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TIR supports the (anti) factory farming initiative
The popular initiative "End factory farming in Switzerland (Massentierhaltungsinitiative)", launched by an association called Sentience Politics and supported by numerous organizations, was launched in Bern on June 12, 2018. The Stiftung für das Tier im Recht (TIR) supports the initiative's request to abolish factory farming in Switzerland.
On June 12, 2018, animal welfare, animal rights and environmental organizations gathered at the Waisenhausplatz in Bern to launch the initiative calling for the abolition of factory farming in Switzerland. Representatives of various organizations like Tier im Fokus (TIF), die Grüne Partei Schweiz (Switzerland's green party), Greenpeace and Fondation Franz Weber delivered speeches on the topic.
The popular initiative demands that the dignity of animals be consistently protected in agricultural animal husbandry which ultimately means that they are entitled to a life free from the confinement and further consequences of factory farming. The initiators define factory farming as industrial animal husbandry that is aimed at highly efficient production of animal goods and whereby animals are systematically violated in their wellbeing. Systematic violation of the animals' wellbeing means, for example, keeping animals in large groups in confined spaces, altering their appearance in order to keep and use them in the most economical way possible (e.g. dehorning of cattle), disregarding scientific findings on the physiological and ethological needs of animals (e.g., insufficient freedom of movement), or violating the physical and psychological integrity of animals in some other way (e.g., separation of calves from cows after birth in the milk industry).
Contrary to popular belief, factory farming is actually widespread practice in Switzerland. More and more small farms are closing and making way for a smaller number of large-scale industrial farms with higher animal populations. Advertisements depict an idyllic world of free-roaming and grazing cows, content chickens pecking away outdoors and happy pigs wallowing in mud. However, these images are far from the truth and misleading to consumers. For example, the law does not require farmers to let their animals outside on a daily basis and most farm animals in Switzerland spend most of their lives inside.
Switzerland has one of the strictest and most progressive animal welfare laws in the world; in particular, the protection of animal dignity is enshrined at both constitutional and legislative level. In practice and especially in agricultural animal husbandry, however, this protection becomes an empty shell due to the commercially motivated and therefore systemic violations of animal welfare. The animals' most basic needs are neglected on factory farms in the name of commercial interests. Animals are treated as inanimate objects, a fact reflected in particular in the shredding of day-old male chicks (cf. TIR Information Flyer No. 40 "Insufficient legal protection for chickens"). The Animal Welfare Ordinance permits chick shredding, although it is not compatible with the constitutional and statutory protection of animal dignity and constitutes an act of animal cruelty as defined in article 26 of the Animal Welfare Act. This contradiction between the legislative and executive levels of lawmaking is untenable.
TIR therefore welcomes the demands of the popular initiative because it seeks to resolve this discrepancy between the protection of animal dignity and legalized systematic disregard for the welfare of animals. If the initiative is adopted, it will be made absolutely clear that factory farming or the practices associated with this form of husbandry that are already incompatible with the protection of animal dignity today (such as dehorning of cattle, chick shredding, the denial of social bonds, confinement, separation of cows and calves, genetic alterations of animals to speed up growth accompanied by physical and psychological damage, etc.) must no longer be permitted or are to be banned.
Here you will find further information on the initiative against factory farming (in German) and can also print out the signature sheet. Thank you very much for your support!
Printed from: https://tierimrecht.org/en/news/2018-06-21-tir-supports-the-anti-factory-farming-initiative/
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The Genie
By Eldon Taylor
Imagine that within you was a genie, a veritable creation machine capable of bringing you anything you desired—good and bad. Let's imagine that you were unaware of this genie within or had heard about it but disbelieved. Perhaps you'd tried to believe and discovered that it was bogus—the whole thing about the genie within was just so much superstitious mumbo jumbo.
We're all familiar with such phrases as "the power of the mind," "mind over matter," and "the mind-body connection." We've heard of spontaneous healings and achieving or creating the life of our dreams. Most of us have even experienced some of this, even if it appears to be in very limited ways.
Almost everyone today has at least heard of the book and movie The Secret. They were marketed in an absolutely magnificent manner, and although they contain no real secrets, they nevertheless retold in new ways the inner mystical teachings of all ages. The Secret informed readers and viewers that one's mind was a genie of sorts, for whatever it held in sufficient detail it would attract or create, and these two words were actually interchangeable in this context.
Maybe you watched The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, or some other program and heard of the magnificent wealth and abundance that people had attracted using The Secret. Perhaps you grabbed a book, CD, or DVD all about the Law of Attraction and pored through it to glean the exact hows, whys, and wherefores.
Now armed with the secret knowledge and the testimony of so many, you created a vision board and printed out affirmations that you pasted everywhere so you'd constantly see them. You began visualizing all the things you wanted to attract and even started down the road of daily meditation. You got on the Internet and looked up such terms as New Age and metaphysical. You subscribed to numerous mailing lists, tuned in to New Age Internet radio shows, and began to buy self-help books. Alas, nothing wonderful happened.
Unfortunately, that's the experience of most people who tuned in to the idea of the genie within. Some, however, found a different result. They manifested their home, a special relationship, or the like. Not many achieved this, mind you, but some. Why?
The mind is that genie, and it's the doorway to the manifestation process, although its role is often misunderstood. It's an entry point, a doorway, not the manifestation tool per se. The mind provides the pictures, not the feeling. It organizes our activity to build a vision board, post the affirmations, and so forth. It invests some learned belief (expectation) in the process. Actually, the mind's highest role is inhibition. Let me say that again: The mind's highest role is inhibition!
Like it or not, we're all the product of millions of years of survival evolution. Wired in every one of us, no matter what our calling—including the highest evolved of spiritual beings now walking the earth—are primitive mechanisms that respond to primitive and sometimes rather gross stimuli. Often, stimuli that we consciously claim as reprehensible are nevertheless processed subconsciously in ways that drive us toward seeking more of the same. Those mechanisms respond to fight and flight, taboo images, socially fearful rejections, and similar stimuli in a mechanical way—thus, the term mechanism.
The human brain is a marvel of evolution, and one of its most splendid developments as far as human consciousness is concerned is the cerebral cortex. One of my early teachers, Professor Carl LaPrecht, used to say, "Whenever you find something in nature in great abundance, pay attention. It is critical to the system." The cortex or gray matter is by far the largest part of the brain. And it's within the cortex that inhibitory power resides.
The cortex is the brake. Cortical power inhibits impulses that aren't in our best interest or the result of our best intentions. The cortex shuts off the television when the content is violent, suggestive of disease and illness, or otherwise contains matter that's purely garbage. Our minds are like large trash containers: we can put anything into them. And like Dumpsters, they're difficult to clean out. Dumpsters don't tip over easily, and to clean one requires climbing inside, perhaps with a garden hose, a bucket of hot water, cleaning products, brushes, and so forth. What a tedious and nasty job.
All of us have minds, of course, and evidence suggests that when we come into the world our minds aren't blank slates, despite the tabula-rasa argument by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. No, it appears that certain predispositions and even some types of knowledge (cell memory and more) are already written in our minds when we make our first inhalation. Still, the content of our mind that's acquired following birth is the beginning of what we shall eventually hold as both our identity and our knowledge/beliefs.
You may have heard of the three components of the Law of Attraction—ask, believe, and receive. This sounds really easy until you question the degree of your belief, and that's where most people fail. I actually divide belief into three components that must be activated in the proper sequence to manifest using the inner genie. These components are:
The emotional input that's passionate and convinced
The confidence/mental element that can simply and truly visualize something and then let it go, knowing it will happen
The spiritual sincerity that realizes at the deepest level of our beings that we're a gift from the Creator. Knowing that, we release our vision, for we believe this or something better, according to the highest good of all concerned.
Anything that would distract from thinking, feeling, and knowing these three components will, in direct proportion, sabotage our efforts at manifesting our desires.
Given this understanding, it becomes easier to see why some people first manifest their desires, only to lose their treasures and find themselves worse off than they were before, some fail to manifest at all, and others seem to manifest the opposite of what they're seeking.
With this under your belt, you might ask, as I did: Why do most people seem handicapped by the inability to use the genie within and create the reality they deserve?
The Dumpster analogy is the first clue to answering this question. The garbage some hold in their minds would be frightening if it were visible to the public eye. As Strongheart, the German shepherd hero of the movies, put it in his letters to Boone, "What a dreadful sight to see people's faces as incomplete as their minds." I would paraphrase: "What a horrible sight to see people's faces as grotesque as the worst in their minds."
I'd like to imagine a world full of joy, peace, balance, and harmony. That's truly difficult to do when nature seems so callous and carnivorous. As I think about this, I realize that I'm anthropomorphizing nature, so I turn my thoughts to humans, where I find such horrible acts that a lion killing a lamb is innocent in comparison. How do we truly find peace, balance, and harmony? How do we gain spiritual sincerity and merge this with the right balance of mental and emotional stuff to manifest a world full of peace, balance, and harmony?
For some, manifestation is about things such as cars, swimming pools, houses, riches, sexy this and that, and the gratification of other sensual desires. For the spiritually sincere, manifestation is first about peace, balance, and harmony and then about health and individual happiness. These are complex issues that labels alone don't cover, so we can let the subject rest with this: each individual has a purpose for being here; and when individuals seek to manifest according to their purpose, they're enlightening themselves and the world around them.
Back to the main point: the mind is both ignition and brake. First thing in the morning, I open my eyes and begin talking to myself. My thoughts may recognize a dream or immediately turn to the new day's itinerary.
The mind goes immediately to delivering the inner world of thoughts, beliefs, ambitions, goals, and so forth. That constant stream of consciousness—self-talk—informs us of our mood, attitudes, likes, dislikes, and so much more. It's this stream of consciousness that reflects the contents of our "Dumpster."
We started this chapter by imagining a genie within. I believe that this inner genie actually exists, but if you don't, that's okay. What I intend to show you is that the genie has been creating all along, even if you think that it's only some concocted get-rich scheme. In fact, the worse your life might seem, the higher the probability that the genie is working hard at fulfilling your every fear (emotion), thought (expectation), and spiritual insight ("Life sucks, and then you die"). It's in precisely this way that your hopes and ambitions are slain. Thus, your mind has been turned into the slayer.
The Genie was excerpted from Eldon Taylor's latest release Mind Programming: From Persuasion and Brainwashing, to Self-Help and Practical Metaphysics. Eldon Taylor has made a lifelong study of the human mind and has earned doctoral degrees in clinical psychology and pastoral psychology. He is the CEO of Progressive Awareness Research, an organization dedicated to researching techniques for accessing the immense powers of the mind, and is the author of the New York Times best seller, Choices and Illusions: How Did I Get Where I Am, and How Do I Get Where I Want to Be?
Mind Programming: From Persuasion and Brainwashing, to Self-Help and Practical Metaphysics is really two books in one. The first half of the book is the tell-all story that uncovers the unseen influences that are so pervasive, penetrating and effective. The second half of the book is all about the tools and technologies you can use to cleanse your mind of the non-sense you may not have even recognized as being present before reading this liberating book. Think about it. How many original thoughts do you really have? How many thoughts are about your limitations, your fears, your anxieties, the things you want, and so forth. You will learn that from sickness and anxiety to the way you comb your hair and dress, and so much more, are all a part of what you have been trained to think and choose. You will also learn some very simple easy-to-use tools that can free your mind and empower your being.
Even if you already have some awareness of the everyday mind manipulation techniques, and are already guarding against these intrusions, there will be areas you simply have not heard of. Even if none of this information is of interest to you because you are already guarding the input into your minds, you will be thankful to finally have the facts, figures and hard evidence to present to your family and friends, so they too can escape from the everyday brainwashing. But Eldon does not leave it there as he also covers numerous tools and techniques to assist you in taking back the control of your mind. These tools range from exercises that will not cost you a penny, such as the '50-day plan,' automatic writing, and mind exercises, to high tech (but affordable) tools such as cortical electro-stimulation. Whatever your preference, Mind Programming: From Persuasion and Brainwashing, to Self-Help and Practical Metaphysics will provide you with the information vital for today's climate. PLUS: The book ships with a free, high-tech, mind-training CD, that utilizes the patented and proven InnerTalk technology.
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News recently broke that bus operators in Virginia are routinely forced to work 10 hours without a bathroom break. While this may seem the stuff of nightmares, it’s hardly unique to the transit industry.
The Right to Pee
Amalgamated Transit Union – one of the largest unions representing transit workers in the US – recently conducted a survey about bathroom access with 400 of its bus operators. The results were scandalous.
81% of operators report “holding it in” while they are on the job, and 64% of people avoid drinking and eating anything while they’re at work. 25% of operators reported soiling themselves while driving a bus. Wearing diapers is a common practice among bus operators, but diapers aren’t aren’t meant to be worn all day.
All of these coping mechanisms can lead to a litany of lifelong health problems – 30% of operators reported conditions like urinary tract infections, kidney infections, and constipation.
A lack of bathroom access also creates unsafe conditions for bus passengers and other people on the street – studies show that driving while you have to go to the bathroom is akin to driving under the influence.
According to ATU President John Costa, the situation has deteriorated over the past few decades. “We’re in a different world today, where management is all about the money and the company’s bottom line, but where’s the dignity of a person?” he said. “The managers making these decisions have private bathrooms 25 feet from their office, and we’re out here dealing with a complete lack of access.”
Under OSHA Sanitation Standard (29 CFR 1910.141), all employers are required to provide access to an adequate number of sanitary and fully equipped toilet facilities at places of employment. But an operator can only make an OSHA complaint if they requested to use the bathroom and were denied. Most operators don’t even get the chance to ask.
Nearly 80% of ATU drivers surveyed reported not having enough time to use the bathroom at work.
It all comes down to time. Pulling over during a shift while you have passengers can quickly become a hostile situation. And bus schedules, many of which are now created by a computer, don’t leave time at the end of a run for a proper break. With traffic worsening in most major metro areas, operators are often behind schedule, leaving them with negative time for breaks between bus runs.
One fix is to increase the amount of time between scheduled trips so that operators have a break between arriving and departing from a terminal. But many agencies are resistant to this, since operators would be able to complete fewer runs in a day.
Transit agencies can also work with cities to establish dedicated bus lanes, signal priority, and other treatments that free the bus from car traffic, which would create greater certainty in schedules (not to mention improve speed and reliability for riders).
To facilitate quick restroom access, agencies should also build bathroom facilities along or at the end of routes. This can be something as simple as a port-a-potty, as long as the agency makes a commitment to have it regularly cleaned. Agencies can also contract with businesses to guarantee operator access to their restrooms.
In 2018, ATU launched a national campaign to win better bathroom access for its operators, releasing research, videos, and even comics about the importance of bathroom access.
The campaign has faced an uphill battle, though the ATU recently had a breakthrough in Connecticut. A combination of operator protests and sustained engagement with electeds resulted in an unprecedented new bus operator contract that guarantees bathroom access.
Costa explains that the secret to the campaign’s success was to identify representatives that rely on ATU’s support during election season, and have one-on-one conversations to put them on the spot and ask why operators weren’t getting bathroom access.
With one state firmly in the win category, ATU can now use specific language from that contract as a model for other states to follow.
Transit agencies across the country are experiencing operator shortages, and it’s more important than ever that they work to make operating a bus an attractive position. ATU believes that increasing bathroom access will also save transit agencies money in the long run.
“If you address this problem now you’ll have less turnover. How many people want to work for a company where you can’t go to the bathroom without having an issue or getting assaulted?” says Costa. “Access to clean safe bathrooms is a matter of human dignity, and we shouldn’t have to fight this hard for something this basic.”
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Wolfgang Fischer
1 Film in collection
Wolfgang Fischer was born 1970 in Amstetten, Lower Austria. He first studied psychology and painting at the University of Vienna, before studying film and video at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf. Subsequently he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts für Media Cologne in the field of film and television until 2001. Since 1994 he worked as an assistant director on various projects, including 1999 für Paul Morrissey's feature film The House of Klang, as well as doing various teaching activities. Since 1999 he is working as a director at WDR and Phoenix. Was du nicht siehst was his first feature film.
1994 In Time (Experimentalfilm)
1999 9h11 (Kurzfilm)
1999 Remake of the Remake (Doc)
2000 Schön 2000 (Kurzfilm)
2001 Grau (Kurzfilm)
2009 Was du nicht siehst
2013 Der Bär
2017 Styx
Styx (2018)
Rike is forty, she is a successful doctor whose job demands everything of her. She intends to use her much-needed annual holiday to fulfil her long-cherished dream of sailing single-handedly from Gibraltar to Ascension, a small tropical island in the middle of the Atlantic. Her desire for a carefree holiday seems to be coming to pass but then, after a storm, her beautiful adventure suddenly turns into an unprecedented challenge when she spots a badly damaged, hopelessly overloaded refugee boat nearby. More than a hundred people face drowning. More
DVD Styx
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Watch on YouTube TV
Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies
Watch live TV from 70+ networks
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$49.99/month.
Former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers hosts this CNN original series, an eight-part look at complex true stories of America's covert operations. The newly declassified missions are recounted firsthand by agents from all 16 U.S. intelligence bureaus, providing viewers with unprecedented access to a secret world of espionage. The missions span time periods from Cold War-era Moscow to modern-day Iran, from the streets of 1980s Cuba to Beijing of today. Among the stories covered are the military's hunts for Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Operation Firewall: The Takedown of Shadowcrew
VOD available
During the early years of the internet, the United States Secret Service conducts a groundbreaking mission to take down one of the first criminal hacker groups -- Shadowcrew.
The Merchant of Death: Viktor Bout
With the help of an undercover source, the DEA's Special Operation Division launches an international manhunt to capture one of the most prolific Russian arms dealers in the world, Viktor Bout.
Buried Secrets, Unbreakable Codes
The FBI works alongside the NRO to stop a potential spy from selling classified secrets to an enemy nation; soon they discover the spy has buried the classified secrets all over the East Coast.
The Spy Game: Russian Espionage
After a suspicious rise in Russian diplomats visiting the State Department, the FBI works with the Diplomatic Security Service to follow mysterious radio frequencies; the agents soon have a national emergency on their hands.
Hunting War Criminals
aired 93 days ago
After mass genocide is committed during The Bosnian War, the U.S. and NATO lead an international effort with Joint Special Operations Command to go after one of the most notorious war criminals the world has ever seen.
The Terrorists Next Door: Operation Smokescreen
After the FBI discovers a Hezbollah terrorist cell nestled in the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, investigators work to unravel the web of criminal activity to prosecute the first material support for terrorism case in the United States.
The Norte Valle Cartel
In a classic, follow the money investigation, an elite team of unconventional investigators work together to take down one of the most violent and dangerous Columbian cartels of the 1990s, The Norte Valle Cartel.
Tracking Terror: The 9/11 Subway Plot
The NSA and FBI work together to thwart an Al-Qaeda terrorist plot to blow up the New York City subway on the Anniversary of 9/11.
Crack 99: Defense Secrets for Sale
aired 115 days ago
Homeland Security special agents work with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service to identify and capture a Chinese software pirate.
Hijacked: Terror in the Sky
After the hijacking of Egypt Air flight 648, FBI agents launch an international manhunt for the terrorist responsible for the horrific attack.
The Taliban's Double Agent
A Taliban double agent was instrumental in securing the release of foreign nationals held hostage in Afghanistan by the Taliban.
The Peacock: Merchant of War
The DEA's elite special operations division uses an unprecedented and risky sting operation to infiltrate Monzer Al-Kassar's inner circle.
Cuba: Traitor on the Inside
The FBI and Defense Intelligence Agency team up to capture DIA Senior Analyst Ana Montes for allegedly passing sensitive intelligence to Cuba.
Red Storm Rising: Naval Secrets Exposed
Engineer Chi Mak was allegedly leaking Naval secrets to the Chinese government back in 2004 and was pursued by the FBI and NCIS.
Heroin's Godfather: Haji Bagcho
Elite DEA agents hunt down the world's biggest heroin trafficker amidst the Taliban insurgency.
American Terrorists: The Order
A sophisticated terrorist organization of white supremacists attacks the Pacific Northwest; a team of FBI agents must find and end the threat.
Spy and Son: The Nicholsons
The FBI and CIA embark on a decade-long effort to catch the highest-ranking CIA officer to ever commit espionage and his son who also joined the spy game.
Fidel's Personal Spies: The Myers
After arresting Fidel, the intelligence community learns that classified information still reaches Cuba.
The Spies Next Door: Operation Ghost Stories
Russian sleeper agents infiltrate the U.S.; the agents begin living normal American lives; the FBI begins one of the largest counterintelligence investigations in history to neutralize the threat.
The Hunt for Saddam
aired 1,102 days ago
The U.S. military makes finding Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein its number one priority before events led to catastrophe.
Zarqawi: Father of ISIS
President George W. Bush and the Joint Special Operations Command prioritize stopping violent al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi from killing more innocent people.
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Executive-produced by Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog, CNN's eight-part documentary picks up where the network's critically acclaimed and highly-rated series "The Sixties" ended. Episodes examine the people, events and cultural touchstones that defined the '70s, delving into everything from the impact of the Vietnam War to the unprecedented scandal of Watergate. Also covered are the Iran Hostage Crisis, the sexual revolution, the Munich Olympics massacre, and the kidnapping of Patty Hearst. The documentary combines archival newsreel footage, personal movies, interviews, and comments by historians, journalists, politicians, celebrities and others, bringing new perspectives about a consequential decade.
Narrated and co-executive produced by Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, "Race for the White House" captures the high-stakes drama, dirty politics and Machiavellian schemes employed during history's most dramatic presidential elections. Using archival footage, interviews and stylized dramatizations, each hourlong episode tells the story of one presidential campaign, "a four-year, no-holds-barred battle to become the most powerful person in the world, culminating in a single night of heart pounding tension," says CNN. Among the races covered: Abraham Lincoln/Stephen Douglas, John F. Kennedy/Richard Nixon, and George H.W. Bush/Michael Dukakis.
With the Vietnam War, the British Invasion, Woodstock, the Civil Rights Movement, and JFK's assassination, the 1960s represent, perhaps, the most consequential decade in U.S. history. It was a period of monumental social and political change, altering virtually every aspect of American life for future generations. "The Sixties," a 10-episode documentary executive-produced by Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog, explores the people, events and discoveries that defined how citizens came to think about their government, their place in the world, and themselves. It combines archival newsreel footage, personal movies, interviews, and comments by historians, journalists, politicians, celebrities and others, bringing new perspectives about a landmark decade.
The third installment from executive producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog, following in the footsteps of critically-acclaimed series "The Sixties" and "The Seventies," tackles 10 years shaped by exceptionalism and excess. Like its predecessors, "The Eighties" intersperses rare archival newsreel footage, interviews, and comments by historians, journalists, politicians, celebrities and others, painting a perspective-rich picture of a vibrant decade. Episodes examine the age of Reagan, the AIDS crisis, the end of the Cold War, Wall Street corruption, the evolving TV and music scene, and everything in between.
Tom Hanks executive produces this series "The Nineties" with Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog. "The Nineties" delves deeply into the decade that brought about the rise of the internet -- it may have been dial-up but it still brought great joy and frustration -- and many other technological advancements such as DVDs --the VHS became a dying breed once DVDs came about -- and stepping stones in culture, politics, fashion, and music. The decade also saw the rise of six famous friends living in Manhattan and a young man in brightly colored cardigans, suspenders, and glasses.
Award-winning journalist and author Lisa Ling reports on unconventional lifestyles in the U.S. The former co-host of "The View" introduces viewers to subcultures and communities that are extraordinary and sometimes dangerous, and her interpersonal skills prompt interviewees to discuss matters they don't share with close friends or even family. "I have always believed that the more we know about each other, the more evolved we become," Ling says about the intent of the hourlong documentaries.
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Sign up to record and watch airings of
Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies on YouTube TV.
Sign up to watch Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies
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Signs Of The Gold Standard Emerging From Great Britain?
Ralph Benko
Posted: Jul 08, 2014 12:01 AM
Impeachment Diary Day 1: Battle Lines Drawn
Comes now to respectful international attention a volume entitled War and Gold: A 500-Year History of Empires, Adventures, and Debt by Member of Parliament Kwasi Kwarteng. This near-perfect volume appears with almost preternaturally perfect timing around the centenary of the beginning of World War I and, with that, the end of the classical gold standard. It, along with the work of Steve Baker, MP (co-founder of the Cobden Centre), constitutes a sign of sophistication about the gold standard in the British House of Commons.
Kwarteng, the most historically literary Member of Parliament since Churchill, is an impressive figure. As War and Gold's jacket flap biography summarizes, “Kwasi Kwarteng was born in London to Ghanaian parents in 1975. … After completing a PhD in history at Cambridge University, he worked as a financial analyst in London. He is a Conservative member of parliament and author of Ghosts ofEmpire: Britain’s Legacies in the Modern World." Kwarteng thus possesses four crucial skill sets: an international, multicultural, perspective; rigorous training as an historian; direct experience in the financial markets; and the perspective of an elected legislator. It shows.
War and Gold is a compelling successor to Liaquat Ahamed’s delightful and invaluable The Lords of Finance, awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in history. Kwarteng delivers up a successor volume worthy of such a prize. It extends Ahamed’s temporal framework by a factor of ten, to 500 years. Kwarteng, too, has compelling narrative virtuosity. His book is full of dramatic, charming, often wry vignettes of fascinating characters -- heroes and villains, adventurers and knaves -- spinning around, and off, the axis of the gold standard, in war and in peace.
Let us pause to pay tribute to Kwarteng’s Ghanian ancestry. Ghana, once known as the "Gold Coast,” was part of the Ashanti Empire. Ghana is a too-often overlooked gem of civilization. The most iconic piece of Ashanti regalia, as described by Wikipedia, was a Golden Stool:
The Golden Stool is sacred to the Ashanti, as it is believed that it contains the Sunsum viz, the spirit or soul of the Ashanti people. Just as man cannot live without a soul, so the Ashanti would cease to exist if the Golden Stool were to be taken from them. The Golden Stool is regarded as sacred that not even the king was allowed to sit on it, a symbol of nationhood and unity.
War and Gold provides a literary symphony in four movements.
Its first movement commences with the story of the Holy Roman Emperor whose wars bankrupted his empire. This is counterpoised with stories of rapacious Conquistadors, especially Pizzaro plundering the Inca for their gold, "the sweat of the sun," and silver, "the tears of the moon."
Kwarteng thereupon moves smartly to the military, political and economic skirmishing between France and England; the upheavals produced by the American and French revolutions and their aftermaths; the prosperity and stability of the Victorian era… and the rise of the United States. Many of our economic challenges have a long pedigree. The fundamental things don't change as times goes by.
Its second movement, describing the epic era of the first World War, notes that this war destroyed the classical international gold standard. Chapter 9, “World Crisis,” contains the only significant point of confusion in this otherwise masterful work: the attribution to the gold standard of the Great Depression. That error is widespread. It is a crucial mistake to dispel for the discourse to move forward. Call it the Eichengreen Fallacy.
Prof. Eichengreen, author of Golden Fetters, was and remains non-cognizant of a subtle but crucial aspect of world monetary history — and, apparently, of the works of Profs. Jacques Rueff and Robert Triffin elucidating the implications. Eichengreen blundered by attributing the Great Depression to the gold standard. This, demonstrably, is untrue. That claim has led the discourse astray.
The classical gold standard, as Kwarteng points out, collapsed under the pressure of the first World War, long before the Great Depression. The classical gold standard was suspended when the Depression hit.
An attempt was made to resuscitate the gold standard in Genoa, in 1922, putting in place what that great French classical liberal economist Jacques Rueff called “a grotesque caricature” of the gold standard: the gold-exchange standard. Genoa authorized a deformed pastiche of gold and paper currency as official central bank reserve assets.
Genoa set up a system mistaken (then as now) as equivalent to the classical gold standard. The inclusion of (gold-convertible) currencies as an official reserve asset for central banks thwarted the ability of the system to extinguish excess liquidity balances. This, due to an intrinsic moral hazard not fully grasped even by many gold standard proponents, led to a systemic inflation — increasing all commodities except, of course, as monetized, gold. Key classical gold standard advocates, such as Rueff protégé Lewis E. Lehrman (with whose Institute this writer has a professional association), consider this the key cause of the Great Depression.
FDR did not, despite his grandiose declaration to that effect, end the gold standard. FDR performed an appropriate and crucial revaluation of the dollar from $20.67/oz to $35/oz. This was utterly needed to adjust for distortions caused by the inherent defect of the gold-exchange standard.
The revaluation worked and to stunning (if temporary, likely due to a subsequent Treasury decision to sterilize gold inflows as suggested byCalomiris, et al) effect. As described by Ahamed:
But in the days after the Roosevelt decision, as the dollar fell against gold, the stock market soared by 15%. Even the Morgan bankers, historically among the most staunch defenders of the gold standard, could not resist cheering. ‘Your action in going off gold saved the country from complete collapse,’ wrote Russell Leffingwell to the president.
Taking the dollar off gold provided the second leg to the dramatic change in sentiment… that coursed through the economy that spring. … During the following three months, wholesale prices jumped by 45 percent and stock prices doubled. With prices rising, the real cost of borrowing money plummeted. New orders for heavy machinery soared by 100 percent, auto sales doubled, and overall industrial production shot up 50 percent.
The dollar had not, in fact, been taken “off gold.” As Kwarteng astutely notes, “The United States, as already stated, was still on gold, but it had devalued the dollar by over 50 per cent.”
Given Kwarteng’s current and, likely, future importance to the world monetary discourse it really would be invaluable were he to master thearguments of Jacques Rueff, and of Lewis Lehrman, as well as those of Triffin (who shared the same diagnosis while offering a different prescription). It is important, for the long run, to recognize the innocence of the classical gold standard in the matter of the Great Depression and to grasp the insidious toxicity of the gold-exchange standard, which Rueff termed "an unbelievable collective mistake which, when people become aware of it, will be viewed by history as an object of astonishment and scandal."
War and Gold’s third movement opens with America at its apogee: “In 1945 the United States was by far the most powerful nation on earth. It could also be argued that no nation has ever enjoyed such preponderant influence on the world’s affairs as did as the U.S. did at the close of the Second World War.”
Kwarteng then provides a vivid picture of an era in some ways nearly as distant as the 16th century. Quoting from a 1947 article in the Journal of Political Economy: “Some people are thinking in terms of only 18 or 20 billion dollars [of federal government spending] per year. Others see a possibility that federal expenditures may run to 25 or 40 billions annually.” Uncle Sam lately spends over $10 billion per day. While this sum is not adjusted for inflation or population growth, still it conveys a stunning difference of scale of government spending.
It is a pleasure to see the great Fed chairman William McChesney Martin given his due. Kwarteng references a speech by the newly appointed Martin alluding to “the Frankenstein mechanics of an uncontrolled supply of money.” If Frankenstein's monster was an apt metaphor in the 1950s, surely Godzilla better fits the bill today. “To be a sound money man was a moderately easy task for a Chairman of the Federal Reserve in the 1950s,” Kwarteng notes. “The dollar, through the Bretton Woods Agreement, had preserved the all-important link to gold, which still held the almost magical value of US$35 an ounce.”
Kwarteng then presents a lucid presentation of post-war economic policies of Britain, Germany, and Japan. This columnist took special pleasure in his resurrection of the role of unjustly obscure Joseph Dodge, a key architect of the resurrection of both Germany and Japan and who later balanced the budget of the Eisenhower administration.
Looping back to the United States, Kwarteng describes what might fairly be called the Götterdämmerung:
The final break with gold was dramatic and, as much as any other development of monetary system, can almost be entirely attributable to the action of one man, the President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon. It was Nixon’s decision in August 1971 which substantially altered the course of monetary history and inaugurated a period, for the first time in 2,500 years, in which gold was effectively demonetized in most of what had been understood to be the Western world.
The world goes fast downhill from there.
The fourth movement delineates the chaos of, and various attempts to cope with, our current era of monetary anarchy. He recounts the oil price shocks, Reagan and Thatcher, the creation of the Euro, the rise of China, the delusions of debt, and the emergence of crises and bailouts. He goes on to provide an epilogue on the Greek economic crisis and on precarious conditions in America. Kwarteng concludes:
Gold itself…remains embedded in the public’s consciousness as a monetary metal. It is held most commonly by central banks and there remains an almost mysterious fixation with it. Its value equally mysteriously can be reflected in the growth of the world economy. … [T]he value of gold, better than perhaps any currency, reflects this process most accurately. The gold standard will never formally return, but movements in the price of gold may well suggest that investors, in their lack of faith in paper money, have informally adopted one.
Great Britain, and the world, hardly could be better served than by, in due course, elevating Kwarteng to the Exchequer. Notwithstanding his curious demurral that the “gold standard will never formally return,” gold, recovering from the false charge of blame for the Great Depression, slowly is becoming a fully respectable option. Perhaps even, in the not too distant future, a movement to consider, and restore, the classical gold standard might be led by Kwasi Kwarteng and like-minded classical liberal-minded officials around the world.
Jobs and Economy
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Tag Archives: cloudatlas
Books & Games, Reviews, Thoughts
“The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet” by David Mitchell (2010)
January 18th, 2018 Judith Leave a comment
What it is about
The story narrates the struggles and fates of a handful of characters on and around the Dutch East Indies Company’s trading post Dejima right off the bay of Nagasaki (Japan) starting in 1799. We chiefly follow the Dutch clerk Jacob de Zoet as he navigates his way around the foreign culture, corruption, homesickness, blossoming friendships, and rivalries. And in the midst of it all, de Zoet falls in love with Miss Aibagawa, a Japanese midwife studying with a certain Dr Marinus. We follow her fate as she is sent off against her will to the disquieting Lord Abbot Enomoto’s shrine on Mount Shiranui. The shrine holds a dark secret, and within its confines, she tries to forge a place for herself.
What it really is about
This book weaves together clashes at the level of cultures, at the level of groups of people, at the level of individuals, and at the level of values, goals, ambitions, dreams, and personalities – it captures the never-ending task of every human being to negotiate their own way through all of these struggles.
We see clashes of belief systems, of ambition and veracity, of cultural independence and colonial connectedness, of science and traditional beliefs, of systems and principles of sovereignty, of the cruelties of slavery and how frighteningly easy one goes along with what counts as normal; clashes of dreams and realities, of one’s personal goals and one’s loyalties, one’s ideals and the dark sides everyone has, of arrogance and humility, of struggling and of acceptance and of forging a place for oneself.
Mitchell hardly ever suggests any easy answers or solutions for all these clashes and themes and I really appreciate that. What I love most, though, is the novel’s rich down-to-earth melancholia about the way one’s life turns out with time, through all the forces and influences out of one’s control, including incalculable consequences of one’s own actions and inactions. It offers a superb portrayal of the struggles one goes through in making the choices one has to make, or forever regret, to stay true to oneself. And finally, the novel beautifully drives home how we can ultimately only ever ascertain and assess some of these things, and most of them in hindsight.
A little postscript: Mitchell’s “The Bone Clocks,” (2014) set in the same universe, should be read before this book as it makes sense of some of the happenings at Mount Shiranui Shrine, at least partly redeeming their otherwise uncomfortably orientalist vibes.
bookscloudatlasdavid mitchellreviewstheboneclocksthethousandautumnsofjacobdezoet
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Pearline Soap Factory cleans up on sales
TRD New York /
Jan.January 21, 2010 03:01 PM
By C and ace Taylor
The Pearline Soap Factory model condo unit
A recent uptick in all-cash buyers helped the new Pearline Soap Factory condominium sell out after nearly two years on the market, the developer told The Real Deal.
All eight units, including one commercial unit, at the boutique Tribeca project are sold and closed, according to Gerard Longo, a principal at Atlantic Walk, the developer of the Pearline and its neighbor, the Fairchild. The last Pearline unit, a penthouse, closed on New Year’s Eve for $5.9 million, or $1,685 per square foot, he said.
Due in part to its small size, Pearline is one of the first new developments to announce a sell-out in the wake of 2008’s financial crisis. Because of strict presale requirements from Fannie Mae, small projects have a considerable advantage in the current climate.
Pearline, a new construction building on the site of the old Pearline Soap Factory at 414 Washington Street at Laight Street, went on the market about 20 months ago, Longo said. When Lehman Brothers collapsed in September of 2008, it had sold three units, he said, and sales virtually stopped amid the maelstrom that ensued.
“It was a struggle on those last units,” he said. “We had about eight months where the switch was turned off.”
That was especially true because many of Pearline’s units were priced between $4 and $6 million — the hardest-hit segment of the market.
“That market completely disappeared,” he said.
More recently, buyers started “coming off the fence,” he said. While jumbo mortgages are still scarce, all-cash deals started to emerge from two sources: international purchasers and the finance industry, which seems to be reemerging in anticipation of bonuses.
Of the last four buyers at Pearline, only one needed financing, and that was only a 50 percent mortgage, Longo said. He added that three of those buyers were in finance industry, noting that Goldman Sachs’ new building at 200 West Street is only a few blocks away. Goldman posted record profits in 2009 and has announced that its employees will receive a payout averaging about a half-million dollars for the year, despite cutbacks to the bonus pool.
Units at Pearline were significantly discounted from when they first hit the market. The last penthouse sold at a discount of 25.8 percent from the original asking price of $7.95 million, according to Streeteasy.com. Unit #6A, which closed in October, sold for $4.1 million, a 24 percent slide from its original asking price of $6.75 million.
The price per square foot in the building ended up averaging between $1,400 and $1,500, Longo said. When the project first went on the market, he hoped to sell the units for an average of $1,600 per square foot.
The final pricing “wasn’t what we set out to do,” he said. “But under the circumstances, it’s not a bad result. So many projects are upside down or underwater, I think we fared pretty well.”
Longo said he believes the project’s large units helped it succeed. Each of the apartments in the boutique development are floor-through and approximately 3,000 square feet. The original plans called for 15 units, each around 1,500 square feet, but Longo noticed a need for larger apartments in the area.
“In Tribeca the market was calling for larger units to accommodate families,” he said. “We made the decision that 3,000-square-foot, floor-through units would be the best way to go. That’s one of the things that helped us to be successful.”
The Fairchild is around 50 percent sold, Longo said.
fannie maegerard longogoldman sachsStribling & Associates
Ex-Fannie Mae employee in LA sentenced in bribery, kickback scheme
Goldman Sachs will lead Phase II of SoftBank’s WeWork rescue plan
Financier at center of 1MDB fraud case agrees to give up hundreds of millions of dollars
Goldman Sachs refis Art Deco apartment conversion at 70 Pine with $386M loan
Dayan’s Bonjour Capital inks $115M refi for Upper East Side building
Goldman Sachs provides $90M loan to refinance hotel in Williamsburg
Banks see uptick in mortgages, but remain wary ahead of potential Fed interest rate cut
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Tag Archives: Surveillance Camera Commissioner
The Shield Group hosts Summer Security Conference 2014 aboard HMS Belfast
Corporate security, technology, manpower and business leaders from across London attended the recent Summer Security Conference hosted by The Shield Group, the UK’s largest independent Total Security Solutions provider.
The event, which aimed to address key issues facing the security industry, was held on Wednesday 11 June on board HMS Belfast, now a museum ship but originally a Royal Navy light cruiser now permanently moored on the River Thames and operated by the Imperial War Museum (IWM).
Chaired by Ken Stewart (The Shield Group’s corporate risk director and a former Detective Chief Superintendent at the City of London Police), over 100 senior customers and guests joined The Shield Group’s team of experts for an afternoon of networking and presentations delivered by dynamic speakers from the public and private sectors. Presenters spoke on a wide range of important and prominent themes in the business security sector.
Tony Porter (Surveillance Camera Commissioner for England and Wales at the Home Office) discussed the importance of surveillance cameras and the challenges in using such technologies.
Porter began his career at Greater Manchester Police and was subsequently appointed head of CID for South Manchester. In 2008, he was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the New Year’s Honours list for distinguished service to policing.
Tony Porter: the UK’s Surveillance Camera Commissioner
Porter moved from policing in September 2012 and took the role of vice-president and head of physical security intelligence for Barclays Bank.
In his new role as Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Porter is currently responsible for encouraging compliance with the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice, reviewing the effectiveness of the Code and providing advice on the appropriate and transparent use of surveillance camera systems (all of which he discussed at the Summer Security Conference).
Using CCTV for tackling crime and terrorism
Detective Chief Superintendent Jeff Davies (head of crime and counter-terrorism at the City of London Police) spoke about the importance of CCTV surveillance in tackling crime and terrorist threats.
In his current role, Davies provides briefings and advice on a range of topics including personnel, employment screening, cyber security and protective security against terror and domestic extremism.
Jeff Davies (head of crime and CT at City of London Police) addresses the audience
During his presentation, Davies shared details of the Project Griffin scheme. Introduced in April 2004, Project Griffin was established to strengthen the partnership between the City of London Police and security chiefs within the City’s business community. It’s a revolutionary initiative aiming to co-ordinate the resources of the police, the emergency services, local authorities and private sector security.
The Shield Group’s CEO John Roddy is also a member of the Project Griffin Committee.
Tim Strofton: head of museum services and security at IWM
Pressing security issues facing the UK
Speaking about the event, The Shield Group’s Ken Stewart said: “The Shield Group Summer Security Conference was yet another fantastic opportunity to emphasise the most pressing security issues currently facing the UK and territories overseas. As The Shield Group is the leading independent Total Security Solutions provider in the UK, we are able to organise such an event which brings a real focus to protecting people, property, assets and brands.”
Ken Stewart of The Shield Group (left) with Jeff Davies on board HMS Belfast
John Roddy added: “I’m proud of the quality and quantity of our guests as it reflects our reputation in the industry and interest in our business. It demonstrates that we are changing as a business and that we’re ready to reshape the industry with our unique position in the market.”
The decision to host the event on board HMS Belfast was also directed by the fact that The Shield Group was recently awarded the visitor services and security contract at IWM. That contract includes IWM’s flagship branch that’s transforming with new First World War Galleries and Atrium space opening on Saturday 19 July 2014 to mark the Centenary of the First World War.
It also embraces IWM North (housed in an iconic award-winning building designed by Daniel Libeskind), IWM Duxford (a world-renowned aviation museum and Britain’s best preserved wartime airfield), the Churchill War Rooms (housed in Churchill’s secret headquarters below Whitehall) and the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast.
Filed under IFSECGlobal.com News
Tagged as Guarding, HMS Belfast, Home Office, IFSEC, IFSEC International 2014, IFSECGlobal.com, Imperial War Museum, Regulation, security, Surveillance Camera Commissioner, The Shield Group, TheSecurityLion, Tony Porter, UBM Live, United Business Media, www.ifsec.co.uk, www.ifsecglobal.com
Antony Porter appointed as UK Surveillance Camera Commissioner
The following written ministerial statement has been laid before the House of Commons by Norman Baker MP and in the House of Lords by Lord Taylor of Holbeach, confirming the appointment of Antony Porter as Surveillance Camera Commissioner for the UK.
The Minister of State for Crime Prevention, Norman Baker, comments: “My honourable friend the Minister of State for Criminal Information, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, has today made the following written ministerial statement….”
“I am today announcing arrangements for the appointment of the Surveillance Camera Commissioner under Section 34 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012,” said Lord Taylor.
“Following an open competition overseen by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, this ministerial appointment will be filled by Mr Antony Porter. Mr Porter’s three-year term of appointment will commence on Monday 10 March 2014.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach
“The Surveillance Camera Commissioner appointment has been filled by Mr Andrew Rennison who has now completed his term of office. I should like to record the Government’s appreciation of Mr Rennison’s contribution in laying the foundations for the regulation of surveillance camera systems.
Norman Baker: minister of state for crime prevention at the Home Office
“Mr Rennison also holds the non-statutory appointment of Forensic Science Regulator. Arrangements for the recruitment of a new Forensic Science Regulator are in hand, and Mr Rennison will continue to fulfil that role on a part-time basis until a new appointment is made.”
Key elements of the role
The Surveillance Camera Commissioner is responsible for:
• encouraging compliance with the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice
• providing advice on the effective, appropriate, proportionate and transparent use of surveillance camera systems
• providing advice on operational and technical standards
• reviewing how the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice is working and advising the Government where any changes may be necessary
A retired senior police leader whose roles have included commanding the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit from 2006 to 2012, Antony Porter received the Queen’s Police Medal in the New Year’s Honours List of 2008.
Speaking about his new role, Antony Porter said: “I’m delighted to accept this appointment and must first acknowledge the excellent foundations laid for me by my predecessor, Andrew Rennison.
“This role presents complex and challenging issues that impact on matters of social policy, Human Rights and crime prevention. My commitment to everyone is to ensure an open and transparent approach to the role.
“I will seek to raise levels of confidence across communities and interest groups as to the use of surveillance cameras and the standards against which those systems operate. Technology moves forward at a fast pace, which will present new and dynamic issues in the future. I look forward to building close and working relationships with all interested parties to ensure those challenges are managed and seen to be managed in the public interest.”
Tagged as Andrew Rennison, Antony Porter, CCTV, Home Office, IFSEC, IFSEC International 2014, IFSECGlobal.com, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, Norman Baker MP, security, surveillance, Surveillance Camera Commissioner, TheSecurityLion, UBM Live, United Business Media, www.ifsec.co.uk, www.ifsecglobal.com
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Archive | Syria RSS feed for this section
Obama Authorized US Support For Syrian Rebels Being Aided By Al Qaeda, Old News
As I reported on May 15 in “U.S. Aiding Syrian Rebels, Al Qaeda Aiding Syrian Rebels, Syria Says US Allied to Terrorists,” the U.S. has been backing the Syrian opposition. Reuters reported Wednesday August 1, that Obama signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support to the rebels to overthrow the Assad regime.
acus.org
In the May 15 article, I left out the fact that wikileaks revealed cables indicating the U.S. has been funding Syrian rebels since 2005, which has continued under Obama. This past Monday July 30, The Guardian reported that Al Qaeda members are fighting with the Free Syrian Army, the same rebels funded by western governments to overthrow the Assad regime, who has been accused of committing human atrocities. It has not been a secret that the U.S. is aiding terrorists in Syria to further the middle east regime change agenda, as one can see from the many links in The Time Times May 15 article linked at the beginning of this post.
If the allegations of torture and mass killings are true, one must wonder how the current Syrian government has been in power so long with so little common sense as to drastically increase the torture and killing of its own innocent men, women and children when the U.S. is making moves indicating another step will be made to remove Assad, a goal that has existed for years, and when the western media is fully focused on the conflict.
The foreign policy focusing on overthrowing leaders not complimentary to completing the U.S. government’s goals comes from “The Kissinger plan” of the 1970s, the plan to destabilize the middle east, which was admitted to General Wesley Clark in part in 1991, and fully revealed to him in 2001 when he learned of the goal to attack seven countries in five years. In a 2007 piece from The New Yorker called “The Annals of National Security: The Redirection,” Seymour Hersh reveals:
“…the Saudi government, with Washington’s approval, would provide funds and logistical aid to weaken the government of President Bashir Assad, of Syria. The Israelis believe that putting such pressure on the Assad government will make it more conciliatory and open to negotiations. Syria is a major conduit of arms to Hezbollah. The Saudi government is also at odds with the Syrians over the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister, in Beirut in 2005, for which it believes the Assad government was responsible. Hariri, a billionaire Sunni, was closely associated with the Saudi regime and with Prince Bandar. (A U.N. inquiry strongly suggested that the Syrians were involved, but offered no direct evidence; there are plans for another investigation, by an international tribunal.)
In regards to Syria, Hersh also says in the 2007 article:
“A former high-ranking CIA officer told me, ‘The Americans have provided both political and financial support. The Saudis are taking the lead with financial support, but there is American involvement.’ He said that Khaddam, who now lives in Paris, was getting money from Saudi Arabia with the knowledge of the White House.”
In the Reuters article from August 1 about Obama secretly authorizing aid for Syrian rebels, it states the Obama administration has yet to give the rebels actual weapons, but they have aided in intelligence, communication, monetary funding, and some media has reported military training, while other western allies are arming the opposition directly. According to The Guardian, Al Qaeda member Abu Khuder says his fellow fighters “are working closely with the military council that commands the Free Syrian Army brigades in the region.”
“We meet almost every day,” he said. “We have clear instructions from our [al-Qaida] leadership that if the FSA need our help we should give it. We help them with IEDs and car bombs. Our main talent is in the bombing operations.“ Abu Khuder’s men had a lot of experience in bomb-making from Iraq and elsewhere, he added.
Abu Khuder had been an officer in Camel Corps, a border force fighting the regime, but he grew tired of the rebels’ disorganization and ineptness at attacking the regime. According to Khuder, dedicated and orderly Islamist fighters from a neighboring village extended their assistance to the Camel Corps in Mohassen. They contacted an expert from Damascus for help, and within two days they had delivered the rebels a truck containing two tons of explosives. The Islamist fighters detonated the bomb close to the gate of a base, left town the next day, and Mohassen was free.
Village elder and the commander of the local FSA brigade, Saleem Abu Yassir, said of the Al Qaeda opposition:
“Are they good fighters?“ he threw the question rhetorically into the room. “Yes, they are, but they have a problem with executions.They capture a soldier and they put a pistol to his head and shoot him. We have religious courts and we have to try people before executing them. This abundance of killing is what we fear. We fear they are trying to bring us back to the days of Iraq and we have seen what that achieved there have been.”
Tags: Al Qaeda, destabilization of Middle East, Free Syrian Army, Guardian, media lies, Obama authorizes Syrian intervention, Syria, Syrian support Assad, US aiding Syrian rebels, US aiding terrorists, Wesley Clark
Categories Syria, U.S. Terrorism Ties, Uncategorized, War on the World
Al-Qaida turns tide for rebels in battle for eastern Syria | The Guardian
From TheGuardian.com “Al-Qaida turns tide for rebels in battle for eastern Syria”
“In his latest exclusive dispatch from Deir el-Zour province, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad meets fighters who have left the Free Syrian Army for the discipline and ideology of global jihad.”
A member of a jihadist group sprays the slogan ‘No Islam without Jihad’ in Arabic on the wall at a border crossing with Turkey. Photograph: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images
“As they stood outside the commandeered government building in the town of Mohassen, it was hard to distinguish Abu Khuder’s men from any other brigade in the Syrian civil war, in their combat fatigues, T-shirts and beards.
But these were not average members of the Free Syrian Army. Abu Khuder and his men fight for al-Qaida. They call themselves the ghuraba’a, or “strangers”, after a famous jihadi poem celebrating Osama bin Laden’s time with his followers in the Afghan mountains, and they are one of a number of jihadi organisations establishing a foothold in the east of the country now that the conflict in Syria has stretched well into its second bloody year.
They try to hide their presence. “Some people are worried about carrying the [black] flags,” said Abu Khuder. “They fear America will come and fight us. So we fight in secret. Why give Bashar and the west a pretext?” But their existence is common knowledge in Mohassen. Even passers-by joke with the men about car bombs and IEDs.
According to Abu Khuder, his men are working closely with the military council that commands the Free Syrian Army brigades in the region. “We meet almost every day,” he said. “We have clear instructions from our [al-Qaida] leadership that if the FSA need our help we should give it. We help them with IEDs and car bombs. Our main talent is in the bombing operations.” Abu Khuder’s men had a lot of experience in bomb-making from Iraq and elsewhere, he added.
Abu Khuder spoke later at length. He reclined on a pile of cushions in a house in Mohassen, resting his left arm which had been hit by a sniper’s bullet and was wrapped in plaster and bandages. Four teenage boys kneeled in a tight crescent in front of him, craning their necks and listening with awe. Other villagers in the room looked uneasy.”
Read the rest of the article at The Guardian
Syrian Rebels Fly Al Qaeda Flag (YouTube & thetimetimes.com)
U.S. Aiding Syrian Rebels, Al Qaeda Aiding Syrian Rebels, Syria Says US Allied to Terrorists (thetimetimes.com)
BBC Busted for Anti-Syrian Gov Propaganda, U.S. Warns of Military Intervention, Narrative Changing (thetimetimes.com)
Human Atrocities in Syria Reach A New Level of Brutality, Who Is Really Responsible? (thetimetimes.com)
Iran-Contra Documentaries and Seymour Hersh 2007 Video: Iran-Contra Has Returned, U.S. Funds Al Qaeda (thetimetimes.com)
Reuters: Russia Condemns Syria Attacks, Sees Foreign Hand (thetimetimes.com)
U.N. monitors say 13 killed in cold blood in Syria & Other Syria News | Reuters (thetimetimes.com)
IMPORTANT! Al Qaeda Bomb Plot: Would-Be Bomber Was CIA Informant; Break Down of US Terrorist Involvement (thetimetimes.com)
Leading Cause of Unnatural Human Death in 20th Century is Democide – You Have No Right To Health or Government & Police Protection (thetimetimes.com)
Tags: Al Qaeda, Al Qaida, global governance, globalist bankers, middle east destabilization, New Wrold Order, One World Governance, Syria, Syrian opposition, syrian rebels, Syrian rebles are Al Qaeda, U.S. created Al Qaeda, U.S. funds Al Qaeda, U.S. funds terrorists
Categories Backwards Is Forwards, Middle East, Syria, U.S. Terrorism Ties, War on Terror, War on the World
Human Atrocities in Syria Reach A New Level of Brutality, Who Is Really Responsible?
Civilians flee from fighting after Syrian army tanks entered the northwestern city of Idlib, Syria, on February 14, 2012 (Photo credit: FreedomHouse)
Report describes brutal torture in Syria – CNN.com.
I have no way of knowing if the atrocities described in this article were committed by the Syrian Army, who has been blamed for torture and murder in the uprising that has lasted for over a year, or if the torture and killings were committed by the globalist-controlled U.S. government and other globalist-controlled and funded forces. There have been continued accusations of brutal torture and murder committed by opposition forces who are aided by the U.S. and other countries supporting middle east destabilization and regime change. These allegations have been made by Russia, the Syrian government, activists, and even Human Rights Watch in a public letter from March 20, 2012.
Whoever is responsible is a plague to society, a disgusting force willing to commit acts unfathomable to the vast majority of people on earth, and they need to be dismantled and punished. The level of brutal, gruesome torture being reported has escalated to a degree of inhumanity that makes me wonder what could ever make a human think this is necessary and acceptable. Whether the globalist-controlled U.S. government is behind the unthinkable abuses of the Syrian people, or the Syrian army is the perpetrator of the horrid crimes against humanity, whoever it is seems to be grasping with desperation to take, or keep, control. Or perhaps, this is all propaganda?
I have a few questions that I need to investigate: How often are deaths of opposition fighters reported? How many deaths have been recorded versus deaths of Syrian government soldiers? How many opposition deaths versus deaths of Syrian civilians? I need to look back, but there seems to be more Syrian government soldier deaths, Syrian civilian deaths, and activists deaths reported in the media than rebel deaths. Why aren’t these rebels suffering more casualties ? How is this group of supposedly disorganized, ordinary citizens who chose to take up arms against an unjust regime so skilled and able to avoid being completely eliminated by the established Syrian army? Did they get sniper training during the past year?
Amid ‘state policy of torture’ in Syria, stream of defectors reportedly flee (edition.cnn.com)
Report Says Syria Built ‘Archipelago’ of Torture (nytimes.com)
Tags: Assad, civilian deaths, human atrocities, human rights watch, murder, Syria, Syrian armed groups, torture, U.S. supports terrorists
Categories Middle East, Syria, U.S. Terrorism Ties, Uncategorized, War on Terror, War on the World
916 killed in Syria’s ‘bloodiest week’ | The Australian
Close to 16,000 people have been killed since the outbreak of the Syrian revolt 15 months ago, a human rights watchdog says.
AND the past seven days have been the bloodiest so far with 916 deaths.
“The pace of the killings has escalated,” the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday.
“The last week was the bloodiest week of the Syrian Revolution,” Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP by telephone. He said 916 people had been killed from June 20 to 26.
Of the 15,804 people killed since March last year, 4,681 had lost their lives since a UN-backed ceasefire was supposed to take effect on April 12, he said.
Of those, roughly a quarter – 1,197 – had been killed since the UN observer mission intended to oversee the peace plan suspended its operations on June 16 in the face of the mounting violence.
“The last month, from May 26 to June 26, was the deadliest since the start of the protests. During this period, 3,426 people were killed,” Abdel Rahman said.
The statistics were released after 129 people were killed in violence on Tuesday, 79 of them civilians, according to the Observatory’s figures.
The UN’s deputy envoy for Syria, Jean-Marie Guehenno, told the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday that the violence in Syria had “reached or even surpassed” levels seen before the ceasefire agreement and that a six-point peace plan forged by his boss, UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, “is clearly not being implemented”.
Senior diplomats said world powers would meet on Saturday in an attempt to end the bloodshed.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov would be joined by other top diplomats from UN Security Council nations and possibly neighbours of Syria.
Meanwhile, a report on UN probe into a massacre in the central Syrian village of Houla has concluded that forces loyal to the government “may have been responsible” for many of the deaths.
The report released to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva by UN-appointed human rights experts said most of the victims were women and children who were slaughtered in their homes.
The findings of the report triggered a walkout by the Syrian delegation as it was being read out.
“We will not participate in this flagrantly political meeting,” said Syrian ambassador Faisal Khabbaz Hamoui before leaving the hall.
The walkout came as the commission told the council that the unrest was taking on an increasingly sectarian basis.
“Where previously victims were targeted on the basis of their being pro or anti-government, a growing number of victims appear to have been targeted because of their religious affiliation,” said the report.
It said: “Gross violations of human rights are occurring regularly, in the context of increasingly militarised fighting.”
Tags: 16, Hama, Houla, Kofi Annan, massacre, murder, opposition, rebels, slaughter, Syria, Syrian revolt, U.S. funds terrorists, UN Human Rights Council, United Nations Human Rights Council
Categories Middle East, Syria, U.S. Terrorism Ties, War on Terror, War on the World
Syrian Rebels Fly Al Qaeda Flag
“It didn’t happen in Afghanistan or the tribal regions in Pakistan. It actually happened in the town of Binsh in Idleb province northern Syria. The Syrian terrorists inspired by their fellows in Libya raised Al-Qaeda flag to express publicly their terrorist beliefs.
What kind of revolution that claims to demand freedom while at the same time raises Al-Qaeda flag!?”
Syrian rebels pose with Al Qaeda flag
See more related to Syria from thetimetimes.com here
Tags: Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda flag, opposition, Syria, syrian rebels, Terrorism, terrorists, truth about syria, U.S., U.S. backs terrorists in Syria
Categories Middle East, One World Weakness, Syria, U.S. Terrorism Ties, Uncategorized, Video, War on Terror, War on the World
Syria: TV station attacked, 7 staffers killed | AP
Armed rebels stormed a pro-government Syrian TV station, killing seven members of the press. The rebels detonated explosives and kidnapped other TV station employees. Targeting the press is not a pro-democratic strategy.
Associated Press –Syria: TV station attacked, 7 staffers killed
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Gunmen raided the headquarters of a pro-government Syrian TV station early Wednesday, killing seven employees, kidnapping others and demolishing buildings, officials said. The government blamed terrorists and described the killings as a “massacre.”
An Associated Press photographer who visited the Al-Ikhbariya station’s compound said five portable buildings used for offices and studios had collapsed, with blood on the floor and wooden partitions still on fire. Some walls had bullet holes.
Al-Ikhbariya is privately-owned but strongly supports President Bashar Assad‘s regime. Pro-government journalists have been attacked on several previous occasions during the country’s 15-month uprising, although such incidents are comparatively rare.
Information Minister Omran al-Zoebi said the killings were “a massacre against the freedom of the press” in remarks broadcast on state TV. He later told reporters that it had been carried out by terrorists – the same word the government uses for rebels.
Rebels deny they target the media.
Much of the violence that has gripped Syria over the past 15 months has been sanctioned by the government to crush dissent. But rebel fighters are launching increasingly deadly attacks on regime targets, and several massive suicide attacks this year suggest al-Qaida or other extremists are joining the fray.
Many in the opposition consider the media an arm of the regime. Syria does not have a free press and most news organizations are either state-run or private bodies that carry the government’s point of view. Most of the private TV stations and newspapers are owned by politicians or wealthy businessmen who have close links to the regime.
Assad denies that there is any popular will behind the uprising, saying terrorists are behind a conspiracy to destroy the country.
Al-Zoebi, the information minister, said gunmen stormed the station’s compound in the town of Drousha, about 20 kilometers (14 miles) south of the capital Damascus, and detonated explosives. He said the attackers killed seven people and kidnapped others.
Restrictions on the media make it difficult to verify accounts of events on the ground.
An employee at the station said several other staffers were wounded in the attack, which happened just before 4 a.m. local time. He said the gunmen kidnapped him along with several station guards. He was released but the guards were not.
The employee, who did not give his name for fear of repercussions, said the gunmen drove him about 200 meters (yards) away, and then he heard the explosion of the station being demolished.
“I was terrified when they blindfolded me and took me away,” the man said by telephone.
Earlier this month, two Al-Ikhbariya employees were shot and seriously wounded by gunmen in the northwestern town of Haffa while covering clashes between government troops and insurgents.
Hours after the attack, the station was still on the air, broadcasting a rally in Damascus’ main square against the station raid.
Also Wednesday, Burhan Ghalioun, the former leader of Syria’s main opposition group, said he briefly entered rebel-held areas in the north of the country in a rare trip by the exiled political opposition to the country. Ghalioun told Al-Jazeera TV that the areas he visited in Idlib province are ruling themselves, without any regime presence.
Ghalioun, former head of the Syrian National Council, did not say when the visit happened.
“I went to see the war that the Syrian regime is staging,” Ghalioun said. “The regime continues to shell and kill.” Ghalioun said he spoke with wounded Syrians including some who lost limbs and others who were paralyzed.
He added that he was able to drive about freely and that “part of the country is liberated.”
Activists reported violence throughout Syria on Wednesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist network, said at least 10 government soldiers were killed in an ambush in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour.
The group said that rebels on Tuesday were able to shoot down a helicopter gunship in Idlib province. Amateur videos showed a helicopter burning in a field but the report could not be independently confirmed.
Activists reported other clashes, mostly in Idlib and nearby Aleppo province as well as rebel-held areas in the central city of Homs that have been under government attack for nearly three weeks.
In neighboring Turkey, some 30 more Syrian soldiers defected with their families overnight, the country’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported Wednesday. It was not clear if the group included any senior officers.
Assad’s regime has suffered an embarrassing string of high-ranking defections this week, with dozens of soldiers, including senior officers, reported to have fled to Turkey.
Reuters – Assad: foreign powers behind Syria violence | Video
Three killed in raid on Syria’s Ikhbariya TV station (independent.co.uk)
Gunmen Attack TV Station In Syria (huffingtonpost.com)
Syria: TV station attacked, 3 staffers killed (usatoday.com)
Syria: Gunmen attack pro-government TV station, killing 3 employees (foxnews.com)
Gunmen storm Pro-Assad Syrian TV channel – Reuters (reuters.com)
Gunmen ‘storm pro-Assad Syria TV’ (bbc.co.uk)
Tags: bashar al assad, Damascus, foreign powers, massacre, opposition, opposition targets media, rebels, rebels target the press, seven killed, Syria, Television station, terrorists, U.S. funds terrorists
Syria forms new government, keeps top ministers | Reuters.
BEIRUT | Sat Jun 23, 2012 6:46am EDT
(Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad formed a new government on Saturday, but kept on the heads of its interior, defense and foreign ministries, state television reported.
The reappointment of Defence Minister Daoud Rajha will quash widespread rumors previously denied by the government that Rajha had been assassinated by rebels who are struggling to bring down Assad’s rule.
(Reporting by Erika Solomon; Editing by Alison Williams)
Obama: China, Russia not signed on for Assad’s removal – Reuters (reuters.com)
Syrian forces pound cities; Russia readies marines | – Reuters (reuters.com)
Gul says downed Turkish warplane may have violated Syrian airspace (dailystar.com.lb)
Assad names new Syrian PM, army battles rebels – Reuters (reuters.com)
Tags: bashar al assad, destabilizing middle east, Middle East, Reuters, Syria, Syria forms new government
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7 Years of Business Using Only Webinars to Grow w/ Trevor Turnbull | #027
A lot of people are wanting to know how to use LinkedIn and leverage it to get more clients. Social media educator and founder of Linked Into Leads, Trevor Turnbull, has done practically 100% of his business using only webinars. Linked Into Leads is a LinkedIn lead generation, training and consulting company that finds and connects clients to their target audience. Trevor shares the different ways you can use webinars for your business, and talks about his history with webinars and all the things that he’s seen through the years. Learn some lead generation and traffic strategies for using LinkedIn Groups from Trevor.
Listen to the podcast here:
Seven Years Of Business Using Only Webinars To Grow with Trevor Turnbull
We have the podcast interview with my good friend, Trevor Turnbull. We talked about some awesome stuff. Trevor’s a guy who literally the only thing he does in his business is webinars. I wanted to have him on this podcast because I wanted him to talk about the different ways that he uses webinars in his business. He does this unique hybrid style approach, where he’s doing a combination of live and automated webinars each month.
I wanted him to talk about that, but also talk about his history with webinars and all the things that he’s seen through the years. He’s been doing this since 2010 through the years of him running webinars. You are going to enjoy this. We also talked about some pretty interesting lead generation strategies and traffic strategies for using LinkedIn and groups. We talked about a ton of stuff. You are going to love this episode, so pay attention. It’s a rather lengthy one but there are a lot of gold nuggets that are hidden deep inside of this episode.
Trevor, welcome to Sold with Webinars.
I appreciate it. We’ve worked together a little bit and shared lots of ideas and all that. I’m excited to be on here. It’s funny you say that too because since my LinkedIn training programs that’s taken off, I go to these conferences and I do run into people that are like, “I know you.” I’m starting to embrace that more. I’m a very humble, from a small town in Saskatchewan, in the middle of Canada. It’s our nature to not get too big egos and stuff, but I’m starting to embrace the idea that why not run with this and try use this for the greater good to help educate people. Here we are talking about webinars.
What we want to talk about is you’ve obviously used webinars a ton in your business. You were telling me earlier, that it’s essentially been 100% your sole sales focus. You’ve taken down all of your sales pages, everything that you have set up inside of your online business, one way or other points either to a live or an evergreen webinar. Give my audience a little bit of background about who you are and what products you do sell? What is your business model? Then talk about how webinars have been the driver of your business.
I have a couple of training programs around LinkedIn and then we offer services as well to do lead generation for companies leveraging LinkedIn. There are a lot of aspects of CRM managements, copywriting, communications and Facebook ads and everything else that’s combined in those services. The core of what I do is teach people how to use LinkedIn and also leverage LinkedIn to help them turn a cold lead into a warm prospect and more clients. It’s just relationship building.
To give you the shortened version, I was using LinkedIn myself to build my network in the sports industry because at the time I was working with a professional football team and we were doing a lot of social media stuff just in general. I started using LinkedIn to connect with people and I ended up connecting with Lewis Howes along the way. Lewis and I were running in the same circles.
Lewis had the idea to create a LinkedIn course at the same time as me. I registered LinkedInfluence because I was like, “That would be an awesome name if I ever launched a course.” Then I never got around to it. Lewis had the same idea without us knowing each other. He looked up who is on the domain. I owned it. He reached out and said, “Would you sell it?” I said, “No, I don’t want to sell it but I’ll give it to you.” Let’s work together. I ran his sports recruiting website for years. How that ties back to webinars is I’ve been doing webinars since like 2010, 2011. It’s evolved a lot since then, but we used to sell our online program and all of the training that we had through webinars.
It’s changed a lot because we used to get 60%, 70% attendance rates. Our close rates were ridiculous too because there just wasn’t that many people doing webinars that were really good at it. It has gotten harder. I know when we connected, that was one of the things I was talking to you about is like, “I’ve got this good program. It’s selling okay, but I’m just not getting the kind of conversions. I’m not getting the right people on. I’m not getting the qualified leads in,” and we adjusted a few things along the way. I know you helped me with my deck, which was hugely helpful.
I’m still using a lot of the strategies, a lot of the strategies that you gave me advice on. It continues to evolve until now. There are a lot of different things we’ve tested over the last few years. We’ve got things working good now, but I know it’s going to change again. It’s a constant learning thing. I think that’s why people listen to your podcast is you just need to find new ideas and test them, adjust as you go and make the best of it.
You just don’t know until you test it.
Let’s get back to 2010, 2011, you said you started out doing the webinars. I wasn’t in the webinar game back then. I want to know, what’s changed since then? Aside from attendance rates and aside from close rates, is there anything else that has changed or is that the primary variable?
At that point, it was easy to get people to attend because it was so new. It was different. It wasn’t that new, but it was new to see it in different niche areas. What we were teaching was how to get a job in sports. You’re a student, you are a sports business student, you want to work for your favorite NFL team, this is the path right and here’s the program and the support system to help you get there.
We would partner with recruiters and job boards and that type of thing. Back then, it was less about leading them down a journey and helping them see the potential of what they could get to if they were to invest in something or if they were to see the pain points and that realize this is the solution. It was more laying out like, “Here’s what we have to offer, you want to get this, this is going to help you get there.” It was the starting points of storytelling with webinars where I feel like that’s more important now.
People don’t want to be pitched and sold stuff. Back then you could do that. You could go straight to almost a sales pitch. There was a model to guide somebody down the path of the sale but in a very direct approach. Whereas now, I personally feel like building trust and being honest with people and transparent about how much work it might be to do your program and not giving them some false hope of you’re going to make $1 million and live on a beach, that actually resonates with people more, but it makes the sales process harder. I made that change because even in my space and I know it’s every topic out there, there’s more competition.
If everybody’s talking about the same thing or guaranteeing instant results and you know it’s not true. You lose trust. I made a choice to just try and be honest with people. It probably has hurt my sales on my lower price product a little bit because I am so honest about like, look this is not turnkey super easy. You’ve got to put the time and this is real business building, but the people that buy, loved it. They stick around and they’re huge advocates. It’s just keeps growing and growing from there.
We’ve seen this more and more recently too, as we pick up more biz op clients, sometimes we just feel awful. The business opportunity space, people are sick of it. I know that especially in the biz op space, they’re webinar junkies. that’s why webinars work so well in the biz op spaces because they love it. They love to consume, and they love to buy. What we’ve been seeing work really well is being transparent upfront.
What we’re doing is we’re actually making the offer within the first three minutes of the webinar. I’m going through some of the bonuses or I’m going through some of the components. It’s a very short pitch but we say, “At the end, we’ve got an offer. It’s $1,000. I don’t expect everybody to buy.” I learned this from one of my past Sold With Webinars guest, Tim Paige. I want to give him credit because I’m now implementing this in my own webinars.
We make the offer. I tested this with my live webinar previously and it worked. I don’t want to derail this conversation but I only had five attendees and I’ve sold three of them. We had massive technical issues with our live webinar, which is why nobody showed up. We sold three of them which was freaking awesome. We made the pitch within the first five minutes. I just went on and did the content. Yes, everything is changing. Everything always changes. That’s why I always tell people there’s no one set formula. What’s the winning close? What’s the magical close that I needed to get them?
Not to go too far down that tangent but a lot of times this is where the brilliance connects. I’ve done hundreds of webinars over the years. I’d say I’ve done close to 40 or 50 this year alone. I don’t do a pinch off the start, but I do mention that, “If you like what you hear, I’m going to be offering something at the end.” With this training, there’s only so much we can go through in an hour. That was something I learned from you. Then, at the end when I go into the pitch, it’s before the end of the hour. I’m always getting people that are only expected to be there for an hour. I’m getting to pitch in before they have to leave. It’s a natural thing and anybody that’s done webinars would know that as soon as you start that pitch, you start seeing the tip down of people attending.
By the ten-minute mark of doing your pitch, it’s like down, down, down. Every time I see that, I’m like, “There’s got to be a better way to do this.” Those people that are leaving might’ve bought, but either the 60-minute mark yet, they had to run off to a meeting or they just got bored of hearing the pitch. Even some people once they hear what I have to say and they’re like, “I’m sold but there’s no way I’m going to do this myself. Can you do this for me?” A lot of times I’m having to say, “Yes, absolutely. Just hang tight for like ten minutes and I’ll get to the call number.” That’s where I’m at trying to figure that out. How do I give everybody everything that they want without overwhelming them?
That’s one of the rules that I’ve always learned is keep it focused, keep people going down the path of realizing that here’s your pain, here’s the solution I can provide, and then this is how you can go and buy. It’s interesting to hear you say that because I might start to consider now. I’ll create a landing page that has like, “If you want an advanced training, go to this site. He wants to do it for you, go to this site.” It combines a sales page with my webinar. It would be interesting to see how many people I kept on or if I drop them right at the start.
That’s always the fear. People always think that like, “If I give the offer right away, people are going to leave, and it doesn’t happen.” It just doesn’t happen because you’re still going to give content and you can even frame it as like, “Some people might not be able to stick around for the full hour or we might even go a little bit longer and I realized that some of you want to take action now, so here’s the link, a quick synopsis of the offer, then we get into the content.” We’re still messing with it, but it went very well.
You were asking me about how these webinars have evolved over the years for sure, and maybe we’re starting to go down that path where I’ve taken things to now.
Business Using Only Webinars: People don’t want to be pitched and sold stuff.
Where I wanted to focus was you’ve used webinars as your sole source of sale. That’s the only way that you generate sales. You’ve got a lot of experience. You’re doing them since 2010. You’ve developed a system where every month you do a live and you do them evergreen. Share with my audience a little bit about why you did that and what does your system look like when you do this hybrid approach, you’re doing live, you’re doing evergreen. Explain that process.
I committed to doing live webinars quarterly, almost like a mini launch every quarter because I do a challenge with my do-it-yourself group and that happens in the middle month of every quarter. It just made sense like in January, go hard with the webinars lineup, eight to ten webinars, that are either with affiliates or just to my list.
Then come February, I’ve got this extra support challenge which is an easy way to pitch that like this is the best time to buy. It worked really well. We did big numbers in January and April, which were the first two months of that quarterly launch, but I was still finding that those two months in between it was just like, “I’d go boom and then I’d go boom.” It’s like I’ve got to figure out a way to make this a little more balanced.
I thought, “Number one, I need to get an evergreen system in place so that people can watch my webinars when I’m not there but also, how do I do it more consistently?” I decided to do live webinars every two weeks. I found that was too much to do because it was hard to get the numbers up in the live webinars consistently. I switched it in September to do live webinars every month. I’ve got a full month to get the momentum built and get partners on board.
I have my system set up so that an affiliate can promote my live webinars even though their faces are on the landing page or anything, it’s just me presenting to them, they can promote live webinars. They choose to do live versus evergreen. The evergreen again, I decided to set up back in around the same time. It was so that people could watch while I wasn’t there. Do you want me to dive into how I decided on the evergreen setup and how that all works?
I would love to because there are a million different ways that people do evergreen webinars and I would love to hear your take.
I researched the few options that are out there. There’s quite a few, but I ended up landing on EverWebinar for a few different reasons. Then, I ended up switching from using GoToWebinar to using WebinarJam because I wanted the integration between the two platforms and to be able to like push right over to evergreen. That’s been a bit of a struggle along the way too because WebinarJam has struggled with it. I found their latest launch to be pretty good, like their new software seems to be pretty good.
With the evergreen, I took my best recording and I put it up. Then, I incorporated it into my funnel. I made the choice to be very transparent at the start of it. Even though I saw everybody pretending like their evergreen webinars were live. Anybody that’s in this space does digital marketing, you know it’s not live. People that aren’t in this space, you’re going to trick 20% of them. They may buy because they think it’s live and it’s just the greatest thing ever. They can watch it in fifteen minutes. I can’t believe that I made this live webinar.
Then you’ve got like 80% of those people though that will eventually realize that this person’s trying to trick me into thinking this is live and then you lose credibility and trust. That to me is why I made the choice to say, “Even if I lose some of those sales where I could walk them down this path of creating scarcity and all these different things, pretending like it’s live, I’d rather build trust with somebody that walks away from my webinar and buys from me six months from now than try and close them right now.”
I put like a one-minute video at the start of my evergreen with just like this me on video saying, “I’m excited that you’re here. Just so you know, this is a recorded webinar. I did it. It’s exactly the same content you’d see if you did a live one with me right now, which I just recorded this a month ago. My staff is there to answer your questions and your chat if you have something that they can handle, it will get to me and I’ll get back to you, so enjoy the webinar.” That’s it. I’ve had people come back to me and say, “I bought from you, not even because of what you’ve taught me, just because of the fact that you were transparent off the top and I knew I could trust you.” That was it.
You’re going to have to kiss a lot of frogs to get to the prince.
One of the reasons why we do webinars in general is the personal touch. When you’re doing them live, great. You can interact with the attendees and you can answer their questions. Yet everybody wants to go automated because automated will allow you to scale but I tell everybody especially my high end done for you clients like, “Joel, I want to hire The Webinar Agency because I want to build an automated webinar.”
We turned 100% of those people away. If the answer to this question is no. I’d say, “Are you willing to do them live for a few weeks while we test the message?” If they’re like, “No. I just want to go straight and automate them.” I’m like, “Then, we can’t help you.” There’s so much that you have to work on and you need to be able to get that interaction with your live attendees.
The fact that you put a video in front of your webinars saying, “Listen the content’s the same. We did this a month ago or whatever.” You still maintain that integrity with your list because if you’re getting them and they’ve never heard of you before, whether it’s from a joint promotion or from cold traffic, save your list. Don’t ruin the relationship by trying to screw them or fake them out with a fake live webinar. You’re absolutely right, way too many people do it.
To speak about the value of doing the live webinar too because they are time-consuming and sometimes maybe your promotions don’t go quite right, and you get five people show up. I’ve done lots of those too. I try and help people as much as I can around webinars too because I have a lot of experience in it.
The common thing that you always hear from people is this fear like I’m going to put all this time and effort in and nobody’s going to show up. Who cares? Do it anyways. Go through your normal routine. You’re going to figure out that one thing that you should have said differently, that you will next time because you’ve seen it, you’ve heard it and you know the trigger of how to react to it the next time. I’ve done I don’t know how many I should tally these out but it’s been hundreds of webinars. It’s changed every single time.
When I do it, I get people that follow up with me that are like, “That was the best webinar I’ve ever been on,” and I don’t do that to like blow smoke. I know that I’ve done it so many times that I’m good at it now because I’ve done it over and over again. It’s like an athlete. You’ve got to practice anything in life, the 10,000-hour rule. You’ve got to keep doing it. I’d encourage people that are maybe listening, getting started or whatever, like, “Here’s what you should do first. You have to absorb as much information as you can from smart guys like Joel and then stop learning and just do,” implements and then adjust from there.
You’ve implemented a system where every month you’re doing a combination of live and evergreen webinar. You’ve got your assets in place. Somebody downloads a lead magnet, a free resource whatever it is on your Thank You page. Depending on the time of the month, they are going to get invited to either an evergreen or live webinar. Everybody on your list is always going to be invited to some form of a webinar. That is your only sales mechanism.
If people want to check this out, you can just go to 30DaySalesMachine.com/Checklist or 30DaySalesMachine.com/Profile or 30DaySalesMachine.com/Scripts is the third one that I just created. Those are three lead magnets that I created. They all have simple landing pages that offer a PDF or mini video series or whatever. You’ll see how this works because I know that’s how I like to learn. That’s how we met at Funnel Hacking. When you go there, and you opt in for that easy thing to get, the immediate page you land on has a video of me on it saying, “Thanks for opting in for this. You’re going to love it. It’s in your inbox. Big red letters at the top.” I don’t give it to them right there because I want them to pay attention on the video. Then I say, “I’ve got a webinar coming up too. All the info’s down below.”
I’ve got two versions of that thank you page so when I do a live webinar, I’ll change all my thank you pages so that it promotes the live webinars. Every sign up that goes in, it signs up for the live webinar. Soon as that live webinar is done, I switch them back over so that they go to the evergreen. They’re always going to some form of a webinar.
Then my lead magnets themselves, the PDFs all have like, “You want to learn more about how to put this into a real application and see a case study, go sign up for a webinar, seven email series, go sign up for a webinar, education and sign up for webinars.” It’s all going to webinars. I’m starting to realize that there’s a big market out there for what I do that’s not necessarily the do-it-yourself. LinkedIn is not push button easy. It’s just not. It’s relationship building. It’s sales pipeline building. It’s old school marketing brought into the digital age.
A lot of people that we get on webinars, they love what they hear but they want somebody else to do it. We’re starting to go down that path of figuring out how we can filter or segment those people down those journeys as well. That’s where I’m making my notes here because right off the start, I think what I switched in my webinars is to say like, “If you’re going to like what you hear here, you can go to these lengths. We’ve got a do-it-yourself option, we have done for you. Let’s not get too distracted. I’ll teach you this and you can come back to it later,” but actually allow them the opportunity to go and explore those options too. It’s just so fun to know how you can get instant feedback on the products and services you offer through webinars. I’m a huge advocate.
I want to talk about at length offer set up and offer creation because you’ve gone through multiple variations of your offer price points, what people like, what people don’t like, selling your done-for-you service, doing an application to a phone call. Can we take a step back and talk about your journey? Let’s say over the past years, what you’ve done with your program, different price points, different offers, what you’ve found to work and what you’ve found not to work. It’s a huge sticking point for our audience, crafting the perfect offer. Let’s hear right from somebody who’s gone through this exercise for the past years.
I’ll maybe preface this with saying what I chose to do and what works for me may work for you too so you can follow this or because I know you’ve probably talked to other people that say like, “I can crush it with a $1,000 product on a webinar,” whereas I can tell you I haven’t been able to crush it with a $1,000 product. Maybe it’s just my approach, who knows, but take what you can from this and then implement it. I did start with this program at $997 on a one-time fee and because of that I was selling on webinars directly to an order form. I wasn’t getting good conversions. That was right around the time I talked to you and you said, “Why don’t you get these people on the phone and just close them on the phone?”
Business Using Only Webinars: I’d rather build trust with somebody that walks away from my webinar and buys from me six months from now than try and close them right now.
I was like, “I might take too much time.” It’s contradictory to what I’m saying because like that nudge that you gave me is exactly why I’m in the position that I am now. Yes, I did nine phone calls where people shuffled their feet and I was like, “That was a waste of time” but the tenth one bought. Then, I realized from all the other nine conversations what those people needed. It’s so worth it to do these calls, especially if you’re just starting out.
What I found though was doing the phone calls to sell a $1,000 product and I tested this lots versus selling directly on a webinar for $497 straight to an order form, I was able to get about the same amount of volume as far as conversions. From a time perspective, I was like, “Why would I not just sell my program at $497 direct to an order form?”
When I do webinars, I’ll get five, ten, fifteen sales come in and I can look at it and go, “I’m going to go home and play with my kid now.” I don’t have to do phone calls, I don’t have to line up anything. That’s why I made that choice, but we can dig into the dynamics of how we set that up if you want to. That might be going down a rabbit hole. We started to offer a phone call option again though too for what I said earlier, which is some people just want to have that one question answered but they didn’t have the courage to ask on the webinar or just didn’t get addressed within the timelines.
We give them the option to line up a phone call. We still end up closing like over 50% of those on our do-it-yourself program and then probably 10% of them end up being clients because they just didn’t realize what else we had to offer until we go down the path. They’re like, “You can do that for me?” and were like, “Yeah.” The phone call option is still a good thing too. That’s how it’s evolved and now like I say, I don’t mention anything at the start about what we offer. I just say I’m going to have an offer and then I pitch my program the $497 one-time fee. Then I offer a phone call and we talk a little bit about done-for-you services. I’m going to be evolving that as I go to for sure.
Do you have any ascension offers for people who buy the $497? Down the road, do you have anything else that you can sell them? What I’ve found is that you either have a short-term approach or a long-term approach. $497, $797, $999, whatever it is, there comes a balance between what do you want in your business?
Do you want like more front-end revenue or do you want more front-end customers where you have other offers that you know they’re going to need and you know that they’re going to buy? A lower price point where you can get more customers coming in or more opportunities to sell them something later. It’s a delicate balancing act when you pick your offers. What other products do you have to offer them down the road?
Right after that sale, we do offer a one-time offer for an upsell for a done-for-you service. That is what we call our accelerator package. Basically, we work with an account manager and a virtual assistant and they do all the work for you. You still get access to the program and all that. I’m in the process of rebuilding our website to be able to display what all these packages are transparently and to say if you’re a 30-day sales machine member, you get this price. If you’re not, you get this price. It’s 25% more. It just makes sense to join the program.
The reason I did that too was because my margin in my business is in the online sales and my program because like I said, if somebody buys and they’re in, then there’s no real extra work aside from the support that we provide through our groups and stuff which I can scale. I can help 100 people or a thousand and the community helps support it along the way.
We’ve got a multiple different price points for our done-for-you services where previously it used to just be, “Here’s the one thing we offer, do you want it? Here’s the cheapest you’ll ever get it.” Now it’s, “Here’s the program that we offer for a done-for-you solution. We’ve got a light version of that and we’ve got a plus version of that too if you want a hands-off approach where we qualify your leads for you.
The only time you’re talking to somebody is when they put their hand up and say, “I want to learn more.” We built that out. We don’t have anything public facing on this. We’re building that out now. Those price points vary between $997 per campaign, which is a campaign is typically five weeks type thing. Upwards of $6,000 over a month for a campaign and that’s for additional services that we offer that includes email and retargeting of your leads that you’re building on LinkedIn. It’s more of a full circle marketing effort.
That’s the stuff that we offer. Going forward, I’m throwing around ideas of what else we can do, like offering a monthly recurring fee to access a support group or something. A lot of times the support group is where a lot of the values is. What’s working right now, and who experimented with this in this industry. Then, offering other services that are complimentary to this too. What we sell for training and then done for you is lead generation. You can benefit from a LinkedIn makeover package. We stopped doing them but now we’re going to add it on because we’ve fine-tuned our offering.
Then, even a sales team accelerator package that we’re working on now because I’m finding that when I speak to VPs of sales that have 40 staff underneath their umbrella, they don’t want just one guy or one gal doing this, they want 40 people doing it. I’m putting together packages now where we can create continuity between all the salespeople from a messaging standpoint and then give them some training to go out into the market to generate new sales in their individual markets and support them now too. I’m finding that our business is evolving based on the feedback that we get from webinars. They tell us what they need and then we build it.
What is the take rate on your one time offer like for the done-for-you? I’m curious because I’ve got my own presumptions about that. Would you be able to share rough numbers? We don’t have to get any exact specifics, but is it worth it or do you think it would be better?
It can be better. It’s pretty low right now. It’s probably less than 5% I would say. For something that’s double the price of what they’re buying, that might be part of the issue. I don’t know. I just haven’t switched it because I haven’t taken the time to figure it out. It’s lower than I want it to be. Here’s another thing I’ll tell you too, Joel is now that we’ve been working with 60 clients on a recurring basis at least a $1,000 per campaign. It’s good revenue coming in and the margins are lower. What we found is if somebody buys that upsell right from a webinar, they usually stick around for one campaign because they’re looking for a silver bullet, the magic bullet.
