. And as far as I know, when I came up with hip hop, shit knocked. Drums were the driving force.
BeatTips: Well what you just described is what Preem did with PRhyme—
Marco Polo: Exactly! And that’s the approach I would take, you-know-what-I’m-sayin’. Unless you have like a certain themed album. Because Adrian’s shit is fucking crazy. Like he makes shit sound — I’m a huge fan. He’s definitely influenced by soul and a lot of spaghetti Western shit; a lot of shit sounds evil. That’s right up my lane, and it’s perfect for sampling. But I don’t know if it’s perfect for everybody to just rap on the shit that he does. I think it’s a different thing. I think as its own thing, listening to it, it’s my favorite. I fucking just listen to that shit and I’m like, “Yo!...” And I vibe out to it. And then for making beats, it’s great, too.
BeatTips: There’s another thing, I’m sure you’re aware of. Speak on this. That when people mention the band, there’s always this tinge that it’s somehow better, that a live band is somehow better, that it’s evolving—
Marco Polo: Yeah, I know. It’s HORSESHIT! It’s horseshit to me. I think it’s bullshit! Listen, when people evolve, and all this — even me, sometimes people say it for me, and I’m cool with it, but like, as much more as I know I’m doing, and me playing you beats and being like, “Yo, I did this here, and I did this, here.” That’s cool, and technically it’s impressive to people. But some people say to me, “Yo, your first album, you was just sampling, that’s my favorite shit.” And I have to scratch my head because technically, I’m so passed that shit. Like, are you hearing the shit I’m doing now? And the bottom line is: While maybe I’m better, it doesn’t matter to people, they just want to get that feelin’. And a lot of the time, with cats like Jake, the RZA, whoever, the shit they’re doing now technically is superior to what they were doing back then. But is it better? is the argument. Does it make you feel the same way? Still some of my favorite records from Jake are like the old shit. RZA sampling, and what he did on shit like Liquid Swords is the peak for me. And I’m not saying what he’s doing now is not dope. But straight up, I like that shit more. When he was just fucking sampling shit and chopping shit up.
BeatTips: So, explain what you do. [Some] people are confused about live instrumentation as the beat and exactly what you do. So talk about that, the differences.
Marco Polo: The shit that I do these days is I sample myself essentially. I accumulate a lot of music — live instrumentation like you say. I’ll buy sound libraries…like a soulful guitar pack with people playing riffs in different chords. Here’s people playing keys and chords. Here’s some horns. I take that shit like I do with vinyl, I put it into Komplete or Kontakt or my MPC, and I FUCK IT UP with compression, and take these luscious, highly recorded, 42-bit shit — I don’t care about all that. I want it to sound dusty. So I put in here [MPC, Komplete, or Kontakt] and I mess with it, then I add my own shit on top of it. As long as you got a .wav file, you’re good. You can put it into many programs. Absolutely. You’re limitless with things. I was making music with some musicians and something wasn’t happening. It wasn’t working. And I was like, “Yo, we’re making these ill things in the studio,” then I’m like, “Yo, this is going to be a crazy beat.” Then I sit down to make it and it was WACK! [laughs]
BeatTips: Sample packs have been around for years, but why is it that what you’re doing? I remember you playing some things for me several years ago and asking me, “Yo, tell me the truth, does it sound like a sample?” And I told you, “No. But you’re getting there.” What you’re doing now vs. then, it’s night and day. So what is it that you think is responsible for you being able to now match it to where it’s being mistaken for a sample?
Marco Polo: Practice! [laughs] Putting in work, man. Learning from my mistakes. Learning and getting better, and like analyzing the fuck out of everything. Yo, making beats, this is an education that never ends. There’s no graduation from learning production. It’s a fucking endless university that has no ending EVER. And that’s’ the problem with me, too. I would probably get more beats done if I was less critical [of myself] and over thinking and constantly over analyzing my own shit.
BeatTips: You’re surrounded by records, you’ve been digging; that’s never gonna leave you.
Marco Polo: Never!
BeatTips: So you don’t think that has shaped your ear?
Marco Polo: Yes! ABSOLUTELY! YES! You have to have an ear. Absolutely it comes from the influence of the music I get off my vinyl, ‘cause I know how shit’s supposed to sound.
BeatTips: Because the way you’re presenting it is like, “Yo, I put some compression…” But all of these things are subconscious metrics in your head. When you’re turning the knob—
Marco Polo: I’m trying to make shit sound like if I went to a record store, and it sounds dirty, and I put amps on shit. And the reason I’m doing that is because I know that’s what they did back then. But I don’t have those same tools, so I gotta attack it from different ways. And whatever I can achieve that sound with, I’m going to use it.
BeatTips: The buzzword that I was getting at is “reference.” Sonically, you have a reference—
Marco Polo: Yes, Always—
BeatTips: That’s in your head. That I think without — whether you’re dealing with vinyl or you’re online, if you don’t have that sonic reference, you’re not going to be able to make that sound.
Marco Polo: Yes! It all starts from me buying music and records, that’s the foundation of all this shit. And that’s why I’m able to achieve beats that don’t have samples in them because I’ve studied what they do sound like, and I’m still learning about it. So if I didn’t start by diggin’, you know, you can’t just — you gotta understand. Even with me selling my drums now, and I tell people, I’m like, “Yo, buy my drums. They’ll help you with your beats and you’ll have shit that you don’t have to over analyze, you just knock out a beat.” But like, you gotta dig! Never stop doing that and learning and getting your own shit that you have to make your shit different from everyone else.
BeatTips: And with this new component, this rather large component, to your style right now, creatively, what options does it give you that you previously didn’t have? What options does this new method give you creatively that you previously didn’t have?
Marco Polo: It’s unlimited the options I have now. Now, I’m able to time stretch on new levels. I’m able to pitch down [in new ways]. I take a bunch of shit and individually tweak it. I have effects — I never got the effects board in my MPC, mostly because I heard it was wack. And the effects, to be able to pre-process and put reverbs on drums; dumb shit that people probably have and are like, “Why didn’t you have that all this time?” “’Cause I didn’t!”
BeatTips: What about the main bane of existence to all sample-based beatmakers: replays? When there’s a sample that’s there, and there’s some other shit that you wanna do with it, but for whatever reason you can’t—
Marco Polo: Now, I can take melodies and extend them. And you know when you hear a record and you’re like, “Aw, man, the first bar of that is crazy.” Then it gets super wack on bar 2. Now I can be like, let me replay it and play what I want to be there. Or have someone do it. And then records really become inspiration because a lot of times I try to replay something that I hear on record, but I’m not a classically trained musician, so it’ll just end up becoming my own thing anyways. An original idea inspired by something that just goes in a whole other direction.
BeatTips: Do you feel that this method is a bastardized version of what sample-based beatmakers have traditionally understood sampling to be?
Marco Polo: Yes. A bastardized version? I don’t know. I don’t fully understand the question.
BeatTips: I’ll rephrase it. There are purists in everything. And so, there’s some people that will say, “It’s sampling, but it’s not real sampling.” Because you’re not using—
Marco Polo: Records—
BeatTips: Exactly. So speak on that.
Marco Polo: Yeah, I don’t know, everyone has their own—
BeatTips: But what’s YOUR take on it? You have to speak for how you see it… Let me give you example. Before Preem did what he did with PRhyme — which, by the way, he resisted doing it at first. Before he did it, there was this sort of slant, people in the shadows like, “I don’t really want to fuck with that.” But now, there’s a before and after. Now that HE did it, that DJ Premier did it, it opens it up. So what I’m saying to you, for the purists that would say, “Yeah, Marco’s shit is alright, it’s dope or whatever, but it’s not that real shit.” What’s your response to that?
Marco Polo: Anyone that says my shit ain’t real or tries to de-credit it, that’s bullshit. What I do IS sampling, whether it’s a record or not. And anyone who says it’s not is bullshit. It all goes back to me not trying to over analyze shit, but shit is either dope, or it’s not dope, you know. If you don’t like my shit, you don’t like my shit. But to say that what I’m doing is not creative or sampling? I thinks it’s different with certain heads because like, typically, and this goes for me, too, sampling — the beauty about sampling is that people love to hear something they know that was reinterpreted in another way. So when you’re sampling yourself and all this other shit, it’s different because people hear it and be like, “It’s dope…” But I think one of the craziest things about hip hop that’ll never stop is that you hear shit you know, “Holy fuck! De La Soul sampled Hall & Oats - ‘Say No Go.’” Right. Like, “Holy fuck! I know that record. They took this.” And that element is gone if I’m doing original music that is — I’m sampling myself, but I’m sampling something you’ve never heard. That’s the difference and I think that’s part of the excitement for people in rap, is that they hear records that they have in their crates that they play and it’s flipped…It’s still the same process, it’s just not coming from vinyl all the time, it’s coming from me.
BeatTips: Now, that’s the creative option. The other thing, with regards to now, opportunity. What does this do for you?
Marco Polo: To make money!
BeatTips: All right, express that. Break that down.
Marco Polo: The great thing about it is it definitely opens doors to have my music to be submitted for licensing. And a lot of opportunities are instantly gone, because not saying that I did or I didn’t, but if you have a lot of music where you haven’t cleared the samples you’re using, you can’t use that shit past putting it out. You can’t pitch it to movies and video games and T.V. shows. I was able to make money with this new approach. So I’m very for it. When you make music as a career, you have to think about shit like that. It’s been very helpful. But it’s not the main thing that drives me. It’s just a great option to have, knowing that I have the freedom to do that now.
BeatTips: As one of the pioneers of this new compositional approach, where do you see it going?
Marco Polo: It’s going in crazy places. Now you have producers who quit making beats and are now making music and pitching it to samplers. Like people getting up with bands, like the ones we were talking about, making music, selling them as sample packs to producers, like, “Yo, $30, you get 15 joints that sound like they came off a record. Sample away! We guarantee you we’ll give you the master clearance. Just give us some of the publishing if you use it.” It’s like a whole new scene now, it’s fucking insane.
BeatTips: But you don’t have to do that with Komplete.
Marco Polo: No, no, no. But I’m just saying, there’s all these types of new approaches that’s crazy. Especially when producers that are making and composing their music, because they know exactly what producers want to hear when they’re looking for samples. So you have all these new avenues of music, where the live instrumentation and doing shit like that is positive. It all comes down to money, bro. The fucking people are just scared to sample and shit. And it fucking hurts the music, straight up, because to this day, like, if I pick my top 10 records, none of them shits is sample free. [laughs] Top 50! NONE of them shits are sample free. I know Dre definitely played some shit over, but even still, it was like playing over a sample. Name five amazing, classic [hip hop/rap] records, that don’t have samples in them. Could you? I don’t know. Maybe if I thought for a couple of hours. But I don’t think so. And as much as shit progresses, it just goes back to the beginning. Is it fucking dope, or is it not dope?
BeatTips: So what’s your take on E-diggin’? Diggin’ online and downloading music?
Marco Polo: I don’t judge. I do the shit, too. But I do it sometimes because I can’t get out and go to the record stores. But I’m not one of those cats that judges people. A lot of these newer producers don’t know better, because they’re not coming up with people showing them that you gotta go do that. So you can’t even judge the new generation, that’s what diggin’ to them is. “Yo, I go on YouTube and I take samples,” you know. They don’t have the big brother, the homey who’s like, “Nah, you gotta go here and start and look for these breaks.” So you can’t get judgey. I use to be one of those purists cats and get angry, and I totally — in my 30s — hate that old me. [laughs] Because everyone’s just different. Everyone has their own path, you know. I used to have a rule that once I used some drums, I would never use them again on a beat, but I changed.
BeatTips: When you do make a beat, do you start with the drums or non-drums?
Marco Polo: It usually goes either way to be honest. But I would say more often than not, I start with drums. Which could backfire on you as a producer because you get stuck with drums. I usually start with drums, because I like to nod my head. But it can be very counter productive, so I don’t recommend that approach always. And sometimes I start with the sample. So the answer to that question is, it completely changes all the time. I usually get more inspired by hearing new drum sounds than I do new samples, so I’ll start with like, if I have a new break or something, or a new drum kit I put together.
BeatTips: Do you ever make your beats with headphones on?
Marco Polo: Never. I fucking hate it. I love listening to shit loud. I feel like headphones cheat you and don’t give you the real. I’d rather listen, make beats through my fucking laptop speakers, because that’s like what most of the world listens to beats on anyway. Which is crazy, but it’s the truth.
BeatTips: Rhythm is a mainstay in beatmaking of course. But how has melody figured into what you do?
Marco Polo: I’m really trying to focus, I feel like I don’t have — that’s my lacking thing in my production career, is the lack of melody. Unless, you know, my first album I had a lot of loops with melodies. But that’s the hard thing that I tried to really work on in my original compositions is melody. Every beat’s gotta have that one thing you’re drawn to. And most of the time, it’s the fucking melody, it’s the thing that you can hum or something. And I feel like I sometimes back myself into corners with technically dope beats, but lacking that one thing that makes you go, Okay, that’s that shit! So now, I’m very picky about what I sample, or if I’m making something that it has a melody, a driving melody.
BeatTips: Speak on what repetition means to beatmaking. How do you approach that challenge?
Marco Polo: Repetition is very important. It’s very important. I think that’s actually like the most important thing. A lot of people — when you have all these changes, like hip hop is not pop music. It don’t always need a bridge or chorus. People want take it there to have, and make it progress, but the verdict is out if that’s positive or negative. Because like I said, your favorite records, I guarantee you if you go back, are like 2- and 4-bar loops, you know. Look at all the early RZA shit. Premo shit. It was real repetitive shit. And it’s some of the best music ever. So I think it’s very important to have that, the headnod going on something that you can gravitate to right away, and then you build on top of that. But until you have that, that should be the focus of every producer to find that one quality that is driving the beat.
BeatTips: What are the type of beats do you think stand the test of time?
