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__label__cc	0.576719	0.423281	Magnus Carlsen – The “Wonderboy” is all grown up Tags: Bobby Fischer, Endgame, fide world chess championship 2013, Magnus Carlsen, magnus carlsen documentary, Wonderboy book, world chess championship in Chennai I used to be pretty active in the world of tournament chess. Though just an amateur I reached a fairly respectable level of competence, allowing me to occasionally compete with and enjoy the play of the chess masters and professionals (like Salieri in the movie “Amadeus,” I could pretty well understand and appreciate what the best and more gifted players could do – I just couldn’t often replicate it myself). I also was always proud of the fact that I had once played in the largest tournament in U.S. History, the 1986 World Open in Philadelphia with 1,506 players. This record stood until 2005, when it clearly became threatened by a new announced tournament, The HB Global Chess Challenge, held in Minneapolis. At that time, the decision to go was an easy one, so a friend and I flew off to spend a few days in the Twin Cities. It was a very strong tournament and I finished on “minus-2” (chess-speak for finishing with two more losses than wins. At the higher levels, the are often a lot of drawn games, so -2 or (+2) might be arrived at many ways, e.g., you could draw six games and lose two,or win three and lose five, etc. I had a lot of draws – these players were hard to beat!). This was one of the final tournaments I played in, but the thing I remember most about it today is that during the tournament I was reading a book, Simen Agdestein’s “Wonderboy: How Magnus Carlsen Became the Youngest Grandmaster in the World.” The Game of Chess has had its share of prodigies throughout its history, and Norway’s Carlsen is one of the more recent. Many of them “burn out” early (think Bobby Fischer, who I’ve written about on this blog a few times – here, here, and here) and enough have suffered from some form of mental illness to create an unpleasant stereotype. Carlsen (knock on wood) defies this stereotype and has grown into a “normal” happy young adult who just happens to also be extremely good at chess. The past few days, I’ve re-read this book (well, at least the text, I didn’t replay all the moves of Carlsen’s games that are included) and was awestruck once again by the prodigious memory and talent of the chess grandmaster. For instance, as a child he was fascinated by flags and by age five had memorized all the few hundred municipalities in Norway and their coats of arms, size, and populations. He also memorized similar data for the countries of the world. Whatever he became interested in, he would learn – and remember – everything about it. He thinks he has “a few thousand” entire chess games memorized and in the documentary linked below a fellow grandmaster tests him by setting up positions from historical games, with Carlsen correctly identifying them. Amazing stuff. I predict that the seemingly well-rounded Carlsen will NOT suffer the fate of many of his predecessors. For one thing, he has a very supportive family and circle of friends. Agdestein sums this up well in the book saying: “There are many random events that play a decisive role in one’s life. The cards are not dealt out equally. We come from different countries and different places and end up in different environments, with all the conditions and directives this involves. But the most important thing is family.” Why write about this book now, eight years later? Well, this past Saturday morning the latest world championship chess match began in Chennai, India (at 4:30 a.m. EST!) and Carlsen is the challenger to defending champion Viswanathan Anand of India. It’s a much anticipated match, where most expect a changing of the guard (or generations) in top level chess will occur. I’d also like to share a link to a great short documentary about Carlsen and the upcoming match. It might dispel some of the stereotypes about chess masters. There is pretty good live coverage of the match that is available on the Internet (yes, I’ve gotten up pretty early the last couple days) . The first two games were rather disappointing draws by repetition, and today (Monday) is a rest day. Game three is tomorrow (also at 4:30 a.m.) and there are 12 games in the match. If it’s tied after twelve, they go into an exciting tie-breaker format where the amount of thinking time the players start with is continually reduced until a winner is produced. My thought is there will be no tie-breaker. Carlsen is now the much higher rated player and seems pretty invincible. I do hope Anand, roughly representing MY generation, will keep it close. (below: a still from game one’s live internet coverage) (Below: Magnus, at only 13, had Garry Kasparov – at the time the highest rated player in history – on the ropes in the first of a two-game mini match. This game ended in a draw) (Magnus lost the second game rather routinely and said afterward ( as Agdestein notes,”without a trace of irony”) ‘I played like a child.’) (below: from the documentary linked above – Magnus takes on one of the chess hustlers in New York’s Washington Square Park. Among the fans watching: yes, that’s Liv Tyler – or Arwen from the Lord of the Rings movies 🙂 )	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line555