If they get into the program and they start doing it and they’re like, “This works but I haven’t got time for this. Maybe I’ll talk to these guys.” They line up a call and we go, “We can do one month for you but you need to do three months. Nothing works in one month.” We’ll do three months and then they’re staying for six, seven campaigns. If we stopped offering that one time offer, I think we would get less of those people that are kicking the can, expecting amazing results and instead we might drive them straight to a phone call within a week or two type things through our email follow-up sequences and stuff. I’d love to chat with you about that too because I’m sure there are better ways that we can be doing it as well.
One of my other clients was getting a 50% uptake on their one time offer from the webinar sale. The reason why I was hesitant about your one-time offer and why I thought that it could be better is because the people who are coming onto your webinar, you’re going to get some people who’ll want you to do it for you, but they’re going to hop on the phone and they’ll say, “I want you to do a for me. I don’t want to go through a course.” Most of the people who spend time and watch a webinar, they don’t have as much value on their time as the people who are willing to pay extra money to get someone to do it for you.
When you sell them a course, they’re like, “You just watched the webinar and you bought the course do-it-yourself. Let me do it for you. There’s another opportunity for a better upsell there. You already mentioned it, which is a paid support group. I’ve got a couple of friends who do this as a one-time offer.
One of my early podcast guests, Mike Morrison gave me this idea. It was you sell the course and then your one-time offer is a monthly support group. The course doesn’t include the group community that’s an additional fee. Whether it’s $47 a month or $97 a month, you can even give them a fourteen-day free trial and then they start to get into rebuild. That’s just an opportunity. They’re just a thought that I had for you.
On that note too, Joel, because I’ve thought about offering something like that and I’ll end up doing this in the near future here. My hesitancy of pulling out the support group from my offer was how will that impact my one-time offer or my one-time fee $497 to get into the program? Are they valuing the group that much that’s making them go, “This is all right and I’ll take it?” If I took it away and didn’t even mention it in the pitch, but then offered it as the upsell, it could work well. That’s why I like talking about this stuff because the truth is, I don’t have a clue, but I should test it. I just don’t know. You just don’t know until you test it.
You’d be surprised at what’s going to happen if you remove the support from your offer and not even drop the price. We’ve had a lot of courses that we sell without any support. Mine sells without support. I don’t have an upsell yet because we’re revamping our program as we speak. It will be an upsell. It will be exactly what I just told you it will be. Ours is $997. The price of that is going to go up probably in the next few months but right now it’s $997 when we pitched it on the webinar.
Then there’s going to be a one-time offer for a 14-day free trial into some support group webinar community that will probably be $97 a month, but they’ll get a fourteen-day free trial, so they can see, interact with people and talk to people. I’ve had a lot of people requested who have bought the course, like, “Is there a community for this or a support group?” I’m like, “No, there’s not in the core offer. I’ve told him we are building one but it’s just not ready yet. I think it will be a no brainer.
That’s an exciting thing to go down that path and I realized it’s tougher when you’re first starting out if you’re offering something like that because you might have a group of zero people. From where I’m at with my stuff, there are over 800 people that have bought my program and about 450 or 500 or so are in our Facebook group that’s very active. I’ve got a support person that’s in there that’s creating infographics to poke people every day saying like, “What do you got going on now? What closed this week?” Like we’re creating a community. Those people are answering each other’s questions.
This is where I’d say if anybody’s planning on doing this at the start, I was super active in there. I made sure I was on every question that came in and I was keeping people updated. Now, I’ve pulled back on that because people answer questions before I even get to them. It becomes self-sufficient after a while and it’s such a great addition to a program. It’s the thing that we just said, this is the beautiful part about webinars. It’s like I know I can test this. I can test this next week if I wanted to with the list, with the affiliates that I have even with buying cold traffic to come to these webinars because you’ll get some good knowledge no matter what you do to know what your next step should be.
What I love about your system is like you’ve done this for seven years. You’re just now getting into paid traffic. I repeat this over and over again because from the groups that I played in for a long time, the internet marketing group, a lot of them were heavy in paid traffic. I just want to stress it, you don’t need paid traffic. I just lined up with a partnership with somebody. He had never even heard of affiliate webinars before.
He was like, “You want to do a webinar to my list. I’m like, “Yeah, I’ve got an offer. Do you want to split the commissions?” He’s like, “What do you mean?” I’m like, “If I sell these programs, would you like half?” He’s like, “Yes.” Sometimes you just got to get out of your comfort zone. People need great content. Webinars are a great way to do it and don’t think that you need paid traffic to make this work. It’s not a requirement.
If what you have to offer is truly valuable especially in the free content that you offer through a webinar, if it’s very educational and value add first then yes, of course we have a product because you’ve got to make money out of this. Here’s another little tip for all your listeners too. LinkedIn group owners, do you know how many massive LinkedIn groups that are out there in a ton of different industries?
I’ve got to get back on that. I’m so glad you recommended that. Before we even personally met, I’ve heard about that somewhere where you promoted it or talked about it, but I just haven’t even been on LinkedIn in a long time. I’ve got to get back on it.
I did one promotion with a group owner who owns a group that’s like digital marketing professionals essentially. It’s what’s the people that are in it. It’s like 45,000 people. We tweak the message as far as like the call to action to come to the webinar based on them being freelancers and consultants but they’re not salespeople working for big corporations with 40 sales staff. They’re individuals. We tweaked it and she approached me, which was unique. Usually I’m the one going out to them saying, “Would you like this?” You’ve got to educate them. Like you just said, “You promote me, I’ll give you half.” They’re like, “What are you talking about?” Most of the time they don’t even realize that world exists, but it worked well.
Business Using Only Webinars: A lot of times the support group is where a lot of the values are.
We ended up with over 100 attendees from her message that went out to that group. It was maybe three or four sales. It was under our average of what we typically do but it was still $1,000 or $2,000 in that person’s pocket and now she’s on board. She wants to do it every month. She said, “When do you do this again? I’m like, “Every month we do live webinars. She said, “I’m in.” Just send me the copy and I’ll mail it for you.
You’ve got to reach out to these people because most of the people that built big LinkedIn groups over the last ten years, don’t even realize the value they’re sitting on. They’ve built an email list and they don’t even realize the value of it. You just got to reach out to them and explain that you’re coming from a place of value first and foremost. Let me educate your audience and then we can even make some money on the back end too.
We’ve got to get you into doing LinkedIn outreach training to my audience and people on the podcast. Until you mentioned it, I completely forgot about that. I forgot about that asset. That is something that everybody, that all of my audience could pull value from. We’ve got to get that lined up. It’s easy to do too.
You have to be connected to somebody on LinkedIn to send the message. You can find the owners of these groups easily. Just do a search for a keyword based on a topic or an industry or a role type or whatever. Find the group owner, send them an InMail or request to join their groups. Send them a message directly that way or even just connect with them and put a small message in that connection or request. It’s like everything. You’re going to have to kiss a lot of frogs to get to the prince as they say.
You might send 100 messages and one person finally gets back to you and says, “I’m in,” but if that in results in a couple thousand dollars revenue and you can be consistent with it, it’s another good path to take that isn’t ads where you’re having to spend a whole bunch of money to maybe make some sales because that’s risky. I just started doing Facebook ads for real. I dabbled before but for real like three months ago and I still haven’t dialed it in. I’m like breakeven. That’s with the webinar that I know how it converts. Anybody that’s still before that stage, it’s a tough gig for sure. It’s always changing.
Trevor, we talked about a ton. We talked about your history of your webinar life and how you’ve been doing since 2010, the evolution of webinars. We talked about your hybrid approach, how you’re doing live webinars each month and evergreen webinars each month and your transparency that you always bring to your audience, which helps with nurturing your long-term list. We talked about different offers that you put on your webinar and the evolution of how your offering has changed versus selling a $1,000 item versus a$497 item versus done-for-you.
Hopefully, we gave you some ideas on your one-time offer as well. We also dropped a gold nugget at the end about approaching LinkedIn groups for partner webinars and joint promotion, which is absolutely gold, and I completely forgot about. Where do people go check out? Where do they find it? How do they get more information on whether LinkedIn groups or funnel hacking or signing up on how to find the 30-day sales machine? How do they connect with you?
Connect with me on LinkedIn. If you connect with me on LinkedIn, tell me that you listened to this podcast as well. That’s something that I always do too. It’s another strategy I use when people sign up for my webinars. As soon as they do sign up, I give them the usual mark it in your calendar, go check your email, show up on time, remove distractions, connect with me on LinkedIn and tell me that you’re going to be on the webinar.
You’d be amazed how many people are there that will connect with you and be like, “I’m going to be on your webinar. I’m so excited. Are you a real person?” I reply back to them and I go, “Yes, I am. Looking forward to seeing you there.” I’ll be honest too, I don’t respond to those. It’s not me doing it. I have an assistant that does it, unless it requires a custom response. Typically, I’m going to be there and I go, “Awesome. Sounds great.” It’s the first level of building trust with people where they know that you’re a real person.
Business Using Only Webinars: You got to reach out to people because most of the people that built LinkedIn groups over the last ten years don’t even realize the value they’re sitting on.
Connect with me on LinkedIn and then go to 30DaySalesMachine.com. We have all those different channels to help people no matter where they’re at in their business. You’ll see all of our free stuff on there. The checklists, the profile training, the messaging scripts and all of the things that we have are for free to be able to help people learn how to use LinkedIn to grow their business. It’s all going to be there too. I appreciate doing this with you. It’s always a pleasure to chat with you.
Trevor, we are two very similar people. I love when we talk because there’s so much knowledge that you have that I don’t even tap into. LinkedIn, I tried to do LinkedIn a while ago. I love talking with intelligent people and people who have the most ethical standing but still liked marketing. Those are the people that I want to connect with. It’s always a pleasure to have you on. Thanks for tuning in. Go check out Trevor. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Tell them that you found him through Sold With Webinars and he’ll hook you up with some real good stuff. That’s all we’ve got for now. I appreciate it everybody. We’ll see you on the next episode. Take care.
Thanks so much for being here. We hope you enjoyed this episode and we look forward to giving you the next one. You can also follow and watch the behind the scenes look at how I’m personal launching a brand new six and seven-figure product from scratch at SoldWithWebinars.com/TV. If you’d like to come hang out with other fellow experts, join our Facebook group at SoldWithWebinars.com/Experts. Join us next time and I’ll see you there.
Trevor Turnbull
Lewis Howes
LinkedInfluence
Tim Paige – previous episode
EverWebinar
WebinarJam
30DaySalesMachine.com/Checklist
30DaySalesMachine.com/Profile
30DaySalesMachine.com/Scripts
Funnel Hacking
Mike Morrison – previous episode
Trevor Turnbull on LinkedIn
30DaySalesMachine.com
About Trevor Turnbull
Trevor Turnbull is an Online Reputation Specialist, Social Media Educator, Linkedin Trainer, Podcast Host and Speaker that has been quoted in numerous publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Globe & Mail and the Toronto Star discussing the value of networking and how social media is impacting the way people do business today.
Trevor is the founder of Linked Into Leads, a LinkedIn lead generation, training and consulting company that finds, qualifies and connects clients to their target audience using the #1 network for business professionals. He is also the co-founder of NetworkingInVan.com, the premier destination for business professionals, entrepreneurs and students to learn valuable networking tips and stay up to date on the top networking events in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
As the founder of Legacy After The Game, Trevor Turnbull provides empowering social media & leadership education to athletes, coaches and sports professionals so they can control their brand, build their career and shape their legacy after the game ends.
As the former COO of Sports Networker and the Sports Executives Association, he helped current and aspiring sports business professionals take their sports career to the next level and is responsible for growing the largest sports industry focused group on Linkedin (Sports Industry Network) that is currently at 196,000+ members and growing every day.
Trevor is also a past contributing writer on Entrepreneur.com where he provided entrepreneurs and small business owners with informative content on the topics of management, leadership, teamwork, innovation, growth, marketing and sales using lessons that can be learned from the world of sports and applying them to “real world” business challenges.
It is my hope that we can all learn from one another! I hope you have enjoyed this episode of Sold With Webinars. Please let me know how I can be of service to you! Go Crush It , Joel
Joel Erway is a real deal webinar coach and expert. He helps craft webinars, sales pitches, messaging, and funnels as well as designs programs that get conversions. It’s no wonder why he’s the go-to consultant for many of the top performing digital marketing sales and lead generation webinars. If you are interested in working with Joel, check out our services: https://newwaytolaunch.com.
Joel has touched hundreds of webinars and sales presentations in the past ten years with clients doing doing eight and seven-figures and countless others doing multiple six-figures! Check out his Sold With Webinars podcast at http://thewebinaragency.com/podcasts/. And his new podcast, Experts Unleashed: http://expertsunleashed.com/podcasts.
Whether you’re a webinar skeptic or believer, or just need your curiosity satisfied, this episode gives an in-depth look at how and why this genius marketing tool delivers tremendous value to any business. Please visit our website for more information, www.thewebinaragency.com.
In his spare time, Joel is an avid reader and market researcher. He enjoys traveling and spending quality time with his family in upstate NY.
He is really excited to add to his services - live webinar/marketing intensive workshops! Be on the look out for the next one!
Check out The Webinar Vault - a compilation of webinar critiques here: soldwithwebinars.com/register.
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Sold With Webinars & Experts Unleashed
Tagged lead generation, LinkedIn, traffic, webinars
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The Write Side of 59
~ This is What Happens When You Begin to Age Out of Middle Age
Search results for: BOB SMITH
The Bullied Often Stand Alone
Posted by WS50 in Confessional, Men
confessional, Men, The Write Side of 50
BY BOB SMITH
When I was in junior high school, we looked up to, and generally feared, the upperclassmen who were in tenth grade or higher — all between 15 and 17 years old. Some of them were shaving already, some driving, and if you believed their stories, all were having rampant sex with every hot girl in town.
And to demonstrate their dominance over the pimply horde that comprised the seventh grade, the nastier ones among them would administer “wedgies” to any unsuspecting kid they caught near the railroad tracks on the way home. It worked like this: you got behind the victim, reached inside the back of his pants, and grabbed the waistband of his underwear. This was the late sixties, long before the “homeboy” look, when you’d actually have to reach inside someone’s pants to find underwear.
It was also before kids started wearing boxer shorts or designer underwear in exotic patterns and colors — most, if not all, the boys in junior high were wearing tightie whities. So you’d reach in, grab the elastic waistband, and yank up as high and hard as you could, causing the victim’s underwear to lodge firmly in his butt crack. Thus the name “wedgie.”
A fairly innocent (if crude) prank, you might think. But then came the “atomic wedgie,” a particularly nasty variant invented by the more sadistic upperclassmen. In the atomic wedgie, the perpetrator would yank on the waistband so persistently, and with so much force, that the elastic ripped away from the fabric of the briefs. Once critical mass was achieved and the waistband ripped off, the pressure of the wedgie subsided.
However, the victim was left not only humiliated and in pain (the wedgie put extreme pressure on the entire groin area), but he was now wearing an elastic band above his waist and saggy, ruined briefs below. And he had to puzzle-out as he walked home how he was going to explain to mom what had happened to his new BVDs without admitting that he’d been bullied, and had taken it like a wuss.
Happily, I was never on either the giving or the receiving end of a wedgie — atomic or otherwise. But I’m ashamed to admit that I witnessed a fairly brutal wedgie being adminstered to one of my classmates. The bullies — three burly wise guys — were repeatedly pulling on the waistband so hard the kid would briefly leave his feet, crying and screaming for them to stop.
But they were trying to “go atomic,” and his underwear wouldn’t rip. They must have yanked him up and down nine times, each time hoisting him off the ground and eliciting pitiful wails and cries for mercy. He’d dropped his schoolbooks, and his shoes were scuffed and dirty from being dragged across the rocks by the railroad tracks.
He looked to me once for help, but I just stood there. I rationalized my inaction — he was an acquaintance, not a friend. With three big guys against us, I couldn’t possibly make a difference. It was going to stop soon in any event. But the truth is, I was terrified of getting beaten up, or of becoming a wedgie victim myself. So I did nothing.
The older kids grew tired of the game and ran off, laughing, as quickly as they had come upon us. I helped him pick up his books, and find his glasses, and told him I was sorry I didn’t help him. He said he was all right, and that he understood — he just asked that I not tell anyone about it. We walked the rest of the way home in glum silence.
Bullies today terrorize, belittle and threaten their classmates online, or they post embarrassing pictures for the world to see. In the online context, the victim can feel utterly alone — there’s not even a sympathetic (if cowardly) friend standing by to console you, and help you clean up afterwards. There’s no way to ask anyone not to tell. The story’s out there beyond control in the blink of an eye, and it persists forever.
Bullying by schoolkids has always been brutal and disgusting. Now, however, in today’s electronically enhanced form, it’s downright dangerous.
Welcome 60! (Farewell Gremlins)
Bob Smith, confessional, Men, The Write Side of 50
I turned 60 on Monday, September 29 — just three weeks ago. I didn’t write about it right away because I thought it was no big deal — at least that’s what I told myself. But in retrospect, I didn’t write about it right away because, at some level, it bothers me a lot.
Happily, there was no big party to mark the “milestone” birthday. I’d made it clear to Maria that I didn’t want any elaborate celebration, so we had a nice quiet dinner and an ice cream cake at home. I got some nice gifts — money to put toward a 12-string guitar, a gift card to my new favorite bait and tackle store in Florida, and a nice cotton tropical-weight sweater.
There was only one jokey, old-guy gift: a mug with the legend on the outside, “I’M SORRY YOU’RE OLD,” and inside the rim, as you raise it to your lips, you see the words, “THAT’S ALL.” Better than the basket of Depends, M&M’s masquerading as Viagra, laxatives and antacids I’d seen other 60 year olds get on their birthdays.
There was also a greeting card showing a man (presumably me) reclining on a chair atop a high bluff with a small dog at his side. He’s dangling his fishing line in the water below, happily oblivious to the fact that he’s about to hook into a fish longer than the man himself. The dark part of me whispered that this could be a bright metaphor for something horrific — it’s the universe telling you, via a plastic fish decal on a Hallmark card, that you’ll be very sorry you put off that colonoscopy.
“You won’t be the little guy smiling on the boat much longer when you reel in that bad news,” said the gremlin, laughing. “At your age anything’s possible.”
The happy side of me: “At any age anything’s possible; you never know.”
Gremlin: “But at ‘your age,’ lots of bad things are a lot more likely than they used to be.”
Tough to argue with that …
For some reason, the arithmetic in your 60s feels fundamentally different than in your 50s. Then (a mere three weeks ago), being really old (which in my mind means in your 80s) was 30 years away, more or less. Now it’s only 20 years.
That’s scary in itself because time telescopes so much as you age. The distance from 20 to 40 was huge — I turned from a kid with no direction or shape to my life into a lawyer with a career, and a young family, and a house in the suburbs. From 40 to 60 was a radical evolution too — the kids grew up, left home (mostly), we acquired a vacation condo in Florida as the southern counterpart to our house at the Jersey Shore, and I retired.
But both of those significant chunks of my life, in retrospect, flew past in the blink of an old guy’s eye, to paraphrase Bruce. What major changes do the next 20 years hold (if you’ve even got 20 more in you, whispers the gremlin)? Who knows?
What worries me more is how quickly, in retrospect, will they have passed? But the happy side of me ultimately prevails: worrying about the view, in retrospect, is living ass-backwards. Look ahead, live in the moment, and barrel forward with gusto.
Drive this car as if you’d stolen it. And it you fly headlong off a cliff, with the gremlin shouting, “I told you so!” as you fall, at least you’ll have had a hell of a good time.
I Hardly Knew You, Laurie
Posted by WS50 in Men, Words
Laurie ran a local farmstand that sold tomatoes, corn, peaches, the usual summer fare, along with odd items like jumbo homemade Hula hoops covered with electrical tape, and dreamcatchers made from jute and antique jewelry findings. She sold local honey at exorbitant prices, and by the cash register there was a take-a-book, give-a-book exchange-shelf filled with tattered thrillers from 10 years ago.
Often when I rode my bike, I would pass by Laurie’s to buy an overpriced peach or two and chat about the weather, or the tourists, or what it’s like in the winter at the Shore. Her black Lab mutt, corralled in the back, would whoof loudly when I approached the counter.
“Calm down Sammy, it’s okay!” She laughed. “He’s almost 13.”
As if that explained his ill temper.
“He’ll probably outlive me.”
He did.
Someone in town mentioned that Laurie had died suddenly two weeks ago. I couldn’t believe it, so I rode my bike over there and, sure enough, it was boarded up. There was a white piece of paper on the bulletin board outside, weatherized with a taped-on piece of plastic wrap, with a simple announcement: “LAURIE’S FARM MARKET WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND PRAYERS.”
Nearby, stood a creepy makeshift totem with purplish lipstick and braided blue rope for hair. It was decorated with draped netting and dangling clamshells, and at its base, lay a painted rock displaying the epitaph “Grow in God’s garden.”
Burnt-out battery-operated candles and a broken wine goblet completed the sad sidewalk tableau. A girl in her twenties passed by walking a dog. I asked her what had happened.
“She just died last Saturday night,” she said, shaking her head. “I live next door, so I heard right away. Real shame.”
“How’d she die?”
“Asthma attack. 54 years old.”
Now I was feeling uncomfortable, and very mortal. She had been six years younger than me. And dying from an asthma attack must be horrible – basically, you struggle for breath, unsuccessfully, until you suffocate. The neighbor didn’t know if the business would reopen.
“Depends if her kids want to run it,” she said, tugging her dog away from snuffling in the roadside weeds. “Which I think they don’t.”
She’d mentioned once she was divorced, but I had no idea she had grown children. And I’d thought the woman who made the hoops and dreamcatchers was her business partner or life partner or whatever, but nope – just someone Laurie had allowed to share the selling space, so she wasn’t taking over either.
She was a friend, but I hardly knew her. Like my older brother, she espoused a homespun hippie philosophy of live and let live, and doing the right thing for the world. With her jeans and work shirts and unruly blond hair, she could have been a pot-smoking Dead Head, but she wasn’t.
She worked hard. She got up early to go to the local farms to pick out whatever they had that looked good that day. Often she harvested it herself, and she had the dirty fingernails and scraped and calloused hands to prove it. But she wasn’t complaining. She seemed to love her work.
Two years ago she had boxes of exotic melons, perfectly round and bright yellowish green, like lime-saffron bowling balls. The fruit was remarkably sweet and juicy, with a subtle floral flavor that snuck up on you after the last bite. I tasted a sample Laurie had set out at the stand, and bought two on the spot. We cut one up that night and it was every bit as perfect as the sample. But we waited two days before cutting into the other one, and by then it was slushy, almost rotten inside, and we had to discard it. Apparently, they had a short shelf life.
“Snooze ya lose!” she laughed, plopping my free replacement melon on the counter. “Ya gotta eat the fruit while it’s sweet.”
Circus Drive-In Clown Not a Sign of the Times
Posted by WS50 in Men, Opinion
Bob Smith, Circus Drive-in, opinion, The Write Side of 50
There’s a clown on Rt. 35, just south of Belmar. He leers over the top of the Circus Drive-In sign with its Broadway-lit letters and neon-highlighted arrow pointing to the parking lot. But this is a sad day for the clown because, as the announcement board reads, “SUNDAY SEPT 7 LAST DAY OF THE SEASON.”
The Circus Drive-In opened in 1954 and, although the building appears to be well-maintained, its style is dated. Its circular roof has wide red and white stripes that hang over the facade so the whole place resembles a big-top tent. Cutout clowns, along with female performers that appear to be acrobats, stand hand in hand on the roof.
A metal awning with the tent motif stretches out from the right side of the main building, providing covered parking for maybe a dozen cars. A sign on top proudly proclaims “WEATHER-PROOFED CURB SERVICE,” meaning they bring the food to you right there in your car so you can eat without ever having to set foot in the Circus itself. You can even buy souvenir t-shirts bearing an image of the iconic sign and the restaurant’s slogan, “I’M WITH THE CLOWN” (which your spouse may or may not appreciate).
The menu, as you might expect from the décor, is heavily laced with cheese-laden appetizers, steaks, ribs, chicken, burgers, dogs, battered fish platters, and five varieties of French Fries. Oh sure they have salads, but eating green is clearly not what the clown is about. If you’re with the clown, you’re gonna eat grease.
I pulled in last Friday afternoon, just two days before lights out, but I couldn’t bring myself to order any food. It’s not that I wasn’t hungry, and I’m not averse to the occasional artery-busting plateful of mouth-watering, deep-fried everything. But, senseless as it seems, because the Circus opened the same year I was born, I felt somehow responsible for it, as if I had conceived of its garish style and approved its throwback menu selections.
I was embarrassed to be there.
1954 was the height of the post-war baby boom, and most people in the U.S. were feeling optimistic about the future. Good jobs were plentiful. Gasoline cost about a quarter a gallon, and you could buy a brand new Ford for less than $2,000. Cigarettes, not considered harmful at all, were still promoted in magazines and on billboards with ads featuring images of doctors and babies – even Santa Claus.
The Circus Drive-In must have been a pretty cool place to idle in your shiny metal machine, unfiltered Camel dangling from your mouth, waiting for your double cheeseburger, shake, and fries. The Clown’s gleeful smile must have felt exactly right for the times.
But look what’s happened since: assassinations, suicide bombings, terrorists beheading journalists, war after war after bloody “police action,” natural disasters, exotic diseases, overflowing jails – the list of modern ills is as expansive as the country’s 1950’s dreams. The Clown’s smile today feels forced; almost cynical. The Circus Drive-In’s season may have just closed on September 7, but the season of our optimism from which it sprang ended, sadly, many years ago.
The Ceramic Couple
Posted by WS50 in Concepts, Men, Words
I’m not much for tchotchkes, but we’ve got a set of ceramic salt-and-pepper shakers that’s close to my heart.
You’ve probably seen them, or some version of them: it’s a married couple, in “Before” and “After”poses.
“Before” shows the couple young, happy, and dressed for their wedding day. He looks handsome in his gray tuxedo and red bow tie, sporting a mustache and glancing sidelong at his rosy-faced bride. She stands proudly in her white wedding dress and headpiece, with golden curls spilling out the sides, demurely holding a bouquet at her midsection. Her lips are pursed in a hopeful smile and her blue eyes gaze brightly ahead, focused on the future.
When you turn the figurines around, the legend on the bottom reads “AFTER,” and the changes are striking.
The groom is now wearing a strappy T-shirt and boxer shorts, and he’s gained at least 30 pounds. Frowning, he’s lost most of his hair and the dapper mustache, and he’s glancing sheepishly at his wife as if expecting recriminations. She, too, has gained a few pounds, as evidenced by her jowly face and plumper middle. She’s wearing a bathrobe and curlers in her hair, and instead of flowers she holds a rolling pin. Her young bride’s optimistic smile has been replaced by a scowl as she glares at her spouse, apparently considering where to slug him, and how hard.
I bought these when Maria and I had been married around twelve years, when we weren’t far removed from the “Before” picture of the happy couple. We’ve been displaying them on the windowsill over the sink for the last 20 years, and I’ve since come to identify with – if not resemble – them more and more.
They’ve taken a beating over time – his hair, and her veil, are badly chipped on the “Before” side, and both of their noses, “Before” and “After,” have been marred by falls from the window ledge. We, too, bear scars from our three decades of life together. And like the figurines, neither of us is in quite the shape we were when we were married, but we’re still standing.
Sometimes I’m in a miserable mood and she’s just fine, the “Before” to my “After,” or I’m feeling just fine and she’s in the dumps. We can arrange the figures accordingly.
But usually the couple on the windowsill isn’t mired in “After.” They’re facing front, smiling warmly in their wedding regalia; a much more pleasant image. Like our ceramic counterparts, we’re hopeful we can carry on living happily ever “Before.”
Does Everything Happen for a Reason?
Bob Smith, Ecclesiastes 3, The Byrds
Even Facebook believes ‘EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON.’
People always say: “Everything happens for a reason.” Usually with a knowing wink, as if there’s mysterious meaning behind it. As if some greater being or force has determined the proper sequence and nature of everything that happens on earth, and makes things happen to fit that grand scheme.
But it isn’t so. It’s really just causation, dressed up as having meaning.
Say you’re sitting at your desk and a pencil rolls off a shelf, falls onto your old address book (yes, the paper kind, which people kept before the advent of the electronic calendar), and lands pointing directly to a listing for your elderly aunt. This seems to be a truly random event, particularly if your desk is an unholy mess like mine. When you notice the pencil apparently pointing in the general direction of this particular listing, you recall that this elderly aunt had recently been ill, so you call and wish her well. Tragically, she dies four hours later.
You later mention that the circumstance of the pencil having fallen was what prompted your call to ailing auntie, and someone immediately wants to ascribe the event to divine intervention. You get the knowing wink and the conspiratorial nod – “Everything happens for a reason.”
Yup-gravity.
Calling it a divine act seems to bring order and reason to what would otherwise be random chaos; mere coincidence, but that’s all it was. Saying everything happens for a reason is really just an extension of Ecclesiastes 3 (remember the song “Turn Turn Turn” by the Byrds – a time to be born a time to die, etc.?). “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.” Maybe.
Or maybe things just happen because that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Time goes by and cells get tired and maybe you breathe more radon than you should have, and a bunch of lung cells multiply madly, grow into a tumor, metastasize, travel to everywhere in your body, and your life is over. If you’re 80 something, the conclusion will be “he lived a full life,” but “it was his time.” If you’re 30 the prevailing wisdom will be “he had his whole life ahead of him,” but again – obviously – “it was his time.” And then when the thirty year old’s widow meets and marries a billionaire six months later, the conclusion will be “everything happens for a reason.”
It is what it is.
This is another favorite of the casual (causal?) philosopher, and like the Ecclesiastes conclusion, it’s irrefutable. “It” must be an object of some kind; therefore it exists and “is.” Whatever “it” is, that is its identity, and therefore it is “what” it is. So to say “it is what it is,” is simply to recognize reality: things exist, with their own identities, and there’s nothing you can do about it. That last part is implied. When you say “it is what it is,” you’re really saying “it’s reality; you can’t do anything about it; shut up and accept it.”
Which brings us to a related platitude: “let go and let God.” This follows naturally from “it is what it is”: because if you can’t affect the reality of things, you might as well just accept them (“let go”), and let the universe have its way with them, as it will in any event (“let God”). Whether there’s a divine being up in the sky pulling the strings on this marionette show, or whether everything that happens is dictated by the course of nature, or whether it’s all just random madness, these sayings seem to foster comfort and acceptance. And at this stage of my life, those are good things regardless of the source.
So go ahead – recite them on any occasion, either alone or in sequence, and they’ll make as much sense as anyone needs to ascribe to them.
“Hey, everything happens for a reason.”
Hanging On to (And Finally Letting Go of) the Chooba Diamond
Bob Smith, The Write Side of 50
Originally published on December 5, 2012:
A Little Chooba Diamond on Her Hand.
Drawing by Julie Seyler
Have you ever heard of the Chooba diamond? I invented it when I was 11.
In 1965, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons had a pretty big hit on pop radio with a song called, “Let’s Hang On.” It’s a bouncy anthem about love gone wrong featuring Valli’s powerful falsetto, and one of the verses begins like this:
That little chip of diamond on your hand
Ain’t a fortune baby but you know it stands
For the love (A love to tie and bind ya)
Such a love (We just can’t leave behind us) …
The chorus exhorts the girlfriend to:
Hang on to what we’ve got
Don’t let go girl, we got a lot
Got a lotta love between us
Hang on, hang on, hang on
To what we’ve got.”
Somehow, I misunderstood the first line of that verse. I thought Frankie said, “that little Chooba diamond on your hand,” instead of “chip of:”
I’d had zero experience with diamonds (or engagement rings, or girls, for that matter), so I assumed Chooba was a designation of origin for a rare type of diamond unknown to me. The “ain’t a fortune baby” line made sense because he did say “little,” after all. So in my quaint understanding, Frankie had purchased an engagement ring for his girl set with a minuscule, but nonetheless highly-prized and mysterious, “Chooba diamond.”
Breaking News: Robin Williams’s Death Not Worthy of TV Interruption
Bob Smith, Entertainment Tonight, Robin Williams
Last night we were on the couch watching TV. Alex Trebek had just announced the close of the initial Jeopardy round, when the network news logo suddenly flashed across the screen, accompanied by blasts of militaristic brass music and marching drums, and the words “SPECIAL REPORT” in red capital letters:
“We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this Special Report from ABC News,” said the announcer, as my heart upticked in anticipation.
Has one of the local wars around the world blossomed into a nuclear holocaust?
Has an assassin’s bullet found the president?
Is a major U.S. city a smoldering ruin thanks to a terrorist attack?
Involuntarily, my mind reeled back to that November afternoon more than 50 years ago, when TV brought us the stunning news that President Kennedy had been shot dead in Dallas. What new calamity could this be?
None of the above – a celebrity had died.
The announcer, a square-jawed 20-something guy in a somber suit and serious demeanor, stared reassuringly into the camera. His hair was piled high on his head – dense, yet richly textured – like a freshly-baked chocolate souffle.
“ABC News has learned that Robin Williams is dead,” he said. “The gifted comedian and actor, 63, was found at his Northern California home earlier today. He appears to have died of asphyxia but authorities have not confirmed that, or any further details on the circumstances of his death at this time.”
He went on to note Williams’s brilliant comic talent, his long and varied TV and movie career, and the fact that he had long struggled with drug and alcohol addictions and severe depression. The report concluded after two minutes with the announcer promising “further details as this shocking and saddening story unfolds.”
Look, I loved and admired Robin Williams as much as the next guy. It seems anyone with a glimmering of talent today is called a genius, but he was the real thing – a comic tsunami, a dead-on, rapid-fire impressionist with both precision timing, and wickedly hilarious things to say. Loved him.
But have we really become so frivolous as a society that the death of a comic actor – even a transcendently talented one like Robin Williams – is considered breaking news that merits stop-the-world treatment? Has Entertainment Tonight hijacked the news?
No disrespect to Robin, but except for his immediate family and friends, I don’t think any of us will recount, decades from now, exactly where we were and what we were doing when we learned of his passing.
We interrupt this blog to bring you a special report: Mrs. O’Toole’s cat is up a tree again. The fire department is on the scene with a ladder truck trying to effect the rescue. Now back to our regularly scheduled (escapist) programming.
My Kind of Jeopardy: Geriatric
Bob Smith, Jeopardy, The Write Side of 50
Lately, we’ve been watching Jeopardy almost every night. It’s broadcast every weekday at 7 p.m., but we program the DVR to record it so we don’t have to watch any commercials. This has the added benefit of skipping a couple of days and then go on a mini Jeopardy binge – watching two or three shows in one evening. Modern technology can be a great thing.
I can’t recall having watched the show regularly when I was younger, so I’m not sure if I could ever have gotten all, or even most of the answers correct. But it’s clear there would be one of two results if I were to get on the show today:
a) I’d end up with zero dollars because I’d never figure out exactly how and when to push the button on the “signaling device.”
b) I’d somehow master the signaling device, but I’d answer so many questions wrong I’d end the show in negative numbers.
The last episode we watched was part of the Teen Tournament, in which the three contestants were in 7th, 9th, and 11th grades, which makes me at least 10 years older than their combined ages. The winner was the 7th grader, a bespectacled boy wearing his Dad’s best tie bunched up in a lumpy knot. The kid had barely begun puberty, but when “HE WAS PRESIDENT DURING THE WAR OF 1812,” flashed up on the screen, he promptly buzzed in and correctly replied “Who is James Madison?”
Alex Trebek always talks briefly with the contestants about an interesting fact from their lives. This 7th grader told the story of how, during his first confession (what – four years ago?), the priest had addressed the assembled prospective penitents before taking them aside individually to hear their sins. Once the priest’s speech was done, this lad was first in the confessional booth.
However, the priest forgot to disengage his lapel microphone before settling down in the confessional, so this kid’s entire first confession was broadcast to his, no doubt, delighted classmates waiting in the pews outside.
Which normally would be a pretty embarrassing event, but as Alex Trebek observed:
“And they heard everything? But this was your first confession, right? So how bad could it be?”
I suspect he was confessing to having a secret system for cheating at Jeopardy. How else would he know about things like “MOZART’S LAST AND PERHAPS MOST POWERFUL SYMPHONY SHARES ITS NAME WITH THIS PLANET.”
My answer (a wild guess, just for laughs): “What is Uranus, Alex?”
But the correct response, from the mouths of babes: “What is Jupiter?”
I certainly didn’t know that in 7th grade. In fact, I wasn’t aware of it until yesterday. And there’s a pretty good chance, given the way my memory is drying up, that I won’t know it next year either. Or even tomorrow.
The kid won more than $19,000, and qualified to compete in the quarterfinals of the tournament against other freakishly knowledgeable teenagers. I’ll watch, and try to keep up with them, but I don’t have much hope with categories like “NEW TESTAMENT GEOGRAPHY;” “PHYSICS;” and “KATY PERRY VIDEOS” on the board.
I might fare better if they had Geriatric Jeopardy with categories like “PAIN RELIEVERS;” “FLORIDA GOLF;” “SINATRA SONGS;” “NEW HIPS;” “OLD HIPPIES.” There’d be a pee break before Final Jeopardy, and if you’re lucky, you’d get to say “Make it a true Daily Double Knee Replacement, Alex.”
Oh yeah, that’s my kind of game.
To Flu Shot or Not?
Posted by WS50 in Confessional
Bob Smith, Flu Shots, The Flu
Do I really want to bypass my annual flu shot?
Having recently moved to Monmouth County, I’ve switched my regular doctor to a local guy recommended by a neighbor. Now that I’m almost 60, he wants to see me every six months, specifically to monitor the effectiveness of my cholesterol medication, and generally to be sure I haven’t started on a catastrophic decline that, in retrospect, could have been prevented if only he’d seen me sooner.
Sounds like a revenue-generating plan to me. But what the hell – I figure it can’t hurt, and each visit only costs me a $25 copay.
As I sat on the examining table the other day getting palpated and peppered with probing questions about my sleep, eating and bowel habits, I noticed a sign taped to the wall reminding patients about getting flu shots. The last time I had the flu I was laid up for five days feeling weak and sore from head to toe, as if someone had beaten me with a sock full of lead marbles. I sipped warm ginger ale to try to replace the fluids lost in my periodic trips to the bathroom, and whenever I wasn’t moaning or babbling through a fevered fog, I fervently prayed for death.
Then, about 10 years ago, I started getting an annual flu shot. That was when Maria’s grandmother lived with us, and we thought it was better if everyone in the house got vaccinated. I haven’t had a touch of flu since then, so although Grandma moved on years ago, I’ve continued to get the shot each year.
“I need that, right?” I suggested, nodding at the sign, expecting an enthusiastic, “Yes.”
“Why?” he smiled, peering at me over his reading glasses. “You’re not elderly, your immune system isn’t compromised, and you don’t have any chronic respiratory problems. You don’t need it.”
His explained his rationale that the flu vaccine gives you six months of immunity from getting the three most popular strains of flu that experts believe are likely to circle the globe this season. If you come across a different strain (there are thousands of them), or if you encounter one of this season’s three popular strains outside that short window of protection, you get the flu anyway.
But his most persuasive argument was for building your own lifetime immunity:
If an otherwise healthy adult gets the flu, it’s unlikely to be deadly. Granted, you’re miserable for a few days, but you’ll never get that flu again because your body generates lifetime immunity to that strain and its close cousins. Fast forward to when you’re 82 or whatever – you’re elderly so now you should be getting an annual flu vaccine, but what if you come across a strain from years ago that’s now fallen out of the top three? Maybe it’s number 6 or 7 on the flu hit parade, so the current vaccine doesn’t cover it. If you’ve already had that flu, or a similar flu, you’ve still got natural immunity and you won’t get sick. But if not, you’re in trouble because now you’re gonna get it when you’re too old to handle it.
In his view, it’s better to get sick now, maybe even every year, to build up that immunity. But what about all the hype around flu shots, and this notion that everyone should get them? According to my doc, one or more influential people at the CDC conveniently used to work for companies that are heavily invested in making those vaccines:
By the way, only about 30% of the population gets vaccinated – if the flu is such a scourge, why aren’t the other 70% dying in droves from it every year? They’re not because it isn’t. About the same number of people die every year from the flu, and it’s the same people from the known risk groups, regardless of the vaccination levels in the population.
“Your choice,” he smiled. “Come back in November and I’ll give it to you if you want it.”
So now I’m undecided – do I get the flu shot, and cruise through another winter, reasonably confident that my life won’t be interrupted by a week or more of miserable symptoms? Or do I take my new doctor’s advice and leave open the chance of getting sick so I can build up an inventory of immunities that will serve me in the old age I hope to enjoy someday?
I’m leaning toward taking my doctor’s advice, which is to “Let your body do what it was designed to do,” and go without the vaccine this flu season. It may result in some short term discomfort (a gross understatement given how nasty the flu can be), but I’m betting on the long game.
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The Saturday Blog: Rooftops India
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The Saturday Blog: Courtyard, Pondicherry, India.
Earrings; Sale
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With Omar Mateen By Proxy
On June 12, 2016, a mass shooting hate crime occurred inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The shooting resulted in a total of 102 casualties including 49 deaths. The massacre was deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in United States history. It was also the deadliest incident of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people, as well as their allies, in the history of the United States, surpassing the 1973 UpStairs Lounge arson attack. President Obama described the massacre as an “act of hate.”
This massacre didn’t happen in a vacuum. Omar Mateen was fostered by a toxic combination largely rooted in religious absolutism, self-hatred, mental issues, media illiteracy and easy access to semi automatic weapons.
In allegiance with him, by proxy, are people and organizations like:
The Lone Oak First Baptist “Church” in Paducah, Kentucky, which actually raffles guns, as well as other Baptist “churches.”
Kim Davis, the county clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky who gained attention in 2015 when she defied a U.S. federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, saying she was acting, “under God’s authority.”
Davis has been married four times to three different men. Davis is the mother of twin sons, who were born five months after her divorce from her first husband. Her third husband is the biological father of the twins who were adopted by her second husband, Joe Davis, who is also her fourth and current husband.
Senior commander of the Bush created Islamic State, ISIS, Abu Zaid al-Jazrawi, is rumored to have raped a 15-year-old boy, who was subsequently killed for being gay, while al-Jazrawi was not.
Michigan pastor Matthew Makela was caught sending sexual messages to a man on Grindr. Makela often railed against homosexuality and saying transgender people are “aiding opportunistic sickos in preying upon children and others.”
In 2006, it was revealed that anti-gay evangelical pastor Ted Haggard was forced to admit he had a sexual relationship with a 20-year-old male volunteer at his church. Haggard was subsequently fired from the Colorado church he had founded in 1984.
Senator Larry Craig of Idaho was arrested in 2007 for bawdy behavior in an airport restroom, making advances to an undercover police officer. Before that, Craig’s anti-gay voting record had earned him praise from conservative groups. This wasn’t the only time Craig was alleged to have had or sought sexual relationships with men.
Are you seeing pattern?
You can believe in God and still be a tolerant individual.
It is not your responsibility to persecute in the name of God.
You can also believe in God and still be a critical thinker.
Nick Gier, Professor Emeritus at the University of Idaho has noted that Jesus says nothing specific about the sin of homosexuality anywhere in the Gospels. Sodomy as a term for sexual sin began to be commonly used only in the 11th century. Early religious commentators attributed Sodom’s problems with God to many different causes, including idolatry, threats toward strangers and general lack of compassion for the downtrodden. Ezekiel 16:49 advocates that Sodomites “had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.”
Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, is an Abrahamic religion. Jesus is mentioned in the Qur’an as a prophet. The Qur’an provides the basis of Islamic beliefs and law, yet does not provide clear answers to questions surrounding homosexuality. Homosexuality existed in Pre-Islamic, Arab society, not unlike Ancient Greece, and played a vital role in some of the early religions. Nicole Kligerman, in the Macalester Islam Journal, noted that Islamic repression of homosexuals may not have always been prevalent and that Western influences may have created a greater social stigma against homosexuality.
William Shakespeare, in The Merchant of Venice, brilliantly noted that, “the devil can cite scripture for his purpose.” If you believe that a person is going to hell because they identify as LGBTQIA, then that is their business and let God deal with it. An infinite and all-powerful God of love should be able to protect himself and continue to thrive. Whenever religion and violence collaborate, no human being is safe.
Posted in Personal Thoughts, Politics, Social Issues and tagged Abrahamic Religions, Absolutism, Abu Zaid al-Jazrawi, Gun Control, Homosexuality, Homosexuality and Religion, John Milton, Kenneth Wain, Kim Davis, Larry Craig, Lone Oak First Baptist Church, Matthew Makela, Orlando Massacre, Religion, Ted Haggard, Voltaire, William Shakespeare on July 2, 2016 by Edwin Roman. Leave a comment
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Nina’s Way
My tribute painting to the High Priestess of Soul. I thought of what Picasso may have done if Simone had been a subject.
If I have any say regarding my last moments on this planet, the final song I would want to hear is Nina Simone’s recording of “My Way.”
I first discovered the song in 1989 during a visit to Tower Records. I was perusing in the Jazz section and a fellow patron strongly recommended Simone’s 1971 album, Here Comes The Sun. The album, which is a recording accomplishment, features an assortment of cover songs that notably includes “Angel of the Morning”, “Just Like a Woman”, the title track and the brilliant “My Way.” Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra, first popularized “My Way” in 1969.
After hearing the 1967 French song, “Comme d’habitude” (“As Usual”), Paul Anka acquired the publishing rights at no cost (except for the rights to the melody, which the authors retained). A year later, while Anka was having dinner with Frank Sinatra, Sinatra declared that he was, “getting out of the business. I’m sick of it, I’m getting the hell out.” Inspired by Sinatra’s frustration, he wrote the English lyrics (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_53Ygpgvuss ). Sinatra recorded the song in late 1968 and released it in early 1969. “My Way” reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 2 on the Easy Listening chart. In England, the song achieved a still unmatched record: the recording with the most weeks in the Top 40, from April 1969 to September 1971 (http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22My+Way%22).
Since Sinatra’s recording, there have been numerous and varied covers of the song. Elvis Presley’s live version during his satellite-televised concert from Hawaii showcases his remarkable vocal ability ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWStRiZ-OCM ). The Gipsy Kings covered the song using a traditional gipsy arrangement, with a Spanish translation of the English lyrics that is earthy and exuberant (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsw2NQb5xSA ). Shirley Bassey does a mind-blowing live version that, like Elvis, showcases the full spectrum of her voice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pjPTfygX3U ). Bea Arthur sang it on her breakout television series, Maude, to great comic effect and some rather fine vocals (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tTWjg74dis ). La Lupe released a Spanish translation of Comme d’habitude in 1970 with an awe-inspiring vocal and musical arrangement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGgyIup3CVo ).
The lyrics of “My Way” tell the story of an older person reflecting on their life and taking responsibility for how they dealt with challenges while maintaining integrity. Nina Simone’s version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIkoeocWhcw ) is special because her re-arranged version of the song, which is more upbeat, melodic, and syncopated, feels like an affirmation and celebration and, for me, musically encompasses the message of the song. Simone’s version fiercely combines a lush orchestra, angelic backing vocals, and elements of Black Christian music that are all highlighted by an unexpected bongo drum. Perhaps my favorite part of the song is the way it ends: Simone sings the final lyrics (“and did it my way…”) and the orchestra keeps playing for two minutes. It is powerful, epic and eternal: something worthy of hearing as you cross into the great unknown.
Best of Nina Simone Playlist
Sinnerman (from the Inland Empire soundtrack)
The Pusher (from Just Like A Woman: Nina Simone Sings Classic Songs of the 1960’s)
Cherish (from Silk and Soul)
Keeper of the Flame (from Compact Jazz: Nina Simone)
Wild is the Wind (from Nina Simone at Town Hall)
Ne Me Quitte Pas (from I Put a Spell on You)
For All We Know (from Little Girl Blue)
Four Women (from The Complete Nina Simone on Phillips Recordings)
Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair (from Compact Jazz: Nina Simone)
To Be Young, Gifted and Black (from The Essential Nina Simone)
In the Morning (from Just Like A Woman: Nina Simone Sings Classic Songs of the 1960’s)
Angel of the Morning (from Here Comes the Sun)
O-O-H Child (from Here Comes the Sun)
To Love Somebody (from Sugar in My Bowl)
Just Like a Woman (from Here Comes the Sun)
My Way (from Here Comes the Sun)
A New Yorker piece on Simone:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/11/raised-voice
Other Web Sites and Links
A musician who loves the bongo drum of “My Way” and plays along:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIS9UUAkSo0
Nina Simone’s Official Web Site
http://www.ninasimone.com/
Posted in Music, Personal Thoughts and tagged Bongo Drums, Frank Sinatra, La Lupe, My Way, Nina Simone, Paul Anka, Playlist, Shirley Bassey on September 20, 2014 by Edwin Roman. Leave a comment
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01) Salvation
02) Oh Lord
03) Black Wedding
04) In the Air Tonight
05) Joan of Arc
06) River of Fire
07) Witching Hour
08) Twin Flames
09) Half God Half Devil
10) No Me Importa
11) Roots
12) Lay Your Gun Down
"Ritual" is the sixth studio album by the American heavy metal band In This Moment. It was released on July 21, 2017 by Atlantic in conjunction with Roadrunner Records. This marks the band's fifth release collaborating with producer Kevin Churko. This is the band's first album since the departure of drummer Tom Hane, who left the band in 2016 citing creative differences. Hane was replaced by Kent Diimmel shortly afterwards.
Radically changing your sound and image can be the kiss of death for any band, but it doesn’t seem to have done In This Moment much harm. They might be largely unrecognisable from the melodic metalcore act behind the 2007 debut, Beautiful Tragedy, but Maria Brink and her boys are commanding bigger crowds than ever. So perhaps it’s not a huge surprise that their sixth album pushes them even further away from their roots.
In fact, Ritual feels like it’s been created as the soundtrack to In This Moment’s eye-popping Lady Gaga-meets-Rob Zombie live shows rather than a standalone album. It’s not difficult to imagine Maria gyrating onstage to the dark industrial pop of River Of Fire, or even to the Marilyn Manson-esque Joan Of Arc, which also borrows melody lines from some of their earlier material. Then there’s an unlikely cover of Phil Collins’ In The Air Tonight. It’s breathier than Nonpoint’s version, and retains that big crescendo that’s going to work beautifully in their set.
One thing that’s deliberately missing from Ritual is the sex factor. Despite Maria’s sultry vocals, lyrically there’s nothing as overt as the band’s previous two albums. Instead the tone is darker, seemingly using the occult as an edgy metaphor that contrasts with that poppier edge. Ritual is polished, maybe a little too much in places, and ultimately positions Maria Brink one step closer to becoming metal’s answer to Lady Gaga. Guaranteed to divide fans even more, -- reviewed by http://teamrock.com
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HomeMilitary AviationF-35Navy’s F-35C gets VFA-101 high-visibility markings
Navy’s F-35C gets VFA-101 high-visibility markings
January 8, 2013 David Cenciotti F-35 2
In anticipation of its future assignment to the VFA-101 “Grim Reapers” at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, the F-35C CF-6 has received a cool high-visibility color scheme.
The Grim Repers were established in May 1952, flew various fighter jets, including the F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat before being disbanded in 2005.
It was reestablished in May 2012, to support the U.S. Navy version of the CV (carrier variant) and serve as Fleet Replacement Squadron, training Joint Strike Fighter pilots and maintainers as a subordinate unit of the joint 33 Fighter Wing.
Image credit: Randy Crites/Code One
UK to stand up its first F-35 Squadron in 2014
Joint Strike Missile (JSM) anti-ship and land-attack missile for the F-35 unveiled
The special way U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcats wished Merry Christmas to sailors deployed at sea
Fleet Replacement Squadron
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
This video shows that weapons release from military planes can go horribly wrong
NATO Patriot missiles start arriving in Turkey
Breathtaking photo as F/A-18E Super Hornet pilot seemingly activates “Hyperspace Drive”
An amazing shot from a Super Hornet fighter pilot This photo was taken by an F/A-18E Super Hornet pilot with the U.S. Navy’s Strike-Fighter Squadron 27 (VFA-27) “Royal Maces” during a night gun strafe practice. […]
U.S. F/A-18s, AV-8Bs and EA-6Bs certified for refueling from Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767A
October 12, 2016 David Cenciotti Italian Air Force, Military Aviation 1
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps fighter components have obtained the certification to refuel from the Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767A tankers. One of the four Italian Air Force KC-767A aircraft has completed the testing […]
First Italian pilot qualified as F-35A Instructor Pilot at Luke Air Force Base
August 19, 2016 David Cenciotti F-35, Italian Air Force, Military Aviation 1
Italian Air Force fighter jock becomes fully-qualified F-35A IP at Luke AFB. An ItAF combat pilot has recently become the first Italian F-35A IP (Instructor Pilot) with the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona. […]
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Archive for the ‘America’s Most Surprising Six-Figure Jobs’ Category
America’s Most Surprising Six-Figure Jobs
From animator to gaming manager, here are some startling ways you can make more than $100,000 a year.
You probably wouldn’t expect it, but the best paid boat captains in the U.S. are in Tennessee. According to data from the Department of Labor, water vessel captains, mates and pilots make more there than in any other state. In fact, the average in Tennessee is a full $27,000 more a year than the national average for the job.
The top 10% of earners among ship captains nationwide make at least $108,120 a year. Not bad. You might even get a bonus anytime you perform one of those last-minute shipboard weddings.
Gaming managers, the people who supervise gambling operations, also pull in a pretty penny at the top. Pennsylvania pays its gaming managers better than any other state, but it’s only got about 30 of them, compared with 340 in California and 590 in Nevada, the second- and third-best-paying states for the job.
The information for our list of surprising six-figure jobs comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics‘ Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, which are compiled from 2008 data.
Of the 15 jobs we’ve singled out, human resources manager and pharmacist are the only two where not only some but most people make six figures; to make the cut, at least 10% of the people doing the thing must earn more than $100,000. Music directors and composers make a solid $107,280 or more in the top decile, but on average they pull down just $54,840. Pharmacist is the job on the list that the most people do–about 266,000 of them in the U.S.
Astronomers fall just $270 a year short of averaging six figures, and the top earners in their modestly sized group of 1,280 rake in $156,720 or more.
You might also be surprised to hear that arbitrators and mediators make the six-figure cut for top earners. Their work might sound like just helping settle other people’s arguments, but it’s also about helping people avoid astronomical legal fees. Most states have no requirements for entering the field of mediation, except in a few cases like handling child custody battles in California, so it could be a relatively easy line of work to get into.
So might transportation inspector. Only 14.8% of people with that job have a college diploma. Only 24% of gaming managers do.
Other six-figure possibilities: art director, police supervisor and video editor.
Job prospects are slim just about everywhere right now. But at least some jobs, when you get them, pay well.
By Klaus Kneale
You should be well equipped with these most in-demand I.T Certifications/Exams, Before searching any job, Visit http://www.ComputerTipsnTricks.com/ITcert.htm for Free Practice Exams, Free Study Material / Books etc.
America's Most Surprising Six-Figure Jobs, Career, Career - Jobs in 2010, Career Plannig, Employment, Get Hired, Job Strategies, Job-hunting, Job-Seeker Tips, Jobs, Six Surprising Six-Figure Jobs
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Magic mushrooms may be therapeutic
Rave-goers and visitors to Amsterdam before December 2008 may be intimately familiar with magic mushrooms, but there's little scientific knowledge on what happens to the brain while tripping.
Now it appears that more research is warranted. A growing number of studies suggested that perhaps the mushrooms' key ingredient could work magic for certain mental disorders.
New research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences sheds light on why one of the mushrooms' hallucinogenic chemical compounds, psilocybin, may hold promise for the treatment of depression. Scientists explored the effect of psilocybin on the brain, documenting the neural basis behind the altered state of consciousness that people have reported after using magic mushrooms.
"We have found that these drugs turn off the parts of the brain that integrate sensations – seeing, hearing, feeling – with thinking," said David Nutt, co-author of the study and researcher at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom.
Nutt is also Britain's former chief drug adviser, who has published controversial papers about the relative harms of various drugs. He was asked to leave his government position in 2009 because "he cannot be both a government adviser and a campaigner against government policy," according to a letter in the Guardian from a member of the British Parliament.
Psilocybin is illegal in the United States and considered a Schedule 1 drug, along with heroin and LSD. Schedule 1 drugs "have a high potential for abuse and serve no legitimate medical purpose in the United States," according to the Department of Justice.
But in the early stages of research on psilocybin, there's been a bunch of good news for its medicinal potential: psilocybin has shown to be helpful for terminally ill cancer patients dealing with anxiety, and preliminary studies on depression are also promising.
Nutt's study is also preliminary and small, with only 30 participants. His group used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look at how the brain responds to psilocybin, from normal waking consciousness to a psychedelic state.
The study found that the more psilocybin shuts off the brain, the greater the feeling of being in an altered state of consciousness, he said. It's not the same as dreaming, because you're fully conscious and aware, he said.
The medial prefrontal cortex, the front part of the brain in the middle, appears to be crucial - it determines how you think, feel and behave. Damage to it produces profound changes in personality, and so if you switch it off, your sense of self becomes fragmented, Nutt said. That's what happens when psilocybin decreases activity in it.
"Some people say they become one with the universe," he said. "It's that sort of transcendental experience."
Another brain region that psilocybin affects is the anterior cingulate cortex, which is over-active in depression, Nutt said. Some patients with severe depression that cannot be treated with pharmaceuticals receive deep brain stimulation, a technique of surgically implanting a device that delivers electrical impulses directed at decreasing activity in that brain region. Psilocybin could be a cheaper option, Nutt said.
It's counterintuitive that a hallucinogenic drug would de-activate rather than stimulate key brain regions, although other studies have shown a mix of results regarding psilocybin turning brain areas on and off, said Roland Griffiths, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Griffiths was not involved in Nutt's study, but has also researched the effects of psilocybin.
Even if this drug gets approved some day, don't expect to be able to pick up a prescription for psilocybin at your local pharmacy, Griffiths cautioned. There's too much potential for abuse, he said.
Although scientists have found many positive effects of psilocybin in experimental trials, there are of course potential dangers. Some people have frightening experiences while on psilocybin. The fear and anxiety responses of magic mushrooms can be so great that, when taken casually in a non-medical setting, people can cause harm to themselves or others. They may jump out a window or run into traffic because of a panic reaction.
The drug would have to be administered in a controlled setting in a hospital, if found in further research to be an effective and safe therapy for certain mental illnesses, Griffiths said. It would not be appropriate for people who already have psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, since psilocybin can exacerbate those symptoms.
But among healthy volunteers, Griffiths and others have found that people may have long-lasting positive effects from the vivid memories of being on psilocybin (in a controlled, experimental setting). People report mystical experiences of feeling the "interconnectedness of all things," which can be life-changing.
"People claim to have an enhanced sense of self, more emotional balance, they're more compassionate, they're more sensitive to the needs of others," he said. "They have more well-being and less depression, but they're not 'high' in any conventional sense. They feel like their perceptual set has shifted."
The memories of the psilocybin experience, and positive outcomes that users attribute toward them, can last as much as 25 years, research has shown.
Still, there's just not enough known yet about the long-term safety of psilocybin to say whether it could also do damage to the brain, Griffiths said.
"There’d have to be changes in the brain for these long-lasting memories and attributions to occur," Griffiths said. "We don’t know how those changes occur, and why."
Filed under: Brain • Depression • Psychology
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i#everything
Reblogged this on Josh Bosley's and commented:
Haha. Science.
I took mushrooms years ago and the experience rates among the most important experiences of my life. I am not at all surprised to see that these recent studies are finding such powerful and long lasting therapeutic effects. I am surprised by how sloppy the reporting is in this piece though. Psilocybin has almost no potential for "abuse." No study has ever indicated that it is addictive. In spite of how powerful and positive and wonderful my experience was, I didn't feel any need to revisit it. A curiosity, perhaps, but I never sought it out again. And flatly stating that people may jump out of windows or run into traffic? If such things occur, it must be exceedingly rare. This substance does not make you insane, it makes your childlike sense of wonder more accessible. If anyone has run into traffic, they were insane to begin with, or on more than just mushrooms. In any case, there is no evidence that anyone has died as a direct result of consuming psilocybin mushrooms. It is absolutely ridiculous that psilocybin is a schedule 1 drug.
Liz Tuffelmire
When I did shrooms it was life changing. As if I my soul was no longer connected to my mind, the world was seen from an unbiased view. First I thought I was dying because I had been so depressed for so long, I was literally drowning in my tears. My best friend basically removed my mask. She asked me what was wrong. Everything poured out. While I felt like I was literally dying, I thought I was going to hell. In my mind I was dying. Therefore, my whole life flashed before my eyes and in that instant I realized I needed to change. I was sick of being a fly on the wall my whole life. I didn't want to keep being a coward. My personality has changed and I believe it has been perfected. Not that I'm perfect. I am content with who I am now. It cured my depression. It made me feel like I do have a purpose in life. It made me realize that my whole life I have been waiting for a perfect moment, I've been afraid, I have been waiting for the world to move. But I can make the world move. Life truly is what you make it. 🙂 Maybe someone else who had a near death experience can say the same thing. The only difference is that their experience was physical and my near death experience was only in my head. Either way, when you face death you have nothing else to be afraid of. You're left with appreciation for life.
Anyway, my brother is schizophrenic. I want to try this. I believe he'll be who he used to be... normal, funny, likeable. After all, everything is in the mind, even your perception. And since your brain chemicals are constantly changing, who's to say that his brain is permanently "imbalanced"? Maybe its not. This chemical imbalance thing is ONLY a theory. One that hasn't been proven at that.
"The drug would have to be administered in a controlled setting in a hospital"
Sounds like a good way to increase anxiety while tripping.
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about 40 yrs ago I was a kid growing up in the pscilocybin era. Interesting that the mushroom effects seeing as that is what happened to me, I went blind for a few minutes, that was enough experimentation for me, I never touched them again.
As well people do jump out of windows & have bad trips if they take too much in the powder form, I know this has happened.
So there's been instances where someone has died because they've eat eaten a bunch of mushrooms and thought they could fly. How frequently do we hear of fatal instances where somebody has drunk a bottle of whiskey and thought they could drive a car?
Professor Nutt is quoted as giving this amazingly candid explanation regarding the very similar LSD in a recent article for The Independent:
"When I [asked Professor Nutt] why LSD was prohibited, he has a surprisingly simple three-word answer: "the Vietnam war". Essentially, when its use spread to the general population in the mid 1960s, "Young Americans realised they didn't want to fight any more. That brought a huge tension into society. So they had to create reasons for banning the drug. Everyone knew the arguments were totally specious. But no one stood up.""
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/dr-robin-carhartharris-is-the-first-scientist-in-over-40-years-to-test-lsd-on-humans–and-youre-next-9667532.html
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Janice Wells
Annabel's schizophrenia’s story
My daughter (Annabel) suffered schizophrenia for 5 years. I had no idea what was happening and didn’t know where to turn for help. It was hard then because I really didn’t understand the symptoms earlier until she was diagnosed. There was a time she decided to get away from everyone, I was not excluded. I had to sit and cry almost every day because I felt helpless as a single mother (she is all I have got). The anguish I went through taking care of her alone is beyond explanation because there was no support of whatsoever from the dad or family members. I fought for proper medical care and humane treatment; I did everything within my reach to get her cured but all to no avail. Countless different medications was prescribed (Zyprexa, fluphenazine, Risperdal, quetiapine, etc.) that she was taking but all we could get was myriad of side effects such as rigidity, drowsiness, dizziness, tremors and restlessness which tends to worsen the already damaged situation. Frustration was the order of the day. I wrote couple of messages to Ontario Mental Health Foundation for help because watching my daughter go through such was devastating. It was at this foundation someone shared a testimony about VEEMEON herbal medicine, how effective it is and how she went through the most difficult times of her life trying to help her mom fight Schizophrenia. Being that I was already at the verge of giving up because I just couldn't imagine waking up every morning to fight the same demons that left me so tired the night before. I had to contact the doctor, from our conversation; I was relieved and convinced that the result is going to be positive because I was made to contact people with worse cases. Today, the awful situation of my daughter has gone by. Her happy life is back. She is now a schizophrenia survivor and I am glad because my daily routine activities can now kick off without obstructions. Don't let Schizophrenia hinder you from living a desired life and also, never allow anyone decide for you especially when they don't know what you have to go through to get to where you are. I was almost discouraged by the doctor but then, I remembered that: I have to shield my daughter’s destiny with courage, faith and perseverance because she is not in her right state of mind and that the bravery and freedom from fear is found in the ‘doing’. Her life is now a testimony. After my daughter got cured, she said, Mom “I just thought, ‘Well, I’m a weirdo, I’ll never be normal, then I said, my daughter, life itself is a misery and we get stronger in the places we have been broken. Thanks to you Dr. Austin for your excellent counseling, no more psychotic symptoms for the past 3 years and 4 months now. To know more about Dr. Austin and the effectiveness of his Herbs, You can view his blog: schizophreniacures.blogsopt.com. I believe you will testify just like me.
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left out Jan. 13, 2020
Staten Island Family Court Struggles With Disability Act Compliance
By Clifford Michel and Eileen Grench
With no elevator and steep steps at its entrance, the Staten Island Family Court building is not fully accessible for people with mobility issues. Photo: Clifford Michel/THE CITY
For those seeking justice in Staten Island’s cramped Family Court, the decade closed as it began: with unfulfilled promises of a new home that would be accessible to all.
The nearly century-old, two-story courthouse on Richmond Terrace has no elevator, making it nearly impossible for anyone who can’t climb stairs to reach courtrooms on the upper floor.
People with mobility issues are often relegated to makeshift “courtrooms” in a parking lot trailer that’s been in use since 2010. If people have to get to even just the first floor of the main building, they have to be escorted by court officers to a stairless back entrance, which is fenced off with a gate.
“Between accessibility, security, efficiency, privacy, it fails on a number of levels,” said attorney Daniel Greenbaum, head of Juvenile Practice in Staten Island for the Legal Aid Society.
John Ocean waits for his family’s case to be called at Staten Island Family Court. Photo: Clifford Michel/THE CITY
John Ocean, 63, sat with his family in the second-floor waiting room of Staten Island’s Family Courthouse, his red cane propped up beside him on the wooden bench. It was his fifth time at the courthouse since moving to Staten Island three decades ago, and he had just made another slow climb up the steep marble stairs after needing to use the restroom on the ground floor.
He said he never knows what part of his body will hurt most on any given day, but he knows he won’t be able to walk the courthouse steps up forever.
“I might get to the point where it really hurts to come up here and I might want to say something: Y’all should put an elevator in that building!”
Promised Relocation
In 2010, court officials promised a relocation to more spacious, renovated quarters at the Supreme Court building down the street, once that court moved into its own new building.
Supreme Court moved to its new space in 2015 — but only a fraction of Family Court hearings have since moved into the vacated building, which also houses Surrogate’s Court.
Since then, the court’s caseload has become only heavier, going from 9,943 in 2015 to 10,947 in 2018, according to OCA. Part of the growth is because most 16- and 17-year-olds charged with crimes now have their cases heard in Family Court instead of criminal courts due to New York’s 2017 “Raise the Age” law.
This trailer with two courtrooms has sat in Staten Island Family Court’s parking lot since 2010. Photo: Clifford Michel/THE CITY
The situation is so dire that last year local politicians wrote to Chief Judge of the State of New York Janet DiFiore and Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice Director Elizabeth Glazer pleading for a new Family Court tower — an idea first agreed upon by court and borough officials in 2017.
“To date, we have received no update or construction timeline from the Office of Court Administration or City Hall,” wrote Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon, Borough President Jimmy Oddo, state Sen. Diane Savino and Assemblymember Charles Fall.
The state Office of Court Administration did not respond to inquiries from THE CITY about the plans.
Services Denied
Christina Brandt-Young, a managing attorney for Disability Rights Advocates, said that the city’s makeshift solutions are inadequate and don’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“It violates the law to make it harder for people with disabilities to access the services in that building,” said Brandt-Young, whose nonprofit has worked with Staten Islanders who stopped going to the courthouse completely.
“We’ve absolutely heard stories from people who were so frustrated that they gave up.”
A sign at Staten Island Family Court sign directs people with disabilities to call for help getting to the back entrance. Photo: Eileen Grench/THE CITY
Greenbaum described his organization’s child welfare and juvenile justice clients contending with no-win choices.
A mother and daughter who both relied on wheelchairs had their child welfare case heard in a trailer parked outside. Since both couldn’t fit their wheelchairs into the space, the daughter had to make a choice: walk on her hands into the back of the courtroom, or not accompany her mother to the proceeding.
She decided not to participate.
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, Colby Hamilton, said that the agency is currently working with the city budget office and state courts to fine-tune plans that will rely on a projected $206 million out of the city’s existing court-construction budget.
“Government buildings should be accessible to all New Yorkers, especially the halls of justice,” said Nick Benson, a spokesperson for the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which manages court facilities.
Musical Courtrooms
Family Court, meanwhile, has continued to try to accommodate people with limited mobility in its small and fragmented facilities, now at three separate locations across St. George — one of which has cost the city $800,000 annually in rent for more than a decade, according to DCAS. The other two locations are owned by the city.
In 2018, officials converted a records room on the ground floor into a courtroom to provide an alternative to using the trailer outside or a scaling a flight of smooth marble stairs.
“I mean, those stairs are terrifying,” said Greenbaum. “Even when you don’t carry something. I’ve slipped down them a few times because they’re lovely marble. And if you got your nice little leather soled shoes on you can take a slip.”
Lawyers and court staff noted thats cases scheduled for the second floor sometimes move downstairs when a need for an accessible room arises — or they just have to wait, even if that means adjourning for a later date.
The constant scramble puts a heavy burden on court officers, their union leaders contend.
“People who come to the court are not happy campers to begin with, and then you give them a sh—y facility, that’s dirty, that’s overcrowded and with no seats for them to sit in, it just raises the level of their anxiety and we have to deal with that problem,” said Dennis Quirk, president of the New York State Court Officers Association.
accessibility,
family court,
left out
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Drew University History
Presidents of Drew University
Robert Weisbuch
Drew History
The People of Drew
Created by E. Axel Larsson, last modified by Jennifer Heise on Feb 11, 2013
Robert Weisbuch was the eleventh president of Drew University. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and holds his Ph.D. in English from Yale University. Weisbuch served in many roles at the University of Michigan and just prior to coming to Drew, he served as President of the Woodrow Willson National Fellowship Foundation. For his official biography, visit http://depts.drew.edu/pres/rweisbuch/index.php. He stepped down in June, 2012.
Courtesy of the Drew University Archives
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▪ 1997
(JIANG HAICHENG), Chinese poet (b. March 27, 1910, Jinhua, Zhejiang province, China—d. May 5, 1996, Beijing, China), created works that at their best were simple and powerful while at their worst were marred by propagandistic intent. The son of a wealthy landowner, Jiang lived the first five years of his life with an impoverished wet nurse. From 1928 to 1932 he studied in Paris, where he gained an appreciation for Western literature. Upon his return to China, he was imprisoned for his radical political associations, and while in jail he wrote a poem about his wet nurse that established his popularity. After his release some three years later, he joined Mao Zedong and dedicated his poetry to the communist cause. He published more than 30 volumes of chiefly nationalistic, folk-oriented verse and served in many cultural offices, but in 1957 he was officially censured. He remained silent for 21 years, interned in labour camps in Heilongjiang and Xinjiang provinces. Selected Poems of Ai Qing was published in 1982.
▪ Chinese poet
Wade-Giles romanization Ai Ch'ing , pseudonym of Jiang Haicheng
born March 27, 1910, Jinhua, Zhejiang province, China
died May 5, 1996, Beijing
Chinese poet whose free verse was influential in the development of xinshi (“new poetry”).
The son of a well-to-do landowner, Ai Qing was encouraged to learn Western languages. He studied painting in Paris from 1928 to 1932, and he developed an appreciation for Western literature. Imprisoned for his radical political activities, he began to write poetry under his pen name. His first collection of verse, Dayanhe (1936), reflects his concern for the common people of China; the title poem recalls the foster nurse (called Dayanhe in the poem) who reared him. He went to Yan'an in 1941 and eventually accepted the literary teachings of the Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong. Ai Qing published a number of additional volumes in the 1940s, such as Kuangye (1940; “Wildness”), Xiang taiyang (1940; “Toward the Sun”), and Beifang (1942; “North”). An advocate of free expression and the role of the writer as social critic, Ai Qing used simple language and a free style in creating his socially oriented poems.
After 1949 Ai Qing served on various cultural committees, but in 1957 he was officially censured as a rightist for criticizing the communist regime. He remained silent for 21 years and was interned in labour camps in Heilongjiang and Xinjiang. He began writing again in 1978, publishing books such as Guilai de ge (1980; “Song of Returning”). Selected Poems of Ai Qing was published in 1982, and his entire oeuvre was published as Ai Qing quanji (“The Complete Works of Ai Qing”) in 1991.
Ahtisaari, Martti
Aigner, Ladislas
Qing official headwear — Qing Guanmao (清代官帽) is the headwear of officials during the Qing Dynasty in China. It consisted of (in winter) a black velvet cap, or (in summer) a hat woven in rattan or similar materials, both with a button on the top. The button or knob would… … Wikipedia
Qing Gong — (zh tspcy|t=輕功|s=轻功|p=qīnggōng|cy=Hing Kung) translates to light body skill , and consists of two main skills: One being the ability to perform vertical jumps of a height many times that of the human body, and the other being the ability to… … Wikipedia
Qing Structural Regulations — (清式营造则例), a monograph on Qing dynasty architecture by theChinese architect Liang Sicheng, first published in 1934.Liang based his research of Qing dynasty architecture on the 1734 Qing dynasty ArchitectureMethod (Qing Gongcheng Zuofa Zeli… … Wikipedia
Qing Lian Zhan Shi — (Chinese: 清廉战士, literally The Incorruptible Warrior ) is a Chinese video game. The player takes on the role of protagonist who battles corrupt government officials as well as their children and mistresses. The game received financial sponsoring… … Wikipedia
Qing Dynasty — Not to be confused with the Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China. Qing redirects here. For other uses, see Qing (disambiguation). Great Qing 大清帝国, Dà Qīng Dìguó … Wikipedia
Qing-Zeit — Gebiet der Qing Dynastie mit Vasallen Die Qing Dynastie (mandschurisch daicing gurun; chin. 清朝, qīng cháo, W. G. ch ing ch ao), auch Mandschu Dynastie, wurde 1616 von den Mandschu unter Nurhaci gegründet und herrschte ab 1644 im Kaiserreich China … Deutsch Wikipedia
Qing-Dynastie — Gebiet der Qing Dynastie Die Qing Dynastie (mandschurisch daicing gurun; chinesisch 清朝 qīng cháo, W. G. ch ing ch ao), auch Mandschu Dynastie, wurde 1616 von den Mandschu unter Nurhaci gegründet und herrschte ab 1644 im Kaiserreich… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Qing Pang — Pang mit ihrem Partner Tong. Pang Qing (* 24. Dezember, 1979 in Harbin, VR China) ist eine chinesische Eiskunstläuferin. Pang ist ihr Familienname. Pang Qing begann mit sechs Jahren mit dem Eiskunstlaufen und war bis 1993 Einzelläuferin. Pang… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Qing Muzong — Kaiser Tongzhi Tongzhi (chin. 同治, Tóngzhì, * 27. April 1856; † 12. Januar 1875, Kaiser der Qing Dynastie ab dem 11. November 1861) folgte seinem Vater Xianfeng bereits im Alter von fünf Jahren auf den Thron. Bis zu seiner Volljährigkeit 1872… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Qing Dynasty family tree — The following is a simplified family tree for the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China between 1644 and the declaration of the Republic of China on January 1 1912.Those who became emperor of China are listed in bold, with their years of reign. Nurhaci … Wikipedia
Qing — Der Begriff Qing steht für: die letzte Dynastie des chinesischen Kaiserreiches; siehe Qing Dynastie Qing (Cangzhou) (青县), den Kreis der bezirksfreien Stadt Cangzhou in der chinesischen Provinz Hebei Siehe auch: Qin Quing … Deutsch Wikipedia
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The Arctic might be emitting billions of tons of carbon in air, proving climate scientists' worst fears
The report concludes that permafrost ecosystems could be releasing as much as 1.1 to 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year — almost as much as the 2018 annual emissions of Japan and Russia, respectively
A large expanse of permafrost on Banks Island in the Western Canadian Arctic melting in the summer heat, a process that scientists warn could reshape much of the northern landscape and release huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Charles Tarnocai, Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada.
The Arctic is undergoing a profound, rapid and unmitigated shift into a new climate state, one that is greener, features far less ice, and is a net source of greenhouse gas emissions from melting permafrost, according to a major new federal assessment of the region released Tuesday.
The consequences of these climate shifts will be felt far outside the Arctic in the form of altered weather patterns, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and rising sea levels from the melting Greenland ice sheet and mountain glaciers.
The findings are contained in the 2019 Arctic Report Card, a major federal assessment of climate change trends and impacts throughout the region. The study paints an ominous picture of a region lurching to an entirely new and unfamiliar climate state.
Especially noteworthy is the report’s conclusion that the Arctic may have already turned into a net emitter of planet-warming carbon emissions due to thawing permafrost, which would only accelerate global warming. Permafrost is the carbon-rich frozen soil that covers 24% of Northern Hemisphere land area, encompassing vast stretches of territory across Alaska, Canada, Siberia and Greenland.
There has been concern throughout the scientific community that the approximately 1,460-1,600 billion metric tons of organic carbon stored in frozen Arctic soils, which amounts to nearly twice as much greenhouse gases than what is contained in the atmosphere, could be released as the permafrost melts.
Warming temperatures allow microbes within the soil to convert permafrost carbon into the greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide and methane — which can be released into the atmosphere and accelerate warming. Ted Schuur, a researcher at Northern Arizona University and author of the permafrost chapter, said the report “takes on a new stand on the issue” based on other published work, including a study in Nature Climate Change in November.
We don't think the Arctic is going to admit so much more emissions that it will make fossil fuel emissions irrelevant
Taking advantage of the new studies — one on regional carbon emissions from permafrost in Alaska during the warm season, and another on winter season emissions in the Arctic compared to how much carbon is absorbed by vegetation during the growing season — the report concludes that permafrost ecosystems could be releasing as much as 1.1 to 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. This is almost as much as the annual emissions of Japan and Russia in 2018, respectively.
“These observations signify that the feedback to accelerating climate change may already be underway,” the report concludes.
“Each of the studies has some parts of the story. Together they really paint the picture of — we’ve turned this corner for Arctic carbon,” said Schuur. “Together they complement each other nicely and really in my mind are a smoking gun for this change already taking place.”
The report notes there is still considerable uncertainty about carbon emissions estimates given the relatively limited observational measurements. But it also warns that the Arctic region — which is warming at more than twice the rate of the rest of the world, may have already turned into the global warming accelerator long been feared.
The findings come just as U.N. climate negotiators meet in Madrid to address the need for more ambitious cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, and would mean that the world faces an even steeper challenge in meeting the targets outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement.
Schuur said that the carbon being emitted by the Arctic amounts to less than 10% of fossil fuel emissions each year. “So it’s a small addition to what humans are already producing,” he said.
This handout file photo taken on August 22, 2015 and provided by the European Geosciences Union on September 13, 2016 shows a polar bear testing the strength of thin sea ice in the Arctic. AFP PHOTO / European Geosciences Union / Mario HOPPMANN
However, that number is likely to grow with time, as the Arctic continues to warm. “We’ve crossed the zero line,” Schuur said.
“We don’t think the Arctic is going to admit so much more emissions that it will make fossil fuel emissions irrelevant,” but any extra emissions complicate the already difficult task of slashing them to net zero by mid-century to limit global warming to no more than 1.5-degrees Celsius, he said.
Merritt Turetsky, an ecologist at the University of Guelph who was not involved in the Arctic Report Card, said three new discoveries support its conclusion.
New information on fall and winter carbon, as opposed to summer when plants are active in the far north, “shows much greater ecosystem losses of carbon to the atmosphere than we expected,” she said in an email. “So our biosphere in the North is leakier than we thought because soils are remaining warm and respiring both carbon dioxide and methane.” Methane is another powerful greenhouse gas.
She said wildfires are pushing farther north into the boreal forests, and these also release carbon stored in ecosystems.
And studies in the past few years have shown that permafrost can respond rapidly to warming and increased rainfall.
“We know little about abrupt permafrost thaw, and it occurs at local scales so [it] is difficult to scale up. But our best estimate shows that abrupt thaw has the potential to double the climate impacts of traditional measurements of permafrost thaw,” Turetsky said.
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The broader Arctic Report Card shows the region is undergoing extensive changes in the marine environment as well as frozen lands. The Bering Sea, in particular, has seen “disquieting” shifts in the past two years, the report finds. What happens here is crucial for the U.S. economy, given that about 40% of the domestic fish and shellfish catch, worth more than $1 billion, comes from this region every year.
For the past two years, the maximum sea ice extent in the Bering Sea has been at record lows, at about 30% of the long-term mean from 1980 through 2010, the new report finds.
This is due to a few factors, including unusually mild, southerly winds during winter that pushed sea ice northward and transported warm, moist air into the Pacific portion of the Arctic. In addition, the late freeze-up of the bordering Chukchi Sea in the previous fall seasons helped to delay ice formation in the northern Bering Sea, and warm ocean temperatures from low sea ice conditions slowed the advance of new ice as air temperatures cooled.
The wintertime ice retreat is crucial, since it causes ripple effects on fisheries by governing the placement of frigid waters that sink near the bottom of the continental shelf. As ice retreats, taking this cold water with it, a mass migration of fish species is underway in the Bering Sea, with Arctic species such as Pacific cod and walleye pollock moving north, replaced by southern species such as northern rock sole.
In the southeastern Bering Sea, warming has accelerated to the point that the “cold pool” – the frigid, salty water that provides a barrier between its southern stretch from its northern, Arctic region – shrank from covering 56% in 2010 to 1.4% in 2018. It only inched up to 6.3% this year, and species such as Pacific cod surged north.
On July 1, 2016, an Iñupiat girl Amaia, 11, stands on a ice floe on a shore of the Arctic Ocean in Barrow, Alaska. The anomalous melting of the Arctic ice is one of the many effects of global warming that has a serious impact on the life of humans and wildlife. UNICEF/UN056164/Sokhin (CNW Group/UNICEF Canada
“I don’t think it was on anyone’s radar that it could disappear,” said Lyle Britt, who oversees the NOAA Fisheries Bering Sea bottom trawl survey.
Britt said he and other researchers are still analyzing the area’s fish to determine how many have migrated from southern waters.
“This is a big change to the ecosystem,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do with genetics just to make sure we know where the fish is coming from.”
According to Mellisa Johnson, an Inupiaq who is executive director of Bering Sea Elders Group, coastal Bering Sea communities are grappling with the loss of sea ice, which dramatically alters their ability to access food sources such as seals, walrus and bowhead whales.
“We have to continue to look for alternative food sources,” she said in an interview.
To illustrate the swiftness and complexity of the changes indigenous communities are seeing, she said people are “having to create new words to depict what is going on with our changing environment,” citing a new type of plant that has shown up in the region as air and ground temperatures have warmed.
Alaska has had its hottest year to date in 2019, with no sea ice visible from the shoreline in Nome as of Dec. 9, which is highly unusual for this time of year.
“We fear for our young people; we worry that they will grow without the same foods and places that we have known throughout our lives,” says a chapter written by a group of indigenous representatives in the Arctic Report Card. “We are no longer able to reliably predict the weather,” the report states, citing the reduced use of knowledge passed down from one generation to the next.
Kathryn Harrison: Hope for the future thanks to kids at climate... B.C. man acquitted in Air India bombing travels to India
Judge grills Meng Wanzhou’s lawyers on double-criminality issues | Vancouver Sun
Former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson has a new job – Vancouver Sun
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Meghan Markle takes seaplane to Vancouver, visits Downtown Eastside Women's Centre
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Election 2019: Once all but dead, Bloc Québécois is back on its feet
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Microsoft Eases Up on Licensing
Microsoft is beginning to get it when it comes to virtualization licensing. They still have a ways to go yet, but at least they're taking steps in the right direction.
Starting Sept. 1, according to this document ("Application Server License Mobility"), you can now move certain applications around to various servers within a farm without buying extra licenses. It's very complicated (par for the course when it comes to Microsoft licensing), but broken down into its simplest terms, this is what it means:
Under the old system, if you moved an app from one server to another, you couldn't move it again for 90 days without buying a license for the new server. In other words, you would need two licenses for your copy of Exchange 2003, if the software was regularly moved from one physical box to the other. This, of course, is the rule with virtualization. Under the new rules, if those servers are part of a farm, the only license you'll need is for the software itself -- not for each individual server on which the software may run.
Chris Wolf, our "Virtual Advisor" columnist, wrote about this circumstance in our March/April issue. It was the key reason he had Microsoft in his "thumbs down" category when it comes to virtualization licensing. Now, to a large degree, Microsoft has overcome that weakness.
There are a number of restrictions to the new policy, though, and they will rankle many of you. First and foremost is that server OSes aren't included. So you can move SQL Server 2007 around to your heart's content; try the same thing with Windows Server 2003 or 2008, and you're violating your license agreement. This seems strange and capricious to me. Isn't server consolidation the main reason, at present, that most people start using virtualization? To restrict the mobility of server OSes is just not smart.
The other big omission in the new policy will hurt small and medium businesses (SMBs). The new rules only apply to volume license agreements, which requires a minimum of five instances of a product. So if you only need one instance of Microsoft Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007, or three copies of SharePoint Server 2007 and don't want to pay volume licenses (but still want the high availability benefits of using a farm, or even two servers), you're plumb out of luck, and will need to buy licenses for every server. Why cut out the little and medium-sized guys, Microsoft? If anything, they have less ability to fork out giant amounts of dough for licenses than the enterprises.
But even given those oversights, it's still a very positive change. Microsoft's byzantine licensing requirements have stumped smarter people than me; in the recent past, though, Redmond has been willing to be flexible in making changes, and listens closely to customer feedback in this area.
One piece of advice: you have negotiating power with Microsoft when discussing licenses; they're almost never cut and dried. No matter what size shop you have, you can work for the best deal, and maybe get the volume license restrictions, for example, lifted if you're an SMB. How? Tell Microsoft that you're considering moving to open source software if it doesn't give you what you need. And don't make it an empty threat. Mean it.
Let me know what you think of the new rules, and whether or not Microsoft needs to go further.