Marco Polo: Fuck, I don’t want to sound like a Stan, but Premo shit; a lot of shit where people are looping. A lot of people were looping something that plays continuously over and over again, you know. You have to have an ear for good sounds. That’s the problem. And you have to know what to do with them. A lot of people don’t. We could probably find a sample that five producers used, you know, and they all came out, and then be like, “Who made it the illest?” This person used it exactly the same, but why doesn’t it sound like this version? You know. People use shit that Pete and Preem used, but why doesn’t it sound like their version? There’s so many fucking levels in this shit, it’s crazy.
BeatTips: What’s your work routine like? Is it everyday? Are you up in the morning?
Marco Polo: I try.
BeatTips: Do you prefer making beats at night?
Marco Polo: No, no, no. I’m not a night guy. Maybe one day when I’m in another living situation with a studio and I don’t have sound constraints. But I usually get up everyday around 9 O’clock, pretty early. I get coffee. And then I come in here and I listen to music. But these days—
BeatTips: So wait, wait. I’m going to pull you back. Give me your typical day. How do you approach it? Monday through Friday? Monday through Thursday?
Marco Polo: Well, it changed. Because when I was younger, I would just get up everyday and fucking making beats as soon as I woke up. But now, honestly, I’m not feeling the shit like I used to feel the shit. The inspiration is not coming to me as much as it did. One thing I have learned is that I do not sit in here if I’m not inspired. If I’m gonna force it, I’m gonna make a beat that sounds like I’m forcing it. So the main thing is, I gotta get in here and want to work. That starts everything. And if I wake up — unfortunately, that’s the reality of how it is now, where sometimes as soon as I wake up and I’m like, “I don’t feel like doing shit.” Because I don’t hear a lot of shit that fucking inspires me these days. And I have to dig for it. And I’m one of those dudes that I don’t want to sit in here and make the same beat that I made for the last 15 years. I’m getting really bored of that shit, just as a creative person. I want to progress. Unfortunately, those moments come far and few between these days, where I get in here and be like, “Yo!” I’ve had to change my approach and do different things to get inspired.
BeatTips: What were the changes?
Marco Polo: Well, actually, this dude, here, Droog [Your Old Droog previously entered the room] one of the things that I like about working with him is that when he comes in here, sometimes we sit down and make beats together. Like him being an MC sitting here we’ll kind of like compose ideas together. And it’s helpful to have a rapper being right here being like, “Yo!” Sometimes when you’re making a beat, you don’t know when to stop, you over produce the fuck out of shit. And I do that constantly. Having someone here as a point of reference to be like, “Yo, that shit is good. That’s the verse.” Like, “Chill!” It’s a blessing and I can actually get more done. That’s a new approach for me. I never actually sat with someone and made beats with someone like that. Ever. I’m very like, I’m doing the shit myself. I’m not a collaborative-producing type of person. That situation, you know, a lot of good records came out of that, those sessions. So now I’m more open to that. So that’s definitely helpful. I also like producing when I have a reason to produce. “Yo, MP, I need a remix.” Fucking love that shit, because I have something to build with. I have an original, I have vocals. Before I just made beats, because I just fucking love making beats. And I can still do that, but less. These days, I have to come in here because I have a job. Like, “Yo, I need this.” I have a vibe, I know what I gotta do. It’s like a purpose. I need that purpose. And, unfortunately, it’s sad. But, it used to be that I didn’t need that. I just came in here and made music. These days, I need…If I have a purpose, it’s better.
BeatTips: So you take far more days off now?
Marco Polo: Well, I don’t take days off. I’m still in here working. But it’s not the same where it was just relentless. I go to Nottz’s Instagram where he makes like 13 beats a day, for the fuck of it. And I look at him and I’m jealous. Yo, that is amazing that you can just have that much creativity flow through you. It doesn’t work like that for me. I wish it did. But it doesn’t…I’m sure not everyone he’s going to say is the best beat he ever made. But he’s not human, first of all. I’m a huge fan of Nottz. A lot of that shit is incredible. But obviously, if you’re doing that many — a lot of people get hype on Twitter, “Yo, I made 10 beats today.” And I’m like, “I’m sure 9 of them are terrible.”
BeatTips: Right. So what are your safeguards for quality? What do you do?
Marco Polo: I’m not concerned with quantity. I just want to make something, my whole thing is, I come in here and it happens organically and naturally and it’s not forced. The best beats I ever made in my career happened in 15 minutes. Because everything happens the way it’s supposed to when I sit down at the machine. I load drums, within five minutes I found music that meshes with the drums naturally. I really feel like there’s a fucking — like someone’s really giving me energy. Like, today, it was meant to all mesh.
BeatTips: But there hasn’t been a beat that you began one day and worked on another day?
Marco Polo: Absolutely. Those beats come out good, too. I made a lot of great beats that took me a week to finish. But if I put the ratio of those beats against the 20-minute ones, they’re gonna beat ‘em. Because if I did a ratio of which ones were the hotter shit…I really feel like that energy is just meant to be. The shit was meant to happen. It all comes together. And I’ll sit in here on days where I have drums for like ours and I can’t find shit that works with it. And I’m like, “This shit’s not happening,” you know.
BeatTips: Do you work with a permanent manager, or do you reach out to artists yourself?
Marco Polo: I’ve had one manager in my entire career, my boy Theo. We’re still cool. But I’ve never had a manager, I’ve always managed myself. Not that I’m against a manager. I haven’t had anyone since Theo that stepped to me and was like, “I see your vision, I wanna fuck with you.” So my whole thing with managers, that’s the way it’s suppose to work. Like, you don’t go find a manager. You don’t look for a manager. A manager’s gotta come to you. Pitch an idea to you. And see your vision.
BeatTips: Describe to me how you think technology has helped and hurt the art of beatmaking.
Marco Polo: Aw, man, we don’t have enough fucking weeks, days in the year to answer that question. Technology is constantly changing. It’s changing so fast I can’t — I am nowhere caught up to it, and I probably never will be. There are advantages and positives for my production that I’m able to learn and do more things and have more versatility, more control with what I do. But there are some days I think it’s all horseshit and it’s counterproductive. And some of my best beats are just made with this MPC. I put a record on and find some shit, and I throw some drums on it. And it’s just as good as this new progressive shit where I can not sample. So I don’t think either is better. I think it’s just, once again, it’s finding a way to not let it — I think a lot of people get overwhelmed in all this new shit and it bogs them down, and it is actually counterproductive in their sound.
BeatTips: Right. Time wise, you’ve figured out to do the Komplete stuff fast, too, right?
Marco Polo: I am. I’m learning. I have not perfected it by any means. Because replaying samples, I’ll say, or making my own compositions, is that it takes fucking twice, three times as long. Because when you’re sampling off a record, let’s say you sample a loop. In that loop, the bass line is in there, the keys are in there, the horns are in there, it’s fucking 18 sounds compressed, it’s a full sound. When you’re playing from scratch, you have to recreate an entire band. You’re playing layers, layers, layers. And you gotta make that shit sound full. Yeah, so, technology’s a ho. It’s great, but at the same time, if I lost it tomorrow, I would be cool. And I would still make music that would be dope.
BeatTips: How have the expectations that you had for yourself, both creatively and financially 10 or so years ago, how have they aligned with your achievements today?
Marco Polo: In the last year, it got real for me. For Marco Polo related business, shit got really real last year. And in 2013, I thought I had my best creative year ever. I put out three albums: Newport Authority 2, Seize the Day with Stax, and PA2, which is the follow-up to Port Authority, which is the album that people know me best for. And for me, it was actually the year where I was the least visible in my entire career. That shit slapped me in the fact, hard. I felt I had my most successful year, creative output. Three albums where I thought: These are the best beats I’ve ever made in my career. I’m at the top of my game. I progressed. And I felt like that was the year that no one gave a flying fuck about what I was doing. Straight up. And that’s not to belittle anyone that supported my projects, I love them. But in comparison to the looks I was getting back when I was putting out my earlier records, it was nowhere near the visibility.
BeatTips: So what did that fee like?
Marco Polo: It felt like shit. When you’re working your ass off and you think you’re at the top of your game, and no one’s paying attention or watching. That shit sucked. It was like a Mack truck smacking into my forehead. It was the worst. And it fucked me up. People around me know that it fucked me up. Because I was trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. I don’t think it was something necessarily that I was doing wrong, it was just times were changing, and music’s changing, and hip hop’s changing. And it was just trying to come up with a new plan so that I could progress my shit to the same level. Because I feel like I’ve been in the same zone for a minute. I haven’t stepped up my brand name to new audiences and working with bigger people, and there’s many reasons for that. It’s just, I became aware of it. Before, I didn’t care about that shit. I just came in here and made music. But I’m a 34 year-old-man. I’m turning 35, and I picked music as a career. So it’s irresponsible for me to get into the studio and not think about all these things when you run your own business. And this year was the first year that I really sat down and had to be like, “Ok, what’s going to happen next? What are you going to do? Shit is changing. People ain’t buying records. The sound that you’re doing is not the most popular sound.” I’ve never sent beats to major label artist. Like once in a while, but it was never my focus to get big placements and chase Jay Z and Drake and the like. And now, you know, it’s a matter of like looking at those things. I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen next, but I want to be in the game for 20 years. And people like Premo, they have a brand and they’re legends. And he can do what he’s doing for the rest of his life, because he’s DJ Premier. He earned that spot. He doesn’t have to change. But for some of us new cats that maintain that sound, it’s a little more difficult, you know what I’m saying. It’s almost like a novelty, the type of shit that we do. If major label cats want the Golden Era sound, they’re gonna hit Preem, they’re not going to hit me, you know what I’m saying. It doesn’t mean I’m wack. They’re going to go the fathers of that sound. Another thing that pissed me off is a lot of people think that all I do is that sound. That’s completely untrue. Like, I’m capable of making all types of shit. But I feel like I haven’t had the opportunity to work with artists that put me on a level for people to see that shit.
BeatTips: I had a conversation recently with a friend, not saying any names, we were talking about DJ Khalil. I said, “You should really check out ‘West Coast Love.’” If you want to hear something that’s in that zone, but it’s going to surprise you, check out “West Coast Love.” And I’m not going to tell you who produced it, just check out “West Coast Love,” MC Eiht. Then come back to me and we’ll talk. He called me back and said, “Yo, son, you didn’t tell me Marco Polo produced this joint.”…Because you can make the music, just because you have an ear for music, doesn’t mean you know how to work the next stage. And that’s the thing that’s a detriment to a lot of people.
Marco Polo: That’s the industry. And it’s so obvious with so many talents. Shit, these days, the talent is actually the last thing on the list that gets you the looks. It has nothing to do with that. There’s so many people that I look at and I’m like, “Yo, you should be like a God. You should be sitting on a throne made of gold for your talents, and like nobody knows who the fuck you are.”
What’s it like to tour as a producer?
Marco Polo: What’s it like to tour as a producer? It’s weird. Because a lot of people think that I DJ, and I don’t DJ. I use my MPC with Serato. So it’s interesting. But most of my live performing is me with rappers. Me traveling with Master Ace, and I run his show with my MPC just like a DJ does, but I do it with pads. It’s amazing. I think that for me as a producer, I’ve done more touring than most producers would do who just make beats, you know. Because I’ve transitioned my ability to use the MPC and run a live show.
BeatTips: But when you travel, how are you’re treated as a person who’s a professional hip hop music maker?
Marco Polo: I get love in all of those places. I think people are less…I think people always give a positive response. People love being in the same room with people that made music that they love. When I go out with Ace, it’s really special because people know that we’ve made records together, records that have resonated with them. So it’s amazing to be able to tour.
BeatTips: Contrast that with how you’re received in America. Is there a difference?
Marco Polo: Oh, they love me in Europe and Australia, and they like me in the United States. That’s the difference [laughs]. And I’m sure there’s pockets of people in the U.S., but there’s no fucking doubt, there’s no doubt about the fact that these overseas markets embrace me way stronger than my home fucking country — countries, I say because Canada and U.S. are both my home countries.
BeatTips: For your catalog, here’s the songs that I would tell someone why they should pitch your tent behind you as one of the next pioneers. There’s four songs of yours, and I want you to match me on. “Astonishing,” “Field Nigga,” “Fame for President,” and the aforementioned “West Coast Love.” Now I want you to chime in. “Astonishing,” how did that song come about?
Marco Polo: “Astonishing” started with the beat being made, and me and Shylow figuring out what to do with it. Which is what happens all the time. And it started with Large Professor. He set it off. I sent it to him. I don’t think, at first, he was super hype about it as I was. But, that’s my dude. He liked the beat. I just know when he’s like wowing over something or he’s into it. But because we have that relationship, he wrote the bars. When he did it, I was like, “He set it off!” Then it was all a matter of making sure whoever connected from him was all in the same pocket. Then I reached out to Deck [Inspectah Deck], he did his verse, killed it. Then it was O.C., killed it. Now, the problem came on verse number four.
BeatTips: What was the problem?
Marco Polo: The problem is that there were six MCs that did a fourth verse that you will never hear. Until I came to Tragedy, who did what I wanted to happen. And I can not speak on the names because out of respect. No, no, there were four MCs that did verses on that fourth part that I was not — not that they weren’t dope, it just wasn’t what I was looking for. I needed that homerun. That wild-out, end-the-song crazy. I knew Revolution [DJ Revolution] would do the scratches, but he was the last one to do his part, but that fourth verse had to be right. And it was fucking the worst, because I had four MCs that I really love. From legends in the game, I’m talking, to maybe legends one day, underground cats with a buzz, and it just wasn’t what I was looking for.
Marco Polo "Astonishing" feat Large Professor, Inspectah Deck, O C & Tragedy Khadafi
BeatTips: Tragedy lost his mind on that track.