__label__wiki	0.792723	0.792723	Posts tagged with "Gowanus": New draft plan for Gowanus rezoning emphasizes resiliency, housing, and waterfront access Gowanus, the Brooklyn neighborhood known for its namesake toxic canal (which is prone to flooding), will be joining Manhattan’s Garment District as the next neighborhood to be rezoned. Following over 100 hours of community outreach after the release of the original Gowanus PLACES Study in 2016, the Department of City Planning (DCP) has unveiled the Draft Framework for a Sustainable, Inclusive, Mixed-use Neighborhood. The 188-page draft breaks down suggestions from the city and community on how to boost the neighborhood’s resiliency, replace some of the manufacturing areas with residential, and build up flood-resistant infrastructure. New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) tenants were also consulted on how to improve the area’s public housing stock moving forward. Surprising no one, a great deal of attention was paid towards the future of the Gowanus Canal proper. Plans for dredging and remediating the industrial waterway (despite the preservation concerns), preventing runoff from reaching the canal, and incentivizing private residences to remediate their contaminated sites were given top billing. Despite the fetid waters, Gowanus has seen an upsurge in luxury development in recent years (including Brooklyn’s first Whole Foods, on 3rd Avenue). The city worked with community groups such as Bridging Gowanus to develop guides for building affordably in the neighborhood. Some of those proposals include rezoning the majority industrial and commercial neighborhood to allow for mid-rise residential developments with a sizeable affordable housing component. While nods were given to reigning in development along mid-block properties, the city has proposed allowing higher-density developments along certain stretches, such as near Thomas Greene Playground and on 3rd Avenue. Some of the beefier urbanist proposals in the draft framework include bridging non-contiguous plots into walkable “superblocks,” and the creation of a unified waterfront esplanade around the canal under a Waterfront Access Plan (WAP). The WAP would also create uniformly-spaced canal crossings, new flood resistance requirements, ground-floor retail requirements along the waterfront, and lowered street wall heights on the coast. The full draft framework plan can be found here. The framework’s release will be followed by the Draft Neighborhood Plan and Zoning Proposal this winter, and then the rezoning proposal will move to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) for public comment. Interested community members can attend an open house at P.S. 32 at 317 Hoyt Street on June 27 from 5 to 8:30 P.M. to share their feedback. Explore this interactive map of the Gowanus Canal's slightly scary microbiology The Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn is notorious for its filth. Normally a sure fire way to contract dysentery, cancer and arsenic poisoning, the canal is now the subject of study from a diverse collaborative effort: Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, biotech nonprofit GenSpace, the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, and data visualizers Landscape Metrics. Called the BK BioReactor, the undertaking employs a small autonomous watercraft that samples waters throughout the infamous canal (an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Superfund site). The researchers set out to catalog its microbial communities before the canal undergoes dredging and sub-aquatically capping as part of the Superfund cleanup later this year. https://vimeo.com/156573571 Why the Gowanus? The team aims to discover new microorganisms "unique to the urban realm." With many urban areas facing similar pollution challenges, there may be important lessons to be learned. "The Gowanus Canal is an incubator for the evolution of such bioremediating functions, attesting to its industrial past and its capacity for self-renewal," they stated. To carry out the task, the group are using the BK BioReactor: a mobile watercraft that takes samples and stops at 14 "Smart Docks" throughout the canal. The craft measures "water temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen; and most importantly grant researchers and citizen scientists access to the microbiome below the cleanup cap. Subsequently, an interactive microbiological map has been produced, locating all the different microorganisms, the vast majority of which are bacteria. However, in some parts of the canal, large quantities of the siphoviridae virus family can be found. For those wondering, this is not linked to syphilis (which the canal has been associated with). That's not to say the findings were in any way healthy however. "Many of the species identified in preliminary samplings are also found in the human gut (a result