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Long-term e-cigarette use and smoking cessation: a longitudinal study with US population
Yue-Lin Zhuang,
Sharon E Cummins,
Jessica Y Sun,
Shu-Hong Zhu
Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
Correspondence to Dr Shu-Hong Zhu, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0905, La Jolla, CA 92093-0905, USA; szhu{at}ucsd.edu
Background E-cigarettes have grown popular. The most common pattern is dual use with conventional cigarettes. Dual use has raised concerns that it might delay quitting of cigarette smoking. This study examined the relationship between long-term use of e-cigarettes and smoking cessation in a 2-year period.
Methods A nationally representative sample of 2028 US smokers were surveyed in 2012 and 2014. Long-term e-cigarette use was defined as using e-cigarettes at baseline and follow-up. Use of e-cigarettes only at baseline or at follow-up was defined as short-term use. Non-users did not use e-cigarettes at either survey. Quit attempt rates and cessation rates (abstinent for 3 months or longer) were compared across the three groups.
Results At 2-year follow-up, 43.7% of baseline dual users were still using e-cigarettes. Long-term e-cigarette users had a higher quit attempt rate than short-term or non-users (72.6% vs 53.8% and 45.5%, respectively), and a higher cessation rate (42.4% vs 14.2% and 15.6%, respectively). The difference in cessation rate between long-term users and non-users remained significant after adjusting for baseline variables, OR=4.1 (95% CI 1.5 to 11.4) as did the difference between long-term users and short-term users, OR=4.8 (95% CI 1.6 to 13.9). The difference in cessation rate between short-term users and non-users was not significant, OR=0.9 (95% CI 0.5 to 1.4). Among those making a quit attempt, use of e-cigarettes as a cessation aid surpassed that of FDA-approved pharmacotherapy.
Conclusions Short-term e-cigarette use was not associated with a lower rate of smoking cessation. Long-term use of e-cigarettes was associated with a higher rate of quitting smoking.
Electronic nicotine delivery devices
Cessation
This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
E-cigarettes have grown popular in recent years. The majority of e-cigarette users are current cigarette smokers.1 ,2 One reason e-cigarettes are so popular among smokers is that many believe that e-cigarettes can help them quit smoking and, indeed, the use of e-cigarettes appears to be associated with intention to quit smoking.1 ,3–5 However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved e-cigarettes as a cessation aid, although the UK has recently approved one brand.6 ,7 To date, clinical trials testing the efficacy of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation have provided only limited evidence.8
At the population level, there is concern that dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes could extend the use of both products.9 In fact, many dual users state that they use e-cigarettes at times and in places where they cannot smoke.5 ,10 ,11 Dual use may reduce smokers' consumption of cigarettes, but it could lessen the urgency to quit smoking.12 This would extend the nicotine addiction and prolong the duration of cigarette smoking. If this is true, then the overall population effect of e-cigarettes would be negative since duration of smoking poses a greater health risk than intensity of smoking.13
Many studies have examined the association of e-cigarette use and smoking cessation.14 However, only a few have investigated the effect of long-term use of e-cigarettes. Two studies reported high cessation rates among long-term e-cigarette users.15 ,16 However, these studies did not include a comparison group of smokers who did not use e-cigarettes. One study of state quitline callers reported that the quit rate was lower for those who used e-cigarettes than those who never used e-cigarettes.17 Among those who used e-cigarettes, those who used at least 1 month had a higher quit rate than those who did not use e-cigarettes for 1 month. Even though the use of a product for 1 month would generally not be considered to be long-term use, this study did find a difference between these two groups. A more recent study reported that the rate of quitting smoking was no different between those who had used e-cigarettes weekly for at least 6 months and those who did not use e-cigarettes.18 However, this study did not include those who used e-cigarettes for <6 months. Variations in study design and in selection of participants make it difficult to integrate these results. Moreover, none of these studies examined the effect of long-term e-cigarette use on smoking cessation with a sample representative of the general smoking population.
Using a longitudinal study design with a nationally representative sample of US adult smokers, the present study examined the effect of long-term e-cigarette use by comparing long-term users with short-term users. Both groups were also compared against non-users. The study also gathered information on beliefs about e-cigarettes and the use of various tobacco and nicotine products. Smokers in the study were first surveyed in 2012 and then followed up in 2014. This time frame corresponded with the sharp rise in the use of e-cigarettes in the USA.2 ,19 The 2-year duration allows for the examination of smokers who used e-cigarettes for an extended period of time.
The University of California, San Diego surveyed a probability sample of the US population using GfK's KnowledgePanel between February and March, 2012. The probability-based panel was established using random-digit dialing and an address-based sampling frame20 and provides representativeness similar to other US population surveys.21 ,22 Between February and March 2014, 2097 out of 3111 participants who were identified as current smokers at the 2012 baseline completed a follow-up survey (67.4%). Of the 2097, we excluded 56 who reported that they were never smokers in 2014 (despite saying they were current smokers in 2012) and 13 participants who did not report their current e-cigarette status in either 2012 (n=10) or in 2014 (n=3). Thus, the final effective sample size was 2028.
Smokers were defined as those who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and smoked every day or some days at the time of the survey. E-cigarette use was defined as those who used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days before the survey. Long-term e-cigarette users were those who used e-cigarettes at baseline and follow-up. Short-term e-cigarette users were those who used e-cigarettes only at baseline or only at follow-up. Non-e-cigarette users were those who did not use e-cigarettes at baseline or follow-up.
In addition, at follow-up e-cigarette users were asked if they had ‘used e-cigarettes on at least 10 days (could be 10 days in a row or 10 days not in a row)’ and if they had ‘ever been a daily e-cigarette user for at least 1 month’.
At baseline, smokers were asked whether they planned to quit smoking. Anyone who was ready to quit smoking within 6 months was coded as having an intention to quit, following the convention of stage of change theory.23
The quit attempt rate was defined as the percentage of smokers who, at follow-up, had made at least one attempt to quit smoking that lasted for at least 24 hours in the past 2 years. The cessation rate was defined as the percentage of smokers at follow-up who had quit smoking for at least 3 months. Also, those who had quit smoking and those current smokers who made at least one quit attempt in the past 12 months before the 2014 survey were asked if they had used pharmacotherapies or e-cigarettes in their most recent quit attempt.
The use of any of FDA-approved cessation aids at follow-up, including nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum, lozenges, spray or inhaler), bupropion and varenicline, were labelled as having used pharmacotherapy.
To assess their beliefs about e-cigarettes, the survey asked participants at follow-up how much they agreed or disagreed with the following three statements: ‘Using e-cigarettes is harmful to one's health’, ‘E-cigarettes are less harmful to health than regular cigarettes’ and ‘E-cigarettes help people quit smoking’. In the analysis, strongly (agreed/disagreed) or somewhat (agreed/disagreed) were collapsed into dichotomous categories of agreed or disagreed.
All percentages were weighted by population parameters based on the most recent US Current Population Survey.24 ,25 A survey-specific poststratification adjustment was used to account for any survey non-responses, as well as any non-coverage, or undersampling and oversampling resulting from the survey-specific sampling design. The longitudinal panel produced an overall smoking prevalence for the USA of 20.7% in 2012 and 16.5% in 2014: the national estimates were 18.1% and 16.8% from the 2012 and 2014 National Health Interview Survey, respectively.26 ,27
Logistic regressions were used to examine the effect of long-term use of e-cigarettes on quitting outcomes while adjusting for baseline social demographics, cigarettes per day (CPD) and intention to quit smoking. Beliefs about e-cigarettes and patterns of pharmacotherapy and e-cigarette use were compared across three e-cigarette use groups. CIs (95%) were calculated on the basis of the sampling distribution of the corresponding summary statistic. A Wald χ2 test was used to determine significance. All calculations for this paper were generated using SAS V.9.4 software.
Figure 1 shows e-cigarette use status over time: of those who used e-cigarettes and cigarettes at baseline, 43.7% were still using e-cigarettes at the 2-year follow-up (ie, long-term e-cigarette users) while 56.3% stopped using e-cigarettes. Among those who did not use e-cigarettes at baseline, 19.4% were using e-cigarettes at follow-up.
E-cigarette use status at baseline and follow-up. Note: 95% CI is shown in parenthesis for each estimate.
Those who only used e-cigarettes at baseline or at follow-up are grouped together in the analysis and were defined as short-term e-cigarette users. The remaining baseline smokers are classified as non-e-cigarette users.
Long-term users differed significantly from short-term users in their frequency of usage. Almost all the long-term users, 96.8%, answered ‘yes’ when they were asked if they had used e-cigarettes for at least 10 days in their life, compared to only 67.4% of short-term users (p<0.001), and 67.3% of long-term users reported that they had used e-cigarettes daily for at least 1 month, compared to 32.2% of short-term users (p<0.001).
It should be noted that 40.1% of non-users reported that they had tried e-cigarettes at some point in their life. However, they were not using any e-cigarettes at time of survey in 2012 nor in 2014.
Table 1 shows the baseline demographics, cigarettes smoked per day and intention to quit smoking by e-cigarette use category. Those aged 25–44 were less likely to be long-term e-cigarette users than short-term and non-users (16.8% vs 40.0% and 40.5%, respectively). Those aged 65+ were more likely to be non-users than short-term users (9.7% vs 5.9%). No gender or education differences were found among the three groups. The percentage of heavy smokers (CPD≥15) did not differ significantly across e-cigarette use categories. Intention to quit smoking appeared to differ across groups, but the difference was not statistically significant.
Demographics, cigarettes per day, and intention to stop smoking at baseline by length of e-cigarette use
The short-term e-cigarette use group comprised of two subgroups: those who used e-cigarettes only at baseline and those who used e-cigarette only at follow-up. The two subgroups were not different in either CPD (45.2% vs 42.9% smoked ≥15 CPD) or intention to quit smoking (31.6% vs 33.8%), although the second subgroup had a higher proportion of 18–24-year-olds (5.1% vs 17.2%) and of 65 years or older (1.8% vs 6.7%) and a higher proportion who identified themselves as ‘other’ ethnicity (0.3% vs 9.5%).
Table 2 shows beliefs about e-cigarettes. Long-term e-cigarette users were more likely to believe that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes compared to short-term users, who in turn were more likely to believe that than non-users. No significant difference was found between long-term and short-term e-cigarette users on their beliefs that e-cigarettes are ‘harmful to health’, e-cigarettes ‘help quitting’ and e-cigarettes' ‘secondhand vapour is harmful’. On the other hand, non-users generally held more negative beliefs about e-cigarettes than users did.
Beliefs about e-cigarettes, assessed at 2014 follow-up survey
Table 3 presents the quit attempt rates and 3-month quit rates. Two analyses were performed to compare these rates: a univariate analysis and a multiple regression. Univariate analysis shows that long-term e-cigarettes users had a significantly higher quit attempt rate, 72.6%, than non-users, 45.5% (p<0.01). They also had a significantly higher quit attempt rate than short-term users, 53.8% (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between short-term users and non-users (p=0.07).
E-cigarettes use as predictors of quit attempt rate and cessation rate at follow-up, adjusted for baseline variables (N=2028)
Intention to quit smoking also predicted the quit attempt rate (71.1% vs 38.6%), as did heavy smoking (40.9% vs 52.5%). Among the demographic variables, higher education and the ethnic category ‘other’ predicted quit attempt.
The multiple regression showed similar results: long-term users had a significantly higher quit attempt rate than non-users (OR=2.94, p<0.01), after adjusting for intention to quit smoking, CPD and demographic variables. The difference between short-term and non-users were not significant (p=0.07).
The results for the cessation rate, defined as quit for 3 months or more, show a similar pattern. The multiple regression results show that long-term users were more likely to quit smoking successfully than non-users (OR=4.14, p<0.01), after adjusting for intention to quit smoking, CPD and demographic variables. The short-term users were not statistically different from non-users (p=0.59).
The ORs shown in table 3 used non-users as the reference point. If the group of short-term users were used as the reference point, the OR of long-term against short-term users was 4.75 (95% CI 1.62 to 13.94, p<0.01).
The multiple regression shows that intention to quit smoking and CPD also independently predicted quitting for 3 months or more. Among demographic variables, only education remained a significant predictor after adjusting for other factors.
Table 4 shows the use of FDA-approved pharmacotherapy and the use of e-cigarettes in the last quit attempt. Long-term e-cigarette users were no more likely than short-term or non-users to use pharmacotherapy. The overall rates were 19.5% for long-term users, 31.5% (8.2%+23.4%) for short-term users and 26.7% (22.1%+4.6%) for non-users. The use of e-cigarettes in the last quit attempt was also similar among long-term and short-term e-cigarette users (81.8% vs 87.9%).
Use of pharmacotherapy or e-cigarettes among those who made a quit attempt before 2014
As mentioned earlier, many of those who did not use e-cigarettes either at the 2012 survey or at the 2014 survey had tried e-cigarettes sometime in their life. Apparently, about 16.7% of non-users (4.6%+12.0%) reported that they used e-cigarettes in their last quit attempt. The rate of using pharmacotherapy among this group is 26.7% (22.1%+4.6%).
If we treat e-cigarettes as a cessation aid, as these smokers reportedly did, then the use of cessation aids was significantly higher for long-term users and short-term users than for non-users (81.8%, 87.9%, and 38.7%, respectively).
Overall, more quit attempts were aided by e-cigarettes than by FDA-approved pharmacotherapy. The proportion of using e-cigarettes only was 24.8% versus 17.8% for using pharmacotherapy only (p<0.05). The overall use for all quitting aids was 52.4%.
This longitudinal study is the first to examine the long-term use of e-cigarettes and its association with quitting outcomes in a nationally representative sample of US smokers. The results show that prolonged use of e-cigarettes is associated with a higher smoking cessation rate, independent of the effect of baseline intention to quit smoking. Long-term e-cigarette users were more likely to perceive e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes when compared to short-term e-cigarette users. Their perception of a lower level of harm is also associated with a greater likelihood of using e-cigarettes on a daily basis.
A large proportion, 44%, of e-cigarette users among smokers in 2012 were still using e-cigarettes 2 years later. Despite an increasing number of reports suggesting that there are health risks associated with using e-cigarettes,28 ,29 among these long-term e-cigarette users, 96.2% perceived e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes. This belief is a critical distinction between long-term users and short-term users. Both groups believed e-cigarettes are harmful, but the former were more likely to believe e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes. Interestingly, this is also the belief of an expert panel of tobacco researchers and the recent report by the Public Health England,30 ,31 although the methodology used to obtain estimates of relative risk in these documents has been criticised.32 ,33 There are indications, however, that the proportion of smokers who believe e-cigarettes are safer than cigarettes is decreasing over time.34 It is not clear if this change is beneficial to public health, given the findings of this study.
Smokers in the USA are not currently encouraged to use e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking, which differs from the UK where one e-cigarette company has recently received approval for marketing them as cessation aids.6 ,7 Even so, this study shows that more than one-third of US smokers used e-cigarettes in their last quit attempt. In fact, about one-quarter of them used e-cigarettes as their only cessation aid. If we treat e-cigarette as a cessation aid, then the e-cigarette has significantly impacted the rate of cessation aid usage. No cessation aid introduced in the last decade has resulted in such a large increase in overall use of cessation aids. Even with the introduction of varenicline, a highly effective pharmacotherapy, the rate of using FDA-approved pharmacotherapies has hovered around 30% (similar to the 28% found in this study). The introduction of varenicline mainly displaced other therapies.35 In contrast, e-cigarettes do not appear to have simply displaced other therapies. Instead, they have contributed to a 50% increase in the rate of smokers using cessation aids (provided one classifies e-cigarettes as a cessation aid). This suggests that many smokers who would not otherwise use pharmacotherapies are using e-cigarettes to help themselves quit.
Data from the UK has shown a similar pattern. The use of e-cigarettes in smokers' last quit attempt has surpassed but not replaced NRT or varenicline in 2015 (39.5% vs 26.4% or 6.5%, respectively).36 As a result, the effect of e-cigarettes is likely to increase the total use of cessation aids.
Even though e-cigarettes have not been officially recognised as smoking cessation aids in the USA, a comparison with FDA-approved pharmacotherapy is instructive. Previous research has shown that the effect of pharmacotherapies in the real-world setting can only be detected if they are used for a sufficient period of time.37 Data from the present study support the importance of longer term use. For example, neither the quit attempt rate nor the cessation rate for short-term e-cigarette users was higher than for non-users. Since short-term users represent the majority of e-cigarette users, this explains why studies that lump all e-cigarette users do not detect any advantages for using e-cigarettes in smoking cessation.
It is important to point out that the population impact of e-cigarette use could still be negative despite the fact that the long-term use of e-cigarettes is associated with a higher smoking cessation rate. This would occur if short-term use, which is the majority among e-cigarette users, led to lower cessation rates than for non-use. The present study, however, found that this was not the case. The smoking cessation rate for short-term e-cigarette users was not statistically lower than for non-users. Moreover, the likelihood of current e-cigarette users turning to long-term e-cigarette use seems to be high (44% from 2012 to 2014). It is not clear if this rate of transition to long-term use applies to any new e-cigarette users as we do not know what proportion of e-cigarette users at 2012 baseline survey would have qualified as long-term users already. An additional survey to follow this study sample is currently underway.
Previous studies have reported that the intensity of e-cigarette use (ie, daily use) is associated with higher smoking cessation rates.38–40 Biener and Hargraves further demonstrated that this is important even among those who have used e-cigarette for at least 1 month. In this study, long-term use, defined as using e-cigarettes at both surveys, is highly correlated with using e-cigarettes on a daily basis. Taken together, the evidence in these studies suggests that e-cigarettes need to be used consistently to be useful for smoking cessation, just as pharmacotherapy needs to be used consistently in order to be effective.37
This study has several limitations. While the data are based on a representative sample of the smoking population, the results are correlational. For example, rather than long-term e-cigarette use causing smokers to quit, it is possible that long-term use is simply a proxy for motivation to quit smoking. This study, however, controlled for intention to quit smoking at baseline and found that long-term e-cigarette use still predicted quitting success. Another limitation is that the short-term use group was made up of two subgroups: those who used e-cigarettes only at baseline and those who used only at follow-up. The study found, however, despite some minor differences between these subgroups in demographics, there were no significant differences in CPD or intention to quit smoking at baseline, providing justification for collapsing them into one group. Finally, the measure of long-term use did not assess continuous use since it was based on two time points. There may have been more rapid changes in pattern of e-cigarette use between the two surveys that were not captured.
Despite these limitations, the findings of this study, with a representative sample of US smokers and a longitudinal study design, shed light on the issue of dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Concerns have been raised that dual use might impede or delay attempts to quit smoking. This study found that those who used e-cigarettes longer term were more likely to quit smoking. Moreover, those who used short term were no less likely to quit smoking. This suggests that e-cigarette use is more likely, overall, to have a positive rather than a negative impact on smoking cessation.
What this paper adds
Most e-cigarette users are current smokers. Concerns have been raised that prolonged dual use might impede or delay the attempt to quit smoking. This longitudinal study examined the relationship between long-term e-cigarette use and smoking cessation with a nationally representative sample of US smokers.
Dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes was not associated with a lower smoking cessation rate.
Long-term e-cigarette use was associated with a higher smoking cessation rate.
The authors thank Lesley Copeland for her helpful comments on the earlier draft of the paper. The author list and acknowledgements include everyone who significantly contributed to the design, analysis, and writing of this work.
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Contributors Study concept and design: S-HZ, Y-LZ and SEC. Acquisition of data: S-HZ, Y-LZ, SEC and JYS. Analysis and interpretation of the data: all authors. Drafting of the manuscripts: Y-LZ, SEC, S-HZ and JYS. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: all authors. Statistical analysis: Y-LZ and S-HZ. Obtained funding: S-HZ and SEC. Study supervision: S-HZ.
Funding This study was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under the State and Community Tobacco Control Initiative, Award Number U01CA154280. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Disclaimer The study sponsor had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation or writing of the report.
Ethics approval This study was approved by the UCSD Human Research Protection Programme (IRB#111664).
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/ This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
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Year In Review: Highlights At Texas A&M In 2019
Take a look back at stories that captured the spirit of Aggieland this year.
By Caitlin Clark, Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications December 18, 2019
Texas A&M’s student enrollment became the largest at any university in the country.
Texas A&M students walk through the Memorial Student Center.
The number of students on campus in College Station, branch campuses in Galveston and Doha, Qatar, and other sites around the state continued to climb in 2019. Fall totals pushed Texas A&M University to the top of the list for enrollment among United States universities. Approximately 69,465 students enrolled this fall.
The number of degrees granted surpassed 500,000.
Texas A&M University awarded nearly 5,500 degrees during fall 2019 commencement ceremonies.
Sam Craft/Texas A&M Marketing & Communications
More than 50 members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets were commissioned as officers into the U.S. Armed Forces during a commencement ceremony on Dec. 13, 2019.
The university reached two major milestones in May – its network of former students surpassed 500,000, and it recorded more than 500,000 degrees awarded since Texas A&M opened in the fall of 1876.
The Aggie community marked the 20th anniversary of the Bonfire collapse.
Images from 20th Anniversary Bonfire Remembrance Ceremony on Monday, Nov. 18, 2019.
Jesse Everett/Texas A&M Marketing & Communications
Sam Craft/Texas A&M Marketing &Communications
Jesse Everett/Texas A&M Marketing & Commuications
The Texas A&M community remembered the lives of 12 Aggies who died in the Bonfire collapse on Nov. 18, 1999. President Michael K. Young said at the Remembrance Ceremony that the legacy of those who lost their lives is shown through the thousands of acts of service performed by Aggies every day.
Texas A&M marked a year since the passing of President George H.W. Bush.
President George H.W. Bush was laid to rest on the Texas A&M campus on Dec. 6, 2018.
Mark Guerrero/Texas A&M Marketing & Communications
Neil Bush, the son of President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, spoke at the announcement of the donation of Union Pacific 4141 to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.
The late president’s legacy and dedication to selfless service was honored throughout the year. The Union Pacific 4141 funeral train that carried Bush to his final resting place on campus has been donated for permanent display on the grounds of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Union Pacific and the George & Barbara Bush Foundation announced last month.
Ross Bjork was welcomed as the new Director of Athletics.
Texas A&M University Director of Athletics Ross Bjork.
After serving in the same position at the University of Mississippi, Ross Bjork was selected as Texas A&M’s new athletic director on May 23. He officially began his duties in June, when he was introduced to the campus community.
The new John D. White ’70 – Robert L. Walker ’58 Music Activities Center opened.
The John D. White ’70 – Robert L. Walker ’58 Music Activities Center will house Texas A&M's bands, orchestras and choirs.
Aerial view of the John D. White ’70 - Robert L. Walker ’58 Music Activities Center.
Texas A&M Student Affairs
The $40 million building at George Bush Drive and Coke Street features four soundproof rehearsal halls, 32 individual practice rooms, administrative offices, a student lounge and an artificial turf field for the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. The 70,000 square-foot facility replaced the 50-year-old E.V. Adams Band Hall. The Music Activities Center is expected to better serve the needs of all instrumental and choral students, who are being housed together for the first time.
A new program was launched for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Students in the first Aggie ACHIEVE cohort lived on campus, participated in classes and served in clubs and organizations.
Texas A&M Education & Human Development
Aggie ACHIEVE (Academic Courses in Higher Inclusive Education and Vocational Experiences) became the state’s first inclusive, four-year postsecondary education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The certificate-based opportunity for young adults aims to expand their interests and prepare them for employment. The first cohort of students this semester lived on campus, participated in classes and served in clubs and organizations.
The Center for Phage Technology continued the battle against “superbugs.”
Tom Patterson, a psychiatry professor at the University of California-San Diego contracted a multi-drug resistant superbug on vacation in Egypt. In a bid to save his life, his wife called Texas A&M’s Center for Phage Technology, the only center of its kind in the nation for phage research. They shared how the Texas A&M research saved Patterson’s life, and what his case means for future phage therapy in the United States.
Construction began on the $130 million Combat Development Complex at RELLIS.
Officials break ground on the new Bush Combat Development Complex, named in honor of former President George H.W. Bush.
Texas A&M Engineering
The Texas A&M University System, the U.S. Army and Army Futures Command broke ground on the Bush Combat Development Complex at the RELLIS Campus. The complex, named after the late President George H.W. Bush, will allow the System to provide an ecosystem to accelerate research and technology development to modernize the Army. A cooperative agreement between Army Futures Command and the A&M System will provide up to $65 million over the next five years to support research in new technologies to advance national security.
Texas A&M earned the highest rating for free speech.
The Foundation of Individual Rights In Education (FIRE) gave Texas A&M its highest rating for free speech – making it the first and only university in Texas to attain “green light” status. The rating indicates that the university’s written policies do not imperil student or faculty free speech. Texas A&M is one of only 45 universities nationwide to earn the rating.
Media contact: Caitlin Clark, 979-458-8412, caitlinclark@tamu.edu.
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The Wisdom of the Dream
1989, Mystery - 150 min 14 Comments
First in a three-part series of films produced by PBS, on the life and works of the great thinker and psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung. Part one provides an overview of the major contributions made by Jung in his long career. Born on July 26, 1875, in Switzerland, Jung became interested in psychiatry during his medical studies.
He saw that the minds of mentally deranged persons had similar contents, much of which he recognized from his own interior life, described in his autobiography Memories, Dreams, Reflections. His lifelong quest to understand the workings of the psyche led him to develop the analytical method of psychiatry.
He proceeded by looking at the role in his patients' lives of what he termed the personal and collective unconscious, as expressed through dreams, myths, and outer events. With film clips, photographs, and interviews with some of his colleagues, as well as with Jung himself, the story of one of the most important figures of the 20th century is told.
Inheritance of Dreams looks at the collective myths that are shared by different cultures and races throughout the world. Jung saw these as evidence of an underlying unifying principle in the human psyche, which he termed archetypes. These archetypes are present in the collective unconscious and express themselves to the individual in dreams and synchronistic events.
The film surveys some of the archetypal symbolism in world myths. Jungian analyst John Beebe uses the science fiction film Star Wars to illustrate the presence of the ancient myths in today's symbolic expressions. There is rare footage of Jung's travels to Africa, England, and New Mexico, in search of archetypal motifs.
The third episode examines some interesting archetypal images expressed in modern imagery. The film takes the viewer through a diverse range of sources, from Alcoholics Anonymous and science fiction films, to modern architecture and the stock market.
There are interviews with Jungian analysts including Aniela Jaffe, Jane Wheelwright, James Hillman, and Adolf Guggenbuhl-Craig. Dr. Harry Wilmer shares his work with the dreams and "healing nightmares" of Vietnam veterans. New Age philosophy and Alfred Hitchcock's film Notorious are discussed as they relate to Jungian psychology.
Matter of HeartBiography - ★7.38 The psyche is the greatest of all cosmic wonders and the...
Psychiatry: An Industry of DeathPsychology - 108 min - ★5.49 Psychiatry: An Industry of Death is a controversial...
The Hidden Enemy: Inside Psychiatry's...Conspiracy - 108 min - ★7.05 An unprecedented number of military soldiers and veterans...
Phillip King - 12/24/2019 at 11:06
Some very wise words here. What saddens me about this documentary is that most of the interview subjects are old and now probably dead. That begs the question, are there any young Jungians? Sounds like a tautology.
Name - 12/19/2014 at 09:50
A famous professor said something about language, something like language is great for thought, but miserably bad for communicating such thoughts. Lol.
Teodor - 10/11/2014 at 13:59
Carl Jung was one of the founding fathers of western psychology. Many of the notions that we use today, like introvert, extravert, Self, libido, synchronicity, archetype or collective unconscious were introduced by him.
However his biggest contribution is laying the foundation for a framework of thought that allowed him and his followers to successfully heal and guide countless patients.
By scientifically observing the spontaneous manifestations of the psyche, the dreams, fantasies and visions of his patients he was able to build his analytical theory that could be accepted and embraced by the western mind.
Quite early he realized that in the unconscious part of every psyche there is a natural process of development toward wholeness and maturity he called the Individuation Process. By working on the dreams and fantasies of a person, this natural process can be consciously assisted for healing or for personal development.
Working with dreams was essential for Jung. His theory of dreams stood the test of time and many of his conclusions were confirmed by modern biology. The accounts of modern lucid dreamers like Robert Waggoner confirm the amazing structure of the unconscious described by Jung 70 years ago. The presence of universal elements like the Shadow, Anima or Self in modern lucid dream experiences provide an independent validation of the elements he so carefully studied and described.
Because of his scientific attitude, that relied on observation and empirical evidence, his analytical theory is as valid today as was in his lifetime and provides the guidance for those who want to become more human, mature and integrated persons.
Isabelle - 10/08/2012 at 23:00
Jung was quite right to say that he failed and knew very little. He was just trying to find a language to explain how the human soul works and what it actually is. That was his first false premise. There is no human soul, just the cosmos energy flowing through our body at certain frequencies located in each of our chakras. CJ knew nothing about that because he was too limited in his religious and cultural views. The truth is that each and every conflict we go through during our life's journey, consciously or not, have an impact of the energy flowing through our body. This has genetic implications and can be easily observed in behavior as we try to cope, endlessly reprocessing in order to release its negative effects. As far as I can tell, the most effective "cures" are shamanic in origin. These rituals can propel the release of trauma energies with the use of plant medicines (Ayahuasca and Ibogaine are the most common) but unfortunately, they are considered illegal in US and Canada because of the hallucogenic properties. The symbolism that Jung is so fond of is intimately linked to the visions of the conflicts being re-visited and offer great insight of what needed to be addressed. Each chakra has a specific function attached to a specific conflict and if not resolved, a distortion will arise and will be gnawing at the person's spirit until it is addressed. It gets very complicated when many chakras are out of tune and the patterns can get pretty messy. A conflict is actually an overactivation or underactivation of one of the chakra. When energy flows freely, without fear guilt shame and the likes, we have a body that is in perfect harmony with the cosmic energy. Sorry for being so long...
James Sterling - 01/23/2013 at 23:41
Hmmm..."there is no human soul" is a pretty big claim. I have been a meditator for over 15 years. And in those years I have had the ego death experience of becoming the universe, and also have had Natural DMT (the psychedelic compound in ayahuasca) releases during meditation and visited the "dmt dome" as some would call it. And according to amazonian shamans, the "beings" you meet in the "dimension or bardo", are claimed to be ancestor spirits. These are all my personal subjective experiences, so none can really be used as factual data. But on what basis or experience do you hold that there is no human soul?
John Doe - 05/16/2013 at 19:47
May be the "soul" is an ambigous word that cannot fulfill the objective fact behind it. So, as ambigous it is, is correct that "there is no human soul" as well as claiming that "the soul is a fact". For many philosophical mainstreams the soul is just the bioenergetic field or "aura" in its complete sense. There is no bioenergetic field once you die, the soul is material and it could be proven. The soul is related to the personality on life. Spirituality is something else. Is the spirit the "thing" that will never be proven, as a metaphysical ontological element.
Krines - 09/30/2013 at 02:01
Soul can be defined in a number of ways, all equally valid. A stream of consciousness can be termed soul at the frequency it represents. Language can be limiting. Carl Jung was exploring an idea based within the parameters of his understanding and experience at the time.
We learn by identification and association. Our minds process the data in the reference of associations already present , or by creating new associations, that is what gives rise to a personality , which is the framework that we function in. There are different manifestations of the conflicts, the physical manifestation may the last one. So there are no hard and fast rules for any of this. The paradigm of consciousness is infinite and we have only begun to explore it. There are various ways to approach the matter, Carl Jung's theories were one of them.
Kathleen - 07/27/2011 at 07:00
Kathleen Lopes - 08/30/2012 at 11:41
So i had e wierd dream (just woke up)
and disided to look someting up about realistic dreams and what thay might be.
i find this video and wanned to see the reviews before watching it
the first thing i see is MY first Name Saying so do i in the firts comment That like freaking me out right now
Make-king this day even more inexplainable Wierd!!!
PS: LOVE THIS WEBSITE!!!!
chickenpants - 09/17/2010 at 18:53
i Love this website.
simon - 09/10/2010 at 22:21
Awesome that I came across this, great documentary for the most part. Only thing I wondered about were the claim that "ofcourse you get psychological breakdowns" from working in a skyscraper. I think that it's all dependent on the person really. If he's good at countering stress, and as long as he lives a healthy life, both spiritual and physical, outside of work I don't think he's prone to have a breakdown in a busy environment that a big city can be.
just brousing - 04/27/2010 at 01:14
I liked it too. But it got cut off at the end. I am wondering where it went to. I think Jung looked at us saying we have free will, but sometimes we act in directions we are not aware of, because of the way our subconscious is operating. Very fascinating. It is true about love that we often go forsomeone who says all the right things, but the overall character is important. That is what makes a better decision, however,according to Jung, the adamus and adama,make our decisions and if we were aware of it, we might not push away the best ones.
Paul - 04/05/2010 at 00:52
The documentary is wonderful, It's sad that you don't see that many documentaries on psychoanalysis, functionalism, behaviorism, etc. However I would like to point out that some of the links of google video is missing out. The second part barely finished, and the third part is half incomplete.
Maria A. Aristidou - 03/03/2011 at 22:16
hello paul i dont know if this will help you but i found some very interesting documentaries from BBC-Horizon! look it up!
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Home Rankings Top 50 Financial Technology CEOs of 2019
The Financial Technology Report is pleased to announce this year's awardees for the Top 50 Financial Technology CEOs of 2019. Awardees were selected based on a detailed evaluation of each CEOs career to date inclusive of magnitude of impact on the financial technology industry, demonstrated leadership achievements, dominance in their specific sub-specialty, organizational strength, and company growth capabilities, among other factors. Congratulations to each of this year's awardees.
1. Douglas Cifu
Virtu Financial
Douglas Cifu is the CEO of Virtu Financial and was a Co-founder of Virtu in 2008. Virtu is one of the largest high-frequency trading and market making firms. The Company was founded in 2008 by Vincent Viola, a former chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange, and Douglas Cifu. Previously, Douglas was a partner at the international law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. At Paul Weiss, he served as a member of the Management Committee, Deputy Chair of the Corporate Department and co-head of the Private Equity Group. He serves on the board of directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the board of visitors of Columbia College at Columbia University. Douglas earned his JD at Columbia Law School and his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Columbia University.
2. Gary Norcross
Gary Norcross is Chairman, President and CEO of FIS, an $8.4 billion global business that holds leadership positions in payment processing, financial software and banking solutions. Gary started his career with FIS more than 30 years ago when he joined Systematics Inc. in 1988 as an entry-level programmer. He went on to serve in a variety of leadership roles prior to being named president and chief operating officer in 2012, president and chief executive officer in 2015, and chairman, president and chief executive officer in 2018. Under Gary’s leadership, FIS has grown to more than 47,000 employees worldwide, serving over 20,000 clients in more than 130 countries. He was critical to the company’s acquisition and integration of Metavante Technologies, Inc., and was heavily involved in its acquisitions of a large number of companies, including Certegy and eFunds. Gary holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas.
3. Jeffery Yabuki
Jeffery Yabuki is the President, CEO and a board director of Fiserv, a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions. The Company reported $5.82 billion in revenues in 2018, with nearly 24,000 associates serving more than 12,000 clients. Jeffery has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Under his leadership, the Company announced a long-term strategic platform transforming Fiserv from its traditional holding company model into an integrated operating company focused on providing best-in-class financial software, systems and services that enable people to move and manage money at the point of thought. Prior to joining Fiserv, Jeffery was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at H&R Block for more than six years. Before H&R Block, Jeffery held a progression of leadership positions during 12 years at American Express, culminating with President and CEO of American Express Tax and Business Services.
4. Eric Poirier
Eric Poirier is CEO of Addepar, an investment management platform for investors and advisors. Previously, Eric spent nearly 7 years at Palantir Technologies, a multi-billion dollar software company that allows organizations to make sense of large disparate datasets. He joined the company in 2006 as one of its first 20 employees, and continually shaped the core technology there while building the finance business, which now represents half of the company’s revenue base. Before Palantir, Eric worked in Lehman Brothers' Fixed Income Analytics group where he focused on modeling, simulating and visualizing data across a broad range of debt and credit instruments. Eric co-founded his first technology business when he was 15, scaling mission-critical websites with high performance requirements, winning eBay, Priceline and Novartis as customers. Eric graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
5. Dan Shulman
Dan Shulman is President and CEO of PayPal. Shulman was recruited to Paypal as its CEO in 2014. Recently, he explained that the jewel of Paypal is Venmo, which has grown tremendously with a volume that’s expected to hit $1.0 billion by the end of this year. It taps into the cultural adoption wave of social and peer-to-peer technologies. Previously, Dan served as Group President at American Express and prior to that was President of the Prepaid Group at Sprint Nextel Corporation following its acquisition of Virgin Mobile USA, where he led the company as its founding CEO. Earlier in his career, Dan was President and CEO of Priceline Group. He began his career at AT&T, and was the President of the Consumer Markets Division. Dan serves as the non-executive Chairman of Symantec. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and an MBA from New York University.
6. Ajay Banga
Ajay Banga is President, CEO and a board director of Mastercard. He has been instrumental in advancing financial technology initiatives including the Company’s latest partnership with Apple Pay. Prior to Mastercard, Ajay served as CEO of Citigroup Asia Pacific. During his career at Citigroup, he held a variety of senior management roles in the United States, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He also oversaw the company’s efforts in microfinance. Ajay began his career at Nestlé, India, where for 13 years he worked on assignments spanning sales, marketing and general management. He also spent two years with PepsiCo, where he was instrumental in launching its fast food franchises in India as the economy liberalized. Ajay is a member of the board of overseers of the Weill Cornell Medical College and the board of governors of the American Red Cross. In addition, Ajay serves as a Director of Dow Inc. He is a graduate of Delhi University and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
7. Richard Fairbank
Richard Fairbank is Founder, Chairman and CEO of Capital One Financial Corporation, a broadly diversified financial services company ranked 100th on the Fortune 500. Richard founded the Company in 1988 based on his belief that the power of information, technology and testing could be harnessed to bring highly customized financial products directly to consumers. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One is the 6th largest bank in the United States, offering a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses, and commercial clients. Richard served on MasterCard International’s Global Board of Directors and, prior to that, as Chairman of MasterCard’s U.S. Region Board. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University.
8. Thiago dos Santos Piau
StoneCo
Thiago dos Santos Piau is CEO of StoneCo Ltd, a multi-channel ecommerce company focused on the Brazilian market. The Company is backed by Warren Buffet and went public in 2018. Previously, Thiago served as COO of StoneCo Ltd. and also served as its CFO since 2016. He is a partner at ACP Investment Ltd. – Arpex Capital, where he was responsible for the definition of the business strategy, investment structuring, merger and acquisition transactions and oversees the management of portfolio companies. In 2011, he founded Paggtaxi, a company that facilitated the payment of taxi rides through a mobile app and credit card machines, where he served as a partner until 2013. Thiago conducted studies in mechanical engineering at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro from 2007 to 2011.
9. Ryan Williams
Ryan Williams is Co-founder and CEO of Cadre, an investment platform for institutional grade real estate. Prior to founding Cadre in 2014, Ryan worked at The Blackstone Group in its real estate private equity division. There he was involved in over $3 billion in transactions across multiple asset types. Prior to Blackstone, Ryan worked at Goldman Sachs in its technology media group where he worked on transactions totaling more than $5 billion. He founded and launched an institutional real estate single family homes fund in 2009, acquiring, renovating, and selling single family homes throughout the United States while acquiring more than 1,500 multi-family units. Prior to that, he founded a sports technology company. Ryan earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College.
10. Patrick Collison
Patrick Collison is the Co-founder and CEO of Stripe, the developer-friendly way to accept payments online. Patrick co-founded Stripe with his brother in 2010 after personally experiencing the difficulty developers face when implementing a way to accept payments online for content and goods. The Company is expanding internationally and has launched in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Ireland, processing millions of dollars each day for companies including Heroku, Foursquare and Reddit. Patrick previously co-founded and sold Auctomatic, an auction and marketplace management system, which he started in 2007 at the age of 18. A year later, the company was acquired by Canada's Live Current Media for $5 million. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
11. Noah Breslow
Noah Breslow is the CEO of OnDeck, a technology company providing businesses with access to capital. The Company uses data aggregation and electronic payment technology to make credit decisions in minutes and deliver funding to small businesses within 24 hours. As OnDeck’s first employee, Noah has held a variety of leadership roles since joining the Company in 2007, including chief product officer and chief operating officer, and became CEO in June of 2012. To date, OnDeck has delivered over $11 billion in financing to customers in 700 different industries across the U.S., Canada and Australia. Previously, Noah was VP of Marketing & Product Management for Tacit Networks, guiding the company from initial launch to its successful sale to a public company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from MIT and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
12. Jennifer Bailey
Apple, Internet Services
Jennifer Bailey heads up Apple Pay as the Company’s Vice President of Internet Services. It should be no surprise that Jennifer has had a leading role in shaping Apple Pay’s ongoing goals. She’s been vice president of the division since the beginning, transitioning from her role as vice president of online stores - a position she held for 11 years. Prior to joining Apple in 2003, Jennifer held a number of senior positions at tech companies such as myCFO, Spark and Kindling and Netscape Communications. She began her career in 1984 as a software engineer at ATP Boston. Jennifer received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Middlebury College and her master’s from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
13. Baiju Bhatt
Baiju Bhatt is the Co-founder and Co-CEO of Robinhood, the fastest growing brokerage in the world. Baiju earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s in mathematics at Stanford University before starting two finance companies in New York City. In 2015, Bhatt co-founded Robinhood with Vlad Tenev, aiming to democratize the financial system. By February of 2017, the Company had executed over $30 billion in trades. Robinhood has millions of users across the country and is currently valued at $5.6 billion. Investors include CapitalG, Google’s growth equity fund, Index Ventures, ICONIQ, Sequoia, and Kleiner Perkins, among other notable names. Reportedly, the company is targeting to go public in 2019.
14. Brian Armstrong
Brian Armstrong is the CEO and Co-founder of Coinbase, the world’s leading digital currency exchange. As CEO, Brad is responsible for Coinbase’s retail and institutional arms and all products and services that are developed by both trading platforms. He co-founded Coinbase in June 2012, and since then, has led Coinbase to serve over 10 million customers across 32 countries, providing custody for more than $10 billion in digital assets. The Company has raised over $200M in funding from leading investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, IVP, USV, DFJ and NYSE. Before founding Coinbase, Brad worked as a software engineer at Airbnb from 2011-2012 as part of the hospitality marketplace, focusing on fraud prevention. Previously, he worked as a developer for IBM and consultant at Deloitte. Brad holds three degrees from Rice University - bachelor’s of computer science, bachelor’s of economics, and a master’s of computer science.
15. Rob Frohwein
Rob Frohwein is Co-Founder and CEO of Kabbage, which provides the most advanced lending infrastructure available globally enabling small businesses to borrow the funds they need. The Company employs a direct SMB lending product and technology platform adopted by banks and non-banks worldwide. It has provided more than $6B since its founding. Rob believes deeply that small businesses are at the core of economic development around the world. He is a serial entrepreneur across several industries including media, financial services and financial technology. He is also a 3-time author, former co-host of a radio show, inventor with more than 30 patents and applications, and the owner of a lifetime pass to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rob earned his bachelor’s in economics from Dickinson College and a JD from Villanova University.
16. Guy Goldstein
Guy Goldstein is the CEO of Next Insurance, a leading provider of small business owners insurance. Guy has over 20 years of experience in all aspects of technology, product development, management and strategy. Prior to Next Insurance, he was the CEO of Check, a mobile payment company, which was acquired by Intuit for $360M. Previously, Guy served in an executive position of Corporate Development at HP software, responsible for mergers, acquisitions and strategy and before that, he spent 9 years in various R&D executive roles at Mercury Interactive. Guy holds a bachelor's degree in business and computer science, cum laude, from the Tel-Aviv University and served in the Israeli Air Force as a major and fighter pilot.
17. Jon Stein
Jon Stein is the Founder and CEO of Betterment, the largest independent online financial advisor in the U.S. with over $18 billion under management. Jon founded the Company in 2008 seeking to make life better by helping people save time and money and empower them to reach their important goals faster. Jon manages Betterment’s core retail platform, often referred to as a “robo-advisor”, a 401(k) platform called Betterment for Business and a digital advisory platform called Betterment for Advisors. Previously, he worked as a consultant for First Manhattan Consulting Group where he focused on product development, risk management and investment portfolio policy. Jon earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
18. Mike Hayford
Mike Hayford is President and Chief Executive Officer of NCR Corporation. The Company is a global leader in developing transformational transaction technologies including online banking, POS systems, and mobile payments. Previously, Mike served as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Executive Vice President of FIS, Fortune 500’s #1 financial technology company, from 2009 until 2013. As the President and Chief Operating Officer of Metavante Technologies, Inc., he led the successful completion of Metavante’s merger with FIS to create the world’s largest financial technology company. Mike was instrumental in building Metavante from a $93 million annual revenue company into the global leader of financial technology with over $6 billion of annual revenue. Mike is a Certified Public Accountant and holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin.
19. David Zalik
David Zalik has served as the CEO of GreenSky since he co-founded it in 2006. David also serves as the Chairman of the board of directors. GreenSky is based in Atlanta and has facilitated over $13 billion in loans for home improvement projects via a network of banks and 13,000 contractors. The Company has also branched into financing for doctor, dentist and veterinary visits. Prior to co-founding the Company, David founded MicroTech Information Systems, a computer hardware assembly company, and sold the business in 1996. He also founded Outweb, a web and mobile-development consulting firm, and formerly was a director of RockBridge Commercial Bank. He was the recipient of the 2016 Ernst & Young National Financial Services Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
20. Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey was born in St. Louis, Missouri. In his younger years he worked as a fashion model. He chose to attend the University of Missouri but then transferred out to NYU, where he began his fascination with short and instantaneous alert messaging – which eventually led him to founding and building Twitter. Dorsey, along with co-founder Jim McKelvey developed a small business platform to accept debit and credit card payments on a mobile device which they named Square – it was released in May 2010. Today, the Company continues to scale as a leading payments solutions for small and medium sized businesses. Square reached an estimated valuation of $3.2 billion in late 2012 and by 2015 went public. At the time of the IPO, Jack owned nearly 25% of Square’s outstanding shares.
21. Max Levchin
Max Levchin is the Founder and CEO of Affirm, a financial technology company focused on providing consumer financing at retailers. Max was one of the original co-founders of PayPal where he served as the CTO until its acquisition by Ebay in 2002. In 2004, he founded Slide, a personal media-sharing service for social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, which he sold to Google in August 2010. Also in 2004, he helped start Yelp, where he was the first investor in and Chairman of the Board from 2004 until 2015. He has served on several boards such as Yahoo!, Yelp, and Evernote. He is currently Co-founder and Chairman of Glow, a data-driven fertility company, and Co-founder and general partner at SciFi VC, a private venture capital firm.
22. Noah Kerner
Noah Kerner is CEO at Acorns, the first company to offer micro investing to the world. Noah’s background is diverse and ranges from Co-author of "Chasing Cool" with the former CEO of Barneys, founder/CEO of three startups, and former DJ for Jennifer Lopez. He built the leading millennial agency, Noise. Before being acquired by Engine, Noise developed hundreds of products and marketing campaigns for this generation including Facebook’s first app, the first credit card to reward fiscal responsibility for Chase, Vice's music property Noisey, and the top branded game in the App Store. Noah advises and invests in a variety of fast-growing startups, including WeWork ($16B valuation), where he also served as Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer. He is a graduate of Cornell University where he studied Psychology and Economics.
23. Jonathan Corr
Ellie Mae
Jonathan Corr is the President and CEO of Ellie Mae, the leading cloud-based platform provider for the mortgage finance industry. Previously, Jonathan served as the Company’s COO from November 2011 to February 2015, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer from November 2009 to November 2011, as Chief Strategy Officer from August 2005 to November 2009 and as the Company’s Senior Vice President of product management from October 2002 to August 2005. Prior to joining Ellie Mae, Jonathan served in executive and management positions at PeopleSoft, Inc., Netscape Communications Corporation and Kana/Broadbase Software/Rubric, a number of software companies that combined through acquisition. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Columbia University and an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
24. Sallie Krawcheck
Sallie Krawcheck is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ellevest, a digital financial advisor for women launched in 2016. She served as CEO of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and Smith Barney. It was through this experience that she realized that the “by men, for men” investing industry hasn’t worked very well for women. Sallie began her career as an equity analyst covering Wall Street Firms eventually rising to Director of Research and then Chairman and CEO of sell-side research firm Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. She grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and in high school was a local track star. She received a scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received a degree in journalism. Sallie earned an MBA form Columbia Business School.
25. Marwan Forzley
Marwan Forzley is the Co-Founder and CEO of Veem, a next-generation global payment provider which enables businesses to quickly and securely send and receive payments in local currency. Veem uses the blockchain as a new settlement rail to enable frictionless and inexpensive payments. Previously, Marwan founded and served as CEO of eBillme, an online payments solution that extended online banking to the merchant’s checkout process. After selling eBillme to Western Union, Forzley joined the Western Union’s digital team as General Manager, eCommerce and Strategic Partnerships. With extensive experience and expertise in eCommerce infrastructure, mobile payments, content delivery, and alternative payments, Marwan is one of the top entrepreneurs working to pioneer better payment systems. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Ottawa.
26. Karl Roessner
Karl Roessner is CEO and Director of E*TRADE Financial Corporation, a position he has held since September 2016. E*TRADE is a leading financial services company that played a major role in pioneering the online brokerage industry. Karl joined E*TRADE in 2009 and previously served as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of E*TRADE Financial Corporation for more than seven years. During that time, he also served as the Corporate Secretary to the Company’s Board of Directors. He is President of E*TRADE Bank and a member of the E*TRADE Bank board. He was a Partner in the Corporate Practice group of Clifford Chance US LLP. Karl earned a bachelor’s degree cum laude from Siena College and his JD cum laude from St. Johns University School of Law, where he was a Member of the St. John’s University Law Review.
27. Jay Sidhu
Jay Sidhu is the Chairman and CEO for Customers Bank and BankMobile, a mobile application that offers a branchless banking experience without fees. It is the first bank in the country to offer free checking and savings accounts without any fees, as well as a line of credit, access to over 55,000 surcharge free ATMs, and a higher savings rate than the top 4 banks in the country. Previously, Jay served as the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Sovereign Bancorp. There, he grew the organization from an Initial Public Offering of $12 million to a market cap approaching $12 billion, crediting it as the 17th largest banking institution in the country. Jay earned an MBA from Wilkes University and graduated from the Harvard Business School’s Leadership Course
28. Scott Galit
Scott Galit is the CEO of Payoneer, which empowers global commerce by connecting businesses, professionals, countries and currencies with its cross-border payment platform. Previously, Scott served as the President of i2c and before that was an Executive Vice President of Meta Payment Systems, a subsidiary of Meta Financial Group since 2007. Scott is a pioneer in the prepaid card industry and served as a Senior Vice President of Global Prepaid Products of MasterCard Worldwide as well as Senior Vice President and General Manager of First Data Prepaid Solutions. Earlier in his career, he worked as an investment banker with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Scott was also Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Solspark and a Founding Board Member of the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association.
29. Hikmet Ersek
Hikmet Ersek is President, CEO and a board director of The Western Union Company, a Fortune 500 global leader in digital and retail cross-border money transfer and payments services. Hikmet first joined Western Union in 1999 and became CEO in 2010. Under his leadership, the Company has successfully diversified and evolved its business to become a global payments company. Founded more than 166 years ago, Western Union has become one of the world’s most global companies, serving customers in 200 countries and territories, with a diverse base of agents, frontline associates, and WU employees. Hikmet holds a master's (Magister) degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Wirtschaftsuniversität (University of Economics) in Vienna, Austria.
30. Anthony Noto
Anthony Noto is the CEO and a board director of SoFi, a modern financial products and services company that helps people borrow, save, spend, invest, and protect their money. Previously, Anthony was with Twitter, where he served as Chief Operating Officer since November 2016. Noto joined Twitter as Chief Financial Officer in July 2014. Before Twitter, Noto served for almost four years as co-head of global TMT investment banking at Goldman Sachs. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1999, was named partner in 2004, and served as the head of communications, media and internet equity research. Before returning to Goldman, Noto spent almost three years as Chief Financial Officer of the National Football League. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Noto has an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
31. Chris Britt
Chris Britt is the Co-founder and CEO of Chime, a mobile bank account that helps people automate their savings and lead healthier financial lives. Chime launched to consumers in mid-2014, but didn’t offer the suite of features that would allow people to use Chime as a primary bank account until early 2016. Previously, Chris was Chief Product Officer and SVP, Corporate Development at Green Dot. Chris was also a senior product leader at Visa and one of the first executives at Comscore. Earlier in his career, Chris was a management strategy consultant for Accenture and business development officer for CMGI. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University.
32. Ken Lin
Ken Lin is the Founder and CEO of Credit Karma, a personal finance website dedicated to helping consumers better understand the power of their credit and overall financial health. Ken started Credit Karma after growing weary of paying to see his own credit score. Previously, Ken worked with Upromise and Eloan; he was Eloan’s Director of Analytics, Research, and Cross Sell. These companies helped shape Ken’s vision for Credit Karma to provide education about personal credit, while giving free access to credit scores to all consumers. Prior to Credit Karma, Ken founded Multilytics Marketing, a data-driven marketing agency that actively managed more than $40 million a year in online marketing dollars for clients such as Wells Fargo, Liberty Mutual and eBay. Ken holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Boston University.
33. Jan Mason
QUEST Payment Systems
Jan Mason is the CEO of QUEST Payment Systems, an Australian owned technology company providing a diverse and innovative range of end-to-end payment solutions to businesses and financial institutions, both locally and abroad. Jan has a long impressive track record in payments. Starting in the early 2000s, Jan worked for National Australia Bank as a senior consultant in corporate payments. She was with the bank for twelve years eventually rising to Head of Acquiring Product. She joined QUEST as a General Manager in 2013. Today, Quest’s portfolio of solutions includes fixed line and mobile payment terminal hardware, software, gift card and online payment solutions, EMV smartcard, contactless communications and transaction routing solutions.
34. Dee Choubey
Diwakar (“Dee”) Choubey is the Founder and CEO of MoneyLion. After beginning his career in investment banking, Dee co-founded MoneyLion in 2013 with the goal of combining AI and machine-learning technology and behavioral science to advance consumer finance to the next level. With its built-in system of rewards, points, and incentives, MoneyLion encourages good financial behavior and better financial outcomes for over 2 million customers. The Company has offices in New York, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Previously, Dee held senior positions at leading financial firms including Goldman Sachs, Citadel and Barclays Capital, where he advised on mergers and acquisitions as well as capital raising deals with a specific focus on payments and specialty finance companies. Dee holds a bachelor’s degree in economics with honors from the University of Chicago.
35. John Beatty
Clover Network
John Beatty is Co-founder and CEO of Clover Network, a First Data company, which provides the largest open-architecture point of sale solution aimed at small and medium sized business owners. Its products are changing the consumer/merchant experience for the better, opening avenues for seamless customer-merchant interactions. Clover was acquired on December 28, 2012 by First Data Corporation. Bank of America Merchant Services was the first to announce it would sell Clover to its merchant base in October 2013. Previously, John was an executive-in-residence at Sutter Hill Ventures and a founding engineer at Bix (acquired by Yahoo!). He also built distributed systems at BEA and Sun and got his start in consulting at Cambridge Technology Partners. He earned a bachelors’ degree in Computer Science from Brigham Young University.
36. Milind Mehere
Milind Mehere is the Founder and CEO of YieldStreet, a company which provides access to asset based investments historically unavailable to most investors. With the mission to build prosperity for all, YieldStreet allows investors to effortlessly participate in curated investments with low stock market correlation and target yields of 8-15%, across litigation finance, real estate and other alternative asset classes. Previously, Milind successfully built and scaled three businesses - his last company Yodle, was acquired by Web.com for $342 million in 2016. Milind earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Mumbai and a master’s in industrial engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
37. Matt Oppenheimer
Matt Oppenheimer is the CEO and Co-founder of digital remittance company Remitly. The Company is based in Seattle and recently expanded its global reach to 40 countries while growing to nearly 800 employees worldwide. It has reportedly served one million customers to date. Its annualized send volume is $6 billion, up from $3 billion in 2017 and $1 billion in 2016.
Remitly now operates in 15 send countries, up from just three last year, and allows remittances to be sent from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Prior to Remitly, Matt was the head of mobile and internet banking initiatives at Barclays Kenya. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
38. Steve Vamos
Steve Vamos is the CEO of Xero. Founded in 2006 in New Zealand, Xero is one of the fastest growing software-as-a-service companies globally. It leads the New Zealand, Australian, and United Kingdom cloud accounting markets, employing a team of more than 2,000 people.
Steve brings to the Company more than 30 years of experience in global technology and digital media. Previously, he worked in leading international businesses including Apple, IBM and Microsoft. He also led the growth of online media business Ninemsn from start-up to industry leader as the company’s CEO. Steve previously served on the boards of Telstra, David Jones and Medibank. He earned his honours degree in civil engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
39. Steve Polsky
Steve Polsky is the Founder and CEO of Juvo, which has a mission to establish financial identities for the billions of people worldwide who are creditworthy yet financially excluded. Working with mobile operators, Juvo currently provides services in 27 countries across Latin America, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, helping over 100 million consumers build financial identities. Steve was recognized as a Technology Pioneer in 2018 by the World Economic Forum. His career has centered on founding, launching and managing early stage technology ventures, including Flixster/Rotten Tomatoes, Amber Networks, VoicePlex Corporation and Edusoft. He also holds five patents in telecommunications network architecture. Steve is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania’s Management and Technology program with degrees in computer science from the Moore School of Engineering and finance from the Wharton School.
40. Gary Beasley
Gary Beasley is the Co-founder and CEO of Roofstock, the leading online marketplace for investors to buy, own and sell single-family rental properties. Backed by more than 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, Gary’s leadership of Roofstock is helping to democratize real estate investing. Before starting Roofstock, Gary pioneered the use of cloud computing in the real estate investing industry as the CEO of Waypoint Homes, which he then led through a successful IPO. Previously Gary was instrumental in acquiring and integrating more than $800 million of resort properties for KSL Resorts, and spent five years as CFO of online brokerage pioneer ZipRealty, which he led through its successful IPO in 2004. Gary also served as CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, then the second largest boutique hotel management company in the country. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University and an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
41. Brad Garlinghouse
Brad Garlinghouse is the CEO and a board director of Ripple. Ripple provides a seamless way to send money globally using blockchain technology. Prior to Ripple, Brad served as the CEO of file collaboration service Hightail. From 2009 to 2012 he was President of Consumer Applications at AOL and prior to that he held various executive positions at Yahoo! Earlier in his career, Brad helped to pioneer the VoIP industry as CEO of Dialpad Communications. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of OutMatch and has held board positions at Ancestry.com and Tonic Health. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
42. David Kimball
David Kimball is the CEO of Prosper Marketplace, a leading peer-to-peer lending company. David joined the Company in March 2016 bringing more than 20 years of financial experience.
Previously, he served as senior financial officer of USAA’s chief operating office, where he oversaw USAA’s real estate unit, bank, P&C and life insurance companies, investment management company, and the call centers/distribution functions. During his time at USAA, he also served as USAA’s corporate treasurer and held several senior positions across several finance functions including capital markets, treasury, accounting, and FP&A.
Earlier in his career, David spent ten years at Ford Motor Company and Ford Motor Credit Company in both the U.S. and U.K., working on their securitization programs, debt issuance, and a variety of FP&A positions. David earned both a bachelor’s degree and MBA from Brigham Young University.
43. Guillaume Pousaz
Guillaume Pousaz is the Founder and CEO of Checkout.com. He officially launched the Checkout.com brand in 2012 and has since dedicated himself to shaking up the way payments are handled, boosting transparency, efficiency, and accessibility. The Company helps businesses accept more payments around the world through one integration. Its unified global payment processing platform features in-country acquiring, relevant payment methods, feature parity across geographies, fraud filters, and reporting features, via one API. Guillaume was born and raised in Switzerland. He has since lived all over the world. Earlier in his career, he was the CEO of NetMerchant SA. He received degrees in mathematical engineering from Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne and in economics from HEC Lausanne.
44. David Velez
David Velez is the Founder and CEO of Nubank Brasil. Over the last six years David has defied the odds; he is quickly building a digital bank and credit card powerhouse in Brazil. In 2018, Tencent invested $180 million in the Company valuing it at over $4 billion. Through the investment, Tencent will gain an understanding of how Nubank has managed to service more than 5 million credit card holders, and the strategy the Company is executing to develop its own savings accounts and additional banking services. Prior to Nubank, David was a Partner with renowned venture capital behemoth, Sequoia Capital. David began his career as an investment banking analyst in New York with Morgan Stanley then later becoming a senior associate with private equity firm General Atlantic. He earned a bachelor’s degree in management science and engineering and MBA both from Stanford University.
45. Jacob de Geer
Jacob de Geer is a Co-founder and CEO of iZettle, a high-growth mobile payments Company that equips business owners with the ability to take card payments. Founded in Stockholm in 2010, the financial technology Company is revolutionizing mobile payments with the world’s first mini chip card reader and software for mobile devices. Before starting iZettle, Jacob was the first employee at performance marketing firm TradeDoubler. There he helped to build one of the largest advertising networks in Europe before leaving to co-found movie sharing firm, Ameibo, and Tre Kronor Media, an award-winning communications agency. Both companies were acquired in 2010. Currently, Jacob is fully focused on democratizing payments around the world through iZettle. He received a master’s in economics and business administration from Stockholm School of Economics.
46. Sebastian Siemiatkowski
Sebastian Siemiatkowski is the Co-founder and CEO of Klarna, one of Europe’s main providers of payment solutions for e-commerce. Klarna's online-payments platform puts its emphasis on "buy-now-pay-later" financing. The Company lends millions of dollars to consumers each year and has more than $1 billion on its balance sheet. Sebastian, along with cofounders Adalberth and Victor Jacobsson, started Klarna in 2005 during the tail end of his master's program at the Stockholm School of Economics. Sebastian has received multiple awards for his leadership including the "Rising Star of the Year" by Ernst & Young, "Leader of the Year" by Adecco, "Manager of Tomorrow" by Sweden's leading Management Magazine and "European Entrepreneur of the Year Award" by TechTour.
47. Anne Boden
Anne Boden is the CEO and a board director of Starling Bank, which is a UK mobile-only bank offering personal, joint and business accounts. Its app helps people better manage their money by letting them visualize and coordinate their finances in real time. After graduating in computer science and chemistry, Anne started her career at Lloyds Bank, where she helped architect CHAPS, the UK’s first real-time payments system. She worked at Standard Chartered and UBS, before becoming Head of EMEA, Global Transaction Banking across 34 countries for RBS and ABN AMRO. After the financial crisis, Anne spoke to people around the world about the changes in banking and technology. She joined Allied Irish Banks Plc as Chief Operating Officer to apply these learnings but was frustrated by the restrictions still imposed by outdated technology.
48. Kristo Kaarmann
Kristo Kaarmann is Founder and CEO of TransferWise, a peer-to-peer international money transfer business. The Company provides consumers the ability to access the mid-market exchange rate by cutting out traditional banking fees. It charges a modest transparent service charge. Prior to starting TransferWise, Kristo was a management consultant with Deloitte Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He worked with European banks and insurers to modernize their processes and systems. Aware of their inefficiency, he teamed up with Taavet Hinrikus, then Skype's director of strategy, to develop an entirely new system for moving money across borders. Kristo started his first business, an online investments tracking portal Investor.ee in 1999, when he was 19. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Tartu.
49. Ron Clarke
Ron Clarke is CEO and Chairman of Fleetcor, a leading global business payments company. Previously, Ron served as President and Chief Operating Officer of AHL Services, Inc., a staffing firm. From 1990 to 1998, Ron served as Chief Marketing Officer and later as a division president with Automatic Data Processing, Inc., a computer services company. From 1987 to 1990, Ron was a principal with Booz Allen Hamilton, a global management consulting firm. Earlier in his career, Ron was a marketing manager for General Electric Company, a diversified technology, media, and financial services corporation. Ron earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Colby College and an MBA from Cornell University.
50. Assaf Wand
Assaf Wand is the Co-founder and CEO of insurtech startup Hippo. Based in Mountain View, CA, the Company is reimagining home insurance through the lens of homeowners – building policies with more comprehensive coverage for today’s consumers at up to 25% less than competitors. Prior to Hippo, Wand was founder and CEO of Sabi, which designed and produced elegant everyday products (Sabi was acquired in 2015), a consultant with McKinsey & Company and an investor with Intel Capital. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and LLB in Law from the IDC Herzliya in Israel.
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LISNR’s Williams Strives to Make Mobile Payments, P2P Lending Open for All
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Taxpayers to Be Held Liable After Cops Open Fire on Truck Full of Toddlers, Shooting 3 of Them
Firefighter Let Out of Jail Despite ‘Serious Sex Offenses’ Arrested for Starting 17 Fires in Australia
How Americans Have Been Conditioned to Support the Police State
The Free Thought Project September 1, 2019
“The exile of prisoners to a distant place, where they can ‘pay their debt to society,’ make themselves useful, and not contaminate others with their ideas or their criminal acts, is a practice as old as civilization itself. The rulers of ancient Rome and Greece sent their dissidents off to distant colonies. Socrates chose death over the torment of exile from Athens. The poet Ovid was exiled to a fetid port on the Black Sea.”— Anne Applebaum, Gulag: A History
(TRI) This is how freedom dies.
This is how you condition a populace to life as prisoners in a police state: by brainwashing them into believing they are free so that they will march in lockstep with the state and be incapable of recognizing the prison walls that surround them.
Face the facts: we are no longer free.
We in the American Police State may enjoy the illusion of freedom, but that is all it is: an elaborate deception, rooted in denial and delusion, that hides the grasping, greedy, power-hungry, megalomaniacal force that lurks beneath the surface.
Brick by brick, the prison walls being erected around us by the government and its corporate partners-in-crime grow more oppressive and more pervasive by the day.
Brick by brick, we are finding there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
Brick by brick, we are being walled in, locked down and locked up.
That’s the curious thing about walls: they not only keep those on the outside from getting in, they also keep those on the inside from getting out.
Consider, if you will, some of the “bricks” in the police state’s wall that serve to imprison the citizenry: Red flag gun laws that strip citizens of their rights based on the flimsiest of pretexts concocted by self-serving politicians. Overcriminalization resulting in jail time for nonviolent offenses such as feeding stray cats and buying foreign honey. Military training drills—showy exercises in armed intimidation—and live action “role playing” between soldiers and “freedom fighters” staged in small rural communities throughout the country. Profit-driven speed and red light cameras that do little for safety while padding the pockets of government agencies. Overt surveillance that turns citizens into suspects.
Police-run facial recognition software that mistakenly labels law-abiding citizens as criminals. Punitive programs that strip citizens of their passports and right to travel over unpaid taxes. Government agents that view segments of the populace as “subhuman” and treat them accordingly. A social credit system (similar to China’s) that rewards behavior deemed “acceptable” and punishes behavior the government and its corporate allies find offensive, illegal or inappropriate.
These are just a small sampling of the oppressive measures used by the government to control and constrict the American people.
What these despotic tactics add up to is an authoritarian prison in every sense of the word.
Granted this prison may not appear as overtly bleak as the soul-destroying gulags described by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in his masterpiece The Gulag Archipelago, but that’s just a matter of aesthetics.
Strip away the surface embellishments and you’ll find the core is no less sinister than that of the gulags of the Cold War-era Soviet Union.
Those gulags, according to historian Anne Applebaum, used as a form of “administrative exile—which required no trial and no sentencing procedure—was an ideal punishment not only for troublemakers as such, but also for political opponents of the regime.”
The word “gulag” refers to a labor or concentration camp where prisoners (oftentimes political prisoners or so-called “enemies of the state,” real or imagined) were imprisoned as punishment for their crimes against the state. As Applebaum explains:
Over time, the word “Gulag” has also come to signify not only the administration of the concentration camps but also the system of Soviet slave labor itself, in all its forms and varieties: labor camps, punishment camps, criminal and political camps, women’s camps, children’s camps, transit camps. Even more broadly, “Gulag” has come to mean the Soviet repressive system itself, the set of procedures that prisoners once called the “meat-grinder”: the arrests, the interrogations, the transport in unheated cattle cars, the forced labor, the destruction of families, the years spent in exile, the early and unnecessary deaths.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was such a political prisoner.
For the crime of daring to criticize Stalin in a private letter to a school friend, Solzhenitsyn was arrested and sentenced to eight years in exile in a labor camp.
That was before psychiatry paved the way for totalitarian regimes such as the Soviet Union to declare dissidents mentally ill and consign political prisoners to prisons disguised as psychiatric hospitals, where they could be isolated from the rest of society, their ideas discredited, and subjected to electric shocks, drugs and various medical procedures to break them physically and mentally.
In addition to declaring political dissidents mentally unsound, government officials in the Cold War-era Soviet Union also made use of an administrative process for dealing with individuals who were considered a bad influence on others or troublemakers. Author George Kennan describes a process in which:
The obnoxious person may not be guilty of any crime . . . but if, in the opinion of the local authorities, his presence in a particular place is “prejudicial to public order” or “incompatible with public tranquility,” he may be arrested without warrant, may be held from two weeks to two years in prison, and may then be removed by force to any other place within the limits of the empire and there be put under police surveillance for a period of from one to ten years.
Warrantless seizures, surveillance, indefinite detention, isolation, exile… sound familiar?
It should.
The age-old practice by which despotic regimes eliminate their critics or potential adversaries by making them disappear—or forcing them to flee—or exiling them literally or figuratively or virtually from their fellow citizens—is happening with increasing frequency in America.
We saw it happen with Julian Assange. With Edward Snowden. With Bradley Manning.
They, too, were exiled for daring to challenge the powers-that-be.
It happened to 26-year-old decorated Marine Brandon Raub, who was targeted because of his Facebook posts, interrogated by government agents about his views on government corruption, arrested with no warning, labeled mentally ill for subscribing to so-called “conspiratorial” views about the government, detained against his will in a psych ward for standing by his views, and isolated from his family, friends and attorneys.
Raub’s case exposed the seedy underbelly of a governmental system that is targeting Americans—especially military veterans—for expressing their discontent over America’s rapid transition to a police state.
Now, through the use of red flag laws, behavioral threat assessments, and pre-crime policing prevention programs, the government is laying the groundwork that would allow it to weaponize the label of mental illness as a means of exiling those whistleblowers, dissidents and freedom fighters who refuse to march in lockstep with its dictates.
That the government is using the charge of mental illness as the means by which to immobilize (and disarm) its critics is diabolically brilliant. With one stroke of a magistrate’s pen, these individuals are declared mentally ill, locked away against their will, and stripped of their constitutional rights.
These developments are merely the realization of various U.S. government initiatives dating back to 2009, including one dubbed Operation Vigilant Eagle which calls for surveillance of military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, characterizing them as extremists and potential domestic terrorist threats because they may be “disgruntled, disillusioned or suffering from the psychological effects of war.”
Coupled with the report on “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment” issued by the Department of Homeland Security (curiously enough, a Soviet term), which broadly defines rightwing extremists as individuals and groups “that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely,” these tactics bode ill for anyone seen as opposing the government. Although these initiatives caused an initial uproar when announced in 2009, they were quickly subsumed by the ever-shifting cacophony of the news media and its ten-day cycles.
Yet while the American public may have forgotten about the government’s plans to identify and disable anyone deemed a potential “threat,” the government has put its plan into action.
Thus, what began as a blueprint under the Bush administration has become an operation manual under the Obama and Trump administrations to exile those who are challenging the government’s authority.
An important point to consider, however, is that the government is not merely targeting individuals who are voicing their discontent so much as it is locking up individuals trained in military warfare who are voicing feelings of discontent.
Under the guise of mental health treatment and with the complicity of government psychiatrists and law enforcement officials, these veterans are increasingly being portrayed as ticking time bombs in need of intervention.
For instance, the Justice Department launched a pilot program aimed at training SWAT teams to deal with confrontations involving highly trained and often heavily armed combat veterans.
One tactic being used to deal with so-called “mentally ill suspects who also happen to be trained in modern warfare” is through the use of civil commitment laws, found in all states and employed throughout American history to not only silence but cause dissidents to disappear.
For example, in 2006, NSA officials attempted to label former employee Russ Tice, who was willing to testify in Congress about the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping program, as “mentally unbalanced” based upon two psychiatric evaluations ordered by his superiors.
In 2009, NYPD Officer Adrian Schoolcraft had his home raided, and he was handcuffed to a gurney and taken into emergency custody for an alleged psychiatric episode. It was later discovered by way of an internal investigation that his superiors were retaliating against him for reporting police misconduct. Schoolcraft spent six days in the mental facility, and as a further indignity, was presented with a bill for $7,185 upon his release.
In 2012, it was Virginia’s civil commitment law that was used to justify arresting and detaining Marine Brandon Raub—a 9/11 truther—in a psychiatric ward based on posts he had made on his Facebook page that were critical of the government.
Incredibly, in Virginia alone, over 20,000 people annually are forced into psychiatric wards by way of so-called Emergency Custody Orders and civil commitment procedures.
Each state has its own set of civil, or involuntary, commitment laws. These laws are extensions of two legal principles: parens patriae Parens patriae (Latin for “parent of the country”), which allows the government to intervene on behalf of citizens who cannot act in their own best interest, and police power, which requires a state to protect the interests of its citizens.
The fusion of these two principles, coupled with a shift towards a dangerousness standard, has resulted in a Nanny State mindset carried out with the militant force of the Police State.
The problem, of course, is that the diagnosis of mental illness, while a legitimate concern for some Americans, has over time become a convenient means by which the government and its corporate partners can penalize certain “unacceptable” social behaviors.
In fact, in recent years, we have witnessed the pathologizing of individuals who resist authority as suffering from oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), defined as “a pattern of disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward authority figures.” Under such a definition, every activist of note throughout our history—from Mahatma Gandhi to Martin Luther King Jr.—could be classified as suffering from an ODD mental disorder.
Of course, this is all part of a larger trend in American governance whereby dissent is criminalized and pathologized, and dissenters are censored, silenced, declared unfit for society, labelled dangerous or extremist, or turned into outcasts and exiled.
Red flag gun laws, growing in popularity as a legislative means by which to seize guns from individuals viewed as a danger to themselves or others, are a perfect example of this mindset at work. “We need to stop dangerous people before they act”: that’s the rationale behind the NRA’s support of these red flag laws, and at first glance, it appears to be perfectly reasonable to want to disarm individuals who are clearly suicidal and/or pose an “immediate danger” to themselves or others.
Where the problem arises, of course, is when you put the power to determine who is a potential danger in the hands of government agencies, the courts and the police.
Remember, this is the same government that uses the words “anti-government,” “extremist” and “terrorist” interchangeably.
This is the same government whose agents are spinning a sticky spider-web of threat assessments, behavioral sensing warnings, flagged “words,” and “suspicious” activity reports using automated eyes and ears, social media, behavior sensing software, and citizen spies to identify potential threats.
This is the same government that keeps re-upping the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which allows the military to detain American citizens with no access to friends, family or the courts if the government believes them to be a threat.
This is the same government that has a growing list—shared with fusion centers and law enforcement agencies—of ideologies, behaviors, affiliations and other characteristics that could flag someone as suspicious and result in their being labeled potential enemies of the state.
This is the same government that has, along with its corporate counterparts (Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc.), made it abundantly clear at all levels (whether it be the FBI, NSA, local police, school personnel, etc.) that they want no one challenging their authority.
This is a government that pays lip service to the nation’s freedom principles while working overtime to shred the Constitution.
Yes, this is a prison alright.
Thus, for those who take to the streets to constitutionally express their opinions and beliefs, rows of riot police, clad in jackboots, military vests, and helmets, holding batons, stun guns, assault rifles, and sometimes even grenade launchers, are there to keep them in line.
For those who take to social media to express their opinions and beliefs, squadrons of AI censors are there to shadowban them and keep them in line.
As for that wall President Trump keeps promising to build, it’s already being built, one tyranny at a time, transforming our constitutional republic into a carceral state.
Yet be warned: in a carceral state, there are only two kinds of people: the prisoners and the prison guards.
In a carceral state—a.k.a. a prison state or a police state—there is no difference between the treatment meted out to a law-abiding citizen and a convicted felon: both are equally suspect and treated as criminals, without any of the special rights and privileges reserved for the governing elite.
With every new law enacted by federal and state legislatures, every new ruling handed down by government courts, and every new military weapon, invasive tactic and egregious protocol employed by government agents, “we the people”—the prisoners of the American police state—are being pushed that much further into a corner, our backs against the prison wall.
This concept of a carceral state in which we possess no rights except for that which the government grants on an as-needed basis is the only way I can begin to comprehend, let alone articulate, the irrational, surreal, topsy-turvy, through-the-looking-glass state of affairs that is being imposed upon us in America today.
As I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, we who pretend we are free are no different from those who spend their lives behind bars.
You see, by gradually whittling away at our freedoms—free speech, assembly, due process, privacy, etc.—the government has, in effect, liberated itself from its contractual agreement to respect the constitutional rights of the citizenry while resetting the calendar back to a time when we had no Bill of Rights to protect us from the long arm of the government.
Aided and abetted by the legislatures, the courts and Corporate America, the government has been busily rewriting the contract (a.k.a. the Constitution) that establishes the citizenry as the masters and agents of the government as the servants. We are now only as good as we are useful, and our usefulness is calculated on an economic scale by how much we are worth—in terms of profit and resale value—to our “owners.”
Under the new terms of this revised, one-sided agreement, the government and its many operatives have all the privileges and rights and “we the prisoners” have none.
About The Free Thought Project
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Jay-Z to perform at NYC’s historic Webster Hall as it reopens after renovations
Webster Hall will reopen later this month after being sold two years ago and undergoing comprehensive renovations.
Kia Morgan-Smith
New York’s iconic Webster Hall that was once a staple that hosted legendary acts like B.B. King and U2 will reopen later this month after closing in 2017 for renovations.
Jay-Z will headline a concert when it reopens on April 26, a show that’s sure to cement the importance of the celebrated venue with a larger than life celeb performing, The NY Daily News reports.
—Man charged with allegedly leaving 1-year-old in the back seat of his burning vehicle—
“When we were thinking about who would be the right choice to open this legendary venue, we knew it had to be a world-famous New York City icon,” Brett Yormark, CEO of BSE Global, said in a statement Monday. “No one fits that description better than JAY-Z, who will join an unparalleled list of celebrated performers who have played Webster Hall.”
JAY-Z is opening Webster Hall with ‘B-Sides 2’ on Friday, April 26 for Day 1 fans. AMEX Card Members can get tickets on 4/18 at 10am ET before the public onsale on 4/19 at 11am ET.
A post shared by Webster Hall (@websterhall) on Apr 15, 2019 at 4:34am PDT
Webster Hall was sold in 2017 to Brooklyn Sports Entertainment and remained closed to undergo big changes so that it could accommodate more concerts and make it more modern, the outlet reports.
BSE Global and The Bowery Presents own the operating rights.
“The Bowery Presents formed in 2004 when we booked Sonic Youth at Webster Hall,” said John Moore, founder, and partner of The Bowery Presents. “We are thrilled to return to our roots, New York City’s oldest music venue, to begin this storied new chapter for artists and fans alike.”
Amex pre-sales for Jay’s concert starts Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and general tickets go on sale this Friday at 11 a.m.
—George Foreman garage goes up in flames, 40 cars damaged but mansion is safe—
The famous nightclub and concert venue is located at 125 E. 11th St in East Village. It was built in 1886 and the building was designated a New York City landmark in 2008, the outlet reports.
The inside of the venue there’s a 1,500-capacity Grand Ballroom, the 600-capacity Marlin Room, and the 400-capacity studio.
Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
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On Profound Ignorance
By Eva Brann|2018-11-21T08:38:45-06:00February 13th, 2017|Categories: Books, E.B., Eva Brann, Featured, Philosophy, Plato, Socrates, St. John's College|
Is “the knowing of what one knows and what one does not know that one does not know” ever possible? And what is the benefit of that knowledge?
Profound Ignorance: Plato’s Charmides and the Saving of Wisdom by David Lawrence Levine (Lexington Books, 2016)
Plato’s Charmides is not one of the more famous dialogues or one often thought of as central, and it is not on the St. John’s reading list. The latter fact is probably irremediable; the former opinion is now, once and for all, remedied by Profound Ignorance.[1]
I’ve long had a fleeting intuition, which David Levine has now worked out deeply and extensively, that the Charmides is of all the Platonic dialogues, the one that most immediately bears on our own contemporary political condition, the one that most directly illuminates the root problems of modernity. The Table of Contents, in fact, signals his understanding of this dialogue as peculiarly future-fraught. There are ten chapters, all but the first of which are devoted to a lively and careful exegesis of successive sections of the text. The first chapter, however, is a retrospective of ancient tyranny from the viewpoint of the “mega-phenomenon” that is modern totalitarianism. It seems to me that, whereas in the Republic we are invited to analyze the full soul as writ large in an imagined city, in the Charmides we are bidden to focus on the shrunk soul of an actual tyrant-to-be in a real city. The tyrant’s actions are infinitesimal in murderous effect compared to those of recent totalitarian leaders, but by that very smallness possibly more comprehensible in their badness than is the all but incomprehensible evil of the last and this century. David Levine works out these comparative realities in the initial chapter. The surface differences between old tyranny and new totalitarianism are, in brief, “lawlessness and terror,” expressed in an untrammeled appetite, as against “criminal rationality” expressed in a brute ideology. But there is a root similarity: “profound ignorance.” It is most perfectly exemplified in Critias, the eventual main figure of the Charmides, as Charmides, the externally beautiful boy without a mind of his own, recedes—only to return at the end with ominous threats, boyishly delivered.
This first chapter further sets out the way of understanding the dialogue that is pursued in this book. We are asked to “remember” certain Socratic truths now mostly displaced, which will show, as the author puts it, not that antiquity prefigured modernity but that modern life “might not be so distinctively modern after all.” The central question of the dialogue is: What is sophrosyne?, which is here translated literally: “saving [sozein] thoughtfulness [phronesis].”[2] This excellence, this goodness, is one of Socrates’s four cardinal virtues, the one most expressive of Socrates’s unsettling claim that all genuine goodness is, rightly understood, not ethical but intellectual, that virtue is knowledge. This “saving thoughtfulness” is, of all the virtues, including wisdom, the deepest and most complex, the most humanly revealing and politically consequential of all the standard virtues or excellences in Socrates’s and his conversational partners’ lexicon. The Charmides is devoted to revealing what this virtue is, but beyond that what it means for human beings to lack it.
This is the moment to say that the book is copiously and interestingly annotated, and that the opinion of scholars is given its due in the notes. The Charmides exposes Socrates to the charge that he was party to the education of two of the most evil men known to Athenian history. Critias was the de facto leader of the “Thirty Tyrants,” an oligarchy that instituted a reign of terror in Athens, which, as I think of it, was not matched in history until the Nazi occupation of the city during the Second World War. There appears to be no relief here for admirers of Socrates, who agrees, under pressure, to “chant” over Charmides, Critias’s ward and cousin, that is, to accept him as a patient and companion.[3] —Socrates is either naïve as a psychoanalyst or dubious as a teacher. David Levine, however, will show that Socrates understands, both in bold strokes and in subtle elaborations, what is the matter with these two; Socrates does his best.[4]
Readers may have shaken their heads at my use of the modern, Freudian term “psychoanalyst.” It is, however, justified by a heading in the second chapter, where “psychoanalysis” is qualified by “philosophical.” I cite this rubric of “philosophical analysis,” the soul-stripping of a boy whose bared body is irresistible, because a consultation of its supporting footnote shows how in- dependent of conventional categories David Levine’s inquiry is. It turns out that this philosophical depth-analysis is conducted more through the surface phenomena than is the modern Freudian kind, which is indeed “skeptical of appearances.” Thus, “Doctor Socrates” (the title of the third chapter) shows Socrates presented with a boy who complains of a certain somatic heaviness or “weakness” of the head which, it is pretended, Socrates knows how to cure.
Once again the situation is unprofessional by our standards. Not only is Socrates merely a pretend-member of the physicians’ guild, but after Charmides’s cloak falls open—or is thrown open, Socrates is enflamed—or pretends to be. Socrates the soldier, just returned from a brutal campaign, immerses himself in his city with a whirl of protective pretense that signifies his non-naivety, his circumspection, in dealing with this future-burdened lot. He prescribes a thoroughly “alternative” cure, a talking cure (hence the Freudian analogy), which shifts the diagnosis from body to soul and readies it for remediation by engendering the virtue of thoughtfulness-saving sophrosyne.
The fourth chapter presents a crucial soul-physician’s dilemma. Charmides, questioned about this virtue in himself, gets tied up in embarrassment; he blushes. For he can’t attribute sophrosyne, a kind of modesty, to himself in public without appearing immodest. That self-consciousness in turn presents his doctor with this dilemma, the “paradox of sickness”: If he confronts his patient with his defect he will seem offensive; if he desists he will seem irresponsible. Socrates finds a device. He levers the inquiry from a personal into a general inquiry: What is sophrosyne? The result is to display the boy as obtuse and other-dependent in his opinions. The yet implicit truth is that true sophrosyne is most particularly not a virtue you can have unawarely.
In the next chapter, Charmides’s “shamefacedness” (aidos, usually and less revealingly translated as “modesty”) undergoes examination. His final opinion, which he’s heard somewhere, is that sophrosyne is “doing one’s own affairs.” Johnnies will recall that this is the understanding of justice in the Republic, of which the boy is apt to have heard from his guardian, an occasional early associate of Socrates. The latter here exposes the selfish, anti-social meaning of Charmides’s version as compared to his own, political cohesion-producing intention in the Republic.
Charmides concedes that he just doesn’t know the meaning of his own putative virtue—but he snickers and looks to his cousin, his guardian. This elicits from Socrates the address “o miare,” an address as double-tongued as the mode he’s in. It is on occasion jokingly used, but literally it means “O Bloodstained One,” and that is how the author translates it. The occasion is a revelation about the boy; it displays his “profound ignorance” about himself, probably incurable. The “unreflective adoration” of such a potential leader by his followers, in youth or adulthood, is a devastating mistake to which a popular democracy is vulnerable, then and now.[5]
In Chapter Six, Critias, who has been growing increasingly antsy, lashes out, incited by his ward’s poor showing, not on behalf of the cousin he had earlier so extravagantly praised, but to shame this boy who has shamed his guardianship. Socrates now faces a much cleverer controversialist. What his ward is totally without, autonomy, his guardian has in terrifying excess. Doctor Socrates identifies it as “the principle of exclusive self-interest.” He is “a law onto himself,” self-legislating.[6] Here Critias reveals his future, as, in Xenophon’s words, “the most greedy, the most violent, and the most murderous” of the Thirty Tyrants. Here “philosophy becomes ‘prophetic.’”