Marco Polo: Yeah, when Tragedy did it, I was like, “OH! Thank you, sir, that’s what I needed [laughs].” It just needed that, it had to have that OG energy on it. You needed energy. That’s the problem with a lot of the verses that I got, people weren’t rapping with energy. They were like talking that new shit. Which is cool for beats that call for that. But that’s a loud beat, you gotta fuckin’…
BeatTips: Right. And “West Coast Love,” featuring MC Eiht and King Tee
Marco Polo: That, I gotta thank DJ Premier for that. Because DJ Premier sent my beats to MC Eiht. He recorded – I have like three other songs with Eiht that he’s gonna use on the new Compton Most Wanted album. So I had the leverage already, because he used a bunch of my beats, so it was nothin’. So I hit him, I hit Eiht up and I was like, “Yo, can you do something for me?” And he did the two verses on that beat, no hook or nothing. Just laid two verses, they were dope. But I’m like, “OK, this is not a song yet. Just two verses on a beat. Who could we get?” I hit up my boy Stylistic Jones from Malcolm & Martin, who’s on my album, and he knew King Tee. I sent Tee the record, and literally in a day, he laid down the hook and the third verse. And it just — that’s the kind of shit I’m talking about. It was no — it just happened naturally. I sent him the beat, he sent it back. It was perfection. There was no like — he knew what he had to do. And that’s the positive to working with dudes from that era, that they’re veterans in terms of songwriting. There not just, “I’m gonna spit the hottest bars…” With Tee, he knew Eiht was on it, he knew it was a West Coast record, he knew what needed to happen. He did it. And I was grateful, and that’s one of my favorite records on that album.
Marco Polo feat. MC Eiht and King Tee - "West Coast Love"
BeatTips: Talk about what it’s like making a producer album.
Marco Polo: It’s the worst thing ever in life. I fucking hate it and it’s like — at the same time, I fucking love it. It took five years to make that record. It kind of fucked me because at that point, it’s like, do people even care after the first one came out? So it was fun to make it, but it drained all my energy, and there were days I wanted to throw the towel in on it.
BeatTips: What’s the hard part about it?
Marco Polo: It’s just, connecting so many people to make it make sense. You know, you’re trying to pitch your vision to 60 MCs, and you’re trying to get them all on the same page for your vision. And everybody’s got their own lives, and you’re not cutting checks and you’re doing shit on the love. People don’t give a fuck about that.
BeatTips: What’s the love? Speak about that.
Marco Polo: The love is doing something for me for free, or doing beat trades, you know what I’m sayin’. Like, cats got kids and shit, so I respect that. It’s hard for me to be like, “Yo, did you do your verse?” when I know you’re out there chasing money. I’m not going to be in your face, “Yo, do it, do it, do it!” You gotta wait on their schedules out of respect. You have to barter, and you just gotta be respectful. That’s why shit takes so long, ‘cause I can’t be barking at people, “Yo, why are you taking so long?” I’m not cutting a check. And I know after years in the game that that’s what comes first for people. People might not want to hear that, the purist, but you know, a lot of your favorite artists, they gotta make money. It’s money driven. That’s the reality of shit, so I gotta work on their schedule if I’m not a major label with a budget.
BeatTips: So now there’s a growing drum kit market—
Marco Polo: Yes! I new fucking world.
BeatTips: A lot of people are doing that. What made you jump in?
Marco Polo: Speaking with Jake One and Illmind made me do it. Running into them and talking to them about their successes with putting out sound kits. For a long time, I fought it. My purist side of me fought putting out the drum kit. Until one day, it cliqued to me that it was stupid. I didn’t need to fight it. There’s nothing wrong with sharing your sounds. Let me tell you why. Because coming up as a producer, a lot of the producers, we went to the record store and bought Ultimate Beats and Breaks [record series of break-beats]. We bought drum sound libraries. We bought all this shit. And guess what that was? It was other fucking producers finding records and compiling drum breaks for producers to have on one LP. It was somebody digging for you. And we bought that shit. And some of your favorite producers that you hold in your top five used Ultimate Beats and Breaks and looped that shit, because they didn’t have the original records. So what makes it different from me presenting my sounds for people to do it? It’s the same shit. It’s obvious convenience, but to have that purist approach, “Go find your own drums.” Well, if you’re really going to look at it like that, then a lot of us, you know, you’re doing the same shit you do now. So if anyone looks at someone for being wack or belittle them for like buying a drum kit...Like, you went and bought those drum comps, so what’s the difference?
BeatTips: What’s the name of your kit?
Marco Polo: The name of my kit is called “Pad Thai.” Playing on obviously the MPC pads. And it’s my first drum kit. And what makes mine different is, I put 21 of my productions that I feel like are more known to people that know my sound. It’s a mix of like stuff from my older albums and new stuff. And, it’s my sounds; it’s my drum sounds.
BeatTips: Does it include actual songs or does it just include the sounds?
Marco Polo: No, no songs. It has 21 songs that you’ll know, and when you go into those folders, it’s all the drums and bass sounds for the beat, unprocessed.
BeatTips: Oh, it’s the bass sounds, too?
Marco Polo: Yeah, I put the bass tones. Also, what I did is I printed the bass line of the song so producers could hear a soloed bass line. Because a lot of people, I feel like, part of this process with up-and-coming dudes is, they want to be educated. They want to learn. And I thought that would be a weird but cool, interesting thing for cats to see my bass lines isolated. You know, tone wise, so they can kind of see what I did, and just get a feel for how my shit sounds, moves. And that’s some of the things I didn’t notice in a lot of other producer kits, it was just straight drums. And I wanted to give people bass lines…It’s all .wav files, compatible with all samplers or programs; whatever you use, it’ll work. And it’s all .wav sounds, and then bass line stems. Which is a .wav, too, but it’s an 8-bar stem. Whatever beat’s in there, you have a printed bass line stem. And then the individual bass sound you can use and span across your keyboard or pads, just like I did it. Whatever the root note is of the bass line, it’s in the kit. Plus, all the percussion sounds, you know, kicks, snares, hats, shakers. Anything I use drum percussion or bass wise, is in the kit.
BeatTips: And how do you think your “Pad Thai” kit stands out? What has always been the genesis for drum sounds for you?
Marco Polo: I think it stands out because I’m a producer who’s known for his drum sounds. I think people know me and look to me for hard hitting drums. And there’s a lot of producers out there selling drum kits that aren’t even known for their drums. Fuck placements. There’s producers out there with way bigger placements than me, you know what I’m saying. And they have a bigger audience and people will fuck with them because they make great music. But if you’re looking for drums, which is the whole purpose for buying a drum kit, you know, the thing about fucking with my drum kit is that you’re getting drums that I put in time, to, you know… And it’s not even really a sales pitch. You can listen to anyone of the 21 songs that I have listed. Go listen to what they sound like, and they sound exactly the same…I think one of the things is about my drum sounds, what I put in “Pad Thai,” is that there’s a variety of drum sounds. It’s not all the same fucking trendy sounds you hear in modern production. There might be a couple of those that could work, but it’s different sounds, you have a variety of punchy kicks, you have low kicks. You got ugly drums. You got drums that could work on polished production like…It’s 100+ sounds, even more than that. And it’s like, they’re different vibes. It’s not just one thing. I have all types of shit that you can use in all types of production. Not even just hip hop. You can do whatever you need to with this shit. You can make your turn-up records with my drums. And they hit, man. They hit! The way they’re supposed to hit, because I’ve studied drums. I feel like that’s my specialty as a producer. I have people asking me all the time, “Yo, how the fuck you make your drums sound like that?” And this will give you some insight into how. And it will inspire you to look for similar sounds and improve your skills when it comes to it. My ear over the years. You’re getting 13 fucking years of my digging and my sound for drum sounds for fucking $29. It’s a fucking steal! [laughs].
BeatTips: Do you want to hear from the people who actually use your sounds?
Marco Polo: Absolutely. I want to. I want people to post the beats. To talk about it. And I want them to give me feedback, because I want to do more of these. And I want to be helpful to people. My whole thing is to give you my sounds, but to also inspire music, and also inspire digging, man. Like, go dig. You know, go find shit and have fun with it.
BeatTips: Where can people go listen at?
Marco Polo: Well, you can go to my Soundcloud page, MarcoPoloBeats.com has the whole soundtrack, the track listing of all the records. You can just go on YouTube and type in every name. It’s got “Nostalgia,” Masta Ace, off of Port Authority. It’s got “Marquee” by O.C. It’s got Rah Digga – “Earrings Off.” It’s got the theme song that I did for the Brooklyn Nets that plays on the YES Network. It’s all there listed, so there’s no surprises, you know exactly what you’re buying.
BeatTips: And so the main places you can get it is where?
Marco Polo: MarcoPoloBeats.com or at the DrumBroker.com, which is a site specifically for sound kits. But if you wanna do me right as a fan, then you buy from me direct at MarcoPoloBeats.com.
BeatTips: What’s interesting is that you said even now you’re still studying?
Marco Polo: You have to. You have to! Especially when you get into digging, because then you start coming across records that they used and then you hear the original, and you’re like, “How the fuck did they do that?” Even as many years as I’ve been in the game making beats, It’s still amazing. And I want to do that with my shit to people, where they’re like, “Yo, I heard a little clip of something he used, but I don’t understand how you did that and did this.” I like that, I take pride in that. And a lot of those producers to this day, I hear stuff and I’m like, “Oh, shit, that’s one bass note that Pete used, and he has all this other shit…” It’s a fucking magical discovery, I fucking love that shit. It inspires me. But it’s rare these days, with a lot of the new guys, to get that feeling. People are sampling less, and they’re just not technically on that level. I think people started to realize that for the masses and to blow up, people don’t give a fuck about all that shit. You know, when they’re trying to make a hit record, they just want something really simple.
BeatTips: Yeah, in some regards. But the independent circuit is actually burgeoning; there’s a lot of good music that exists.
Marco Polo: Absolutely. Absolutely!
BeatTips: We both come from a time where everything was funneled through the radio, the mainstream system. So we’re now in the age where you can access different channels to find that music. So there isn’t a monolithic radio like there once was. However, certain people are moving and still operating like there is.
Marco Polo: Yeah, you have shit like Shazam now. And then WhoSampled, who I consider to be the devil, and I’ll say that on record. I’ve reached out to them many times to tell them to take my shit off. And let me speak on that real quick, because it’s very important that I make that clear, because people saw me take my music off that [site] and were very upset with me, and I got a lot of backlash through my social media. The reason why I took it off, and this goes for a lot of artists, a lot of motherfuckers don’t clear their records. We are not clearing records! So if we are not clearing samples and records, we don’t want our shit up there. And that’s why it’s an issue. If I clear samples, WhoSampled can put up all those samples all day, I’m proud. They got paid for. But when you put up music that we use and we may not have handle it right, and I’m not saying that I did or did not do that, but in general, WhoSampled should be putting up samples that they know 100% the artist has cleared, or else you’re snitching! Essentially, what you’re doing is snitching. And people don’t understand that. They just think that we’re trying to, that I’m trying to hide my music. I don’t care! I’ll tell you all the samples, if we’re cool, or if I cleared them. But... I’ve been on that site, and it’s been handy to me, straight up. But all I’m saying [is] on a legal standpoint, the reason why we get upset, a lot of producers, is that a lot of people don’t clear samples, and when you put shit up there, it gives someone an opportunity to sue us.
The BeatTips Manual by Amir Said (Sa'id).
"The most trusted name in beatmaking."
Posted by Amir Said • March 31, 2016 in Amir Said, Beatmaking, Beatmaking Education, Beatmaking Pioneers, Beatmaking Themes, Beatmaking Theories, Beatmaking Concepts, BeatTip, BeatTips Articles, Editor's Choice, Hip Hop/Rap Music Education, Inspectah Deck, Interviews, King Tee, Large Professor, Making Beats, Marco Polo, MC Eiht, Music Themes, Music Theory, and Music Concepts, Sa'id, The Art of Sampling, The Art of Sampling Book, The BeatTips Manual, Tragedy Khadafi
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Top 5 Myths About Sampling and Copyright Law
"Sampling is piracy."
WRONG! Piracy describes the wholesale, verbatim copying and distribution of copyrighted works. That is not sampling; that's something entirely different.
"You can legally sample and use any recording up to 1, 2, 3, or 4 seconds."
WRONG! Under existing copyright law, there is no clear, predetermined length (amount in seconds) that is “legally” permissible to sample.
"If you use samples on a free mixtape, it’s perfectly O.K."
WRONG! A free mixtape does NOT permit you to use samples from copyrighted recordings without the permission of the copyright holders.
"Sampling is easy; there’s nothing to it. Anyone can do it well."
WRONG! Sampling is an art form that requires technical skill, imagination, and artistic understanding.
"Sampling involves the use of pre-recorded songs only."
WRONG! While the art of sampling is most commonly understood to include the use of pre-recorded songs (traditionally from vinyl records), source material for sampling includes any recorded sound or sound that can be recorded.
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Fort Benning forecasts future during Maneuver Warfighter Conference
The Maneuver Center of Excellence held the Maneuver Warfighter Conference and focused on cross-domain maneuver and preparing for the future.
by benningnews
Panel discussion takes place on training and leader development during Maneuver Warfighter Conference.
FORT BENNING, Ga. (Jan. 25, 2018) — The Maneuver Center of Excellence held the Maneuver Warfighter Conference at Fort Benning, Georgia, Jan. 8 through 11.
The multi-day event included speaking portions by three four-star generals, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, a futurist, and many others, who focused on cross-domain maneuver and preparing for the future.
The theme of this year’s conference was “cross-domain maneuver:” the cohesive employment of Army capabilities in land, maritime, air, space and cyberspace to achieve overmatch in the battlefield. Maj. Gen. Eric J. Wesley, the Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning commander, on the first full day of the conference gave an overview of both the conference and of cross-domain maneuver as part of the Functional Concept for Movement and Maneuver 2020-2040.