of raw sewage) while other species reveal influence of the canal’s proximity to the ocean," the group said. "Regardless of their source, the microbial melting pot of the canal has fine-tuned its metabolism, swapping genes with neighboring communities and evolving novel functions to develop real-time strategies for the unique state of the canal." https://vimeo.com/156590188 Other substances discovered included: Cresol, a toxic substance that in humans can damage the respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, blood, liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Arsenic, known to cause kidney damage and failure anemia and low blood pressure Toluene, can cause insomnia and liver and kidney damage Atrazine, a herbicide known to damage endocrine system in amphibians Aniline, probably the most scary, is used in dyes and plastics production. It is "classified as very toxic in humans", with a probable oral lethal dose in humans at a very low level. Semi-Permanent Ink: Artist Charlotte Mann collaborates with Wolf Gordon on art installation in Brooklyn Wolf Gordon's impressive Wink surface can turn any wall into a dry erase board. The design possibilities are endless considering Wink is completely translucent and can be applied to any color paint, wood, metal, or patterned wall covering without changing the original look. U.K.–based artist Charlotte Mann created a site-specific, large-scale installation at the Gowanus Souvenir Shop using the product that is on view until March 13. The 1:1 scale drawing is different from her typical pieces, which are much more permanent. Mann said that, "Using dry erase as a medium actually made things easier because I could change my mind, and allowed me to improvise." A portion of the installation has been photographed and reproduced as a limited-edition digital wall covering that is for sale at Gowanus Souvenir Shop, 543 Union Street, in Brooklyn. View a time-lapse video of the project below: New York City to install 90 curbside bioswales to help clean Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal As new apartment buildings continue to rise in Gowanus, Brooklyn, New York City's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced plans to install 90 bioswales nearby in hopes of cleaning the neighborhood's eponymous—and oh-so-polluted—canal. DNAinfo reported that starting this summer, the DEP will plan the so-called "curbside gardens" in hopes of soaking up about 8 million gallons of stormwater runoff, ultimately helping the overall ecological well-being of the Gowanus Canal. "Investing in green infrastructure is a cost-effective way to improve the health of the Gowanus Canal, green neighborhood streets and clean the air we all breathe," said DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd in a statement to DNAinfo. This bioswale program is part of New York City's larger, multi-billion dollar effort to use green infrastructure to capture stormwater and beautify streets. As AN reported last fall: "Thanks to a landmark 2012 settlement with state environmental officials, New York City finally is taking major steps to manage stormwater near contaminated waterways that don’t comply with the Clean Water Act, such as the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek. The initiative includes an ambitious plan to spend $2.4 billion on green infrastructure, which can include streetscapes designed with materials such as structural soil and permeable pavers." Gowanus developers shoot down ziggurat-themed proposal from ODA Last week, ODA: Architecture unveiled a dramatic rendering of a megaproject for Gowanus, Brooklyn, featuring a cluster of semi-transparent stepped pyramids. But almost as soon as the design was released, the site's owners stepped in as buzzkills, disavowing any connection with the ODA proposal. After the sleuths at 6sqft identified the future home of the ziggurats as 175–225 Third Street—thanks to a bit of graffiti pictured in the renderings—the owners, Kushner Companies and LIVWRK, released a statement indicating that they had already passed on ODA's pitch. "The developers are not working with ODA on this project and these designs do not represent our vision for this site or the Gowanus," they said. "We are committed to putting forth an outstanding plan that respects the context of the neighborhood and responds to the voices of local stakeholders." While we now know that ODA, which is currently working on other New York City projects including 10 Montieth Street in Bushwick, will not be bringing their pinwheel of Mesopotamian-inspired structures to the canal front, much about the future of the site remains uncertain. Last June, The Real Deal reported that the parcel could be rezoned to allow a mixed-use development of over one million square feet, to include 150,000 square feet of retail. The immediate area is ripe for commercial growth, with a Whole Foods located across the street and other large residential complexes going up nearby. Snøhetta completes warehouse-to-gallery conversion in Gowanus, Brooklyn Snøhetta, the Norwegian firm known for big, dramatic buildings around the