Clever Critias’s opinions are not logically fallacious; they are ethically pernicious. In other words, Socrates opens up a distance between intelligence and goodness, without compromising his faith that, as virtue is knowledge, so vice is ignorance, and, of course, such “Ignorance is not simply erroneous, it is dangerous.” Acknowledged ignorance or ineptitude, however, such as Socrates deliberately displays before the two, is the very opposite—because it is self-knowledge.
Socrates incites Critias, as he did Charmides, to successive self-revelations—not to Critias himself but to us. Among them is the separation in Critias’s mind of a “knowledge that” from a “knowledge what.” The Critian man of sophrosyne knows that he is pursuing his own affairs, but he doesn’t know what he is doing. His is an ultimately insubstantial, all-subjective knowledge. Moreover, Critias has his own “liberation theology”: a god-like freedom for unrestrained self-expression. All this self-assertion makes Socrates, in contrast, now withdraw for a while to inquire within himself.[7]
What follows is an inquiry into Critias’s “proto-tyrannical” consciousness. Its main characteristic is an “extraordinary self-awareness” which is, at bottom, an empty self-involvement with its attendant “conceptual thicket…the problem of reflexivity,” that is, self-attention unmediated by an intentional object.[8] For Socrates, genuine knowing has an object, it is “of” something, namely the forms.
Critias has concocted a unique understanding of sophrosyne as a second-order knowledge that is practical in the sense of being utilitarian, universal in the sense of ruling over all other kinds of knowledge without being “of” them, and self-certified—the wisdom of self-interest, of political calculation, and of irresponsible domination.[9]
Chapter Seven and Eight are both devoted to working out the “Lesson of Ignorance.” It begins with Critias accusing Socrates of sophistry, because after all, every search, even if it has a real object, is self-interested—we want to be engaged.[10] Socrates’s nobility of inquiry is here delineated in terms of his personal qualities. But then a deeper difference, the central subject of the book, is broached: The emptily barren, assertively dominating, totalitarian knowledge that one knows takes over when what one knows lacks wholeness. This is the missing element in Critian self-knowledge: the knowledge of ignorance, in oneself and in itself. The exposition of the extendedly paradoxical nature of the knowledge of ignorance—a deeply subjective, yet impersonal, interpersonal, world-engaged kind of cognition—is, I think, not only the center but also the high point of Profound Ignorance.
So Socrates opposes to Critian’s sophrosyne a more complete virtue in the service of the self, a second sophrosyne, now a virtue in the service of self-knowledge. This is then the dual enigma: Is “the knowing of what one knows and what one does not know that one does not know” ever possible? And what is the benefit of that knowledge? Charmides, who is, after all, the patient here, is to be involved in the inquiry.
The nature of psychological reflexivity and logical privation, deep features of thought and of things, is now at issue. Here David Levine injects two digressions. One recounts Hegel’s history of self-consciousness, in which Socrates is given the crucial role of rescuing the suspect subjectivity of the sophists by insisting on the “‘inherent independence of thought’ from private and particular determinations.” The other digression recounts some extreme scholarly opinions reluctant to credit ancient Socrates with making full self-awareness thematic.[11] And if he is born too soon for fully reflexive self-knowledge, then, too, he cannot know his ignorance. —But, Profound Ignorance proves, the dialogue says otherwise: Socrates achieves a profound self-knowledge which includes the knowledge of his ignorance.
The profoundest perplexity is that of reflexivity, the soul’s power of self-relation, of which self-knowledge is a complexly perplexed part: Socrates cannot “confidently affirm” whether a knowledge of knowledge—and of ignorance—can come about. That disaffirmation itself is knowledge of ignorance. The profound enigma behind the latter is the above-mentioned notion of privation (that is, the deprivation of all positive qualities) and the consequent unspeakability of the “not” in ignorance; its knowledge would be the knowledge of a nothing. Such knowledge would then be described as the knowing of not-knowing, which, if it isn’t straight self-contradiction, comes close to it. All this ontological logic is way above the pair’s heads, but that need not preclude admission of one’s own ignorance—the doctor’s prescription for Charmides. Moreover, ontological perplexities aside, there is a brutally practical problem with this crucial kind of self-knowledge: Some soul types just lack the “prior Socratic reflective reflexivity” that is needed.
Having set out this discouraging preliminary, the author now reports Socrates’s challenge to Critias, which is to show that his second “Socratic” sophrosyne, which he has so easily adopted, is beneficial. Socrates reports that it throws Critias into “incapacitating confusion,” rather than into an enabling perplexity. This could be a moment of self-discovery; Critias’s defective soul, however, is not turned upward but forced “back on itself in shame.” He is, to be sure, self-oriented (reflexive), but not self-knowing (reflective); he lacks that “prior Socratic reflexivity.” Critias has not “reflected on the nature of beings” enough to be thinking about sophrosyne. His thinking is an empty totalism. He is stuck in his incapability, but we, listening, have indeed had actualized in us the knowledge of another’s ignorance. So that much is possible.
We now come to the two concluding chapters. Critias’s reflexivity did not lead him to the knowledge of his own ignorance, but now Socrates wants him to recognize that his self-cognition, which does not include knowing what, is over-generalized, “abstract,” to the point of vacancy: vacant self-assertion. Particularly as a political virtue, substantial knowledge of content-imbued expertise is necessary. A reference to the hitherto unsatisfactorily settled question “What is the benefit of sophrosyne?” is implied. Socrates begins to dream, a dream of the—political—benefits of his sophrosyne. It is but a dream, since for these two rulers-to-be complete self-knowledge is not possible.
What is Critias really after, since the knowledge delineated by him has proved empty? Critias says, out of the blue: The knowledge that makes one happy is that of good and bad. For the second time Socrates addresses one of this pair, now Critias, as “O Bloodstained One.” What is so terrible here? Critias is shown by Socrates to have implied that sophrosyne is a ruler’s peculiar virtue, entitling one to rule who knows nothing substantial but has this master-knowledge: How to get his own good out of what people know how to do. He has claimed a “primordial ruling knowledge that would subordinate the good to some yet more primordial sense of ownness.” It is indeed the notion of a man who will be bloodstained.
In this last dialectic passage with Critias, Socrates comes off almost deflatingly aporetic, perplexed, about knowledge in general and goodness in particular. Critias, in contrast, is self-confident without doubt. Though he has some beginnings in common with Socrates, such as the primary importance of the good life and the centrality of self-knowledge,[12] finally, in this dialogue, Socrates is, in contrast to Critias, profoundly ambiguous about “human intentionality and intelligence.” Moreover, he is overtly deflating about his own dialectical participation in the search, which was indeed, as David Levine says, both “over-involved to the point of being opaque” and forgetfully simple- minded. But that was intentional; the purpose was to let Critias reveal his profound ignorance.
In the ultimate chapter, Doctor Socrates turns back to Charmides, his reluctant patient, who declares that he—still—doesn’t know whether he has sophrosyne and—still—depends on the grown-ups to tell him. However, he now enrolls himself as Socrates’s willing patient. Indeed, the two incipient evil-doers verbally coerce a by now reluctant Socrates to take the boy on. Charmides’s external beauty cloaks an internal violence.
Some postscripts articulate David Levine’s deepest intentions: To recall to use a generally unremembered dialogue, the Charmides, that itself memorializes a great event; to recommend to us a guide, Socrates, who can take the measure of a human soul; and, of course, to reveal behind both dialogue and character an author, Plato, who writes inexhaustibly interpretable texts. Socrates’s very last words are: “I will not oppose,” and this apparently willing submission to a future of blood has troubled interpreters; is it craven? However, not only has Socrates’s conduct of the conversation been the opposite of complicit, but David Levine shows that “sophrosyne is the better part of valor”—that is, real sophrosyne: discretion, circumspection. Accordingly, Socrates has conducted a complex, ad hominem conversation receptive to two principles of interpretation: “integrated wholeness” (nested, sometimes circular development) and “dramatic argumentation” (implicit deeds, sometimes countermanding the words). In this conversation he has disjoined the assumed virtue of the boy from its ordinary meaning: control of appetites, moderation, temperance, and continence. He has instead attached it to self-knowledge thoughtfully understood. To be sure, Socrates’s “therapeutic thinking in the service of higher ends is transmogrified [by Critias] into calculative thinking serving baser ones.” But he has tried. This is the answer to the troubled interpreters: Socrates has “circumspect courage.” On campaign he is a staunch warrior saving his comrades; in the city he is a canny lover of wisdom, protecting the truth-effort.
The book ends with David Levine’s own brief interpretative synopsis of his book.
I want to emphasize once more what a curtailed report my chapter-by-chapter sketch is. Moreover, I’ve not engaged the author in critical debate. The reasons are the same for both deficiencies: The devil (meaning the subversions of the book) is, as they say, in the details, which are wittingly and intricately worked out. To take issue with them would be more the matter of a conversation than of a written report. Moreover, David Levine is alive and well and lives in Santa Fe; go and talk to him. For my part, it seems to me that what he says is profoundly right: Socrates has a close and knowing relation to his own ignorance and that is his most telling virtue, his sophrosyne, his deep discretion, while the future tyrant is profoundly ignorant of his ignorance. Here is my own ultimate question: Is profound ignorance morally imputable badness or psychologically hopeless insanity? –To me, it’s the question concerning evil.
I also want to say a word of the uses to which this book might be put: A senior might find it inciting to an unusual senior essay; a tutor would find it encouraging to a rarely offered preceptorial; any reader will find it illuminating in thinking about all sorts of totalitarianisms.
In sum, Profound Ignorance: Plato’s Charmides and the Saving of Wisdom is a book that shows what a Platonic dialogue is and what a reading of it can be.
Republished with gracious permission of the author from The St. John’s Review (Volume 58, No. 1, 2016).
[1] It is an informal rule that a tutor proposing an addition to our seminar list should also suggest the reading to be eliminated. Since every book is loved to an over-my-dead-body point by somebody, changes are hard to achieve—as they ought to be.
[2] Or “sound [sos]-mindedness.” The author’s etymology promotes, as is perfectly permissible, his interpretation of the dialogue.
[3] Socrates’s inner forfender, his daimonion, would sometimes intervene to prevent unsuitable associations. Here’s a question: Why not this time, since pedagogic failure is, on the basis of this conversation, a foregone conclusion?
[4] He fails with these ambitious, politically involved “followers,” but of his narrower inner circle, according to Xenophon, not one ever incurred censure for immortality.
[5] I can’t resist a comment, seriously meant. One difference between the tyrannical natures of antiquity and totalitarian types of our times is that the former were beautiful. To wit, Charmides and Alcibiades versus Hitler and Stalin. I ask myself whether it is to be considered as a deep or a superficial distinction between antiquity and modernity, that moderns are more ready to adore physically unattractive demagogues—a problem worth reflection.
[6] David Levine refers, without naming him, to Kant’s morally opposite notion of autonomy: Our will is to free itself from all passivity, all passion, to be fully active in accordance with its own nature as “practical reason”—meaning that it makes only universalizable decisions, that it subjects itself to its own law-giving, without self-indulgence.
[7] As he does on other occasions, e.g., Phaedo 95e7.
[8] An “intentional object” is what cognition intends, what thinking is “of” or “about.”
[9] To me these passages, to the exegesis of which in Profound Ignorance I’ve not done justice, are the high point of the dialogue, since they throw a lurid light on philosophy’s main preoccupation in modern times, epistemology, the knowledge of knowledge.
[10] Every teacher knows that this is an honest problem peculiar to adolescents: Every way of being unselfish is selfish because we take pleasure in self-denial. In older people it’s contentious, since it muddies commitment before completing the analysis.
[11] To me these digressions are the more interesting for touching on a question that ought to be everyone’s preoccupation: Can chronology preclude some thoughts from being thought by those caught in its frame?
[12] And, I would add, the identification of virtue with a knowledge.
About the Author: Eva Brann
Eva Brann is Senior Contributor to The Imaginative Conservative, a distinguished and long-serving tutor at St. John's College, and the 2005 National Humanities Medal recipient. Dr. Brann's works include: Paradoxes of Education in a Republic, The Past-Present: Selected Writings of Eva Brann, What, Then, Is Time?, The World of the Imagination: Sum and Substance, Homeric Moments, Feeling Our Feelings, The Logos of Heraclitus, Un-Willing: An Inquiry into the Rise of Will’s Power and an Attempt to Undo It, The Music of the Republic: Essays on Socrates' Conversations and Plato's Writings, and Then & Now: The World's Center and the Soul's Demesne. Dr. Brann has also published translations of Plato’s Statesman, Sophist, Symposium or Drinking Party, and Phaedo.
January 18th, 2020 | 11 Comments
The Fickle Moll Flanders
Of What Value Is a Dead Language?
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Well-informed parents – key to banishing the vocational versus academic divide?
February 13, 2014 by Tami McCrone Leave a comment
NFER welcomes recent reports from the Edge Foundation and the Association of Colleges on the complex and massively important areas of vocational education and careers guidance. The findings come as a timely reminder of the work yet to be done to ensure that academic and vocational routes to work are perceived to be equally important, useful and valid by all.
According to the new study commissioned by the Edge Foundation: “Many young people are being actively discouraged from opting for vocational education – with just a quarter of parents (27 per cent) judging it to be worthwhile.” (Research conducted by OnePoll in January 2014, surveyed 2,230 people aged 18-35 in full time employment in the UK.)
Meanwhile, the study by the Association of Colleges (AoC) in partnership with the Skills Show states that 70 per cent of young people turn to parents and 57 per cent to teachers for careers advice.
These two findings highlight a challenge. They suggest that many young people turn to their parents for advice, and many parents feel that vocational routes are not as valuable as academic pathways.
To a certain extent these findings and observations are missing an important point – a selected pathway should depend on a young person’s interests, aspirations and preferred learning style and not on whom they happen to turn to for advice. So shouldn’t we aim for a wider appreciation of the fact that young people learn in different ways, have different interests and want to do different types of jobs?
School and college staff, and parents and carers, need to be open to and knowledgeable about the options that are available in this widening landscape. It is important that all of those from whom young people seek advice are informed about the available options or know to whom they could refer young people.
NFER wrote this in 2009 in our synthesis Widening 14-19 choices: support for young people making informed decisions. I feel that little has changed since then; 14-19 choices are still widening and young people still desperately need support to make informed decisions.
I believe a lot can still be learned from the NFER National evaluation of Diplomas. Although strictly speaking Diplomas were applied qualification, they were definitely not purely academic. Young people needed a real interest in the subject area (such as engineering or health and social care) and the qualification could lead to an associated occupation.
As part of the evaluation we wrote a paper on the careers information, advice and guidance (IAG) that young people received for Diplomas at that time. The findings are still relevant today. By drawing on the evidence we highlighted what appeared to work well in relation to:
the content of the information about Diplomas that young people needed to receive, e.g. the nature and role of different elements of the qualification; the applied learning style with learning in the workplace and learning through realistic work environments; the equivalence and progression routes and the different locations of learning
the various mechanisms through which information can be provided. Approaches such as written information; taster days; guided direction from informed adults and gaining some first-hand experience of what it would be like to study a Diploma were seen as particularly effective.
the people who are best placed to provide this information and the advice and guidance required to make good use of information. The report highlights the importance of having well-informed teachers for young people to turn to. That is not to say that we suggested that all teachers become experts in the details of all vocational and applied qualifications but rather that they know to whom they can reliably direct young people such as well-informed careers professionals. Additionally, as shown by AoC, parents are recognised as an important source of guidance for young people and as such need to be well-informed. The evidence demonstrated the importance of developing a clear way of describing the Diploma so that the information was accessible for learners and parents. Parents wanted to fully understand the Diploma and the implications of choosing it, in order to advise their children with confidence.
It is this last point that I particularly wanted to draw out – that young people need to have well-informed teachers, careers professionals AND parents. In an article in The Sunday Times (9 Feb. 2014): ‘Do I go to uni for three years and rack up £50,000 in debt without any work experience? No thanks, I’m going to be an apprentice’, the author points out that ‘some critics argue that more needs to be done to encourage teachers and parents to make young people aware of the alternatives to university’. I couldn’t agree more!
So perhaps we in the research community should be doing more to communicate our evidence in this area into useful resources for teachers, parents and young people?
Categories: Education to employment | Tags: careers education, employment | Permalink.
Author: Tami McCrone
Tami is Research Director (Impact) at the National Foundation for Educational Research.
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UQ graduate cohort to hit 250,000 this December
December 8, 2017 By ns-coims
After more than a century of graduations, Queensland’s largest university is celebrating a major milestone this December: 250,000 graduates.
UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said it was a momentous occasion for the University, but also for Queensland.
“As Queensland’s first university, UQ has been crucial to the growth, advancement and prosperity of our state and the nation,” Professor Høj said.
“Graduating 250,000 students means we have contributed to the global pool of knowledge leaders who are transforming communities here and in over 170 countries around the world.”
“Our graduates are among our greatest assets, so this December is a significant milestone in our 108 year history,” Professor Høj said.
Among UQ’s outstanding graduates are Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, science pioneer Dorothy Hill, Chair of the Productivity Commission Peter Harris, Nobel Laureate and immunologist Professor Peter Doherty, 26th Governor of Queensland Paul de Jersey, DowDuPont Executive Chairman and Dow Chemical Company CEO Andrew Liveris, triple Emmy Award-winning production designer and art director Deborah Riley, co-inventor of the heart stent Dr Gary Roubin, Flight Centre Founder Graham Turner, University of California San Francisco Chancellor Professor Sam Hawgood, triple Grammy award-winning musician Tim Munro, best-selling author Kate Morton, materials scientist and chemical engineer Professor Max Lu and celebrity chef Ben Milbourne.
“The list of UQ’s graduates is long, impressive and extremely diverse and I am enormously proud to watch that list swell with over 8000 students graduating this December,” Professor Høj said.
“Our graduates have come from diverse communities throughout the world, bringing with them unique ideas and perspectives. On graduating they become a part of our UQ community, an impressive cohort that has worked to better themselves and the world.”
The University of Queensland Graduation ceremonies will run from December 7 to 15 at UQ’s St Lucia and Gatton campuses.
A list of notable UQ Alumni is online here.
Professor Høj said students graduated from UQ with the resilience to manage the uncertainties ahead as new technology and innovation leads to entirely new career paths.
“Receiving a qualification from a world-class university is a passport to global opportunities and access to an extraordinary network of other graduates.”
The University conferred its first degrees on two women and three men 104 years ago in 1913.
A full list of ceremony dates and times is available here. The official December 2018 graduations hashtag is #UQ250K
Media: UQ Communications, [email protected] or 07 3346 0561 to arrange media passes.
Some notable UQ graduates are listed below:
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk MP, Current Queensland Premier and Minister for the Arts.
Tim Munro, a Triple-Grammy-winning musician.
Kev Carmody, Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame
Dorothy Hill, a pioneer of women in science
Dr Graham Colditz, a highly cited health researcher in the fields of cancer and epidemiology
Melanie Wright OAM, Olympic gold medallist.
Anne Cross, CEO of Uniting Care Queensland
John Eales AM, a former Australian rugby union captain.
Deborah Riley, triple Emmy Award-winning production designer and art director who has worked on Game of Thrones.
Professor Megan Davis, The University of New South Wales’ first Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous
Dame Quentin Bryce, former Australian Governor-General
Stephen Moore, former Australian Wallabies rugby union captain
Professor Adele Green, a leading melanoma researcher
Andrew Liveris, DowDuPont Executive Chairman and Dow Chemical Company CEO
Paul de Jersey, the 26th Governor of Queensland.
Dane Lam, the Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra.
Janelle Weissman, Executive Director of UN Women National Committee Australia
Kate Morton, a New York Times Bestselling author
Dami Im, Australia’s Eurovision nominee 2016, placed second.
Dr Sam Hawgood, President University of California San Francisco (UCSF) (top 20 in the world).
Sylvia Jeffreys, News presenter, Nine Network’s Today show.
Professor Max Lu, a world-leading scientist in materials science and chemical engineering.
Ben Milbourne celebrity chef
Professor Michael McRobbie, Indiana University President
Michael Ware Award-winning journalist and documentarian.
Professor Edward Byrne, President and Principal at King’s College London
Marian Wilkinson, A multi-award winning investigative journalist whose contributions to public discourse have included some
Julieanne Alroe, The CEO and Managing Director of Brisbane Airport Corporation.
Mark McGowan, The 30th and current Premier of Western Australia.
Ann Sherry, The Carnival Australia Executive Chairman.
Dr Dimity Dornan, entrepreneur, bionics activist and speech pathologist
Professor Peter Doherty, A Nobel Prize Laureate, veterinary surgeon and medical researcher. Named the 1997 Australian of the Year.
Andrew Cameron highly decorated nurse and humanitarian worker
Greg Flynn, a multi-disciplined entrepreneur and the founder of a billion-dollar food franchise empire in the US.
Nick Earls, a doctor and writer who has become one of Australia’s best-loved authors.
Mark Sowerby, The Founder and former Managing Director of Blue Sky Alternative Investments Limited.
Carl Smith, a 2017 Walkley Award recipient and multiple-award winning science journalist who works for the ABC in Canberra.
Cheng Lei, a 2017 Walkley Award recipient and multiple-award winning science journalist who works for the ABC in Canberra.
Dr Gary Roubin, The co-inventor of the heart stent.
Matthew Versluys , A coveted gaming engineer currently working with Bonfire in California.
Dr Chadden Hunter, A wildlife filmmaker and Episode Producer for Planet Earth 2
George Brandis, The Commonwealth Attorney-General, Vice-President of the Executive Council and Leader of the Government in the Senate.
Catherine Tanna, A Member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and Managing Director of EnergyAustralia.
Kathryn Fagg, A Member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia
Emeritus Professor Ian Harper, A Member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and one of Australia’s best-known economists.
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An American Portrait
Photographs by Jack Spencer; foreword by Jon Meacham
Created across thirteen years, forty-eight states, and eighty thousand miles, this startlingly fresh photographic portrait of the American landscape shares artistic affinities with the works of such American masters as Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Mark Rothko, and Albert Bierstadt.
Series: The William and Bettye Nowlin Endowment in Art, History, and Culture of the Western Hemisphere
284 pages | 13 x 11 | 142 color photos |
Jarred by the 9/11 attacks, photographer Jack Spencer set out in 2003 “in hopes of making a few ‘sketches’ of America in order to gain some clarity on what it meant to be living in this nation at this moment in time.” Across thirteen years, forty-eight states, and eighty thousand miles of driving, Spencer created a vast, encompassing portrait of the American landscape that is both contemporary and timeless.
This Land presents some one hundred and forty photographs that span the nation, from Key West to Death Valley and Texas to Montana. From the monochromatic and distressed black-and-white images that began the series to the oversaturated color of more recent years, these photographs present a startlingly fresh perspective on America. The breadth of imagery in This Land brings to mind the works of such American masters as Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Mark Rothko, and Albert Bierstadt, while also evoking the sense of the open roads traveled by Woody Guthrie and Jack Kerouac. Spencer’s pictorialist vision embraces the sweeping variety of American landscapes—coasts, deltas, forests, deserts, mountain ranges, and prairies—and iconic places such as Mount Rushmore and Wounded Knee. Jon Meacham writes in the foreword that Spencer’s “most surprising images are of a country that I suspect many of us believed had disappeared. The fading churches, the roaming bison, the running horses: Spencer has found a mythical world, except it is real, and it is now, and it is ours.”
JACK SPENCER
Spencer is a fine art photographer whose work is in major private and public collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Berkeley Art Museum; the Santa Barbara Museum of Art; the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans; the Brookings Institution, Fairfax, Virginia; the Tennessee State Museum, Nashville; the Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson; and the Cleveland Museum of Art. In 2005, he received the Lucie Award for International Photographer of the Year in the nature category. His work has been published in the monographs Native Soil, Jack Spencer, and Jack Spencer: Beyond the Surface.
Nashville and Sewanee, Tennessee
New York Times best-selling author Meacham won the Pulitzer Prize for American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House. He is also the author of the acclaimed volumes Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush and Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power. He currently serves as executive editor and executive vice president of Random House.
“'Bang!' went my heart when I opened the photographer Jack Spencer’s powerful This Land: An American Portrait.”
“Spencer dazzles us with his visual poetry while at the same time guiding us to look beyond his images. He explores the delicate balance struck with what our culture demands and what truly is important to lead a fulfilling life.”
Great Plains Quarterly
“Spencer has given us a great gift.”
Garden & Gun
Jack Spencer on Charlie Rose
The Big Book
A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove
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This site was generously funded, in part, by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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Street Hawk
Network: ABC
Seasons: One
TV show dates: January 4, 1985 — May 16, 1985
Performers include: Rex Smith, Joe Regalbuto, Richard Venture, Jeannie Wilson, Raymond Singer, and R.J. Adams.
Jesse Mach (Rex Smith) is a former motorcycle cop who was injured in the line of duty and has become a police trouble shooter. His talents get him recruited to test a top secret government project — an all-terrain attack motorcycle that’s capable of speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour. The motorcycle also includes a computerized command system that provides Mach with real-time information from various sources and autopilots the vehicle once it’s cleared through traffic.
Mach begins to lead a double life — a public relations officer by day and a crime-fighter by night. The only person to know his true identity is federal agent and engineer Norman Tuttle (Joe Regalbuto). He’s the vehicle’s designer and is employed by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration of the Department of Justice. He reluctantly chose Mach to pilot his creation but becomes impressed with his abilities.
The Man… The Machine… Street Hawk.
Episode 13 — Follow the Yellow Gold Road
Mach battles a gang of gold thieves who injured a security guard during a robbery. He gets some help from a neighborhood watch group.
First aired: May 16, 1985.
The series hasn’t been revived or remade.
The series was initially scheduled to begin in the Fall of 1984 but was held until mid-season. The ratings didn’t warrant a second season.
Christopher Lloyd played the villain in the pilot episode. A young George Clooney appeared in the second episode of the series. It was one of his first television roles.
More about: Street Hawk
Street Hawk: Rex Smith Wants Your Help on Street Hawk Resurrection
Lee Stevens
I am a man of that certain age that remembers Street Hawk very well (probably the best out of the three!!!). I loved the concept, the technology and the simple story premise. Do I think its time to bring it back, Oh God Yes please, Rex bring this great series back and make it last more than one season, we don’t want it to go the same way as the reinvented Knight Rider. Also use the original theme tune too. I look forward to seeing the new series.
All the best from Lee Stevens – Street Hawk Fan
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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm
YMMV / Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Laconic
Create New - Create New - Analysis FanficRecs FanWorks Fridge Haiku ImageLinks PlayingWith Recap ReferencedBy Synopsis Timeline WMG
Adaptation Displacement: It's far better-known and better-regarded than the comic it's loosely based on.
Alternate Character Interpretation:
Does the Joker know, or at least suspect, that Bruce and Batman are one and the same at the end? If so, his laugh at the end could be triumph at his realization that his actions have corrupted and driven away his archenemy's greatest love. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker would seem to contradict this, though it's certainly possible it didn't count for him unless the info was forcibly extracted...
Alfred's reaction to Bruce when he puts on the mask for the first time. Is Alfred reacting to Bruce's terrifying appearance, or to the realization that he has finally cast aside any chance of a normal life, and has irrevocably set himself on this course.
Was Andrea planning on murdering Arthur for his role in her father’s death as well? Or did she not even know that he was involved?
Awesome Music:
And how. Shirley Walker cited her work here as one of her favorite compositions, and it's not hard to hear why .
"I Never Ever Told You" was viewed initally by Bat-fans as an intrusive Award-Bait Song. However, fans have come to associate the song as an inseparable part of the film, and summarizing the mood perfectly at the end.
You can tell that the film had a bigger budget than the TV show from the fact that they were able to use a 30-piece choir to sing along with the orchestra, something unheard of on the show.
Complete Monster: The Joker both pre-transformation and post-transformation. Closer to the 1989 movie's origin of the character than the Multiple-Choice Past's origin of the comics, though no less ambiguous than the latter. See here for more details.
Cult Classic: The film was ignored when it was first released into theaters, but has since gained quite a following and is now considered one of the best Batman films.
Fridge Brilliance:
As noted in this review by SF Debris , for years in this series, it is said that "Bruce Wayne" is the mask for Batman. "Bruce" is the mask he wears in the light to hide his true personality and beliefs. Now, consider the title of the movie, "Mask of the Phantasm" isn't just trying to be scary about the titular character. It refers equally to like Batman using "Bruce", the mask of the Phantasm is "Andrea Beaumont." Like Batman, Phantasm uses the appearance of a socialite person to move by people who have not earned her vengeance.
Why is Andrea able to so conveniently arrive to save Batman from the police pursuit? Because she was already there, fighting him as the Phantasm just minutes before.
More like Fridge Tearjerking. The song "I Never Even Told You" by Tia Carrere doesn't make sense in terms of Bruce and Andrea's relationship. After all, the entire film was about how they loved each other and told each other so. So, who is the song about? And then it hits you: it's about Bruce and his parents. It was a sudden, brutal murder. The way they were killed never gave Bruce a chance to tell them he loved them or even goodbye. Bruce's parents never got to say goodbye or tell him they loved him. Their deaths hang over the entire film, too—Bruce is looking for love and acceptance, because he never got closure with his parents. It's the entire reason he's Batman. He was willing to toss away being Batman because of love. All of which is denied him in the film, all stemming from not having that closure.
Foe Yay: When he visits Arthur Reeves to try and get answers on who killed the mob bosses, we get this little line from The Joker (what, and this surprises you?)note Bonus points for the Phantasm being a woman.
Arthur Reeves: Haven't you read the papers?! It's Batman!
The Joker: [makes a buzz noise] Wrong! It ain't the Bat! Nope, nope, nope! I've seen the guy. He looks more like the Ghost of Christmas Future. Nowhere near as cute as Bat-boy.
Growing the Beard: Mark Hamill said that this was the project where he truly developed the Joker voice and laugh.
Harsher in Hindsight:
The film showing how Bruce is seemingly fated to be alone looks even worse when Batman Beyond shows this really will be the case for him.
The Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue" also showed Andrea's future: as a contract hitman (though one that still retains at least a tiny amount of morality).
The scene where Bruce visits his parents' grave is an extra twist of the knife when you think of the DC Rebirth storyline The Button, in which his father (from another timeline) tells him personally to stop being Batman and find happiness.
Hilarious in Hindsight:
The Joker says, "Why so formal?" to Sal Valestra. Replace "formal" with a synonym and you get...
The Joker ultimately taking over as the central antagonist by the end of the film over the Phantasm becomes more amusing in light of his tendency to do so in the Arkham games.
He Panned It, Now He Sucks!: Gene Siskel liked the movie a lot, but his statement that he didn't like the Joker's voice drew quite a bit of ire from fans.
It Was His Sled: The Phantasm's true identity. It was even Spoiled by the Merchandise!
Misaimed Fandom: The sequence with Batman confronting Andrea in her hotel room, ending with her declaring that "The only one in this room controlled by their parents is you," has become something of a moderate Memetic Mutation from the film and is typically used on places like Tumblr to blast Batman for the root cause of his being Batman. In context, however, it completely ignores the fact that Andrea is just like Bruce, if not worse, as she's become a killer because of the death of her father and seeks vengeance only on those involved with said death while having no plan for her life afterwards, possibly even wishing to die achieving her final vengeance. Even she admittedly doesn't get that Batman is not about vengeance, as demonstrated at the film's end.
Narm:
The stand-off with the police is a little undercut by the SWAT members all shouting “Hut! Hut! Hut!” It’s very hard not to imagine the climax of The Blues Brothers.
At one point, a police officer opens fire at Batman, shooting dozens of bullets in the span of a few seconds, completely ventilating Batman's cape... too bad the gun is drawn as a revolver, known for their low rate of fire and low ammo capacity.
Older Than They Think: "Why so formal?"
Signature Scene: The scene in the flashback where Batman puts on The Cowl for the first time. Gothic melodrama at its finest.
Batman trying to escape from the cops.
Values Dissonance: Joker calling Andrea "Toots" would not get into a kids film today, given its offensive nature towards women.
Vindicated by History: When the film was initially released, reviews were generally positive but the film was a failure at the box office due to getting a last-minute release with little advertising. However it eventually turned a profit in its home video releases and in the years since then it has only become more well-regarded, and is now hailed as not only one of the best Batman films, but one of the best animated films ever. Notoriously, Siskel and Ebert neglected to review the movie when it was in theaters but later admitted they made a mistake in overlooking it and stated it was superior to the other Batman movie of the time, Batman Forever.
What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: The film is easily one of the darkest films in the DCAU, and arguably animated Batman films period, but still has a PG rating, marketed under WB's Family Entertainment line, and even has Bugs Bunny standing in front of the WB shield at the beginning of the movie.
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Bug Squad
sitenum=63
Happenings in the insect world
ICE-ing on the Cake!
Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Juan Andrés Bisset
What a nice move!
Especially since the United States is busily restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba.
Think entomology. Think ICE. Think ICE'ing on the cake. Think ICE'ing on an entomological cake.
When the 2016 International Congress of Entomology (ICE 2016), co-chaired by a UC Davis chemical ecologist Walter Leal takes place next year in Orlando, Fla., it truly will follow the theme, “Entomology without Borders.”
One of Cuba's leading entomologists will deliver an invitational lecture on the mosquito that transmits dengue, announced Leal, professor of biochemistry and chemical ecology at the UC Davis Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology
Juan Andrés Bisset, head of the Vector Control Department at the Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine and an advisor to the Cuban Public Health Ministry, will speak on “Aedes aegypti Management Strategies for Dengue Control in Cuba.” He studied at UC Riverside with G.P. Georgiou in 1986.
“When I received my first passport as a Brazilian citizen, it was stamped ‘not valid' for Cuba,” recalled Leal. “That sparked a curiosity about that country. After I become an entomologist and a U.S. citizen, my curiosity shifted toward entomology in Cuba. Fast forward to today: The International Congress of Entomology could not justify its theme, ‘Entomology without Borders,' if we did not have at least one delegate from Cuba.”
“We are absolutely delighted to host Dr. Juan Bisset.”
Added ICE 2016 co-chair Alvin Simmons, U.S. Department of Agriculture research entomologist: “We are dedicated to providing a premier congress experience for 7,000 to 8,000 international attendees. This includes fostering an environment of scientific breadth and all-inclusiveness. So, it is quite fitting for participation from Cuba to be a part of this historical event.”
The conference, expected to be the world's largest gathering of entomologists, takes place Sept. 25-30, 2016. Bisset will speak from 4:30 to 5:30 p. m. Tuesday, Sept. 25. Many mosquito researchers, including those from the University of California, are expected to attend.
In an email to Bisset, Leal called attention to a recent editorial in Science magazine “Science in U.S. Cuba relations” (May 15, 2015).
“ICE 2016 will be a historic global event, as this conference will return to the United States after a 40-year hiatus,” Leal told him. “We are expecting the participation of 7,000-8,000 delegates, including Dr. Peter Agre (Nobel Laureate, 2003 - a strong advocate for science diplomacy, particularly Cuba-US relations) and Dr. Jules Hoffmann (Nobel Laureate, 2011), Dr. John Hildebrand, and many other distinguished scholars."
Bisset is heavily involved in the control of vectorborne diseases, including diseases transmitted by several mosquitoes, such as Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles albimanus, and Aedes aegypti. He focuses his main research on ecology, dynamic population of insects, insecticide resistance, and resistance mechanisms.
The recipient of some 18 international and national awards, Bisset has been published his research in 106 scientific papers. Since 1990, he has participated in more than 45 technical activities as an adviser on malaria and dengue vector control in Latin American countries, and is a frequent lecturer in Cuba and other countries.
ICE is held once every four years in different countries around the world. Next year it will be held simultaneously with the annual meetings of the Entomological Society of America, the Entomological Society of Canada, and other organizations.
“Each Congress provides a forum for scientists, researchers, academia, technicians, government, and industry representatives to discuss the latest research and innovations in the many diverse fields of entomology, to share expertise in their specific fields of interest, and to present their research and products,” said Richard Levine, ESA's communications program manager, in a news release. “The week-long meetings allow participants to meet others from around the world with similar focus areas and to form important networks to collaborate and share knowledge, with an overarching goal of supporting and protecting the world's population through better science."
For more information about ICE 2016, access http://ice2016orlando.org.
Female mosquito, Aedes aegypti, also known as "the dengue mosquito," drawing a blood meal. (Photo by James Gathany. United States Department of Health and Human Services)
Tags: Alvin Simmons (4), ICE (3), International Congress of Entomology (5), Juan Andrés Bisset (1), Richard Levine (3), Walter Leal (56)
Give Her Some Space
If you see a news story about "honey bees" in a newspaper or magazine, odds are you'll see it spelled as one word, "honeybees."
That's because the Associated Press Stylebook, the journalists' "bible," spells it that way. So do dictionaries.
However, in the entomological world, that's incorrect. "Honey bee" is two words because it's a true bee, just like "bumble bee." Similarly, you wouldn't spell "dragonfly" as "dragon fly" because a dragonfly is not a fly.
The Entomological Society of America (ESA) governs the worldwide references to insects in its Common Names of Insects. If you want to know the common name, scientific name, order, family, genus, species and author, the ESA database provides it. Type in a name and a drop-down menu appears. Find the honey bee!
Common name: Honey bee
Scientific name: Apis mellifera Linnaeus
Family: Apidae
Genus: Apis
Species: mellifera
Author: Linnaeus
Extension apiculturist Elina Niño of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology writes about the misspelling in the Kids' Corner of her recent newsletter, from the UC Apiaries. "Since starting my new job at UC Davis, I have been corrected a few times for spelling 'honey bee' as two words rather than 'honeybee,' a single word. What do you think: which one is more appropriate?"
She goes on to explain why "honey bee" is accurate. "Honey bees belong to an order of insects (a group of insects that have several similar features) named Hymenoptera which contains bees, wasps, sawflies and ants. You might even say they are 'true' bees and therefore, should be spelled as two words."
In an article published in a 2004 edition of Entomology Today, the Entomological Society of America's communications program manager Richard Levine acknowledges that "Writing insect names using American English can be difficult. Some species have different names depending on where you are, or with whom you are speaking (think 'ladybug' or 'ladybird' or 'lady beetle'). More often than not, an insect may not even have an official common name because out of the million or so insects that have been discovered and described, only a couple of thousand have been designated with common names by the Entomological Society of America (ESA)."
"To make matters worse," Levine writes, "even the ones that DO have official common names — ones that we see nearly every day — may have different spellings depending on whether they appear in scientific publications or other print media, such as newspapers or magazines."
So the "bible" of journalists--or what the Associated Press sanctions and governs--does not always agree with the scientific "bible" of the entomological community--or what ESA sanctions and governs.
"The reason for the discrepancy is that entomologists use two words if a common name accurately describes the order to which a particular insect belongs," Levine points out. "For example, all true flies belong to the order Diptera, so true fly names will be spelled using two words by entomologists — house fly, horse fly, pigeon fly, or stable fly, for example. However, despite their names, dragonflies and butterflies are NOT true flies — their orders are Odonata and Lepidoptera, respectively — so they are spelled as one word."
As an aside, we wonder if the controversy over the spelling of "honey bee" extends to spelling bees. Would judges eliminate someone for spelling "honey bee" with a space in between? "H-O-N-E-Y (space) B-E-E?"
Still, things can and do change. For years, the AP Stylebook editors insisted that "under take" is two words, not one. They've relented now, and it's one word, "undertake." Glory bee!
Will the AP Stylebook follow the ESA's Common Names of Insects and decide it's "honey bee," not "honeybee?" Will the AP Stylebook give the honey bee some space? Just a little space?
Stay tuned. Or stay buzzed.
A honey bee queen on a finger. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Tags: Apis mellifera (22), Associated Press Stylebook (1), Elina Nino (6), Entomological Society of America (86), honey bee (197), honeybee (2), Richard Levine (3)
'The Manhattan Project of Entomology'
It's been dubbed "The Manhattan Project of Entomology."
And it may have "the potential to revolutionize the way we think about insects," says Richard Levine, communications program manager of the Entomological Society of America (ESA).
Call it "The Manhattan Project of Entomology." Call it "The i5k Initiative." Call it "The 5,000 Insect Genome Project." They're one and the same and will involve entomologists worldwide sequencing the genomes of 5,000 insects and other arthropods over the next five years.
The goal, as the article in the current edition of American Entomologist states, is “to improve our lives by contributing to a better understanding of insect biology and transforming our ability to manage arthropods that threaten our health, food supply, and economic security."
"We hope that generating this data will lead to better models for insecticide resistance, better models for developing new pesticides, better models for understanding transmission of disease, or for control of agricultural pests," Daniel Lawson, a coordinator at the European Bioinformatics Institute, told Levine. "Moving into the genetics era revolutionizes what you can do, what you can try to assay in your species, what you can infer from your experiments."
Professor Gene E. Robinson of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, pointed out: "This will provide information that breeders would need to look for ways of dealing with insect resistance to pesticides. It would also provide geneticists with information on what might be vulnerable points in an insect's makeup, which could be used for novel control strategies."
The first step? Entomologists will sign up to create wiki pages.
"We're trying to find out who's working on what insects, and if they feel that having genomic information about their insects would help," professor Susan J. Brown of Kansas State University told Levine. "Quite a few researchers are probably working on transcriptomics, looking at the genes that are transcribed under certain contexts, environmental conditions or life stages. Looking at the whole genome will help us understand these comparatively and not just in one organism."
This is an exciting project with entomologists networking on a project that will benefit us all. We're especially interested in insects of agricultural and medical importance.
Read Richard Levine's piece in American Entomologist at http://entsoc.org/PDF/2011/AE-15k.pdf.
Gene Robinson of the University of Illinois, shown here following his Jan. 6 talk at UC Davis, is heavily involved in "The Manhattan Project of Entomology." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Tags: 000 Insect Genome Project (1), American Entomologist (3), Entomological Society of America (86), Richard Levine (3), The 5 (1), The i5k Initiative (1), The Manhattan Project of Entomology (1)
Viewing -1-1 of 3
'Eyes on the Butterflies' at the Bohart Museum of Entomology
Bohart Museum Open House: A Science of a Day
How Do Monarchs Know When to Migrate? Bohart Museum Open House Jan. 18
Cambridge Scientist to Speak on Plant-Nematode Parasitism
A Grand Opening--And Bees Were Nowhere in Sight
Where is the Vacaville garden...
Thank you for including that...
Well-described! Really interesting.
Saw a beige/pink colors Mantis in...
You made me laugh. Good story.
Bohart Museum of Entomology (371)
honey bees (357)
UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (314)
Lynn Kimsey (275)
Eric Mussen (245)
Cindy Lindh: Where is the Vacaville garden...
S. Snow: Thank you for including that...
Jennifer: Well-described! Really interesting.
Connie M Gunther: Saw a beige/pink colors Mantis in...
• Bohart Museum of Entomology • honey bees • UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology • Lynn Kimsey • Eric Mussen • Robbin Thorp • Art Shapiro • honey bee • UC Davis • Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility • Tabatha Yang • UC Davis Department of Entomology • Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven • praying mantis • Entomological Society of America
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Fashion on Television:Identity and Celebrity Culture
Warner, Helen (2014) Fashion on Television:Identity and Celebrity Culture. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780857854414
Fashion on Television provides a comprehensive critical examination of the intersection between fashion, television and celebrity culture. The book brings together theoretical approaches to the symbolic force of television and fashion-forward programming on a global scale. Examining case studies such as Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, Ugly Betty and Mad Men, the book examines how TV has made style icons out of leading actresses and fashion-conscious consumers out of audiences. Using a varied methodology, including textual and contextual analysis, this study explores the cultural uses of onscreen fashion at the level of industry, text and intertext. Fashion on Television is essential reading for those seeking to understand the cultural function of costume in a television context. Written accessibly with a multi-disciplinary approach, it will appeal to students and scholars from film and media, fashion and cultural studies, to sociology and women's studies.
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/fashion-on...
Pure Connector
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W E S T B U R Y
MICHEL ANGUIER
PLUTO AND CERBERUS
White marble, resting on an ebonised wooden base.
Height overall: 34 ½ in. (86.6 cm.)
Sotheby Parke Bernet, Monte Carlo, 4 Dec. 1983, lot 210.
The Collection of Hubert de Saint-Senoch. Pavillion de Bidaine.
Paris sale 3 March 1788, lot 87, where described as “Une figure d'Hercule enchainant Cerbere...”.
The Collection of M. de Villemandi.
Hôtel d'Aligre (sale), Rue St. Honoré, 5 Nov. 1778, lot 109, where described as “Pluton, de 25 pouces de proportion sur son socle de 6 pouces d'elevation.”
The Collection of Mme de Julienne.
Bernard Black and Hugues-W. Nadeau, Michel Anguier's Pluto: The Marble of 1669, London and Atlantic Highlands, 1990.
F. Souchal, French Sculptors of the 17th and 18th centuries - The reign of Louis XIV, IV, London, 1993, p. 149, no. 54.
Comparative Literature:
Ian Wardropper, 'Michel Anguier's Series of Bronze Gods and Goddesses: a Re-examination', in Marsyas, no. 18, 1976.
This remarkably powerful and exquisitely carved statuette of Pluto is the only known version of this subject by Michel Anguier executed in marble. Moreover, there are currently no other marble works by Michel Anguier available anywhere in the world; all other known marble works are within the collections of public institutions.
Michel Anguier was one of the greatest French sculptors of the baroque period. He was born in Eu, Normandy in 1612, and in 1641 he travelled to Rome, where he remained for ten years perfecting his technique, during which time he worked with and assisted both Gianlorenzo Bernini and Alessandro Algardi. The influence of these baroque sculptors, along with a strong classical theme, can be seen in the present work.
RENAISSANCE BAROQUE 18TH CENTURY 19TH CENTURY SCULPTURE INFORMATION
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Beacon of hope: Mighty Mouse to bridge MMA and esports
There is a belief among professional athletes that it is harder to defend a title than to win it. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse“ Johnson, the UFC’s ex-flyweight champion, managed to do just that not once, not twice, but 11 times in a row, setting a new record for the most consecutive defenses. The world has baptized him as a fighter who is head and shoulders above others, coining this saying: ”there are good fighters, there are exceptional fighters, and then there’s Demetrious Johnson.“
On October 28, 2018, Demetrious Johnson officially joined the ONE Championship, an Asian martial arts promotion whose ratings have been skyrocketing over the last few years, with per event TV viewership going from 1 million in 2015 to 11 million in 2018. Consequent to Mighty Mouse joining ONE, the organization announced the ONE esports league with an intent to become Asia’s largest global esports Championship Series, and appointed Demetrious its Chief Ambassador.
“If you look at the entire world, esports has probably one of the biggest viewership numbers. Dota 2 World Championship had more viewers than the Olympics! Esports is huge in Asia, too. Best Starcraft II players live there, they have great Overwatch teams, and so on.
I knew about the esports movement that ONE Championship was going to be creating before I signed my contract. That’s what kind of preempted me wanting to get over here, because gaming is one of my biggest passions in life. ONE Championship has done an amazing job covering all types of martial arts, and now they want to bring esports to ONE fans. Once I was on board, they named me Chief Ambassador for esports. I’m happy to be a part of it,” Demetrious told me in a private conversation.
When he says gaming is one of his biggest passions, he means it. Mighty Mouse not only loves playing games, but he also likes to stream. He runs channels on YouTube (61,000 subscribers) and Twitch (168,000 followers). The numbers may not be astronomical when compared to professional streamers, but for an MMA athlete who does gaming in his spare time it serves as quite the testament to his affection.
As it turns out, Demetrious would love to try himself in the role of an esports athlete, too. “The biggest thing when it comes to esports — it’s a whole new ball game. These guys are clocking in 3,000+ hours in a game. They wake up, they play the game, they go to bed, and then do it all over again. You know, me being a father of three, a married man, and a mixed martial arts athlete — there’s no way I could find the time. I can barely find time to raid mythic dungeons with my WoW character. With this being said, I would love to one day, but realistically I don’t think it is going to happen in this lifetime,” he said.
These guys are clocking in 3,000+ hours in a game. They wake up, they play the game, they go to bed, and then do it all over again. You know, me being a father of three, a married man, and a mixed martial arts athlete — there’s no way I could find the time. I can barely find time to raid mythic dungeons with my WoW character. With this being said, I would love to one day, but realistically I don’t think it is going to happen in this lifetime,“ he said.
The organization is currently working on the list of games that will be included in the league so they can start inviting teams and players from all over the world.
According to Demetrious, we are not only going to see all the top disciplines like Dota 2 and Overwatch, but their competitors too. Given their popularity in Asia, there will also be fighting games. However, it is not yet clear if Battle Royale is going to make the shortlist due to guns being considered controversial in the region.
“The biggest thing with the shooters is that guns are illegal in Asia. I know it’s illegal to have a gun in Japan or Singapore, so I don’t know how it’s going to transfer over to the Asian public. We have to be sure that it is going to be very well received over there in Asia. Our goal is to do it the right way, to do it correctly,” Demetrious noted.
Interestingly, less than a week after my interview with Mighty Mouse, China’s ethics committee reviewed 20 games and recommended to ban 9 of them, including PUBG and Fortnite.
Since Demetrious Johnson is no stranger to both martial arts and esports, one of his primary duties as the Chief Ambassador will be to help bridge the gap between athletes and gamers.
“There is a stereotype that athletes don’t play games. As for gamers, I want to help them feel more at ease with athletes. Gamers spend so much time playing video games, they put so many hours into it, that sometimes they fail to find their place in society. Being the Chief Ambassador for esports basically means being a beacon of hope for people who want to get into gaming or who want to get into martial arts or athletics in general,” he said.
It seems like he will not be alone on that mission. Demetrious Johnson also told me that Martin Nguyen is really big into Overwatch and that Rampage Jackson, Jens Pulver, Angela Overkill love games too, as well as Robert Whittaker and Daniel Cormier.
“There are tons of them! I’m sure with time, when ONE esports launches, a lot more gamers will reach out to me. Don’t be surprised if in the future you see MMA athletes competing against each other in computer games. I think it’s a great way for them to do cross-branding, and for their fans — to see another side to their favorite fighters. In the future, you can very well see matchups like Martin Nguyen vs Demetrious Johnson in Street Fighter V, or something similar,” Mighty Mouse added.
While involvement in esports can help athletes to boost their media presence and show their other sides to the fans, regular sports can help esports athletes to boost their performance. Mighty Mouse believes that a daily regimen or some type of physical activity is good for keeping gamers’ bodies healthy and that it will help to improve their results in esports. “Doing sports like basketball, baseball, even swimming helps to keep the mind fresh. I reference basketball and baseball because these are team games. Baseball is more a reaction-based sport. You throw the ball, you hit it, sprint as fast as you can. You have to react to the ball. If you play something like Overwatch — it’s just what you need. Basketball is all about how to get the ball to the hoop, so it is good for team play improvement,” he explained.
Despite the importance of reaction and team play for esports athletes, these are not the biggest problems of modern esports — control over one’s emotions is. A lot of teams and players lose just because they start tilting or raging when something does not go the way they expected it to. They lose the first game in a best-of-three and do not know what to do, so they throw other games. This is what FaZe did at the Boston Major final against Cloud9. The Europeans who were considered match favorites lost just because they got frustrated and tilted.
“You could have the best player in the world, but the next thing you know — there are 12 matches, he loses 4 of them, and he still can win, but he is so mentally defeated that he can’t push through. He can’t flip on a switch and be like ’OK, I’m down, but I’m gonna come back and see what I can do.’ The ability not to get salty about your losses comes with the experience you gain through battles, losses, and adversity in your career.
For example, if an esports player was also an athlete in high school and suffered some losses and adversity in wrestling, it will be easy for them to deal with pressure during matches, because nothing is more demoralizing than wrestling someone knowing that you can’t physically beat them. That’s mental training,” Demetrious shared on the matter.
He also stressed that part of the blame for gamers spending so much time in front of computers and not being interested in anything else lies on their parents.
“It’s all about moderation. You have to discipline your children. As a parent, you have to teach them that playing games is okay, but they should also go outside and be active, get good grades at school. Playing video games is a privilege, not a right. Everything should be in moderation and in perfect balance.
My son loves playing video games. He wakes up and he says ’I wanna go play Monster Jam.’ And I tell him ’No, you go to school, when you get back you have lunch, then you go outside and do something productive, and then you can play video games.’
I’ll tell you more, I still have to discipline myself. As an athlete, a father of three and a husband I have to balance my game time, because I do want to just sit down and play video games the whole day, I really do, but I have to balance my responsibilities,” he admitted.
While Demetrious Johnson agrees that hardcore commitment to an esports or MMA career increases chances of becoming great, it equally increases the chances of a burnout. Dedicating yourself to one thing only and mastering it 24/7 may lead you to the Olympics, but it will deprive you of important social interactions or personal development, which is why a balanced life is way more rewarding.
His own life serves as the perfect testament to that. He did not start doing MMA until the age of 18. Before that, in high school, he did wrestling two-three months a year, as well as track and cross-country. Upon graduating high school, he worked a full-time job, and only after getting off he would go to the gym twice a week to practice mixed martial arts. That went on for a while, until the day he was able to quit his job and fully commit to daily training in pursuit of becoming a UFC champion.
“Up until that point, before I became the world champion and a professional athlete, I was balancing everything in my life. I wasn’t just thinking that I was gonna train all day every day and become the world champion — that’s where people mess up. Because if you don’t have that perfect balance, then you’re going to burn out, and it happens all the time. I just loved MMA. I had a passion for it. Wherever it took me, I followed. It just so happened that my passion brought me to the world championship level,” he said.
Demetrious believes that one of the reasons esports enthusiasts dedicate their lives to gaming only is because they see successful guys like Ninja and think that if they focus exclusively on gaming, they could become as successful as he is. But even Ninja had to work, study and play soccer while he was playing games professionally. He had to balance his life.
"I understand it with kids who are thirteen, who return from school and just plug away. Eight hours of gaming every single day and then they are 20 and millionaires, but I’m sure there’s a lot more people who’ve done the exact same thing and it went nowhere.
We can compare it to martial arts. There are 4 billion people in Asia. How many of those do martial arts? Let’s say you have that number. Now, how many of them are world champions? That’s my point. It’s just like with rappers. How many Lil Waynes are out there? That’s not what I would want for my children," Demetrious commented.
All that being said, ONE’s idea is a thrilling one, even though realizing it will be quite a challenge.
First, with so many different esports leagues and tournaments, some teams and players occasionally have to skip to avoid burning out. It will be a tall order for ONE Championship to prove that their league is worth attending. Can they do it? Given their growth rates as an MMA promoter and the organization’s track record on putting on huge events — I would say absolutely.
Second, given their franchise system, it remains to be seen if Blizzard and Riot will allow the use of their games, which means ONE may have to give up on them, unless a deal is reached.
However, if they manage to create a top-level esports league, then not only will we have a great show to watch, but the cooperation between esports and MMA will also elevate esports to a whole new level. ONE cultivates respect, honor, integrity and discipline among its fighters. If it manages to foster these same traits in esport athletes, it will not only give a push the industry, but also make it easier to gain recognition from top sports organizations like the Olympic committee.
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Papers of George Washington
George Washington’s Barbados Diary, 1751-1752
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Martha Set to Take the Stage at Washington Papers Project
Jennifer Stertzer April 29, 2015
TOPICS: Martha Washington, Project Updates, Washington or Custis Family
Near the end of her life, Martha Washington described her most painful experience—aside from the death of her iconic husband—as being the day Thomas Jefferson came calling at Mount Vernon, ostensibly to pay his respects. Martha’s expression of distaste for the newly elected third president was both political and personal, and it hints at posterity’s loss when she burned nearly all of her correspondence with her husband upon his passing. Yet a substantial body of Martha’s general correspondence survives and is soon to be published in two annotated volumes.
The Papers of George Washington project is proud to announce a major new endeavor in partnership with the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon. Scheduled for launch on July 1, 2015, and for completion in 2020, this new project will publish the correspondence of Martha Washington, plus the correspondence of the greater Washington family (three volumes) and the Barbados diary of George Washington (one volume). All six volumes will be published in both print and digital formats. Work will be conducted at the University of Virginia, and funding is generously provided by the Smith Library.
A letter from Martha Washington to John Parke and Eleanor Calvert Custis, written March 19, 1779 (misdated as 1778). Courtesy Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.
Martha Washington is one of the most important women in the history of the United States. As the widowed Martha Dandridge Custis, she commanded one of the largest fortunes in Virginia. After she married George Washington in 1759, her wealth formed the bedrock of her family’s prosperity. Martha provided strength and support for George throughout his long military and political career, often joining him in camp at places like Valley Forge. She also adeptly managed many of Mount Vernon’s affairs during her husband’s long absences and was a devoted mother and grandmother. Transcending home and family life, she corresponded extensively with men and women throughout Virginia and the United States, forging important social, financial, and even political connections. While she burned most of her correspondence with George after his death, thousands of letters to and from her remain, perhaps half of them never before published. All will appear, fully edited and annotated, in this new edition.
The Washington (and Custis) family members appearing in the three-volume Washington Family edition include George Washington’s parents, siblings, stepchildren, step grandchildren, and nephew Bushrod Washington (1762-1829). It was a remarkably vibrant family, active in society, politics, and entrepreneurship, and its members all present fascinating character studies. Bushrod, an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who managed Mount Vernon after George and Martha passed away, kept an exceptionally important collection of papers, of which only a portion has appeared in print. Almost none of the papers of the other family members have ever been published. The Washington Family therefore will present entirely new and intriguing insights into the lives of women, children, and men in colonial Virginia and the young United States, while also providing fresh perspectives on the Father of His Country.
George Washington’s diary of his journey to Barbados in 1751-52 is one of the most remarkable items in his collected papers. Previously published only in facsimile and in an outdated 1892 edition, it chronicles the only extended trip that Washington ever took beyond the coast of North America. He kept a formal log of his sea voyage, noting the weather and the sailors’ work as well as the capture of sharks and dolphins. During his stay on the island with his ill older half-brother Lawrence, George kept a full social calendar with the leading citizens of the island. His diary describes these events, revealing the intimate lives of the elites as well as something of the thousands of slaves who worked the vast sugar plantations. Apart from the round of dinners with various citizens, George attended a fireworks display, a play, and a rape trial, commenting on all. He made no entries during his illness with smallpox, from 17 Nov. to 11 Dec. 1751, but upon his departure George wrote several pages summarizing his impressions of the island and commenting on politics, agriculture, social customs, and class structure. Diary entries even include events after his return to Virginia, such as a dinner with Governor Dinwiddie and a cockfight. Although badly damaged in places, the diary (fully annotated in this edition for the first time) presents an entertaining and important resource for the study of Washington, the Atlantic trade, and the West Indies.
Work on this new project will be carried out by three new full-time editors and support staff. Project staff will conduct an extended international document search to identify and procure copies of all relevant correspondence. The editors then will transcribe the documents accurately according to modern standards and will research and write the same kind of thorough and enlightening annotation that has come to characterize The Papers of George Washington. Fully indexed letterpress volumes will be published by the University of Virginia Press and will appear alongside The Papers of George Washington digital edition in the press’s Rotunda digital imprint. In conjunction with this major new extension, the Papers of George Washington project will officially be renamed the Washington Papers. Be sure to check our website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed regularly for updates about this exciting endeavor!
Posted in Recent News and UpdatesTagged Martha Washington, Project Updates, Washington or Custis Family
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George Washington Forgeries at Mount Vernon
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The Archives and Recordkeeping Act
It has been in effect since January 1, 2020.
15 Mar 2018 to 31 Dec 2019 — Bilingual version (PDF)
29 Mar 2014 to 14 Mar 2018 — Bilingual version (PDF)
28 Nov 2011 to 28 Mar 2014
16 Jun 2011 to 27 Nov 2011
1 Jan 2007 to 15 Jun 2011
C.C.S.M. c. A132
(Assented to July 6, 2001)
WHEREAS the preservation of records of archival value is a unique and priceless gift of one generation of Manitobans to another;
AND WHEREAS good recordkeeping by government supports accountability to the public and enables the preservation by the Archives of Manitoba of government records of lasting significance;
AND WHEREAS certain records of private organizations and persons, such as the records of the Hudson's Bay Company since 1670 which have been donated to Manitoba by the Hudson's Bay Company, are of enduring value and their preservation by the Archives of Manitoba enriches knowledge;
NOW THEREFORE HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, enacts as follows:
1 In this Act,
"archival record" means a record of archival value
(a) that is a government record in the custody or under the control of the archivist after the expiry of the retention period set out in the records schedule relating to that record,
(b) that is a record referred to in sections 10 to 14 that, by agreement with the archivist,
(i) has been identified as a record of archival value, and
(ii) is in the custody of the archivist after the expiry of a retention period, or
(c) that is a record referred to in section 15 acquired by the archivist on behalf of the government; (« archives »)
"archives" means the Archives of Manitoba referred to in section 2; (« Archives »)
"archivist" means the Archivist of Manitoba referred to in section 3; (« archiviste »)
"chief judge" means
(a) in the case of The Court of Appeal, the Chief Justice of Manitoba,
(b) in the case of the Court of Queen's Bench, the Chief Justice of that court, and
(c) in the case of The Provincial Court, the Chief Judge of that court; (« juge en chef »)
"court" means The Court of Appeal, the Court of Queen's Bench or The Provincial Court; (« tribunal »)
"department" means a department, branch or office of the executive government of the province; (« ministère »)
"electronic" includes created, recorded, transmitted or stored in digital or other intangible form by electronic, magnetic, optical or any similar means; (« électronique »)
"government agency" means
(a) any board, commission, association, agency, or similar body, whether incorporated or unincorporated, all the members of which, or all the members of the board of management or board of directors or governing board of which, are appointed by an Act of the Legislature or by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, and
(b) any other body designated as a government agency in the regulations; (« organisme gouvernemental »)
"government body" means
(a) a department,
(b) a government agency,
(c) the Executive Council Office, and
(d) the office of a minister; (« entité gouvernementale »)
"government record" means a record created or received by, or for, a government body in carrying out its activities, but does not include
(a) personal or constituency records of a minister,
(b) library materials,
(c) artifacts, or
(d) a record received by the archivist under sections 10 to 15; (« document gouvernemental »)
"local authority" means
(a) a school division or school district established under The Public Schools Act,
(b) a local government district,
(c) a council of a community under The Northern Affairs Act,
(d) a planning district established under The Planning Act,
(e) a watershed district established or continued under The Watershed Districts Act, or
(f) any other body designated as a local authority in the regulations; (« administration locale »)
"minister" means a member of the executive council; (« ministre »)
"municipality" means a municipality that is continued or formed under The Municipal Act; (« municipalité »)
"record" means a record of information in any form, including electronic form, but does not include a mechanism or system for generating, sending, receiving, storing or otherwise processing information; (« document »)
"record of archival value" means a record of lasting significance to the government or society, such as a record
(a) relating to the legal basis, origin, development, organization or activities of the government or its institutions,
(b) relating to the development or implementation of policies of the government,
(c) relating to the history of Manitoba, or
(d) having historical value; (« document ayant une valeur archivistique »)
"records schedule" means a formal plan that identifies government records, establishes their retention periods and provides for their disposition; (« calendrier des délais de conservation »)
"responsible minister" means the minister appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council to administer this Act. (« ministre responsable »)
S.M. 2006, c. 34, s. 255; S.M. 2018, c. 6, s. 38.
ARCHIVES OF MANITOBA
2 The Provincial Archives, formerly known as The Archives and Public Records Branch, is continued as the Archives of Manitoba.
Archivist of Manitoba
3 The archives is under the direction of an archivist, to be known as the Archivist of Manitoba, appointed in accordance with The Civil Service Act.
If archivist absent or unable to act
4 The archivist may appoint another person to act in his or her place in the event of the archivist's absence or inability to act.
Purposes of the archives
5 The purposes of the archives are
(a) to provide for the identification and preservation of records of archival value to present and future generations;
(b) to promote and facilitate good recordkeeping respecting government records in order to support accountability and effective government administration;
(c) to make archival records known by means of promotion, publication, exhibition or loan and to facilitate access to them, in accordance with any rights of access provided by law, in legislation or by the terms or conditions of an agreement;
(d) to encourage and assist other organizations in good recordkeeping practices; and
(e) to encourage and assist archival activities and the archival community.
Responsible minister's directions
6 The responsible minister may give directions not inconsistent with this Act to the archivist, in relation to the exercise of his or her powers and the performance of his or her responsibilities and duties under this Act.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ARCHIVIST
Responsibilities of archivist
7 The archivist is responsible
(a) for the care and management of all archival records and all other records that are in the custody or under the control of the archivist; and
(b) for facilitating access to archival records in accordance with any rights of access provided by law, in legislation or by the terms or conditions of an agreement.
Archivist's duties re government records
8 With respect to government records, the archivist must
(a) establish policies, standards and guidelines for recordkeeping, including for the creation, identification, maintenance, retention, disposition, custody and protection of records;
(b) establish standards and guidelines as to the procedures to be followed where a record is to be retained or preserved in a form or medium other than the original one;
(c) designate records of archival value, in consultation with the government body by or for which the records were created or received;
(d) develop the records schedule process and establish any forms for use in this process;
(e) approve records schedules;
(f) carry out the responsibilities of the archivist with respect to records schedules that are approved under this Act; and
(g) preserve and protect archival records by
(i) taking them into the archivist's physical custody,
(ii) making arrangements with the government body by or for which the records were created or received, to retain custody, preserve and protect them in accordance with standards and requirements set by the archivist, or
(iii) making any other arrangements that the archivist considers appropriate to preserve and protect the records.
Record storage facility and services for government bodies
9 For government bodies, the archivist may provide a record storage facility and services relating to recordkeeping.
10 The archivist may enter into an agreement with the chief judge of a court with respect to the court's records, which may include
(a) providing advice to the court about recordkeeping;
(b) developing a plan as to the retention and disposition of the records by the archivist;
(c) providing storage for the records and recordkeeping services; and
(d) preserving and protecting archival records.
Records of Legislative Assembly and officers
11 The archivist may enter into an agreement with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, the Chief Electoral Officer, the Ombudsman, the Advocate for Children and Youth or the Auditor General with respect to the records of the Legislative Assembly or the officer, which may include the matters set out in clauses 10(a) to (d).
S.M. 2011, c. 35, s. 4; S.M. 2017, c. 8, s. 43.
Records of municipalities
12 The archivist may enter into an agreement with a municipality with respect to its records, which may include
(a) providing advice to the municipality about recordkeeping;
(b) making arrangements with the municipality that are consistent with any regulations under The Municipal Act about retaining and disposing of records; and
(c) preserving and protecting records of archival value.
Records of local authorities
13 The archivist may enter into an agreement with a local authority with respect to its records, which may include
(a) providing advice to the local authority about recordkeeping;
(b) assisting the local authority in developing its own plans as to the retention and disposition of its records; and
ecords of child and family services agencies
14 The archivist may enter into an agreement with a child and family services agency established under The Child and Family Services Act, with respect to records that are made or received by the agency for the purpose of carrying out the agency's responsibilities under that Act or The Adoption Act, and the agreement may include
(a) providing advice to the agency about recordkeeping;
(b) assisting the agency in carrying out its responsibilities as to the retention, storage and destruction of records as set out in regulations under The Child and Family Services Act or The Adoption Act; and
Records of private organizations and persons
15(1) The archivist may enter into an agreement with a private organization or person with respect to its records, which may include
(a) providing advice to the organization or person about recordkeeping;
(b) making arrangements for determining the archival value of the records and for preserving and protecting them;
(c) acquiring records of archival value on behalf of the government by gift, bequest, purchase or any other means and
(i) preserving and protecting them, and
(ii) facilitating access to them in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement.
If record no longer of archival value
15(2) Where the archivist determines that a record of a private organization or person is no longer of archival value to the Archives of Manitoba, and subject to the terms and conditions of any applicable agreement, the archivist may
(a) return the record to the private organization or person from which it was acquired;
(b) give the record to another archives, person or organization; or
(c) in exceptional circumstances, destroy the record.
Archivist to carry out provisions of Act
16 The archivist may do such other things as are necessary or advisable to carry out the provisions of this Act.
GOVERNMENT RECORDS SCHEDULES
Duty of government body re preparing records schedule
17 In consultation with the archivist, a government body must prepare one or more records schedules for government records in the custody or under the control of the government body in accordance with this Act and the policies, standards and guidelines established by the archivist.
Content of records schedule
18 A records schedule must be in the form established by the archivist and
(a) identify and describe the government records to which it relates;
(b) specify how long the records must be retained and in what form or medium, having regard to legal, administrative, financial and audit requirements and the need for accountability to the public;
(c) designate which records are records of archival value and in what form or medium they must be kept;
(d) with respect to records which are not designated as records of archival value, state whether they can be destroyed following the specified retention period;
(e) if records of archival value have been identified, specify the arrangements made for their preservation and protection under clause 8(g); and
(f) provide any other information about the records that the archivist considers necessary for their care and management.
General records schedule
19 Where the archivist considers it appropriate to include records of two or more government bodies in the same records schedule, the archivist may
(a) direct that a records schedule deal with records of two or more government bodies; and
(b) determine which government body or bodies must prepare and submit the records schedule for approval.
Records schedule to be approved
20(1) A government body must submit its proposed records schedule to the archivist for approval.
Consultation re approval
20(2) The archivist may consult with other officials as the archivist considers appropriate when reviewing a records schedule submitted for approval.
Records schedule may be revised or replaced
21 Where appropriate, a records schedule may be revised or replaced with a new records schedule, and the provisions of this Act apply with necessary changes.
Duty of government body re complying with records schedule
22(1) A government body must retain and dispose of government records in accordance with approved records schedules.
Duty of government body re archival records
22(2) With respect to government records that are archival records, a government body must take all reasonable steps to comply with any arrangements made under subclause 8(g)(ii) or (iii).
Duty re sale of incorporated government agency
23 If an incorporated government agency is to be sold or otherwise disposed of, the minister responsible for the agency must ensure that the sale or disposition agreement provides for all records of the agency, up to the date of sale or disposition, that are
(a) designated as records of archival value under an approved records schedule; and
(b) not required by the purchasers for the ongoing operations of the agency;
to be transferred to the custody and control of the archivist on behalf of the government.
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
24(1) In this section, "land titles instrument" means a government record that is
(a) an instrument as defined in The Real Property Act; or
(b) an instrument as defined in The Registry Act and includes a book.
Custody and admissibility of land titles instruments
24(2) A land titles instrument that is in the archives
(a) is deemed to continue to be under the custody of the district registrar;
(b) continues to be admissible in evidence in any court; and
(c) is to be dealt with under the provisions of The Real Property Act or The Registry Act, as the case may be.
Archivist assistance re land titles instruments
24(3) The archivist may, with respect to land titles instruments,
(a) provide advice to the district registrar about recordkeeping; and
(b) assist the district registrar in carrying out his or her responsibilities under The Real Property Act or The Registry Act as to the retention, storage, preservation or destruction of land titles instruments.
Records governed by The Financial Administration Act
25 Where the retention and destruction of a government record is governed by a regulation under The Financial Administration Act,
(a) the record is to be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of that Act and regulation; and
(b) the archivist may assist the Minister of Finance in carrying out the provision of that Act and regulation with respect to the record.
26(1) A copy of a record in the archivist's custody that is made in any medium by means of any process and certified by the archivist to be a true copy,
(a) is proof, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, of the authenticity and correctness of the copy of the record, without proof of the appointment or signature of the archivist; and
(b) is admissible in evidence for the same purposes as the original of the record would have been admissible.
Delegation re certified copies
26(2) The archivist may delegate to any employee of the archives authority to certify copies issued under subsection (1).
Copies as evidence
26(3) Where
(a) the original of a government record has been destroyed and a copy has been preserved in another medium; and
(b) the archivist, the minister or an official of the government body that has custody of the copy of the government record has certified that the copy was made in that other medium in accordance with the archivist's standards and guidelines, or an established practice;
the copy is admissible in evidence for the same purposes as the original of the record would have been admissible.
Action for recovery of possession of a record
27 A proceeding for an order for recovery of possession of a government record, or a record acquired by the archivist on behalf of the government, unlawfully removed or withheld from the government or the archives shall be instituted in the name of the Crown and may be brought by notice of application in the Court of Queen's Bench.
Prohibition re government record
28(1) No person shall, with an intent to deprive the government, a government body, or the archives, of the custody, control, use of or access to a government record,
(a) destroy or damage a government record;
(b) erase or remove information from a government record or make a government record illegible;
(c) remove or conceal a government record from the government, a government body or the archives; or
(d) direct, counsel or cause any person in any manner to do anything mentioned in clause (a), (b) or (c);
except as provided in a records schedule approved under this Act.
28(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a person who retains or destroys a government record in accordance with
(a) The Financial Administration Act or a regulation under that Act;
(b) The Real Property Act or The Registry Act; or
(c) an enactment of the federal government.
28(3) A person who contravenes subsection (1) is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than $50,000.
Prosecution within two years
28(4) A prosecution under subsection (1) may be commenced not later than two years after the day the alleged offence was committed.
Information storage and processing
29(1) Subject to subsection (2), nothing in this Act or any other Act prevents the storage or processing of information generated or received by, or for, a government body by a person other than an employee or agent of the government body, and no person contravenes any Act or regulation by transmitting any such information to such a person.
Provisions regarding confidentiality required
29(2) If a person other than an employee or agent of the government body is to store or process information described in subsection (1), the agreements executed to authorize the storage or processing must include provisions guaranteeing the confidentiality of the information to be stored or processed.
Offence and penalty
29(3) If a person who stores or processes information described in subsection (1), without lawful authority, wilfully or negligently discloses personal information as defined in The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, that person is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction,
(a) in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding $5000. or to imprisonment for a term of not more than six months, or both; and
(b) in the case of a corporation, to a fine of not more than $25,000.
Offence by director of corporation
29(4) If a corporation is convicted of an offence under subsection (3), every officer, director, employee or agent of the corporation who authorized, assented to, acquiesced or participated in the commission of the offence is guilty of an offence and is liable to the penalty provided for in clause (3)(a).
30 The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations
(a) designating boards, commissions, corporations, associations, agencies or other bodies as government agencies or local authorities;
(b) respecting fees to be paid under this Act and providing for circumstances in which fees may be waived in whole or in part;
(c) defining any word or expression used in this Act but not defined in this Act;
(d) respecting any other matter the Lieutenant Governor in Council considers necessary or advisable to carry out the intent of this Act.
Archivist continues in office
31(1) The person who is the Provincial Archivist immediately before the coming into force of this Act continues in office as the Archivist of Manitoba until the person ceases to hold that office.
References to Provincial Archivist, etc.
31(2) In any proclamation, Act, regulation, order, agreement or other document
(a) a reference to the Provincial Archivist is replaced with a reference to the Archivist of Manitoba; and
(b) a reference to the Provincial Archives or the Archives and Public Records Branch is replaced with a reference to the Archives of Manitoba.
Records in custody or under control of Archives of Manitoba
31(3) On the coming into force of this Act, the records that were in the custody or under the control of the Provincial Archives or the Archives and Public Records Branch immediately before the coming into force of this Act are deemed to be in the custody or under the control of the Archives of Manitoba on the coming into force of this Act, subject to any terms and conditions in any agreements that were applicable to those records immediately before the coming into force of this Act.
Schedule approved under former Act
31(4) A schedule pertaining to a public record under Part II of The Legislative Library Act that was in force on the day immediately before the coming into force of this Act, is deemed to be a records schedule approved under this Act.
NOTE: These sections contained consequential amendments to other Acts that are now included in those Acts.
34 [Repealed]
C.C.S.M. REFERENCE AND COMING INTO FORCE
42 This Act may be cited as The Archives and Recordkeeping Act and referred to as chapter A132 of the Continuing Consolidation of the Statutes of Manitoba.
43(1) This Act, except sections 34 and 36, comes into force on a day fixed by proclamation.
43(2) Section 34 comes into force on the proclamation of The Provincial Court Amendment and Consequential Amendments Act, S.M. 1997, c. 42.
43(3) Section 36 comes into force on the later of
(a) the proclamation of section 15 of The Electronic Commerce and Information, Consumer Protection Amendment and Manitoba Evidence Amendment Act, S.M. 2000, c. 32; and
(b) the proclamation of this Act.
NOTE: S.M. 2001, c. 35, except sections 34 and 36, came into force by proclamation on February 15, 2003.
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Australia appoint Olympic gold medallists as Deputy Chef de Missions for Tokyo 2020
By Duncan Mackay
Olympic gold medallists Susie O’Neill and Kim Brennan have been announced as Deputy Chefs de Missions by Australia for Tokyo 2020.
The pair join former Olympic fencer Evelyn Halls in the key roles, completing the leadership team of Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman.
Additionally, New South Wales Institute of Sport chief executive Kevin Thompson has been appointed by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) as head of performance.
"Each of these Olympians has special qualities to contribute to the team environment and each will bring their own experience and perspective," President John Coates said.
"They will prove a very important resource for Ian."
Chesterman claimed the latest appointments show the AOC is putting the athletes first for next year's Olympic Games.
"We are focused on giving our athletes the very best opportunity to perform at their best," he said.
"Our three Deputies totally understand the environment of Olympic competition and will be a great support to our athletes and coaches in the team.
"It is very exciting to have such a high-calibre group together.
"Each brings something different but each has a fantastic work ethic and great empathy for what’s important to athletes."
Winner of eight Olympic medals, including two gold, former Susie O’Neill admitted she was looking forward to returning to the Games.
"I’m hoping that I can provide that reassurance to the younger athletes," said the 45-year-old, Australia's Chef de Mission at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing.
"When they see that I am just an everyday person, they can believe in themselves and that anything is possible."
Rower Kim Brennan won an Olympic gold medal in the single sculls at Rio 2016 but at Tokyo 2020 will be one of Australia's Deputy Chef de Missions ©Getty Images
The 33-year-old Brennan, winner of the Olympic gold medal in the rowing single sculls at Rio 2016, claimed the prospect of contributing to the team so soon after retirement was exciting.
"Every Olympian wants to keep contributing in one way or another," said Brennan, who carried Australia's flag during the Closing Ceremony of Rio 2016.
"We have that bond.
"To be stepping into this role gives me the chance to make a different type of contribution."
Halls, who represented Australia at Athens 2004, will be continuing her administrative career at Tokyo 2020.
"Undertaking the role of Chef de Mission for our Youth Olympic team in Buenos Aires last year gave me a great appreciation of the difference you can make for our young athletes," she said.
"To see that young team meld as a unit and really perform to their best was very satisfying."
Thompson previously worked at the English Institute of Sport, during which time he directed the North East and North West Institutes of Sport which supported athletes who won 20 of the Olympic 47 medals for Britain at Beijing 2008, including the highly-successful British cycling programme.
"Leading a team to deliver HQ performance support services whilst working closely with Dr David Hughes and his medical team is a great opportunity," he said.
"I look forward to the challenge of the Games and working through the requirements of each sport to support them in optimising athlete performances."
Australia will be hoping to arrest a decline in performances since Sydney 2000 when they won a record 58 medals, including 16 gold.
Their total number of medals has declined at every subsequent Games.
At Rio 2016 they won 29 medals, their lowest total since Barcelona 1992.
February 2019: Athletes in 17 sports to benefit from Australian Olympic Committee medal incentive funding programme before Tokyo 2020
June 2018: AOC President backs call from legendary swimmer Thorpe to end medal targets
October 2017: Australian Olympic Committee signs agreement with Federal Police in lead-up to Tokyo 2020
August 2017: Chesterman appointed Australian Chef de Mission for Tokyo 2020
August 2017: Chiller opts against reprising Australian Chef de Mission role for Tokyo 2020
Duncan Mackay Editor
Follow @Duncan_ITG
Duncan Mackay is the editor of insidethegames.biz. Awards include British Sports Writer of the Year in 2004, British News Story of the Year in 2004 and British Sports Internet Reporter of the Year in 2009. Mackay is one of Britain's best-connected journalists and during the 16 years he worked at The Guardian and The Observer he regularly broke a number of major exclusive stories, including the news that British sprinter Dwain Chambers had tested positive for banned performance enhancing drugs.
Contact Duncan
Read more of Duncan's articles
Follow @Duncan_ITG on Twitter
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Home > News & Policies > Policies in Focus > Immigration
President George W. Bush speaks during a briefing on comprehensive immigration reform Tuesday, June 26, 2007, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Said the President, "The first thing that we've got to recognize in the country is that the system isn't working. The immigration system needs reform. The status quo is unacceptable." White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian
President Bush Delivers State of the Union Address
”America needs to secure our borders -- and with your help, my administration is taking steps to do so. We're increasing worksite enforcement, deploying fences and advanced technologies to stop illegal crossings. We've effectively ended the policy of "catch and release" at the border, and by the end of this year, we will have doubled the number of border patrol agents. Yet we also need to acknowledge that we will never fully secure our border until we create a lawful way for foreign workers to come here and support our economy. This will take pressure off the border and allow law enforcement to concentrate on those who mean us harm. We must also find a sensible and humane way to deal with people here illegally. Illegal immigration is complicated, but it can be resolved. And it must be resolved in a way that upholds both our laws and our highest ideals.”
Improving Border Security And Immigration
The Administration Continues Its Efforts To Strengthen Border Security, Improve Interior And Worksite Enforcement, Streamline Existing Guest Worker Programs, And Help New Americans Assimilate
On January 28, 2008, during his State of the Union address, President Bush reviewed the steps his Administration is taking to improve our border security and address immigration challenges. America's broken immigration system is a major problem that the American people expect their elected leaders to solve. Although Congress has not passed legislation to address the immigration challenges our Nation faces, the Administration continues to build upon progress we have already made in strengthening border security, enforcing our worksite laws, keeping our economy well-supplied with vital workers, and helping new Americans assimilate into our society. Yet the President will also urge that in order to take the pressure off the border, we need a new way for foreign workers to come here lawfully, on a temporary basis, and support our economy.
The Administration Is Strengthening Border Security With Additional Personnel, Technology And Infrastructure
The Administration has increased funding for border security and immigration enforcement by 159 percent, including emergency funds, since the President took office - from $4.8 billion in 2001 to $12.3 billion in 2008.
The Administration has expanded the Border Patrol from approximately 9,000 agents in 2001 to more than 15,000 agents today. By the end of 2008, we will have more than 18,000 agents, doubling the size of the Border Patrol under the President's leadership.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is on track to complete 370 miles of pedestrian fencing along the southwest border by the end of calendar year 2008. As of this month, we have completed a total of 165 miles of pedestrian fence along the southwest border, giving us a total of 290 miles of pedestrian and vehicle fence already in place at the border. We expect to have 670 total miles of pedestrian and vehicle fence by the end of 2008, and have begun obtaining land to make this a reality.
The Administration is including a new Southwest Border Enforcement Initiative in its 2009 Budget. This comprehensive Justice Department initiative will provide $100 million to help address the rise in crime and immigration cases on the southwest border. It will increase our ability to arrest, detain, prosecute, and house violent criminals, drug offenders, and immigration violators along the southwest border.
DHS is operating three Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) along the southern border in support of border security operations. An additional UAS is scheduled to be operational this year.
DHS saw a reduction of 20 percent in apprehensions of illegal aliens at the Southern border in Fiscal Year 2007. This is an indication that stronger border security and enforcement efforts have deterred aliens from attempting to cross the border illegally.
The Administration has effectively ended the policy of "catch and release" and now detains all removable aliens caught trying to cross the border until they can be removed. For years, limited detention space forced the release of many illegal border crossers from nations other than Mexico with nothing more than a Notice to Appear for a hearing before an immigration judge. Many aliens ignored these notices and instead blended into U.S. society. The Administration has effectively ended this policy of "catch and release" and replaced it with a policy of "catch and return," ensuring that all removable aliens caught trying to cross the border illegally are held until they can be removed.
The Administration will end the decades old practice of allowing U.S. and Canadian citizens to enter the country at our land and sea ports of entry with merely an oral declaration of identity and citizenship. Beginning January 31, 2008, all cross-border travelers must present documents establishing their identity and citizenship. This is a precursor to the Congressionally mandated full implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative in June of 2009, at which time passports or similarly secure documents will be required by all travelers.
The Administration Is Continuing To Enhance Interior And Worksite Enforcement
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has replaced the old approach of administrative hearings and fines for employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens with a much tougher combination of criminal prosecutions and asset forfeitures.
Arrests for criminal violations brought in worksite enforcement actions have increased from 19 in FY 2001 to 863 in FY 2007 - a more than 45-fold increase. ICE also made 4,077 administrative arrests in FY 2007, for a total of 4,940 arrests.
In FY 2007, DHS obtained more than $31 million in criminal fines, restitutions and civil judgments as a result of worksite enforcement.
E-Verify is helping more than 48,000 companies verify the employment eligibility of newly hired employees. The number of companies enrolled in E-Verify has more than quadrupled in 16 months, now representing almost 200,000 business locations. Currently, 2,000 employers are being added each week. More than 3.7 million new hires were processed through E-Verify last year alone. As more States like Arizona require local businesses to use E-Verify, and the Federal government begins to require Federal contractors to enroll in the program, it will become increasingly difficult for those here illegally to find work, greatly weakening the magnet that draws so many people to enter the country illegally. In addition, E-Verify is a valuable tool in detecting immigration fraud and identity theft.
DHS has issued a "No-Match" Employment Eligibility Verification regulation to help employers ensure their workers are legal and help the Government identify and crack down on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers. Unfortunately, this useful regulation is being held up by litigation. We expect a revised rule to be finalized and in effect this year.
In FY 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE returned or removed almost 1.2 million illegal aliens from the United States.
ICE has increased its enforcement efforts:
Since 2005, ICE has quintupled the number of teams devoted to removing fugitive aliens from the U.S. — from 15 Fugitive Operations Teams in 2005 to 75 of these seven-member teams by the end of FY 2007.
ICE has helped keep our communities safe by arresting 3,302 gang members and their associates in FY 2007.
ICE has expanded its Criminal Alien Program to identify incarcerated criminal aliens. In FY 2007, ICE identified for removal 164,296 criminals who were incarcerated in Federal, state and local facilities.
The Administration is training hundreds of State and local law enforcement officers to address illegal immigration in their communities. The Administration is maintaining the 287(g) program, which allows State and local officers to enforce immigration law, and expanding other measures that help State and local law enforcement officials. These measures include a broad array of enforcement tools, such as formal task forces, greater use of the ICE Law Enforcement Support Center, and enhanced partnerships to address location-specific threats, such as gangs. The Administration is proposing an increase in funding for this program in its 2009 Budget.
The Administration Is Streamlining Existing Guest-Worker Programs To Help Keep Our Economy Well-Supplied With Vital Workers
The Department of Labor (DOL) and DHS are prepared to unveil a rule that would modernize the H-2A agricultural seasonal worker program to better provide farmers with an orderly and timely flow of legal workers, while protecting the rights of laborers. No sector of the American economy requires a legal flow of foreign workers more than agriculture, which is experiencing labor shortages.