“The role of the tactical commanders is going to be to optimize all domains to his benefit such that the sum of those capabilities is bigger than the individual parts,” said Wesley. “That is what gives you overmatch.”
The four-day event began Jan. 8 with an icebreaker. The following three days included morning sessions with distinguished speakers and panelists at Marshall Auditorium at McGinnis-Wickam Hall. Guests included Secretary of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, U.S. Army Forces Commander Gen. Robert B. Abrams, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Commander Gen. David G. Perkins, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and futurist P.W. Singer.
The first day of morning sessions began with an overview of the large concepts: future operational environment, current operations, and cross-domain maneuver. The next day included sessions on the future of technology, mission command, training and leader development, and cyberspace / electromagnetic spectrum capabilities at the brigade combat team level. The third day, after a video teleconference with Gingrich on strategic overview, included a session on the battlefield framework of the future and a panel on cross functional teams.
Wesley, during the opening session of the conference, defined the focus of the conference as a whole.
“The question is not whether you have prepared, and the question is not whether you are willing,” he said. “The question is whether our Army is prepared and ready for large-scale, ground combat against a peer threat.”
In a follow-on session on cross-domain maneuver within the new maneuver concept, Wesley explained that peer threats are currently investing in standoff. The U.S. Army concept of cross-domain maneuver is part of a strategy to break through that standoff.
“Our adversaries — our peers — have studied the United States Army, and they’ve watched us in our dominance over the last 25 years or so,” said Wesley. “They’ve concluded that they want no part of close combat with the United States Army. And everything they’re doing right now is to avoid that.”
For more on cross-domain maneuver, visit the link here.
The second day, attendees learned more details of the future of technology, what the cyberspace domain entails, and how mission command relates to cross-domain maneuver.
Gen. Robert B. Abrams, commanding general of the U.S. Army Forces Command, speaks to attendees of the Maneuver Warfighter Conference.
Abrams, as the commander of FORSCOM, elaborated on mission command. He emphasized in order to succeed in the future battlefield, leaders must empower subordinates and junior officers to carry out mission command.
“The future battlefield that we are talking about is nothing like what we have experienced for the last 15, 16, 17 years,” said Abrams. “This is a much different battlefield than we are talking about, and it will put a premium on mission command.”
Several commanders from Fort Benning took part in a discussion of leadership and training development. Col. Anthony G. Judge, commander of the 199th Infantry Brigade, said he means to train effective leaders in the Army.
“The end state, the goal, is to train cross-domain maneuver leaders who can lead, win and survive on the multi-domain battlefield,” he said.
Another panelist, Col. Douglas G. Vincent, commander of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade, insisted that even though the battlefield was changing, the fundamentals would not.
“The one thing that’s remained the same is the need for confident leaders of character,” Vincent said.
Besides training and leadership, the second day of morning sessions focused on the changing technological landscape the Army finds itself in.
Author P. W. Singer talks about the future of technology, security, and threats during the second full day of the Maneuver Warfighter Conference.
P.W. Singer, a contributing editor for Popular Science, outlined many current technologies that may significantly shape the decades to come. In his session, he outlined the technology that directly interfaces with the human body and brain, 3D printing, and the proliferation of drones and sensors. These technologies, Singer told the audience, made cybersecurity that much more valuable.
“All these areas are exciting, but they also open up new vulnerabilities that we have to think about,” he said. “We’ve already seen the hacking of cars, the hacking of human bodies, the hacking of drones.”
Deputy Commanding General (Operations) of the U.S. Army Cyber Command Brig. Gen. J.P. McGee also emphasized the continuing and further importance of cyberspace in operations.
“Cyberspace and electromagnetic activities, those are the commander’s business,” said McGee. “And just like any other domain, we need to learn how to use it effectively.”
The last day of morning sessions began with Gingrich, who spoke to the audience via teleconference from Vatican City. As part of living in a dynamic world, he urged the audience of officers to be adaptable.
“The world is changing very rapidly and is much more complex than we think, and you have to adjust to it, and you have to think about it before it overruns you,” he said. “Your professionalism is the key to our ability to be safe and to be successful.”
In the session that followed, Perkins talked about the doctrinal and training changes forthcoming due to the addition of domains to the Army’s battlefield. Perkins said multi-domain thinking must happen early.
“From the very beginning, every problem is inherently multi-domain,” he said. “We want to have a converged — an integrated — solution from the beginning, versus a synchronized solution of federated answers later on.”
From left, Richardson, Lesperance, and Donahue
A panel took place on cross-functional teams, or CFTs, wherein experts in several fields across the Army would work closely to develop capabilities more rapidly and with less cost. Taking part in the panel was Maj. Gen. James M. Richardson, the special adviser for Program Integration at the Office of the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army at the Pentagon in Washington D.C.; Brig. Gen. David A. Lesperance, U.S. Army Armor School commandant at the MCoE; and Brig. Gen. Christopher T. Donahue, U.S. Army Infantry School commandant at the MCoE. Lesperance is also the director of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle CFT, and Donahue is also the director of the Soldier Lethality CFT.
Richardson outlined the multi-discipline approach CFTs must take, but emphasized the role of field experience.
“The requirements are generated in the field, and the warfighter has to be in the loop,” said Richardson. “The warfighter, to me, has to be one of the most important aspects of this team, informing us what they need out in the field.”
During the closing remarks to the conference as a whole, Wesley reminded the audience of the rapid changes the Army has undergone at short notice in order to adapt to the world. Similarly the Army will have to adapt to changes in the world now and changes likely to come.
“We have a fundamental problem as an Army as we move into the future that is not unlike where we’ve been in the past,” said Wesley. “We do have a challenge, we do have work to do, and we do have to evolve the force.”
Wesley gave the audience a way forward that could be enacted now.
“If there’s one thing you can change tomorrow to move towards the future, it’s in training,” said Wesley. “You can change what you train tomorrow.
“Do we think we as a force are ready to fight a major land combat in the future operating environment?” Wesley asked the audience. “We’ve got some work to do, but we’ve got a pathway to get there.”
For more Maneuver Warfighter Conference stories, visit https://benningnews.org/tag/manwarcon.
Tags#ManWarCon • cross-domain maneuver • Maneuver Center of Excellence • Maneuver Warfighter Conference • MCoE
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https://youtu.be/jHAIqf5kgTw
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Beyond Nuclear International
Beyond Nuclear
Injustice at sea
Posted on March 11, 2018 by beyondnuclearinternational
American sailors on the USS Ronald Reagan were exposed to radiation from Fukushima. Many are sick. Some have died. Why can’t they get justice?
By Linda Pentz Gunter
“Coverage of the USS Ronald Reagan has been astoundingly limited,” wrote Der Spiegel in a February 2015 story. Since then, nothing much has changed.
The German magazine was referring to the saga of the American Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier whose crew pitched in to help victims of the March 11, 2011 Tsunami and earthquake in Japan, then found themselves under the radioactive plume from the stricken coastal nuclear reactors at Fukushima. Since then, crew members in eye-popping numbers have come down with unexplained illnesses — more than 70 and still counting. Some have died. And many are suing.
The USS Reagan was part of Operation Tomodachi, a U.S. armed forces mission involving 24,000 U.S. service members, and numerous ships and aircraft bringing aid to the victims of the tsunami and earthquake.
Sailors wash down the decks of the radioactively contaminated USS Ronald Reagan. (US Navy)
On January 5, 2018, a federal judge in San Diego, CA, dismissed the latest version of a class action lawsuit brought by USS Reagan sailors and US Marines. This was just the latest milestone in a long and winding path to justice strewn with roadblocks and delays.
The original class action lawsuit — Cooper et al v. Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc., was filed in San Diego, the home port of the USS Reagan, on December 21, 2012. A second class action suit — Bartel et al v. Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. et al — was subsequently filed on August 18, 2017 and was the case dismissed in January.
The plaintiffs are represented by California attorneys Charles Bonner and Paul Garner, and by Edwards Kirby, the North Carolina firm led by former U.S. Senator, John Edwards.
Cooper now has 236 named plaintiffs and Bartel 157. But, wrote attorney Cate Edwards of Edwards Kirby and daughter of John Edwards, in an email,
“We have about 34 additional plaintiffs who have contacted us since the filing of the Bartel complaint, and that number continues to grow on a weekly basis.” As a class action the suit also “encompasses additional, unnamed class members— up to 70,000 American servicemen and women who served in Operation Tomodachi and may have been exposed to the radiation from Fukushima,” Edwards wrote.
Sadly those numbers sometimes also decline. Nine of the plaintiffs have already died. It is unknown how many others who took part in Operation Tomodachi, but did not join the suit, may also have died.
The Bartel plaintiffs are requesting an award of $5 billion to compensate them for injuries, losses and future expenses associated with their exposure to radiation, as a result of what they allege is TEPCO & GE’s negligence. The Cooper plaintiffs have asked for an award of $1 billion.
Bartel is an extension of Cooper, with different plaintiffs but virtually identical facts and claims. It had to be filed separately, explained Edwards, because at the time more sailors came forward, the Cooper suit was stuck in appeal. Eventually, Edwards said, the lawyers hope to consolidate the two suits “for litigation on the merits.”
But almost seven years after the Fukushima disaster, those merits are yet to be heard, with the case mired in legal wrangling and delays brought by the defendants — TEPCO, along with General Electric, EBASCO, Toshiba and Hitachi, the builders and suppliers of the Fukushima nuclear reactors.
One such delay occurred when TEPCO and the Japanese government tried to force the case to be heard in Japan. But on June 22, 2017, the attorneys won in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and ensured the case would be heard in the U.S.
The plaintiffs charge that TEPCO lied to the public and the U.S. Navy about the radiation levels at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant at the time the Japanese government was asking for help for victims of the earthquake and Tsunami. By doing so, TEPCO deliberately allowed those involved in Operation Tomodachi to sail into harm’s way and become exposed to the radiation spewing from the stricken reactors on the battered Japanese coast.
A floating pariah
Whether or not U.S. military commanders knew of the radiation risks once the readings were in, is moot legally. The plaintiffs are barred from suing the U.S. Navy because of the Feres Doctrine, dating from the 1950s, and which prohibits any member of the military from recovering damages from the government for injuries sustained during active military service.
The USS Ronald Reagan arrived off the Japan coast before dawn on March 12, 2011 with a crew of 4,500. It had been on its way to South Korea but returned to join Operation Tomodachi.
But what actually happened to the Reagan after that is still clouded in confusion, or possibly cover-up. After it got doused in the radioactive plume, then drew in radioactively contaminated water through its desalination system — which the crew used for drinking, cooking and bathing — it turned into a pariah ship, just two and a half months into its aid mission.
Floating at sea, the USS Reagan was turned away by Japan, South Korea and Guam. For two and a half months it was the radioactive MS St. Louis, not welcome in any port until Thailand finally took the ship into harbor.
There is no disagreement that the radioactive plume from Fukushima — which largely blew out to sea rather onto land — passed over the Reagan. Radiation meters on board confirmed this. But the levels of exposure are disputed, as is how close the ship came to shore and the melting Fukushima reactors and how often it strayed into — or stayed within — the plume.
Some versions have the radiation readings on board at 30 times “normal,” other 300 times. Official Navy reports say the ship stayed 100 nautical miles away from the Japan coast.
But some crew members dispute that, saying they were at times just two miles away from shore. In an interview with journalist Roger Witherspoon for his article in Truthout, Navy Quartermaster, Maurice Ennis described a “cat and mouse” game played by the ship to try to stay out of the plume.
“We stayed about 80 days, and we would stay as close as two miles offshore and then sail away,” he told Witherspoon. “We kept coming back because it was a matter of helping the people of Japan who needed help. But it would put us in a different dangerous area.”
How close the ship came to the Fukushima reactors specifically, as opposed to the Japanese shoreline, is also a matter of dispute. Until the plaintiffs’ lawyers can issue subpoenas, hopefully getting a look at the ship’s logs, it is an important question that remains unanswered.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel Hair told Stars and Stripes that he was informed the Reagan came within “five to 10 miles off the coast from Fukushima.” Stars and Stripes also reported that “many sailors have disputed the Navy’s accounting, saying they were so close that they could see the plant.”
Ship’s personnel who flew missions to mainland Japan to aid the earthquake and Tsunami victims also risked exposure to the radiation from Fukushima. Their aircraft, like the ship’s decks, had to be decontaminated upon return. In fact, a total of 25 US ships involved in Operation Tomodachi were found to be contaminated with radiation.
In the June 22, 2017 opinion allowing the class action lawsuits to be heard in the U.S., Judge Jay S. Bybee observed of the anomaly about the ship’s location that:
“TEPCO makes much of Plaintiffs’ allegations that the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan was initially positioned “two miles off the coast,” while the Navy had been warned to stay at least “50 miles outside of the radius. . . of the [FNPP].” Appellant’s Opening Brief 7. The SAC [Second Amended Complaint of plaintiffs] alleges, however, that the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan was situated so as to provide relief in the city of Sendai, which is located over fifty miles north of the FNPP. Thus, it is possible that the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan was at once two miles off the coast and fifty miles away from the FNPP. Although other portions of the SAC suggest that the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan was closer to the FNPP, where the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan was situated is unclear from the record before us, and further factual development is necessary to resolve this issue.”
No worse than flying or eating a banana
At first, any concerns about radiation exposure were dismissed by military brass. Sailors were told the exposures were no worse than flying or eating a banana, according to Naval officer Angel Torres, one of the plaintiffs.
What they didn’t disclose was the very significant difference between eating a banana — during which the body ingests but also excretes identical amounts of radioactive potassium-40 to maintain a healthy balance — and exposure to nuclear accident fallout. Fukushima was leaking cesium, tritium and strontium as well as radioactive iodine which attacks the thyroid. For example, cesium, can bind to muscle, or strontium to bone, irradiating the person from within. This is a very different effect than the brief visit cosmic radiation pays to the body when we fly in an airplane.