globe, has completed a more modest project in Gowanus, Brooklyn: the conversion of a warehouse into a studio and gallery space for José Parlá, a Cuban-American artist and painter. The new space is separated into two defined spaces known as the “Arena” and the “Nest.” The “Arena” is where Parlá can showcase his work, like the mural ONE: Union of the Senses, which is now on display in the lobby of One World Trade Center. And as for the “Nest,” Snøhetta describes that as “a cozy mezzanine [that] provides a relaxing space for the artist to take distance from his work, and an elevated location to view his paintings from a new perspective.” Artists, right? Snøhetta's renovation retains much of the building's industrial past, including its ceilings and concrete floors; the building's brick exterior has largely been preserved as well, but now includes rolling doors to accommodate large pieces of art. Inside, walls are painted grey to highlight the artist's work and old skylights have been opened up to increase natural light. Archtober Building of the Day #21> Runner & Stone Restaurant Archtober Building of the Day #21 Runner & Stone 285 Third Avenue Latent Productions Karla Rothstein and her partner Sal Perry are Latent Productions. They, along with Baker Peter Endriss served up a very nice helping of both delicious snacks and spiffy new architecture on yesterday's Archtober tour. With a full tour of enthusiasts and architects, Karla and Sal described their self-initiated process of design, development, and construction management. They first prototyped, then fabricated the puffy custom concrete blocks that evoke the sacks of flour waiting to become bread that are the design hallmark of the restaurant, Runner & Stone, in Brooklyn. One thousand units were made, twenty at a time, in the basement with workers, some of them students, following the instruction graphic the architects prepared. It all had something of the air of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood with an almost mystical unity of material (steel and concrete and bread) and the romance of fabrication. Ah how utopian! The project includes a bakery, restaurant, and bar replete with locavore cred. Even the name is authentic: Runner & Stone refers to the existence of a mill in the 17th century that was near the site. In milling, the moving stone is called the runner. So the flour and the sand, each granulated for admixture, are equalized and each a metaphor for the other. There was also a lot of steel, another building material receiving special attention and distribution throughout the project. The floor is cold rolled plate, with a foam interlayer, set on plywood, then waxed for residential use in the upper two apartment units. A radiant heating mat keeps it warm. The facade is oxidizing to a nice autumnal orange. Custom furniture blends more raw steel with reclaimed lumber from Brooklyn water tanks. Much was made of the happy relationship of all the parties involved, leading me to conclude that the success is no longer lying dormant: a 2014 AIANY Design Award attests. Along for the tour was budding food critic, and AIANY Exhibition Coordinator Katie Mullen: As the team from Latent Productions described the building, head baker Peter Endriss and staff passed small plates including pickled vegetables with chopped egg, whitefish salad with sliced baguette, heirloom tomato soup, and sliced sausage with sauerkraut. Endriss, previously head baker at Thomas Keller's Per Se, reserved one surprise for tour attendees returning from 285 3rd Avenue's upper floors: his signature rye flour and toasted caraway brownies. Cynthia Phifer Kracauer, AIA, is the Managing Director of the Center for Architecture and the festival director for Archtober: Architecture and Design Month NYC. She was previously a partner at Butler Rogers Baskett, and from 1989-2005 at Swanke Hayden Connell. After graduating from Princeton (AB 1975, M.Arch 1979) she worked for Philip Johnson, held faculty appointments at the University of Virginia, NJIT, and her alma mater. ckracauer@aiany.org Brooklyn's Kentile Floors Sign to Be Disassembled And Relocated A compromise has been reached in the heated battle over the fate of Brooklyn's iconic Kentile Floors sign. The New York Times reported that the sign's owner will dismantle the structure and donate its red letters to the Gowanus Alliance, a local group which plans to reinstall the sign nearby. For that to happen, though, the eight-story, 50-year-old sign must first be removed from its current rooftop home without breaking. "There are some hurdles to clear," reported the Times. "The permits require that the 20-foot-high letters be reduced to four-by-four-foot sections and sent down a debris chute off the roof." City Councilman Brad Lander, who recently launched a petition to save the sign, told the paper he hopes the letters can be removed with a pulley and not "crammed down a chute." Kentile Floors Sign in Gowanus Brooklyn is (Likely) Doomed The industrial past of Gowanus, Brooklyn is rapidly disappearing as the neighborhood transitions into a more mixed-use future. As the low-slung factories