DOL is also working on regulations streamlining the H-2B Program for non-agricultural seasonal workers.
DHS and DOL are studying potential administrative reforms to visa programs for highly skilled workers.
The Administration Is Taking Steps To Help New Americans Assimilate In Order To Keep Our Nation United
In September 2007, the DHS Office of Citizenship announced a revised naturalization test emphasizing the fundamental concepts of American democracy, basic U.S. history, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. This test is ensuring fairness by eliminating the wide variations in testing quality between regional offices that plagued the former system.
The Office of Citizenship is also providing additional training for volunteers and adult educators who lead immigrants through the naturalization process.
The Education Department is working on a free, Web-based portal to help immigrants learn English. Knowledge of English is the most important component of assimilation.
Speeches & News Releases
President Bush Addresses Border Security and Immigration Challenges
Fact Sheet: Improving Border Security and Immigration Within Existing Law
President Bush Disappointed by Congress's Failure to Act on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Fact Sheet: Bipartisan Border Security and Immigration Reform Bill
Statement by the Press Secretary on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
U.S. Commerce Secretary
W. Ralph Basham
Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Director, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
Michael P. Jackson
Chief, Office of Border Patrol, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Joel Kaplan
White House Deputy
Chief of Staff for Policy
President Bush Addresses the Nation on Immigration Reform
President Discusses Border Security and Immigration Reform in Arizona
President Signs Homeland Security Appropriations Act for 2006
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Life, life, death
The yarn slipped through her fingers like silk, her needles moving without conscious thought as she knit row after row, barely looking at her hands. The yarn was beautiful, sari silk in a multitude of colors, red, purple, burnished gold. She was knitting a simple slip stitch pattern, a scarf, one that she had made so often that her hands remembered the pattern even when her mind did not. Knit, knit, slip. knit, knit, slip. The bamboo needles made a pleasant ticking sound.
She didn't hurry, it wouldn't do to hurry. She kept up a constant rhythm, turning the scarf when she came to the end of a row, purling each even-numbered row. She could do it in her sleep by now, and sometimes she would dream that she *was,* the tick-tick of the needles soothing her.
"Mom?" The voice came from the front of the house, her son. He had let himself into the house using the key that she had given him years ago, maybe when she and his father had gone on a vacation, or maybe when one of them had been in the hospital. She would have asked him to come over and water the plants and let out the dog, the dog that was long gone. The plants were long gone, too. All that was left was the knitting.
Knit, knit, slip. Knit, knit, slip.
"Hi, mom, how are you today?" She didn't answer him. She never did. She was beyond answering. She was so far away already that death would just be a slipping over, like her knitting pattern. Life, life, death.
Her son sat down beside her, on the footstool that rested next to her chair. He reached for her hand, trying to still its motion, but she shook him off and continued to knit. "Mom," he said, "please. Won't you stop for a minute, just a minute?" When she ignored him, he shook his head and got up, looking around. On previous visits, he would fill his time by filling a watering can at the kitchen tap and go around watering the various plants that grew in the room.
There had been a wandering Jew on the windowsill, and a mother-in-law's tongue, and something that he didn't know the name of that crawled along the top of the bookshelf and trailed down the side until it almost reached the carpet. It had sharp, pointed leaves, and tiny berries like blood. It made him shudder, but he had watered it, too. But they had all withered and died, and he had bagged them all up and thrown them out with the trash.
He stood in the doorway and watched her as she knitted. The brightly colored yarn flowed from the basket at her feet, and the finished rows pooled in her lap. Knit, knit, slip. She wouldn't communicate with him anymore, so all he could do was bring her the most beautiful yarn he could find. Wool or silk or rayon, she didn't seem to care, as long as the colors were bright and beautiful. He never let her run out; if it looked like the pile of yarn in her basket was getting low, he would make a special trip to the yarn shop in town and fill a bag with anything that caught his eye.
As he stood and watched her knit, he saw her eyes close, and her hands on the needles began to slow their constant movement. Knit . . . knit . . . The needles fell from her hands and the beautiful silk scarf dropped from her lap. "Mom?" he cried out, rushing to her side. "Oh, no! Mom!"
And before the world could wind down, a young woman on the other side of the world picked up her needles.
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Explore Williamsport
Calendar of Events Rack Card
Holiday Window Decorating Contest
Catch the Spirit, Enjoy the Magic of Downtown
May 12, 2017 Announcements
www.williamsportpa.com Launch
The Williamsport Business Association (WBA) is excited to announce the launch of their new member driven website at www.williamsportpa.org. As a way to celebrate the new site, the newly elected WBA board would like to invite business owners, community leaders, and the general public to an official launch party/meet and greet event being held at Converge Gallery (140 West Fourth St., Williamsport, PA 17701) on Monday, May 22 from 5:30 – 7:30PM.
The launch party will highlight many of the interactive features the new site offers including expansive member profile pages, and a dynamic events calendar that aggregates member events directly from Facebook.
“We are looking to make www.williamsportpa.org the new place to find everything related to our great city,” said Charles Imbro, President of the WBA. “We made the new site interactive and photo driven to show off all the gems that our great city has to offer.”
“We wanted to feature every business, gallery, restaurant or shop that our city has to offer on the new site. The real gems of the site are for our members as they feature full profiles w/ hours of operation, beautiful photos of the business, and links to social media,” said John Yogodzinski, owner of The Graphic Hive who helped build this site. “I’ve always wanted to build a site to help make our city shine, and thank the WBA for giving me this opportunity.”
In addition to a website review, members from the WBA board will offer a short presentation on their plans for the city, and outline the numerous benefits exclusive for members that join the WBA.
The mission of the Williamsport Business Association, a 501(c)(6) Non-Profit incorporated organization, is to recruit, retain and expand quality businesses while promoting the enhancement and growth of Williamsport businesses and to serve as a liaison between city businesses & city administration.
The Williamsport Business Association proudly serves both its members and the community. We are businesses working together toward a common goal of shared prosperity, committed to playing a lead role in the ongoing renaissance of downtown Williamsport, and dedicated to supporting the success of our local businesses.
In addition to serving its membership with helpful services, programs, and networking opportunities, the Williamsport Business Association is deeply committed to the community, and is the co-host of our city’s monthly First Friday Arts Celebration, when the streets of downtown Williamsport are filled with art, music, artisan crafts, live entertainment, family fun, and more.
The Williamsport Business Association also plays an active role in helping to coordinate many downtown Williamsport events such as the ‘Williamsport Welcomes The World’ parade (and other events during the annual Little League World Series), as well our annual Mardi Gras celebration, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Oktoberfest festivities, and more.
Please come meet your new board members, check out the new website, mingle with local business owners and become a member of the group. We hope you’ll join us at Converge Gallery (140 West Fourth St., Williamsport, PA 17701) on Monday, May 22 from 5:30 – 7:30PM. Free admission and light fare/drinks will be provided.
WBA Yearly Update!
© Copyright 2019 Williamsport Business Association | Web design by The Graphic Hive
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Marie-Bernarde "Bernadette" Soubirous (Occitan: Bernadeta Sobirós; 7 January 1844 – 16 April 1879) was the firstborn daughter of a miller from Lourdes, France, and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Soubirous is best known for the Marian apparitions of a "small young lady" who asked for a chapel to be built at the nearby garbage dump of the cave-grotto at Massabielle where apparitions are said to have occurred between 11 February and 16 July 1858. She would later receive recognition when the lady who appeared to her identified herself as the Immaculate Conception.
Despite initial skepticism from the Catholic Church, Soubirous's claims were eventually declared "worthy of belief" after a canonical investigation, and the Marian apparition is now known as Our Lady of Lourdes. Since her death, Soubirous's body has apparently remained internally incorrupt, but it is not without blemish; during her third exhumation in 1925, the firm of Pierre Imans made light wax coverings for her face and her hands due to the discoloration that her skin had undergone. These masks were placed on her face and hands before she was moved to her crystal reliquary in June 1925. The Marian shrine at Lourdes (Midi-Pyrénées, France) went on to become a major pilgrimage site, attracting over five million pilgrims of all denominations each year.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Bernadette_Soubirous
'Bernadette Soubirous' is featured as a movie character in the following productions:
Grotta profunda, les humeurs du gouffre (2011)
Actors: Simon Fravega (actor), Tobias Haberkorn (actor), Tobias Haberkorn (actor), Mickaël Phelippeau (actor), Walkind Rodriguez (actor), Walkind Rodriguez (actor), Maéva Cunci (actress), Maéva Cunci (actress), Aude Lachaise (actress), Aude Lachaise (actress), Viviana Moin (actress), Viviana Moin (actress), Thierry Lievez (producer), Pauline Curnier-Jardin (writer), Pauline Curnier-Jardin (director),
Genres: Short,
Je m'appelle Bernadette (2011)
Actors: Michel Aumont (actor), Dinarte Branco (actor), Adriano Carvalho (actor), Figueira Cid (actor), António Cordeiro (actor), Alain-Fabien Delon (actor), Alain Doutey (actor), Luís Esparteiro (actor), Guilherme Filipe (actor), António Fonseca (actor), André Gago (actor), Francis Huster (actor), Nicolas Jouhet (actor), João Lagarto (actor), Vítor Andrade (actor),
Genres: Drama,
Lourdes (2000)
Actors: Francisco Brás (actor), Figueira Cid (actor), Marques D'Arede (actor), Jorge Falé (actor), Filipe Ferrer (actor), Alessandro Gassman (actor), Alessandro Gassman (actor), André Gomes (actor), Helmut Griem (actor), Günther Maria Halmer (actor), João Lagarto (actor), Vítor Norte (actor), Umberto Orsini (actor), Luís Pavão (actor), Nicolau Breyner (actor),
Plot: The young, sickly girl Bernadette comes from a poverty-stricken family. When the Virgin Mary appears to her in a cavern near Lourdes, no one takes the girl seriously, even when she digs up a wellspring at the Virgin's instructions The local authorities even try to hush up the entire incident. In vain, however, because when Empress Eugénie requests water from the spring for her sickly son, they are forced to acquiesce. And even the local priest is finally convinced. While taking his tuberculosis-stricken fiancé Claire to a sanatorium, the young doctor Henri Guillaumet meets Bernadette. The water from Lourdes' spring heals Claire's disease overnight, but the scientist in Henri doubts the miracle and wants to expose Bernadette as a liar. It is not until Henri again meets Bernadette, who has in the meantime become a nun and works as a nurse, that he finds a way to balance belief and modern science. And his love for Claire is strengthened as well.
Keywords: france, lourdes-france, nun, one-word-title, place-name-in-title
Bernadette (1988)
Actors: Jean-Marc Bory (actor), Jean-Marc Bory (actor), Philippe Brigaud (actor), Franck Cabot-David (actor), Bernard Cazassus (actor), Jean Champion (actor), François Chanterie (actor), Alain Christie (actor), François Dalou (actor), Jean Davy (actor), Pierre Decazes (actor), Guy Dhers (actor), Bernard Dhéran (actor), Bernard Dhéran (actor), Jean-Marie Bernicat (actor),
Plot: In 1857, an unemployed miller moves his family into grim lodgings; his wife takes in laundry. In February of 1858, at the Massabielle grotto, their 14-year old asthmatic, illiterate daughter, Bernadette, sees a light she later distinguishes as a beautiful young woman. The girl converses with the woman over the next few months. Crowds follow her and people are cured by the waters from a spring Bernadette has cleared. Secular authorities are threatened by the popular gatherings and subject the girl to police inquiry and medical review. The local monsignor is also skeptical, then becomes Bernadette's champion. She maintains her forthright simplicity and untutored wisdom throughout.
Keywords: 1850s, anti-clericalism, asthma, asthmatic, catechism, catholic-church, catholic-priest, catholic-school, chapel, character-name-in-title
L'affaire Lourdes (1967)
Actors: Max Amyl (actor), Jean Berger (actor), Jacques Charrier (actor), Paul Crauchet (actor), Marcel Cuvelier (actor), Jacques Debary (actor), Jean-Marc Epinoux (actor), Michel Etcheverry (actor), Jacques Gripel (actor), Yves Hugues (actor), Gaëtan Jor (actor), Pierre Lafont (actor), Jacques Lalande (actor), Alain MacMoy (actor), Jacques Alric (actor),
Genres: ,
Aquella joven de blanco (1965)
Actors: Gumersindo Andrés (actor), Ramiro Benito (actor), Roberto Camardiel (actor), Juan Cazalilla (actor), Eduardo L. Cuenca (actor), Adriano Domínguez (actor), José María Escuer (actor), Agustín González (actor), Fernando Liger (actor), Ángel Ortiz (actor), José María Prada (actor), Héctor Quiroga (actor), Alfonso Rojas (actor), Francisco Serrano (actor), Axel Anderson (actor),
Genres: Biography, Drama,
Il suffit d'aimer (1961)
Actors: Robert Arnoux (actor), Grégoire Aslan (actor), Georges Atlas (actor), Louis Bugette (actor), André Chanu (actor), Jean Clarieux (actor), Jean-Jacques Delbo (actor), François Joux (actor), Bernard La Jarrige (actor), Michel Lemoine (actor), Renaud Mary (actor), Jean Morel (actor), Charles Moulin (actor), Henri Nassiet (actor), René Alié (actor),
Taglines: The True Story of Saint Bernadette A Bernadette You Have Never Seen Filmed entirely at Lourdes "I could see neither the river nor the barricades...ONLY HER!"
La vie merveilleuse de Bernadette (1929)
Actors: Cantacuzène (actor), Paul Ceriani (actor), Charles Debert (actor), Fabrice (actor), Émile Matrat (actor), Memmo (actor), Mugelli (actor), Alexandra (actress), Janine Borelli (actress), Janine Lequesne (actress), Jeanne Marnier (actress), George Pallu (director), Abbé Honoré (miscellaneous crew),
Genres: Drama, History,
Le miracle de Lourdes (1926)
Actors: Georges Baconnet (actor), André Carnège (actor), Marcel Chabrier (actor), Mallo Remy (actor), Léone Balme (actress), Gaby Bru (actress), Fanny Deslisles (actress), Jane Dolys (actress), Madame Lugand (actress), Pierrette Lugand (actress), Fanny Robiane (actress), Véga (actress), Christiane Yves (actress), M. Pene (writer), B. Simon (director),
Latest News for: bernadette soubirous
Cleveland Evans: After French saint's visions, Bernadette saw a rise in popularity
Omaha World-Herald 16 Aug 2019
Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879), a miller’s daughter whose 1858 visions of a woman calling herself “The Immaculate Conception” were declared valid by the Roman Catholic church in 1862 ... French name experts point out that Bernadette was a rare name that didn’t become popular in France until after Soubirous was beatified in 1925....
Lourdes is the unlikely antidote to our Love Island culture
The Observer 16 Aug 2019
Here’s a subject for a PhD thesis ... And if Bernadette de Lourdes takes off, it won’t just be filling theatre seats but could draw more visitors, restoring the economic fortunes of the French pilgrimage centre ... Bernadette Soubirous, who in 1858 saw a series of 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary ... Bernadette’s is a gripping tale ... It still attracts pilgrims....
New stained glass tells story of St. Bernadette's in church's chapel
The Polk County Standard Journal 23 Jul 2019
Bernadette’s Catholic Church to keep within a tradition of storytelling through art within their chapel used for daily worship ... Bernadette herself ... Bernadette, Bernadette Soubirous ... Mary directed Bernadette to find that water ... Bernadette’s previously called home, and the new sanctuary they have on Evergreen Lane....
Lourdes: Go for the scenery, not the dubious 'medical miracles'
The Los Angeles Times 16 Jul 2019
Readers React Readers React Opinion Lourdes. Go for the scenery, not the dubious 'medical miracles' ... (Chris O'Brien / For The Times) ... The article mentions that the Catholic Church says that Lourdes has been the source of 70 “medical miracles” in the 160 years since 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous’ visions ... Advertisement ... Bob Ladendorf, Los Angeles. .....
A rebirth for Lourdes, France, driven somewhat by the saintly life of Bernadette
Europe World A rebirth for Lourdes, France, driven somewhat by the saintly life of Bernadette ... A 1940s movie version of the story, “The Song of Bernadette,” starred Jennifer Jones ... It traces the story of Bernadette Soubirous as she sees 18 apparitions between February and July 1858....
From the spring of Lourdes: Georgetown nursing students impacted by service, faith
Catholic Standard 11 Jul 2019
Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. After her first visit, Chen said the experience was amazing and transformative. “It was really special and an emotional experience, to be able to serve them,” Chen said. “Going back this year, everything came back in an instant ... Edilma Yearwood and Dr ... (Photo courtesy ... Bernadette, everyone was equal,” Vittone said ... .......
Feast of Saint Bernadette Soubirous
Manila Bulletin 15 Apr 2019
By Christina Hermoso The Roman Catholic Church will mark tomorrow the Feast of Saint Bernadette Soubirous, a popular Christian mystic and visionary, whose visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in... ....
Montreal Play Ball event boasts big turnout
MLB 23 Mar 2019
On Friday, at Ecole Sainte-Bernadette-Soubirous in Montreal, the game was introduced to a set of young players who might not have ever been given a chance to experience baseball without his initial impact, at one of 250 Winterball events scheduled this year to be hosted by Baseball Canada with the support of MLB....
The devotion towards Our Lady of Lourdes on our islands and her confraternity
The Malta Independent 15 Feb 2019
On 11th February 1858, the Virgin Mary appeared to a young shepherdess girl named Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes in the Southwest of France....
The Montanian 11 Feb 2019
February 6. 1789. Massachusetts ratified the U.S. Constitution. 1815. New Jersey granted the first American railroad charter to Col. John Stevens III, inventor who built the first steam locomotive. 1952 ... 1988 ... 1998 ... February 7. 1497 ... Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879) saw her first of 18 visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a natural spring in Lourdes, France ... ....
Catholic bishop to celebrate mass at St. André Health Care
Journal Tribune 30 Jan 2019
Bishop Robert P. Deeley of the Diocese of Portland will celebrate a Mass of the Anointing of the Sick at the Saint André Health Care facility at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 3. FILE PHOTO ... Sunday, Feb. 3 ... On Feb. 11, 1858, the Blessed Mother first appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, which has now become a place of pilgrimage and healing ... St ... ....
1944: The Song of Bernadette
The Pantagraph 30 Dec 2018
Director. Henry King This 1943 film, based on a 1941 Franz Werfel novel that takes place in 1858 France, centers around the true story of a young peasant named Bernadette Soubirous (Jennifer Jones). The 14-year-old Bernadette reports having a vision .......
Victoria Advocate 28 Dec 2018
“We learned our lesson ... And they should ... St ... The church in recent years commissioned a master Ukrainian artist, Bogdan Chernetskiy to complete a large mural behind the altar of Mary appearing to Bernadette Soubirous, a shepherd girl of Lourdes, France, in 1858, which was not ruined but will likely need to be touched up following the storm, Janak said....
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Endor (Star Wars)
Robot Chicken: Star Wars
Star Wars (film)
Star Wars: Republic
Star (heraldry)
Star (702 album)
Endor is literally a gas planet therefore no one can live on it so one of its moons, the forest moon of Endor is different than Endor the planet.
The forest moon of Endor (also known as the sanctuary moon) is a moon in the Star Wars universe. It is a forested world covered by giant trees.
Endor first appears in Return of the Jedi, in which it is the body in whose orbit the second Death Star is constructed, and is the home of a race of furry aliens called Ewoks. The moon later appears in the (low canon) Ewok TV movies Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, as well as the animated Marvel Comics series Star Wars: Ewoks and the original Star Tours theme park attraction at many Disney parks. It also inspired the exterior queue for Star Tours: The Adventures Continue at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
In one of the Star Wars Tales comics, an Imperial veteran of Endor refers to the moon being devastated by the impact of falling debris from the Death Star, which was blown up while in orbit around the moon. However, another character dismisses this as a myth, saying that most of the Death Star's mass was obliterated in the explosion, and that the Rebels "took care of the rest."
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Endor_(Star_Wars)
"Robot Chicken: Star Wars" (also known as "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode I") is a 2007 episode of the television comedy series Robot Chicken, airing as a one-off special during Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block on June 17, 2007. It was released on DVD on July 22, 2008.
The 22-minute episode's sketches all relate to Star Wars.
Opening sequence – Based on the end sequences of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the Mad Scientist (as Palpatine) saves Robot Chicken (RC) (as Anakin Skywalker) from the volcanic planet Mustafar and rebuilds him as Darth Vader before forcing it to watch Robot Chicken.
An AT-AT pilot sits on the toilet during the battle at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, as Luke Skywalker throws a grenade into the bathroom.
Palpatine gets a collect call from Vader who tells him that the Rebel Alliance blew up the Death Star, leaving Palpatine in financial turmoil. This skit is recycled from the episode "1987," although the voice of Darth Vader heard on Palpatine's phone has been redone from the original.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Robot_Chicken:_Star_Wars
Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. The first release in the Star Wars saga, it stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, and Alec Guinness. David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker and Peter Mayhew co-star in supporting roles.
The plot focuses on the Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia (Fisher), and its attempt to destroy the Galactic Empire's space station, the Death Star. This conflict disrupts the isolated life of farmhand Luke Skywalker (Hamill) who inadvertently acquires a pair of robots (known as droids in-universe) that possess stolen architectural plans for the Death Star. When the Empire begins a destructive search for the missing droids, Skywalker agrees to accompany Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Guinness) on a mission to return the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance and save the galaxy from the tyranny of the Galactic Empire.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Star_Wars_(film)
Star Wars: Republic is an American comic book series set in the fictional Star Wars universe. The series was published by Dark Horse Comics from 1998 to February 2006. The series was originally titled simply Star Wars, but acquired its Republic title at issue 46. The entire series comprises 83 issues. The Star Wars: Republic series is one of a number of comic book series set in the Star Wars universe.
The events in Star Wars: Republic are set in roughly the same fictional timeframe as the Star Wars film prequel trilogy. Character development builds on the films, including appearances by Mace Windu, whose image is fashioned after actor Samuel L. Jackson. However, the comic also prominently features characters such as Quinlan Vos and Vilmarh Grahrk that either do not appear or make only brief appearances in the films. After issue 83 the title of the series changes to Star Wars: Dark Times with a new issue #1, but with Star Wars: Republic numbering present on the inside cover.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Star_Wars:_Republic
Endor or Ein Dor may refer to:
Endor (village), from the Hebrew Bible, a Canaanite village where the Witch of Endor lived
Indur, a Palestinian village depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
Ein Dor, a Kibbutz in modern Israel
ENDOR, electron nuclear double resonance, a variation of electron spin resonance
Endor (Star Wars), the fictional forest moon which is home to the Ewoks
Middle-earth, in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Arda, where Endor is the Quenya name for it
Endor, the most successful nation in the video game Dragon Quest IV
Witch of Endor
Endora, a character from the television series Bewitched, portrayed by actor Agnes Moorehead
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Endor
In heraldry, the term star may refer to any star-shaped charge with any number of rays, which may appear straight or wavy, and may or may not be pierced. While there has been much confusion between the two due to their similar shape, a star with straight-sided rays is usually called a mullet while one with wavy rays is usually called an estoile.
While a mullet may have any number of points, it is presumed to have five unless otherwise specified in the blazon, and pierced mullets are common; estoiles, however, are presumed to have six rays and (as of 1909) had not been found pierced. In Scottish heraldry, an estoile is the same as in English heraldry, but it has been said that mullet refers only to a mullet pierced (also called a spur revel), while one that is not pierced is called a star.
The use of the word star in blazons, and how that charge appears in coat armory, varies from one jurisdiction to another. In Scots heraldry, both star and mullet interchangeably mean a star with five straight rays; the official record from 1673 gives Murray of Ochtertyre azur three Starrs argent ... (Public Register, vol 1 p 188), while the Ordinary of Arms produced by a late 19th century Lyon King of Arms 'modernizes' the original as Az. three mullets arg. .... In Canadian heraldry the usual term is mullet, but there is also the occasional six-pointed star (e.g. in Vol. IV, at p. 274 and in online version of the Canadian Public Register), which is what others would blazon as a six-pointed mullet. The United States Army Institute of Heraldry, the official heraldic authority in the United States, uses the term mullet in its blazons, but elsewhere, as in US government documents describing the flag of the United States and the Great Seal of the United States, the term star is constantly used, and these nearly always appear with five straight-sided points.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Star_(heraldry)
Star is the third and final studio album from American R&B group 702, released March 25, 2003 by Motown.
The album peaked at number forty-five on the Billboard 200 chart. and is mostly remembered for its cult classic single "I Still Love You".
Release and reception
The album peaked at forty-five on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached the twenty-second spot on the R&B Albums chart.
Andy Kellman of Allmusic gave the work a rather dismissive review, stating that "it continues in the group's tradition of being able to deliver a couple of solid singles surrounded by middling to fair album tracks."
Chart history
Information taken from Allmusic.
a&r – Nina Freeman, Kedar Massenburg, Shante Paige, Marsha Reid
arranging – Ted Bishop
art direction – Chris Kornmann
assistant – Vincent Alexander, Mike Butler, Vadim Chislov, Stephen Glicken, Dion Peters, Alexis Seton, Rich Tapper, Javier Valverde, Jeff Vereb, Artese Williams
composing – R. Bell, G. Brown, J.J. Jackson, L. Jackson, P.J. Jackson, E. Jordan, S.K. Russell, Mario Winans
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Star_(702_album)
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Latest News for: endor (star wars)
The 10 Most Iconic Star Wars Droids, Ranked
Cinema Blend 21 Jan 2020
In the wide spanning Star Wars galaxy, there’s a special sort of hero that is sometimes overlooked in the grand scheme of things ... Star Wars ... Captain R-3X was a new pilot assigned to pilot the Endor Express for the tour company Star Tours, but found himself accidentally bringing tourists into a war zone ... Star Wars ... A Star Wars Story ... A Star Wars Story....
Twitter has a blast after Space Force provides peek at its new uniforms
The Seattle Times 20 Jan 2020
The Space Force announcement quickly drew questions as social-media users homed in on the camouflage uniform to which the name tape was attached. The photo inspired “Star Wars” jokes, and some mused about future battles on the Forest Moon of Endor ... ....
New Space Force uniforms have Star Wars fans cracking Endor jokes
TheNewsHOOK 19 Jan 2020
New Space Force uniforms have Star Wars fans cracking Endor jokes .......
New Space Force Uniforms Mocked for Camo Design: ‘Are They Fighting on the Forest Moon ...
The Wrap 18 Jan 2020
“Are they fighting on the forest moon of Endor?” sci-fi author Chuck Wendig asked, referencing the wooded “Star Wars” locale that is home to adorable Ewoks and the gravesite of Darth Vader himself. Endor soon became a trending topic on Twitter as other fans weighed in with puzzlement about the new designs....
Warwick Davis Made Sure Rise Of Skywalker Had A Very Specific Nod To Return Of ...
SPOILERS for Star Wars ... We knew going into Star Wars ... Sure enough, after Emperor Palatine was finally killed for good and his armada was destroyed in Star Wars. The Rise of Skywalker, we looked in on several planets where The First Order was being toppled, and on Endor, Ewok all-star Wicket W ... There’s no word yet on when Star Wars ... Star Wars 2020....
Star Wars: The 10 Coolest Stormtrooper Variations From The Movies
When you think of a stormtrooper, more than likely, your brain immediately jumps to white armor and helmet-clad men following Darth Vader through the Death Star in Star Wars ... Or, perhaps, you prefer to picture the jetpack-equipped stormtroopers chasing after Rey, Finn, Poe, and the gang in Star Wars ... While Star Wars ... Star Wars ... Star Wars ... Star Wars....
Star Wars Clone Wars Director Responds To That Surprise Easter Egg In The Rise Of Skywalker
Cinema Blend 26 Dec 2019
The following contains significant spoilers for Star Wars; The Rise of Skywalker** ... There are a multitude of opinions regarding Star Wars ... One of those voices featured, is that of Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ashoka Tano from Star Wars ... Ashoka Tano's official story ends, as far as we've learned, in the final episode of Star War ... Star Wars....
The real-life planets you may have first seen in a 'Star Wars' film
Henry Herald 10 Dec 2019
The popular "Star Wars" film franchise stirred our collective imagination, but similar planets have since been discovered in our own galaxy ... Among the most intriguing exoplanets are those likened to ones we see in the "Star Wars" galaxy ... In the "Star Wars" galaxy, we discover the lush forested moons of Yavin 4 and Endor....
COLUMN: Baby Yoda and Bubba Fat
Enid News & Eagle 09 Dec 2019
Before securing “Yar’s Revenge,” I was introduced to “Star Wars.” I first heard about Darth Vader and “A New Hope” during recess at Hayes Elementary School in 1977 ... “He’s a ‘Star Wars’ action figure.” ... What is it with Star Wars and marketing misfires since “Return of the Jedi” was released? Ewoks of Endor, I’m looking at you....
COLUMN: 'Baby Yoda' and 'Bubba Fat'
The Duncan Banner 08 Dec 2019
Recanonize the Star Wars Legends EU or Put it Into Creative Commons
The Petition Site 04 Dec 2019
For the longest time, there were no more Star Wars movies once Return of the Jedi concluded in 1983 ... WAS Star Wars ... Despite claims to the contrary, there was an innate orderliness to the structure of the Star Wars EU ... The T Level of canon, such as for a TV series like the Star Wars....
British Scientist Answers What We Are All Wondering: Are Star Wars' Habitable Moons Realistic?
IFL Science 02 Dec 2019
Star Wars. “From the cold desert moon Jedha and the forest moon Endor, to the rebel headquarters on the jungle moon Yavin 4, moons have played an important part of the Star Wars landscape,” Dr Sutton wrote in his post....
New ‘Star Wars’ video teases return of Ewoks in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’
NME 29 Nov 2019
A new behind-the-scenes Star Wars clip has hinted at the return of Ewoks in the franchise’s next film, The Rise of Skywalker ... — Star Wars (@starwars) November 29, 2019. If the Ewoks do appear in The Rise of Skywalker, it’ll be their first major Star Wars appearance since 1983’s Return of the Jedi....
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John Moore (director)
John Moore (footballer, born 1966)
John Moore, Baron Moore of Lower Marsh
John Moore (bishop of St Augustine)
John Moore (born 1970) is an Irish director, producer and writer who is best known for Behind Enemy Lines and for the 2013 action film in the Die Hard franchise A Good Day to Die Hard.
Early life and career
Moore was born in Dundalk, Ireland, and attended Dublin Institute of Technology, where he attained a degree in Media Arts. Upon completing his course, Moore genuinely believed that he wouldn't go on to work within the medium of film, but after a few years, that promptly changed. After graduating, he wrote and directed a series of short films in Ireland. Several of these shorts have featured on Irish TV networks over the years, and along the way Moore founded an Irish-based production company called Clingfilms. He then went on to direct several commercials, including the launch advertisement for Dreamcast, which 20th Century Fox found so impressive they gave him the $17 million (BTL) budget for Behind Enemy Lines.
To date, Moore has made five films for 20th Century Fox: Behind Enemy Lines (2001), Flight of the Phoenix (2004), The Omen (2006), Max Payne (2008) and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013). Despite receiving mixed reviews, both Behind Enemy Lines and The Omen did well at the box office. Flight of the Phoenix, however, received mainly negative reviews and grossed just under $35 million worldwide, much less than the film's budget.Max Payne also receiving mainly negative reviews, but became a box office success, grossing $85 million on a $35 million budget. A Good Day to Die Hard has also received mostly negative reviews, but grossed $304 million on a $92 million budget, making it his highest grossing film.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/John_Moore_(director)
John Moore (born 1 October 1966) is an English-born Hong Kong international footballer. A striker, Moore has played professionally in England, Wales, the Netherlands, and Hong Kong.
Born in Consett, Moore began his career with Sunderland in 1984. While at Sunderland, Moore spent loan spells at St Patrick's Athletic F.C.,Newport County, Darlington, Mansfield Town and Rochdale. Moore then played in the Football League for Hull City and Sheffield United before moving to the Netherlands to play with FC Utrecht. After a year abroad, Moore returned to England, playing with Shrewsbury Town, Crewe Alexandra and Scarborough. Moore then played non-league football with Bishop Auckland, before moving to Hong Kong, where he played with Sing Tao, Happy Valley and Sun Hei. Moore returned to England after ten years in Hong Kong to play with Durham City.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/John_Moore_(footballer,_born_1966)
John Edward Michael Moore, Baron Moore of Lower Marsh PC (born 26 November 1937) is a British politician who was Member of Parliament for Croydon Central from February 1974 until 1992. During the Premiership of Margaret Thatcher he enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of government which culminated in him serving as Secretary of State for Social Services from 1987 to 1989. For a time, he was considered a rising star of the Conservative Party and a potential leadership contender.
He was particularly noted for his "filmstar good looks" and an American background. Moore's wife was American and he had lived for several years in the USA. He brought aspects of American corporate culture to government and was reported to speak with a slight American accent. His first political experience was as a Democratic Party organiser in Illinois during the early 1960s.
However, his fortunes in government waned after 1987 when he was made responsible for the highly sensitive portfolios of health and social security. His earlier success had been as a facilitator of the Thatcher government's privatisation programme. In this capacity he became known as "Mr Privatisation". When Moore attempted to extend this concept into the management of the National Health Service and the wider provision of social services, he encountered opposition from all sides. After losing credibility he was effectively demoted in 1988 (through loss of the health portfolio) and then sacked from his cabinet post in 1989.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/John_Moore,_Baron_Moore_of_Lower_Marsh
Bishop John Moore (born 27 June 1834 or 1835) served as the second Bishop of St. Augustine, Florida from 1877-1901.
Moore was born in County Westmeath, Ireland and moved to Charleston, South Carolina at the age of 14.
Bishop Moore was very influential in the expansion of Catholic schools in Florida and recruitment of religious nuns and priests to meet the ministerial needs of the diocese.
Bishop Moore High School, a Catholic secondary school in Orlando, is named for him.
St. Augustine Bishops
Episcopal succession
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/John_Moore_(bishop_of_St_Augustine)
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The beginning of a new work day…
April 19, 1995 – more than 23 years ago – domestic terrorism struck in Oklahoma City. At the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in downtown Oklahoma City a workday was just beginning. Life there, and across America, and the world, would never be the same again.
You enter the Memorial grounds through one of the Two Gates of Time. The east gate depicts the innocence of the time before the bombing, the west gate reflects the time that the horror really set in.
Between the two gates is a reflecting pool that spans the footprint of where NW Fifth Street once was, and where the Murrah Building stood, just to the right as you look west, and where now is the field of empty chairs. It is a calming, yet sobering dedication to the devastation that was wreaked on 168 victims, a country, and a world.
The empty chairs, so strong in silent grandeur, are arranged in nine rows that reflect the floor where victims were working or visiting. Each chair is etched with the name of one of the 168 victims killed that day, and 19 smaller chairs represent the children that lost their lives. Five empty chairs on the westernmost end of the field represent the five people killed outside the Murrah building.
Life in 1995
And then, at 9:02 AM…
From the rubble of the Murrah building, artifacts symbolic of a common way of life, were pulled and are on display. The sheer simplicity has to reach the heartstrings of any who pass through the exhibit – – to not be touched is unconscionable.
In the moments following the blast, those who survived, despite their own injuries, shock and disorientation, immediately started to help in aiding their fallen comrades, helping to bandage the badly bleeding and to just give comfort to those who were worse off while waiting for professional responders. Even as the professionals arrived and took over, these selfless people continued to search and aid in the rescue of the severely injured.
Hope and hopelessness prevailed in Oklahoma City from April 19 to May 4, a span of 16 days with few stories of miracles but always with a community of citizens dedicated to easing the suffering in any way they could.
Images abounded then and till today of the horrific carnage visited upon Oklahoma City, but one photograph became the symbol of the tragedy, of the loss of innocence, and a world that would never be the same again. Little Baylee Almon didn’t survive despite the efforts of the responders, but this image has joined the list of iconic photographs taken over the passage of time.
The image spurs responses from around the country and the world, innocent children reacting to a horror that they could not fathom but that they innately knew, with the freshness of youth, was bad.
The story of Oklahoma City’s bombing cannot be told without reference to the people who perpetrated it. There are those who will say that no story can be complete without the reason why and the people who formulated this horrific act – they are probably right but in this whole exhibit there is nothing but satisfaction at the room that deals with the two suspects and their swift capture. Terry Nichols was convicted in a Federal court of 8 counts of conspiracy, but in a State court was convicted of mass murder and sentenced to 161 different life without parole sentences and is currently serving out those sentences until his death. Timothy McVeigh, the main perpetrator was convicted and sentence to die by lethal injection for the murder of Federal workers in the bombing. That happened on June 11, 2001.
This was not the first mass bombing to occur on America’s soil, but it was the biggest to date. Since then, mass murders have become a regular occurrence in our society, sometimes relegated to a secondary headline in our papers or a third leading story on the evening news. The attack on the Twin Towers in 2001 raised awareness of terrorist threats from abroad and due to vigilant counter-terrorism practices, such an act has not been repeated. But that violence fueled by domestic and foreign actors remains in this country with a life that refuses to give way to common sense. There are people that spur violence in the weak-minded that result in horrific acts of carnage. Mass murders, defined as three or more people silenced by the mind of a deranged human being, has occurred over 91 times since 1982, each act bringing an awareness of the necessity for more comprehensive domestic gun control and yet, each time, swept under the brows of humanity to the point where you cannot even name five of these incidents. We need to put an end to the sorrow, the grief, the inhumanity that comes from each unpardonable act. We need leaders willing to stand up and say enough is enough, to start with a baby step, steps that were never completed by those children and adults in Oklahoma City, in Sandy Hook, in Parkland, in Las Vegas and the other locales that have resulted in over 800 deaths and 1200 wounded, and end with a sensible solution to this carnage. I pray for the souls of Oklahoma City, and I pray for the soul of our nation.
Just recently the founder of Toms, Blake Mycoskie, made an announcement that his firm would be making over 5 million dollars worth of contributions to entities in favor of passing sensible gun control. This link replaces my usual recipes and I hope you can find the time to at least read the article.
https://www.fastcompany.com/…/why-toms-is-taking-a-stand-to-end-gun-violence
Published by jrawson47
View all posts by jrawson47
Posted in UncategorizedBy jrawson47
One Reply to “Oklahoma City”
Michael Rawson says:
rawson@ldeo.columbia.edu A very moving article on an event that has been mainly forgotten over the all to short years since. So many lives affected by the still unknown reason for this brutal attack. Thanks for the posting. Michael
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Huawei: World's highest 5G base station on Mount Everest
In 2008, Huawei and China Mobile built a 3G base station on Mount Everest at an altitude of 6,500m to support the flame-lighting ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. After that, it provided mobile communication services for countless mountain enthusiasts. It has been running for 11 years.
5G phones costing 150$ will be launched by the end of 2020
Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Huawei's president for 5G line of product, Yang Chaobin stated that 5G smartphones valued around $150 are expected to be introduced by the end of 2020 or in very early 2021.
O2 in UK announced new O-RAN project
16 January 2020, London: O2 has today introduced a new Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) job to aid customers much better utilise its network. O-RAN is an open and software-defined network technology that allow operators having a larger number of infrastructure parnters which willin facilitate and enable a much better and much more cost effective network service for customers.
Nokia reaches 63 5G contracts surpassing Huawei
Finnish supplier Nokia revealed in January 2020 that it has gotten to a total amount of 63 commercial 5G contracts worldwide.
The company said that some of the clients consist of AT&T, KDDI, Korea Telecommunications, LG Uplus, NTT DOCOMO, O2, SK Telecommunications, SoftBank, Sprint, STC, T-Mobile US, Verizon, Vodafone Italy and Zain Saudi Arabia.
ARCEP French regulator launches first stage of 5G bid process
French telecom authority Arcep has actually launched the first stage of the 5G award process for 3.5 GHz spectrum, in which the nation's mobile network operators will each be able to obtain a block of 50 MHz. Operators have around 8 weeks to prepare their applications, prior to the target date set on 25 February 2020. Arcep expects to close this first stage of the procedure by mid-March as well as finish the second phase by the end of June 2020.
At the end of November 2019, the government stated that each block of 50 MHz would be sold at a fixed price of EUR 350 million. After the allocation of the first four blocks, making totally 200 MHz, operators will need to bid for the remaining 110 MHz of the C-band in 3.5 GHz available, in a public auction that will see each single block of 10 MHz sold for a starting price of EUR 70 million.
In their applications for the four 50 MHz blocks, candidates will have to make some coverage commitments , which will be an important part of their 5G licences. Amongst their coverage obligations, operators will certainly need to reach 3,000 5G sites in operation by 2022, rising to 8,000 in 2024 and also 10,500 in 2025 (less than the 12,000 suggested in Arcep's preliminary consultation).
Licence holders will certainly likewise be needed to guarantee significant coverage outside metropolitan areas. Therefore, 25 percent of the sites deployed in the 2024-2025 period must benefit for dispersed with and sparsely communities, consisting of a list of priority roll-out locations defined by the regulatory authority ARCEP.
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ABAC Celebrates National Ice Cream Day with Exhibit at Country Store on July 20
TIFTON—A unique collection of late 1800s drug store artifacts from the drug store in Boston, Ga., will be on display at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village on July 20 in celebration of National Ice Cream Day, which is on July 21.
Museum Curator Polly Huff discovered a special collection of photographs that has never been displayed featuring drug stores from all over the state of Georgia and dating from 1890 to 1911. Along with the Boston store’s artifacts, this photo collection will also be included in the exhibit and available for public viewing for the first time.
The Museum Country Store will house the one-day exhibit, and visitors that day will have a chance to view it in its entirety at no charge. Country Store Manager Tonia Carpenter said visitors arriving at the Country Store between 10 a.m. and noon on July 20 will be treated to a free sample of the Museum’s hand-dipped ice cream.
Jason Gentry, an ABAC student from Tifton majoring in history and government, is one of the summer interns at the Museum Gallery. He is working with Huff and Carpenter on this one day, pop-up exhibit.
“These drug stores were a center point of small towns providing everything from medicines to ice cream and sodas and many things in between,” Gentry said. “I have really enjoyed doing research on the artifacts we have.”
Museum operating hours on Saturdays in July are from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Saturday admission is $10 for adults, $8 for senior adults, $5 for children five to 16 years old, and free to children four and under. ABAC students receive free admission with a student ID.
The Museum will be open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in July. Admission will be $7 for adults, $6 for senior adults, $4 for children five to 16 years old, and free to children four and under.
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Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua
Established in 1954, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (Autonomous University of Chihuahua) is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the medium-sized city of Chihuahua (population range of 500,000-1,000,000 inhabitants). This institution has also branch campuses in the following location(s): Ciudad Delicias, Ciudad Juárez, Hidalgo del Parral. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Secretaría de Educación Pública, Mexico (Secretariat of Public Education, Mexico), Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH) is a large (uniRank enrollment range: 25,000-29,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH) offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. This 64 years old higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations. International applicants are eligible to apply for enrollment.
Autonomous University of Chihuahua
Luchar para lograr, lograr para dar
Fight to achieve, achieve to give
Calle Escorza No. 900, Colonia Centro
Chihuahua (population range: 500,000-1,000,000)
31000 Chihuahua
Ciudad Delicias, Ciudad Juárez, Hidalgo del Parral
Important: please contact or visit the official website of Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua for detailed information on areas of study and degree levels currently offered; the above uniRank Study Areas/Degree Levels Matrix™ is indicative only and may not be up-to-date or complete.
(0-750 Euro) 1,000-2,500 US$
(750-1,800 Euro)
Important: the above uniRank Tuition Range Matrix™ does not include room, board or other external costs; tuition may vary by areas of study, degree level, student nationality or residence and other criteria. Please contact the appropriate Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua's office for detailed information on yearly tuitions which apply to your specific situation and study interest; the above uniRank Tuition Range Matrix™ is indicative only and may not be up-to-date or complete.
Circuito Universitario campus I Antigua Facultad de Ingenieria planta baja
Chihuahua 37000
+52 (614) 439 1500 EXT1520
Important: admission policy and acceptance rate may vary by areas of study, degree level, student nationality or residence and other criteria. Please contact the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua's Admission Office for detailed information on a specific admission selection policy and acceptance rate; the above University admission information is indicative only and may not be complete or up-to-date.
Important: please contact or visit the official website of Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua for detailed information on facilities and services provided, including the type of scholarships and other financial aids offered to local or international students; the information above is indicative only and may not be complete or up-to-date.
Important: the above section is intended to include only those reputable organizations (e.g. Ministries of Higher Education) that have the legal authority to officially accredit, charter, license or, more generally, recognize Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua as a whole (Institutional Accreditation or Recognition) or its specific programs/courses (Programmatic Accreditation). Memberships and affiliations to organizations which do not imply any formal, extensive and/or legal process of accreditation or recognition are included in the specific Memberships and Affiliations section below. Please report errors and additions taking into consideration the above criteria.
Faculty of Philosophy and Letters
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Faculty of Chemical Sciences
Faculty of Agricultural and Forest Sciences
Faculty of Agronomic Sciences
Faculty of Political and Social Sciences
Faculty of Accounting and Administration
Faculty of Sciences of the Physical Culture
School of Nursing and Nutrition
Faculty of Animal Science and Ecology
Faculty of International Economics
Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua's Facebook page for social networking
Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua's Twitter webpage for micro-blogging and news updates
Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua's LinkedIn profile for business and academic networking
Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua's YouTube or Vimeo channel for videos
Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua's Instagram or Flickr account for photos
Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua's Wikipedia article
This University profile has been officially reviewed and updated by Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua's representatives.
Please visit the official website of Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua to make sure the University information provided is up-to-date. The uniRank University Ranking™ is not an academic ranking and should not be adopted as the main criteria for selecting a higher education organization where to enroll.
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<!-- uniRank University Ranking -- > <iframe src ="https://www.4icu.org/reviews/rankings/university-ranking-670.htm" width="150" height="80" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" > </iframe > <!-- end -- >
Established in 1842, Universidad de Chile (University of Chile) is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the metropolis of Santiago (population range of over 5,000,000 inhabitants), Region Metropolitana de Santiago. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Comisión Nacional de Acreditación, Chile (National Accreditation Commission), Universidad de Chile (UCH) is a very large (uniRank enrollment range: 35,000-39,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. Universidad de Chile (UCH) offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. This 176 years old higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations.
University of Chile
UCH
Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins Nº 1058
Santiago (population range: over 5,000,000)
Region Metropolitana de Santiago
Important: please contact or visit the official website of Universidad de Chile for detailed information on areas of study and degree levels currently offered; the above uniRank Study Areas/Degree Levels Matrix™ is indicative only and may not be up-to-date or complete.
Important: the above uniRank Tuition Range Matrix™ does not include room, board or other external costs; tuition may vary by areas of study, degree level, student nationality or residence and other criteria. Please contact the appropriate Universidad de Chile's office for detailed information on yearly tuitions which apply to your specific situation and study interest; the above uniRank Tuition Range Matrix™ is indicative only and may not be up-to-date or complete.
Diagonal Paraguay 265 Oficina 1505
Important: admission policy and acceptance rate may vary by areas of study, degree level, student nationality or residence and other criteria. Please contact the Universidad de Chile's Admission Office for detailed information on a specific admission selection policy and acceptance rate; the above University admission information is indicative only and may not be complete or up-to-date.
Important: please contact or visit the official website of Universidad de Chile for detailed information on facilities and services provided, including the type of scholarships and other financial aids offered to local or international students; the information above is indicative only and may not be complete or up-to-date.
Comisión Nacional de Acreditación, Chile
Important: the above section is intended to include only those reputable organizations (e.g. Ministries of Higher Education) that have the legal authority to officially accredit, charter, license or, more generally, recognize Universidad de Chile as a whole (Institutional Accreditation or Recognition) or its specific programs/courses (Programmatic Accreditation). Memberships and affiliations to organizations which do not imply any formal, extensive and/or legal process of accreditation or recognition are included in the specific Memberships and Affiliations section below. Please report errors and additions taking into consideration the above criteria.
Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU)
International Forum of Public Universities (IFPU)
Open Education Consortium (OEC)
Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Faculty of Forestry Sciences
Faculty of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy
Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences
Faculty of Economy and Business
Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities
Universidad de Chile's Facebook page for social networking
Universidad de Chile's Twitter webpage for micro-blogging and news updates
Universidad de Chile's LinkedIn profile for business and academic networking
Universidad de Chile's YouTube or Vimeo channel for videos
Universidad de Chile's Instagram or Flickr account for photos
Universidad de Chile's Wikipedia article
Find out rankings and reviews of all Universities in Chile
This University profile has been officially reviewed and updated by Universidad de Chile's representatives.
Please visit the official website of Universidad de Chile to make sure the University information provided is up-to-date. The uniRank University Ranking™ is not an academic ranking and should not be adopted as the main criteria for selecting a higher education organization where to enroll.
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Home » Washington Capitals » Caps' Wilson proving value…
Caps’ Wilson proving value both when on the ice, absent
Ben Raby
Tom Wilson has grown into one of the Capitals' most important players and is the heartbeat of the team. His biggest challenge now is trying to stay on the ice.
WASHINGTON — Some of Tom Wilson’s teammates can’t help themselves. After seeing Wilson play some of the best hockey of his career this season, they are liberally tossing out comparisons to Hall of Famers.
“Right now, he’s like Eric Lindros,” Alex Ovechkin said recently. “He can play hard, score goals and make big assists.”
The verbal bouquets don’t stop there.
“His presence on the ice, he’s one of those Mark Messier, Jarome Iginla-type guys,” said defenseman Madison Bowey.
Ovechkin ties Yzerman for career goals; Caps top Isles 6-4
“Everyone knows when he’s out there. He can hurt you any way. He skates hard, he backchecks, he’s first on the forecheck, and he can shoot the puck and score. I think he’s just an all-around complete player and an all-around presence on the ice that we really missed.”
There is no denying that the Capitals have been vastly improved since Wilson’s season debut on Nov. 13. The Caps entered that game with a modest 7-6-3 record after Wilson missed the start of the year due to a suspension.
Soon after the Capitals’ final game without Wilson — a listless 4-1 loss at home against Arizona — defenseman John Carlson described the club’s play as “very blah.”
Two nights later, Wilson returned and the Capitals have since won eight of 11 games. Wilson has eight goals and 14 points over the 11-game stretch. He has also been a fixture on both special teams’ units and recently scored in a career-high six consecutive games.
“He’s such a big part of our team, of the way we play and the culture both on and off the ice,” said T.J. Oshie. “We were missing something (to start the season) and that was number 43. He’s a presence on the ice.”
Wilson reacts after he was hurt in a collision with Ryan Reaves of the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday. Wilson had to leave the game, with Washington leading 2-1 in the second period. The Caps lost 5-3. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The Capitals could be missing that presence again when they visit the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday (9 p.m.; WFED 1500AM). Wilson suffered an upper-body injury against Vegas on Tuesday and did not return. Filling the void when Wilson was out to start the year proved a challenge.
Just ask head coach Todd Reirden, who went through a revolving door of top-line right wingers with Wilson unavailable for the first six weeks of the season.
By early November, five different players had been given a shot to skate alongside Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov in Wilson’s stead. While each of the five wingers showed flashes, none could check all of the boxes that the versatile Wilson brings to the lineup.
“Those can be big skates to fill,” said Devante Smith-Pelly, who made a brief cameo appearance on the top line when Wilson was out.
Wilson is a rare talent. The 6’4”, 218-pound winger possesses a unique blend of speed and strength, along with defensive savvy and the ability to finish offensively. He is also incredibly popular among his teammates and is frequently lauded for his leadership. It is widely believed he will soon have a letter stitched on his sweater and that he could one day succeed Ovechkin as the Capitals’ captain.
While the Capitals are loaded with high-end talent in Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Kuznetsov, Wilson provides a blue-collar, physical element that few on the team can replicate. He has learned, over the years, how to use that strength not just to deliver bone-crunching hits — more on that in a moment — but to create space for his teammates and to win puck battles along the boards and below the goal line.
“He brings a lot of determination and energy hunting down pucks and pressuring people,” said defenseman Matt Niskanen. “Every year he’s been in the league his skill has gotten better and better, and he’s developing a bit of a scoring touch. He kills penalties, he’s obviously physical — everybody knows about that — but he’s just really good at pressuring people and getting turnovers.”
Wilson is constantly evolving. As a 19-year-old rookie, he was as a fourth-line grinder on a team that missed the playoffs. Four years later, he emerged as a key cog on the first line for the Stanley Cup Champions.
Along the way, Wilson has made adjustments that have allowed him to move up the depth chart. He’s emphasized speed and conditioning during his offseason training so he could play top-line minutes without tiring. He’s worked privately with skills coaches to help fulfill his offensive potential. Two years ago, he began penalty killing. This year, he’s also been on the power play.
While Wilson’s on-ice maturation has been gradual, the Capitals have long felt they had a unique talent. That’s why they were comfortable handing him a six-year, $31 million contract last summer. The commitment to a player that has yet to hit 20 goals or 50 points in a season raised a few eyebrows, but internally the Capitals believed that Wilson would continue to evolve and reach another level.
“It’s fun to watch him be able to contribute in different ways,” said Reirden. “He’s just so valuable to us in terms of what he can do offensively. He’s in on the forecheck and he changes the momentum of games by bringing the energy that he does. Talk about leaders in the room — he’s one of them. I can’t put a value on how important it is having him back.”
If Ovechkin and Backstrom are the faces of the franchise, Wilson, it’s been said, is the heartbeat. He’s shown an ability to provide a jolt for the entire team, as evidenced by his mid-November return in a 5-2 win in Minnesota.
By the end of the first period, he already had his first goal of the season after driving to the net and scoring from atop the crease. By the end of the second period, he had his first fighting major. By the end of the third, the Capitals had earned two points against the Wild. It was quintessential Wilson.
“He’s a big-bodied guy that nobody likes to play against,” said Capitals assistant coach Scott Arniel, who saw plenty of Wilson during his five years as an assistant coach with the Rangers.
“He’s a force to handle out there because whether he’s driving to the net, or he’s battling in front of the net, he’s going to play with a little bit of an edge. He’s just a hard guy to play against and he gives us a big spark.”
Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom (19), of Sweden, celebrates his goal with left wing Alex Ovechkin (8), of Russia, and right wing Tom Wilson (43) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Because this is already Wilson’s sixth full NHL season, it’s easy to forget that he’s still only 24 years old. His game continues to grow, along with his ice time and responsibilities. Despite leaving two games prematurely this season — once due to a match penalty and once due to injury — Wilson is averaging 19 minutes and 34 seconds of ice time per game. That is more than three and a half minutes north of the 15:59 he averaged per game last season.
“Every player wants more minutes,” Wilson said. “You get more time with the puck, you get more looks. Whether I’m with Ovi and Kuzy or I’m with Ovi and Backy, it’s going to be two of the best players in the world, so when they have the puck, that’s good news. So, for me, I need to get them the puck, I need to get in on the forecheck, create space for them, go to the net, create a little bit of havoc and energy. Ovi has a unique style, he’s a run and gun electric offensive threat, so it takes a little getting used to playing with him, but I think I’ve got it down.”
Wilson was on the top line throughout last spring’s Stanley Cup run, proving tremendously valuable with five goals and 15 points in 21 games. In addition to finding a home on the No. 1 line, Wilson also emerged as a key cog on the Capitals’ penalty killing unit.
The Capitals PK has seen a big improvement since Wilson returned. Washington went 43-for-60 (71 percent) in short-handed situations before Wilson returned; the PK is 34-for-41 (83 percent) since.
“He’s very responsible,” said goalie Braden Holtby. “You can tell that our defensive game (has improved( since he came back and he has the ability change a team that way. He’s obviously chipping in offensively too, but his complete game brings energy and brings a level of accountability throughout our whole lineup. He leads by example.”
The captain himself has also been impressed: “He’s one of the leaders on the team,” Ovechkin said. “He brings energy, he brings toughness and I think when he’s on the ice, the (opposing) team gets a little bit afraid because he’s a big boy and he can hit.”
Wilson was suspended 20 games by the NHL for a blindside hit during the preseason to St. Louis Blues center Oskar Sundqvist. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
And therein lays the next step in Wilson’s evolution. Wilson has been suspended four times since September 2017. Although his most recent suspension was reduced from 20 games to 14, it was a clear message that Wilson needs to reign in it. It’s a delicate balance for a power forward who can do a lot of things well, but can deliver punishing hits better than most.
The consensus around the Capitals is that Wilson can still be physical and deliver hits when appropriate, but he needs to be smarter when it comes to picking his spots.
“Unfortunately now, there’s a lot of attention on the physical play, but he adds a lot of different things to our team,” Reirden said. “Maybe if he’s not quite as physical in times of risk, I don’t think it’s going to hurt his overall production and definitely not hurt our overall team because he can do a number of things to help our club.
“I think it’s a line that needs to be towed with him in regard to he has a physical element that is a difference maker for him and using it at the proper times and in the proper ways.”
Wilson has made a cognizant effort to ease up in some instances if an opponent is in a vulnerable position, but as evidenced by his hit on New Jersey’s Brett Seney last Friday, which resulted in a five-minute major penalty and an ejection, Wilson isn’t likely to receive the benefit of the doubt.
“That’s the reality of it,” Wilson said. “Anytime I’m involved in contact it’s assumed that I’m skating away and that’s a match penalty. It sucks but that’s what it is. I just have to keep trying to play my game and produce and help the team win. As we saw, I have to be very, very careful about any type of contact.”
According to Ovechkin, Wilson’s physical game is welcome, but his all-around game has become increasingly valuable.
“He’s grown up as a player,” Ovechkin said. “I think he’s realized the game of hockey is not just about hitting people. It’s about making plays. And then if you have a chance to hit, why not? He’s grown up as a person and as player and he’s gotten better.”
As he finds that balance, Wilson also appreciates the importance of simply remaining in the lineup each game.
“At the end of the day, missing 15, 16 games can’t happen,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s on me, and I have to control that better and make sure I’m out there playing.”
Copyright © 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
NHL News Sports Washington Capitals Washington, DC Sports
ben raby hockey tom wilson
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Musician of Conscience
Harvey Sachs (Author)
On the 150th anniversary of his birth comes this monumental biography of conductor Arturo Toscanini, whose dramatic life was unparalleled among twentieth-century musicians.
Arturo Toscanini (1867–1957) was famed for his dedication, photographic memory, explosive temper and impassioned performances. At times he dominated La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and the Bayreuth, Salzburg and Lucerne festivals. His reforms influenced generations of musicians, and his opposition to Nazism and Fascism made him a model for artists of conscience. With unprecedented access to the conductor’s archives, Harvey Sachs has written a new biography positioning Toscanini’s musical career and sometimes scandalous life against the currents of history. Set in Italy, across Europe, the Americas and in Palestine, with portraits of Verdi, Puccini, Caruso, Mussolini and others, Toscanini soars in its exploration of genius, music and moral courage.
“'Monumental’ is surely the mot juste to describe the book’s length... but equally the combination of thoroughness, clarity, psychological perspicacity and deep human feeling which distinguishes every page... for all its massiveness the book proves unputdownable.” — BBC Music Magazine
“Harvey Sachs has written the definitive biography of this great, and colourful, character... [His] writing style is precise, fluent and gripping... As a study of the life and times of one of the greatest conductors of all time, this book will not soon be bettered.” — The Economist
“It is without doubt the most engaging, the best-written and certainly the most comprehensive Toscanini biography yet to be published...” — Gramophone
“... magnificent biography... To read about him [Toscanini] at this length—and there will surely be no need for another biography—is to be simultaneously inspired and bewildered.” — The Spectator
“This book of more than 900 pages, full of personal recollections and testimony... is vastly comprehensive, balanced and indispensable... Sachs’ own dedication to this force of nature has been fulfilled in a book which ranks among the best of 2017.” — Classical Music
“Drawing on a wide range of new evidence, including unknown letters and the archives of many of the opera houses that Arturo Toscanini worked with, including La Scala, Harvey Sachs has written a weighty and highly enjoyable account of one of the greatest conductors, a man still renowned for his pursuit of perfection.” — Books of the Year 2017, The Economist
“Harvey Sachs has provided a compendious chronicle of Toscanini's astonishing achievement across almost a century, and it makes for compelling reading.” — Times Literary Supplement
“I am currently reading two excellent books: the new Harvey Sachs biography of one of the finest conductors of all time – Arturo Toscanini...” — Something For The Weekend - Finghin Collins' Cultural Picks, RTÉ
“...marvellously researched and continually fascinating...[a] superb book...” — Stephen Walsh, The Oldie
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100 Days, 100 Voices
100 Days in Appalachia
‘Bloody Harlan’ Revisited: Blackjewel Miners Draw on Labor History While Facing Uncertain Future
Future of coal
Sydney Boles
A quiet moment for miners and their supporters. Photo: Curren Sheldon
This article was originally published by Ohio Valley ReSource.
Curtis Cress sat in the gravel beside a railroad track in Harlan County, Kentucky. Tall and thin with a long, black beard, Cress is every bit a coal miner, or, he was until a month ago.
“It’s part of my heritage, you know? My dad and papaws had always done it,” he said. “And I’m proud of that heritage.”
Cress had been at these railroad tracks for days, with little sleep. Not far down the rails sat a row of hopper cars filled with coal from his former employer, Blackjewel Coal.
In the last month, Cress and his fellow miners have gone from moving coal out of the ground to stopping coal in its tracks. Blackjewel’s chaotic bankruptcy filing on July 1 left about a thousand miners like Cress with bounced checks and unpaid bills, and largely in the dark about their future.
An aerial shot of the encampment that has grown up around the protest site. Photo: Curren Sheldon
Days turned into weeks, and miners had no way to know if they still had jobs, health insurance or access to their retirement savings.
On July 29, five miners saw an opportunity. A train full of coal was leaving a Harlan County loading facility. The five men clambered onto the railroad tracks to block the train. More than a week later, they hadn’t left.
“If they can move this train, they can give us our money!” miner Shane Smith said.
That rag-tag group quickly grew to a full-fledged protest camp, complete with solar showers, a chore list, and a rotating schedule of miners to hold the place down. Community members brought food. Politicians stopped by to make speeches. Kids played cornhole on the tracks.
“We’re suffering, our kids are suffering, water’s getting cut off,” Austin Watts said. “As long as I gotta stay here, I’ll stay.”
Protesting Blackjewel miners in Harlan Co., KY. Photo: Curren Sheldon
Arnold Shepherd, a miner from Leslie County, Kentucky, was among those who said the protest recalled an earlier period in Harlan County history.
“This thing here, it puts you in mind of ‘Bloody’ Harlan, back years ago,” Shepherd said.
Bloody Harlan. The name comes from the nearly century-long and sometimes violent struggle between coal companies and workers seeking to unionize.
“Harlan is one of the locations used to undercut wage stability for the rest of the country,” Northern Illinois Univ. labor historian Rosemary Feurer said. Harlan miners started to organize in the 1920s, a struggle that culminated in a long and violent strike in 1931. Miners picketed again in the early 1970s, also sparking violence.
“What the miners were saying is, we can’t be basically just extraction engines and robots and tools left to die of black lung,” Feurer said.
Today, the protest is peaceful. The union is largely gone from Kentucky mines. And the entire coal industry is a fraction of what it was decades ago. Blackjewel’s bankruptcy, though more chaotic than most, is just one of many recent shocks to a declining coal industry. Dozens of companies went under in the past decade, and despite a coal-friendly president rolling back regulations, more have followed. In 2019 alone, BlackHawk Group LLC, Cambrian Coal LLC and Cloud Peak Energy Inc. all went bankrupt.
With lower union representation and an expectation of more bankruptcies to come, miners’ advocates and industry watchers worry that coal miners and mining communities will suffer the brunt of the industry’s decline. The Blackjewel miners who took to the tracks are following in a long history of worker protest in Harlan County. They are also stepping into an uncertain future for themselves and their community.
Scene Of Labor Struggles
“You have to look at ‘Bloody Harlan’ in a long history of a bloody coal industry,” said labor historian Feurer, who has written about the region and legendary labor organizer Mother Jones.
Feurer said the coal industry pushes the full cost of coal onto workers’ health, workers’ wages and on the environment. The United Mine Workers of America, Feurer said, arose from workers’ demands for better treatment.
Women of the Brookside women’s support group talk with tow truck operator at a roadblock in 1974. Photo: Robert Gumpert, from the Appalshop Archive
“It’s not only bloody for the labor violence, but for the death toll,” she said, from mining accidents and black lung disease. “It’s more than most wars.”
The UMWA negotiated its first successful wage increase in 1898 and went on to fight for eight-hour workdays and standard measurement for coal. The union helped miners weather the mining industry’s boom and bust cycles, and many of the union’s hard-won health and safety standards are still in place today.
Mine operators viciously opposed miners’ efforts to unionize, particularly in Harlan County. In the bloody 1930s coal wars, miners known to be union members were fired and evicted from company-owned homes. Soon enough, most miners had gone on strike out of solidarity.
Conflict broke out again in the 1970s in what was known as the Brookside strike. Two miners were shot, and one died in a strike that lasted over a year and resulted in a new contract.
Victory photo after the miners of the Highsplint mine voted to join the UMWA in 1974. Photo: Robert Gumpert, from the Appalshop Archive
Labor Losses
But union membership is in decline across the country, and the miners’ union has declined faster than most. Between 1997 and 2017, overall mine employment in the Ohio Valley dropped by 50 percent. Union participation has declined much faster. Between 1997 and 2017, Ohio Valley miner participation in unions has dropped by 76 percent.
“The reason that unions have really been imperiled in the southern parts of the country is because they’ve been told the only way the South can rise again is by being a non-union, anti-union reserve for companies that were moving from the unionized areas of the north,” Feurer said.
Credit: Alexandra Kanik, Ohio Valley ReSource
Feurer said that even though the Blackjewel miners are acting without a union, their protest follows the tradition of labor action in the area.
“Putting their bodies on the lines is what I see is historically connected,” she said. “People who risk themselves, that is what has resonance to a long body of history.”
The Blackjewel miners still feel a strong sense of solidarity with their fellow workers. “If you work in the coalfield, you spend more time underneath that mountain than you do with your own family,” said miner Shane Smith. “These men are like a brother to me.”
Some UMWA retirees and other union workers have joined the Blackjewel miners on the tracks in a show of solidarity.
UMWA spokesperson Phil Smith said he thinks Appalachian coal miners lost their sense for the power of unions in the coal slump in the 1970s. Mine employment was low for nearly a full generation of workers entering the labor force, Smith said, effectively breaking the chain of stories passed from father to son, stories of how unions improved working conditions and fought for better wages.
By 2017 there were no union miners left working in Harlan County, and only a handful in all of Kentucky.
Phil Smith worries that a weak union puts miners at risk of losing protections that previous generations of miners fought for.
“The minute that a government who is intent on doing away with many of these worker protections feels like they can without there being any political blowback from doing it, they’re going to do it,” he said.
Policies like so-called “Right to Work” laws, which have been passed in 28 states, including Kentucky and West Virginia, threaten the economic viability of unions. Still, Smith finds hope in teachers’ strikes around the country, and efforts to unionize other workplaces.
“I think we’re seeing a resurgence in people making sure they have a voice at work.”
Chris Lewis was one of the first five Blackjewel miners who blocked that train on July 29. The bankruptcy has been a struggle, he said, but he and his wife have it better than do workers with young children.
Lewis has complicated views on unions. “I was raised union, and I believe in the union. But I also believe in a man’s right to feed his family, you know what I’m saying?”
He resents miners who call strikebreakers “scabs.” Still, Lewis thinks he and his coworkers wouldn’t be in this predicament if they had been in a union.
After his experience with Blackjewel, Lewis isn’t ready to give up on the industry. But he is giving up on Kentucky. Lewis leaves Kentucky later this month for a job in a coal mine in Alabama. In that new job, he’ll be a part of a union.
The uncertainty many Blackjewel miners feel about their future is true for the coal industry as a whole. Declining demand and competition from cheap natural gas from fracking has led to the closure of eight coal-fired power plants in the Ohio Valley since 2010, with more planned to shut down in the future.
“No matter what policies are developed and put forward in D.C.,” said the UMWA’s Phil Smith, “the fact of the matter is, coal-fired power plants are closing.”
Additionally, renewable energy makes up an increasing share of the nation’s energy portfolio. For the first time this year, renewable energy exceeded coal in percentage of energy generated in the United States.
In 1997, there were about 18,000 coal jobs in Kentucky. In 2017, there were about 6,200. According to the Appalachian Regional Commission, coal production has fallen most sharply in Central Appalachia compared to other coal-producing regions.
Kentucky Coal Association spokesperson Tyler White said his group is committed to fighting for the longevity of the industry.
“The coal industry is still struggling with a lot of over-burdensome regulations that were put in place under the previous administration,” he said. Most energy analysts contest that view and point instead to the market forces driving coal’s decline.
Similarly, the UMWA’s Smith said that he’s not ready to give up on coal. He fears significant regulation to prevent further climate change could put the coal industry out of business, and he views the union’s role as advocating for policies that would promote clean, safe coal mining and keep miners employed for generations.
Blackjewel’s bankruptcy has been messier than most. But Clark Williams-Derry, the director of energy finance for Sightline Institute, a research organization based in Seattle, says we should expect more chaotic bankruptcies like it.
“We’re sort of in the early stages of the end game, I would say, of the coal economy,” he said.
Williams-Derry worries that in the chaos of Blackjewel’s bankruptcy, some mine lands may end up without money to pay for reclamation, and he thinks future bankruptcies may have the same result as fewer companies want to take on risky mines. The costs of worker pensions, land reclamation and other debts may well be passed on to taxpayers, or left unpaid altogether.
“We’re in uncharted territory,” he said. “We don’t really know what happens when the industry is shrinking so rapidly that we see mines just simply abandoned.”
Blackjewel miners and supporters enter the federal courthouse in Charleston, WV. Photo: Brittany Patterson, Ohio Valley ReSource
A marathon bankruptcy hearing in federal court brought mixed news for the Blackjewel miners. The auction of Blackjewel properties attracted enough buyers to generate money to go toward some of the wages owed, and lawyers representing the miners were able to win some concessions from other Blackjewel creditors.
Still, when attorney Ned Pillersdorf addressed the protesting miners on the tracks, he was clearly managing expectations.
“You know I’ve told you that bankruptcy is kind of like a funeral home,” he said. “Nobody leaves happy.”
Kopper Glo, a Knoxville, Tennessee-based mining company that purchased some of Blackjewel’s Kentucky properties, has committed to pay $450,000 to cover miners’ wages. That is expected to cover about 35 percent of the total amount owed to Blackjewel workers. Kopper Glo has also said it hopes to rehire many of Blackjewel’s workers, though it has made no legal commitment to do so. Blackjewel miners worry Kopper Glo will pay less than Blackjewel did.
“I was a roof bolter, I made $25 an hour,” said Shane Smith. “A belt man, they make $22. A different company comes in, what’s to say everybody won’t make $20?”
Kopper Glo said it could not answer specific questions, but said in a press release that the company “has a plan to re-start certain operations and is confident this plan will bring jobs back to many of the former Blackjewel employees. Kopper Glo is also committed to funding to the portion of the back wages due to the employees.”
Near the scene of the miners’ protest in Harlan Co., KY. Photo: Curren Sheldon
In days spent occupying the train tracks, the Blackjewel miners have plenty of time to consider what their future holds. Do they return to work and hope their new employer doesn’t meet the same fate as the last? Do they try to retrain in a new industry? Or do they look for another job, knowing they may never make as much money as they did in the mines?
“This ain’t a game, we ain’t a bunch of kids,” said miner Caleb Blevins. “We’re grown men with families. Around here in the Appalachian mountains, this is all we got, the coal mines. We’re too far in to try to go to college for 12 years. Our kids need us now, not in 10 years.”
Miner Tim Madden also just wants to get back to business as usual. “I think if they’d roll up here and issue us all a check, I’d be out of here, end of story.”
But Curtis Cress said he’s done with the industry. “You never know from one day to the next if you’re going to have a job,” Cress said. “They’ll get you used to making a whole lot of money and then take it away.”
A father of four, Cress is at risk of losing his home. He says he feels hopeless about what comes next, both for him and for central Appalachia. He thinks his best bet is to find work in manufacturing. He hopes his kids leave the region when they’re old enough.
The miners occupying the Harlan County train tracks say they’ll stand down when they see Kopper Glo’s money in their bank accounts. With mining starting up again in some of Blackjewel’s former mines, some men will likely be headed back underground.
But for many miners, and for the coal industry as a whole, it’s hard to know what’s coming down the tracks.
Benny Becker, Brittany Patterson and Jeff Young contributed to this story.
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Coal Isn’t Dying. It Moved to Asia.
Nathanael Johnson
In this Oct. 23, 2019, photo, laborers fill baskets with coal before loading it into trucks for transportation in the village of Godhar in Jharia,, a remote corner of eastern Jharkhand state, India. Photo: Aijaz Rahi/AP Photo
In the United States, coal, that supervillain of fossil-fuels, is in a death spiral. But on a global scale, there’s no spiral, just an arrow pointing to Asia. Turns out coal isn’t dying; it’s moving.
A report out Tuesday from the International Energy Association reveals the extent to which coal has provided the power for Asian countries like Indonesia and Vietnam as their economic growth pulls millions out of poverty. The world burns 65 percent more coal today than it did in 2000, according to the IEA’s new report. Coal accounts for 40 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
The report shows that natural gas and renewables are killing so many coal plants in the United States and Europe that worldwide coal consumption should be falling … if it weren’t for China and India. There, as well as in smaller Asian countries, coal use is rising fast enough to erase the effect of closures elsewhere.
Source: IEA. Credit: Grist
Keisuke Sadamori, director of energy markets and security at the IEA, said that “the end of coal was heralded” when coal use shrank for three years straight in the late 1990s. “Then, between 1999 and 2013, it grew more than it had in the preceding 90 years.”
That drove up pollution of carbon and the particulates that have famously choked cities like Delhi and Jakarta. It also fueled economic growth, lifting people out of poverty and helping countries prepare for the disasters made worse by climate change. For instance, despite and increase in cyclones, Bangladesh has dramatically reduced cyclone-related deaths by building shelters, fostering the growth of coastal forests, and developing systems for evacuation and cleanup.
There was some hope that developing countries would “leapfrog” coal and move straight to cleaner sources of energy, in the same way that some countries have skipped past landlines and adopted mobile phones. And while every country is building gas plants, solar panels and wind turbines, most have decided that coal makes sense, too. India, for instance, is on course to increase its solar power six-fold by 2024. But India would need much more sun-power than that to reduce its burgeoning coal consumption.
Just as Europe and the United States relied on coal to turn on electric lights in the late 19th Century, countries like China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and the Philippines are now doing the same. The average person in these countries still uses much less electricity than the average American. But because half the world’s population lives in this region, it’s taken a lot of coal to provide a modicum of reliable power.
Going forward, IEA projections show coal leveling off — still growing but not as quickly.
These projections are based on the policies already in place, so it could all change if countries opt for other energy sources. China, because of its size, will be most important in determining the trajectory. The home to 1.4 billion people is expected to address climate change in its next 5-year plan, covering the years 2021 to 2025.
“If China changes, everything will change,” Sadamori said.
This article was originally published by Grist.
Jan Pytalski
United Miner Workers of America President Cecil Roberts spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Photo: Courtesy National Press Club Livestream
If you’ve ever been to an event where Cecil Roberts, the president of the United Mine Workers of America, is on the bill, then you probably know that whether a protest or speech, a miners’ rally or press conference, it doesn’t take long for his preacher-like fervor to take over the remarks.
That was the case with Roberts’s latest visit to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., last week, where he addressed some of the biggest issues facing his industry: climate change, unstable miners’ pensions, a just transition away from coal and more than a few Democratic presidential candidates who are vying for the chance to take on President Donald Trump in 2020.
But, in some cases, Roberts’ stance on a number of these issues were surprising and seemed to be at odds with stereotypes about the miners and their views, but, in many ways, the positions of the UMWA, especially on climate change and a just transition, are clearer than that of the current administration, or even the broad Democratic field of candidates.
Roberts discussed a number of issues facing his industry, most prominently climate change. Photo: Jan Pytalski/100 Days in Appalachia
Roberts unequivocally agrees that man-made climate change is an issue that can’t be ignored. He told the gathering of about two dozen reporters he’s for a scientific solution to the problem, but simply not one that the loudest Green New Deal proponents are fighting for.
“The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has determined that extensive global deployment of [Carbon Capture and Storage] across utility and industrial sources is essential to meeting global climate change,” Roberts said in his remarks, and he’d like to see not just the U.S. but nations around the world increase their investments in carbon capture technology.
Roberts is convinced that any other radical solution would leave coal miners jobless and hopeless, not unlike policy changes around coal in the past. The United States has never before seen a just transition, Roberts argued, and he doesn’t believe anything would be different this time around.
Roberts was also adamant that the “global” part of global warming is missing from many of the most recognizable arguments and policies being presented by Democratic presidential candidates and other liberal political leaders to combat the changing climate. He argued that in candidates’ passionate and visionary plans to curb climate change, they tend to focus on domestic extractive industries, while gliding over the fact that America contributes only a fraction of global carbon emissions.
“It’s time we talk [about] how to address climate change in a way that will actually have a global effect,” Roberts said.
While coal consumption in the U.S. may be dropping, Roberts claimed that around 1,600 new coal fired power stations are currently being built around the world. These power stations, Roberts said, won’t have carbon capture technology, contributing to a global rise in carbon emissions.
United Mine Workers of America members attended the speech at the National Press Club. Photo: Jan Pytalski/100 Days in Appalachia
Whether it’s technology or policy regarding climate change and a just transition for people working in the coal industry, Roberts wants one thing above all else: for coal miners to be at the table and involved in the discussion. Historically, Roberts repeated, that hasn’t been the case.
It’s no coincidence that the UMWA’s president spoke in Washington right after a seven hour long CNN town hall where 10 Democratic candidates for president presented their climate change policies. Roberts and the UMWA say they are open to a dialogue and invited all of the remaining Democratic candidates to come and talk with miners.
When asked by 100 Days about the response, Roberts said the reactions were positive and rather enthusiastic; however, it is yet to be seen if some of the mining companies will agree to host candidates whose views often don’t align with the industry, he remarked.
Regardless, Roberts confirmed that there will be a venue, whether at an actual coal mine or elsewhere, for any candidate willing to come out and talk with the miners.
Although Roberts did not openly criticize the current administration, between jokes about “happy talk” from politicians about the return of coal and more serious remarks that “it is short-sighted for the United States to isolate itself from international climate negotiations,” it was obvious the Trump administration’s current course is not aligned with the wishes of the UMWA.
But perhaps the most surprising was Roberts’s positive attitude towards Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic U.S. House member from New York who has become the face of many progressive policy initiatives including the Green New Deal. He praised her for talking to the UMWA and recognizing that the first step in a conversation about the future of coal should be securing miner’s pensions, something that UMWA and Roberts have been very vocal about.
Those pensions, supported by a tax on coal, are near insolvency after declines in the industry and a number of coal company bankruptcies. Congress has spent several years debating how to fund the retirement system promised to union miners, who also spent decades contributing to it, but has yet to come to an agreement on a solution.
You can read 100 Days in Appalachia coverage of the most recent Capitol Hill hearing on the issue of miner’s pensions here.
Brittany Patterson & Sydney Boles
Laid off miner Jeffrey Willig knows that taking part in the protest might hurt his future employment opportunities, but wants to be an strong example for his six children and fight for other miners who can’t protest themselves. "I was just like enough's enough,” he said. "I'm not going to stand by and watch those guys and their families be affected the same way I am. They've gone through this time and time again. That's when I felt like I needed to step up.” Photo: Curren Sheldon
This article was originally published by the Ohio Valley ReSource.
More than a thousand coal miners left unpaid by the abrupt bankruptcy of Blackjewel mining could soon be getting some – but not all – of the money they are owed.
Dozens of miners have staged a week-long protest on railroad tracks in Kentucky’s Harlan County, blocking delivery of a load of coal from a Blackjewel mine and demanding their pay.
A federal court overseeing the Blackjewel bankruptcy Tuesday concluded the sales of the mining company’s properties and equipment, and buyers have put money toward paying some of the roughly $11.8 million in pay and benefits due to miners in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia, most of whom have been without pay for a month.
“That won’t pay off all of the wages that are due,” labor attorney Sam Petsonk said, “but it’ll be a good downpayment.”
Petsonk, an attorney with West Virginia’s Mountain State Justice, is representing miners from Blackjewel’s eastern division. He said miners
“So additional wages and penalties damages that are owed to the workers will have to come through further litigation,” he said.
Presiding Judge Frank Volk approved the sale of the mines in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia. A proposal by Contura Energy for Blackjewel’s two Wyoming surface mines remains unresolved pending federal government approval.
Under an agreement by Kopper Glo Mining LLC to purchase Blackjewel’s Lone Mountain and Black Mountain mines in Kentucky, the company committed to set aside $450,000 to pay former employees owed wages. In addition, the company said it would provide up to $550,000 in additional money to the Kentucky miners from the royalties of the operations at Lone and Black Mountain mining complexes.
The company agreed to pay $6,350,000 cash for the properties as well as royalties for six years totaling more than $9 million. Kopper Glo also agreed to assume responsibility for some bonding liabilities.
Employees at West Virginia’s Pax mine are likely to get their full back wages. Buyer Contura Energy, based in Tennessee, said it will create a $5 million fund to pay the employees what they’re owed.
Rhino Energy LLC paid $850,000 cash and agreed to pay $208,000 in royalties over one year for some of Blackjewel’s Virginia mines.
Requests for comment to both Kopper Glo and Rhino Energy were not immediately answered.
It’s not clear if any of the new owners are obligated or plan to rehire Blackjewel employees.
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William Putnam
The senselessness of Thai bureaucrats and oligarchs
Thailand is ruled by men, not laws
Based on how much paperwork and bureaucracy is necessary to work legally in Thailand, one would think that Thailand is a booming developed country with no need for foreign labor or expertise. The reality is quite different. Though Thailand is a beautiful country with warm people, it certainly has its fair share of problems. Thailand needs to learn to admit its faults and risk conflict or else its primitive societal structure will continue to hold back the lives of the majority of its population.
I realize the ideas I have listed above seem disparate, so please allow me to explain. I have recently started a new job at an education company in Bangkok and have spent the last month dealing with visa and work permit issues. Towards the end of last month, I had a 30 day stamp after doing a visa run in Myanmar. My first step towards obtaining a work permit was to convert my visa into a non-immigrant B visa. My company lawyer thought it would be easiest for me to upgrade to a non-B visa while remaining in the country.
I scanned a copy of my passport (every page), my old work permit, my original college diploma, a letter from my college indicating that I had graduated in good standing, and my sealed college transcript. I was told that I needed a letter from my previous job detailing my position. The letter required the signatures of my former boss and the school director.
Moreover, I needed to scan this letter by the next day. Now, if you know anything about Thai government schools, you know this was an impossible task, especially considering that school directors often do not show up for work. Luckily, my boss was incredibly helpful and I was able to pick up the letter within two days. Unfortunately, the letter did not have the necessary stamp so I had to go to back to the school and have the letter stamped with the official government seal.
I then went about getting my medical certificate, which was easy enough. Everything seemed to be going okay for a couple of weeks, when I was notified that, since my college diploma was in Latin, I would need to go to the US embassy and have them prove that I did, in fact, graduate. Considering that I had already sent in a sealed transcript, a letter signed by the chancellor of my university, and an original diploma, I was quite frankly stunned by the request.
I finally realized what the Thai bureaucrat I was dealing with was: a micro-megalomaniac, the most insecure of all figures. The micro-megalomaniac has so little power that he or she will dominate their little world as they see fit and will never stop letting you know who is in charge.
Being from the United States, I realized I had no right to comment on unjust immigration officers, so I politely agreed to go to the US embassy as requested. However, I was notified before my appointment that the lawyer had spoken with a different immigration officer and that I now had my non-B visa. I was elated to finally get my visa changed, but something about this left me unsettled.
It is one thing for a control freak, or even many of them, to attempt to get his or her way, as is the case with many of those who work at US customs, but it is quite another for laws to change with the caprices of petty officials. The rules were different with this immigration officer, and it worked well for me in this case. Yet, laws should not be changed depending on who is working that particular day. This was a minor case, but I think it illustrates a bigger problem. The rules in Thailand are different depending on who is applying them, and who they are being applied to.
Thailand is ruled by men, not laws. The rules do not apply to the Bangkok elite, who are able to run over their fellow citizens, often purposely, in luxury cars with no negative repercussions. In Thailand, if you are rich then you are right. Here, the circumstances of the event have no bearing on who is at fault. The person with less power is always to blame. The fact is, Thailand is a kleptocracy. Society is run based on a feudal concept of patronage and rulers have been using their privileges to self-aggrandize for quite some time. However, most Thai people are apparently just figuring this out. Though the protesters seem to think corruption has just started, the fact is corruption has always been here.
Thai people appear to only see what they want to see. They complain about foreign customs ruining traditional Thai culture, but then they go and spend all their money on foreign gadgets and clothing. They claim to be humane and compassionate Buddhists, but their efforts are focused on not euthanizing feral dogs with two legs instead of on stopping fundamental human rights abuses, such as child prostitution or the over 2000 extra-judicial killings involved in Thailand's war on drugs ten years ago. I understand that Thai people do not like causing conflict or losing face, but the first step in solving a problem is admitting that there is one.
The average Thai has too much faith in the feudal system that exists here. The middle class Thais are afraid of the great unwashed masses below and too deferential towards the oligarchs above. This feudal system has not always existed. It was invented by people and it does not have to exist indefinitely. Neither does the Thai emphasis on saving face.
I understand the desire to uphold tradition, but not at the cost of human suffering. If the Thai attitude does not change, then I am afraid Thailand will become a banana republic, with a moneyed class taking its stolen funds and leaving its destitute and structurally deficient homeland to rot. I hope that Thailand will change its ways soon and abandon its pre-modern societal structure. Until then, saving face and preserving the social hierarchy will continue to trump human rights and development.
applying for a work permit
thai attitudes
thai dilemmas
thai government
thai government officials
thai government policies
thailand feudal system
More William Putnam articles
"An exceptionally bright and hard-working American or Briton, no matter how poor, will find recognition and upward movement possible. "
What a bunch of b.s. The generalization and assumptions going on here are a result of heavy propaganda and a sheltered life.
By Dan, Ayutthaya (18th April 2014)
"Firstly, this rant about bureaucracy and elitism could apply to any country at any time in any situation… so, nothing special about Thailand so far… (Try India if you want to see SERIOUS bureaucracy in action!)"
This is a sloppy statement at best. "apply to any country at any time in any situation", really?
The reality is there are differences. There are public notices about the policy (what do I require, what legislation does it refer to), there are controls for professional quality feedback, there is transparency about the overall process, and a certain degree of notice given for alterations in policies related to immigration.
"They don’t ‘blame’ anyone or anything. Instead, they take control and create their own success."