There was also, according to former Department of Energy official, Robert Alvarez, now a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, a problem with the dose methodology.
Alvarez told Who.What.Why that “the only way to get an accurate internal and external dose on any individual is to take continual measurements throughout the time they are exposed. People must wear special monitoring equipment and undergo a regular regime of monitoring. This is especially important in trying to assess the health effects from a multiple meltdown situation with large explosions involving reactor cores, as occurred at Fukushima.”
Who.What.Why was created by long-time journalist, Russ Baker because, as he writes on the site, “the media gatekeepers, both ‘mainstream’ and ‘alternative,’ will not allow the biggest, most disturbing revelations to see the light of day.”
That is precisely the fate that appears to have befallen the undeniably disturbing USS Reagan story.
It has been touched on hardly at all by the mainstream media in the US although Jake Tapper delivered a 7-minute piece about it in February 2014 on CNN. Local television news stations have carried reports when a sailor from their area joined the law suit but rarely covered the bigger picture. An article in the New York Times two days into the disaster, chose to downplay and dismiss radiation concerns.
Aside from the legal trade publication, Courthouse News, most of the consistent coverage in the US has come, unsurprisingly, from the independent media. These include Counterpunch, Thom Hartmann’s The Big Picture on RT (now off the air), Mother Jones and a second piece in Truthout in addition to the Witherspoon article, and the work of anti-nuclear activist reporters, Harvey Wasserman’s Free Press and Libbe HalLevy’s Nuclear Hotseat podcast.
Epidemic of illnesses among sailors too strange to be a coincidence
The delay in getting accurate information, then having to contend with disinformation and official downplaying of the severity of the exposures has cost many of the sailors dearly. Treatment by specialists has often had to come out of their own pockets. Many cannot afford it. Some have paid with their lives.
The sicknesses range from the leukemias and cancers most often associated with radiation exposures, to immune system diseases, headaches, difficulty concentrating, thyroid problems, bloody noses, rectal and gynecological bleeding, weakness in sides of the body accompanied by the shrinking of muscle mass, memory loss, testicular cancer, problems with vision, high-pitch ringing in the ears and anxiety.
Attorney Edwards sees the epidemic of illnesses among the Reagan crew as just too pronounced to be unconnected to Fukushima-related radiation exposure.
“Why are all these young, healthy, fit people getting cancer? Experiencing thyroid issues? It’s too strange to be a coincidence,” she told Courthouse News.
“That just doesn’t happen absent some external cause,” Edwards added. “All of these people experienced the same thing and were exposed to radiation at Fukushima. A lot of this is just common sense.”
Common sense, of course, does not usually prevail in such cases. There are far more powerful forces at work. And, as always, the burden of proof falls upon the victims, not the most likely perpetrator.
The case is dismissed but the lawyers aren’t quitting
In her January 5, 2018 ruling in San Diego, federal judge Janis Sammartino sided with the defendant’s request for dismissal, stating that the plaintiffs had failed to establish that TEPCO’s actions were directed at California — a technicality. The judge also wrote that the plaintiffs “have provided no information to support an assertion that Tepco knew its actions would cause harm likely to be suffered in California.”
However, lawyers in the case plan to press on. “The Bartel case was dismissed without prejudice, which means that we are able to refile those claims,” Edward said in her email. “We plan to refile those claims in the coming weeks, and are still working on determining the best course for doing so.”
She told Courthouse News, that the team intends to “continue to fight for the justice these sailors deserve. We will also be moving forward with the Cooper case in due course, and look forward to reaching the merits in that case.”
Meanwhile, the sailors in the lawsuit still struggle to get either justice or media attention. Official sources who could shed more light on what actually happened, aren’t talking, including the ship’s captain, Thom Burke, who has never spoken out.
Lead plaintiff, Lindsay Cooper, has been told by Veterans Administration officials that her symptoms are likely due to “stress” and has denied her claim for disability based on radiation exposure, claiming there is not enough proof. Yet Cooper suffers from continuous menstrual cycles, and a yo-yoing thyroid that results in massive weight gain and then weight loss every few months. Her gallbladder was removed because it ceased to function.
When another plaintiff, Master Chief Petty Office Leticia Morales, had her thyroid taken out, she learned her doctor had already removed thyroid glands from six other sailors on the Reagan.
As lawyer Garner put it: “These kids were first responders. They went in happily doing a humanitarian mission, and they came out cooked.”
This article also appeared on Counterpunch, on March 7, 2018.
Category: Latest news, News, Other
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Subscribe to our Surprising Science newsletter
Top 5 messages sent to alien civilizations
Between Carl Sagan's laughter, the brainwaves of somebody in love, and a live theremin concert, humanity has sent a lot of data out into the stars.
Matt Davis
ESA/Hubble & NASA
Ever since we've had the capability, humanity has been desperately trying to make contact with other life in the universe.
While we've been beaming out information passively through our television and radio broadcasts, we've also sent more intentional messages.
Looking at these messages tells us how humanity wants to think of itself and what kind of relationship we hope to have with alien life.
We've loudly been broadcasting our presence on Earth out to the broader universe for decades. At first, these attempts were accidental. In Carl Sagan's book Contact, he speculated that any aliens watching the stars with at least as keen an interest as we do would pick up high-powered television broadcasts — the first of which would have been Hitler's Nuremberg rallies.
Fortunately, we've also been sending more intentional messages into space that E.T. may pay more attention to. These deliberate messages often contain information on our technological advancement; our understanding of mathematics, which is likely the only shared form of communication we would have with an alien species; and our culture and art. Together, they represent how humanity wants to be seen. Here's a selection of some of the most noteworthy messages we've been sending to space in the hopes that somebody is listening.
1. The Arecibo Message
The Arecibo Message with added color information.
On November 16th, 1974, we sent a 2,380 MHz radio message pointed at the Messier M13 globular cluster 25,000 light years away. Over the course of its 3 minutes, the radio message sent 1,679 binary digits by shifting the radio's signal frequency slightly for a 1 or a 0. When visualized, the Arecibo Message looks a little bit like discarded artwork from Space Invaders.
Like most of these messages, we tried to pack as much meaning in as little space as possible. Frank Drake (creator of the famous Drake equation) and Carl Sagan collaborated on what should go into it. From top to bottom, the message contains the numbers 1 through 10, information on the elements in our DNA, their atomic numbers, the nucleotides that constitute our DNA, and the double-helix structure. Below it, we listed the average height of a human, a simple graphic depicting our form, and our population at the time (4.3 billion). Then, there's a simple model of our solar system, and the last part contains a depiction of a telescope.
It'll take 25,000 years for the message to reach its destination, so it's unlikely that we'll ever know if it made contact. However, its intended purpose was rather to demonstrate our capability; the possibility of contact is just the cherry on top.
2. The Voyager Golden Records
The Voyager Golden Records prior to being affixed to the Voyager probes.
NASA/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Probably the most famous communication attempt on this list, the Voyager Golden Records were contained inside the two Voyager probes launched in 1977. Once again, the contents were selected by Carl Sagan and a committee he helmed.
The records contain instructions on how they should be played. If aliens get past that step, they'll be greeted by the sounds of planet Earth, like wind, thunder, and whale and bird song. They'll also hear spoken greetings in 55 different languages, music from different cultures, footsteps, and Sagan's laughter.
The Golden Records also contain instructions for how to produce images from their contents. These depict people eating, planets in our solar system, locations on Earth, animals, insects, human evolution and physiology, and chemistry-related images.
The most interesting component, though, is the hour-long recording of a human's brainwaves; specifically, Sagan's wife, Ann Druyan. While her brain was being recorded, Druyan thought of a variety of topics, like Earth's history and — having just gotten engaged to Carl Sagan — the experience of falling in love.
The Voyager probes were primarily meant to observe our solar system as they passed through, but they will be floating through space for quite some time. Maybe some aliens will have the opportunity to see how Druyan felt about falling in love or hear the many sounds from Earth we included. You can listen to the Golden Record's audio recordings on Soundcloud here and here.
3. The Teen Age Message
The Yevpatoria Planetary Radar. Image source: Wikimedia Commons
This message was initially proposed to be sent via the Arecibo Observatory, the same radio telescope used to send the Arecibo Message, but was rejected over growing concerns that maybe it isn't such a hot idea to broadcast humanity's presence in the universe. The Dark Forest theory states that the reason why the universe appears empty is because all other alien life is hiding out fear of other, hostile civilizations — sending messages out to the stars has always been a contested proposition because of our ignorance about the friendliness of alien life.
But human perseverance and our desire to make contact with others has usually won out, and the Teen Age Message was eventually sent out from the Yevpatoria Planetary Radar in 2001. Alexander Zaitsev, the project's leader, described his conception of the message:
There are two interconnected, inverse and direct, problems in concept of extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) — Search for ETI by terrestrial intelligence (SETI) and Messages to ETI from terrestrial intelligence (METI). The key element of SETI is the Object of search, namely [the] Universe, where we hope to detect the ETI and then to decode theirs [sic] Messages, and so the essence of SETI is Space Science. In turn, the key element of METI is the intellectual Subject, who creates new messages for potential ETI and hope that They will detect and perceive these Messages, and so the essence of METI is Space Art.
In an attempt to make "space art," the Teen Age Message contained the first live recording of a theremin concert for aliens. Seven songs were performed, and the total message was sent to six target stars, both of which were selected by teenage students (hence, the Teen Age Message). Depending on the star, the messages should reach their target destination between 2047 and 2070. (Far quicker than the 25,000 years the Arecibo Message will take!)
As an interesting side note, teenagers have played a fairly important role in our attempts at contacting alien life. When Sagan included "Johnny B. Good" on the Voyager Golden Records, critics complained that rock music was too adolescent. Sagan replied, "There are a lot of adolescents on the planet."
4. The Wow! Reply
The original printout of the data that prompted astronomer Jerry Ehman to write "Wow!" in the margins, giving the signal its name.
In 1977, the Big Ear radio observatory at Ohio State University picked up a signal coming from the constellation Sagittarius that was 30 times as powerful as the average background radiation of space. The signal was so striking that astronomer Jerry Ehman circled it in red ink on a printout and wrote "Wow!" in the margins, giving the signal its name.
To date, this is the strongest candidate for an intentional alien communication that we've received on Earth. For one, the signal's frequency was beamed at around 1,420 MHz. Hydrogen, the most common element in the universe, also emits radiation at 1,420 MHz, making it an easily recognizable signal to any sufficiently advanced civilization. What's more, when we studied alternative sources of the signal (i.e., an Earth-made signal reflected off of space debris, a signal emitted by distant comets), no theoretical sources matched the nature of the signal particularly well.
So, in 2012, 35 years after the first signal was detected, humanity sent a response. Ten thousand Twitter messages, including one from Stephen Colbert, were beamed back at the signal's source.
Since alien life isn't likely to be able to read Earth languages and may not even possess eyes to view the many videos and pictures included in the response, each message contained a repeating-sequence header to mark it as an intentional communication from intelligent life. The nearest sources of the Wow! signal were between 338 and 1,000 light years from Earth, however, so when the messages are finally received, both the hypothetical source civilization and humanity will be very different.
5. The New Arecibo Message
An aerial view of the Arecibo Observatory, which some may recognize from the 1997 film GoldenEye.
Flickr user NASA Blueshift
We've come along way since 1974, so it makes sense to send out more messages as we progress technologically and culturally. Currently, the Arecibo Observatory has challenged students to develop a new Arecibo Message. The observatory is asking teams of 10 students to create a message for alien civilizations, including the target stars and the energy of the signal. The Arecibo Observatory has also asked teams to in some way address the ongoing concerns over the risk of exposing humanity to unknown alien civilizations and communicate our peaceful intentions. After selecting the winners in September 2019, the new Arecibo Message will be beamed out to the broader universe in celebration of the 45th anniversary of the original message.
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Home > Journals > Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association > Volume 25 > Issue 1 > Article
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1 March 2009 First Record of Culiseta melanura in Mexico, with ADditional Mexican Records for Aedes sollicitans
Aldo I. Ortega-Morales, Armando Elizondo-Quiroga, David A. Gonzalez-Villarreal, Quetzaly K. Siller-Rodriguez, Filiberto Reyes-Villanueva, Ildefonso Fernandez-Salas
Aldo I. Ortega-Morales,*,** Armando Elizondo-Quiroga,** David A. Gonzalez-Villarreal,*** Quetzaly K. Siller-Rodriguez,** Filiberto Reyes-Villanueva,**** Ildefonso Fernandez-Salas**
*Departamento de Parasitología, Universidad Autónoma Agraria “Antonio Narro” Unidad Laguna, Torreón, Coahuila 27084, México
**Laboratorio de Entomología Medica, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León 66451, México
***Colección de Insectos Benéficos, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León 66451, México
****Laboratorio de Entomología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, 66451, México.
J. of the American Mosquito Control Association, 25(1):100-102 (2009). https://doi.org/10.2987/08-5774.1
Larvae of Culiseta melanura were collected during June 2001 and January 2002 in Nuevo Leon State, Mexico. This is the first record of this species in Mexico. Female and male adults of Aedes sollicitans were collected during May 1992 and June 1994 in Tamaulipas State and Nuevo Leon State, respectively; adult females of Ae. sollicitans were collected also during 1996 from a resting place in Oaxaca State. These records for Ae. sollicitans supplement previous Mexican records of the species. All specimens were identified through examination of adult females, male genitalia, and associated larval exuviae when available.