and warehouses continue to disappear, the iconic, eight-story, Kentile Floors sign could go with it. The Kentile sign has been towering above the neighborhood since the mid-20th Century and even outlived the Kentile factory, which shuttered in the early 1990s. But in April, a permit was issued for the building's owner to dismantle the sign, and scaffolding has since been spotted next to its red letters. The news of the sign's demise has been met with significant backlash from local residents and politicians including New York City Council Member Brad Lander who launched a petition to save the sign. “Demolition of this iconic sign would be an enormous loss for Gowanus and for Brooklyn,” Lander wrote. “In many ways, it stands for Gowanus.” Letter to the Editor> Health Food and Historic Preservation [Editor's Note: The following are reader-submitted responses to a pair of articles about the opening of an urban Whole Foods in Gowanus, Brooklyn, “Suburbs Meet City” (AN 03_03.05.2014), and the pending redevelopment of the Coignet Building on the site, “Set in Stone” (AN 03_03.05.2014). Opinions expressed in letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions or sentiments of the newspaper. AN welcomes reader letters, which could appear in our regional print editions. To share your opinion, please email editor@archpaper.com. ] Thanks for the article (“Suburbs Meet City” AN 03_03.05.2014). About the note at the end referring to the project’s intent—is it possible that what could be a corporate marketing ploy on the front end positively contributes to a vibrant local culture? If consumers keep demanding this type of sensitive response from national corporations, I hope with time this business strategy evolves and matures from just local products and signs that say “Brooklyn” all the way to careful stewardship of a community, i.e. good use of the Coignet Building, etc. Thanks again. Chris Hoal Intern Architect Gresham Smith & Partners Thanks for this very needed article (“Set in Stone” AN 03_03.05.2014). What has happened to this important building is a tragedy, but hopefully it’s turned the corner to its restoration. It’s a shame, however, that the Whole Foods building was allowed to completely abut the building—some thoughtful massing would have made the situation much more bearable. Historic Districts Council City Planning Approves Lightstone Group's Pared Down Gowanus Development After much backlash from New York City Councilmember Brad Lander and several community members in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the Lightstone Group has decided to abandon its proposed “minor modification” in favor of keeping the as-of-right design for its Gowanus Canal-side development that is in compliance with the rezoning passed in 2009. Today the New York City Department of City Planning gave Lightstone the greenlight to move ahead with its 700-unit residential development on the Gowanus. The “Minor Modification” would have used a waiver to extend the depth in the rear yard. And while the design initially won the community board’s support, the damage and flooding from Hurricane Sandy in the area generated concern and protest among some residents. According to a statement released by Lightstone today, the design approved is “very similar to the Minor Modification design,” which includes the identical massing along Bond Street and along portions of First and Second Streets, the same floor area and uses of retail and residential space, and the same number of units and affordable apartments. But Lightstone did manage to deviate from the original design by Toll Brothers, the previous developer, by “gently stepping up" the building heights toward the canal and adding 2,955 square feet of open space to accommodate an expanded public walkway along the canal and pull the buildings away from the waterfront. The developers will also adhere to new FEMA maps and implement the required changes to protect the building from flooding such as raising the lowest occupied floors and moving all mechanical equipment to above grade. The blog Pardon Me For Asking reported that even though the Minor Modification is off the table, Brad Lander is not budging on his position. “In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, I continue to believe it is a mistake to move forward with dense, high-rise, residential development without a comprehensive plan for infrastructure and land use regulations that Gowanus needs,” said Lander. A Room with a View: A Boutique Hotel to Rise Along the Gowanus The contaminated waters of the Gowanus Canal—nor the threat of flooding from future storms like Hurricane Sandy—are deterring developers from building right up on the canal's edge. In fact, a new swanky boutique hotel is about to wash up on the shores of the Gowanus Canal. This comes at a time when several new hotels are in the works for Brooklyn over the next few years, including the Rockwell Place Hotel in the Brooklyn Downtown Cultural District and Selldorf Architect's revival of the Bossert Hotel in Brooklyn Heights. Capital New York reported that downtown nightlife maven Matt Abramcyk of the original Beatrice Inn and Smith & Mills restaurant will build this new 82-room hotel to be named the Gowanus Inn & Yard at 645 Union Street just off Fourth Avenue. Abramcyk will team up with Alec Shtromandel who built the Union Hotel on nearby DeGraw Street. The project is expected to cost $13 million and slated to open in early 2015. With a slew of new restaurants and concert venues, Gowanus is emerging as the next industrial frontier primed for new development catering to Brooklyn’s hipster-meets-yuppie set.