You're right that most poor Thai people don't blame anyone for their plight (they accept it as their karma instead), but you make it sound easy for a poor Thai to move up in the world.
Thailand is a heavily stratified society, and Mr William is absolutely right that it's arranged in line with money and connections as opposed to merit. An exceptionally bright and hard-working American or Briton, no matter how poor, will find recognition and upward movement possible. How many bright Thais have been forced to forget about college because they can't afford the entry fees? An initial payment is even necessary to get a remedial job in Thailand. If you have no money, you're not going anywhere. Period.
Those at the bottom of the social strata, no matter how driven and intelligent, have little means for upward movement within any of the country's institutions (education, business, government, etc.). My personal opinion is that the bureaucracy, which is deeply rooted and considerable, does not want to see poor Thais come up in the world. Up so far as having electricity and paved roads through the village is fine, but as far as entering into a respectable profession or even a position of power, no way.
I don't agree with everything Mr William wrote, but his assertion that "The middle class Thais are afraid of the great unwashed masses below and too deferential towards the oligarchs above" is spot on. And I too hope that Thailand evolves beyond its deeply entrenched ways that hold it back. Judging by the youth I know and encounter here, I think it's happening, but very gradually.
By David, Bangkok (28th March 2014)
The run around is intended to give you an incentive to supply a little tea money, which should take care of these little problems.
By Jack, On the road (again) (25th March 2014)
Will, these are accurate observations offered in a measures, sincere spirit-- the opposite of a rant.
You have no reason to apologize. Given the severity of Thailand's problems, anyone who loves the country as I do should thank you for addressing what too many expats want to ignore. It is quite obvious you are not complaining about being inconvenienced, rather you are concerned about Thailand's future, have a deep affection for its people, and do not insulate yourself from the realities of a country very likely at a pivotal moment in its history. Bravo.
By Donna Chang, California (23rd March 2014)
Looking back over it now, I can see that it does seem like an annoying rant. I didn't mean for it to come out that way. I had been thinking of writing about Thailand's unaccountable elite for a while and I just happened to think that the immigration story was a way to introduce the topic. It wasn't meant to be a "lashing out" as you describe, though it I can see how it may appear that way.
You are right that everything I talked about could apply elsewhere; I don't disagree with this, but I do think the scale of privilege and corruption is larger here. There was a young man who purposely drove his Mercedes into a bus stop and killed a woman. His father called the people at the bus stop "uneducated buffalo," and the driver was not only set free but also allowed to keep his driver's license. The same driver purposely hit a bus later. Apparently, he suffers from fits of anger.
I also agree that the Thai people's pragmatism and lack of clear laws are often beneficial for foreigners. I think I mention in my post that these things made the process easier for me. However, I still don't think it's a good system to have. In my opinion, the rule of law is always better than the rule of men.
I appreciate your comments. I did not mean for the writing to sound as angry as it did. I just wanted to write some thoughts down.
By Will, Bangkok (22nd March 2014)
It's a funny thing but after reading your post, I came to two conclusions...
Firstly, this rant about bureaucracy and elitism could apply to any country at any time in any situation... so, nothing special about Thailand so far... (Try India if you want to see SERIOUS bureaucracy in action!)
In fact Thailand is one of the few remaining countries where it is possible to circumvent a sticky situation when regulations and common sense conflict with each other.
I have personal proof of this. What could have been a very serious and long lasting (unintentional) infraction on my part was taken to a supervisor and rules were broken to solve a problem in my favor.
Secondly, the writer has some very clear mis-understandings about how Thais view themselves and their reaction to obstacles. As much power and sway the ageing elite think they have in Thailand to cling on to traditional ways, it is in fact, a country that is fueled by youth, both culturally and commercially.
The writer is involved with the education system and so the impact of it's structure leaves an impression. But to most Thai people, they don't give the way farang teachers are treated, a second thought. Why should they?
Instead of blaming the government and the 'social elite' for the faults of an admittedly appalling education system, the Thais that actually want to excel in this arena, do it on their own.
They don't 'blame' anyone or anything. Instead, they take control and create their own success.
I understand the frustration of the composer of this article, but lashing out at all and sundry for some frankly minor inconveniences seems to me to be a bit of an over-reaction.
By Mark Newman, LOS (22nd March 2014)
Agree with everything you say but this is Thailand and no matter how much it likes to pretend it does,Thailand doesn't have freedom of speech. So you might want to be a little careful about what you say in public about public figures in Thailand. Your name and picture are here. On occasions things can come back to bite you on the ass.
By Rich, Bangkok (21st March 2014)
Postscript: I recently had to resign all my documents since my signature differs slightly from the one I used when I signed my passport 6 years ago. I did as requested, using the same signature that was visible on my passport.
Apparently, that was not good enough though. I now have to go to the Ministry of Labor next week and sign the documents in front of them. Hopefully this process will be over with soon.
By Will, Bangkok (21st March 2014)
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SINGAPORE: CONVERSE FAILS IN OPPOSITION PROCEEDINGS
In the opposition hearing of a trade mark application by Southern Rubber Works Sdn. Bhd. (hereinafter be referred “the Applicant”), opposed by Converse Inc. (hereinafter be referred “the Opponent”), the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (hereinafter be referred as “IPOS”) has reiterated the requirements for opposing a trade mark application for being identical or similar with an earlier trade mark registered and protected for the identical or similar goods and services for which the application is sought to be registered. IPOS has also reiterated the requirements for opposing a trade mark application in that its use should be prevented by virtue of the law of passing off and the requirement for opposing a trade mark application on the ground that the application is made in bad faith.
The application/opposed mark in this hearing is . The mark is registered in Class 25 for the following goods:
Footwear, sportswear, headwear and articles of clothing, beach clothes, coats, cyclist’s clothing, field coats, jackets, jackets, pajamas, parkas, rainwear, shorts, singlets, sport shorts, sports jerseys, sports shirts, swimming trunks, swimsuits, tennis skirts, track suits, T-shirts, vests, windbreaker, badminton shoes, beach shoes, boots, football boots, football shoes, golf shoes, gymnastic shoes, jogging shoes, mountain slippers, rain shoes, sandals, slippers, sports sandals, sports shoes, tennis shoes, belts [clothing], caps, clogs, hats, headbands, inner soles, sash, skull caps, socks, sports headgear, underwear, visors, wristbands [clothing].
The preliminary issue before the Adjudicator was whether the Opponent must be a registered proprietor of the earlier marks that they are relying on to oppose a trade mark application. The Applicant stated that the Opponent was the proprietor of the earlier trademarks, cited against the opposed mark, at the time of filing the Notice of Opposition. However, as the earlier trademarks have been assigned to All Star CV, an affiliate company of the Opponent, in 2013, the Opponent, who is no longer the owner of the earlier trademarks since 2013, has lost their right to proceed in these opposition proceedings.
The Adjudicator accepted the submission of the Applicant that there is no requirement that the Opponent must be the proprietor of the earlier marks they are relying on for these opposition proceedings nor is there a requirement that they must be persons having any sufficient interest (which even so, arguably they have as they were the proprietors of the earlier trade marks) relying on the decision in J.E Borie SA v MHCS [2013] SGIPOS 4, wherein it was held that a party may rely on third party marks in opposition proceedings under section 8(2) of the Trade Marks Act.
Opposition under Section 8(2)(b)
It is imperative to reproduce Section 8(2)(b) here:
8.—(2) A trade mark shall not be registered if because —
… (b) it is similar to an earlier trade mark and is to be registered for goods or services identical with or similar to those for which the earlier trade mark is protected, there exists a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public.
The Adjudicator has stated that the test for Section 8(2)(b) is the step-by-step approach enunciated by the Court of Appeal in Staywell Hospitality Group Pty Ltd v Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc [2014] 1 SLR 911 (“Staywell”). The specific elements that must be considered are: 1) the similarity between the registered mark and the allegedly infringing mark; 2) the similarity or identity between the good or services in relation to which the marks are used; and 3) the relevant segment of the public in relation to whom the court must consider the likelihood of confusion.
With regards to the similarity in the marks, the Adjudicator stated that marks can be visually, aurally or conceptually similar and the assessment for similarity is mark-for-mark without consideration of any external matter (Staywell). The Adjudicator has reiterated the decision in Staywell that the similarity of the marks must be based on the overall impression given by the marks, bearing in mind, in particular, their distinctive and dominant components. The Adjudicator accepted that the only registered mark that stands to be considered is this mark registered for headwear and footwear. After thorough examination of this mark and the application/opposed mark, taking into account the prominent star devices and the words in the concentric circles, the Adjudicator concluded that the marks are visually similar but are aurally and conceptually different.
With regards to the similarity in the claimed goods, the Adjudicator noted that the marks are claimed for identical goods. The Adjudicator noted that the ultimate question is how the goods are regarded, as a practical matter, for the purposes of trade. The Adjudicator further highlighted the relevant factors outlined in British Sugar v James Robertson & Sons Ltd [1996] RPC 281 would be relevant for this purpose. The factors are as follows:
(a) the respective uses of the respective goods;
(b) the respective users of the respective goods;
(c) the physical nature of the goods;
(d) the respective trade channels through which the goods reach the market;
(e) in the case of self-serve consumer items, whether in practice they are respectively found or likely to be found in supermarkets and in particular whether they are, or are likely to be, found on the same or different shelves;
(f) the extent to which the respective goods are competitive. This inquiry may take into account how those in the trade classify goods, for instance whether market research companies, who of course act for the industry, put the goods in the same or different sectors.
It was concluded that that articles of clothing are similar to footwear and headgear as they are usually sold through the same trade channels and consumers consider it to be usual for such goods to be sold under the same trade mark and under one roof.
With regards to the likelihood of confusion, the Adjudicator stated that the relevant consumers in this case will be members of the public in general as these are goods that are purchased by ordinary retail consumers. These two marks are visually similar but aurally and conceptually different. The Adjudicator found that the similarities in the two competing marks are not to a high degree and that dissimilarity in the words in the marks outweighs the visual similarity in the layout. The Adjudicator has made reference to the Court of Appeal decision in McDonald’s Corp v Future Enterprises Pte Ltd [2004] SGCA 50, “With widespread education and a public that is constantly exposed to the world, either through travel or the media, one should be slow to think that the average individual is easily deceived or hoodwinked. In fact, the very success of the appellant, which is inseparable from its logo, is also the very reason why confusion is unlikely.” The Adjudicator noted that the Opponent is associated with their brand name “Converse” and not the star device in the circle mark. The Adjudicator further noted that shoes are something that the general consumers would pick up to try for the fit before buying and therefore relevant consumers would notice the words in the logo, the type of material used and the price of the shoes. The Adjudicator concluded that there was no likelihood of confusion.
Opposition under Section 8(7)(a)
It is imperative to reproduce Section 8 (7)(a) here:
8.—(7) A trade mark shall not be registered if, or to the extent that, its use in Singapore is liable to be prevented —
(a) by virtue of any rule of law (in particular, the law of passing off) protecting an unregistered trade mark or other sign used in the course of trade.
The Adjudicator has noted that the Opponent must establish the three elements goodwill, misrepresentation and damage in order to succeed in an action for passing off.
The Adjudicator has concluded that the Opponent has goodwill in their mark as there were invoices dated as early as 1998 that show sales of goods in Singapore. With regards to the element of misrepresentation, the Adjudicator has cited Kellogg Co v Pacific Food Products Sdn Bhd [1998] 3 SLR(R) 904 that the test in the tort of passing off is a more demanding one than the corresponding inquiry in a trade mark infringement action. In the tort of passing off it is necessary to show that the defendant’s actions amount to a misrepresentation that is likely to deceive the relevant segment of the public. It was concluded that there is no misrepresentation in this case since a higher threshold for the likelihood of confusion is required for misrepresentation in a claim for passing off. It was also concluded that there is no presumption of damage be made in this case as there is no likelihood of damage.
Opposition under Section 7(6)
It is imperative to reproduce Section 7(6) here:
Section 7(6) provides that:
7.—(6) A trade mark shall not be registered if or to the extent that the application is made in bad faith.
The Adjudicator has cited Valentino Globe BV v Pacific Rim Industries Inc [2010] SGCA 14 where the Court of Appeal held that an allegation of bad faith is a serious claim to make and it must be sufficiently supported by the evidence. Since the Opponent has merely averred that their star logo has achieved fame around the world due to their extensive use and promotion, in particular on high cut basketball shoes, and that by virtue of the Applicant operating in the same industry, the Applicant cannot have been unaware of their marks, especially the star logo. The Opponent argued that because of this background, the Applicant is clearly seeking to ride on the coat-tails of the Opponent. The Adjudicator has rejected this line of argument as bad faith cannot be inferred from circumstances of facts and the Opponent did not adduce any concrete evidence to show that the Applicant has acted in bad faith in applying for registration of their Mark.
Accordingly, the Adjudicator concluded that the opposition failed on all grounds and that the application shall proceed to registration.
SST ANNOUNCEMENTS
MALAYSIA: FAMOUS FILMMAKER & CO. CONTINUE THE FIGHT
MALAYSIA: HIGH COURT HELD THAT THE REGISTRAR HAS POWERS TO INVESTIGATE FRAUD INVOLVING REGISTRATION OF TRADE MARKS
2018年3月1日より欧州特許のカンボジア認証が可能へ
MALAYSIA: TO CHARGE OR NOT TO CHARGE – PART 2
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Successful exits
Following is a list of Adobe portfolio companies.
Demandbase is a real-time targeting and personalization platform for B2B that works by identifying the companies that are visiting a website or interacting with a company's digital content, and then by making that insight actionable. Demandbase offers targeted display advertising, website engagement and conversion modules, and CRM integration.
Gigya is a leading social optimization platform for online business, enabling websites to connect seamlessly to social network services including Facebook Connect, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Gigya's technology enables sharing, registration, and interactive site features, and the company provides analytics, consulting, and support. Clients include A&E, Intuit, Pepsi, Time, and TNT.
Objectivity, Inc., is a global leader in data management products and services for software applications with the most demanding data management challenges. The Objectivity/DB advanced database toolkit is used by government, security, manufacturing, commercial services, science, and engineering organizations to increase speed, precision, and productivity.
PlayJam
PlayJam is the premier global platform for casual and social games on TV. By partnering with all major TV brands, PlayJam has created the largest and most vibrant game network for millions of players around the world.
Scrybe
Scrybe is a developer of a simple and powerful enterprise collaboration platform called Convo, which enables business conversations like never before. Convo's launch drew significant praise from a wide range of industry analysts and bloggers. The number of organizations using Convo has since grown into the thousands.
Al seleccionar una región, se cambia el idioma y el contenido en Adobe.com.
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INDEX Award Roundup: Invisible Bike Helmets, Design for Change, Social Housing, Design Seoul
By Stephanie Murg
Winners of the 2011 INDEX:Award take the stage at a ceremony held yesterday at the Copenhagen Opera House. (Photo courtesy INDEX: Design to Improve Life)
Having whittled down 966 entries from 78 countries to 60 finalists, an esteemed jury (chaired by Arup’s Nille Juul-Sorensen, it includes designer Hella Jongerius and Paola Antonelli of the Museum of Modern Art) has selected the five life-improving design projects that are the recipients of this year’s INDEX: Award. The top picks in five categories—body, home, work, play, and community—were announced yesterday at a gala ceremony held at the Copenhagen Opera House (not only was it designed by Henning Larsen, it’s on an island), where the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark were on hand to congratulate the winners, who each received €100,000 (approximately $144,000).
You may recall that Yves Béhar emerged victorious in the Body category for See Better to Learn Better, a program he and his fuseproject team created in partnership with Augen Optics and the Mexican Government to design and distribute free eyeglasses to schoolchildren in Mexico. Coming out on top in the home category was another Mexico-based project: Elemental Monterrey, a new model for social housing. Along similar lines, Design Seoul bested the rest in the community category with its pioneering design-based approach to improve life in a very large city. Design for Change, a competition that gives children an opportunity to express and implement their ideas for a better world, won in the work category. And novel biking gear triumphed in the play-ing field, with Malmö, Sweden-based Hövding taking the prize for its airbags for cyclists’ heads. The sensor-embedded, invisible helmets are worn as collars and wouldn’t look out of place on the runways of Alexander Wang (when deflated) or Alexander McQueen (when inflated).
http://adweek.it/2k8X0Ry
Marketing and Communications Manager (Director of Marke...
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Marie Wilson
Movie stars of the 1940s – talent, savvy, looks and luck
Around 1943. Lynne Baggett. Read the story of her brief, troubled life.
The 1940s are a dark decade dominated by war in Europe and Asia. While the US doesn’t enter World War II until the end of 1941, it is not immune from the prevailing mood of angst.
As the Nazis threaten to eradicate jews, gypsies and other minorities, Europe’s loss is the US’s gain. Hollywood benefits hugely from an influx of talent – the exiles include actors and actresses, directors, producers, art directors and photographers, composers and musicians.
Not only do they help to reinvigorate the studios, they play a vital role in the development of film noir, a defining genre of the decade – a decade that produces, among other movies, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Mildred Pierce, The Third Man, Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep, The Killers, Gilda, The Lady from Shanghai and To Have and Have Not.
At the same time, wannabe actresses flock to Hollywood. Growing up during the Great Depression, for many the movies have been the main form of escapism from the sheer, grinding poverty of daily life. Some make their way there themselves, others are steered by ambitious or desperate parents. Awaiting them is a horde of sexual predators. But only a handful of the new arrivals will make it in Tinseltown. To do so, they need a combination of talent, savvy and looks. Arguably, above all they need luck.
This page is a gallery primarily for the girls (and they are girls – young and inexperienced) who at least make it through the studio gates but who never make it big. Alongside them are the troupers – those who have some success but have to be satisfied with supporting roles – always the bridesmaid, never the bride. And then there are the A-listers – those who become true stars, remembered and celebrated to this day. But also those whose fame has since faded, like so many of the surviving stills that the studios circulated in their thousands.
1941. Peggy Drake. Read the story of her last-gasp diet.
See which actresses you recognise. Then mouseover the photos and click on Read more to find out about them. You can also use the filter buttons above the groups of photos to choose the kinds of themes/stories you’re most interested in. These are of course quite subjective but fun to play with.
Don’t just look at the pictures, captivating as they are. Mouseover the photos and click on Read more to find out about them.
There are some great stories that bring the individual actresses to life and tell us about a vanished age. You could to a lot worse than start with Lynne Baggett, Nan Wynn, Paula Drew, Vera Ralston, Dolores Moran, Joan Bennett, Helen Walker, Evelyn Keyes, Alaine Brandis and Maria Montez.
AllLoserOrnamentStarSurvivorThumbnailTrouperUnknownVampVictimWannabeWinner
All about Anne Baxter
1946. In this publicity shot for Angel on my Shoulder, Anne Baxter poses demurely behind an ostrich-feather confection – a fashionable prop at the time (another great example is Bud...
She’s not pretty and her mouth is too large
1944. The title quote refers to Betty Field and is drawn from an article by Dee Lowrance in the 22 February 1942 edition of The Salt Lake Tribune. He reports...
1944. This is Lauren Bacall’s first year in Hollywood. She’s 20 years old and has already made waves in the world of fashion having caught the eye of Diana Vreeland...
Molten mama with the lava larynx
1943. Nan Wynn earned her alliterative soubriquet during her days as a singer in the 1930s… despite having no children and not even being married. But hey, why let facts...
1940. In the Silent era there were the Talmadges – Constance, Norma and Natalie. The most famous movie sisters must be Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland. But before Joan...
A quintessential dumb blonde
1941. Lovely, innocent-looking, well-endowed comedienne Marie Wilson is a dizzy delight with high cheekbones, a wide-eyed expression and an attention-grabbing figure. She's been typecast ever since she followed up an...
Unlucky in business, unlucky in love
1946. Paula Drew arrived in Hollywood and signed a long-term contract to Warner Brothers last year. Here she's posing for a publicity shot for Slightly Scandalous, one of four movies...
The worst darn actress I ever had the misfortune to work with
Around 1948. Vera Ralston's 26 movie credits prove that in acting as in most walks of life what really matters is who you know. Shortly before his death in 1979,...
1943. It all began so promisingly. June Havoc made her professional debut, age two, in silent film shorts. By age five, she was a headliner in vaudeville, billed at first...
The best shriek in Hollywood
1943. Barbara Hale has been studying painting at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. To subsidize her studies, she’s done a bit of modeling for a comic strip and for...
Blonde bombshell who struck gold
Around 1944. Dolores Moran has graduated from drive-in car hop to popular cover girl for Yank, The Army Weekly. "Flying Tiger" pilots have nicknamed the bombshell their "Tiger Girl". Doubtless...
Pin-up extraordinaire
1943. During World War II, one in every five American servicemen own a copy of this picture of Betty Grable. This shot was, as LIFE magazine acknowledged, one of the...
The black pearl
Around 1948. Tamara Toumanova is one of the European exiles who have fetched up in the US, though in her case not as a result of the Nazi threat. It...
Aspiring tigress
Around 1941. Joan Bennett is entering the second phase of her career. Having played the role of winsome blonde ingenue in movies of the 1930s, she's now under the wing...
Car crash waiting to happen
1949. In this publicity photo, Helen Walker is the femme fatale who arranges with her lover to kill her husband in a rigged car accident in Impact, one of the...
One of the first ladies of TV glamour
1946. In this publicity shot, Faye Emerson plays the part of Toni Blackburn, the nightclub singer who betrays the hero in Nobody Lives Forever. But at this stage in her...
Most of the stills are in portrait format – well, they are portraits in one form or another. But here, to go with them, are some landscape shots, and what landscapes they feature!
The Caribbean Cyclone
1944. Maria Montez, aka the Caribbean Cyclone, has just the exotic looks and manner that Universal Studios need for the fantasy adventure films (known in the industry as “tits and...
The world’s biggest phone bill
1941. Her birth name is Alaine Brandes and she’s feeling pretty good about things. Last year she was crowned Ad Queen of Chicago by the Chicago Federated Advertising Club and...
Practical glamour
1943. As Jamilla in Kismet, Marlene Dietrich, outspoken enemy of the Nazis (which makes her Good as well as Gorgeous!), is a provocative dancing girl in harem costume, as touted...
Forces’ favourite
1945. Renee Godfrey drapes herself provocatively over an ottoman at the peak of her career in this publicity shot for Bedside Manner. You might not recognise her, but her contemporaries...
A shocking cover-up
1940. Rita Johnson has grown up in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she waitressed in her mother’s lunchroom and sold hot dogs on the Boston-Worcester turnpike to make ends meet. By 1936...
Bending over backwards
1944. Neila Hart sportingly bends over backwards to help Columbia Pictures launch her career as a movie star. Unfortunately for her, that career will be short-lived. According to her listing...
Reflections of a femme fatale
Around 1947. This photo dates from around the time when Lizabeth Scott's Hollywood career was just taking off and shows how she manages to lead many a man astray in...
Predatory creature
1942. Three years on from starring as the pouty Suellen O’Hara in Gone With The Wind, here is Evelyn Keyes warming up for her post-ingenue roles in a succession of...
1938. Ann Morriss is 19 years old and apparently being groomed for a career as a serious actress according to a piece in the April 1940 issue of Photoplay magazine:
A few stars, who managed to make an impact in their time but have since been forgotten except by movie buffs, have separate profiles on aenigma – the likes of Hazel Brooks, Marguerite Chapman, Ella Raines, Jinx Falkenburg, Dusty Anderson and Carole Landis.
Filed Under: Stars Tagged With: Alaine Brandes, Ann Morriss, Anne Baxter, Barbara Hale, Betty Grable, Dolores Moran, Evelyn Keyes, Faye Emerson, Helen Walker, Joan Bennett, June Havoc, Lauren Bacall, Lizabeth Scott, Lynne Baggett, Maria Montez, Marie Wilson, Nan Wynn, Neila Hart, Paula Drew, Peggy Drake, Rebel Randall, Renee Godfrey, Rosemary Lane, Tamara Toumanova, Vera Ralston
© 2020 - aenigma some rights reserved under a creative commons attribution-noderivs 3.0 unported license
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Berouk Mesfin
Berouk Mesfin is a senior researcher in charge of the Horn of Africa region with the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis Division of the Institute for Security Studies. Prior to joining the Institute for Security Studies, he has worked as a political adviser to the US Mission to the African Union (2007). Moreover, he has held several positions at the Addis Ababa University (2002-2005) including assistant dean of the College of Social Sciences and lecturer in political science and international relations. He was also a research associate at the Institute of Development Research. Before joining Addis Ababa University, he had served as an intelligence analyst at the Ethiopian Ministry of National Defence (1997-1999).
Berouk has authored numerous papers on African political and security issues. His most recent papers include: “Horn of Africa Geopolitics in the 21st Century”; “Ethiopia’s Role and Foreign Policy in the Horn of Africa”; “Elections, Politics and External Involvement in Djibouti”; “The Architecture and Conduct of Intelligence in Ethiopia (1974-1991)”; “The Political Development of Somaliland and its Conflict with Puntland”; “The Establishment and Implications of the US Africa Command: An African Perspective”; “Electoral Dispute Resolution in Africa: The Case of Ethiopia”; “The Djibouti-Eritrea Border Dispute”; “Democracy, Elections and Political Parties: A Conceptual Overview with Special Emphasis on Africa”. Berouk is also the author of two book chapters: “The Impact of Globalization on Africa” and “The Horn of Africa Security Complex”. He is the co-editor of a monograph entitled Regional Security in the Post-Cold War Horn of Africa (2011) and of a conference proceeding entitled A Critical Look at the 2011 North African Revolutions and their Implications (2012).
Works by this author
More than a Chip off the Block Strengthening IGAD–AU Peacebuilding Linkages
By: Amanda Lucey , Berouk Mesfin
Politics & International Affairs,
More than a Chip off the Block: Strengthening IGAD–AU Peacebuilding Linkages
The Regionalisation of the South Sudanese Crisis
By: Berouk Mesfin
A Critical Look at the 2011 North African Revolutions and their Implications
By: Issaka K. Souaré , Berouk Mesfin
The Eritrea - Djibouti Border Dispute
Democracy, Elections & Political Parties A Conceptual Overview with Special Emphasis on Africa
The Establishment and Implications of the United States Africa Command
Political Development of Somaliland and its Conflict with Puntland
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WILL LABOUR’S NATIONALISATION PLANS FOR WATER REALLY WORK?
Will Labour’s nationalisation plans solve the water industry ‘trilemma’ of affordability, population growth and demand? Burges Salmon’s Noel Beale considers the issues.
The Labour Party's stated intention to nationalise the water sector (along with other public services) has caused considerable consternation in the industry and for many of its stakeholders.
One of the key drivers for the policy appears to be the profits which water companies have been able to make over the last 15+ years by relying on the unexpectedly cheap cost of debt rather than equity investment through ‘financial engineering’. This is something Ofwat has its eye on as part of its 2019 price review intending that financing risks/rewards will be shared with customers. However, this could ultimately be both good and bad for customers.
It is difficult to square the suggestion of nationalisation with one of the other key drivers in the water sector at the moment which is the need for long-term investment in infrastructure. Indeed, the lack of long-term infrastructure investment pre-privatisation was one of the key drivers for privatisation. And since privatisation, approximately £130bn has been invested into the water and wastewater sector resulting in significant improvements in quality. It is generally recognised that more long-term investment is required as the sector faces the 'trilemma' of affordability, population growth and demand (particularly in the south east) and growing environmental pressures as a result of climate change.
The Labour Party’s exact intentions are unclear. The talk is of putting public services irreversibly in the hands of workers so that they could never be taken away again. Moreover, it is about everyone having and ‘feeling’ ownership of the services rather than the services being in the hands of a ‘remote’ bureaucracy. However, what this actually means in terms of ownership models is unclear.
The Labour Party's publication on Alternative Models of Ownership from 2017 considers cooperative ownership, municipal ownership and national ownership but there are no conclusions about a preferred model to replace the current model of ownership and regulation. Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell claims that bringing services into public ownership will cost “absolutely nothing”. However, it is likely that a Labour government would need to compensate current owners for a number of reasons.
First, the market value of the English companies is estimated to be around £83bn (Welsh Water is already a company limited by guarantee). This is on the basis that the combined regulatory capital values (RCV) of the English water and sewerage companies come to about £64bn and, where companies have changed hands in recent years, the valuation has generally been of the order of 1.3 times the RCV. However, others argue that these were at the top of the market (driven by financial engineering by the companies) and that the acquirers generally overpaid.
A new Labour government might be tempted to see if it can pay less than the above figures. However, there would be very likely to be significant legal challenges to this based on human rights arguments and the terms of various bilateral investment treaties and free trade agreements which protect investors. In addition, such an approach would fundamentally undermine investor confidence in the UK which would have far reaching effects.
While large international investors, and some UK pension funds, might be impacted, such an approach would also impact employees at companies such as South West Water, Severn Trent and United Utilities, where many staff own shares through employee share schemes.
Labour argues that this (and future investment) can all be financed with government debt, which is cheaper than private water companies can achieve. The reality in the current climate is that there is not a lot of difference. Moreover, public ownership means the public taking on the risks of ownership which can be significant for large water companies.
Finally, the real question is whether a change in ownership would in fact bring about the increases in long-term investment, changes in consumer behaviour and decreases in costs which are required to solve the water sector ‘trilemma’. The reality is that there is little or no evidence either way.
Noel Beale is a director in the competition team at the law firm Burges Salmon.
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Why Do I.O.C.s Have to Invest in Iraqi Kurdistan and/or Southern Iraq?
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Recent events in Iraq have shown that the Islamic State has partially lost some of its initial offensive capabilities, and it is now more on the defensive. Today it is difficult to have a clear idea of what will happen to Iraq as a country in a medium- to long-term time frame. Many are the political possibilities. But, with reference to the Iraqi oil sector it is already possible to sketch some basic features. In particular, it is emerging more and more a structural and marketing separation between the two most important Iraqi oil-producing areas, i.e., southern Iraq and northern Iraq, the latter including both the fields within the Kurdistan Regional Government (the K.R.G.) and the fields within Kirkuk Governorate. This separation is reinforced by the poor status of the main pipelines used to export crude oil produced in Iraq. At the same time, notwithstanding the current difficult conditions of doing business in the entire Iraq, for international oil companies (I.O.C.s) both the fields in northern Iraq and those in southern Iraq represent important investment opportunities on a long-term horizon. The aim of this analysis is to show why.
A Political Premise in Order to Better Understand the Current Oil Developments in Iraq
Recent developments in Iraq show that the Islamic State is now on the defensive. The attacks carried out by Iraqi, Kurdish and American forces are presently reversing the military gains that the Islamic State obtained last year when the terrorist organization menaced both Erbil and Baghdad. This is indeed very good news. At the same time a huge question mark is what will happen next at the political level, i.e., what will happen to Iraq as a state? In fact, political reconciliation between, primarily Sunnis and Shia, is not progressing as quickly as it should. In this regard, much of the Islamic State success in 2014 was based and facilitated by the non opposition of many Sunni communities in central and western Iraq; these communities were completely disenfranchised from the divisive policies implemented until last August by the central government in Baghdad at that time under the premiership of Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.
Iraq's new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, who assumed office in September 2014, since last fall has been doing a great job at smoothing down the differences between the different components of the Iraqi society. His job is not easy; he faces strong opposition especially from the State of Law coalition (Shia) of Mr. al-Maliki; and he has to follow at least some directives emanating from Iran. Under these current conditions it is difficult that the central government will be able to win the hearts of the Sunni people of central and western Iraq, who are completely scared by the possibility of being, for a second time in a few years, second-tier citizens under the effects of a political marginalization, if not an ethnic cleansing. One of the possible scenarios of the coming months is that Iraq will continue to be a fragmented country where, the Islamic State, after having lost part of its military capacities, which are of paramount importance if it wants to continue conquering additional parts of Iraq, will retrench back to that ample swath of territory comprised between eastern Syria and central and western Iraq. Summing up, the months ahead won't be absolutely easy for Iraq.
Surely, in 1932, King Faisal I of Iraq's words were quite prophetic:
In this regard and with my heart filled with sadness, I have to say that it is my belief that there is no Iraqi people inside Iraq. There are only diverse groups with no national sentiments. They are filled with superstitious and false religious traditions with no common grounds between them. They easily accept rumors and are prone to chaos, prepared always to revolt against any government.
The Current Upstream Structure of Iraq's Oil Sector
The political premise was necessary in order to understand the evolution of the crude oil business in Iraqi Kurdistan and Iraq proper. According to the Oil & Gas Journal, Iraq owned 144 billion barrels of proved crude oil reserves as of January 1, 2015. These oil reserves represent around 18 percent of the proved reserves in the Middle East and 9 percent of the world's proved reserves. Iraq has the fifth largest proved crude oil reserves after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Iran — of course crude oils from these countries have different characteristics and different costs of extraction.
The table below released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (E.I.A.) at the end of January 2015 well summarizes Iraq's oil current development.
In specific, the table shows how most oil reserves are concentrated in:
SOUTHERN IRAQ, which is a Shia area under the control of the central government
NORTHERN IRAQ, which could be split in two sub-areas: Iraqi Kurdistan, a Kurdish area, and the Kirkuk Governorate, which has a mixed population.
Iraqi Kurdistan is already a semi-autonomous region with special powers: In practice it is a Kurdish area within an Arab country. But, with reference to Kirkuk Governorate, which is one of the three governorates disputed between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraq proper, things are not so straightforward. For more information please see: BACCI, A., Iraqi Kurdistan's Occupation of Kirkuk Oil Field Will Deeply Affect the Iraqi Oil Sector, June 2014. On June 12, 2014, Kirkuk was taken by Kurdish forces, which in this way blocked the possibility that the city and its precious oil reserves fell in the hands of the Islamic State.
Data from the above table clarify how the bulk of the Iraqi production comes from five giant oil fields in southern Iraq (Rumaila, West Qurna-1, West Qurna-2, Zubair and Majnoon), two oil fields in Kirkuk Governorate (Kirkuk and Bai Hasan) and three fields in the K.R.G. (Khurmala Dome, Tawke and Taq Taq). In the central Iraq under government control, for the time being, only the Ahdad field in Wasit Governorate has a relevant production capacity (140,000 bbl/d); this field is linked to the southern export infrastructure. Instead, the area under the Islamic State occupation is an area that to date has never been seriously developed with reference to oil and gas reserves. The nine oil fields mentioned above are the bulk of Iraq's oil production, which in 2014 was approximately 3.4 million bbl/d with an overall export of 2.82 million bbl/d in January 2015 (150,000 bbl/d from the K.R.G. and the remaining 2.67 million bbl/d from southern Iraq).
The separation of Iraq's two oil-producing areas (southern Iraq and northern Iraq, the latter including both the fields in the K.R.G. and in Kirkuk Governorate) is reinforced by the poor status of the main pipelines used to export crude oil produced in Iraq. In fact, of the three international crude oil pipelines present on the Iraqi soil, two are completely not operating, and the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline has in operation only the section related to the Turkish part from Fishkhabur (Iraq-Turkey border) to the port city of Ceyhan in Turkey. The Iraqi section of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline (from Kirkuk to Fishkhabur) has been out of service since March 2014 as a consequence of repeated militant attacks. In fact, this pipeline runs through Islamic State-controlled territory.
In the last years, the Kurds have built two pipelines that enter the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline at Fishkhabur:
The Khurmala Dome-Fishkhabur, which has a nameplate capacity of 300,000 bbl/d, and which moves crude oil from the Khurmala Dome field (Iraqi Kurdistan's KAR Group) and the Taq Taq field (U.K. Genel Energy and China's Sinopec) to the border with Turkey. The K.R.G. is currently working in order to increase the capacity of this pipeline.
The Tawke field-Fishkhabur pipeline, which has a nameplate capacity of 100,000 bbl/d, and which moves oil from the Tawke field (Norway's D.N.O. and Genel Energy). The companies working at the Tawke field are presently expanding the pipeline's capacity.
Since May 2014 the K.R.G. has been exporting its crude oil to Turkey via its new Kurdish pipeline system, which is connected to the Turkish section of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline. Baghdad strongly opposes these exports, which it deems completely illegal.
The Taq Taq-Fishkhabur Oil Pipeline - Source: The American Interest (Dec. 2013)
In addition, the Strategic pipeline, the major Iraqi internal pipeline, which runs from Kirkuk to the Persian Gulf, is not operating. This is a reversible pipeline meant to transport Kirkuk's crude oil to the port city of Basra in southern Iraq and vice versa. Today the only part of the pipeline working is the section from Basra to Karbala, and it is used in order to send crude oil to the refineries in Baghdad.
Iraq's political framework, coupled with the current infrastructural separation between the fields of northern Iraq (the K.R.G. fields and the fields in Kirkuk Governorate) and the fields of southern Iraq, exemplify the fact that Iraq's two principal oil-producing areas are practically two separate entities. Crude oil from the northern fields no longer may be exported from the port of Basra or the port of Khor al-Amaya; northern crude oil has necessarily only one exporting route from Iraq, i.e., the one that goes north to Turkey via the Turkish section of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline. And Turkey is not only a significant oil consumer in its own right, but it is also a natural energy hub between three major oil-producing areas (Russia, the Caspian Sea basin and the Middle East) and the European consumer markets. Moreover, Ceyhan is a port that is able to accommodate very large crude carriers (V.L.C.C.) and ultra large crude carriers (U.L.C.C.).
Conversely, from southern Iraq crude oil is easily exported to Asia. In this regard, according to E.I.A. in 2014 about 95 percent (or approximately 2.47 million bbl/d) of Iraq's crude oil exports came from the country's southern export terminals in the Persian Gulf. Of the total Iraqi exports in 2014, 58 percent went to Asia — China 22 percent, India 19 percent, South Korea 9 percent, other Asian customers 8 percent) — 19 percent to Europe, 17 percent to the Americas and 6 percent to other customers. In other words, southern Iraq is a perfect location in order to ship crude oil to Asia.
ExxonMobil Understood This Separation Between the Two Producing Areas Almost Four Years Ago
U.S. ExxonMobil perfectly understood the virtual separation of the two producing areas almost four years ago; in October 2011, the American company and the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan signed an oil deal aimed at developing six Kurdish exploration blocks, of which at least two (the Qush and Bashiqa blocks) were within the territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad. For more information please see: BACCI., A., ExxonMobil Caught Between Erbil and Baghdad, February 2013.
In this way, the American energy company bypassed Baghdad's authorization. In fact, Baghdad affirms that it alone has the right to negotiate and sign energy deals for the entire Iraqi territory, the K.R.G. included. Erbil insists that Iraq's Constitution allows it to agree to contracts, and as a result to ship oil independently of the central government. After ExxonMobil other I.O.C.s followed suit. Among them, U.S. Chevron, France's Total and Russia's Gazprom Neft. An additional problem was the type of contract signed by the K.R.G. In fact, Erbil started to sign production sharing contracts (P.S.C.s), which Iraq's central government has always deemed illegal because the only oil and gas contracts legal in Iraq should be technical service contracts (T.S.C.s). For more information please see: BACCI, A., Chevron and Total Continue Investing in the K.R.G. A Brief Analysis of Baghdad's T.S.C.s vs. Erbil's P.S.C.s, June 2013.
Immediately after the signature of the deal between ExxonMobil and the K.R.G., started ExxonMobil's a dispute with the central government, with the latter threatening, as a retaliatory move following the Kurdish deal, cancellation of the U.S. company's 20-year T.S.C. related to the development of the giant West Qurna-1 oilfield in southern Iraq where ExxonMobil was the operator with a 60 percent stake in the project. For more information please see: BACCI, A., ExxonMobil Caught Between Erbil and Baghdad, February 2013. Despite rolling declarations the federal government did not accomplish much. After two years, in November 2013, PetroChina agreed to buy a 25 percent stake in West Qurna-1 from ExxonMobil's stake. This move had well been planned in advance by ExxonMobil which wanted to reduce its investment in West Qurna-1 diminishing its economic exposure while at the same time remaining the operator of the field — today ExxonMobil is still the operator in West Qurna-1. After this sale, the dispute between ExxonMobil and Iraq proper left the place in the federal government's priorities to more contingent and risky events like the emergence of the Islamic State insurrection.
ExxonMobil's position with reference to its activities in the K.R.G. also created some friction points — at least this was what emerged through public communications — with the Department of State, which was worried that I.O.C.s' investments in the K.R.G. could create irreparable fissures and cracks in the edifice of the Iraqi state with unintended consequences for the entire Middle East. But, ExxonMobil's position, as well as Chevron's position some months later, was very clear from a business perspective. Iraqi Kurdistan was, and still is today, a good investment for an I.O.C. ExxonMobil and Chevron are multinational corporations and need to manage the interests of their shareholders, employees, and worldwide affiliates that pay taxes in several different countries. In general, American I.O.C.s "act in harmony with the U.S. foreign and energy security policy only when their interests are congruent, or under severe threat, such as that of legal action." (Vivoda, 2010). With reference to the K.R.G./Iraq proper conundrum, the U.S. position has partially changed in the last months as it became apparent through the declaration of Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf of the State Department, who at the beginning of January said "that the United States doesn't have a ban on oil sales from any part of Iraq and that Iraqis have to come to an agreement on energy issues to avoid 'any legal ramifications'."
The December 2014's Agreement and Iraq's 2015 Budget
An improvement in the relations between Erbil and Baghdad occurred last December when after three months of lengthy discussions, the two parties reached a deal with reference to the distribution of oil revenues in Iraq. According to this agreement, which should have one-year validity, the K.R.G. has to supply to Iraq's State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) 550,000 bbl/d via the Kurdish pipelines to the port city of Ceyhan. About 250,000 bbl/d will flow directly from Iraqi Kurdistan and 300,000 bbl/d from Kirkuk. According to Iraqi officials, the K.R.G. can continue to export more than 250,000 bbl/d, but there is a caveat: The legal action undertaken by the federal government against the K.R.G. regarding the K.R.G. independent oil exports will also continue. A supply of 550,000 bbl/d is not easy to achieve immediately. At the beginning of 2015, the K.R.G. is now able to move to Fishkhabur approximately 400,000 bbl/d — it plans to reach 1 million bbl/d by the end of 2015, said last December Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami of the K.R.G. In this regard, on January 20, Oil Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi of Iraq detailed a plan to export 375,000 bbl/d from Kirkuk and the Kurdistan region in the first three months of 2015. If on the one side, this agreement has improved the relationship between the K.R.G. and Iraq proper, on the other side, it is roughly outlined and defers a number of contentious issues to future discussions — in specific about the K.R.G. energy policy and the control of the Kirkuk oil field. For more information please see: BACCI, A., The Iraqi-Kurdish Oil Deal, December 2014.
After fighting the Islamic State insurgency, the most pressing problem that both the K.R.G. and Iraq proper currently have to face is the shrunken revenues linked to the plunging of oil prices; 85 percent of Iraq's economy is based on oil. The federal budget for the year 2014 was never approved, and the budget for 2015, which was approved and passed by Parliament — despite the opposition of the State of Law — at the end of January, is short of what was initially planned. The new budget is worth 119 trillion Iraqi dinars, i.e., 105 billion dollars. The price of oil envisaged by the budged is fixed at $56 a barrel — initially it was assumed a price of $70 per barrel and this price difference means that there is a deficit of 25 trillion dinars, i.e., 22 trillion dollars. The budget of the Peshmerga forces was included within the budget of Iraq's Ministry of Defense. Following the vote of the budget, the federal government is obliged to provide again 17 percent of the federal budget to the K.R.G. as written in the Iraqi Constitution — in January 2014 Baghdad stopped its payments to Erbil as a protest against the K.R.G. independent energy policy.
For an I.O.C. Investing in the K.R.G. and/or Southern Iraq Makes Sense on a Long-Term Basis
The International Energy Agency (I.E.A.) estimates that Iraq is going to account for as much as 45 percent of the increase of the global oil production until 2035. In other words, if there is a country that in the coming years could provide an additional and important crude oil supply, this country is Iraq, where, in addition to relevant supplies, production costs are very low. We are referring here to the so-called "accounting breakeven" of the project, i.e. the oil price necessary for an oil-drilling project to create profits. On average, in Iraq proper it costs about $5 to produce a barrel of oil; with reference to the K.R.G., we are in the same range. For instance, Genel Energy, one of the operators in Iraqi Kurdistan, has finding and development costs (F&D) less than $3 a barrel and operating expenses (OPEX) less than $2. Tony Hayward of Genel Energy has recently declared that his company could still profitably produce a barrel of oil with oil prices around $20 a barrel. In times of low oil prices, low production costs are a huge advantage for oil-producing countries and the companies technically doing the job.
At the time of this writing both the fields in northern Iraq and those in southern Iraq remain unscathed by the Islamic State militants. It's probable that the Islamic State won't be able to enter easily those two areas. This means that production from those two areas will continue notwithstanding many difficulties. Moreover, with reference to the goal of improving their fiscal position, both the K.R.G. and Iraq proper have no real viable alternative to exporting crude oil. No matter what the price of oil is on the international markets, both the K.R.G. and Iraq proper need to export their oil. The current slump in the price of oil is forcing many OPEC members, and among them Iraq, to cut their price in order to defend their market share; in January, Iraq proper set the price of its Basra Light at a discount of $3.70 a barrel to the average of Middle Eastern benchmark Oman and Dubai grades (widest discount since August 2003). Iraq (including the K.R.G.) remains a member of OPEC, but the Iraqi production has not been part of any OPEC quota since March 2008.
In the K.R.G. and Kirkuk Governorate the problems are primarily at the political level. The complexity of the December 2014 agreement between Erbil and Baghdad, with the postponement of addressing the most striking friction points, is a clear remainder that in the coming months there will be difficult and complex discussions between the two parties. But one point is already clear: Without the K.R.G., unless there is a complete victory over the Islamic State, it is impossible to export oil from Kirkuk. At the same time, Erbil has been exporting its crude oil to Turkey since last May because it desperately needs a source of income.
In the southern oil fields the problems are primarily at the infrastructural level: According to Bassam Fattouh of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, there are currently "at least 200,000 [bbl/d] of southern production bottlenecked by insufficient midstream and export infrastructure." The most pressing infrastructural challenges are related to terminal storage (only seven days of storage capacity), pumping capacity, water availability for reinjection in several southern fields (Rumaila, Zubair and West Qurna-1) and gas handling. Indeed, these problems exist, but if we consider the extraction of southern crude oil as an activity that will stretch over some decades to come, today's presence of infrastructural gaps is quite normal.
With reference to investing in Iraq, the events of 2014 have been a watershed. Before 2014, for I.O.C.s there was a risk in investing in the K.R.G.; some companies that had important assets in southern Iraq preferred not to risk any quarrel with Baghdad. One of these companies was British Petroleum, which is the operator at the supergiant Rumaila field where the production capacity is 1,400,000 bbl/d. For more information please see: BACCI, A., BP Continues Investing in Iraq. With T.S.C.s the Devil Is Always in the Detail(s), October 2013. Instead, ExxonMobil presciently decided to invest both in the K.R.G. and in southern Iraq. Today, with the current working separation between the two producing areas, this decision could pay well.
Of course, one consideration stands out above all: The companies that invest in the fields of northern Iraq and/or southern Iraq need to invest on a long-term basis. Monetizing immediately the investments is absolutely not guaranteed, as the mid-size oil companies that have invested in the K.R.G. are experiencing right now. In fact, these companies, such as Genel Energy, D.N.O. and U.K. Gulf Keystone still have not been fully paid for their 2014 exports. Genel Energy is owned $230 million, Gulf Keystone $100 million (up to last November), and D.N.O. probably $100 million. These three companies to date have received between them only $75 million with reference to their exports for 2014. And now, they are starting to sell oil on the Kurdish domestic market because there payments are more reliable.
So, an energy company that does not have a wide portfolio of investments scattered around the globe and that probably borrowed relevant sums in order to start its operations in just a specific country needs soon stable and regular payments if it wants to avoid being in a very precarious financial condition. This is exactly what is happening with some of the companies that have invested in the K.R.G.; among them, Genel Energy has a better financial position because last year it did a bond issue through which it raised $500 million. For I.O.C.s, the picture is completely different, because they have a more solid financial position and they can do investments where profitability may be postponed as it could be the case in northern Iraq and southern Iraq.
The K.R.G. and Its Relations with Turkey
There is a strong economic complementarity between Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey. The latter needs the K.R.G. oil and gas, no matter who's in charge in Erbil, while the K.R.G. needs Turkey economically and politically too.
According to the E.I.A.:
In 2013, Turkey's total liquid fuels consumption averaged 734,800 bbl/d. More than 90% of crude oil consumption and significant quantities of petroleum products came from imports. According to the IEA, Turkey's crude oil imports are expected to double over the next decade. In 2012, the majority of Turkey's crude oil imports came from Iran, which supplied 35% of the country's crude oil. Russia, once the largest source country of Turkey's crude oil, has fallen behind Middle East suppliers in terms of volume and is now the fourth-largest supplier of crude oil to Turkey.
Similarly, in relation to natural gas, in 2012 Turkey consumed 1.6 trillion cubic feet, while its production was 22 billion cubic feet. The difference between consumption and production is huge. Turkey is increasingly dependent on natural gas imports as its domestic consumption rises year after year. Natural gas is used domestically mainly in the electric power sector.
The above numbers are scary numbers for Turkey, and they explain the importance for Turkey of Iraqi Kurdistan, which is a region well endowed with oil and gas. These data explain why, with reference to Iraqi Kurdistan, in the last years, notwithstanding the opposition of the U.S., Iraq and Iran, Ankara has signed energy agreements, approved the construction of a pipeline connected with the Turkish side of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline and later transported Kurdish oil to Turkey. In other words, if crude oil from Iraqi Kurdistan goes on the market, Turkey needs to buy it or to manage it. Turkish interest toward Kurdish oil and gas is an additional positive element for the I.O.C.s that invest in the K.R.G., no matter whether Iraqi Kurdistan will continue to be a semi-autonomous region within Iraq or will become one day an independent state. The point is that in northern Iraq there are oil and gas fields (with cheap extraction costs), and they are very close to an important market, Turkey, capable of absorbing a good part of this oil and gas production.
Pubblicato da Alessandro Bacci Please, leave your comment
Why Do I.O.C.s Have to Invest in Iraqi Kurdistan a...
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SJ woman raises funds for homeless man who rescued her
In about two weeks, the campaign has garnered more than $300,000 in donations, and continues to grow.
SJ woman raises funds for homeless man who rescued her In about two weeks, the campaign has garnered more than $300,000 in donations, and continues to grow. Check out this story on app.com: https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2017/11/21/sj-woman-raises-funds-help-homeless-man-who-rescued-her/887787001/
Johnny Bobbitt Jr. (left) Kate McClure and McClure's boyfriend, Mark D'Amico, pose at a CITGO station in Philadelphia. When McClure ran out of gas, Bobbitt, who is homeless, gave his last $20 to buy gas for her. McClure then started a Gofundme.com campaign for Bobbitt.(Photo: ELIZABETH ROBERTSON/AP)
FLORENCE - Kate McClure didn’t expect to run out of gas on her drive to Philadelphia last month.
And the Burlington County woman definitely didn’t expect that her misfortune would give her the opportunity to change someone else’s life.
Pulled over on the side of I-95, McClure, 27, was approached by a homeless man named Johnny. She was apprehensive at first, but Johnny told her to get back into her car and to lock the doors while he walked to get her help. He went to a nearby gas station, used his last $20 fill a can and brought it back to fill up her car.
Grateful, but without a dollar to repay him, McClure promised she would come back with something.
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In the weeks since, she’s returned to the spot along I-95 where Johnny stays with cash, snacks and Wawa gift cards. Each time she’s stopped by with her boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, they’ve learned a bit more about Johnny’s story, and become humbled by his gratitude.
Eventually, the Florence Township couple knew they had to do something more.
“I would say, ‘I keep thinking about that guy,’” D’Amico said. And McClure was thinking about Johnny, too.
So they launched a GoFundMe campaign, putting an ambitious $10,000 goal and hoping to rein in a few hundred dollars to book Johnny a motel for a few nights where he could clean up, and start to get back on his feet.
In about two weeks, the campaign garnered more than $320,000 in donations. And it continues to grow.
“It just blew up,” McClure said, noting that donors have come forward with $5, $10 or even several hundred after she’s shared the GoFundMe to various Facebook groups.
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Johnny, who’s 34, told McClure and D’Amico he has been homeless for about a year. He said he was previously a certified paramedic, and also served in the Marine Corps.
After moving around the country for a time, he came to Philadelphia a year ago with a job lined up and some money to buy a truck. But soon after the job fell through, leaving Johnny surviving off meager savings.
Later, he lost his paperwork, rendering him unable to work. One night on the streets turned into a week, and ultimately a year of homelessness.
Learning his story, and sifting through his old Facebook photos, McClure and D’Amico said they were shocked to see how quickly Johnny’s life had changed from that of a working man who vacationed on the beach to one living off the streets of Philadelphia.
“It’s crazy, you can relate to that,” McClure said. “You look through and think, ‘that could be me.’”
Last week, they surprised Johnny with the campaign, telling him they had already raised $1,700 and planned to keep going.
“That changes my life, right there,” Johnny said of the $1,700, captured in a video McClure took. “”I’ve honestly met more good people than bad,” he said of his time in Philadelphia.
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The couple understands how their help in reaching out to landlords and vouching for Johnny’s character will help him overcome some of those hurdles.
“If we just handed him the money, it’s not going to happen,” McClure said.
Johnny has started the process of getting his paperwork replaced, as he’s currently without identification or Veteran’s Affairs papers, McClure said. He hopes to get a job at the Amazon warehouse in Robbinsville, and down the road, hopes to take the test to become recertified as a paramedic in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.
And McClure and D’Amico are confident they can get him started on that path soon, hoping to place him in a room to rent in an apartment within two weeks as they continue to fundraise.
“When I still look at (the GoFundMe), it blows my mind,” McClure said. “It’s actually going to happen for him.”
Read or Share this story: https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2017/11/21/sj-woman-raises-funds-help-homeless-man-who-rescued-her/887787001/
Roselle Park officer death: PBA raises money for daughter
Exclusive: New report shows how cops searched for Stephanie Parze in early hours
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UN: Major step towards accountability for atrocity crimes in Myanmar
Responding to the UN Human Rights Council’s adoption of a resolution on Myanmar in Geneva today, Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Director, said:
“Today’s resolution is an important step forward in the fight for accountability in Myanmar, making the prospect of justice possible for the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities who have suffered atrocities at the hands of the country’s security forces.
“While the UN Security Council remains bogged down by politics, the Human Rights Council has stepped up to the challenge with this serious and constructive approach to pave the way for justice. It sends a clear message of solidarity to the victims and survivors, as well as a stark warning to Myanmar’s military that their crimes will be punished.”
China’s attempt to block the resolution was stopped – with 35 states voting to adopt, three voting against and seven abstaining.
“It is deeply disturbing that China sought to shield perpetrators from justice and accountability by calling a vote on this resolution. This move to block justice and accountability for Rohingya and other minorities comes at a time when China is committing serious human rights violations against Uighurs and other Muslim minorities within its borders. History will judge China’s leaders harshly for their blatant contempt for justice,” said Tirana Hassan.
“The new mechanism mandated today will collect and preserve evidence and prepare case files for any future criminal prosecution of those responsible for some of the gravest crimes under international law.
“While the UN’s Human Rights Council has today taken meaningful action in the fight for justice in Myanmar, more work remains to be done. The UN Security Council has a clear responsibility to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court. Its ongoing failure to do so is a stain on its credibility as the global body tasked with maintaining international peace and security.”
More than 725,000 Rohingya women, men, and children fled northern Rakhine State to neighbouring Bangladesh after 25 August 2017, when the Myanmar security forces launched a widespread and systematic assault on hundreds of Rohingya villages. The onslaught came in the wake of a series of attacks on security posts by a Rohingya armed group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
Amnesty International has documented extensively the military’s atrocities, including targeted burning of Rohingya villages, the use of landmines and the commission of other crimes against humanity including murder, rape, torture, forced starvation and forced deportation as well as other serious human rights violations against the Rohingya. The organization has also documented war crimes against ethnic minorities in Kachin and northern Shan States, where violations are ongoing.
On 18 September 2018, the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar presented its final report to the Human Rights Council, providing yet more evidence of the military’s crimes in Myanmar. The Fact-Finding Mission called for senior military officials and other suspected perpetrators to be investigated and prosecuted for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.
Earlier this week, Amnesty International delivered more than 90,000 signatures from people around the world to members of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for the establishment of an accountability mechanism for atrocities in Myanmar. The organization also called on world leaders at the General Assembly to hold Myanmar’s military leaders to account.
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Published: Monday 25 May 2009
Online Availability of Government Entities' Documents Tabled in the Australian Parliament
The objectives of the audit were to:
determine the extent to which government entities complied with the requirement to publish and maintain documents online that were presented to the Parliament;
evaluate selected government entities' policies and practices regarding online publishing; and
assess AGIMO's policy and guidance in support of online publishing.
To address this objective the audit was conducted in three parts. Firstly, we reviewed a sample of papers tabled between 2000 and 2008 in order to assess their availability online. Next, we examined the online publishing practices of five government entities. These were the: Australian Federal Police (AFP); Department of the House of Representatives (DHR); Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (Infrastructure); Department of the Treasury (Treasury); and National Archives of Australia (NAA). Finally, we reviewed AGIMO's role in supporting government entities in their online publishing practices.
Published: Thursday 23 April 2009
Delivery of Projects on the AusLink National Network
The objective of this performance audit of construction projects on the AusLink National Network was to assess the effectiveness of the administration by DITRDLG in working with the States to deliver the outcomes expected by the Government and the broader community. To inform the audit assessment, the methodology included examination of both Australian Government and State Government records as well as site inspections in relation to 21 projects being delivered in three States (New South Wales (NSW), Queensland and Tasmania). DITRDLG and the respective State road transport authorities were consulted in the selection of projects to be examined in detail.
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
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Andera Partners sponsors the carve-out of Conduent’s Off-Street Parking business in association with management
US-based business services provider Conduent Incorporated (NYSE : CNDT) has entered into a binding agreement with Andera Partners to sell its off-street parking business in France and the United Kingdom, and its airport parking business in the United States. The Winch Capital funds partner with management to create an independent leader in the design, installation and maintenance of comprehensive ticketing solutions for off-street parking. The Winch Capital funds are investment vehicles managed by Andera Partners and focusing on growing French and European mid-market companies.
Paris, April 26th, 2018 – With over €30m in revenue booked in 2017, the newly autonomous company becomes an independent leader in the design, installation and maintenance of comprehensive car-park ticketing solutions. It serves blue chip and local clients such as car-park operators, municipalities and airports, and benefits from state-of-the-art products renowned for their reliability and ergonomic design, and an extensive and responsive service network. Over the past few years the company has leveraged its strong presence in France, the UK and the US to initiate its international expansion and has quickly become a top player in emerging countries (Middle East, Latin America, Africa).
As it has been non-core for Conduent since its separation from Xerox, this new phase should allow the company to further invest in research and development and consolidate its maintenance network in order to enhance the value provided to its clients. This newly found independence opens a new expansion phase where the company aims for an international change of scale by strengthening its position beyond its legacy markets.
Laurent Gilles, Director of Operations, Off-Street Parking, Conduent: “This carve-out is fully in line with the entrepreneurial spirit shared by our teams. We would like to extend our thanks to Conduent for initiating and supporting our development during the last few years and we now look forward to accelerating our international change of scale. The experience of the teams at Andera Partners both in carve-outs and in supporting ambitious growth plans has made them the ideal partner with whom to partner up.”
François-Xavier Mauron and Antoine Le Bourgeois, Partners, Andera Partners: “We are extremely pleased to back Laurent Gilles and his team as the company enters into this new growth phase. The Winch Capital team has a long-standing experience in these types of carve-out and spin-off transactions. Independence is always a landmark moment in the life of a business and typically breathes new entrepreneurial life into the entire organisation. We have found all these positive ingredients in this project and have been particularly impressed by the international ambitions of the Off-Street Parking team that can strongly rely on state-of-the-art technology and a top-notch quality service.”
Closing is expected by end of June 2018.
Inotrem Announces Enrollment of First Patient in i...
BioDiscovery
Winch invests in Auxiga
Hans Van de Velde – Senior Advisor Belgium
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Android News / All News / Samsung Galaxy S6 Features, What's New?
Samsung Galaxy S6 Features, What's New?
By Kristijan Lucic
After weeks and weeks of rumors and leaks, Samsung has finally unveiled their new devices. The company has unveiled the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, and the leaks were more or less spot on as far as the design and specifications go. We've already covered the launch of both of these devices at length, and you can access the announcement posts by following the links provided above. That being said, Samsung has re-worked its software skin on top of Android, so, let's check out what they did, shall we.
Some people have complained about Samsung's Android skin, TouchWiz, in the past. Samsung has been pre-loading a lot of the company's very own apps and services on their devices, which tends to affect the performance of the device itself. The company didn't exactly remove those services and apps this time around, but they have re-worked the software and simplified its look. The new version of Samsung's Android skin lays on top of Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, and along with that brings a fresh coat of paint, in a manner of speaking. The UI looks significantly cleaner now in certain areas, flatter if you will. Rather than use confusing icons, Samsung has changed many of these to clean-looking text, and apps are color-coded throughout the software for ease of use.
Along with the fresh coat of paint, Samsung has also included some new features here. The company has introduced the "Themes" service, which is essentially an app within the software itself. This app will let you customize parts of TouchWiz, like wallpapers, icons, etc. You can now also use your finger to reply to a missed call, by using the heart rate monitor on the back of the device. Samsung has also included a neat camera Quick Launch feature here, you can access the camera in just 0.7 seconds by quickly double pressing the home button, which might come in hands if you need to capture something quickly.
Samsung brought many spec upgrades here, and this time the device sports a metal unibody design, this is a first for the company. The device also supports wireless charging out of the box this time around, WPC 1.1 (4.6W output) and PMA 1.0 (4.2W) compatible. The company has also brought Samsung Pay to the table in their newest Galaxy S6 devices. This service have been rumored for quite some time now, and it's now finally here to compare with Apple Pay. Samsung has re-worked their fingerprint scanner and works similarly to Apple's Touch ID now. The Galaxy S6 devices also offer support for the Galaxy VR headset, so the Galaxy Note 4 is not the only devices that can handle Samsung's headset now.
Galaxy S6 Event AH38
Kristijan Lucic
Kristijan has been writing for Android Headlines since 2014 and is an editor for the site. He has worked as a writer for several outlets before joining Android Headlines, and has a background in writing about Android and technology in general. He is a smartphone enthusiast that specializes in Android applications, and that platform in general. Contact him at [email protected]
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Android News / Android News / Google Fiber Completes Acquisition Of Wireless ISP, Webpass
Google Fiber Completes Acquisition Of Wireless ISP, Webpass
By John Anon
Google Fiber is one of those services which is looking to offer consumers something they really want, faster internet speeds. As such, when Google Fiber expands to new areas, it does become fairly big news and especially for those living in those newly-created 'Fiberhoods'. The issue is though, Google Fiber does not seem to be expanding widely enough or quickly enough for either consumer demand or for Google and Alphabet. This has led to some rumors developing that Fiber has taken a hit of late in terms of the number of actual people still working on the project. However, back in June of this year Google did announce that Google Fiber had picked up a new company, Webpass. An acquisition that Google has today confirmed has now been finalized, with Webpass now officially becoming part of the Google Fiber family.
Webpass is a company who has been operating for some time and like Google Fiber, looks to offer its customers speeds of up to 1Gbps and at an affordable price. However, also like Google Fiber, the expansion of Webpass has been somewhat limited with even now (after years of being in service) the blog post from Google noting that Webpass only serves "tens of thousands" of customers. Likewise, it seems those customers are limited to five major areas consisting of San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Boston and Miami.
That said, Google, Alphabet and Google FIber are hoping that the acquisition of Webpass will allow Google Fiber to serve far more people in the future. Not specifically due to the 'tens of thousands' of Webpass customers they have now effectively taken control of, but due to the point-to-point wireless technology that Webpass possesses and makes use of. Point-to-point wireless is especially useful in built-up areas where the technology is able to connect all of these closely populated customers together, quicker and easier. As a result and reiterating what Google has said before, they are hoping to make use of point-to-point wireless along with their own already-existing solution to offer a hybrid approach to satisfy those looking for faster internet services in the future. Those interested in reading more about this can read the full blog post on the completion of the Webpass acquisition by heading through the source link below.
John Anon
John has been writing about and reviewing tech products since 2014 after making the transition from writing about and reviewing airlines. With a background in Psychology, John has a particular interest in the science and future of the industry. John also covers much of the news surrounding audio and visual tech, including cord-cutting, the state of Pay-TV, and Android TV. Contact him at [email protected]
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Ray Foxworth
Vice President of Grantmaking,
Development and Communications First Nations Development Institute
Raymond Foxworth serves as vice president for First Nations Development Institute, a 39-year-old Native American nonprofit that supports Native-led community and economic development efforts in Native communities. Previously, Raymond served as deputy director and senior program officer for First Nations and led a range of program and research efforts focused on Native food sovereignty, family economic security and strengthening the nonprofit sector in Native American communities. Prior to joining First Nations, Raymond served as a project officer for the American Indian College Fund, where he managed more than $19 million in projects that supported tribal colleges and universities across the U.S.
Raymond holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His academic research has focused on issues or representation, civil society and democracy in the United States and Latin America. He is a citizen of the Navajo Nation and his family is from Tuba City, Arizona.
Session: Creating Resource Equity and Building Partnerships with Indigenous Communities
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The Battle for Zhao Wou-ki’s Estate
May 6, 2013 by Marion Maneker
Georgina Adam has more on the aftermath of Zhao Wou-ki’s death:
The painter, who was 92 and suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, died in Switzerland, where he had been moved in 2011 by his third wife, Françoise Marquet. She is pitted against his son by a first marriage, Jia Ling Zhao, 66, and the two were battling even before the artist’s death, both seeking guardianship of the artist and thus of a stockpile of paintings worth up to €500m.
Zhao claimed his father wanted to stay in France, and that Marquet’s decision to move to Switzerland was motivated by the anticipated election of a Socialist president in France, and a possible increase in taxes. In emails published in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, she spoke of the “alarming political situation” and predicted “tough economic conditions with heavy taxation”. Marquet, a former curator in Paris’s Museum of Modern Art, also took some 400 works of art to establish a foundation in Nyon, Switzerland. Both have gone to court, and Marquet has accused Zhao’s lawyer, Jean-Philippe Hugot, of “orchestrating a media campaign” about the circumstances of her husband’s death.
Art Market: Iznik Great (Financial Times)
Zao Wou-Ki Dies at 93
Fondation Louis Vuitton’s Basquiat Show Puts Owners on Display
Legitimizing Late de Kooning
Maybe There’s More to the Botin Picasso Story
Artist Chuck Close Seems to Be Crumbling But His Work Is As Sharp As Ever
Modigliani Authenticity
Filed Under: Artists
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Award Entries
Asia Property Awards
China – Hongkong
China – Macau
Winner Announcements
Property Report Press release Winner Announcements External Links
By Steve Finch
China’s remote cities emerge stronger from downturn
As a wider housing malaise and a stuttering economy bite harder, the nation’s traditional property hotspots are being outperformed by less obvious markets—with no little help from local governments
The Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an, China. Lukas Hlavac/Shutterstock
Xi’an does not fit the typical description of a property hotspot in China. Although a tier-one city and the provincial capital of Shaanxi, Xi’an is closer to remote Inner Mongolia than it is to Beijing and the prosperous eastern coast. Yet the home of the Terracotta Warriors and the Old Silk Road is currently China’s property powerhouse.
In each month during the second quarter, Xi’an’s residential market recorded higher price gains than any other major city in China, up 25.2 percent in June on the previous year, according to data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics. Dali, an ancient, walled city in southwestern Yunnan province came in second with an annual price jump of 22.9 percent in June, and then Inner Mongolia’s provincial capital Hohhot with a similar surge of 22.2 percent.
Prices in Shanghai paled in comparison, climbing only two percent over the same period. After years of cashing in on runaway prices in the very biggest cities on China’s bustling eastern seaboard, smart investors are heading inland—and the more remote, the better.
These pockets of inland growth have occurred because of the complex and often competing interests of the central government in Beijing versus those in remote cities and towns often thousands of kilometres away, says David Ji, head of research and consultancy on Greater China for Knight Frank in Hong Kong. “If you see a second or third-tier city that has jumped up faster than the crowd, that’s probably because the local housing restrictions have been realigned in order to clear the inventory,” he says.
Larger cities are more closely wedded to policy coming out of Beijing. In late July, the Politburo announced it was ready to increase stimulus for China’s stuttering economy—growth slumped to just 6.2 percent in the second quarter, the lowest in three decades—but added that Beijing would leave the property sector to fend for itself.
“We should adhere to the principle that housing is used for living, not for speculation,” the Politburo announced. Then came Beijing’s crucial statement of intent: “[We] will not use real estate as a short-term means of stimulating the economy.”
Xi’an’s residential market recorded higher price gains than any other major city in China, up 25.2 percent in June 2019 on the previous year. vichie81/Shutterstock
Although Chinese officials have repeated the same phrase on property speculation numerous times since it was first used by Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2017, the housing market has never before been omitted from Chinese government efforts to spur an ailing economy. “I don’t think it’s a major change in policy. The signal is the same as before but not because the economic situation is getting better,” says Ji, adding, “There’s a lot of hesitation rather than optimism.”
This is where the competing speeds of China’s biggest cities come into play versus the rest with Xi’an the anomaly. The central government is far more concerned about capping the runaway property market speculation seen in cities like Shenzhen than it is smaller and more remote cities like Xi’an, and particularly lesser provincial capitals like Hohhot. This means curbs designed to cool the property market have traditionally targeted big hubs like Shanghai and Beijing. Smaller cities have been left to manipulate their economies—and property markets—in a bid to attract more workers and homebuyers.
“In tier-one cities, curbs will remain in place,” says Sam Xie, head of research at CBRE China in Shanghai. “On the other hand, for lower-tier cities, reforms such as the resident registration system are underway to stimulate demand,” he adds, referring to China’s hukou card, a kind of internal passport which dictates everything from health insurance to where the owner can buy property.
Shanghai remains among the most expensive places for real estate in China with realtors expecting to
fetch over CNY90,000 per square metre for prime city centre housing. Eugene Lu/Shutterstock
Xi’an remains the exception to the rule when it comes to first-tier cities seeing sluggish price growth, and it’s all down to geography. For decades, the central government has been trying to spur the economy of Xi’an, a popular tourism hub but a no-man’s land in economic terms given it languishes in central China. Zhengzhou, the nearest tier-one city to Xi’an further east, takes just two hours and four minutes by Gaotie, China’s high-speed railway, and costs CNY229 (USD32.50) per ticket. Although lightning-fast compared to almost any other country, in modern-day China, this represents a gulf—no other tier-one city in China is further from another by high-speed train. For years, before and after high-speed rail came to Xi’an, this relative isolation left the city and its property market languishing ever further behind the likes of Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Still, Xi’an remains by far the largest city in a 500-kilometre radius in central China, attracting thousands of rural migrants every year. But for years, these people lived and rented in the city because they didn’t have a Xi’an city hukou card, a requirement for any property purchase. A few years ago, that all changed, says Tony Tong, general manager of JLL’s Xi’an office. “By the end of July 2019, prices in the Xi’an residential market had risen for 40 months straight,” Tong tells Property Report. “Policies and regulations were repeatedly eased by Xi’an’s local government.”
More: A tale of two tiers in China
In the first five months of last year alone, Xian’s municipal authorities eased restrictions on obtaining hukou cards four times. This meant college students anywhere in China could simply send photos of their national ID and student cards by WeChat, China’s most popular social media app, to the Xi’an police and receive their new Xi’an hukou card by post in a few days. In August last year, a video went viral on Youku, China’s most popular video website, in which a policeman bellows through a megaphone to encourage shoppers in a Xi’an market to obtain a city residency card.
The huge spike in successful hukou applicants not only spurred Xi’an’s property market, it has transformed the city itself, and central China. In just 17 months up to August last year, Xi’an saw its population increase by 800,000 people, akin to New York City swallowing all of the inhabitants of Seattle in little more than a year. Indeed, Xi’an has already consumed threequarters of the neighbouring city of Xianyang. Xi’an police announced last year that they were targeting a city population of some 15 million people by early 2022. Based on current population levels, this would place Xi’an third only to Shanghai and Beijing among the largest cities in China, and bigger than southern powerhouses Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Already, seven major cities in Shaanxi province have recorded huge net outflows of people, almost all to Xi’an.
Cities will try to push aggressively to get people in from the countryside. Our point is that many people think urbanisation drives growth, but really it’s the other way around—growth drives urbanisation. If you have a place where people want to live, they will live there
In March last year, as the boom began to accelerate, a study by Shanghai-based consultancy China Real Estate Information Corporation found that three out of four buyers in Xi’an were new residents. This is all part of what the Xi’an municipal government has termed its “battle for talent and population.” It’s a war in which Chinese cities are fighting each other to survive and remain relevant, says Andrew Polk, a partner at Trivium, a Beijing-based consultancy which studies government policy and economy in China.
“Cities will try to push aggressively to get people in from the countryside. Our point is that many people think urbanisation drives growth, but really, it’s the other way around—growth drives urbanisation. If you have a place where people want to live, they will live there,” says Polk. “Technically it doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game meaning that there’s still enough people in the rural areas that every city, in theory, could take people. But in reality, it’s going to be some cities who gain a lot more and you’re going to have inter-city flows.”
In recent months, Xi’an’s city government has dialled back its aggressive bid to attract inhabitants to first-tier benefits such as high-speed rail, an international airport and subway—seemingly without suffering the sharp end of Beijing’s market curbs. Conditions on obtaining a residency permit were re-imposed. Although market prices are still catching up to what is expected to be a fall in demand for home purchases, this is yet to show in the data, says Tong of JLL. “Prices in Xi’an’s residential property market will stabilize.”
In Hohhot, a third-tier city with much less to attract people than Xi’an, no such curbs have been announced to slow home prices which soared 22.2 percent between June 2018 and the same month this year. After struggling for years to retain talent escaping to Beijing, Hohhot’s municipal government in April announced plans to build new flats at a 50-percent discount, or rent-free for two years, for recent graduates.
Another lesser-known major city that is currently performing well is Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia. HelloRF Zcool/Shutterstock
Like Xi’an, remote Hohhot on the Mongolian steppe has initiated what it terms a “talent priority” policy. In a bid to give its residents the trappings of a regional capital, the city government has sought and won the right to build a new CNY22.4-billion (USD3.2 billion) airport—one of only four cities, including Xi’an, permitted to build a new air terminal as Beijing clamps down on costly, and often wasteful, infrastructure projects. Genghis Khan Airlines, which launched its first flight from its new hub Hohhot to the Inner Mongolian city of Ulanhot in July, has ordered 25 aircraft from Comac, China’s new civilian airline manufacturer, as it attempts to compete with Airbus and Boeing.
Hohhot’s municipal government has offered major tax breaks to the private sector, particularly tech. In January, the online shopping goliath JD.com announced Hohhot would become one of two cities in China to test new four-wheeled robots to be used for delivering retail goods to homes. Still, many products ordered online in China—the biggest such market in the world—are delivered by men riding three-wheeled, beaten-up electric tricycles.
Despite the recent surge in prices, Hohhot house prices remain considerably cheaper compared to any other major city in China, says James MacDonald, senior director and head of research for China at Savills in Shanghai. The base is low, he says: “[It’s] relative value for money given that the current price point remains affordable—roughly CNY8,000 (USD1,136) per square metre.”
Shanghai realtors still get over CNY90,000 (USD12,785) per square metre for prime housing in the city centre. In Xi’an expect just CNY17,000 (USD2,415) per square metre, despite the recent boom. Prices in far-flung cities like Xi’an and Hohhot may be catching. But the gulf with China’s main hubs remains enormous as municipal governments across the country attempt to balance the competing demands of price growth and affordability, says MacDonald.
This article originally appeared in Issue No. 156 of PropertyGuru Property Report Magazine
By Dietrich Neu
A low-cost smart home tech that is set to illuminate the globe
Because smart home technology doesn’t always mean flashy gadgets in expensive mansions
Magazine, Tech
By Diana Hubbell
Hun Chansan shakes up the design scene in Cambodia
Hun Chansan is among the figures elevating Cambodia’s design scene to the next level
Magazine, Design Focus
The world of virtual reality technology captivates the real estate sector
Through VR, they are able to cut down costs and sell more units
By Al Gerard de la Cruz
The Spectacle by MGM Cotai: a record-breaking feat in architecture and design
The spectacular roof at The Spectacle, MGM Cotai’s atrium space, is a significant feather in Macau’s design cap
HK & Macau
By Property Report
Pengerang to become Malaysia’s technology hub in five years’ time
As part of the planned Malaysia Smart City Framework
Two Singapore property developers among the global 100 list of sustainable companies
Evaluated for metrics such as reduction in carbon and waste, board gender diversity, and others
By Asia Property Awards
Industrial, logistical developments to shine at 7th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Malaysia)
General public enjoined to pick out next wave of stellar Malaysian property developers, designs and projects
Asia Property Awards, Press release
awards@propertyguru.com
Subscribe to the latest Asia Property Awards news
© 2020 PropertyGuru Pte. Ltd. "Asia Property Awards" is a registered trademark.
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How a Heat Wave Revealed the Outlines of a Hidden Garden and Ghost Village
At an English estate, the ground still remembers its past.
by Sarah Laskow August 16, 2018
The outlines of the old parterre garden re-emerged in the heat. Oliver Jessop/Chatsworth House
Across the United Kingdom and Ireland this summer, heatwaves and wildfires have been revealing hidden signs of the past, from crop marks dating back thousands of years to giant signs meant to signal World War II pilots. At Chatsworth House, a Derbyshire estate perhaps most famous for its connection to Pride and Prejudice, the heat wave has exposed the outlines of a long-gone world—the gardens and village that existed here back in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Going back centuries now, this piece of land has been a large estate in a picturesque part of England. Many years ago, starting toward the end of the 1600s, the first Duke of Devonshire had parterre gardens, a style developed in France, put in, with curling paths and highly designed, elegant flower beds. By the mid-1700s, though, the fourth Duke was ready to make a change.
This duke was drawn to natural landscapes and replaced the garden with a less formal arrangement. The village on the estate, Edensor, also needed to change, he thought. He had parts torn down, in order to complete the more natural picture he’d envisioned.
The parterre garden circa 1699. Jan Kip/Chatsworth House
In the 1830s, the sixth Duke had his own plans for the village, which he imagined could become a tidier, more comfortable, and more beautiful place. Under his management, the village high street was demolished, along with the small homes of his tenants. In their place, he built more modern, more charming cottages and instructed tenants that only one family could live in each one, instead of crowding in as they had before.
Parts of the village were missing, though. In the new Edensor, there was “neither a village ale-house, blacksmiths’ forge, wheelwright’s shop, or any other gossiping place,” according to an account from 1872. (The Duke did make plans for tenants who were displaced: The blacksmith, for instance, was given a new place a mile away.)
More than 150 years later, though, the mark of these gardens and the old village is still hiding on the estate. This summer’s heatwave has stressed the lawns enough that the plants living above old foundations and paths, where water can be scarcer, have browned and revealed traces of the past and the history of the Dukes’ work on their land.
For Centuries, People Thought Lambs Grew on Trees
The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary puzzled scientists and philosophers.
summerestatesgardensnews
A 257-Year-Old Coloring Book Was Discovered in St. Louis
It was intended for "Gentleman and Ladies."
Erik Shilling June 15, 2017
How a Synagogue Caretaker Solved the Mystery of a Forgotten Graveyard
It took an anonymous complaint, Google Maps, and a box of 300 keys.
Sarah Laskow May 25, 2017
Lettuce for the Dead in a Tidy, 4,000-Year-Old Egyptian Funeral Garden
The find is the first of its kind.
Samir S. Patel May 8, 2017
How to Test the Quality of Your Soil With Underwear
Canada is telling people to bury boxers or briefs in their gardens.
Erik Shilling April 19, 2017
A 30-Acre Garden Inspired by the Principles of Modern Physics
An Italian Priest Brought the Virgin Mary to Beachgoers in a Paddle Boat
Literally #blessed.
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The Australian Constitution
What is the Australian Constitution
The Writers of the Australian Constitution
Origins of the Constitution
Where did the Australian System of Government come from?
The First High Court
The Role of the High Court
Democracy – The Right to vote survives incarceration
The Rule of Law - Miners pay rise is unauthorised
The Rule of Law – The government overreached when it banned the Communist Party
The Rule of Law - Even a murderer deserves a fair trial
The Rule of Law - The High Court limits Federal Government spending powers
Separation of powers – Well may we say, “God save the Queen”
Separation of powers – The powers of State Courts
Separation of powers – Parliament cannot make laws to keep evidence from the High Court
Federalism – Engineers Union succeeds in the High Court, expanding Federal power
Nationhood - The Constitution saves the Franklin River
Rights - NSW Government compulsorily acquires wheat during World War I
Rights - High Court overturns 200 years of common law
Australian Constitution Centre Resources
Take the Knowledge Quiz
Introduction to the education program
Links to other relevant organisations
The program is specifically designed as constitutional, civics and citizenship teaching and learning resources for years 5 to 10 students and their teachers. The program can be implemented through its stand-alone topic resources or as pre and post Exhibition resources to complement onsite visits to the Australian Constitution Centre Exhibition. Students and their teachers visit the High Court, Canberra, as part of the Australian Government funded PACER program.
Curriculum Goals:
To explore the Australian Constitution, its history and story.
To understand the six foundational principles of the Australian Constitution: democracy; the rule of law; separation of powers; federalism; nationhood and rights.
To understand the processes of the Australian system of government and its development.
Relevant topics currently taught across the Australian Curriculum and State/Territory curriculums are covered in a number of subject areas including the Civics and Citizenship strand within the Australian Curriculum.
The Primary school subject area where our resources will be utilised is the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS). The strands for the topics we cover are Civics and Citizenship, History and Geography.
Secondary schools teach our topics under a variety of subjects including History, Economics, Commerce, Geography, Environmental Studies, Legal Studies, English and Media Studies.
The Exhibition and the education program is based on curriculum themes that are particularly relevant to civics and constitutional education. Themes incorporated include:
Significant people and events in the story of the Australian Constitution and its six foundational principles.
Significant events through the development of democratic ideas and influential people who have impacted on the Australian system of government.
The development of our Westminster system of representative parliamentary democracy pre and post federation.
The writing of the Australian Constitution.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples story since British colonial settlement.
The processes, people and institutions of the Australian system of government under the Australian Constitution.
The values and beliefs that affect our civil society, our leaders and decision makers, explored particularly through significant High Court constitutional cases and decisions since 1903.
YEARS 5 - 10 EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Click on the year level of your choice to see the full program
Year 5 Curriculum Goals:
Introduce students to the Australian Constitution and the six foundational principles: democracy; the rule of law; separation of powers; federalism; nationhood and rights balanced with responsibilities.
Understand the responsibilities of individuals and groups in the Australian democracy
Learn how individuals, groups and institutions in the past and present contributed to the development of Australia, including its constitutional and related social story ACHASSK106.
Learn about the people and events in colonial Australia in the 1800s with an emphasis on their contribution to achieving nationhood in 1901 ACHASSK108.
Learn about Australia’s democratic values, its electoral system and law enforcement ACHASSK115.
Learn what democracy is in Australia, why voting is important and how governments enact legislation that reflects community values and needs ACHASSK116.
Learn how laws are made in Australia and why laws are important ACHASSK117.
Investigate how people participate in groups, and in their communities to achieve shared goals under Australia’s democracy ACHASSK118.
Knowledge and Understandings
Students know and understand:
About the people in Australia’s colonial past, including those who wrote the Constitution and influenced how Australia became a nation.
How Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have achieved land rights (native title) through studying the High Court Mabo Case, and how that has influenced the development of Australia as a nation.
How to identify community issues and develop possible solutions and plans for action using decision making processes that might lead to Parliament, (or a school parliament) enacting new legislation.
How to interact with others with respect and tolerance, using and evaluating a range of information, then voting and accepting the overall result.
How to develop questions and gather a range of information to evaluate the needs of the community in which a student lives.
Understand parliamentary representative democracy by examining the features of the voting processes in Australia, including who is eligible to vote.
How people with shared or different beliefs and values work together to achieve fair and just civic goals for their community.
Targeted Skills:
Investigate the people and factors that contributed to Federation.
Reflect on how the people of Australia can alter the Australian Constitution through voting at a referendum.
Research significant Australians who contributed to Federation.
Demonstrate knowledge of Australia’s electoral system and democratic values.
Demonstrate skills in civics and citizenship issues by applying an analysis of who, what, why and how to the events leading up to federation.
Exploring facts and opinions in primary and secondary sources to examine different viewpoints in Australian society on actions, events, issues and phenomena in the past and present.
Respond to exercises on government decision making, voting, leadership and the making of laws.
Introduce and expand upon student understanding of the Australian Constitution and the six foundational principles: democracy; the rule of law; separation of powers; federalism; nationhood and rights balanced with responsibilities.
Understand the key people and events that influenced Australian democracy and our system of government under the Australian Constitution.
Understand the levels of government in Australia
Understand how laws are developed and why.
Learn who the key figures were in events that led to federation, Australia’s system of government and the values that are integral to a fair and just society ACHASSK134.
Learn how experiences of democracy and citizenship varied at different times and places, including the story of parliamentary democracy and Asia ACHASSK135.
Learn how Australia developed as a multi-cultural society ACHASSK136.
Identify individual and community responsibilities, as an Australian and as a global citizen, with an emphasis on sustainability ACHASSK148.
Learn about the different levels of government in Australia and the roles and responsibilities of the people and institutions in them ACHASSK144.
Learn how laws are developed in Australia and how the High Court can invalidate Australian Government legislation ACHASSK143, ACHASSK146.
Understand what it means to be an Australian citizen ACHASSK147.
Learn how Australia became a nation ACHASSK137.
Investigate the importance of rights and responsibilities as an Australian citizen including informed decision-making, personal level of civic participation at the national level ACHASSK147.
Study government processes and systems at the Federal/State and Territory government levels ACHASSK144.
The key figures in the events and ideas that led to Australia’s Federation and the writing of the Constitution in the late 1800s.
Australia’s model of federalism
Key elements of Australia’s system of law and government and their origin (Magna Carta; federalism; constitutional monarchy; the Westminster system and the separation of powers – legislature, executive, judiciary; the houses of parliament; how laws are made).
How Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have contributed to Australian national identity, including through Native Title property rights.
How the separation of powers helps resolve contentious issues so that Australia moves forward as a nation.
How to use and evaluate a range of information to develop a point of view.
How to develop questions and gather a range of information to evaluate the society in which a student lives.
The responsibilities of electors and representatives in Australia’s democracy.