Aldo I. Ortega-Morales, Armando Elizondo-Quiroga, David A. Gonzalez-Villarreal, Quetzaly K. Siller-Rodriguez, Filiberto Reyes-Villanueva, and Ildefonso Fernandez-Salas "First Record of Culiseta melanura in Mexico, with ADditional Mexican Records for Aedes sollicitans," Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 25(1), 100-102, (1 March 2009). https://doi.org/10.2987/08-5774.1
Published: 1 March 2009
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Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association
Vol. 25 • No. 1
Aedes (Ochlerotatus) sollicitans
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Aldo I. Ortega-Morales, Armando Elizondo-Quiroga, David A. Gonzalez-Villarreal, Quetzaly K. Siller-Rodriguez, Filiberto Reyes-Villanueva, Ildefonso Fernandez-Salas "First Record of Culiseta melanura in Mexico, with ADditional Mexican Records for Aedes sollicitans," Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 25(1), 100-102, (1 March 2009)
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Tue, 18 Jun 2019 22:09:34 GMT
9.5: What’s New? Contemporary Approaches to Leadership
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9: Leading People Within Organizations
Learn about the difference between transformational and transactional leaders.
Find out about the relationship between charismatic leadership and how it relates to leader performance.
Learn how to be charismatic.
Describe how high-quality leader-subordinate relationships develop.
Define servant leadership and evaluate its potential for leadership effectiveness.
Define authentic leadership and evaluate its potential for leadership effectiveness.
What are the leadership theories that have the greatest contributions to offer to today’s business environment? In this section, we will review the most recent developments in the field of leadership.
Transformational leadership theory is a recent addition to the literature, but more research has been conducted on this theory than all the contingency theories combined. The theory distinguishes transformational and transactional leaders. Transformational leaders lead employees by aligning employee goals with the leader’s goals. Thus, employees working for transformational leaders start focusing on the company’s well-being rather than on what is best for them as individual employees. On the other hand, transactional leaders ensure that employees demonstrate the right behaviors and provide resources in exchange (Bass, 1985; Burns, 1978).
Transformational leaders have four tools in their possession, which they use to influence employees and create commitment to the company goals (Bass, 1985; Burns, 1978; Bycio, Hackett, & Allen, 1995; Judge & Piccolo, 2004). First, transformational leaders are charismatic. Charisma refers to behaviors leaders demonstrate that create confidence in, commitment to, and admiration for the leader (Shamir, House, & Arthur, 1993). Charismatic individuals have a “magnetic” personality that is appealing to followers. Second, transformational leaders use inspirational motivation, or come up with a vision that is inspiring to others. Third is the use of intellectual stimulation, which means that they challenge organizational norms and status quo, and they encourage employees to think creatively and work harder. Finally, they use individualized consideration, which means that they show personal care and concern for the well-being of their followers. Examples of transformational leaders include Steve Jobs of Apple Inc.; Lee Iaccoca, who transformed Chrysler Motors LLC in the 1980s; and Jack Welch, who was the CEO of General Electric Company for 20 years. Each of these leaders is charismatic and is held responsible for the turnarounds of their companies.
While transformational leaders rely on their charisma, persuasiveness, and personal appeal to change and inspire their companies, transactional leaders use three different methods. Contingent rewards mean rewarding employees for their accomplishments. Active management by exception involves leaving employees to do their jobs without interference, but at the same time proactively predicting potential problems and preventing them from occurring. Passive management by exception is similar in that it involves leaving employees alone, but in this method the manager waits until something goes wrong before coming to the rescue.
Which leadership style do you think is more effective, transformational or transactional? Research shows that transformational leadership is a very powerful influence over leader effectiveness as well as employee satisfaction (Judge & Piccolo, 2004). In fact, transformational leaders increase the intrinsic motivation of their followers, build more effective relationships with employees, increase performance and creativity of their followers, increase team performance, and create higher levels of commitment to organizational change efforts (Herold et al., 2008; Piccolo & Colquitt, 2006; Schaubroeck, Lam, & Cha, 2007; Shin & Zhou, 2003; Wang et al., 2005). However, except for passive management by exception, the transactional leadership styles are also effective, and they also have positive influences over leader performance as well as employee attitudes (Judge & Piccolo, 2004). To maximize their effectiveness, leaders are encouraged to demonstrate both transformational and transactional styles. They should also monitor themselves to avoid demonstrating passive management by exception, or leaving employees to their own devices until problems arise.
Why is transformational leadership effective? The key factor may be trust. Trust is the belief that the leader will show integrity, fairness, and predictability in his or her dealings with others. Research shows that when leaders demonstrate transformational leadership behaviors, followers are more likely to trust the leader. The tendency to trust in transactional leaders is substantially lower. Because transformational leaders express greater levels of concern for people’s well-being and appeal to people’s values, followers are more likely to believe that the leader has a trustworthy character (Dirks & Ferrin, 2002).
Is transformational leadership genetic? Some people assume that charisma is something people are born with. You either have charisma, or you don’t. However, research does not support this idea. We must acknowledge that there is a connection between some personality traits and charisma. Specifically, people who have a neurotic personality tend to demonstrate lower levels of charisma, and people who are extraverted tend to have higher levels of charisma. However, personality explains only around 10% of the variance in charisma (Bono & Judge, 2004). A large body of research has shown that it is possible to train people to increase their charisma and increase their transformational leadership (Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996; Dvir et al., 2002; Frese, Beimel, & Schoenborg, 2003).
Figure 12.12. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic and its first president, is known as a charismatic leader. He is widely admired and respected in Turkey and around the world. His picture appears in all schools, state buildings, all denominations of Turkish lira, and in many people’s homes in Turkey.. Wikimedia Commons – public domain.
Even if charisma can be learned, a more fundamental question remains: Is it really needed? Charisma is only one element of transformational leadership, and leaders can be effective without charisma. In fact, charisma has a dark side. For every charismatic hero such as Lee Iaccoca, Steve Jobs, and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.’s Sir Richard Branson, there are charismatic personalities who harmed their organizations or nations, such as Adoph Hitler of Germany and Jeff Skilling of Enron Corporation. Leadership experts warn that when organizations are in a crisis, a board of directors or hiring manager may turn to heroes who they hope will save the organization, and sometimes hire people who have no particular qualifications other than being perceived as charismatic (Khurana, 2002).
An interesting study shows that when companies have performed well, their CEOs are perceived as charismatic, but CEO charisma has no relation to the future performance of a company (Agle et al., 2006). So, what we view as someone’s charisma may be largely because of their association with a successful company, and the success of a company depends on a large set of factors, including industry effects and historical performance. While it is true that charismatic leaders may sometimes achieve great results, the search for charismatic leaders under all circumstances may be irrational.
OB Toolbox: Be Charismatic!
Have a vision around which people can gather. When framing requests or addressing others, instead of emphasizing short-term goals, stress the importance of the long-term vision. When giving a message, think about the overarching purpose. What is the ultimate goal? Why should people care? What are you trying to achieve?
Tie the vision to history. In addition to stressing the ideal future, charismatic leaders also bring up the history and how the shared history ties to the future.
Watch your body language. Charismatic leaders are energetic and passionate about their ideas. This involves truly believing in your own ideas. When talking to others, be confident, look them in the eye, and express your belief in your ideas.
Make sure that employees have confidence in themselves. You can achieve this by showing that you believe in them and trust in their abilities. If they have real reason to doubt their abilities, make sure that you address the underlying issue, such as training and mentoring.
Challenge the status quo. Charismatic leaders solve current problems by radically rethinking the way things are done and suggesting alternatives that are risky, novel, and unconventional.
Sources: Adapted from ideas in Frese, M., Beimel, S., & Schoenborg, S. (2003). Action training for charismatic leadership: Two evaluations of studies of a commercial training module on inspirational communication of a vision. Personnel Psychology, 56, 671–697; Shamir, B., House, R. J., & Arthur, M. B. (1993). The motivational effects of charismatic leadership: A self-concept based theory. Organization Science, 4, 577–594.
9.4: What Is the Role of the Context? Contingency Approaches to Leadership
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Superstition Review’s Fourth Issue Reading Series, first reading
September 25, 2009 April 28, 2013 Superstition Review
This past Monday was Superstition Review’s first reading of the semester and, I have to say, it was pretty amazing, particularly with the small and intimate setting of our favorite local bookstore, Changing Hands, literally setting the stage for the event!
Not only did we get to hear from American Book Award winner Stella Pope Duarte, who was previously featured as an interviewed writer for her award-winning book, If I Die in Juarez, but she also asked two of her writing students to join her. Accomplished writers Rita Ackerman and Annie Lopez accompanied our main guest reader that night as they too shared highlights from their varied portfolios. After a brief introduction to the readers for the evening via our Editor-in-Chief, I grabbed a seat off to the side and settled in for the reading–notebook, camera, and BlackBerry (for live-tweeting!) in hand.
Reading Series Editor, Samantha Novak, took the Changing Hands stage first, quickly introducing Trish Murphy, our Editor-in-Chief, inviting her to speak a little about SR. As Trish gave the rundown of how we work, take submissions, and run the magazine all through semester-long undergraduate internships, she also gave an update on submissions and solicitations that have already drifted into the magazine. Among the poets and authors submitting work, we learned that award-winning author and former ASU professor Ron Carlson will be interviewed for this upcoming issue–how exciting is that? With the logistical side of the reading out of the way, we were ready to hear from our esteemed readers.
First to read was Rita Ackerman, a scholar of the history of the American Wild West. She read an illuminating narrative on the shootout at the O.K. Corral from the perspective of Ike Clanton, an under-celebrated outlaw of Arizona’s history.
The story came from her recently published O.K. Corral Postscript: The Death of Ike Clanton and provided a street view of the shootout. It was particularly interesting because it viewed the famous Earp brothers from a fairly neutral position. Ackerman continued with a short dip into the death scene she has reconstructed from the obituaries and accounts of Ike Clanton’s death. Introducing ‘Pigleg Wilson,’ her writing explained that Ike, though a pivotal member of the Clanton gang, is not buried in a dignified grave in Tombstone like the rest of his family, but he instead resides in a unmarked grave somewhere in Springerville, Arizona.
It was particularly interesting to hear a detailed and engaging account of one of Arizona’s famous outlaws. Ackerman really brought to light the benefits of well-written nonfiction narratives, highlighting one of the under-sung genres of many literary journals, and one that SR is proud to feature.
Next up was Annie Lopez. Not only is Lopez a great storyteller, but she’s also an artist–one featured at the Phoenix Art Museum (and giving a lecture on her work on October 21st at 4 and 7 p.m.).
Lopez’s work collectively focused on the naivety of youth, especially as a young woman growing up in Phoenix. In her partly auto-biographical stories, the fourth-generation Phoenician read about her young adult mishaps. In, The Dress, a middle school-aged Lopez shows us a glimpse into a home-economics class. She and a friend made complete fools of themselves by knowing a little too much about sewing and trying to flaunt their skills, resulting in becoming the laughing stock of the Phoenix Suns basketball team. Her other story not only brought about laughs from the audience as she explained the awkward situation she was put in when her high school guidance counselor exposed herself to Lopez, but also reinforced the need to feel comfortable in your surroundings as a young adult.
Enterprising on the hilarious hi-jinx of youth, Lopez really connected with her audience as she shared her humorous tales and reminded everyone in the audience the importance of staying on the good side of friends-who-happen-to-be-writers–whatever you do, she warned via her shared anecdote, don’t forget that whatever you say and do can, and often will, be written down and used against you in the future if it has high humor value. In all fairness, you should know better!
Finally, it was Stella Pope Duarte’s turn to take the small stage. The audience seemed particularly excited to hear from her as she was introduced.
The ABA award-winner greeted everyone with a quick, unabashed admission: she loves rumors and secrets. As she talked about the upcoming acceptance of her award, she revealed that, though she loves Phoenix more than she could ever like NYC, she enjoyed the City for its eavesdropping goldmine that it is; she claimed she loves nothing more than walking the streets there to gather as many rumors as she could. It wasn’t just a random comment, though–she said none of her stories would really be possible without them, especially from the collection she was reading from.
Duarte is a passionate activist and writer defending human rights issues, particularly bringing child prostitution wrongs to light. On Monday she shared one of her newer stories, “One of These Days I’m Gonna Go Home,” a selection to be published in her upcoming collection of short stories, with the working title of Women Who Live in Coffee Shops, that focus on rumors and the lives of individuals whose worlds are affected by the rumors. The story dealt with the adoption and rehabilitation of a former child prostitute being raised in the Phoenix desert.
Our featured reader was really engaging with her audience and she had complete command of local Phoenician dialogue, slang, and speech. Her reading, as well the other women’s, really featured the outstanding talent of local writers. It was refreshing to hear these home-grown southwestern stories of our state’s history, growing up in Arizona, and dealing with the complexities of such a culturally rich state.
Overall, I’d say that the reading was a complete success and a wholly enjoyable event. I’m extremely excited about the next one, October 26!
Did you attend the event? What did you think? What was your favorite work you heard?
Video Interview with Rita Ackerman on ‘O.K. Corral Postscript: The Death of Ike Clanton’
Phoenix Art Museum lecture schedule
Stella Pope Duarte wins 2009 American Book Award
Events Annie Lopez, Arizona, Changing Hands, Fiction, human rights, Local, Non-Fiction, NonFiction, NYC, Phoenix Art Museum, Reading, Reading Series, Rita Ackerman, Ron Carlson, Stella Pope Duarte, Superstition Review, Tempe, Tombstone, youth 6 Comments
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Clubs for Younger People
Schools and Nurseries
Council/Government
Southwell Town Guide
Contact The Bramley
Sensational Season for Lowe's Wong!
Following a convincing win against John Blow Primary School in the semi-final of the League Cup, there is now just one game left in what has been a sensational season for Lowe's Wong.
The A team will play in the League Cup final against Muskham Primary School in a bid to win its fourth piece of silverware this season.
The team has also confirmed the league title with a great draw away at an excellent Coddington team and the B-team became the Lowe's Wong 'Invincibles' by winning the B-team league without losing a game. These trophies were added to the Newark and Sherwood District Spring tournament win back in March.
The boys have been a pleasure to coach this year. They have recognised that it is a squad game and have showed teamwork and friendship both on and off the pitch. Their behaviour and attitude has been exemplary, with positive comments from teachers, parents and opposing teams. They have also shown what a talented group they are with their performances and skill. We wish them all the best in their semi-final and in the future with their blossoming football careers.