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line558
__label__wiki	0.846164	0.846164	Posts tagged with "Train Stations": Mecanoo's Delft city hall and train station reflects the past with ornamental glass panels Brought to you with support from Constructed in the center of the canal-ringed Dutch city of Delft, Mecanoo Architecten’s new City Hall and Train Station conveys an up-to-date take on the city’s overarching morphology and history with an expressive glass facade and articulated massing. Delft is located approximately 10 miles from the Port of Rotterdam, one of the world’s busiest, historically embedding the city within European and international trade flows. The city’s primary product was a style of tin-glazed ceramic dubbed Delftware, which largely consisted of blue detailing laid over white porcelain. Protected by relatively stringent architectural conservation regulations, the city still largely follows its centuries-old layout of narrow streets, plot lines, and modest building heights. The challenge for the architectural practice was to incorporate these elements into a 305,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art infrastructural hub and seat of government. Facade Manufacturer AKS Bouw Saint Gobain Architects Mecanoo Architecten Facade Installer AKS Bouw Facade Consultants IBS Consultants Location Delft, Netherlands Date of Completion 2018 System Steel-and-concrete with custom facade framing Products AKS Bouw custom facade framing St. Gobain kiln formed glass The complex rises from a vaulted and mosaic-tiled four-track train station, with the first floor largely serving as a conduit of circulation between the streetscape above and transport embedded below. Floating above the station’s principal concourse are approximately 2,000 425-foot-long curved ribs printed with a historic map of the Delft region in 1877. The glass panels are primarily a single height of approximately 11.5 feet, with varying widths of 1.5 to 3 feet. Each panel was glazed a soft blue in homage to eponymous ceramics formerly produced in Delft. Working with curtain wall fabricator AKS Bouw, the design team utilized a custom-designed aluminum framing system, hanging each facade element from the interior with a specialized hook. For fabrication and glazing of the glass panels, Mecanoo Architecten collaborated with specialist St. Gobain. Kiln forming was used to imprint street-facing panels with their lens-like spheres, a vernacular detail commonly found within the city. According to the design team, this kiln forming process is fairly straightforward: “a regular sheet of float glass is heated and put over a mold containing holes for the heated glass to drop into, the ripple effect is formed by a nose that sits at the center of the hole." From the second story, the structure rises as an irregular glass mass measuring nearly 50,000 square feet in surface area. Mecanoo used two strategies to relate the complex’s volume to the city-at-large: deep incisions punctuate the east and west elevations of the street wall recalling the city’s network of alleyways and courtyards, while the roof gradually slopes downward towards each corner to match surrounding cornice lines. Amtrak to pick developer for Baltimore's Penn Station overhaul Amtrak will pick a developer for Baltimore's Penn Station overhaul by summer 2017. The railroad is soliciting a request for qualifications from designers and engineers to add amenities, make the station A.D.A. compatible, open 40,000 square feet of unused office space, revamp the plaza that fronts the station's main entrance, and revitalize the surrounding neighborhood by developing adjacent properties. Although Amtrak is exploring financing options, including private equity financing and a public-private option, there is no cost estimate for the project available at this time, the Baltimore Sun reported. After the news conference to announce the renovation, Amtrak officials and Congressman Elijah E. Cumming gave a presentation to the bidders. Representatives from Arup and FXFowle were in attendance. Officials cited Philadelphia's 30th Street Station and Washington, D.C.'s Union Station as inspirations for the Baltimore's station overhaul. "The redevelopment of Penn Station is incredibly important, as it is the first impression of Baltimore to anyone traveling by rail to the city," Susan Yum, spokeswoman for the city's economic development agency, told the Sun. "The station has much more potential as both a transit hub and a key gateway, and we hope that Amtrak will be able to see this project through to completion." The announcement follows