Where ideas for new laws can come from and how they become law through legislation in parliament.
Investigate the development of our democracy through the six foundational principles.
Reflect on a student’s personal observations and learning in response to a civics and citizenship issue, such as how a law has been made and why.
Research significant Australians who contributed to the achievement of federation in 1901 and the evolution of the Constitution since.
Demonstrate skills in civics and citizenship issues by applying analysis of who, what, why, how and what if to the resources offered in this program.
Demonstrate skills in responding to civics questions as individuals and in teams such as taking responsibility for respectful interactions with others.
Demonstrate problem solving ability such as identifying the advantages and disadvantages of different options when taking action on a civics and citizenship issue.
Exploring facts and opinions in primary and secondary sources to examine different viewpoints on actions, events, issues and phenomena in the past and present.
Discover how people have different experiences of democracy and citizenship which differed between groups and civilisations over time and places including those from western countries and in Asia.
Explore the meaning of dual citizenship for Members of Parliament under section 44 of the Australian Constitution and its implications for identity and belonging.
Encourage an in depth student understanding of the Australian Constitution and its six foundational principles; democracy, rule of law, separation of powers, federalism, nationhood and rights balanced with responsibilities.
Understand the processes of the Australian system of democratic parliamentary government and how it is shaped by the Australian Constitution
Understand the institutions established through the Australian Constitution and the roles undertaken by the people of government.
To learn about the Australian system of democratic parliamentary government and how it is shaped by the Australian Constitution ACHCK048.
To learn how the Australian justice system helps to protect the individual’s rights through the rule of law (the right to a fair trial, the presumption of innocence and the burden of proof) ACHCK050.
To learn how Australia is a diverse society and what factors contribute to a cohesive society ACHCK052.
To explore the first three chapters of our Constitution which outline the separation of powers between the Parliament (the legislature), the Government (the executive) and the Courts (the judiciary) ACHCK048.
To learn how the separation of powers seeks to prevent an excessive concentration of power ACHCK048.
To learn about the responsibilities of key roles/institutions in the Federal system including the Governor-General, the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, the High Court and the broader judiciary ACHCK048.
To learn how the Australian Constitution can only be changed by the will of Australian citizens who are eligible to vote in a referendum ACHCK049.
Sections of the Australian Constitution relating to the composition of the Legislature (the Queen, represented by the Governor-General, the Senate and the House of Representatives), the Executive (the Queen, represented by the Governor-General and Government Ministers), and the Judiciary (the High Court and other Federal Courts).
The principles of representative and responsible government that underpin the Australian Constitution.
How the Parliament works and how the legislation it passes can be challenged in the High Court.
How referendums work and the process to alter the Constitution.
How Australia’s legal system aims to provide justice, including through the rule of law (the presumption of innocence, the burden of proof, the right to a fair trial and the right to legal representation).
Where ideas for new laws can come from and how they become law.
The shared values of Australian citizenship and the formal rights and responsibilities of Australian citizens.
Investigate the development of our democracy through exploring the Australian Constitution and its six foundational principles.
Reflect on their students own observations and learning in response to a civics and citizenship issue, such as how a law has been made and why.
Demonstrate skills in civics and citizenship issues such as who, what, why, how and what if.
Demonstrate problem solving abilities such as identifying the advantages and disadvantages of different options when taking action on a civics and citizenship issue.
Discover how people have different experiences of democracy and citizenship that differed between groups and civilisations over time and places including those from western countries and in Asia.
Explore in greater depth the Australian Constitutions six foundational principles; democracy, rule of law, separation of powers, federalism, nationhood and rights balanced with responsibilities.
Understand the freedom, responsibilities and participation of Australian citizens in the Australian democracy within the bounds of the rule of law.
To learn about the freedoms and responsibilities of citizens in Australia’s democracy ACHCK061.
To learn how laws are made and applied in Australia ACHCK063.
To learn how perspectives about national identity differ ACHCK067.
To explore types of law, how laws are made in Australia and the concept of how ‘the bounds of the rule of law’ can limit freedoms in Australian democracy ACHCK064.
To explore the features of Australian democracy that enable active participation ACHCK062.
To identify diverse belief systems in Australia, analyse issues about national identity and the factors that contribute to people’s sense of belonging (e.g. customary law for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and the variety of values, beliefs and religions practiced in contemporary Australia) ACHCK065, ACHCK066.
Constitutional rights such as, freedom of political communication, religion and movement and that each support active participation in Australia’s democracy, but that can be limited by law.
How citizens can participate in Australia’s democracy, including through the electoral system, contact with their elected representatives, the use of lobby groups and direct action.
How to manage situations when rights and freedoms are in conflict including those in the community and the parliament. The role of the judiciary to interpret and resolve conflict.
How elected representatives can advocate on behalf of citizens.
How citizens have taken direct action such as organising a public demonstration or social media campaign.
How laws are made in Australia through parliaments (statutory law) and through the courts (common law).
The types of law in Australia including criminal law and civil law, and exploration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples customary law.
The responsibilities of electors and representatives in Australia’s parliamentary democracy.
Investigate the development of Australian democracy through the Constitution and its six foundational principles.
Reflect on students own observations and learning in response to a civics and citizenship issue, such as how a law has been made and why.
Demonstrate skills in responding to civics questions as individuals and in teams such as taking responsibility for respectful interactions with others. Use democratic processes to reach consensus on a course of action relating to a civics or citizenship issue and plan for that action.
Respond to exercises on government decision making, voting, leadership and the making of laws. Debate whether voting should remain compulsory in Australia.
Appreciate multiple perspectives and use strategies to mediate differences.
Reflect on a student’s role, rights and responsibilities as a citizen in Australia’s democracy.
Explore in greater depth the Australian Constitution six foundational principles; democracy, rule of law, separation of powers, federalism, nationhood and rights balanced with responsibilities.
Understand Australia’s political system.
Know how the Australian Constitution can be changed.
Understand how Australia’s High Court applies and interprets the Australian Constitution and the laws made by Australian Parliaments.
To learn about the influences that shape the operation of Australia’s political system ACHCK103.
To learn how Australia’s court system operates to support a democratic and just society ACHCK078.
To learn the key features of Australia’s court system, how courts apply and interpret the law, resolve disputes and make law through judgements ACHCK077.
To learn how citizens participate in an interconnected world ACHCK076.
To explore the role of political parties and independent representatives in Australia’s system of government ACHCK075.
Learn the key principles of Australia’s justice system, including equality before the law, an independent judiciary and the right of appeal ACHCK078.
To identify how and why individuals and groups, including religious groups, participate in and contribute to civic life, through their implied right to freedom of association under the Australian Constitution ACHCK079.
To learn the process through which government policy is shaped and developed, including the role of the Executive including the Prime Minister and Cabinet ACHCK103.
How the contemporary party system operates in Australia’s liberal democracy and how governments are formed in Parliament.
The meaning of key concepts such as parliamentary majority, the opposition, hung parliament and minority government.
The roles of the Senate and State upper houses, and the balance of power in these houses.
The strategies, including through social media, used to persuade citizens’ electoral choices including public debate, media, opinion polls, advertising, interest groups and political party campaigns.
How policy is developed and implemented and the role of the public service in Australia, including the role of Prime Minister and Cabinet in proposing policy and the role of Government in debating it.
The role of the opposition in debating policy proposed by the Executive, and the role of the Parliament in authorising Government spending and scrutinising the administrative actions of the Government.
How to categorise cases in relation to the courts in which they will be heard.
How court judgements impact on the development of law (for example the role of precedents)
Australia’s justice system including equality before the law, an independent judiciary and the right of appeal. How these principles protect citizens and contribute to a fair and just society.
Explore factors that can undermine the application of justice (for example, bribery, the coercion of witnesses, trial by media and court delays). How could the media and social media affect a jury decision?
How to develop questions and gather a range of information to evaluate the society in which a student lives. How to study media source material on contemporary issues facing the local and broader community.
Investigate the development of our democracy through the Australian Constitution and the six foundational principles.
Reflect on a student’s own observations and learning in response to a civics and citizenship issue, such as how a law has been made and why.
Demonstrate skills in responding to civics questions as individuals and in teams such as taking responsibility for respectful interactions with others. Use democratic processes to reach a consensus on a course of action relating to a civics or citizenship issue and plan for that action. Set up a school parliament and run political party campaigns using public debate, media releases and a range of other strategies, hold elections and develop legislation. .
Exploring facts and opinions in primary and secondary sources to examine different viewpoints on actions, events, issues and phenomena in the past and present. Take events from the pre-federation Constitutional timeline as stimulus material.
Discover how people have different experiences of democracy and citizenship that differed between groups and civilisations over time and places including those from western countries and in Asia. Look at different systems of government in other parts of the world such as communism in China.
Reflect on a student’s role, rights and responsibilities as a citizen in the Australian nation and whether these sometime conflict with global citizenship.
Year 10 Curriculum Goals:
Consolidate student knowledge of the Australian Constitution six foundational principles; democracy, rule of law, separation of powers, federalism, nationhood and rights balanced with responsibilities.
Explore Australia’s political responsibilities under the Australian Constitution in the context of contemporary domestic, regional and global perspectives.
To learn how Australia’s democracy is defined and shaped by the global context ACHCK090.
To learn how government policies are shaped by Australia’s international obligations ACHCK091.
To learn the features of a resilient democracy ACHCK094.
To compare features of the Australian system of government with other systems of government including those in the Asia region ACHCK090.
To learn how the Australian Government has roles and responsibilities at a global level ACHCK091.
To learn about the role of the High Court including its role in interpreting the Australian Constitution ACHCK092.
To identify how Australia’s international legal obligations shape Australian law and government policies, including in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and the environment ACHCK093.
To identify the challenges to, and the ways of sustaining a resilient democracy and a cohesive society within the framework of our parliamentary-based governance ACHCK094.
How the six foundational principles that underpin Australia’s system of government compare and contrast with the key features found in another country in the Asia region.
The roles and responsibilities of the Australian Government at a global level for the provision of foreign aid, peacekeeping, participation in international organisations, the United Nations, the environment and sustainability, Human Rights, World Heritage and other international functions.
How the Mabo decision was an example of the High Court’s role in interpreting and applying Australian law to meet the changing needs of an evolving nation.
Some of the international agreements Australia has ratified, how each one shapes government policies and laws, and whether the power is granted through section 51xxix (external affairs) of the Australian Constitution
How international conventions and declarations have shaped Australian government policies with regard to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
That the obligations in international treaties only take domestic effect in Australia if they are implemented by law, whether by the Commonwealth or State/Territory parliaments.
The concept of ‘cohesive society’ using examples from contemporary events in Australia or in other countries to identify factors that support cohesiveness.
That there are threats to Australian the democracy, such as the influence of vested interests, organised crime, corruption and lawlessness. That there are safeguards that protect Australia’s democratic system and society, including shared values, checks and balances and the right to dissent within the bounds of the law.
Factors that can undermine the application of justice (for example, bribery, the coercion of witnesses, trial by media and court delays). Whether there are protections against the media and social media unfairly affecting a jury decision.
Investigate processes by which individuals and groups resolve differences in Australian communities.
Critically evaluate information and ideas from a range of sources in relation to civics and citizenship.
Develop and use criteria to evaluate the suitability of data in an investigation about Australia’s international involvements.
Critically analyse published material relevant to civics and citizenship topics and issues to assess reliability and purpose.
Investigate the development of Australian democracy through the Australian Constitution and the six foundation principles.
Reflect on the role of a citizen in Australia, as well as regionally and globally. Considering the qualities of a citizen in a contemporary successful parliamentary democracy and the implications of living in an interconnected world and what this means for active and informed citizenship
Demonstrate problem solving abilities including identifying the advantages and disadvantages of different options when taking action on a civics and citizenship issue.
Identify contemporary constitutional topics and issues that may involve dissent, uncertainty or be open to interpretation and debate.
Present evidence-based civics and citizenship arguments using subject specific language, appropriate terms and concepts such as conventions, international law, cohesive society and global citizen.
Telephone: 1800 009 855
Exhibition Address: High Court of Australia, Canberra
email: info@australianconstitutioncentre.org.au
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Carroll County Times Opinion
Saunders: Reinventing old age and the emergence of 'Gerontolescence'
By Hermine Saunders
Prime |
Jul 06, 2018 | 12:30 PM
As I reported last month in this column, more and more people world-wide are living to be 100 because of a number of factors, including advances in medicine, good health habits, an optimistic attitude, and a strong social support system. These advances not only drive the future of “getting old,” but they cause us to rethink the definition of “old age.”
What is your definition? This subject is obviously on the minds of prime-ers.
As recently as May, a fellow high school graduate from the Class of 1959, at our spring soiree, mentioned a 2018 article she had received titled “The Future of Getting Old: Rethinking Old Age.”
She sent me the condensed version of a much longer article written by Dr. Pol Vandenbroucke, vice president of medical strategy at Pfizer for Wired. Vandenbroucke’s article, which concentrates on the future of our physical, mental and emotional health, led me in turn to several others as well that shed light on the topic.
One of those others is Dr. Alexandre Kalache, a Brazilian medical epidemiologist specializing in the study of aging and past director of the World Health Organization’s global aging program, who wrote in a Huffington Post blog in 2012 about “How the Baby Boomers Are Reinventing Old Age.”
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And a third article was a 2009 Pew Research Center article, “Growing Old in America: Expectations vs. Reality,” the results based on telephone interviews and focus groups of people age 65 and older and those with parents age 65 and older.
In answering the question what defines an “old” person, Vandenbroucke found that the answer varies depending on one’s age, with younger people saying old age begins much sooner than those who are older say it does. Many in their 80s, for example, report feeling much younger than their age.
The Pew Research Center found similar results with a “sizable gap between the expectations that young and middle-aged adults have about old age and the actual experiences reported by older Americans themselves.”
If you are 80 or older, do you feel your age? Kalache, who is 65 and counts himself among the baby boomers, indicates that when his grandfather was 65 he was carrying a walking stick and “shuffling towards his grave.” Both writers are saying that the number of years lived is not a good indicator of one’s age, since the perception of age is changing, especially among the baby boomers.
If you are in the baby boomer generation (born between 1945 and 1965), do you think you are growing old? Kalache was forced to retire from the World Health Organization global aging program when he was 62 — in his prime — based on what he calls outdated “systems and patronizing stereotypes” from the 19th century Bismarck social security model of retiring the infirm with a small pension.
Such a system is not sustainable when, 130 years later, life expectancy has risen 20, 30, even 35 years. He is calling for more flexibility in the workplace with later retirements because the “cost of maintaining a rapidly growing older population” will not be sustainable by younger generations. He claims that the baby boomers are creating a new period of transition that he labels “gerontolescence,” a time when older people who are fit and healthy will insist on participating “actively in the workplace, in society and in politics.”
Of course, the boomers will need to eradicate age discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere first!
What do you think about later retirement and being more actively involved in your later years? Because we are living longer, Vandenbroucke calls “gerontolescence” an entirely new stage of life or “second adolescence” for those 50 to 75 to “pursue our purpose,” in new careers, long dormant hobbies, a “cause,” or with family. He says that “rather than focusing on the limiting aspects of aging,” these pursuits can help us maintain emotional, physical and mental health in the process.
For many that may mean living until 90 or 100! What will you pursue as your purpose in your “gerontolescence?” Although I am part of the “silent generation” (from 1928 to 1945), I would like to think of myself as still vibrant and contributing to causes that uplift society. I know many who are older than I, even in their 90s, who are doing likewise.
As Kalacke summarizes, because “aging has been one of the most important societal achievements of the 20th century” — and into the 21st century, I might add — “we must capitalize on those years by making them as active as possible, for the sake of the individual and society. … There is only one alternative to aging. There are many alternatives to aging well.”
Latest Carroll County Times Opinion
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If you are not feeling as old as your years, be thankful. And in the words of Vandenbrouke, “find ways to live healthier, fuller lives.” Until the inevitable happens and you and I become “old,” let us enjoy our “gerontolescence!”
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The Book Endure: The Voyage of Shackleton and his Crew
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Endurance is a novel that explains the giant failure of a trans-Antarctic expedition. The entire operation was led by bold and brave man by the name of Sir Ernest Shackleton. The purpose of the expedition was to attempt to cross the Antarctic continent in the year 1914. It was an outrageous and at some points, a hopeless struggle for survival for Shackleton and his crew. He had a crew of twenty-eight strong and noble men, which were resilient and determined on this journey, of about two years. The book’s title, Endurance, is also the ship Shackleton and his crew used on the expedition. The ship was unfortunately crushed by the ice very early in the men’s journey, leaving them stranded on drifting ice, for about a year, but that was just the beginning. The voyage of Shackleton and his crew was one of many obstacles and complications. Ice is one of the many kinds of danger the Endurance crew came face to face with throughout their adventurous journey. People who are uneducated about how ice can be dangerous won’t understand the level of danger these men were in on a daily basis. One cannot even begin to understand the threat they were in; the stories don’t even do justice to kinds of things these men encountered. Antarctica has one of the only two polar ice caps on the planet Earth. It is called the Antarctic ice sheet and it covers about 98% of the Antarctic continent. Wikipedia says this is the largest ice mass on Earth; it covers about 5.4 million square miles, and is
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including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 WVR/WVR 0 9 8 7 ISBN 978-0-07-340334-2 MHID 0-07-340334-2 Editorial director: Stewart Mattson Publisher: Tim Vertovec Executive editor: Richard T. Hercher, Jr. Developmental editor: Gail Korosa Associate
Management Course: Mba−10 General Management
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Attitude Shapes A Baseball Career
Drafted by the Mets his junior year at Acorn State, BJ Roper-Hubbert was working his dream job when time ran out on his MLB career. Not one to be discouraged by change, BJ turned his release into opportunity; finding a new life, and improved batting average, waiting for him across the Atlantic.
The day you were drafted by the Mets?
I think it was June 7th 2006. I was playing summer ball in Missouri. I was at the gym lifting and got a text, or call, from a friend congratulating me. I got mad. I was like, 'Don’t play around like that.' I wasn’t sure so it was a surprise. Some teammates and I drove to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City to watch an MLB game that day. That was kind of a surreal moment because now I had the opportunity to play and experience this lifestyle; to play a game that you dream about as a kid. I took a week to think about it, told my summer team then went home and it was real, and it was fun, and definitely an experience that you can’t forget.
And March 24, 2009?
Oh it was great, no it was the worst. What I just talked about, what you think about as a kid, the potential of playing in that stadium and doing things you wanted to do as a kid and then it gets shot down. As happy as I was when I signed it was the complete opposite when I got released. Even if you expect it you still don’t really know how it’s going to hit you when you realize 'Well, yeah. I don’t have a job anymore and I can’t do anything about it in this moment.' I can do something with my attitude but it’s not something you have control over. You feel helpless, or I felt helpless. I’m not sure if everyone does but I felt like that.
You leave the minors, then what?
I had left Acorn State my junior year to sign with the Mets so I returned to school in Georgia. My mom became ill so I went to NYC to help out. When she was well I chose to stay.
NYC to Bonn?
A friend sent me a list of teams in Europe. I emailed them to say I was interested in playing. John Marshall, my assistant coach now, broke his arm late in the off-season. Mirko Heid, who was the coach at the time, invited me to play in Bonn.
You arrive in Germany and…
Culture shock. I’d never been to Europe before. There were some eye-opening differences, for example - paying to use the bathroom, learning what 'water with gas?' meant and being able to drink beer in public - to name a few.
And on the field?
The baseball was just a different mindset. For most of the teams it’s a hobby so sure you want to have fun but, at the same time, you want to be competitive. I was one of only three people being paid to play. It’s a job for us but it’s a hobby for 95% of the team, so that was a little difficult to navigate. You get the hang of it, used to it and the culture changes, as you grow into it.
What has playing in Germany provided that the US couldn’t give you?
The cultural experience is something you can only get in Europe, or wherever you’re playing be it South Africa or Australia. Baseball is a tool that a person can use to travel and experience different cultures, new customs, other people’s ways of thinking.
Baseball is a superstitious sport. Do you have any?
Nope. No pregame ritual other than being there early to be prepared.
Coaching the ‘hobbiests’ to be more professional?
Yes, but it’s still tough because everyone wants to have fun.
Speaking of fun, talk to me about a player’s walk-up music.
I think the best songs fit your personality or the situation.
So what’s yours?
I’ve got a few. Last year it was Drake but years before it was an artist from Atlanta called B.o.B. I just thought the first line of the song So Good was really appropriate for me, “Drinking a German beer with a Cuban cigar in the middle of Paris with a Dominican.” I just thought that was such a cool scenario.
The first time you called someone into your office?
That was pretty tough because you have to weigh how it’s going to affect the team and how he’s going to take it. But it’s necessary.
Any Kangaroo Court moments you’re able to share?
I feel like the best of them I wouldn’t want people to know that, that actually happened on the baseball field.
Any memorable European baseball moments you can share?
My brother Branden played for Sollingen. We faced one another the first series of 2012 and, if I remember correctly, we split so yeah, it was alright. That was the first time we ever played against each other. We’re about the same age, and our parents coached, so we always played on the same teams growing up. So yeah, that was fun, a new experience.
Nice having family around?
Yeah, definitely. Nice to go spend the night and hangout and experience Europe together.
You two are not the only pro-athletes in the family.
Our dad played three years with the Chargers (NFL). As young adults he took my brother and I to San Diego to meet a bunch of former players. That was pretty cool actually.
Did your dad influence your professional process?
We never really talked about his playing days. His advice was what most people would say, “Don’t under-value yourself. Be compensated for what you feel you’re worth.” He sat in on some of my college visits, which was nice because he knows from playing at Arizona, but we really didn’t talk much about it; still haven’t.
Is that weird?
Now that I’m older I want to know about it.
Other standout experiences?
The 2013 World Baseball Classic. It was an honor to play for the country where I was born. I still have fond memories of Bermuda. We went back a lot as kids. It’s part of my family culture.
Playing with the UK again in 2016?
I would love to.
Outfield or catcher?
I was an outfielder last time so probably the same. I’m 30 now, and I have a gray hair, so my knees… (BJ’s first gray hair arrived on interview day and he was pretty happy about it - seriously).
Favorite off-the-field duty for the Capitals?
Those first time experiences through someone else’s eyes. I like the kid’s camps and I also like the events we do for firms because they are adults maybe trying baseball for the first or second time. You can see just how much fun they have and, sometimes, you tend to forget how much fun you have doing something when you do it every day, 7 days a week.
Any off-season training going on?
We’ve done basketball in the past. This year we’re going to do handball.
Does the baseball community differ, US to Germany, or is baseball, baseball?
Baseball is baseball but it’s hard to say because when I was a kid in little league I had an entirely different view of things. Growing up I would spend the entire day playing pickup games; throwing, hitting, learning, getting burgers and fries and eating, and that was fun. I see the little kids doing that here so that’s similar.
And your grown-up experience?
You think differently. You analyze it a little bit try to sense ways to make it better. And you understand that kids are looking at you as an example. Country-to-country I feel like they’re pretty similar experiences though.
2015 the Caps were undefeated at home through the first round of playoffs. Take us through that first home loss.
We played a good team. Mainz pitcher, Jan Stoecklin, is tough but Wil Lee is a dominate pitcher. I think everyone thought we were the favorites. We hadn’t lost here all season. If it affected us at all I think it helped us realize we needed to play the way we’re able to play or our season was going to end earlier than we’d like. If anything it helped.
In 2016?
I think this past year, experience-wise, we gained a lot and I’m looking forward to 2016. I really think we’ll be better for playing against Heidenheim, a team that has considerably more experience – their average age is 4 years more than ours – seeing how they operate we realized we needed to work on some things to help us be more successful in 2016.
Anything you want to add?
Bonn is awesome!
In 2016, the Caps made it to the second round of playoffs once again. They had six players on the German national team and one on the Australian national team. Just this week, during the European Championship, one of those national team members received the Player of the Game award. During the German All Star Game three more Caps joined the action taking their seats on the bench for the All Stars. The Caps are also the home team of Germany’s 2016 Home Run Derby champion.
Coach Roper continues to lead by example on the field as well as in the clubhouse. He is one of 11 Capitals players that finished the regular season with a batting average over .300, hitting .341 heading into the playoffs. Within their division, Bonn had four of the top nine batters for the season, including a starting pitcher. Speaking of pitching, they finished the season with two guys sitting in the top five spots. What is important in that number is that the team spent all of 2016 down a pitcher. Here is where Roper’s clubhouse skills kicked in. Rather than replace the injured Schmitz he stuck with the rotation, using just three starters, and supplemented their play with three fielders in on relief. He also assigned Schmitz to third base coach duties for the season keeping one of the most spirited players with his team during rehabilitation. Win or loose Coach Roper has proven his ability to lead the Capitals to their individual and team goals.
Article was first published in European Baseball Magazine in December 2015.
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Motorcyclist who died in crash where car failed to stop has been named by police
By Gazette reporter
A MOTORCYCLIST who died in a crash where a driver failed to stop has been named by police.
Tenny Turner Snr, aged 53, passed away after he was hit by a silver car on the B3349 Reading Road in Hook on Tuesday night.
The 53 year old, from Hound Green four miles north of Hook, was killed as a result of the collision.
A 25-year-old man from the Reading area was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
He has been released from custody but remains under investigation.
A spokesman for Hampshire Police said: "It was reported that a motorcycle and a silver car had collided. The driver of the car failed to stop at the scene.
"Tenny Turner (Snr), 53, of Hound Green Close, Hound Green, died as a result of the collision.
"A 25-year-old man from the Reading area was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He has been released from custody but remains under investigation.
"We would like to thank everyone who shared our appeal, and can confirm that we have now recovered the silver vehicle we believe to be involved in the collision.
"We would continue to ask anyone with information about the collision to report it to us on 101, quoting 44190332625."
Election caused disruption to state school pupils after council closed four schools to become polling stations
Struggling South Western Railway franchise could be nationalised
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Speaking a second language may delay dementia. －BBC News 7 November 2013 (バイリンガルと認知症）
People who speak more than one language and who develop dementia tend to do so up to five years later than those who are monolingual, according to a study.
Scientists examined almost 650 dementia patients and assessed when each one had been diagnosed with the condition.
They found people who spoke two or more languages experienced a later onset of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia.
The bilingual advantage extended to illiterate people.
The scientists said it confirmed the observed effect was not caused by differences in formal education.
The study was by Edinburgh University and Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad in India.
It is the largest study so far to gauge the impact of bilingualism on the onset of dementia, independent of a person's education, gender, occupation and whether they live in a city or in the country, all of which have been examined as potential factors influencing the onset of dementia.
The team of researchers said further studies were needed to determine the mechanism, which causes the delay in the onset of dementia.
The researchers suggested bilingual switching between different sounds, words, concepts, grammatical structures and social norms constituted a form of natural brain training, which was likely to be more effective than any artificial brain training programme.
However, studies of bilingualism are complicated in that bilingual populations are often ethnically and culturally different from monolingual societies.
In places like Hyderabad, bilingualism is part of everyday life, knowledge of several languages is the norm and monolingualism is an exception.
Thomas Bak, of Edinburgh University's school of philosophy, psychology and language sciences said: "These findings suggest that bilingualism might have a stronger influence on dementia than any currently available drugs.
"This makes the study of the relationship between bilingualism and cognition one of our highest priorities."
The study is published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
http://goo.gl/fdy9Vq BBC
＊英語を生かしたまちづくり＝イングリッシュ・ビレッジ（タウン）へのヒント
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Van Shields, shown in February, has stepped down as executive director of the Berkshire Museum.
BEN GARVER - THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
Van Shields, shown in 2013, has stepped down as executive director of the Berkshire Museum.
David W. Ellis has been named interim executive director of the Berkshire Museum. Van Shields, who headed the museum since September 2011, resigned effective Thursday, the museum said.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE BERKSHIRE MUSEUM
Posted Thursday, June 28, 2018 6:27 pm
By Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle
PITTSFIELD — After taking the helm at the Berkshire Museum in 2011, Van Shields surprised his new colleagues by talking about "monetizing" the Pittsfield institution's collection.
It took six years, but talk brought results: The museum holds $47 million in proceeds from recent art sales, with another $8 million expected. It seems a "mission accomplished" moment for Shields — and on that note he'll bow out.
The museum's board president on Thursday said Shields has retired, and she thanked him for helping to "chart a course to secure the museum's future, true to our mission and responsible to our community."
Trustees named a consultant to run the museum on an interim basis. They plan a national search for a full-time replacement. Shields' resignation became effective Thursday and he is no longer listed on the museum's website.
Shields, who was paid $138,571 a year as executive director in 2017, declined to comment when reached by telephone.
"The news release speaks for itself and that's all I want to say," he told The Eagle.
Carol Bosco Baumann, the museum's spokeswoman, said Shields decided on his own to leave, not at the request of the board. She declined to say whether he received a retirement incentive package.
"The museum does not and will not discuss personnel matters," she said.
After announcing plans on July 12, 2017, to sell up to 40 works of art, Shields became a polarizing figure in the local and national museum community.
He's been lauded by some for taking bold steps to mend the museum's balance sheet, but pilloried by others who feel he and trustees looted the institution's heritage and violated ethical practices on collection management.
In a statement released by the museum, Shields, who lives in Pittsfield, thanked staff and trustees and praised "community partners who share our belief in the museum's power to transform lives."
"We have charted a course that will well serve the museum and this community," Shields said in the statement.
The museum said it has tapped consultant David W. Ellis of Cambridge, a trained chemist, to fill in as leader during the search. He will be assisted by Nina Garlington, the museum's current chief engagement officer, who will take a new position as chief of staff.
Garlington and Craig Langlois, the museum's chief experience officer, filled in as co-executive directors for two months last fall when Shields was on medical leave for treatment of a heart condition. An online directory lists his age as 68.
Legal fights
For much of the past year, the museum has been on the defensive, overcoming two lawsuits and responding to a blizzard of document and interview requests from the office of Attorney General Maura Healey.
While the museum eventually came to terms with Healey's office about art sales, Shields' critics had continued to call in published statements for his removal from the position.
The citizens group Save the Art-Save the Museum issued a statement Thursday asking trustees to postpone further art sales until a new permanent director is hired. The board said this week it plans to sell nine more works, seven in private transactions and two in a September auction at Sotheby's. The sales aim to bring total net proceeds from sales to the $55 million allowed in a Supreme Judicial Court ruling in April.
Save the Art said it welcomed word of Shields' retirement.
"This provides the museum with a new opportunity to engage the entire public and proceed with greater transparency as it seeks new leadership for this important regional institution," the statement said.
"Our grassroots efforts have successfully drawn attention to the mismanagement of the museum," the group said. "We continue to urge the museum to open up its planning process and to respect the substantial proportion of the community who wish to restore its original role as a multi-disciplinary cultural institution of art, science, and history."
Shields joined the museum Sept. 12, 2011, after spending 14 years running the Culture & Heritage Museums in Rock Hill, S.C.
County officials in South Carolina fired Shields that August. In a 2011 interview with The Eagle, Shields blamed conservative political opponents for not embracing his vision for a new $60 million museum project that had faltered.
Shannon A. Wiley, deputy general counsel for the South Carolina secretary of state, referred issues related to the museum project to that state's attorney general, citing various concerns. One was the fact that "a lot of money" had been spent without results," Wiley said in her referral letter. She also flagged possible conflicts of interest.
The AG's office closed the case without taking action.
Shields' leadership
The museum's plan to sell art from its collection received international attention even before two groups of plaintiffs and Healey's office stepped in to block it.
The museum maintained it was not legally bound to apply proceeds from art sales to the care of its collection. Nine months after announcing its plan, it secured permission from the Supreme Judicial Court to beef up its endowment so it could cover a deficit and to use other proceeds to pursue a "New Vision."
That programming shift is said to involve more interdisciplinary exhibits, a change the museum attributes in part to leadership by Shields.
In its statement Thursday, the museum said Shields notched successes in his tenure, including gains to make the museum more relevant to its community. He also introduced an early childhood education program called WeeMuse and expanded the museum's work with area schools.
"He played a key leadership role in developing the museum's master plan announced in July of 2017," the museum statement said. That proposal, developed over several years, called for creation of new exhibit space and a new emphasis on multimedia and interactive displays.
Through the course of litigation since October, the museum amplified the message that the loss of reliable large donors had left it financially vulnerable and that is was running a roughly $1 million-a-year deficit.
Unless its endowment grew by some $40 million, trustees said, the museum risked closing.
But Shields' critics continued to question whether the museum's financial situation was as dire as it claimed. They hold him responsible for the loss of some of the most prized works in the Pittsfield collection, including two paintings by Norman Rockwell that had been donated by the artist himself.
Lynn Villency Cohen, a part-time resident of Berkshire County with museum experience, said directors of institutions like the Berkshire Museum come and go and should be judged on how they embrace the past and care for collections.
"For over a hundred years of Berkshire Museum directors, the leadership and staff exhibited, protected, and cared for the art — the highly regarded, beautiful works — 22 of which are sold or are in the process of being sold," she said Thursday.
"Van Shields should be looked upon as an accomplice to the board and its destruction of a community's historical treasures," Cohen said. "His face will forever be the poster boy for the destruction of the art collection. That is his legacy in the Berkshires."
Carol Diehl, of Great Barrington, another critic of the art sales, takes Shields to task for what she views as flawed financial oversight, noting that in 2015 he was quoted in a news article as saying the museum was "in a good financial position."
Instead, Diehl argues, Shields pressed with board support for the art sales, in defiance of museum norms.
That quest, she said Thursday, "sold off its most tangible resources while dividing the community in a rift that will take decades to heal — a disaster that has made national and international headlines."
Attorney Mark S. Gold advised museum trustees on their ability to sell works from the collection. He contributed a chapter called "Monetizing the Collection: The Intersection of Law, Ethics, and Trustee Prerogative" to a 2015 book.
Shields provided a blurb comment for the back of the book, writing: "At last we have a practical and accessible resource to understand current and critical issues at the intersection of law and museums today, authored by thought leaders in the field."
Interim chief
Ellis, the museum consultant who will act as interim leader, said he welcomes the chance to bring stability to the South Street institution.
"I hopefully can help. I really care about these institutions," said Ellis, who at 82 is a veteran of other fill-in assignments and served as president of the Boston Museum of Science from 1990 to 2002. "I like people and challenges and putting it all together."
Bosco Baumann said Ellis is studying the museum's issues and meeting with staff and trustees.
Ellis said he plans to begin work in July by spending a day or several days at a time in Pittsfield, while consulting with Garlington, the new chief of staff. He said he expects to step up his involvement in August, though he advised trustees he has commitments for parts of September and October.
"I'll be fitting it around those," he said of his new assignment.
Though Ellis said trustees have not estimated how long their search for a new full-time director will take, he believes from his experience it could be six to nine months. Ellis has served as interim leader of the Boston Children's Museum and the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
In the next six months, trustees have said they will fine-tune how they will implement the New Vision plan regarding a new approach to exhibits.
Trustees have said they are considering whether that will include creation of atrium space through a major remodeling project.
"I think the board does have a lot on its plate," Ellis said in a phone interview Thursday.
Meantime, he said he is working his way through a stack of materials related to the museum's master plan, the process that resulted in the art sales approved by the SJC in April, in spite of community opposition.
Ellis said he has not been briefed by Shields on pending issues. When asked if he expected to meet the former director, he answered: "I would hope so, but I don't know when."
Ellis said he followed news reports about the museum's art sale, including the sanctions it received from museum groups. Ellis is a member of one trade group critical of the museum deaccession, the American Alliance of Museums.
"One has to be sensitive to the kinds of questions that have been asked," he said, when asked about any risk that the museum may become isolated from the wider arts community. "I'm not going to point fingers. I'm just going to look ahead."
Though he trained as a scientist, earning a doctorate in chemistry in 1962 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ellis said his parents often took him to museums and taught him to appreciate culture and ideas.
Today, he believes museums play an important role in community-building.
"Museums have something really important to offer," he said. "Big medium or small I think these institutions provide very real services."
Larry Parnass can be reached at lparnass@berkshireeagle.com, at @larryparnass on Twitter and 413-496-6214.
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New guidelines for treatment of early hormone-positive breast cancer with tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors
Issue: BCMJ, vol. 48 , No. 3 , April 2006 , Pages 121-126 Clinical Articles
By: H.F. Kennecke, MD, MHA, FRCPC, S. Ellard, MD, FRCPC, S. O’Reilly, MB, FRCPC, Karen A. Gelmon, MD, FRCPC
The Breast Tumour Group of the British Columbia Cancer Agency has developed new treatment guidelines for the use of tamoxifen and the aromatase inhibitors anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane. These guidelines are based on recent evidence about the role of these agents in adjuvant therapy for women with hormone-positive breast cancer. Physicians should be aware of the data supporting the adjuvant use of tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors and the new policies regarding their use. Depending on the grade and size of the tumor and the number of positive nodes, postmenopausal women with early invasive breast cancer may receive tamoxifen monotherapy, aromatase inhibitor monotherapy, or sequential therapy. The BC Cancer Agency has informed patients and health care providers of these policies by letter. Further information is available under “Cancer Management Guidelines” at www.bccancer.bc.ca.
Three strategies can be used to incorporate aromatase inhibitors in adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal breast cancer patients.
The Breast Tumour Group, a provincial multidisciplinary committee of the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA), has developed new guidelines for the use of tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors (AIs) in adjuvant therapy for early hormone-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Physicians are encouraged to adhere to these treatment protocols (see Figure) and should request undesignated approval prior to prescribing tamoxifen or AIs outside of the guidelines. When prescribed within the guidelines, these medications are all funded by the BCCA.
Hormone-positive breast cancer
In British Columbia, every primary breast cancer is tested for estrogen receptor (ER) positivity and approximately 70% are ER-positive. Hormonal therapy and, possibly, radiation and chemotherapy, are offered after surgery to women with ER-positive tumors with a risk of recurrence.
Since its introduction in the 1970s, tamoxifen has been the most important advance in the management of ER-positive breast cancer. Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) and inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells by competitive antagonism of estrogen at its receptor. Daily tamoxifen for 5 years reduces the risk of breast cancer death by 31%, regardless of age or use of chemotherapy.[1,2] This benefit is sustained even at 15 years from initial diagnosis.[2]
Although well tolerated by the majority of women, tamoxifen is associated with a number of side effects that are related to its dual agonist and antagonist activity. Side effects include hot flushes, gynecological symptoms such as vaginal discharge, risk of uterine cancer (1%), thromboembolic disease, and stroke. The absolute risk of death from thromboembolic and uterine cancer due to tamoxifen is 0.2% per decade, which is small compared with the absolute benefits.[2] In postmenopausal women only, tamoxifen is associated with beneficial effects on bone health and on lipid profile. Raloxifene, also a SERM, has been studied in breast cancer prevention but not in the treatment of breast cancer and is not approved in Canada for this indication.
The enzyme aromatase is found in liver, fat, muscle, and breast tissue and is responsible for most estrogen synthesis in postmenopausal women by conversion of androgenic substrates into estrogen. Aminoglutethimide, an adrenal suppressant, was the original aromatase inhibitor used to treat breast cancer. Aminoglutethimide’s toxicity and lack of selectivity prompted the development of modern aromatase inhibitors, which were introduced into clinical trials in the late 1980s. AIs cause marked suppression of plasma estrogen levels in postmenopausal women by inhibition of aromatase. Initial studies compared AIs with megestrol, aminoglutethimide, and tamoxifen in patients with metastatic breast cancer and showed superior efficacy and tolerance, leading to approval for this indication in the 1990s.
AIs are categorized as steroidal (exemestane) and nonsteroidal (anastrozole and letrozole). All are potent inhibitors of aromatase and vary only minimally in their level of estrogen suppression and side-effect profiles. Aromatase inhibitors are significantly more expensive than tamoxifen, costing on average $1800 per year of therapy versus approximately $80 for tamoxifen. Inevitably, cost is a consideration when evaluating province-wide implementation of a new therapy, particularly as significant benefit in overall survival has not yet been widely demonstrated when AIs are compared with tamoxifen. The current review is only of the effects of aromatase in early invasive breast cancer. The use of aromatase inhibitors for noninvasive in situ disease or for primary prevention of breast cancer is not proven and clinical trials are ongoing.
In contrast to tamoxifen, AIs lack partial estrogen agonist activity and are thus not associated with the undesirable increased risks of thromboembolism, gynecological symptoms, and uterine cancer. However, adverse effects of AIs include an increased risk of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures, myalgia and arthralgia, and an adverse impact on the lipid profile, all thought to be related to the profound reduction of serum estrogen. Vaginal dryness and decreased libido have been reported. In two separate analyses, no significant differences in overall quality of life were observed between women taking tamoxifen and women taking anastrazole or exemestane.[3,4]
Due to their mode of action, aromatase inhibitors are only effective in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. In premenopausal women, the reduced feedback of estrogen to the hypothalamus and pituitary leads to increased gonadotropin production and an increase in ovarian estrogen production, thereby rendering therapy ineffective and potentially harmful, as ovarian tissue may hypertrophy and uterine bleeding may increase. Many premenopausal women who are treated with chemotherapy become clinically and serologically postmenopausal. The risk of chemotherapy-induced menopause increases with age, and women older than 40 have a greater than 50% risk of being rendered menopausal.[5,6] If menstruation does resume, it usually does so within 12 months, but may not do so for up to 24 months. As AIs are not effective and may be harmful to premenopausal women with breast cancer, they should not be considered until at least 1 to 2 years after chemotherapy-induced menopause.
Evidence of superiority of AIs over tamoxifen
A number of well-designed randomized trials have sought to evaluate the effect of aromatase inhibitors as adjuvant treatment for postmenopausal women with hormone-positive breast cancer. Three strategies have been studied, as follows:
• First-line AI therapy instead of tamoxifen.
• AI therapy after 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen.
• AI therapy at the end of a 5-year course of tamoxifen.
It has not yet been determined which of these three strategies is the optimal algorithm, and no one therapeutic strategy is advocated over another in the 2004 American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines. However, the role of aromatase inhibitors has been acknowledged with the recommendation that optimal adjuvant hormonal therapy for postmenopausal women with ER-positive breast cancer include an aromatase inhibitor as initial therapy or after treatment with tamoxifen.[7] A summary of the evidence for therapy with AIs is provided in Table 1.
First-line AI therapy
In the ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen Alone or in Combination) Trial, the largest randomized adjuvant trial in breast cancer, 9366 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to 5 years of anastrozole or tamoxifen or a combination of the two.[8,9] After 5.5 years, women treated with anastrozole had a 17% reduction in the relative risk of breast cancer occurrence (disease-free survival) compared with those treated with tamoxifen. This translated into only a 3% absolute improvement in disease-free survival between the anastrozole and tamoxifen groups and there was no difference in risk of death. There was no advantage to combination therapy with anastrozole and tamoxifen over tamoxifen alone.
In a second large adjuvant trial (BIG 1-98), first-line therapy with letrozole was compared with tamoxifen and found similar results.[10] With a shorter follow-up time there was a 19% difference in disease-free survival between the two groups, but overall survival was not significantly different. With longer follow-up, a reduction in mortality may be observed in both of these trials as women with recurrent breast cancer have a significantly shortened life expectancy.
Trials of AIs after 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen
Shortly after the results of first-line AI therapy were reported, the results of a second strategy to incorporate an aromatase inhibitor into adjuvant therapy were released. In this case, tamoxifen was prescribed as initial therapy and an AI was substituted after 2 to 3 years to complete a total of 5 years of hormonal therapy.
There are several potential advantages to this strategy. First, women are exposed to two treatments with differing mechanisms of action. Second, the inherent risk of AI therapy, including osteoporosis, may be reduced by a shorter duration of exposure and the prior use of tamoxifen. Third, the cumulative risks of tamoxifen therapy, including uterine malignancy and thrombosis, are also limited by a shortened duration of tamoxifen therapy.
In the International Exemestane Study (IES), women who had received 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen were randomly assigned to receive exemestane or to continue on tamoxifen to complete 5 years of adjuvant hormonal therapy.[11] At a median follow-up of 31 months, women who switched to exemestane had a 32% reduction in the risk of recurrence, and a corresponding 5% absolute improvement in disease-free survival at 3 years. There was no difference in overall survival but a trend was reported.
In a second, smaller trial, postmenopausal women were switched to anastrozole after 2 years of adjuvant tamoxifen, resulting in a 40% relative risk reduction and 3% absolute risk reduction.[12]
Trial of letrozole after 5 years of tamoxifen
Previous evidence suggested that 5 years of adjuvant hormonal therapy provides optimal benefit, with a longer duration of tamoxifen use possibly associated with worse survival outcomes.[13] Yet, half of breast cancer relapses occur later than 5 years after diagnosis.[1,2,14] In the NCIC MA17 trial, the benefit of letrozole after 5 years of tamoxifen was evaluated. Women who were cancer-free after taking 5 years of tamoxifen were treated with an intended 5 years of letrozole versus placebo.[15] After only 2.4 years follow-up there was a 40% decrease in breast cancer occurrence in women treated with letrozole, which translated into a benefit of 6% in absolute terms. In patients with node-positive breast cancer there was also a 40% reduction in risk of death, making this the first of the AI trials to show a survival benefit.
Other uses of AIs
Outside the realm of oncology, AIs have been used for treatment of severe endometriosis. In a randomized trial of anastrozole plus goserelin (a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog, also known as a luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone or LHRH) versus goserelin alone, AI use resulted in a significant reduction in recurrent pain.[16] AIs have also been used for ovarian stimulation for women undergoing in vitro fertilization. It should be noted, however, that when aromatase inhibitors are used for these indications, they are not paid for by the BCCA.
Side effects of AIs versus tamoxifen
In the trials referred to here, hot flushes were commonly reported (40% to 60%) and occurred with similar frequency in women taking AIs or tamoxifen.[8,11,15] In the MA 17 trial, even women who were on no hormonal treatment after 5 years of tamoxifen had a 54% incidence of low-grade hot flushes. A reduction in gynecological side effects (such as vaginal discharge or bleeding) with aromatase inhibitors was most notable when an AI rather than tamoxifen was used as first-line therapy. Rates of vaginal bleeding (5% versus 10%) and hysterectomy (1% versus 5%) were both significantly less with anastrozole than tamoxifen.[9] The difference in gynecological side effects between tamoxifen and AIs are less apparent after 2 years of tamoxifen use, as tamoxifen-induced gynecological symptoms predominate in the initial years of therapy. Although low in both groups, a reduction in the thromboembolic events and risk of uterine cancer was observed with AIs versus tamoxifen.
Regarding other side effects, 5 years of anastrozole use was associated with a 3% absolute increase in osteoporotic fractures,[9] whereas 2 to 3 years of AI therapy after tamoxifen was associated with a 1% absolute increase in osteoporotic fractures and a 2% absolute increase in osteoporosis.[5,11] An adverse effect on lipid profile was observed in one trial with letrozole, and in two trials there was a questionable trend of increased serious cardiovascular events.[9,10] The extent and significance of cardiovascular risk associated with AIs is being investigated.
Risk of recurrence with tamoxifen use
Two recent studies of the BCCA Breast Cancer Outcomes Database have sought to estimate risk of recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women treated with tamoxifen.[17,18] In the first study, the risk of early recurrence of breast cancer was determined among postmenopausal women in British Columbia treated with tamoxifen alone or in addition to chemotherapy for breast cancer. Early recurrence was defined as relapse occurring within 2.5 years of initial diagnosis with breast cancer. Results indicate that women who have more than three nodes positive, or who have high-grade breast cancer (grade 3) or low ER-positive (1+) breast cancer are at significantly greater risk of recurrence within the first 2.5 years after diagnosis.[17]
While it is not yet known if first-line treatment with AIs will reduce the risk of death from breast cancer, current BCCA guidelines recommend that women at high risk of early recurrence and no contraindications to AIs be treated with an AI instead of tamoxifen. For postmenopausal women who do not meet these criteria, BCCA recommends initial therapy with tamoxifen followed by a switch to an AI after 2 to 5 years.
In an attempt to estimate the risk of late breast cancer relapse, breast cancer event rate and mortality were determined in postmenopausal women treated in British Columbia with 5 years of tamoxifen.[18] Risk of breast cancer events (defined as recurrence and second breast cancers) and mortality are provided in Table 2.
In this study, nodal involvement was the most important predictor of breast cancer events or death after 5 years of tamoxifen. Women with 1 to 3 nodes positive had a 15% risk, and women with 4 to 9 nodes positive had a 30% risk of breast cancer occurrence. Women who had low-grade node-negative disease had a very low risk (3%) of breast cancer occurrence after 5 years of tamoxifen. Current BCCA guidelines recommend that women with node-positive or with high-grade node-negative breast cancer be considered for another 3 to 5 years of therapy with letrozole after 5 years of tamoxifen. Women with low-grade node-negative breast cancer should not routinely receive letrozole after 5 years of tamoxifen, since the overall risk of recurrence is very low.
Guidelines for AI use
Aromatase inhibitors represent a new standard of care for many postmenopausal women receiving adjuvant hormonal therapy for early breast cancer. There are three different AIs and three different strategies to incorporate AIs into adjuvant therapy. The question of which strategy is superior in terms of efficacy and side effects has not yet been answered.
For postmenopausal women with breast cancer who are at high risk of early relapse, first-line therapy with 5 years of AIs is recommended. Women are considered at high risk if they have more than three nodes positive, have high-grade disease (grade 3), or low ER-positive (1+) disease. Otherwise, first-line therapy with tamoxifen for 2 to 3 years remains the standard. After 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen, physicians are asked to consider switching women to AI therapy for 2 to 3 years to complete a total of 5 years of hormonal treatment. It is recommended that women who have already received more than 3 years of tamoxifen continue on tamoxifen for a total of 5 years, after which they should consider the option of 3 to 5 more years of AI therapy. Women with initially node-positive breast cancer or high-grade node-negative breast cancer and a reasonable 5-year life expectancy should be considered for 3 to 5 years of AI therapy.
Patients with node-negative and low-grade disease (grade 1) have a favorable prognosis[18,19] and are generally adequately treated with 5 years of tamoxifen alone and no AI therapy. Low-grade breast cancer accounts for approximately 16% of all breast cancer.[2]
For premenopausal women with ER-positive breast cancer, tamoxifen remains the standard therapy. These patients are not candidates for aromatase inhibitor therapy. For women who become menopausal after chemotherapy and remain so for 1 to 2 years, a switch to an AI may be optimal. There is not yet any evidence for the use of an LHRH agonist such as goserelin with an AI.
It is recommended that physicians assess a woman’s risk of osteoporosis when considering AI therapy. If there are any risk factors for osteoporosis, a baseline bone density test should be performed.[20] AIs may also have an adverse effect on lipid profile and there is a possible but not yet quantified cardiovascular risk. A baseline lipid profile should be performed at the time of initiating AI therapy.
The recommendations described here will be updated as the results of new trials become available and current trials continue. For now, BCCA recommends the exclusive use of first-line AI therapy for some postmenopausal women and the sequential use of tamoxifen followed by an AI for most postmenopausal women with early stage hormone-positive breast cancer. The BCCA does not recommend the use of AI therapy for premenopausal women with breast cancer.
In the last 5 years Dr Kennecke has received fees for speaking and fees from consultancy from AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Pfizer.
The full guidelines can be viewed at www.bccancer.bc.ca.
Figure. Summary of BCCA Breast Tumour Group guidelines.
Strategies for incorporating aromatase inhibitors in adjuvant therapy for breast cancer
Postmenopausal women
Strategy A: Tamoxifen monotherapy
For patients with low-grade node-negative tumors <2 cm and no evidence of lymphatic or vascular invasion
• Tamoxifen for 5 years
• Substitution of an AI allowed if patient is intolerant of tamoxifen or if serious complications occur or if contraindications exist
Strategy B: AI monotherapy
For patients at high risk of early relapse, defined as having breast cancer that is:
• High grade (grade 3/poorly differentiated) or
• Low ER-positive (1+) or
• Stage III (includes breast cancers with four or more nodes positive, or large node-positive tumors, or that present with locally advanced breast cancer)
• May consider using first-line AI therapy for 5 years
Strategy C: Sequential therapy
For patients with all other tumors
• Tamoxifen for 2–3 years followed by AI for 2–3 years, for total 5 years of hormonal therapy (“early switch”)
For patients who have finished >3 years of tamoxifen already at this time, or who become postmenopausal after completing 3 years of tamoxifen
• Tamoxifen for 5 years followed by AI for 3–5 years (“late switch”)
Premenopausal women
• Tamoxifen for 5 years unless patient becomes postmenopausal during therapy (no menses >12 months and FSH/LH in postmenopausal range), in which case, see Strategy C above
Table 1. Summary of evidence for therapy with the aromatase inhibitors anastrozole, exemestane, and letrozole for postmenopausal women with ER-positive breast cancer.
Aromatase inhibitor Administration Benefit
Anastrozole 1 mg/day[8,9]
Letrozole 2.5 mg/day[10] Given for 5 years after diagnosis instead of tamoxifen • Reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence by approximately 20%
• Absolute risk reduction of 3% in clinical trials
Exemestane 25 mg/day[11]
Anastrozole 1 mg/day[12] Given for 2–3 years after 2–3 years of tamoxifen (total duration of hormonal therapy was 5 years) • Reduced risk of recurrence by approximately 30% - 40%
• Absolute risk reduction of 3% - 5% in clinical trials
Letrozole 2.5 mg/day[15] Given for at least 3–5 years after 5 years of tamoxifen • Reduced risk of recurrence by 40% and risk of death by 40% in node-positive patients
Table 2. Risk of breast cancer death and breast cancer occurrence 6 to 10 years after diagnosis if disease-free after 5 years of tamoxifen.
Nodal involvement and tumor size Number of patients Risk of breast cancer death between years 6 and 10 (%) Risk of breast cancer occurrence between years 6 and 10* (%)
Node-negative, all grades 418 4 10
Node-negative, grade 1 42 0 3
1–3 nodes positive 380 9 15
4–9 nodes positive 109 22 30
* Defined as cancer recurrence or second primary breast cancer
1. Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group. Tamoxifen for early breast cancer: An overview of the randomized trials. Lancet 1998;351:1451-1467. PubMed Abstract Full Text
2. Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group. Effects of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy for early breast cancer on recurrence and 15 years survival: An overview of the randomized trials. Lancet 2005:365:1687-1717.
3. Fallowfield L, Cella D, Cuzick J, et al. Quality of life of postmenopausal women in the Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination (ATAC) Adjuvant Breast Cancer Trial. J Clin Oncol 2004;22:4261-4271. PubMed Abstract Full Text
4. Fallowfield LJ, Price MH, Hall E, et al. Intergroup exemestane study: Results of the quality of life sub-protocol. Presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, San Antonio, TX, December 2004. Abstract 4.
5. Swain SM, Land SR, Sundry M, et al. Amenorrhea in premenopausal women on the ACT arm of NSABP B-30: Preliminary results. Presented at the Symposium of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Orlando, FL, May 2005. Abstract 537.
6. Goodwin PJ, Ennis M, Pritchard KI, et al. Risk of menopause during the first year after breast cancer diagnosis. J Clin Oncol 1999;17:2365-2370. PubMed Abstract Full Text
7. Winer EP, Hudis C, Burstein HJ, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology technology assessment on the use of aromatase inhibitors as adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer: Status report 2004. J Clin Oncol 2005;20;23:619-629. PubMed Abstract Full Text
8. Baum M, Buzdar A, Cuzick J, et al. Anastrozole alone or in combination with tamoxifen versus tamoxifen alone for adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer: Results of the ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen Alone or in Combination) trial efficacy and safety update analyses. Cancer 2003;98:1802-1810. PubMed Abstract Full Text
9. Howell A, Cuzick J, Baum M et al. Results of the ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) trial after completion of 5 years’ adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. Lancet 2005;365:60-62. PubMed Abstract Full Text
10. Thurlimann BJ, Keshaviah A, Mouridsen H, et al. BIG 1-98: Randomized double blind phase III study to evaluate letrozole versus tamoxifen as adjuvant endocrine therapy for postmenopausal women with receptor-positive breast cancer. Presented at the Symposium of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Orlando, FL, May 2005. Abstract 511.
11. Coombes RC, Hall E, Gibson LJ, et al. A randomized trial of exemestane after two to three years of tamoxifen therapy in postmenopausal women with primary breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2004;350:1081-1092. PubMed Abstract Full Text
12. Jakesz R, Kaufmann M, Gnant M, et al. Benefits of switching postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive early breast cancer to anastrozole after 2 years adjuvant tamoxifen: Combined results from 3,123 women enrolled in the ABCSG Trial 8 and the ARNO 95 Trial. Presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, San Antonio, TX, December 2004. Abstract 2.
13. Fisher B, Dignam J, Bryant J, et al. Five versus more than five years of tamoxifen for lymph node-negative breast cancer: Updated findings from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-14 randomized trial. J Natl Cancer Inst 2001;93:684-690. PubMed Abstract Full Text
14. Saphner T, Tormey DC, Gray R. Annual hazard rates of recurrence for breast cancer after primary therapy. J Clin Oncol 1996;14:2738-2746. PubMed Abstract Full Text
15. Goss PE, Ingle JN, Martino S, et al. A randomized trial of letrozole in postmenopausal women after five years of tamoxifen therapy for early-stage breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2003;349:1793-1802. PubMed Abstract Full Text
16. Soysal S, Soysal ME, Ozer S, et al. The effects of post-surgical administration of goserelin plus anastrozole compared to goserelin alone in patients with severe endometriosis: A prospective randomized trial. Hum Reprod 2004;19:160-167. Full Text
17. McArthur HL, Olivotto I, Gelmon KA, et al. Risk of early relapse in post-menopausal women with early stage, estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer on tamoxifen. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2005;94(1 suppl):s124.
18. Kennecke H, Speers C, Chia S, et al. 10 year event free survival in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer during the second five years after tamoxifen. Presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Conference, San Antonio, TX, December 2004. Abstract 1049.
19. Chia SK, Speers CH, Bryce CJ, et al. Ten-year outcomes in a population-based cohort of node-negative, lymphatic, and vascular invasion-negative early breast cancers without adjuvant systemic therapies. J Clin Oncol 2004;22:1630-1637. PubMed Abstract Full Text
20. Brown JP, Josse RG; Scientific Advisory Council of the Osteoporosis Society of Canada. 2002 clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis in Canada. CMAJ 2002;167(10 suppl):S1-34. PubMed Abstract Full Text
H.F. Kennecke, MD, MHA, FRCPC, S. Ellard, MD, FRCPC, S. O’Reilly, MB, FRCPC, K.A. Gelmon, MD, FRCPC
Dr Kennecke is a medical oncologist at the BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver Cancer Centre. Dr Ellard is a medical oncologist at the Cancer Clinic of the Southern Interior and head of the Breast Systemic Committee. Dr O’Reilly is a medical oncologist at the Vancouver Cancer Clinic and leader of the Provincial Systemic Program. Dr Gelmon is a medical oncologist at the Vancouver Cancer Clinic and head of the Breast Tumour Group.
H.F. Kennecke, MD, MHA, FRCPC,, S. Ellard, MD, FRCPC,, S. O’Reilly, MB, FRCPC,, Karen A. Gelmon, MD, FRCPC. New guidelines for treatment of early hormone-positive breast cancer with tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors. BCMJ, Vol. 48, No. 3, April, 2006, Page(s) 121-126 - Clinical Articles.
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Memories That Smell Like Gasoline: Reading David Wojnarowicz
FRI, Sept 7, 2018
Floor 3, Susan and John Hess Family Gallery and Theater
Alongside his work as a visual artist, David Wojnarowicz was a prolific and influential writer. In particular, the urgency of his writing about the AIDS epidemic as a social and political crisis in the United States has had a lasting impact on artists and activists.
Organized in collaboration with Visual AIDS, this evening devoted to Wojnarowicz’s written work includes readings and performances by artists who were engaged with Wojnarowicz during his lifetime, or who have been inspired by his example. Taking its title from his final collection of stories Memories That Smell Like Gasoline (1992), this program highlights the passion and rage of Wojnarowicz’s singular voice.
Readers include Dennis Cooper, Timothy DuWhite, Karen Finley, Chitra Ganesh, Camilo Godoy, Miguel Gutierrez, Carmelita Tropicana, Jack Waters, and Peter Cramer.
This event has reached ticketing capacity. A limited number of standby tickets will be available at the admissions desk on a first-come, first-served basis. The standby line will open one hour prior to the program’s start time. This event will be live-streamed on YouTube.
Dennis Cooper is a writer of novels, poetry, journalism, theater, and film whose most recent works are a feature film, Permanent Green Light (2018), made in collaboration with Zac Farley, and Zac's Coral Reef (2018), a book of short fiction composed of animated gifs. He was one of the first to publish David Wojnarowicz's work in his literary zine Little Caesar and is honored to have called David a literary comrade and friend.
Timothy DuWhite is a writer, poet, playwright, performance artist, and activist. In David Wojnarowicz's work, he is comforted to see another artist using multiple mediums to unpack the devastation of HIV and AIDS.
Karen Finley is an artist, author, and professor at NYU, whose latest performance and book is Grabbing Pussy. She was a friend of David Wojnarowicz.
Chitra Ganesh is a visual artist who lives and works in Brooklyn. She has an upcoming exhibition Her Garden, A Mirror at The Kitchen opening in September. As a young queer growing up in 1980s New York, David Wojnarowicz's work, especially Close to the Knives, was, and continues to be, close to her heart.
Camilo Godoy is an artist based in New York with an upcoming Session in November at Recess and a solo exhibition in February 2019 at CUE. In 2014 after the death of his father, Godoy spent time at Fales Library for comfort and inspiration touching and reading the journals of David Wojnarowicz.
Miguel Gutierrez is a choreographer, composer, writer and singer whose work Age and Beauty Part 1 was presented in the 2014 Whitney Biennial. As with so many art ancestors, he knew “about” Wojnarowicz’s writing for years before he actually read it when Ralph Lemon assigned it to him to read aloud for a pre-show performance during Ralph’s The Scaffold Room at The Kitchen.
Carmelita Tropicana became a writer/performer at the WOW Cafe in the 1980's and has since received awards/fellowships including the Guggenheim Fellowship, Creative Capital Award, and an Obie for performance. In 1990, as part of The Decade Show, she and David Wojnarowicz performed on the same evening. Tropicana considers his performance one of the most powerful and poignant that she has experienced, with an end that made the audience take a deep collective breath before breaking into thunderous applause.
Jack Waters and Peter Cramer are performance and media art collaborators since 1981, and founders of the community garden Le Petit Versailles and non-profit Allied Productions, Inc. In 1984, David Wojnarowicz’s work of a molotov cocktail made from a Night Train liquor bottle was included in the nationwide exhibition Artists Call Against US Intervention in Central America on display in New York City at ABC No Rio where Cramer and Waters were then co-directors. In 2010, they participated in protests organized by Art+ in New York City and Washington D.C. against the removal of Wojnarowicz’s A Fire in My Belly from the exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
The Susan and John Hess Family Theater is equipped with an induction loop and infrared assistive listening system. Accessible seating is available.
Learn more about access services and amenities.
David writing in his journal in May 1991, during what he knew would be his last trip to the Southwest. Image courtesy Marion Scemama
David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night
July 13–Sept 30, 2018
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Local 101: March 13, 2010
All Rights Reserved, Copyright of Kris Vester.
Local 101. Saturday, March 13th, 2010. Politics, Economics and Local Food Systems
Good afternoon. I would like to begin today with a line from the great German poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,.
“Erst in der Beschraenkung, zeigt sich der Meister.”
“It is only within limitation that a master reveals himself as such.”
Thank you for taking time from your busy lives to assemble here today to learn more about that which is the very foundation of our civilization, which is all too often cheapened, adulterated, contaminated and taken for granted, food. Food is not only that which fuels us but also that which provides the building blocks of life from which we are initially assembled and constantly renewed and, as such, its importance is obvious to any human with even the slightest awareness. As Vandana Shiva has said, there is no such thing as a post-food society. I am here today to impart to you, my fellow citizens, some insight into the bigger picture of local food and local food systems, that you might leave here today a little wiser and much more motivated to do what you can to ensure that we, collectively, pursuit a path of progress in regards to food which will respect and serve both this beautiful earth, which gave rise to us, and ourselves well, now and in the future. Specifically, I wish to give you a deeper understanding of what local food is, to outline briefly the evolving economic paradigm which has resulted in a decidedly non-local approach being applied to our food systems and, finally, to offer my thoughts on how we can and, I would argue, must engage as citizens in our communities and in the democratic process if we wish to create a new economic paradigm which will result in the revitalization of a sustainable and vibrant local food system.
If we are all to be committed to this goal of creating a vibrant, local food system, we had better have an acceptable definition for local food which might guide our thought processes and our deliberate actions. So what exactly is local food? The definition which guides my own involvement in the local food system, both as a farmer and an activist, is the following: local food is the food on your plate which was produced using local resources, both in space and time, and does not negatively affect either future generations or the delicately balanced life support systems which maintain all life on earth. Let me try to explain what exactly this means, beginning with locality of space, which is often far more complicated than it would seem on the surface. It is overly simplistic to believe that local food is local purely as a function of geography. To begin with, even though a particular product may come from a farm less than 20 kms. distant, there is the question of where the inputs used to make the product come from. Is an apparently local egg still local if the corn and soy, which makes up the largest portion of most chickens’ diets, comes from several thousand kms. away? I think it is clear that an agricultural product cannot honestly be called local unless the resources used in its production are also mostly equally local. As well, I believe ardently that to define local food exclusively in terms of geography almost completely ignores the issue of sustainability and, as such, does justice neither to our biosphere nor to future generations. Civilizations of the past, having collapsed due to their failure to create sustainable agricultural production systems, probably found little comfort in the fact that they were at least local.
In addition to recognizing this importance of locality of space, i.e. geography and the human culture which inhabits it, a full and genuine understanding of local food is also contingent upon recognizing locality of time as it relates to food production. It is in our ability to create local food systems which reflect locality of time and space that sustainability can be achieved. Ideally, what this means is that local food is produced using resources which are available to us here and now; sunlight, soil, water, the biological systems which support all of life on earth, our domesticated livestock, our diverse supply of domesticated plants, our 10000 plus years of experience as agriculturalists and our own ingenuity, energy and capacity to reason, with little or no inputs drawn from our finite and extremely valuable ancient reserves of fossil fuels. As an aside here, I would like to point out that our industrial agricultural production systems currently use 9 or 10 calories of energy, mostly finite fossil fuels, to create one single calorie of food energy. Is this efficient? Is it sustainable? Consider as well that 150 years ago, when almost all of our food was local, in both time and space, and 100 % of it was organic, we got two calories of food energy from every calorie of human and animal energy invested in production. Food systems which fully recognize the importance of locality of time and space do not generate wastes in the form of concentrated amounts of animal feces and urine which can contaminate surface and ground water far and wide, wastes which are often carrying pharmaceuticals, hormones and pathogens such as E. coli and have a direct impact on human health, nor do they result in fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide and fungicide run-off and thus contamination of the entire ecosystem, the damaging consequences of which, due to bioaccumulation up the food-chain, affect us more than almost any other life form. To those who say that our regulatory authorities have permitted the use of such substances, ergo it must be safe to use the 4 billion plus pounds which are released into our environment each year, I say this: most of these dangerous substances have never been subjected to long-term studies funded by impartial scientists, instead, our governments accept the data from tests conducted by the manufacturers themselves in deciding whether to approve their product. This was the case with DDT, agent orange, Dieldren, PCBs and countless other substances which have since been proven to be too dangerous to use and the regulatory approval process has not changed significantly in 50 years. Farms which do strive for locality in time and space focus on growing nutrient dense food, maintaining natural soil fertility, maintaining plant and animal diversity, finding an appropriate rate of return in terms of energy invested and food energy produced and avoid any practices which will result in costs being born by the ecosphere and by future generations of humans. Let me give you two contradictory examples which will illustrate what role locality of time does or does not play in local food production.
The first example is of your typical, conventional, industrial farm, like most of the farms which surround our own out near Carstairs. They grow grain and hay to feed to their cattle, which might eventually become the steak on a local consumer’s plate, or canola, which might end up as oil on the shelf in your kitchen. To begin with, farms such as these are almost entirely dependent on large, industrial machinery to produce their commodities. The manufacturing of these machines is itself dependent on the use of huge amounts of fossil fuels to mine the raw materials, smelt them into usable metals, form the metals into parts and finally, put it all together into a functioning tractor, swather or combine. On top of this, their production inputs are almost all derived from fossil fuels; diesel provides the power to operate the heavy machinery, oil provides the lubricants, the synthetic fertilizer which stands in for fertile soil is mostly derived from natural gas and the herbicides, pesticides and fungicides are all derived from natural gas. Before a crop has even been harvested on such a farm, large amounts of ancient, stored energy, non-renewable fossil fuels, have been consumed. Now let us turn our attention to the non-local effects of such farming methods. The fuel burned by the machinery creates, amongst other emissions, greenhouse gases, which cumulatively have the potential to irrevocably alter the climate, thus endangering the ability of future generations to engage successfully in agriculture. A significant percentage of the synthetic fertilizers applied to the land do not stay on the land, but rather, they go into solution and become agricultural run-off, contributing to degradation of the integrity of our watersheds and our oceans. There is clear evidence linking the large oceanic dead zones, zones where complex life forms can no longer exist due to anoxia, or absence of oxygen, with the synthetic fertilizer run-off from industrial agriculture. Similarly, the herbicides and pesticides, whether organo-phosphates or chlorinated hydrocarbons, do not all stay on the land. There is drift of these substances in the slightest breeze and ultimately, most of them enter our watersheds and become persistent organic pollutants. Considering that most of them are known carcinogens (cancer causing) and/or mutagens (chromosome disruptors) and that many of them can persist in the environment for unspecified periods of time, effecting both human health and the health of countless other organisms far and wide, we can hardly consider their effects to be limited in a local sense, either in space or time. I believe it is fairly clear that an agricultural operation such as the one in this example is not able to limit itself to using local resources in either space or time, nor is it able to avoid consequences which will be a burdensome cost for the entire biosphere and for future generations of humans. The point that its products might end up being used by local consumers becomes moot when we consider the far-reaching consequences of the practices of such operations.
Our second example here is one near and dear to me and I am convinced, as hard as this may be to believe in the contemporary industrial context, that it represents the future of agriculture in addition to being the past. Thompson Small Farm is run by two friends of ours, Andrea Thompson and Johnathon Wright, and except for the relatively small amount of fossil fuel used to deliver their products into the Calgary marketplace by means of a CSA, or community supported agriculture project, they use no fossil fuels or fossil fuel derived inputs whatsoever in producing local food. This is an operation which has less than 10 acres of cultivated land devoted to herb and vegetable production and all of the field work is carried out by a team of four horses and by human hands. Other than seed, there are no external inputs invested in the production of their food. This is as close as one can get in the present moment to being truly local in both space and time. Their practices maintain soil fertility by means of manure and compost amendments and do not result in any costs, whether environmental, health or social, being passed on to other forms of life either in the present or in the future. Our farm, Blue Mountain, operates in this same way, but with 110 acres of cultivated land and no draught horses, we are still dependent on fossil fuels to provide the power for cultivating the land and harvesting our forage and field crops. But, if it is in a real sense more efficient to grow food using human and animal power and it is only the distortion of a highly flawed market which allows industrial food, whether local or not, to evade its true costs when it comes to pricing and if it is also true that the non-renewable energy, which makes industrial, non-local agriculture possible, will, as supply and demand dictates, inevitably become increasingly expensive, to say nothing of the costly aftereffects of relying on it to produce most of our food, then I think that we all know where this is heading. There are those who say that the future of agriculture is in nano-technology and genetic engineering, but I assure you that in the future we will be investing in some kind of draught animals and the equipment designed to be used with them.
What I have attempted to give you here is a full understanding of the factors which should be considered when we are speaking of local food, that we collectively might set goals and make policy which will take us down the path of genuine progress, and that you might yourself make very informed decisions which will directly result in a better, more sustainable food system, local in both space and time. My words are not a prescription for what I believe must happen tomorrow. I am neither foolish nor naïve enough to believe that reviving sustainable, local food systems will not be a life’s work. Fortunately, we have at our disposal, should we bravely choose to employ it in an intelligent and mature fashion, that very cultural agent which has resulted in our food systems being so incredibly non-local and unsustainable. That agent is the free market.
I would like to begin this portion of my presentation by reminding everyone that markets, in the abstract sense of the word, i.e. the free market, the capital market, or market forces, are an invention of human culture. They were not foisted on us by some divine power in the way that medieval European nobility forced its subjects to accept its exploitative and often harsh rule. Rather, they were initially established and regulated by so-called civilized states in the modern era, and have evolved over time as economic policy has changed in that area of the world which first championed abstract markets and most benefited from them, the so-called western world. Knowing this to be the case, we must always remember that as long as we live in democratic states, we have the power to bring about changes in the economic policies which are to be implemented by our elected governments. We will return to the role of democracy in building sustainable local food systems later. For now let us focus on the role which economic policy, manifesting itself as the free market and embodied in corporations, has played in destroying them.
For those of you with a grounding in economic theory, the concept of externalities will not be a new one. For the rest of you, suffice it to say that externalities are the costs which are associated with the production of any item which do NOT need to be calculated into the sticker price which will confront consumers in the marketplace. Take, for example, the chemical industry. For years, this industry was, and to some extent, still is, allowed to dump its toxic wastes into our watersheds, and the costs which arose as a result of that dumping, real costs to human health and to the broader environment, simply did not have to be included in the price of their products. Who does bear the burden of these real costs, then? The public does, in terms of increased health expenditures and decreased quality of life, now and in the future, and the ecosphere does, in terms of degraded habitat and loss of bio-diversity, now and in the future. In other words, we all pay for it, now and in the future, while the private capital which multiplied itself several times over moves on and turns to the next most profitable undertaking it encounters. Corporations, with the power of large pools of capital behind them and no social conscience to temper their behaviour in pursuit of return on investment, have become not only expert at investing to achieve efficiency by virtue of scale but have also become expert at externalizing as many of their costs as possible. It is for this reason that so much capital has, in the last two decades of so-called globalization, been invested in areas of the world with relatively lax labour laws and low environmental standards. Corporations are able to externalize more of their costs in these regions than in the western world, thus realizing greater returns on investment than they could in the very nations where they came into being. In essence, our governments have, for at least the past thirty years, pursued economic policies which favoured the interests of capital over all other interests, including the public interest, and capital, using the corporation as its vehicle, has sought profits in apparent economies of scale and by externalizing costs as ruthlessly as possible, practices which could not help but be applied to agriculture and agribusiness. In the context of food, what this means is that agricultural operations which were extremely good at being local in time and space, were gradually made less competitive as large-scale, capital intensive agricultural operations gained the ability to produce cheaper, non-local food by externalizing many of the real costs. The net result of this has been the production of cheaper food, but this cheapness is artificial, as the costs which are externalized in industrial, non-local food systems are being born in the present time by the biosphere and by the public, in terms of negative health outcomes, the displacement of farmers, the dying out of vibrant rural communities, the loss of high quality food and loss of natural soil fertility. These externalized costs will continue to be a burden on future generations and on the biosphere for some time to come, even if we begin now to move towards models of production which strive to be local in both space and time. The question is, then, is the current model of industrial agricultural production, which externalizes real costs to the commons in the present and in the future and achieves no degree of sustainability whatsoever, acceptable? I have a nine year old son, and for those of you with children and those who wish to have children, I think the answer is obvious. When it comes to matters of food and the production models which will serve us best in the future, the industrial, non-local model is a failure. The conclusion which I and many other progressive thinkers draw from all of this is that we need to change the economic policies which have allowed capital,corporations and industrial farms to engage in practices which result in artificially cheap products, be they food or other consumer products, through the externalization of costs. If the same powerful and creative market forces, capital and corporations, were no longer allowed to externalize costs but were required to adopt true cost accounting principles, these market forces could create what Paul Hawken, the author of the Ecology of Commerce, calls the Restorative Economy. This would be an economy which does not reward waste, over-exploitation of resources, whether renewable or non-renewable, social displacement and economic insecurity, degradation of the atmospheric and ecological commons, actions which negatively effect human health and the passing on of costs to future generations. Knowing that the free market is a manifestation of economic, and thus, public policy, we also know that these policies can be changed. It is in engaging as enlightened citizens in our communities and in the democratic process that these changes can be realized, for the good of all, now, and in the future.
It is ironic that a certain attitude of economic determinism has come to be entrenched in our democratic nations. Many people, especially the ideological adherents of the theory of the free market, act as if the free market is a gift from God, something akin to the ten commandments which Moses brought down from the mountain, and, as such, these so-called free market principles are not up for debate. However, this becomes much more understandable when we recognize that the staunchest defenders of our present economic paradigm are those who have personally benefited the most from them. This is, in the end, a very small number of people, as is demonstrated by the ever growing gap in income disparity, as the very rich get richer, the middle class continues to shrink and the poor grow poorer and become more numerous. There is, to my knowledge, no peer-reviewed academic paper published anywhere, which demonstrates that our current economic paradigm of globalized corporations and capital is resulting in development which is sustainable. At the same time, there are thousands of academic papers published each year which show evidence of the decline of all the systems at work on earth which are necessary to support life. From the oceans to the icecaps, from coastal fisheries to tropical forests, they are all in decline as the result of human economic activity exerting pressure everywhere on the planet. It will not be enough to try to change this unsustainable system through our purchasing decisions. What is required of us is that we act as citizens, not as consumers, and that we take seriously our rights and responsibilities to engage in the democratic process.
Democracies work best when they involve an educated populace which is aware and educated. If citizens are going to engage in the democratic process than they should have at their disposal full knowledge of the factors which should be considered when it comes time to cast a ballot. It is here that we have a real weakness in our own society, as many of our fellow citizens simply are not aware of the most important challenges which we are currently facing. There is a role for all of us, in our homes and in our communities, to engage our fellow citizens in order to spread awareness of the most important issues of the day. It is not required of us that we preach, or get angry and shout, or be self -righteous. We simply need to find the strength and courage to ask questions. Awareness begins with the asking of questions and the search for more and better information, and it leads, in the end, not only to more questions, but also to considered decisions imbued with wisdom and policies which will serve the public interest. To me, public interest includes the best interests of the biosphere. Because our system of education, our political institutions and our media have failed to do so, we must engage our fellow citizens if we are to have any hope of using our democratic institutions to effect real change. If we really want a vibrant, sustainable, local food system, then we must take seriously our right to be involved in the democratic process and our responsibility to ensure that our fellow citizens, who are not yet aware of the issues surrounding local food, become educated enough to help us with our cause.
For those of you who are already engaged in the democratic process, and by this I mean more than just going out to vote, the issues I have addressed here today need also to be raised within our traditional political institutions. If you are a member of a political party, regardless of the political stripe, you need to raise these questions within the context of policy meetings and policy discussions. If you find that your questions are not dealt with seriously, then you need to participate in the creation of new political organs which will deal with these questions seriously. It is a serious flaw in Canada’s democracy that we do not have an electoral system which accurately reflects popular will in our legislative chambers. This is another issue which we must address if we wish to effect real change, whether in regards to huge issues such as economic policy or smaller issues such as public transportation. Our politicians often talk the talk when it comes to democratic renewal, but as of yet, no single traditional political party has made a serious commitment to altering our electoral system. Therefore, it is left up to us to move this agenda forward, so that public interest, as represented today, in the context of this event, by the need to rejuvenate sustainable, local food systems, might yet trump individual and political self-interest.
Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, when we speak of local food and local food systems, considered in the light of locality of time and space, we are forced to address systemic issues within our civilization, which in the minds of some have the status of sacred cows. We face myriad and highly complex problems that need to be addressed in order to secure a brighter future for generations of humans yet unborn, to say nothing of the living earth which nourishes and sustains us. It was food and our historical development as agriculturalists, which initially gave rise to complex societies, which we now define as civilization, and I believe that we have a duty to return food and agriculture to a position of appropriate reverence and primacy in order that our civilization might have a solid and sustainable foundation going into the future. We might just find that in doing so, we will be dealing with so many of the other great challenges which now confront us, from obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure to cancer and congenital birth defects. In doing so, we might just find that we here, living on this great plain we call the prairies, will finally be able to develope a unique food culture which does justice to the soil beneath our feet and reflects this beautiful place we inhabit back to us. In so doing, we might just find ourselves on a path of genuine progress which will bring us real quality of life. The time has now come to stop pretending that profit must take precedence over people and the planet. Let us honour ourselves and our earth and take seriously our role here on this planet, let us, to put it simply, grow up. For all of us, there should be no higher cause on this plane of existence than to actively promote sustainability and the future of humanity, which is inextricably tied to the integrity of the biosphere. I wish you courage and good spirits and joy in this. Do not be afraid to ask the difficult questions. Our children and generations hence will be grateful to you for having done so.
Copyright 2009 Kris Vester
TEDxYYC: The 3.8 Billion Year Curriculum
April 1. 2011
The 3.8 Billion Year Curriculum
There is no forward motion without legs, no growth without roots, no bright future without the struggles of the past and present. I fear not to tread on this fool’s day on the sacred cows our culture holds so dear, for with mirth and love in heart and head there is a serious lesson, which I would spread. In a past beyond the imaginative capacity of most of us, nigh on 4 billion years ago, on this raw planet life took hold, by what means we do not fully know. What we theorize is that in this elemental mix of gases, liquids, and solids, we like to call primordial soup, the heavens struck the vital spark from which all life would descend.
From the first community of prokaryotes a lifeline runs deep into the heart of our own. The means, the mechanisms, the materials, the modes remain more or less unchanged. In the deceptive sheen of our human world, this line is hard to trace. But the fact remains, if we open our eyes, that the communities of the human race rest on a foundation, which was laid by communities of communities of communities of life over the course of billions of years. Without the prokaryotes there could have been no multi-cellular life and no photosynthesis. Without photosynthesis, the energy from the sun would never have been tapped into by life’s early forms and the conditions on the planet would not have changed to allow for the emergence of terrestrial life. Life on earth flourished, with new communities of life finding balance within the ever-increasing diversity. Each new entrant to the evolution of life built itself up on the last, finding its niche by drawing vital energy and nutrients where it could and then, whether alive or deceased, providing energy for other life forms in turn. In this way a balanced community was born, with nutrients and energy endlessly cycled, the process of death itself becoming a source of energy for life. The program of this earth seems to favour diversifying life, as long as climatic conditions do not change dramatically, which they sometimes have, and as long as a population does not outgrow the carrying capacity of the communities of life upon which it depends. Hominids are very much latecomers on the ecological scene, beneficiaries of 3.8 billion years of evolution. Considering contemporary ‘Homo Sapiens’ utter disregard for the ecosystems which support us, our taking for granted the stable climate which sets the conditions for our kind to thrive, and our mindless, uncaring destruction of the rich bio-diversity from which we chanced to evolve, to call ourselves, homo sapiens, wise man, I think is nearly obscene.
We think of life’s lessons as those learned hard by us in our youth, but the truly important lessons for life are those laid out for us in evolution. The vital nutrient and energy interface of human communities with other ecological communities is that thing which we commonly refer to as food. We cannot live without food and we cannot expect to achieve a high degree of physical, social and spiritual health without a food culture which is good, clean and fair. Food is the root of our civilization, both our metabolic fuel and our cellular building material. Our current food system, that complex marriage of cultures of production, distribution and consumption, is something to which we humans should be paying much greater attention. For it is at our own peril that we would assume that all is well in the world of human food, that corporate agri-business and our governments are enacting food policies which have, at heart, the best interests of all human beings and the ecosphere, this community of communities of life, of which we are but one small part and on which we depend so completely.
The list of concerns, which have driven this farmer in word, in thought and in deed, is lengthy and the issues are most complex. From questions of sustainability of industrial production which is fully dependent on finite fossil fuels, to the cultural and material impoverishment of local agricultures under the pressure of a global food industry; from diversity destroying mono-cultures to the steadily declining nutritional quality of the food that we eat; from the Pandora’s box of genetic modification to the serious threat posed by loss of soil and soil fertility; this list could go on and on. But I will not, for others, authors, lecturers, academics and even peasants have already delved into this sphere in great detail and done us all a great service. If you need more information about what is wrong with our food systems, I would encourage you to seek out their works.
My intention here is to shed some light into the murky world of ‘why”? Why is it that we have developed a food system, which creates so many problems and raises so many serious questions? For most of us who are not blinded by ideological faith in theories of economics, the question is quite rational. All romanticism of the big red barn aside, given the choice, most people would prefer to support modes of food production which supply them with nutrient dense food which is fresh, delicious and grown in their own rural communities. Likewise, most people would support food policies, which help keep family farms viable, maintain bio-diversity, contribute to the long-term viability of human populations and treat domesticated life forms with dignity and respect? The answer to “why” is quite simple, and for many, especially those in the western world, who have been lulled into a false sense of security by a hundred years or more of cultural manipulation, it is also quite unpalatable. The reason that we now have a food system, which delivers on none of the aforementioned positive aspects of agriculture, is that the food system is not designed to do so. It is designed to do one and only one thing: to deliver to the masses food which is plentiful and as cheap as possible, even if the cheapness is artificially achieved by means of externalizing many of the real costs of industrial production by framing food in fundamentally flawed theories of economics.
‘Panem et circenses’ -‘Bread and circuses’. This phrase has had resonance in our western culture at least as far back as the Roman era. In such times of gross, immoral inequality, the ruling elites of the day knew that they would be able to maintain their superior status and grip on power, which was never going to be defensible on moral or philosophical grounds, only if the numerically superior masses of slaves, peasants and poor free citizens were kept quiescent with sufficient quantities of food and distracting entertainments. The very fact that this has been, and continues to be, a necessity for elites, speaks volumes about the inherent desire for fairness, equality and decency, in short, humanism, which is common amongst human beings. It is also, to my way of thinking, a complete repudiation of the dominant theory of economics as espoused by the Chicago School in the US and its local sycophantic offshoot, the Calgary School. Truly, it is high time for this morally and intellectual bankrupt concept of ‘homo economicus’ to be laid to rest. If anyone doubts that we live today in a period of serious and increasing inequality, then I would encourage you to check out the statistics as reported by our own governmental agencies. In both Canada and the US, the richest 20% of the population owns roughly 90% of the financial wealth, and this disparity has been growing since the 1980’s. Even if they are detrimental to the prospect of long-term sustainability and work contrary to any real standards of progress, cheap, plentiful food and vacuous, propagandertainment, both conveniently delivered very profitably by the economic elite, are the only tools elites have, besides indefensible violence and incarceration, to maintain their control and keep their unjustifiably high standard of living.
Our food systems have been subverted, perhaps even perverted, for the purposes of maintaining gross social and economic inequality and injustice, offering the corollary benefit of further enriching the economic elite in the process. I would argue that as citizens of democratic nations, it is our moral duty to strive to change this situation by peaceful means, as long as we live in democracies in name and in law.