Art Luetkemeier
© The Bramley 2020
Publication Date & Copy Deadline
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[BAROMETER Q12019] UK loses support among commercial property investors as sentiment swings towards Germany
BAROMETER Q12019
Research | April 30, 2019
The UK commercial property market has dropped in popularity among both international and domestic investors, according to BrickVest’s latest commercial property investment barometer (‘the Barometer’)* .
Data capturing sentiment from over 6,000 international professional real estate investors shows that less than a third (29%) view the UK as their preferred market. Support among UK-based investors for their home market dropped to 40%, its lowest level since the Barometer started in Q1 2017.
Germany has emerged as the biggest beneficiary of the UK’s declining popularity among international investors, recording its highest ever score (26%). Among UK investors France achieved a new record high approval score of 16% during the first quarter.
The latest Barometer reveals that over the last three months overall appetite for high risk commercial property strategies (e.g. opportunistic and development) has fallen to its lowest ever level of 18% in favour of moderate strategies (e.g. value-add, light refurbishment), which has climbed to a new high of 57%, up 12% year-on-year.
In terms of asset type, support for primary assets in tier one cities grew over Q1 among both international and UK investors to 61% and 63% respectively at the expense of secondary cities and regional markets (39% and 37%), reflecting a flight to safety.
Emmanuel Lumineau, CEO at BrickVest, commented: “Brexit uncertainty continues to take its toll on the UK commercial property market among both international and domestic investors. With no immediate political solution likely, there is every possibility that investor confidence in the UK will continue to slide in the months to come. While not without their own challenges, both France and especially Germany grew in popularity over the preceding quarter.”
“Our Barometer lays bare the fall in sentiment among investors towards higher risk opportunities as fears of an economic slowdown and an inevitable downwards turn in the cycle gain momentum.”
The full report is available at: http://brickvest.com/barometers
* Sample of 6,000 international BrickVest professional real estate investors polled online on a quarterly basis. Risk is calculated on a scale from 0 (low risk - income) to 100 (high risk – capital).
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OLL pilgrimage to consecration
Our Lady of Loretto parishioners will travel by bus to San Francisco on Oct. 7 as the archdiocese celebrates the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima at St. Mary’s Cathedral with a 9 a.m. rosary rally, 10 a.m. Mass and 11:30 a.m. procession and consecration of the archdiocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Buses will leave the church parking lot at 7:30 a.m., 1806 Novato Blvd., Novato. For details and registration, visit ollnovato/spiritual growth.org. Deadline for registration is Sept. 20. All-night adoration of the Blessed Sacrament ending Oct. 14 before the 9 a.m. Mass will conclude Our Lady of Loretto’s six-month Fatima celebration. A public Fatima rosary rally hosted by the parish’s Knights of Columbus will take place at Miwok Park, Novato Boulevard entrance, noon-2.
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Posted on Monday February 15th, 2016
Categories:, 最新資訊
Tags: 四旬期文告,教宗方濟各
POSTOLIC LETTER MOTU PROPRIO
MITIS IUDEX DOMINUS IESUS
BY WHICH THE CANONS OF THE CODE OF CANON LAW
PERTAINING TO CASES REGARDING THE NULLITY OF MARRIAGE
ARE REFORMED
The Gentle Judge, our Lord Jesus, the Shepherd of our Souls, entrusted to the Apostle Peter and to his successors the power of the keys to carry out the work of truth and justice in the Church; this supreme and universal power of binding and loosing here on earth asserts, strengthens and protects the power of Pastors of particular Churches, by virtue of which they have the sacred right and duty before the Lord to enact judgment toward those entrusted to their care.[1]
Through the centuries, the Church, having attained a clearer awareness of the words of Christ, came to and set forth a deeper understanding of the doctrine of the indissolubility of the sacred bond of marriage, developed a system of nullities of matrimonial consent, and put together a judicial process more fitting to the matter so that ecclesiastical discipline might conform more and more to the truth of the faith she was professing.
All these things were done following the supreme law of the salvation of souls[2] insofar as the Church, as Blessed Paul VI wisely taught, is the divine plan of the Trinity, and therefore all her institutions, constantly subject to improvement, work, each according to its respective duty and mission, toward the goal of transmitting divine grace and constantly promoting the good of the Christian faithful as the Church’s essential end.[3]
It is with this awareness that we decided to undertake a reform of the processes regarding the nullity of marriage, and we accordingly assembled a Committee for this purpose comprised of men renowned for their knowledge of the law, their pastoral prudence, and their practical experience. This Committee, under the guidance of the Dean of the Roman Rota, drew up a plan for reform with due regard for the need to protect the principle of the indissolubility of the marital bound. Working quickly, this Committee devised within a short period of time a framework for the new procedural law that, after careful examination with the help of other experts, is now presented in this motu proprio.
Therefore, the zeal for the salvation of souls that, today like yesterday, always remains the supreme end of the Church’s institutions, rules, and law, compels the Bishop of Rome to promulgate this reform to all bishops who share in his ecclesial duty of safeguarding the unity of the faith and teaching regarding marriage, the source and center of the Christian family. The desire for this reform is fed by the great number of Christian faithful who, as they seek to assuage their consciences, are often kept back from the juridical structures of the Church because of physical or moral distance. Thus charity and mercy demand that the Church, like a good mother, be near her children who feel themselves estranged from her.
All of this also reflects the wishes of the majority of our brother bishops gathered at the recent extraordinary synod who were asking for a more streamlined and readily accessible judicial process.[4] Agreeing wholeheartedly with their wishes, we have decided to publish these provisions that favor not the nullity of marriages, but the speed of processes as well as the simplicity due them, lest the clouds of doubt overshadow the hearts of the faithful awaiting a decision regarding their state because of a delayed sentence.
We have done this following in the footsteps of our predecessors who wished cases of nullity to be handled in a judicial rather than an administrative way, not because the nature of the matter demands it, but rather due to the unparalleled need to safeguard the truth of the sacred bond: something ensured by the judicial order.
A few fundamental criteria stand out that have guided the work of reform.
I. – A single executive sentence in favor of nullity is effective. – First of all, it seemed that a double conforming decision in favor of the nullity of a marriage was no longer necessary to enable the parties to enter into a new canonical marriage. Rather, moral certainty on the part of the first judge in accord with the norm of law is sufficient.
II. – A sole judge under the responsibility of the bishop. – In the first instance, the responsibility of appointing a sole judge, who must be a cleric, is entrusted to the bishop, who in the pastoral exercise of his judicial power must guard against all laxism.
III. – The bishop himself as judge. – In order that a teaching of the Second Vatican Council regarding a certain area of great importance finally be put into practice, it has been decided to declare openly that the bishop himself, in the church over which he has been appointed shepherd and head, is by that very fact the judge of those faithful entrusted to his care. It is thus hoped that the bishop himself, be it of a large or small diocese, stand as a sign of the conversion of ecclesiastical structures,[5] and that he does not delegate completely the duty of deciding marriage cases to the offices of his curia. This is especially true in the streamlined process for handling cases of clear nullity being established in the present document.
IV. – Briefer process. – For indeed, in simplifying the ordinary process for handling marriage cases, a sort of briefer process was devised – besides the current documentary procedure – to be applied in those cases where the alleged nullity of marriage is supported by particularly clear arguments.
Nevertheless, we are not unaware of the extent to which the principle of the indissolubility of marriage might be endangered by the briefer process; for this very reason we desire that the bishop himself be established as the judge in this process, who, due to his duty as pastor, has the greatest care for catholic unity with Peter in faith and discipline.
V. – Appeal to the metropolitan see. – It is necessary that the appeal process be restored to the metropolitan see, especially since that duty, insofar as the metropolitan see is the head of the ecclesiastical province, stands out through time as a stable and distinctive sign of synodality in the Church.
VI. The duty proper to episcopal conferences. – Conferences of bishops, which above all should be driven by apostolic zeal to reach out to the dispersed faithful, should especially feel the duty of participating in the aforementioned “conversion” and they should respect the restored and defended right of organizing judicial power in their own particular churches.
The restoration of the proximity between the judge and the faithful will never reach its desired result unless episcopal conferences offer encouragement and assistance to individual bishops so that they may carry out the reform of the matrimonial process.
Episcopal conferences, in close collaboration with judges, should ensure, to the best of their ability and with due regard for the just compensation of tribunal employees, that processes remain free of charge, and that the Church, showing herself a generous mother to the faithful, manifest, in a matter so intimately tied to the salvation of souls, the gratuitous love of Christ by which we have all been saved.
VII. – Appeal to the Apostolic See. – In accord with a revered and ancient right, it is still necessary to retain the appeal to the ordinary tribunal of the Holy See, namely the Roman Rota, so as to strengthen the bond between the See of Peter and the particular churches, with due care, however, to keep in check any abuse of the practice of this appeal, lest the salvation of souls should be jeopardized.
Nevertheless, insofar as necessary, the respective law of the Roman Rota will be adapted as soon as possible to the rules of the reformed process.
VIII. – Provisions for Eastern Churches. – Finally, given the particular ecclesial and disciplinary arrangement of Eastern Churches, we have decided to publish, separately and on this very day, revised norms for updating the handling of matrimonial processes as presented in the Code of Canons of Eastern Churches.
Therefore, having taken all of this into consideration, we have determined and established the following changes to the Code of Canon Law, Book VII, Part III, Title I, Chapter I, “Cases to Declare the Nullity of Marriage” (cann. 1671-1691), which will take effect beginning December 8th, 2015:
Art. 1 – The Competent Forum and Tribunals
The Competent Forum
Can. 1671 § 1. Marriage cases of the baptized belong to the ecclesiastical judge by proper right.
§ 2. Cases regarding merely the civil effects of marriage belong to a civil magistrate, unless the particular law establishes that such cases, if carried out in an incidental or accessory manner, can be recognized by and determined by an ecclesiastical judge.
Can. 1672. In cases regarding the nullity of marriage not reserved to the Apostolic See, the competencies are: 1° the tribunal of the place in which the marriage was celebrated; 2° the tribunal of the place in which either or both parties have a domicile or a quasi-domicile; 3° the tribunal of the place in which in fact most of the proofs must be collected.
Can. 1673 § 1. In each diocese, the judge in first instance for cases of nullity or marriage for which the law does not expressly make an exception is the diocesan bishop, who can exercise judicial power personally or through others, according to the norm of law.
§ 2. The bishop is to establish a diocesan tribunal for his diocese to handle cases of nullity of marriage without prejudice to the faculty of the same bishop to approach another nearby diocesan or interdiocesan tribunal.
§ 3. Cases of nullity of marriage are reserved to a college of three judges. A judge who is a cleric must preside over the college, but the other judges may be laypersons.
§ 4. The bishop moderator, if a collegial tribunal cannot be constituted in the diocese or in a nearby tribunal chosen according to the norm of § 2, is to entrust cases to a sole clerical judge who, where possible, is to employ two assessors of upright life, experts in juridical or human sciences, approved by the bishop for this task; unless it is otherwise evident, the same single judge has competency for those things attributed to the college, the praeses, or the ponens.
§ 5. The tribunal of second instance must always be collegiate for validity, according to the prescript of the preceding § 3.
§ 6. The tribunal of first instance appeals to the metropolitan tribunal of second instance without prejudice to the prescripts of cann. 1438-1439 and 1444.
Art. 2 – The Right to Challenge a Marriage
Can. 1674 § 1. The following are qualified to challenge a marriage: 1° the spouses; 2° the promoter of justice when nullity has already become public, if the convalidation of the marriage is not possible or expedient.
§ 2. A marriage which was not accused while both spouses were living cannot be accused after the death of either one or both of the spouses unless the question of validity is prejudicial to the resolution of another controversy either in the canonical forum or in the civil forum.
§ 3. If a spouse dies while the case is pending, however, can. 1518 is to be observed.
Art. 3 – The Introduction and Instruction of the Case
Can. 1675. The judge, before he accepts a case, must be informed that the marriage has irreparably failed, such that conjugal living cannot be restored.
Can. 1676 § 1. After receiving the libellus, the judicial vicar, if he considers that it has some basis, admits it and, by a decree appended to the bottom of the libellus itself, is to order that a copy be communicated to the defender of the bond and, unless the libellus was signed by both parties, to the respondent, giving them a period of fifteen days to express their views on the petition.
§ 2. After the above-mentioned deadline has passed, and after the other party has been admonished to express his or her views if and insofar as necessary, and after the defender of the bond has been heard, the judicial vicar is to determine by his decree the formula of the doubt and is to decide whether the case is to be treated with the ordinary process or with the briefer process according to cann. 1683-1687. This decree is to be communicated immediately to the parties and the defender of the bond.
§ 3. If the case is to be handled through the ordinary process, the judicial vicar, by the same decree, is to arrange the constitution of a college of judges or of a single judge with two assessors according to can. 1673, § 4.
§ 4. However, if the briefer process is decided upon, the judicial vicar proceeds according to the norm of can. 1685.
§ 5. The formula of doubt must determine by which ground or grounds the validity of the marriage is challenged.
Can. 1677 § 1. The defender of the bond, the legal representatives of the parties, as well as the promoter of justice, if involved in the trial, have the following rights: 1° to be present at the examination of the parties, the witnesses, and the experts, without prejudice to the prescript of can. 1559; 2° to inspect the judicial acts, even those not yet published, and to review the documents presented by the parties.
§ 2. The parties cannot be present at the examination mentioned in §1, n. 1.
Can. 1678 § 1. In cases of the nullity of marriage, a judicial confession and the declarations of the parties, possibly supported by witnesses to the credibility of the parties, can have the force of full proof, to be evaluated by the judge after he has considered all the indications and supporting factors, unless other elements are present which weaken them.