a spate of planned train station overhauls along the Northeast corridor. D.C.'s Union Station is slated for a new concourse as part of a $50 million renovation, with Amtrak is picking up most of the tab. To jumpstart redevelopment around the train station, a mixed-use development over the rail yard will add 1.5 million square feet of commercial office space, 10,000 square feet of retail, a 500-key hotel, and 1,300 apartments. New York's Penn Station is getting a $3 billion overhaul as part of Governor Cuomo's $100 billion infrastructure improvement plan. The adjacent neoclassical James A. Farley Post Office will be converted into Penn Station's concourse, increasing the size of the station by 50 percent. Dormant for 70 years, South London's war-time tunnels now open to the public for the first time On the surface, Clapham South is your standard Northern Line tube station, complete with art deco decorum to boot. Situated in South London in what was once a gritty part of the capital, but now a typically gentrified area, there are more than just tube tunnels that run below the ground. One hundred twenty feet and approximately 178 steps down, one can now find the place where many South Londoner's took refuge during World War II. The tunnels at Clapham, now open to the public for the first time, once catered for over 8,000 people. After a public protest for more deep level shelter protection, tunnels were dug by hand such was the desperation of the local population. As Londoners clamoured for beds, air raid tickets were issued with strict guidance on what shelter to go to and even what bed to use. After lying dormant for 70 years, the tunnels and beds left untouched have been reopened. The original signs remain and thanks to a few tactful inceptions courtesy of Transport for London (TfL) and The London Transport Museum, the tunnels offer an immersive view into the life of a Londoner during war time. TfL say that they hope the tunnels will also be a useful stream for revenue. After the war, the tunnels remained in use, acting as temporary homes for immigrants invited to Britain from the West Indies. Most of the beds were used by Jamaicans who had travelled across on the Empire Windrush in 1948. Clapham South wasn't the only station used for refuge. In fact many tube stations doubled up as shelters during the war. At the other end of the Northern Line, American talk show host Jerry Springer was born at Highgate tube station as his mother took shelter during an air raid in 1944. UNStudio's undulant new Arnhem station is now open In the works for two decades, the new UNStudio-designed train station for Arnhem, Netherlands—the city’s largest post-war development—has finally opened to the public. The 234,000-square-foot transfer hall, which features undulating steel forms reminiscent of Eero Saarinen’s futuristic TWA Terminal design, is a vibrant nexus and a core component of the Arnhem Central Masterplan. The project began in 1996 when UNStudio won a design competition to replace a mid–20th century train station. The building, designed in collaboration with engineering firm Arup, comprises facilities and waiting areas for trains, trolley buses and a bus station, as well as shops, restaurants and a conference center. Two underground levels serve as bicycle storage and car parking. With its unique design, founder and principal architect of UNStudio Ben van Berkel said in a statement that the aim was to "blur distinctions between inside and outside by continuing the urban landscape into the interior of the transfer hall, where ceilings, walls and floors all seamlessly transition into one another.” Skylights make for a space that is infused with natural light, further emphasizing the connection to the outside. The building's curving structure required a departure from typical construction methods and materials. Lightweight steel was employed using boat-building techniques on a scale never before attempted, resulting in a column-free space with a fluid expression. This seamlessness is translated into a complex network of ramps that move people around the station with ease and elegance. Additionally, purposeful lighting was designed to aid wayfinding. According to Van Berkel, the transfer hall “directs and determines how people use and move around the building.” The new station serves as a link between the city center, the Coehoorn area, and a nearby office plaza, and is designed to accommodate a daily flow of 110,000 commuters by 2020, establishing itself as not just a train station, but as a vital nucleus for Arnhem and for the Netherlands. Open data from Transport for London spurs 3D axonometric plans of the Tube so passengers can mentally map their next trip Now you can strategize your next rush-hour skedaddle through the labyrinthine London Underground ahead of time—and choose all the right shortcuts. Transport for London (TfL) has released a series of 3D axonometric maps of the world’s oldest tube network, following a Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) request by Londoner Georges Vehres. While revealing the sheer intricacy of the Underground’s tunnels and