The first and most important step to be taken in making real progress in terms of food and food systems is the personal recognition we each need to achieve in regards to the interconnectedness of communities of life on this planet and the intrinsic and equal value of all life forms, human and otherwise. The human arrogance which is expressed in our economic policy of growth for growth’s sake, regardless of the consequences for marginalized populations and other communities of life, needs to be exposed for what it is; a self-serving and ultimately self-defeating delusion. If the theory behind our economic policies is the improvement of the standard of living of humans, then why do we not utilize a system of evaluation, which is actually capable of measuring progress? The system of economic metrics currently used by business and government to demonstrate that we are making progress, in terms of percentage of economic growth, is not such a system. In fact, GDP and GNP deliver a report on progress, which only measures economic activity as a whole, regardless of the nature, whether positive or negative, of that economic activity. In a speech given shortly before his assassination in 1968, Robert F. Kennedy summed up this situation eloquently and powerfully. I would like to quote it here.
"Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.
"Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile."
If we are ever to hope to institute a system of measuring progress, such as the Genuine Progress Index, or something akin to Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness, it is going to be required of us that we engage in the democratic process in a most active and serious way. The elites who currently set economic policy are well served by the GDP/GNP, as it allows them to assure a concerned but distracted citizenry that we are in fact making some kind of progress. This change will not be achieved easily, but then, the progress of past eras, such as the abolition of slavery, the civil right’s movement and universal suffrage, was also not easily achieved. The intrinsic rights, which all people have, as members of the community of life, are never recognized and entrenched in law and practice, without a struggle. We will have to demand these changes, we may have to march in the streets for these changes, some of us, as demonstrated recently by our brave and selfless fellow beings in the Arab world, may even die fighting for these changes. But then, from my perspective, there are worse things than dying for a cause which is just and will better serve future generations of humans and the communities of life required to support them. A life lived in a meaningless, inconsequential, comfortable and self-indulgent way would be to name but one.
The other way, in which we might all help to foster and promote a healthy, sustainable food system is to bring our own personal financial power to bear on the issue. This can be achieved on two levels. The first of these is to stop supporting the industrial and corporate food system with our spending power. There are now ample and ever-increasing opportunities to support local farmers who are committed to the production of good, clean and fair food in a sustainable way. Whether you become involved in a Community Supported Agriculture Project, go to the farmers’ market, buy directly at the farm gate or seek out the food retailers which are truly committed to supporting and promoting sustainable local food, your food dollars can go a long way to changing the food system. The other financial tool, which many of us have at our disposal, is the wealth that we have accrued and invested in various financial instruments. Whether you are aware or not, your savings are probably being invested in corporations which are engaged in business which may be working in complete opposition to your own personal moral and ethical values. If even a small percentage of our total invested wealth were to be redirected towards sustainable, local agricultural production, as proposed by the nascent Slow Money movement, great change could be wrought in the food system. The only limitations to what could be achieved on this front are the scope of our vision, the power of our imaginations and the courage of our moral convictions.
Civilizations of the past have been built on the foundations of the communities of life in which they found fertile ground, and all, without exception, have fallen when the demands they made of the communities of life which once flourished in the soil, the water, the forest, the mountainside and the meadow, exceeded the capacity of these communities to support them. I believe in the value of our human culture and it is for this reason that I am a farmer and an advocate of sustainable food systems. It is only by using huge quantities of non-renewable energy that we humans are able to feed ourselves, albeit poorly, with roughly one billion of our fellow humans suffering consistently from malnutrition and another one billion suffering from obesity and other diseases caused by the industrialization of our food supply. But eventually, our cultures will have to come to terms with the communities of life on which we depend and the limits to growth which are simply a fact of the natural world. I think it is time that we paid all of these communities of life, including our own, the respect that all life deserves, by seeking to restore our own culture’s dynamic equilibrium within the natural world. Our knees may shake slightly with fear at the prospect of this great challenge, but if we find a point of balance within the community of life, our legs will be strong enough to move us forward. Help me, help us, help yourself, to strengthen roots anchored deep in the beautiful, living earth, which gave rise to us. The struggles are inevitable, but this time, in contrast to every other civilization of the past, with our depth of knowledge, our clean technologies, our wisdom, our desire for justice and our will, we might just be able to create that brighter future for many generations to come.
Pecha Kucha: November 2011
Pecha Kucha SFC Presentation- November 23, 2011. Thanks to my wife, Tamara, for all of the beautiful photographs
It is an honour to have been invited here to give a brief presentation on Slow Food under the rubric of “reclaim”, as Slow Food, both locally here in Calgary and internationally, is passionately committed to the idea of reclaiming our food systems, the foundation upon which our entire culture rests.
To give you all a brief idea of what Slow Food represents and how it is trying to reclaim our food culture, we must start with a brief history lesson. When we think of a nation whose food culture is a praiseworthy manifestation of pleasure, community, family, diversity, geography, history and climate, Italy might well come to mind. It is not without reason that this phrase, La Dolce Vita, the sweet life, has come to encapsulate all that is right with Italy.
However, in 1986, like a deathstar on the horizon, the golden arches appeared for the first time in Italy, not in some tasteless mall or bland suburb, but in the very heart of Rome near the Spanish Steps. This was a wakeup call for many intellectuals and gastronomes, who realized that this meant that not only their food culture, but their culture as a whole, was now under serious threat of being undermined by the homogenous forces of global capitalism. Slow Food was born.
Both the founders of Slow Food and those who followed in their footsteps, including myself, understand that food is a manifestation of a culture’s complex and myriad relationships. Our food and our food culture reflects our relationships with the ecosphere which nourishes us, of which our domesticated plants and animals are but one small slice, and it also reflects our relationships with each other.
My purpose here is to urge all of you to take those steps which will help us to reclaim the dignity and sacredness of our relationships with food, and thus to all life on this planet. Our roots as complex, organized civilizations are all anchored deeply in our history as agricultural peoples, and given the many serious problems we are currently facing, I believe that if we can restore the dignity and sacredness of our relationship to food, we will have started down the path of a just society which will be healthier, happier and more sustainable.
If we are to restore these relationships we need to begin by looking no further than to our grandmothers and grandfathers, who are the repositories of generations of accumulated wisdom and experience in regards to food. My own father, now 86 and pictured here on the right, was born on a small farm in Denmark where all of their work was done by horse or by hand. There are countless others like him, and we need to stop looking at their generation as a burden which must borne, and start asking about their valuable and irreplaceable experience and knowledge.
There is no better way to appreciate the sacredness of food than to be involved in growing it. This is something that is accessible to all and I encourage you all to dig in, whether in your backyard, your childrens’ school, a community garden plot or planters on your balcony. The deep satisfaction of growing food from seed to plate is something with which very few activities can compete and in terms of building a real relationship between yourself and the life of our planet, there is nothing, perhaps with the exception of becoming a parent, which does.
Even for the most committed gardener or farmer, there is no getting around the fact that you will have to buy some of your food. Going to a supermarket where you will be another faceless, anonymous consumer browsing the isles of agricultural commodities is not going to rebuild a meaningful relationship to food. Seek out the real farmers’ markets and get to know and support your farmers. Barring that, find the retailers in your community who nourish meaningful and supportive relationships with farmers. Either way, you will have more fun than going to the big box down the road.
We all like to indulge in the experience of going out to eat. Here too you can deepen your relationship to food by choosing to spend your dollars at establishments which have real relationships with farmers, rather than standing orders with food service corporations. Such restaurants respect and foster the important role played by food producers in their bioregion and your support reinforces the choices they make in using quality, local ingredients. By seeking out and supporting such food establishments, you are choosing to support and build vibrant local communities.
Eat together! There are few pleasures in life as genuine as those which arise from taking the time to eat an unhurried, delicious meal in the company of those you love or perhaps even in the company of pleasant strangers. This sharing of food, and perhaps a little drink as well, reinforces the shared, vital interest we all have in taking sustenance. It also makes time and space for thoughtful conversation in a fast-paced world which seems to conspire against thoughtful conversation.
As a farmer, there is no greater lesson learned than the importance of cooperation. In fact, were it not for the historical relationships built by people acting cooperatively in the pursuit of a better future, there would be no civilization to speak of whatsoever today. Committing ourselves to the project of a better, healthier and happier future is not an individual undertaking. Such a goal can only be realized by respecting the importance of every human being and fostering strong relationships within the community.
Within the present context of food, where so many of us are almost completely alienated from the life processes which give rise to our food and the farmers who guide those life processes, one of the most important things a person can do to deepen his or her relationship to food is to get to know your farmers.
Educate yourself as to the importance of soil, for without soil, there is no food and without healthy soil there is no healthy food. Industrial agriculture acts as though soil is merely a growing medium, a place for roots to anchor and nutrients to rest until required by a growing plant. This could not be further from the truth. Soil is the life blood of our food system, a complex mix of organic and inorganic, living and dying, a spoonful of which contains more cells than are contained in your entire body. Add to that the fact that almost every failed civilization of the past has collapsed due to depletion of soils and soil nutrients, and I think you might understand its importance. Your life depends on your relationship to soil.
Seeds and seed-saving are an inheritance of our collective, global culture. The bias of governments, especially in Canada and the US, towards corporate control of seeds and genetic modification, pose a real risk to this inheritance. Slow Food is strongly opposed to GMOs and corporate control of this incredibly valuable treasure trove of genetic diversity and supports the right of all eaters to know whether the seeds used in the production of their food are genetically modified. If you want to reclaim a positive relationship to food, plant seeds and learn how to save them.
Bees play a critical role in our food system, the importance of which goes way beyond their production of that sweet golden nectar called honey. It is estimated that one third of our food supply would disappear if bees were to disappear. The vital relationship of humans to bees is self-evident and we would all do well to learn more about them and to create the conditions for bee colonies to thrive rather than the toxic environment industrial civilization has created, which is killing our pollinators. We are blessed here in the Calgary bioregion to have a very active urban beekeeping movement. Seek them out and learn!
Those of us who are omnivores cannot pretend that the animal products which we eat come from the supermarket. Behind these animal products are animals, and we do not pay ourselves or these animals the respect they are due by allowing them to be kept in appalling and cruel conditions commonplace in industrial agriculture. Omnivores who wish to have a dignified and respectful relationship to the animals who supply their eggs, dairy products and meat, should be fully informed as to the provenance of their food.
The reality of our situation here in Alberta is that we live in a rather harsh northern climate where nothing grows for about five months per year. The flip side of this is that our intense summers yield great quantities of quality produce which can be preserved for those dark, cold days. The satisfaction of putting up your own preserves, preferably by getting together with your friends canning bee style, and enjoying them in the winter is one of the best ways to restore the dignity of your relationship to food.
We all need to recognize that human beings, in spite of the massive impact we have on this planet, are not a species separate from the rest of the ecosphere. If we truly wish to reclaim a dignified and respectful relationship to food, we must recognize the reality of the interconnectedness of all life. This means leaving the wild spaces wild and making room in our civilization for all life forms, both for the sake of our own spiritual health and for the sake of future generations.
Standing here in our pond on a glorious summer day is one of my primary motivators in my own personal efforts at reclaiming and promoting a sacred and dignified relationship to food. My son represents not only his generation but generations yet to come, and we must take back control of our food system from those corporations who cannot think beyond the next fiscal year and career politicians who cannot think beyond the next election. To me, reclaiming our food systems is reclaiming our own dignity as a part of the web of life on this planet.
On the 10th of December, international Terre Madre, or Mother Earth, day, Slow Food Calgary and Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association are hosting a potluck and public dialogue on food. This event, held concurrently with events around the world, will seek to promote discourse around both the Pleasure and the Politics of Food. The event is free and details about it will be posted on the slow food Calgary website in the next couple of days. I hope to see some of you there. Thank you for your time and attention.
Kristian H. Vester
1st Generation Cdn., Anachronistic Peasant Farmer, Food System Educator and occasional lecturer. Intellectual roots in food, Germanic and Classical Studies..
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Live Music, Tour Dates
I’m From Barcelona Tour Dates (Maxwell’s, Masonic Temple)
Posted by bumpershine on March 13, 2008
I’m From Barcelona at Southpaw (08/07/07)
Definitely one of the most fun shows I saw last year was I’m From Barcelona at Southpaw, so it’s great news that this little 22 piece outfit is making its way back to Brooklyn in the spring. They’ll be playing at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple with Thao Nguyen and The Get Down Stay Down on May Day (May 1). By the way, tickets for this show are exceedingly reasonable $10, and they include a free New York Magazine subscription to boot. For those of you on the other side of the river, they’ll also be playing a sure to be sold out show at Maxwell’s on April 25, 2008.
All IFB tour dates below.
I’m From Barcelona 2008 Spring Tour Dates
04.24.08 First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
04.25.08 Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ
04.27.08 Coachella Music & Arts Festival, Indio, CA
04.28.08 El Rey, Los Angeles, CA
04.29.08 The Independent, San Francisco, CA
05.01.08 Masonic Temple, Brooklyn, NY
Q: Why are they called “I’m From Barcelona”?
A: The lead singer of the band of is named Emanuel Lundgren which closely resembles the name Manuel. Some of you may also know that there was a character called Manuel on the classic British TV show Fawlty Towers. Manuel was, of course, from Barcelona, hence the name of the band. True story.
Brooklyn Masonic TempleI'm From BarcelonaThao Nguyen
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Updates To Louisiana Theater Shooting As A Harrowing Night Begins In Lafayette
By Melissah Yang
Stacy Revere/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Throughout Thursday night, officials continued to provide updates to the Louisiana theater shooting that left at least three people dead, including the gunman who, according to authorities, turned the gun on himself. Police first responded to calls at around 7:30 p.m. to a Trainwreck showing at Grand 16 Theatre in Lafayette, the city's police department said via Twitter. There appears to have only been one shooter, authorities said.
During a press conference Thursday evening, Police Chief Jim Craft said there were nine people with a range of non-life threatening and critical injuries. He also said three people died, including the shooter from a self-inflicting gunshot. Officials said the gunman was a 58-year-old white male who was a theater patron but declined to disclose his identity due to the ongoing investigation. The suspected gunman has a criminal history, though it was from many years earlier, according to Craft. Investigators are currently looking at various factors such as where he lived, people who he was associated with, and what websites he was on. They declined to disclose the shooter's weapon though they said it was a handgun.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who traveled from Baton Rouge to Lafayette, told reporters:
As governor, as a father and as a husband, whenever we hear about these senseless acts of violence, it makes us both furious and sad at the same time. ... This is an awful night for Lafayette. This is an awful night for Louisiana. This is an awful night for America.
There were around 100 people inside the crowded theater when the shooting took place, and officials said they had already begun questioning witnesses. Streets in the surrounding area have been closed.
Comedienne and actress Amy Schumer, who stars in the film that was playing at the time, took to Twitter to express her condolences. She tweeted, "My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana."
This story is developing...
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10837 Lorel Avenue, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Gorgeous 3 bedroom, 3.1 bath oak lawn step ranch features fresh paint, newly refinished hardwood... Read More
5122 West 100th Street, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Beautifully updated true ranch set on large lot. this home is completely updated and move in... Read More
Condo For Sale $89,900
820Sq ft
5700 Circle Drive #101, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Condo For Sale $174,900
10720 South WASHINGTON Avenue #303, Oak...
Beautiful 5 room, 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo with garage parking. unit is very spacious with new... Read More
9648 MANSFIELD Avenue, Oak Lawn, Illinois
This ranch-style home in the heart of oak lawn is perfectly set up for someone in need of wheel... Read More
5549 West 102nd Street, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Well maintained solid brick ranch.3 bedroom.2 baths dinning room,also hot water heat with... Read More
9523 Marion Avenue, Oak Lawn, Illinois
5175 West 88th Place, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Absolutely beautiful ! this gorgeous split level home main floor has livingroom , open concept... Read More
10416 Georgia Lane, Oak Lawn, Illinois
The one you've been waiting for.. fully rehabbed brick, tri-level house on quiet street in oak... Read More
9020 Sproat Avenue, Oak Lawn, Illinois
The deal fell through. agents, please bring serious buyers not tire kickers. great starter home!... Read More
9920 Elm Circle Drive, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Move right in! large, updated family home close to sward school and metra station. four big... Read More
5016 Oak Center Drive, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Beautifully remodeled 4 bedroom, 2 bath home on a large corner lot across from a park! the... Read More
10009 South Massasoit Avenue, Oak Lawn,...
Custom built 3 bedrooms, 2 bath brick tri-level home with attached 2 car garage. freshly painted,... Read More
10210 Washington Avenue #200, Oak Lawn,...
Updated and quiet 2nd floor condo in secure building with elevator. garage parking included in... Read More
4917 West 109th Street #15301, Oak Lawn,...
4905 West 109th Street #303, Oak Lawn,...
Pride of ownership, this 2 bedroom condo is in move-in condition. features separate living and... Read More
Best deal around.... 2 bedrooms , 1 1/2 baths.. with garage, elevator building.. end... Read More
4969 Paxton Road, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Gorgeous two story home offers 4 large bedrooms and 4 baths...master suite..private bath with... Read More
10105 Harnew Road, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Major upgrades done. roof, granite tops kitchen with stainless steel appliances. washrooms were... Read More
10020 KEDVALE Avenue, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Super clean ranch cared for by long time owners. all brick 3 bedroom 2 full bath home is move-in... Read More
204 Search Result(s)
Oak Lawn - Statistics and Home Trends
Actives Activity Chart
Homes For Sale By Owner in Oak Lawn 135
2 Bed Homes For Sale in Oak Lawn (6) $ 114,117
3 Bed Homes For Sale in Oak Lawn (76) $ 229,956
5+ Bed Homes For Sale in Oak Lawn (15) $ 427,533
NEW LISTINGS THIS WEEK
Condos For Sale By Owner in Oak Lawn 61
1 Bed Condos For Sale in Oak Lawn (5) $ 75,760
2 Bed Condos For Sale in Oak Lawn (49) $ 120,962
3 Bed Condos For Sale in Oak Lawn (7) $ 149,814
Townhomes For Sale By Owner in Oak Lawn 3
1 Bed Townhomes For Sale in Oak Lawn (1) $ 87,500
2 Bed Townhomes For Sale in Oak Lawn (2) $ 172,450
Multifamily For Sale By Owner in Oak Lawn 1
3 Bed Multifamily For Sale in Oak Lawn (1) $ 229,900
Land For Sale By Owner in Oak Lawn 8
Land in Oak Lawn (8) $ 166,450
$ N/A
Oak Lawn Homes For Sale By Owner
Homes For Sale 135
Condos For Sale 61
TownHomes For Sale 3
Land For Sale 8
Vacation Rental Homes1
Sold Homes 3107
Under Contract Homes 14
Waterfront Homes 3
Cloister 2
Foxwoods 2
Eagle Ridge 2
Lawncastle Cove 2
Prairie Town Center 2
Shibui 1
Kincora 1
Westedge 1
Arbor Court 1
Columbus Manor 1
Crestline Arms 1
Longwood Acres 1
Longwood Place 1
Parkshire Estates 1
Village Townhomes 1
Central Park Condos 1
Surrounding Cities
Burbank71
Alsip57
Palos Hills56
Evergreen Park54
Hickory Hills36
Bridgeview35
CRESTWOOD35
Worth33
Chicago Ridge24
Hometown10
FSBO & MLS
FSBO Only 11
MLS Only 205
Oak Lawn Flat Fee MLS
Learn More About Oak Lawn, Illinois
Currently there are 135 homes for sale, 61 condos and apartments for sale, 8 vacant land for sale and 3 townhomes for sale in Oak Lawn
ByOwner.com offers For Sale By Owner listing services throughout the country. By posting home with ByOwner your property will get the same exposure you’d receive from a traditional real estate company. Our Oak Lawn, Illinois Flat Fee MLS listing Service saves you from paying the traditional 6% commission charged by most real estate offices, but gives you the same worldwide exposure.
Your home will be found on the local MLS, plus all the major search engines and popular real estate portal sites, including: Trulia, Zillow, Realtor.com, MSN, AOL, Bing, Yahoo, and of course Google. Additionally when your home gets added to the MLS, your FSBO listing will listed alongside of the homes listed by ReMax, C-21, Coldwell Banker, ERA, Redfin, Movoto, Keller Williams and all the other nationwide brokerage sites. These sites often display “all” of the MLS postings, not just their own, which means your home will be on these sites also.
The average seller who uses our Flat Rate MLS Listing, will save over $15,000. We give you the tools and exposure you need as a ForSaleByOwner to compete with every other listing in the MLS. But you are in control of the savings and the fees you pay.
Currently Oak Lawn has 208 properties on the market for sale. The inventory was last updated 01/22/2020. Of these properties, 135 single family homes are for sale by their owners in Oak Lawn, and 61 condos are for sale by their owners in Oak Lawn. The average price of the single family homes for sale in Oak Lawn, is $265,473, the average condo price in Oak Lawn, is $201,204. The average price per square foot of the active inventory is $132. This is based the living area square footage.
Over the last year, there have been 3,107 of properties sold in Oak Lawn. Of these properties, 1,317 single family homes have sold by their owners in Oak Lawn, and 1,668 condos have sold by their owners in Oak Lawn. The average sales price of the single family homes sold in Oak Lawn, is $226,040. Single family homes have been selling for 146 per square foot of living area. The average sales price of the condos for sale in Oak Lawn, is $166,685. Condos have been selling for 111 per square foot of living area.
The most active subdivisions with listings for sale in Oak Lawn, are: Cloister (2 For Sale), Foxwoods (2 For Sale), Eagle Ridge (2 For Sale), Lawncastle Cove (2 For Sale), Prairie Town Center (2 For Sale), Shibui (1 For Sale), Kincora (1 For Sale), Westedge (1 For Sale), Arbor Court (1 For Sale), Crestline Arms (1 For Sale)
If you are thinking of selling your Oak Lawn home, try our flat fee listing service, Our list fees start at $449, and may save you $15,000 in real estate commissions. Click here to start saving.
Disclaimer: Listing broker has attempted to offer accurate data, but buyers/lessees are advised to confirm all information IDX information is provided exclusively for consumers' personal, non-commercial use that it may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing, and that data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by the MLS. The MLS may, at its discretion, require use of other disclaimers as necessary to protect Participants and/or the MLS from liability.
This data up-to-date as of 01/22/2020
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Properties Features:
Min 1+ 1.5+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 6+
Min 500 750 1,000 1,250 1,500 1,750 2,000 2,250 2,500 2,750 3,000 3,500 4,000 5,000 7,500
Max 500 750 1,000 1,250 1,500 1,750 2,000 2,250 2,500 2,750 3,000 3,500 4,000 5,000 7,500
Min 2,000 sq ft 4,500 sq ft 6,500 sq ft 8,000 sq ft 10,890 sq ft / .25 acres 21,780 sq ft / .5 acres 1 acre 2 acres 3 acres 4 acres 5 acres 10 acres 40 acres 100 acres
Max 2,000 sq ft 4,500 sq ft 6,500 sq ft 8,000 sq ft 10,890 sq ft / .25 acres 21,780 sq ft / .5 acres 1 acre 2 acres 3 acres 4 acres 5 acres 10 acres 40 acres 100 acres
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Made In Sheffield: The Birth of Electronic Pop
Musical city 3 ©
Mati Milstein
Rewind: an exploration of UK urban music
Ask a British teenager which the most influential band to come out of Sheffield is, they will probably tell you the ‘Arctic Monkeys’, currently Sheffield’s biggest musical export. Yet the city has been home to many of the UK’s biggest and most innovative bands.
Sheffield, an industrial city, produced industrially inspired sounds which were significant in forming the British electronic music scene. One of the first bands to begin this influential ‘new wave’ era was ‘Cabaret Voltaire’ which formed in 1973 and who used unusual musical elements including hard industrial beats with robotic vocals and bizarre texts. Cabaret Voltaire have been credited with influencing the electronic culture of the Sheffield musical scene going into the 80s’ including ‘Vice Versa’ (who later became ‘ABC’), ‘Clock Dva’ ‘Thomson Twins’ and ‘The Human League’.
The ‘new wave’ scene in Sheffield became extremely popular by the dawn of the next decade, and throughout the 1980s. Former band members of ‘The Human League’ established the new groups ‘Heaven 17’ and ‘ABC’. Phil Oakey who was part of the original ‘The Human League’, had moved to centre stage. In 1981 ‘The Human League’s album “Dare” was released, including the number 1 hit single “Don’t You Want Me”. This led the group, as well as their peers, to commercial success. It was evident that Sheffield had brought something new and exciting to the electro-pop musical scene in the UK.
Meanwhile, during the synth-pop inspired years in Sheffield, a local band was developing their own sound whilst performing to very small audiences. A decade later they would reshape the image of Sheffield as an inspiration for the ‘Brit-pop’ era; the band was ‘Pulp’. Their 4th album “His ‘n’ Hers” from 1994, describing the loves, frustrations and bedroom boredom of youths, established Pulp as the most well-known band to come out of Sheffield and their front man Jarvis Cocker as a cultural icon of the 1990’s.
At the end of the 1980’s Britain’s dance scene was swept away by two musical genres - acid-house and techno. In 1989 “Warp” records, a leading record label in techno and acid-house was developed in Sheffield and signed up ‘LFO’ and ‘Nightmares on Wax’. In the 1990s Sheffield became the epicentre of the UK techno and electronic scene with revellers flocking from across the country to Sheffield’s super club ‘Gatecrasher’ and to influential local nights such as "Blech". Artists such as ‘Aphex Twin’ and ‘Boards of Canada’ featured at the night until it was relocated to London in 2000.
At the closing of the first decade of the new Millennium, Sheffield continued to develop some of the most forward thinking musical talents, one of them was the legendary musical producer Toddla T, who gained recognition by remixing the new genres of British Urban music, such as electro, dancehall, UK garage, 2-step garage and grime.
Teder
Join us for the Rewind Opening event featuring DJ Matt Black
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Join us for a special event celebrating the closing of the Rewind weekend
Register now to meet British Urban Music Legend Roni Size
Register now for a master-class led by British urban music legend, the musician Roni Size
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ARKANSAS - Little Rock
VIRGINIA - Richmond/Norfolk
View More Discounts Visit TodayTix.com for tickets
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THE MASTERSONS Premiere 'Eyes Open Wide' From Their New Album
by TV News Desk - January 21, 2020
Singer-songwriters/multi-instrumentalists The Mastersons are premiering the first single from their upcoming Red House album, NO TIME FOR LOVE SONGS, today with The Bluegrass Situation. When they're not touring the world as valued longtime members of Steve Earle's band the Dukes, the musical and mar... (more...)
Hot Mulligan Share New Song 'Feal Like Crab'
by TV News Desk - December 13, 2019
Hot Mulligan has shared a new song called 'Feal Like Crab' today. ... (more...)
Willie Nelson & Family, Alison Krauss, and More to Perform at MerleFest 2020
by TV News Desk - November 12, 2019
MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce the initial lineup for MerleFest 2020, which will be held April 23-26. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Moun... (more...)
Clint Black Releases His 22nd Album STILL KILLIN' TIME
Thirty years ago, Clint Black released his multi-platinum debut album, Killin' Time, and helped shape the sound of Country music for generations to come. Now, the Country music icon has released his impressive 22nd album, Still Killin' Time, available today on all digital streaming services.... (more...)
Clint Black Gives Taste of His 22nd Album 'Still Killin Time'
One of Country music's most celebrated and admired artists, Clint Black, released the first single and accompanying music video for “This Old House” today from his highly-anticipated album, Still Killin' Time. ... (more...)
San Francisco Musicians Unite to Fight Homelessness Crisis with New Album 'Blanket The Homeless'
by TV News Desk - October 31, 2019
The dire lack of affordable housing and a sharply rising inequity gap are driving San Francisco's homeless population to numbers not seen for 15 years with more than 8,000 people living on the city streets. Statewide, California has 129,972 homeless people (2018), the largest street population of an... (more...)
Laura Cox Releases New Single 'Fire Fire'
On her new single 'Fire Fire,' guitarist Laura Cox sings, 'Fire, fire / Ain't gonna burn the hell out of my fire, fire.' The track is that which inspired the name of her second album Burning Bright, which arrives November 8 via earMUSIC. ... (more...)
Miss June Drops New Single Ahead of Debut Album, Out Sept. 6
by TV News Desk - August 27, 2019
Today, New Zealand's Miss June release a final taster of their forthcoming debut album, Bad Luck Party, out September 6 via Frenchkiss Records, in the form of new single “Anomaly.” 'I have an incredible ability to attract individuals that are as flawed as I am. It's made my life chaotic and beautifu... (more...)
Guitar Dynamo Laura Cox Is Half-French, Half-English, & ALL ROCK!
Are you ready to 'burn bright?'... (more...)
Craft Recordings To Reissue 3 Social Distortion Albums On Vinyl
This fall, Craft Recordings will reissue three titles fromSocial Distortion's independent catalog on vinyl. Set for a September 27th release, the LPs include the band's 1983 debut, Mommy's Little Monster, their 2004 studio album, Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll, and 1995's Mainliner (Wreckage From the P... (more...)
Miss June Confirm Worldwide Tour
by BWW News Desk - July 31, 2019
New Zealand's Miss June is excited to announce new tour dates to support the forthcoming release of debut album Bad Luck Party. The LP will be released onSeptember 6 via Frenchkiss Records and The Bad Luck Party Tour will kick off inWellington, New Zealand on that same day. October 14 sees the ba... (more...)
Miss June Announce Debut LP
by TV News Desk - July 16, 2019
New Zealand's Miss June is excited to announce the forthcoming release of their debut album. Entitled Bad Luck Party, the LP will be released on September 6 via Frenchkiss Records. Today they share the newest single “Enemies” by way of a video directed byDylan Pharazyn. He notes, “the track gets at ... (more...)
'Ann Arbor Blues Festival 1969' Will Feature Previous Unheard Live Recordings From Various Blues Legends
Third Man Records is excited to announce the release of ANN ARBOR BLUES FESTIVAL 1969, a 50th anniversary celebration collecting 24 previously unheard songs by such blues legends as Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, James Cotton, Son House, Magic Sam, T-Bone Walker, Junior Wells, Big Mama Thorn... (more...)
Urban Fu$e Takes Center Stage With DLW
by BWW News Desk - May 23, 2019
'DLW' is the new 9-song EP (out 5/24) from International group Urban Fu$e, which was founded by songwriter, producer and creative director, Suzanna Lam. Three singles have seen their way into the spotlight this year; 'Big,' 'Runaway' and 'Freedom,' and now with the new release in tow, the group are ... (more...)
The Marcus King Band Release Video For GOODBYE CAROLINA
by BWW News Desk - April 11, 2019
The Marcus King Band have released the video for 'Goodbye Carolina', a poignant, lyrical ballad from their critically acclaimed album Carolina Confessions. The band have also announced a number of UK headline shows this June alongside appearances at The Isle Of Wight and Black Deer Festivals.... (more...)
Charly Bliss Share HARD TO BELIEVE Video, YOUNG ENOUGH Out 5/10 via Barsuk Records
Today, NY's Charly Bliss have shared a video for 'Hard To Believe,' the latest from their highly anticipated new album, Young Enough. Noisey, who premiered the Henry Kaplan-directed video today is saying 'the Brooklyn band's latest preview of their forthcoming sophomore effort might be their best ye... (more...)
T Bone Burnett Gives Keynote Speech at 2019 SXSW
by TV News Desk - March 14, 2019
Multiple Grammy and Oscar winning artist, musician and producer T Bone Burnett gave a thought provoking keynote speech at SXSW today, warning of the current dangers of the dominance of digital monopolies like Google and Facebook, while championing the value of the independence of artists. See below ... (more...)
Clint Black Announces 'Still Killin' Time' Tour Dates
GRAMMY Award winning country music icon Clint Black will spend 2019 on the road with his fans celebrating 30 years of his triple platinum selling debut album Killin' Time. The “Still… Killin' Time 30th Anniversary Tour” launches in March in Norman, Oklahoma and will continue throughout the year wit... (more...)
Indie Songstress Sarah Burton Releases New Single SMILING FOR THE CAMERA
by BWW News Desk - January 25, 2019
Indie singer-songwriter SARAH BURTON has released her new single 'Smiling For The Camera.' The synth-pop indie rock anthem is the first track to be released from her forthcoming full-length album Give Me What I Want, due out on March 1, 2019, and is available as an instant grat track to those that p... (more...)
L'FREAQ Shares Video For NEW SKIN via Nylon
by BWW News Desk - December 07, 2018
NYC-based, dark synth pop artist, L'FREAQ, shares the visuals for her single, 'New Skin,' via Nylon. The track is from her new EP, Weird Awakenings, which is out now. ... (more...)
Stephen Steinbrink Shares UTOPIA TEASED Album Stream, Out This Friday
by BWW News Desk - November 05, 2018
Stephen Steinbrink, the prolific Oakland-based singer-songwriter, has shared the album stream for his anticipated new album, Utopia Teased. Paste Magazine, who premiered the stream today is calling it a 'a faithful reflection of his head space in all its disarray, awash in agonized humanity... a 37... (more...)
Stephen Steinbrink Releases A PART OF ME IS A PART OF YOU, 'Utopia Teased' Out 11/9
by BWW News Desk - October 25, 2018
Stephen Steinbrink, the prolific Oakland-based singer-songwriter, has released 'A Part Of Me Is A Part Of You' today, the latest from his anticipated new album, Utopia Teased. The FADER , who premiered the song today is calling it a 'doozy of a track that could send you into a minor existential cris... (more...)
Stephen Steinbrink Shares MOM, Featuring Guest Vocals From Jay Som
Today, the prolific Oakland-based singer-songwriter, Stephen Steinbrink has shared 'Mom,' the latest from his upcoming new album, Utopia Teased. Noisey, who premiered the song today, which features guest vocals from Jay Som's Melina Duterte, is calling it 'a Big Star-esque ballad... reflective of th... (more...)
Ruler Sets Tour with Kississippi and Hikes
Rapidly rising Seattle artist Ruler is set for their debut east coast tour with fellow up-and-comers Kississippi beginning November 29 in Boston. The tour comes on the heels of Ruler's west coast run with Austin, TX-based math rockers Hikes, which kicks off October 21 in Spokane.... (more...)
Bayside Releases New Acoustic Track HOWARD
by BWW News Desk - September 24, 2018
Bayside has shared another track from their forthcoming album Acoustic Volume 2. Fans can stream the reimagined 'Howard' at BaysideBayside.com. Acoustic Volume 2 will be released this Friday, September 28th, 2018 via Hopeless Records, and features one brand new track, 'It Don't Exist,' in addition t... (more...)
© 2020 - Copyright Wisdom Digital Media, all rights reserved.
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Why is this image so small?
This image is presented as a "thumbnail" because it is protected by copyright. The Brooklyn Museum respects the rights of artists who retain the copyright to their work.
Carl Fudge (British, born 1963). Rhapsody Spray (3), 2000. Screenprint on paper, 52 1/2 x 62 1/2 in. (133.4 x 158.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred T. White Fund, 2001.66. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2001.66_transp5852.jpg)
Rhapsody Spray (3)
Carl Fudge
ARTIST Carl Fudge, British, born 1963
MEDIUM Screenprint on paper
DATES 2000
DIMENSIONS 52 1/2 x 62 1/2 in. (133.4 x 158.8 cm) (show scale)
SIGNATURE Unsigned
COLLECTIONS Contemporary Art
ACCESSION NUMBER 2001.66
EDITION Edition: 6/6
CREDIT LINE Alfred T. White Fund
RIGHTS STATEMENT © artist or artist's estate
Copyright for this work may be controlled by the artist, the artist's estate, or other rights holders. A more detailed analysis of its rights history may, however, place it in the public domain. The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
CAPTION Carl Fudge (British, born 1963). Rhapsody Spray (3), 2000. Screenprint on paper, 52 1/2 x 62 1/2 in. (133.4 x 158.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred T. White Fund, 2001.66. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2001.66_transp5852.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 2001.66_transp5852.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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Brunswick Review Issue 13
Underground workforce
Carol Roos
Partner, Chicago
Timothy Schultz
Director, Johannesburg
South African Chamber of Mines President Mxolisi Mgojo talks about the industry’s dark legacy and its commitment to move forward
In 2012, a mineworkers’ strike at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana, South Africa turned into a conflict between employees, unions, mine security and police – 44 people died in a week, 34 in a single confrontation.
The tragedy’s roots lie in the complex legacy of the country’s 150-year history of modern mining. Colonial and apartheid-era mines sourced cheap black migrant labor from across the subcontinent to benefit white-owned business. Today, the country is still dealing with this legacy. South Africa’s large mines employ tens of thousands of people, across multiple shafts, speaking dozens of languages. Levels of education differ from semi-skilled laborers to tech savvy youngsters and relatively small teams of management professionals. Many workers spend their shifts deep underground, unreachable by phone or computer. In this context, engaging employees and rebuilding trust requires more than a new style of values-based leadership and innovative techniques – it means taking on 150 years of history.
Brunswick recently interviewed Mxolisi Mgojo, CEO of Exxaro Resources, a black-owned coal mining company in South Africa. He also serves as President of the South African Chamber of Mines.
Mining is a complex industry, with a number of employees in remote locations. How do you bring employees along with you?
It’s incredibly complex. Our underground workers don’t have an email address, let alone a computer. I have found that if you want to bring dramatic change into an organization, there’s no better substitute than standing in front of your employees and telling them the story yourself.
But how practical is this? How do you manage it?
It’s not easy. At Exxaro, our former CEO organized twice-yearly sessions where we created an open platform for communication at our various operations. We use a big space – an amphitheater or auditorium. But we have 24-hour operations, so we have to repeat the session to reach our employees working different shifts. While we have multiple languages spoken in our operations, we’ve realized that it’s essential to convey information in people’s mother tongue, so we also have a number of translators present at every session. I believe people value the opportunity to ask me questions directly. It’s a completely open platform, and we answer every question that is asked.
But these CEO roadshows are only twice a year. How do you reach your workforce at other times?
Industrial theater is effective, especially if it’s done with humor. People like theatrics and they like to see a show. Theater allows us to convey important messages about values and safety. We are, of course, also looking at how best to harness technology to reach our people, but there are limitations. We are working on an exciting new platform which allows us to send creative video messages across smartphones, but a significant proportion of our workforce don’t have smartphones. Ultimately, none of these techniques work in isolation. It’s about comprehensive follow up. You want to show your people respect, that they matter and are valued and are hearing from you on a constant basis.
South African mining companies have been accused of relegating the role of employee communication to the unions. Is that accurate?
That was absolutely the case in the past, and we’re working hard to change it. We have had to be emphatic to our unions that ultimately, workers are employees of the mining company, and that it’s not the role of the union leadership to dictate with whom the company management can communicate.
It hasn’t been without complexity, and in our attempts to change the system, unions have felt that the mining company was usurping their role. But unions, rightly, have their own agenda, and that is not always aligned to that of the company. It’s up to us to communicate the company’s message and engage directly with our employees.
If you want to bring dramatic change into an organization, there’s no better substitute than standing in front of your employees and telling them the story yourself.
Do you feel that your union engagement is developing trust with employees, or are discussions still focused firmly on wages?
We are still nowhere near where we should be. I believe that the trust deficit is worsened by deliberate power play on the part of the unions. That’s why it’s essential that I talk directly to the people myself.
Are the communications challenges aggravated by the historical role of mining in South Africa?
Our industry is still caught up in legacy issues. Employees weren’t seen as valuable members of the organization, but rather as a form of cheap labor. We, as an industry, must acknowledge and apologize for institutionalizing the apartheid system. It was not just the government.
Mining companies were the instruments of policies. That is our legacy that we have never truly taken accountability for. In my role as President of the Chamber of Mines, I’m ensuring that this is something that the industry takes very seriously.
Is this your priority as the President of the Chamber of Mines?
We are also resisting the government’s proposed mining regulations because we argue that it’s damaging for the industry. But we need an alternative proposition that we can put on the table. And that proposition needs to be the culmination of many engagements with a broader set of stakeholders. Everyone needs to come together where they are all prepared to give up something. What are shareholders prepared to give up for labor stability? Banks make all the money but take none of the societal risk – what are they prepared to give up? Unions who want to retain power at all costs. What will they concede? This is my priority.
How do you bring your shareholders on board with this vision?
To be honest, it doesn’t matter if shareholders are on board. Our relationship with employees, changing the legacy of mining in this country, acknowledging that we’ve made mistakes – that’s what’s important.
Are employee communications in the industry changing? What was the catalyst?
There have been big strides in recent years. Marikana was a tipping point, and highlighted the profound absence of communication. Now we are moving toward grappling with the important questions. How do we get management to have effective engagement? How do we move to a culture of true engagement opposed to power play engagement? How do we get unions to look at the leadership as partners and vice versa?
Many companies say they want employees to feel proud to work for them. In South Africa, where many are earning the minimum wage under harsh conditions, is that goal achievable?
In the absence of trying, what are we left with? No relationship is ever perfect. There are many who are proud to work for Exxaro, and then there are those who are disengaged. But those who are disengaged are often fighting on a number of different fronts – poverty, debt, ill health. Their lives are a constant struggle. From our side, we try to provide a fair and safe work environment for all.
Carol Roos, a Partner, focuses on corporate transactions and energy & resources. Timothy Schultz, a Director, specializes in energy & resources and public affairs. Both are based in Johannesburg.
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By Simon Pluckrose
Monumental Reach
Deborah F. Rutter, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, talks to Brunswick’s Carlton Wilkinson about the Reach, the center’s historic $250 million addition.
By Carlton Wilkinson
Train bound for glory
Union Pacific’s rich history continues to motivate and inspire employees and visitors today, says Brunswick’s Mike France
By Mike France
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FEB 04, 2019 | US
Aaron Cooper on Clause 8's Conversations About Intellectual Property
Conversations About Intellectual Property, February 5, 2019
By Clause 8
From Aaron Cooper: "We file briefs because it's important for the justices or the federal circuit to hear how we believe a certain outcome is going to affect the software industry... It's helpful for the court to know that it's not just the litigants that are going to be affected and they should have a sense of how it's going to affect the broader ecosystem... It's important to give a full industry perspective."
Original Posting: https://soundcloud.com/clause-8/episode-8-aaron-cooper
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The Targeter : My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House
by Nada Bakos and Davin Coburn and Christine Lakin
Overview -
From former CIA analyst Nada Bakos, "a revealing and utterly engrossing account" of the world of high-stakes foreign intelligence and her role within the campaign to stop top-tier targets inside Al-Qaida (Joby Warrick)
In 1999, 30-year-old Nada Bakos moved from her lifelong home in Montana to Washington, DC, to join the CIA. Quickly realizing her affinity for intelligence work, Nada was determined to rise through the ranks of the agency first as an analyst and then as a Targeting Officer, eventually finding herself on the frontline of America's War against Islamic extremists. In this role, Nada was charged with determining if Iraq had a relationship with 9/11 and Al-Qaida, and finding the mastermind behind this terrorist activity: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Her team's analysis stood the test of time, but it was not satisfactory for some members of the Administration.
In a tight, tension-packed narrative that takes the reader from Langley deep into Iraq, Bakos reveals the inner workings of the Agency and the largely hidden world of intelligence gathering post 9/11. Entrenched in the world of the CIA, Bakos, along with her colleagues, focused on leading U.S. Special Operations Forces to the doorstep of one of the world's most wanted terrorists.
Filled with on-the-ground insights and poignant personal anecdotes, The Targeter shows us the great personal sacrifice that comes with intelligence work. This is Nada's story, but it is also an intimate chronicle of how a group of determined, ambitious men and women worked tirelessly in the heart of the CIA to ensure our nation's safety at home and abroad.
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More About The Targeter by Nada Bakos; Davin Coburn; Christine Lakin
Publisher: Hachette Audio
BAM Customer Reviews
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Engineers Create A Breathable And Waterproof Cast To Replace Plaster Ones And Stop The Itching Forever
Design, Science1 month ago
Mindaugas Balčiauskas
Most people fall into one of two categories. Those of us who have fragile bones that seem to break every time we have a small accident and those of us who seem to have bones of steel and bounce back from every nasty misfortune.
However, as some of us know, breaking an arm or a leg is a horrible experience. Because of the constant pain, as well as the discomfort of having to wear a plaster cast.
A group of engineers based in Chicago decided to make the lives of people who break their arms a bit easier and came up with a new design for a cast. It’s even waterproof, so no more having to shower with a trash bag over your cast! Scroll down for Bored Panda’s interview with representatives of the Cast21 company that makes the new type of cast.
We know breaking your bones can be difficult, so after you read this post, check out our previous articles about a hamster with a tiny cast for its broken arm, creative cast art, as well as a person who made his cast look like Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet.
More info: Cast21.com | Facebook | Instagram
Engineers from Chicago came up with a new type of arm cast
Image credits: cast21official
A Chicago startup called Cast21 looked into the problems of plaster casts and tackled them head-on. Jason Troutner, biomedical design engineer Ashley Moy, and electrical engineer Justin Brooks, all from the University of Illinois, came up with a breathable, more hygienic, waterproof cast that can be fitted in around 10 minutes, using liquid resin that hardens and sets the bone in place.
Bored Panda talked to representatives of Cast21 to learn more about the product. One of the people representing the company had this to say: “One of the greatest challenges, and also greatest thrills, we face during our design and engineering process is developing something completely new that no one has ever seen or worked with before. It’s an interesting balance of fun and frustrating that isn’t for everyone, but we love it.”
The cast is waterproof and more hygienic
“In my opinion, with a traditional cast or brace, the worst part of breaking an arm would be the smell after weeks of treatment. How embarrassing! Otherwise, I would imagine the pain from the break itself would be the biggest downside of breaking an arm,” they said.
The company rep also revealed that Cast 21 plant on “expanding into more territories and developing different product lines to help even more doctors and patients.”
“The doctors and patients we work with are amazing. Our clinician partners are so dedicated to providing their patients with the best care possible, and their dedication shows in the smiles of their grateful patients. It’s an incredibly motivating experience, and we are so humbled to be apart of it.”
The cast can be set in around 10 minutes and is easier to remove than a plaster cast
The only time I broke something [knocks on wood] was my left wrist, right before my summer exams at school. So I had to sit in a hot room while it’s boiling outside, writing essay after essay for hours on end while my hand constantly reminded me that, yup, it’s still broken. Trust me, it wasn’t fun.
“We have this radical notion that you can enjoy your healing experience. You don’t need to be restrained from daily activities,” Cast21’s vice president of engineering Veronica Hogg explained to the Daily Mail. According to her, their cast is designed to be removed easier than usual as well and doesn’t need a circular saw.
Page 1/3>
Photo editor at Bored Panda. Loves nature, animals, playing around with Photoshop and Flat Earth memes.
Mindaugas has worked as a freelance photographer mainly doing events, product photography and has a recurring passion for macro photography.
Lucas 1 month ago
Looks a good idea, though not sure how well it would work in all circumstances. When my arm was broken in a car accident it took 48 hours before it stopped swelling and the cast was too tight. By the end of the week it was then too loose. It was far too painful to use my fingers and my arm needed protection from additional bumps due to the level of bruising. Even when the cast was removed four weeks later I was still badly bruised which shocked the physiotherapist who was supposed to help me get things moving again.
Incel Slayer 1 month ago
I was thinking the same. I shattered my elbow a few years back and even the slightest touch was really painful, wearing a cast like this would have been next to impossible. Also how well does it immobilize joints? It's a great idea for certain circumstances though!
Krazy Kanuck 1 month ago
Sure would have been nice to have something like this, when I broke both legs, and had fiberglass casts from the hips down
Beans 1 month ago
That's awful, how did that happen?
Krazy Kanuck 1 month ago (edited)
one of my many accidents over the years.. I misjudged my landing point as I skiied off a waterfall, and the frozen pond broke my fall, instead of the pile of snow I was aiming for.. I have broken almost every bone in my body at least once, including fracturing both femurs. The only bones I haven't broken are my cheek bones, and my breast plate. ~~~~~~......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................~~~~~~~~~~~ I pay for my fun now... I have osteoarthritis in both legs
RaroaRaroa 1 month ago
I would like to see the tan lines after someone wore this in summer.
DANNY DIVITO 1 month ago
that would be so cool!
5-Foot-Tall Artist Illustrates What Being Short Is Like In 15 Wholesome Pics
arm cast,
Ashley Moy,
breathable,
broken arm,
broken bones,
cast,
Cast21,
Chicago engineers,
Jason Troutner,
Justin Brooks,
liquid resin cast,
modern cast design,
new cast design,
plaster cast,
Veronica Hogg,
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Boris Johnson’s Conservatives headed for majority: UK exit poll
Result would allow PM to take country out of the European Union next month
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses an eve of poll rally in London, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
An exit poll in Britain’s election projected Thursday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party would likely win a solid majority of seats in Parliament, a decisive outcome that should allow Johnson to fulfil his plan to take the U.K. out of the European Union next month.
The survey, released just after polls closed, predicted the Conservatives would get 368 of the 650 House of Commons seats and the Labour Party 191. That would be the biggest Tory majority for several decades, and a major setback for Labour.
Based on interviews with voters leaving 144 polling stations across the country, the poll is conducted for a consortium of U.K. broadcasters and is regarded as a reliable, though not exact, indicator of the likely result. The poll also projects 55 seats for the Scottish National Party and 13 for the Liberal Democrats.
Ballots are being counted, with official results expected early Friday.
A decisive Conservative win would vindicate Johnson’s decision to press for Thursday’s early election, which was held nearly two years ahead of schedule. He said that if the Conservatives won a majority, he would get Parliament to ratify his Brexit divorce deal and take the U.K. out of the EU by the current Jan. 31 deadline.
That would fulfil the decision of British voters in 2016 to leave the EU, three and a half years after the divisive referendum result. It would start a new phase of negotiations on future relations between Britain and the 27 remaining EU members.
Johnson did not mention the exit poll as he thanked voters in a tweet. “Thank you to everyone across our great country who voted, who volunteered, who stood as candidate,” he said. “We live in the greatest democracy in the world.”
Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly said he was cautious about the poll, but that if substantiated it would give the party “a big majority” that could be used to “get Brexit done.”
The pound surged on the exit poll’s forecast, jumping over two cents against the dollar, to $1.3445, the highest in more than a year and a half. Many Investors hope a Conservative win would speed up the Brexit process and ease, at least in the short term, some of the uncertainty that has corroded business confidence since the 2016 vote.
A Labour drubbing would raise questions over the future of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who will have led his left-of-centre party to two electoral defeats since 2017.
“Certainty this exit poll is a devastating blow,” said Labour trade spokesman Barry Gardiner. “It’s a deeply depressing result.”
READ MORE: Canadian business needs Brexit certainty but Johnson plan only a start, observers say
Many voters casting ballots on Thursday hoped the election might finally find a way out of the Brexit stalemate in this deeply divided nation.
On a dank, gray day with outbreaks of blustery rain, voters went to polling stations in schools, community centres, pubs and town halls after a bad-tempered five-week campaign rife with mudslinging and misinformation.
Opinion polls had given the Conservatives a steady lead, but the result was considered hard to predict, because the issue of Brexit cuts across traditional party loyalties.
Three and a half years after the U.K. voted by 52%-48% to leave the EU, Britons remain split over whether to leave the 28-nation bloc, and lawmakers have proved incapable of agreeing on departure terms.
Poll finds most Canadians want Huawei barred from the country’s 5G networks
Owner surrenders dogs chained up outside among scrap metal, garbage to BC SPCA
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Latest nor’easter could dump a foot or more of snow
Written by AP
BOSTON (AP) — Winter-weary New Englanders are preparing for blizzard conditions, more than a foot of snow and high winds as the third major nor’easter in two weeks bears down on the Northeast.
The National Weather Service on Monday issued a blizzard warning for much of the Massachusetts coast, a winter storm warning for most of New England and a winter weather advisory for portions of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The storm is expected to hit late Monday and last through most of the day Tuesday, with snow accumulating at a rate of 2 inches per hour during the Tuesday morning commute, disrupting road and air travel. American Airlines announced that it had suspended all flight operations from Boston Logan International Airport on Tuesday because of the storm. The airline said arrivals and departures from Bangor, Maine, Burlington, Vermont, Manchester, New Hampshire and New Haven, Connecticut also will be shut down.
Amtrak said it is suspending service from Boston to New York’s Penn Station on Tuesday until 11 a.m.
While the first two storms of the month brought coastal flooding and hundreds of thousands of power outages, this winter monster is a little bit different.
“This one’s main impact is going to be snow,” said Kim Buttrick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Taunton, Massachusetts.
More power outages are possible, but they are not expected to be as widespread as last week. Only minor coastal flooding is possible.
The blizzard warning means sustained winds of greater than 35 mph (56 kph), along with visibility of less than a quarter mile for prolonged periods, according to the weather service. Wind gusts as high as 65 mph (104 kph) are forecast in coastal areas.
Boston and eastern Massachusetts, as well as Rhode Island, could get a foot and a half of snow, with less to the west of the city.
Officials said Boston and Providence schools will be closed on Tuesday.
Maine also is bracing for a hard hit. The Portland International Jetport has had 75.5 inches (1.9 meters) of snow, far above the normal for the date of 51.8 inches (1.3 meters) with another 12 to 18 inches is on the way, said James Brown, of the National Weather Service.
In New Hampshire, where as much as 14 inches of snow is forecast, the storm is wreaking havoc with the age-old town meeting tradition. But Secretary of State William Gardner and Attorney General Gordon MacDonald said under state law, town meeting elections must go on.
In New York, heavy, wet snow is forecast for Long Island, which could get 5 to 10 inches of accumulation, while 2 to 4 inches are possible in New York City.
In New Jersey, the storm is expected to start out as light rain before changing over to all snow by early Tuesday, leaving behind up to 4 inches.
The Northeast isn’t the only area of the country dealing with winter weather. As much as 15 inches of snow has fallen in a narrow band stretching from central Kentucky through southern West Virginia.
Most of North Carolina also is gearing up for snow, with spring a little more than a week away. Forecasters say up to 6 inches of snow is possible around Boone in the northern mountains, while other areas of the state should get only about 2 inches.
“Hopefully this will be the final punch of the winter,” Buttrick said.
Posted in NationalTagged Accidents and Disasters, Air Travel, Blizzards, Disaster Planning and Response, General News, Lifestyle, Storms, Travel, Weather, Winter Weather
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About Celje
The history of Celje in general
Guided tours of the city of Celje
Notable people of Celje
Grmada nad Celjem
Grmada is a popular hiking destination. It is located to the south of Celje above the village of Zagrad.
Nature allowed access to Grmada from three sides with three trails of varying difficulty. The first one runs along the standard route to Celjska koča and then branches off to Grmada over the ridges. Above the first ridge, there is a natural rock that used to be popular with alpine climbers. Today, it is a part of the Natura 2000 part and the nesting place for protected bird species and therefore, climbing is not allowed there in the spring and summer.
The top of Grmada with a large cross affords magnificent views of the Posavje hills, Old Castle, Celje, and the Savinjska Valley. In clear weather, one can even see Pohorje, as well as the Julian Alps, Karavanke, and Kamnik–Savinja Alps.
On the south-eastern slope of Grmada, there is the Pečovnik hut open on weekends and holidays. It was built by the hikers of the Grmada Celje mountaineering society as a replacement for the former Kumer farmhouse. The construction lasted from 2003 to 2006. The house is built in the traditional forest style, made entirely of wooden beams. The building blends in nicely with the ancient forests surrounding it.
The Toplar hayrack (kozolec) in the vicinity of the hut is also a respectable structure built in 1885. In 2003, the mountaineers purchased it at the nearby village of Šentjanž pri Svetini and salvaged it from inevitable decay by moving it to the new location. Rock climbers attached an 8-metre climbing wall to the front side of the hayrack.
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Our People / Matthew Hayson
Matthew Hayson
Sales Agent & Director
- 23 years in the area
- Records set in Balmain, Rozelle, Leichhardt, Birchgrove and Balmain East
- Worked through all market conditions, changing dynamics and technological improvements
- 85% auction clearance rate, average days on market 26, average marketing spend per client $6,300
- Marketing and property awareness in a crowded market
- Incredibly strong communication
- Transparency between buyers and sellers
- Highly experienced in strategy and understanding market dynamics
- Understanding buyers, dissecting information and providing peace of mind
- Property pricing and accuracy of information
- Customer focused
THE PERSON BEHIND THE AGENT
- Business owner and founder of C&H
- Works six days per week
- Has three young children
- Loves to surf
- Community advocate and supporter
- Advocate for improvement in the real estate industry
WHY MATT?
Beyond being incredibly experienced, Matt is dedicated to constantly evolving his craft. Always at the forefront of customer service and experience, Matt has an incredibly strong track record of sales results. He provides clear and direct communication for his clients so they can make the most informed decision at all times.
If you require accuracy, attention to detail and a seamless sales experience, call Matt today.
matth@ch.com.au
On the market with Matthew
22/85c Wigram Road
12/35 Marlborough Street
42 Lilyfield Road
Off-Market
52 Llewellyn Street
12/100 Reynolds Street
1/100 Reynolds Street
"Now we’re dealing with the easy task of wrestling empty moving boxes in our new house i can reflect on the last 6 weeks of your work leading to the sale of our house in Gipps st Brichgrove. The results you created for us were above expectations and your entire approach was comforting and professional. Thank you. ( magnum of spumante is on order!) From our early discussions about the best sales strategies to the genuine sustained effort and commitment you all put in from start to finish, I’m happy to say to anyone who asks “sell through Cobden and Hayson.” I enjoyed the energy and dedication you all brought. Appreciated your early advice on preparation for sale, thinking how best to position the house in the market and particularly how you all moved skilfully and quickly within the flux that is the current Sydney market. Ultimately leading to a great result that lined up with the purchase of our new home. Obviously your expertise and experience is shining through in a tough market."
Robert - Birchgrove
"Matt is a commensurate real estate professional. During a 2 year property search, he kept us well informed on market conditions as well as buy and sell opportunities that fitted our brief. He does what he says he will and possesses a high level of integrity."
Mark - Balmain
"I recently sold my property with Matthew Hayson & Rosemary Chen. Prior to placing the home on the market, Rosemary was key to ensuring my property was well presented to prospective buyers’ tastes. During the sale process, both Matthew and Rosemary regularly informed me of progress with the sale process. After a short time on the market, they were able to secure a purchaser and achieved a great result in a difficult market. I would be happy to recommend them to anyone selling their home."
Meredith - Balmain
"To Rosemary, Sam, Matt & the rest of the C&H Balmain team, My heartfelt gratitude for your guidance & support during our recent auction. This wasn't purely the sale of a house. This was my brother, sister & I's family home. It's where we, including mum & dad, grew up and where we called home. Everyone's sincerity & compassion was exemplary. On behalf of us all THANK YOU."
Barry - Rozelle
"Once again I was very impressed with Cobden and Hayson through the whole process of selling my house. It was a pleasure dealing with you all and I feel you achieved a great result for me again! We are settling in to Marrickville very well and loving the house and the vibe of the suburb. It was a good move. Thanks again Matt and all the best for the future. I hope I won’t be moving again but I will certainly recommend C&H whenever I can."
Janice - Forest Lodge
"To Matt and Rosie, Thanks again for shepherding us through the sale process (plus C&H more generally for getting us into the new house). We enjoyed working with yourselves, everything seemed to go super smoothly last week for completion and hopefully the new owners are enjoying their move!"
Karen & Kean - Balmain
"Dear Matt & Rosie Thank you for making process 'easy' and seamless from the very beginning. I felt like you guided me through every step and I am so extremely happy with the result achieved. This has allowed me to move on with the next chapter of my life. Thank you again for all your hardwork. "
Lyn - Birchgrove
"Matt and Ben were clear, transparent, professional and always there every step of the way. Thank you for your guidance and advice in this changing market.We achieved a great result and the process far less daunting than we had anticipated. Thank you. "
Scott & Leanne - Birchgrove
"We're very happy with the sale result Matt Hayson and Rosemary Chen have achieved for us. Throughout the whole process they were great with keeping us informed and with managing the finer details of the campaign. With being out of the country, the different time zones and logistic issues to deal with, what should have been a stressful selling process was made quite simple thanks to the team. "
Jane & William - Petersham
"I can't speak highly enough of the professionalism & commitment Matt & Anthony have shown during the sale. They managed & executed with precision & distinction, the process of bringing a property to market in record time, presented & ready for inspection along with one of the best campaign products in the industry fastidiously prepared & ready to roll, all within a week. "
Shomaes & Freddie - Lilyfield
"Thank you for the excellent service provided in selling our property. You both made what could easily have been a very stressful and difficult situation, very easy. I appreciate the commitment you both demonstrated, keeping us informed of all the options and taking the time to explain them to us. We are extremely happy with the result and would definitely recommend your services to others looking to sell. "
Kim & Jason - Balmain
"Matt & Rosie handled my sale with professionalism from start to finish. They called us daily & thoroughly explained things, keeping us reassured & well informed of what was happening during the sale process. This resulted in a sale within 23 days & a sale price well above what we were after. We would highly recommend Matt, Rosie & the Cobden & Hayson team. "
Adrian & Charmaine - Balmain
Jason & Jane - Balmain
"We give our special thanks to Matt & Rosie for their time & effort throughout the sale process. We appreciate their attention to detail, enthusiasm & professionalism. Their genuine & understanding nature made it is easy for us to work with them. We recommend Matt & Rosie to anyone looking to sell. "
Denis & Alisa - Birchgrove
"It was a pleasure to deal with Rosemary Chen & Matt Hayson who understood our brief and gave us excellent guidance and peerless knowledge about a wide variety of homes. Coupled with their personable natures and unflagging availability, they made buying a home painless and transparently straightforward. "
Fiona & Connor - Balmain
"We engaged Matt Hayson of Cobden & Hayson to sell our home of 20 years. From the time we interviewed Matt we knew that he was the person who we wanted to entrust with our sale. Matt, at all times, was professional, communicative and very hard-working. The effort he put in, to sell our home and get the outcome we achieved, was truly impressive. Rosemary Chen, who was part of Matt’s team, was a delight to work with, similarly professional, communicative and helpful both during the sale process and since. The rest of the team including the photographer were also professional and attentive. Overall, it was a very satisfactory experience and we could not recommend Matt Hayson more highly."
Maree and Peter Thomas - Balmain
Sold by Matthew
Bed | Bath | Car
9 Rowntree Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 3 12/12/19 Undisclosed
1 Longview Street, Balmain 5 | 3 | 3 06/12/19 Undisclosed
409 Balmain Road, Lilyfield 3 | 2 | 1 03/12/19 Undisclosed
12/4 Moore Street, Drummoyne 2 | 1 | 1 30/11/19 $696,000
36 Nicholson Street, Balmain East 5 | 4 | 2 26/11/19 Undisclosed
16 Simmons Street, Balmain East 4 | 2 | 1 18/11/19 Undisclosed
211 Darling Street, Balmain | | 15/11/19 Undisclosed
211 Darling Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 2 15/11/19 Undisclosed
225 Rowntree Street, Birchgrove 4 | 3 | 0 15/11/19 Undisclosed
1/13 St Georges Crescent, Drummoyne 3 | 2 | 2 24/10/19 Undisclosed
6/100 Reynolds Street, Balmain 3 | 3 | 2 16/10/19 Undisclosed
16/1 Bayside Terrace, Cabarita 3 | 2 | 2 15/10/19 Undisclosed
171 Beattie Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 0 05/10/19 Undisclosed
5 Lawson Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 0 28/09/19 $2,525,000
9/102 Elliott Street, Balmain 3 | 3 | 3 12/09/19 Undisclosed
107/3 Hyam Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 2 31/08/19 $1,535,000
81 Mansfield Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 0 09/07/19 Undisclosed
73 Gipps Street, Birchgrove 4 | 2 | 1 26/06/19 Undisclosed
37 Nelson Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 0 24/06/19 Undisclosed
40 Thames Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 1 22/06/19 Undisclosed
11/31 Church Street, Birchgrove 2 | 1 | 1 19/06/19 $880,000
8 Claremont Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 0 01/06/19 Undisclosed
1/25 College Street, Drummoyne 4 | 2 | 3 31/05/19 $1,560,000
71 Mort Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 2 24/05/19 Undisclosed
8 Ellen Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 1 17/05/19 Undisclosed
51 Gipps Street, Birchgrove 3 | 2 | 0 16/05/19 $1,750,000
25 Isabella Street, Balmain 5 | 3 | 0 02/05/19 Undisclosed
15 Valley Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 1 18/04/19 Undisclosed
48 Short Street, Birchgrove 2 | 1 | 0 12/04/19 $1,110,000
40 Birchgrove Road, Balmain 4 | 2 | 2 05/04/19 $3,150,000
17 Gladstone Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 29/03/19 Undisclosed
2/2-6 Thames Street, Balmain 1 | 1 | 1 28/03/19 $740,000
5 College Street, Balmain 1 | 1 | 0 26/03/19 $1,065,000
13/13 Campbell Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 1 21/03/19 $875,000
39 Cameron Street, Edgecliff 3 | 2 | 1 20/03/19 Undisclosed
41 Waterview Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 0 08/03/19 Undisclosed
109 Mort Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 2 26/02/19 Undisclosed
21 Cardwell Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 0 15/02/19 Undisclosed
17 Pashley Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 14/02/19 Undisclosed
3 Thomas Street, Birchgrove 2 | 1 | 0 08/02/19 $1,150,000
8 Emmerick Street, Lilyfield 4 | 2 | 2 07/02/19 Undisclosed
40 Elliott Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 29/11/18 Undisclosed
37 College Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 29/11/18 Undisclosed
70/8 Water Street, Birchgrove 2 | 2 | 1 19/11/18 Undisclosed
116 Mansfield Street, Rozelle 2 | 2 | 0 16/11/18 Undisclosed
17 Edward Street, Balmain East 3 | 2 | 0 31/10/18 $2,120,000
70 Curtis Road, Balmain 4 | 3 | 0 18/10/18 $2,720,000
11 Slade Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 04/10/18 $1,155,000
28/110 Reynolds Street, Balmain 2 | 2 | 1 26/09/18 Undisclosed
74 Reynolds Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 2 21/09/18 Undisclosed
2/2 Ewenton Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 2 17/09/18 Undisclosed
146 Evans Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 13/09/18 Undisclosed
17 Harris Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 08/09/18 Undisclosed
38/10 Gow Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 1 29/08/18 Undisclosed
8 Clare Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 18/08/18 Undisclosed
106 Louisa Road, Birchgrove 3 | 3 | 1 17/08/18 Undisclosed
21 Adolphus Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 0 03/08/18 Undisclosed
11 Prince Street, Rozelle 4 | 2 | 1 21/06/18 Undisclosed
47/22 Buchanan Street, Balmain 2 | 2 | 1 14/06/18 Undisclosed
9 Merton Street, Rozelle 2 | 2 | 0 31/05/18 $1,620,000
23 Wortley Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 25/05/18 $2,500,000
75a Hereford Street, Forest Lodge 4 | 2 | 1 15/05/18 Undisclosed
32 Church Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 0 02/05/18 $2,200,000
22 North Street, Balmain 5 | 3 | 0 22/03/18 Undisclosed
10 Hart Street, Balmain East 4 | 1 | 2 08/03/18 $2,950,000
3 Wulumay Close, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 2 08/03/18 Undisclosed
91b Lamb Street, Lilyfield 3 | 2 | 0 22/02/18 Undisclosed
1 Brockley Street, Rozelle 4 | 2 | 0 11/01/18 Undisclosed
90 Curtis Road, Balmain 3 | 2 | 0 22/12/17 Undisclosed
72 Short Street, Birchgrove 3 | 2 | 0 28/11/17 Undisclosed
11 Coulon Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 25/11/17 $970,000
7 Wallace Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 1 24/11/17 Undisclosed
9 Cashman Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 09/11/17 $1,310,000
2 Spring Street, Birchgrove 4 | 2 | 2 06/10/17 Undisclosed
2/26 Grove Street, Birchgrove 2 | 1 | 1 05/10/17 $1,450,000
19 Audley Street, Petersham 4 | 2 | 1 03/10/17 Undisclosed
24 Ross Street, Gladesville 3 | 1 | 2 23/09/17 $2,202,000
66 Glassop Street, Balmain 4 | 3 | 2 20/09/17 Undisclosed
126 Hampden Road, Abbotsford 3 | 2 | 1 08/09/17 Undisclosed
23/62-64 Carter Street, Cammeray 2 | 1 | 1 18/08/17 Undisclosed
7 Isabella Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 1 03/08/17 Undisclosed
31 Trouton Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 1 28/07/17 $2,840,000
70 Beattie Street, Balmain 4 | 4 | 0 26/07/17 $2,600,000
12 Norman Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 1 20/07/17 Undisclosed
21 Wharf Road, Birchgrove 4 | 5 | 2 19/07/17 $8,150,000
30 Waragal Avenue, Rozelle 4 | 3 | 2 30/06/17 $2,100,000
2/3 Drummoyne Avenue, Drummoyne 2 | 2 | 2 24/06/17 Undisclosed
87 Mullens Street, Balmain 4 | 3 | 2 22/06/17 $1,765,000
58C Wells Street, Redfern 4 | 3 | 2 08/06/17 Undisclosed
10 Hampton Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 0 03/06/17 $1,805,000
7 Gladstone Avenue, Hunters Hill 4 | 1 | 1 25/05/17 $3,060,000
37 Reuss Street, Birchgrove 3 | 3 | 3 24/05/17 Undisclosed
5/14-16 Crescent Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 1 18/05/17 $1,450,000
17 Colgate Avenue, Balmain 3 | 2 | 2 18/05/17 $2,300,000
14/8-10 Lookes Avenue, Balmain East 2 | 1 | 1 18/05/17 $1,350,000
10 Alfred Street, Rozelle 4 | 1 | 1 17/05/17 $1,900,000
18 Montague Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 2 10/05/17 $3,075,000
C29/240 Wyndham Street, Alexandria 1 | 1 | 0 31/03/17 $685,000
38 Maida Street, Lilyfield 3 | 2 | 0 31/03/17 $1,790,000
3 Stephen Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 0 28/03/17 $2,200,000
222 Evans Street, Rozelle 3 | 1 | 0 16/03/17 $1,675,000
1/20 Drummoyne Avenue, Drummoyne 3 | 2 | 3 16/03/17 $2,700,000
2 Padstow Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 01/03/17 $1,387,500
126 Lilyfield Road, Lilyfield 3 | 1 | 1 25/02/17 $1,855,000
13 Reuss Street, Birchgrove 4 | 2 | 0 25/02/17 $2,750,000
20 North Street, Balmain 4 | 3 | 0 25/02/17 $3,020,000
8 Claremont Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 0 23/02/17 $2,410,000
6/440 Darling Street, Balmain 2 | 2 | 1 22/02/17 $987,500
83 Merton Street, Rozelle 2 | 2 | 0 03/02/17 Undisclosed
6/18a Ballast Point Road, Birchgrove 1 | 1 | 0 03/02/17 $674,000
43 Walton Crescent, Abbotsford 6 | 3 | 3 21/12/16 $4,050,000
27/8 Water Street, Birchgrove 3 | 2 | 2 16/11/16 $2,020,000
2/21 Waragal Avenue, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 2 27/10/16 $1,650,000
10 Merton Street, Rozelle 4 | 2 | 0 12/10/16 $2,225,000
214 Bridge Road, Glebe 5 | 2 | 1 12/10/16 $1,825,000
3 Wallace Street, Balmain 5 | 2 | 2 23/09/16 $3,800,000
3 Sardinia Place, Birchgrove 2 | 1 | 0 17/09/16 $1,482,000
21 Bruce Street, Rozelle 4 | 3 | 1 13/09/16 $2,400,000
188 Short Street, Birchgrove 3 | 2 | 0 10/09/16 $2,565,000
10/6 Ewenton Street, Balmain 2 | 2 | 1 01/09/16 $1,200,000
201/28 Bellevue Street, Surry Hills 2 | 2 | 1 27/08/16 $1,400,000
125 Mansfield Street, Rozelle 2 | 2 | 0 25/08/16 $1,480,000
140a James Street, Lilyfield 4 | 3 | 1 14/08/16 $2,112,300
140 James Street, Lilyfield 4 | 3 | 1 14/08/16 $2,000,000
3/4-6 Nicholson Street, Balmain East 2 | 1 | 0 13/08/16 $950,000
98 Louisa Road, Birchgrove 4 | 3 | 2 12/08/16 $6,250,000
304/7 Warayama Place, Rozelle 2 | 2 | 2 13/07/16 $1,635,000
14 Elliott Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 28/06/16 $2,335,000
5/1 Junction Road, Summer Hill 2 | 1 | 0 25/06/16 $827,000
4/40 Alfred Street, Rozelle 3 | 1 | 2 20/06/16 $1,330,000
9/2-4 Clifton Street, Balmain East 2 | 1 | 1 07/06/16 $820,000
17 Lawson Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 1 30/05/16 $2,675,000
26 Grafton Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 21/05/16 $2,726,000
441 Balmain Road, Lilyfield 3 | 1 | 0 17/05/16 $1,150,000
3/26 Mullens Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 2 13/05/16 $1,850,000
9 Brent Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 1 10/05/16 $1,815,000
26 Terry Street, Balmain 4 | 3 | 2 23/04/16 Undisclosed
7 Slade Street, Rozelle 3 | 1 | 0 23/04/16 $1,640,000
16 Harris Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 14/04/16 $1,635,000
7/48 Beauchamp Street, Marrickville 2 | 1 | 1 08/04/16 $650,000
40/42 Avoca Street, Randwick 2 | 1 | 1 08/04/16 $845,000
119 Rowntree Street, Birchgrove 2 | 1 | 0 04/04/16 $1,555,000
5/8-10 Lookes Avenue, Balmain East 2 | 2 | 1 24/03/16 $1,850,000
17 Palmer Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 1 17/03/16 $1,160,000
5 Clubb Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 0 12/03/16 $1,340,000
1/16 Rose Street, Birchgrove 2 | 1 | 1 12/03/16 $1,320,000
5/47 Wharf Road, Birchgrove 2 | 1 | 1 03/03/16 $845,000
10/440 Darling Street, Balmain 2 | 2 | 2 23/02/16 $1,301,000
11/243 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont 3 | 2 | 2 19/12/15 $1,860,000
12 Napoleon Street, Rozelle 3 | 1 | 0 01/12/15 $1,610,000
5 Creek Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 2 27/11/15 Undisclosed
34 Arthur Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 0 27/11/15 Undisclosed
4/2 William Street, North Sydney 2 | 1 | 0 19/11/15 $870,000
12 Vincent Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 0 12/11/15 Undisclosed
18 Collins Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 0 10/11/15 $1,810,000
11/16 Larkin Street, Camperdown 2 | 2 | 1 02/11/15 $845,000
134 Hubert Street, Lilyfield 3 | 2 | 1 22/10/15 $1,360,000
28/88 Bent Street, Neutral Bay 0 | 1 | 1 16/10/15 $542,000
1 St Andrews Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 0 15/10/15 $1,400,000
160 Mullens Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 1 08/10/15 $1,495,000
7 Lawson Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 2 02/10/15 Undisclosed
123 Beattie Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 2 30/09/15 $3,200,000
12 Turner Street, Balmain 4 | 3 | 2 22/09/15 Undisclosed
24 Llewellyn Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 17/09/15 $2,750,000
17/8 Lookes Avenue, Balmain East 2 | 2 | 1 17/09/15 $1,825,000
6 Reuss Street, Birchgrove 4 | 3 | 2 16/09/15 Undisclosed
93 Hill Street, Leichhardt 5 | 3 | 1 12/09/15 $3,060,000
49 Hornsey Street, Rozelle 4 | 2 | 0 12/09/15 $2,000,000
19 Union Street, Balmain East 3 | 2 | 0 08/09/15 $1,900,000
3/58 Benelong Road, Cremorne 2 | 1 | 0 03/09/15 $810,000
5A Duke Place, Balmain East 4 | 2 | 2 18/08/15 Undisclosed
5 Adolphus Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 17/08/15 Undisclosed
4/29-31 Alfred Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 1 13/08/15 $980,000
125 Charles Street, Lilyfield 2 | 1 | 0 12/08/15 $1,225,000
10 Birchgrove Road, Balmain 3 | 1 | 0 06/08/15 Undisclosed
9 Edward Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 0 30/07/15 $1,740,000
37/19 Stanley Street, Woollahra 1 | 1 | 1 30/07/15 $753,000
8/1 Onslow Place, Elizabeth Bay 0 | 1 | 1 18/07/15 $585,000
22 Goodsir Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 1 09/07/15 $1,525,000
9 Dock Road, Birchgrove 4 | 2 | 2 03/07/15 $2,900,000
55 Perry Street, Lilyfield 3 | 1 | 2 20/06/15 $1,600,000
2/27 William Street, Leichhardt 2 | 1 | 1 28/05/15 $1,065,000
25 Ewell Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 22/05/15 Undisclosed
21 King Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 20/05/15 $2,145,000
2/108A Beattie Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 1 19/05/15 $973,500
12 Norman Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 1 16/05/15 $1,375,000
197 Trafalgar Street, Annandale 4 | 2 | 2 18/04/15 $1,956,000
503 Darling Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 2 16/04/15 $1,805,000
4 Perrett Street, Rozelle 4 | 2 | 1 16/04/15 $2,040,000
25 King Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 0 13/04/15 Undisclosed
3/45 Wharf Road, Birchgrove 3 | 2 | 1 11/04/15 $2,310,000
26 Starling Street, Lilyfield 3 | 1 | 0 28/03/15 $1,540,000
3 Mullens Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 0 28/03/15 $1,311,000
18A Beattie Street, Balmain 3 | 3 | 2 27/03/15 Undisclosed
176 Annandale Street, Annandale 4 | 3 | 2 27/03/15 Undisclosed
1/26 Gower Street, Summer Hill 2 | 1 | 0 06/03/15 $775,000
19 College Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 24/02/15 $1,350,000
15 Roseberry Street, Balmain 2 | 2 | 0 05/12/14 $1,082,000
61 Dickson Street, Newtown 3 | 3 | 1 29/11/14 $1,610,000
72 Palmer Street, Balmain 2 | 2 | 1 29/11/14 Undisclosed
1a Septimus Street, Erskineville 3 | 1 | 0 29/11/14 $1,280,000
9 Young Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 0 20/11/14 Undisclosed
24/3 Hornsey Street, Rozelle 1 | 1 | 1 18/11/14 Undisclosed
6/1 McKell Street, Balmain 1 | 1 | 1 14/11/14 Undisclosed
18 Montague Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 2 13/11/14 Undisclosed
13/41 Darling Street, Balmain East 2 | 2 | 1 07/11/14 Undisclosed
14/4 Hyam Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 2 06/11/14 Undisclosed
9 Rumsay Lane, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 2 23/10/14 $2,570,000
19 McKell Street, Birchgrove 3 | 1 | 2 14/10/14 Undisclosed
50 Lang Road, Centennial Park 6 | 4 | 4 11/08/14 Undisclosed
5/20 Pyrmont Bridge Road, Camperdown 1 | 1 | 1 24/07/14 Undisclosed
186 Short Street, Birchgrove 2 | 1 | 0 10/07/14 Undisclosed
155a Mansfield Street, Rozelle 4 | 2 | 1 02/07/14 Undisclosed
12 Phillip Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 26/06/14 Undisclosed
31/17-25 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills 1 | 1 | 0 19/06/14 Undisclosed
3 Murdoch Street, Rozelle 4 | 2 | 0 14/06/14 Undisclosed
49 Hubert Street, Leichhardt 3 | 1 | 1 12/06/14 Undisclosed
33 Theodore Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 24/05/14 Undisclosed
4 Broderick Street, Balmain 4 | 3 | 2 30/04/14 Undisclosed
12 Brent Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 0 22/04/14 Undisclosed
49 Alfred Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 1 17/04/14 Undisclosed
12/549 Darling Street, Rozelle 1 | 1 | 1 04/04/14 Undisclosed
3/193 Darling Street, Balmain 4 | 2 | 2 03/04/14 Undisclosed
14 Cecily Street, Lilyfield 1 | 1 | 0 08/03/14 Undisclosed
1001/27 Margaret Street, Rozelle 2 | 2 | 2 06/03/14 Undisclosed
31/9 Nicholson Street, Balmain East 2 | 1 | 1 06/03/14 Undisclosed
4 Yeend Street, Birchgrove 3 | 2 | 1 11/02/14 Undisclosed
1A Perrett Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 10/12/12 Undisclosed
5 Trivetts Lane, Balmain 1 | 2 | 0 29/08/06 $560,000
13 St Andrews Street, Balmain East 3 | 2 | 0 23/08/06 $945,000
5 George Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 18/08/06 Undisclosed
15 Louisa Road, Birchgrove 2 | 1 | 0 31/07/06 $935,000
8/2 Ewenton Street, Balmain East 3 | 2 | 2 03/07/06 $815,000
17 Campbell Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 2 03/07/06 Undisclosed
6/1 Brent Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 3 29/06/06 Undisclosed
10 Lawson Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 2 15/06/06 $940,000
144 Short Street, Birchgrove 2 | 1 | 0 09/06/06 $720,000
Townhouse 29-41 Reynolds Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 2 26/05/06 $561,000
9a Donnelly Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 1 25/05/06 $850,000
30 Percy Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 22/05/06 $685,000
17/440 Darling Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 2 19/05/06 $800,000
2/55 Smith Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 18/05/06 $855,000
40 Waterloo Street, Rozelle 3 | 1 | 0 03/05/06 $826,000
38 Moore Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 01/05/06 $665,000
C103/23 Colgate Avenue, Balmain 2 | 2 | 1 19/04/06 $638,500
1/6 Rooke Lane, Hunters Hill 2 | 1 | 1 05/04/06 $790,000
3 Goodsir Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 10/03/06 $710,000
2 Davidson Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 1 03/03/06 Undisclosed
39 Evans Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 17/02/06 $600,000
3 Emily Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 01/02/06 $530,000
14 Barr Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 2 30/11/05 $1,360,000
151 Darling Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 17/11/05 $800,000
39 Rosser Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 0 16/11/05 Undisclosed
4/2 Clifton Street, Balmain East 1 | 1 | 1 15/11/05 $415,000
29/10 Gow Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 1 09/11/05 $570,000
125 Mullens Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 02/11/05 Undisclosed
12/1 McKell Street, Birchgrove 1 | 1 | 1 10/10/05 $420,000
56 Goodsir Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 07/10/05 $525,000
4/26 Mullens Street, Balmain 2 | 2 | 2 19/09/05 Undisclosed
11 Creek Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
4 Pearson Street, Balmain East 4 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
2/42 Grove Street(Entrance via Joseph St), Lilyfield 3 | 2 | 2 19/09/05 Undisclosed
9 Bridge Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
51 Lawson Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
112 Darling Street, Balmain East 3 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
49 Roseberry Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
9 Evans Street, Balmain 1 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
60 Smith Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
3 High Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
70 Terry Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 1 19/09/05 Undisclosed
2/3 Gallimore Avenue, Balmain East 2 | 1 | 1 19/09/05 Undisclosed
18-20 Union Street, Balmain East 5 | 2 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
8/10 Gow Street, Balmain 2 | 1 | 1 19/09/05 Undisclosed
14 Loughlin Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
11 Duke Street, Balmain East 2 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
23 Parsons Street, Rozelle 3 | 1 | 0 19/09/05 Undisclosed
85 Denison Street, Rozelle 2 | 1 | 1 19/09/05 Undisclosed
90-94 St Georges Crescent, Drummoyne 3 | 2 | 1 19/09/05 Undisclosed
9 Alfred Street, Rozelle 3 | 2 | 1 19/09/05 Undisclosed
5 Sorrie Street, Balmain 3 | 1 | 0 14/09/05 Undisclosed
105 High Street, Kirribilli 1 | 1 | 1 Undisclosed
158 Darling Street, Balmain 3 | 2 | 2 Undisclosed
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Obama Reveals Himself as a Champion of the Surveillance State
By Gene Healy
This article appeared on DC Examiner on January 21, 2014.
On Friday, more than seven months after he professed to “welcome this debate” over National Security Agency spying, kicked off by whistleblower Edward Snowden, President Obama finally got around to debating. His speech at the Justice Department was a tour‐de‐force of petulance, dissembling, and phony piety about civil liberties.
The president is at least as fond of passive constructions as Chris “Mistakes Were Made” Christie. “Too often,” Obama said, “new authorities were instituted without adequate public debate.” But before the Snowden revelations, the American public didn’t know that the administration considered all Americans’ call records “relevant” to terrorism investigations under section 215 of the Patriot Act — and Obama liked it that way.
His speech at the Justice Department was a tour‐de‐force of petulance, dissembling, and phony piety about civil liberties.
Still, Obama pointed out, his review group on NSA surveillance found “no indication that this database has been intentionally abused.” Nor did it find any evidence that the program had been particularly useful. As the group’s report, issued in December, put it, information derived from bulk collection “was not essential to preventing attacks and could readily have been obtained in a timely manner” through other means.
The same goes for the president’s signature example of the 215 program’s hypothetical usefulness, which had been debunked by a review group member even before the speech. Had the program been in place, Obama implied, we might have caught a 9/11 hijacker who called an al Qaeda safehouse we were monitoring in Yemen. But as group member Richard Clarke told ProPublica, NSA didn’t need a call records database “to get the information they needed” — that was available through a traditional FISA warrant.
The 215 program, Obama insisted, “does not involve the content of phone calls or the names of people making calls.” The latter point is comforting only if you’re gullible enough to believe that the NSA has never heard of reverse telephone directories.
Moreover, there’s no “sharp distinction” between content and metadata. That’s what another member of the president’s hand‐picked review group told the Senate Judiciary Committee in a hearing last week. “There is quite a bit of content in metadata,” according to group member Michael Morell: “When you have the records of phone calls that a particular individual made, you can learn an awful lot about that person.”
Indeed, the 215 program is nothing less than “a federal human relations database,” as Senator Ron Wyden, D‑Ore., has put it. That potential treasure trove of personal intelligence is dangerous and unnecessary, even if it’s housed with a third party, as the president proposed.
In the speech, Obama congratulated himself for maintaining a “healthy skepticism towards our surveillance programs,” noting that “as a senator, I was critical” of various NSA practices.
Yet he’s never been one to let his scruples cramp his ambitions. As a Senate candidate, he’d called the Patriot Act “shoddy and dangerous;” as a senator running for president, Obama declaimed, “No more national security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime.” On Friday, it was, “greater oversight on the use of these letters may be appropriate.” Barry, we hardly knew ye.
In a legacy‐polishing interview with the New Yorker’s David Remnick last week, Obama spoke dismissively of “a public imagination that sees Big Brother looming everywhere.” The president didn’t feel “any ambivalence” about the decisions he’d made on NSA spying, but admitted that he might not “welcome this debate” as much as he’s previously let on: “the benefit of the debate [Snowden] generated was not worth the damage done.”
In private, Obama’s aides report that the president was “angry” about the Snowden revelations, denouncing the leaker as “a self‐important narcissist who had not thought through the consequences of his actions.” There’s a lot of that going around.
Gene Healy
Gene Healy, a Washington Examiner columnist, is vice president at the Cato Institute and author of The Cult of the Presidency.
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