§ 2. In the same cases, the testimony of one witness can produce full proof if it concerns a qualified witness making a deposition concerning matters done ex officio, or unless the circumstances of things and persons suggest it.
§ 3. In cases of impotence or defect of consent because of mental illness or an anomaly of a psychic nature, the judge is to use the services of one or more experts unless it is clear from the circumstances that it would be useless to do so; in other cases the prescript of can. 1574 is to be observed.
§ 4. Whenever, during the instruction of a case, a very probable doubt arises as to whether the marriage was ever consummated, the tribunal, having heard both parties, can suspend the case of nullity, complete the instruction for a dispensation super rato, and then transmit the acts to the Apostolic See together with a petition for a dispensation from either one or both of the spouses and the votum of the tribunal and the bishop.
Art. 4 – The Judgment, its Appeals and its Effects
Can. 1679. The sentence that first declared the nullity of the marriage, once the terms as determined by cann. 1630-1633 have passed, becomes executive.
Can. 1680 § 1. The party who considers himself or herself aggrieved, as well as the promoter of justice and the defender of the bond, have the right to introduce a complaint of nullity of the judgment or appeal against the sentence, according to cann. 1619-1640.
§ 2. After the time limits established by law for the appeal and its prosecution have passed, and after the judicial acts have been received by the tribunal of higher instance, a college of judges is established, the defender of the bond is designated, and the parties are admonished to put forth their observations within the prescribed time limit; after this time period has passed, if the appeal clearly appears merely dilatory, the collegiate tribunal confirms the sentence of the prior instance by decree.
§ 3. If an appeal is admitted, the tribunal must proceed in the same manner as the first instance with the appropriate adjustments.
§ 4. If a new ground of nullity of the marriage is alleged at the appellate level, the tribunal can admit it and judge it as if in first instance.
Can. 1681. If a sentence has become effective, one can go at any time to a tribunal of the third level for a new proposition of the case according to the norm of can. 1644, provided new and grave proofs or arguments are brought forward within the peremptory time limit of thirty days from the proposed challenge.
Can. 1682 § 1. After the sentence declaring the nullity of the marriage has become effective, the parties whose marriage has been declared null can contract a new marriage unless a prohibition attached to the sentence itself or established by the local ordinary forbids this.
§ 2. As soon as the sentence becomes effective, the judicial vicar must notify the local ordinary of the place in which the marriage took place. The local ordinary must take care that the declaration of the nullity of the marriage and any possible prohibitions are noted as soon as possible in the marriage and baptismal registers.
Art. 5 – The Briefer Matrimonial Process before the Bishop
Can. 1683. The diocesan bishop himself is competent to judge cases of the nullity of marriage with the briefer process whenever:
1° the petition is proposed by both spouses or by one of them, with the consent of the other;
2° circumstance of things and persons recur, with substantiating testimonies and records, which do not demand a more accurate inquiry or investigation, and which render the nullity manifest.
Can. 1684. The libellus introducing the briefer process, in addition to those things enumerated in can. 1504, must: 1° set forth briefly, fully, and clearly the facts on which the petition is based; 2° indicate the proofs, which can be immediately collected by the judge; 3° exhibit the documents, in an attachment, upon which the petition is based.
Can. 1685. The judicial vicar, by the same decree which determines the formula of the doubt, having named an instructor and an assessor, cites all who must take part to a session, which in turn must be held within thirty days according to can. 1686.
Can. 1686. The instructor, insofar as possible, collects the proofs in a single session and establishes a time limit of fifteen days to present the observations in favor of the bond and the defense briefs of the parties, if there are any.
Can. 1687 § 1. After he has received the acts, the diocesan bishop, having consulted with the instructor and the assessor, and having considered the observations of the defender of the bond and, if there are any, the defense briefs of the parties, is to issue the sentence if moral certitude about the nullity of marriage is reached. Otherwise, he refers the case to the ordinary method.
§ 2. The full text of the sentence, with the reasons expressed, is to be communicated to the parties as swiftly as possible.
§ 3. An appeal against the sentence of the bishop is made to the metropolitan or to the Roman Rota; if, however, the sentence was rendered by the metropolitan, the appeal is made to the senior suffragan; if against the sentence of another bishop who does not have a superior authority below the Roman Pontiff, appeal is made to the bishop selected by him in a stable manner.
§ 4. If the appeal clearly appears merely dilatory, the metropolitan or the bishop mentioned in § 3, or the dean of the Roman Rota, is to reject it by his decree at the outset; if the appeal is admitted, however, the case is remitted to the ordinary method at the second level.
Art. 6 – The Documentary Process
Can. 1688. After receiving a petition proposed according to the norm of can. 1677, the diocesan bishop or the judicial vicar or a judge designated by him can declare the nullity of a marriage by sentence if a document subject to no contradiction or exception clearly establishes the existence of a diriment impediment or a defect of legitimate form, provided that it is equally certain that no dispensation was given, or establishes the lack of a valid mandate of a proxy. In these cases, the formalities of the ordinary process are omitted except for the citation of the parties and the intervention of the defender of the bond.
Can. 1689 § 1. If the defender of the bond prudently thinks that either the flaws mentioned in can. 1688 or the lack of a dispensation are not certain, the defender of the bond must appeal against the declaration of nullity to the judge of second instance; the acts must be sent to the appellate judge who must be advised in writing that a documentary process is involved.
§ 2. The party who considers himself or herself aggrieved retains the right of appeal.
Can. 1690. The judge of second instance, with the intervention of the defender of the bond and after having heard the parties, will decide in the same manner as that mentioned in can. 1688 whether the sentence must be confirmed or whether the case must rather proceed according to the ordinary method of law; in the latter event the judge remands the case to the tribunal of first instance.
Art. 7 – General Norms
Can. 1691 § 1. In the sentence the parties are to be reminded of the moral and even civil obligations binding them toward one another and toward their children to furnish support and education.
§ 2. Cases for the declaration of the nullity of a marriage cannot be treated in the oral contentious process mentioned in cann. 1656-1670.
§ 3. In other procedural matters, the canons on trials in general and on the ordinary contentious trial must be applied unless the nature of the matter precludes it; the special norms for cases concerning the status of persons and cases pertaining to the public good are to be observed.
The provision of can. 1679 will apply to sentences declaring the nullity of marriage published starting from the day this motu proprio comes into force.
Attached and made part hereof are the procedural rules that we considered necessary for the proper and accurate implementation of this new law, which must be observed diligently to foster the good of the faithful.
What we have established by means of this motu proprio, we deem valid and lasting, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, even those worthy of meriting most special mention.
We confidently entrust to the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of mercy, and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the active implementation of this new matrimonial process.
Given in Rome, near the tomb of Saint Peter, on the 15th day of August, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the year 2015, the third of our pontificate.
The way of proceeding in cases regarding the declaration of the nullity of a marriage
The Third General Assembly of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, held in October of 2014, looked into the difficulty the faithful have in approaching church tribunals. Since the bishop, as a good shepherd, must attend to his poor faithful who need particular pastoral care, and given the sure collaboration of the successor of Peter with the bishops in spreading familiarity with the law, it has seemed opportune to offer, together with the detailed norms for the application to the matrimonial process, some tools for the work of the tribunals to respond to the needs of the faithful who seek that the truth about the existence or non-existence of the bond of their failed marriage be declared.
Art. 1. The bishop, under can. 383, §1 is obliged, with an apostolic spirit, to attend to separated or divorced spouses who perhaps, by the conditions of their lives, have abandoned religious practice. He thus shares, together with the parochis (cf. can. 529, §1), the pastoral solicitude for these faithful in difficulties.
Art. 2. The pre-judicial or pastoral inquiry, which in the context of diocesan and parish structures receives those separated or divorced faithful who have doubts regarding the validity of their marriage or are convinced of its nullity, is, in the end, directed toward understanding their situation and to gathering the material useful for the eventual judicial process, be it the ordinary or the briefer one. This inquiry will be developed within the unified diocesan pastoral care of marriage.
Art. 3. This same inquiry is entrusted to persons deemed suitable by the local ordinary, with the appropriate expertise, though not exclusively juridical-canonical. Among them in the first place is the parochus or the one who prepared the spouses for the wedding celebration. This function of counseling can also be entrusted to other clerics, religious or lay people approved by the local ordinary.
One diocese, or several together, according to the present groupings, can form a stable structure through which to provide this service and, if appropriate, a handbook (vademecum) containing the elements essential to the most appropriate way of conducting the inquiry.
Art. 4. The pastoral inquiry will collect elements useful for the introduction of the case before the competent tribunal either by the spouses or perhaps by their advocates. It is necessary to discover whether the parties are in agreement about petitioning nullity.
Art. 5. Once all the elements have been collected, the inquiry culminates in the libellus, which, if appropriate, is presented to the competent tribunal.
Art. 6. Since the code of canon law must be applied in all matters, without prejudice to special norms, even the matrimonial processes in accord with can.1691, § 3, the present ratio does not intend to explain in detail a summary of the whole process, but more specifically to illustrate the main legislative changes and, where appropriate, to complete it.
Title I – The Competent Forums and the Tribunals
Art. 7 § 1. The titles of competence in can. 1672 are the same, observing in as much as possible the principle of proximity between the judges and the parties.
§ 2. Through the cooperation between tribunals mentioned in can. 1418, care is to be taken that everyone, parties or witnesses, can participate in the process at a minimum of cost.
Art. 8 § 1. In dioceses which lack their own tribunals, the bishop should take care that, as soon as possible, persons are formed who can zealously assist in setting up marriage tribunals, even by means of courses in well-established and continuous institutions sponsored by the diocese or in cooperation with groupings of dioceses and with the assistance of the Apostolic See.
§ 2. The bishop can withdraw from an interdiocesan tribunal constituted in accordance with can. 1423.
Title II – The Right to Challenge a Marriage
Art. 9. If a spouse dies during the process with the case not yet concluded, the instance is suspended until the other spouse or another person, who is interested, insists upon its continuation; in this case, a legitimate interest must be proven.
Title III – The Introduction and Instruction of Cases
Art. 10. The judge can admit an oral petition whenever a party is prevented from presenting a libellus: however, the judge himself orders the notary to draw up the act in writing that must be read to the party and approved, which takes the place of the libellus written by the party for all effects of law.
Art. 11 § 1. The libellus is presented to the diocesan or interdiocesan tribunal which has been chosen according to the norm of can. 1673 § 2.
§ 2. A respondent who remits himself or herself to the justice of the tribunal, or, when properly cited, once more, makes no response, is deemed not to object to the petition.
Title IV – The Sentence, Its Appeals and Effect
Art. 12. To achieve the moral certainty required by law, a preponderance of proofs and indications is not sufficient, but it is required that any prudent doubt of making an error, in law or in fact, is excluded, even if the mere possibility of the contrary is not removed.
Art. 13. If a party expressly declares that he or she objects to receiving any notices about the case, that party is held to have renounced of the faculty of receiving a copy of the sentence. In this case, that party may be notified of the dispositive part of the sentence.
Title V – The Briefer Matrimonial Process before the Bishop
Art. 14 § 1. Among the circumstances of things and persons that can allow a case for nullity of marriage to be handled by means of the briefer process according to cann. 1683-1687, are included, for example: the defect of faith which can generate simulation of consent or error that determines the will; a brief conjugal cohabitation; an abortion procured to avoid procreation; an obstinate persistence in an extraconjugal relationship at the time of the wedding or immediately following it; the deceitful concealment of sterility, or grave contagious illness, or children from a previous relationship, or incarcerations; a cause of marriage completely extraneous to married life, or consisting of the unexpected pregnancy of the woman, physical violence inflicted to extort consent, the defect of the use of reason which is proved by medical documents, etc.
§ 2. Among the documents supporting this petition are included all medical records that can clearly render useless the requirement of an ex officio expert.
Art. 15. If the libellus was presented to introduce the ordinary process, but the judicial vicar believes the case may be treated with the briefer process, he is, in the notification of the libellus according to can. 1676, §1, to invite the respondent who has not signed the libellus to make known to the tribunal whether he or she intends to enter and take an interest in the process. As often as is necessary, he invites the party or parties who have signed the libellus to complete it as soon as possible according to the norm of can. 1684.
Art. 16. The judicial vicar can designate himself as an instructor; but to the extent possible, he is to name an instructor from the diocese where the case originated.
Art. 17. In issuing the citation in accordance with can. 1685, the parties are informed that, if possible, they are to make available, at least three days prior to the session for the instruction of the case, those specific points of the matter upon which the parties or the witnesses are to be questioned, unless they are attached to the libellus.
Art. 18. § 1. The parties and their advocates can be present for the examination of other parties and witnesses unless the instructor, on account of circumstances of things and persons, decides to proceed otherwise.
§ 2. The responses of the parties and witnesses are to be rendered in writing by the notary, but in a summary way and only that which refers to the substance of the disputed marriage.
Art. 19. If the case is instructed at an interdiocesan tribunal, the bishop who is to pronounce the sentence is the one of that place according to the competence established in accordance with can. 1672. If there are several, the principle of proximity between the parties and the judge is observed as far as possible.
Art. 20 § 1. The diocesan bishop determines according to his own prudence the way in which to pronounce the sentence.
§ 2. The sentence which is signed by the bishop and certified by the notary, briefly and concisely explains the reasons for the decision and ordinarily the parties are notified within one month of the day of the decision.
Title VI – The Documentary Process
Art. 21. The competent diocesan bishop and the judicial vicar are determined in accordance with can. 1672.
[1] Cf. Second Vatican Council, the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, n. 27.
[2] Cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 1752.
[3] Cf. Paulus VI, Allocutio iis qui II Conventui Internationali Iuris Canonici interfuerunt, September 17th, 1973.
[4] Cf. Relatio Synodi, n. 48.
[5] Cf. Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, n. 27, in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis 105 (2013), p. 1031.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio_20150815_mitis-iudex-dominus-iesus.html
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