the country’s longest escalator at north London’s Angel station, the set of 124 maps documenting stations A through W are not to scale, as becomes obvious by the unrealistically steep stairwells. Passengers can now devise a mental map of their most frequently-used stations. TfL’s release of a trove of public transport data following the FoIA spurred London-based visual developer Bruno Imbrizi to create 3D maps of his own that display the movements of all trains in the London Underground in real-time in brilliant color. Technically, the data is real-time accurate only from the moment you load the map, as it represents a prediction from TfL for the next 30 minutes of activity. Trains take the shape of shifting rectangles along a lace-like lattice of tunnels, disappearing and reappearing behind orbs representing each station to the tune of a soothing underground soundtrack. Take a tour of Chicago's newest Green Line stop, Cermak-McCormick Place, designed by Ross Barney Architects Chicago commuters transiting through the South Loop and Chinatown have had a new stop since early this year, when the Chicago Transit Authority opened its newest train stop: Cermak-McCormick Place. Designed by Ross Barney Architects (the team behind West Loop's lauded Morgan stop for the Pink and Green Lines), the new station employs brawny steel trusses and sleek, curved surfaces. Via the architects, here's a gallery of images from the new station, shot by Kate Joyce Studios: Eavesdrop> Jerde Music: Noted architect gets an exuberant farewell at Los Angeles' Union Station One of Los Angeles' most influential architects, Jon Jerde, who recently passed away, was known for the ebullience and animation of his designs. So it was only fitting that his funeral be held at LA’s stunning Union Station, inside the Grand Concourse, accompanied by nothing less than a full Mariachi band. When Eavesdrop finally goes to the Page Six in the sky, this is exactly how we would like to go out. Santiago Calatrava's World Trade Center Transportation Hub begins to open up to the public After all these years (read: delays), the public will finally be able to check out the grand oculus in Santiago Calatrava's $3.9 billion World Trade Center Transportation Hub—starting next month. The New York Times reported that beginning in June, a north-south passageway with direct views onto the building's main attraction will open to "limited pedestrian traffic." The entire building won't fully open until the end of this year, or early next year so don't get too excited. And you can always walk through an already open portion of the Calatrava station connecting to the Brookfield Place towers. The Times also noted that the World Trade Center redevelopment is set to check off milestone after milestone over the next few weeks and months. —The second of four PATH platforms in the Transportation Hub will open on Thursday. —Soon after that, a floor-to-ceiling barrier will come down as well. This will allow commuters to marvel at the immaculate space set beneath those already-iconic soaring white ribs, or wings, or spikes, or whatever you want to call them. —And on May 29th, the One World Trade Center Observatory will open, offering panoramic views to anyone willing to shell out $32 a ticket. As for 2 World Trade Center, well, we're still waiting to hear if Norman Foster's design will be replaced with something from Bjarke Ingels. Grimshaw & Beyer Blinder Belle to oversee 2nd phase of master plan for DC's Union Station Grimshaw and Beyer Blinder Belle have been tapped by Washington, D.C.'s Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) to spearhead a master plan to spruce up the city's iconic train station. The "Master Development Plan for Union Station's 2nd Century" builds upon the hugely ambitious, $9 billion development plan that Amtrak and developer Akridge unveiled in 2012. As AN wrote at the time: "The 3-million-square-foot project promises to unite the neighborhoods of Capitol Hill and NoMa, a former industrial area transformed into a leafy residential neighborhood." Now, Grimshaw and Beyer Blinder Belle are tasked with making that vision (or something like it) a reality. To do so, the firms will be conducting a comprehensive planning process with public engagement and environmental assessment. They will also draw up conceptual designs to improve the passenger experience and overall functionality at the station. "The Master Development Plan for Union Station’s 2nd Century will respect and reinforce the station’s historic setting, while also integrating it with surrounding neighborhoods, and the construction of Burnham Place, a three-million-square-feet of mixed-use space, parks, and plazas to be developed over the rail yard," said the USRC, Amtrak, and Akridge in a statement. This master plan will actually be the second Union Station master plan that Grimshaw is currently overseeing. Last fall, the firm unveiled a very futuristic vision for Los Angeles' train station of the same name. Calatrava on the state of NYC architecture & his own controversial World Trade projects The Real Deal recently scored an interview with Santiago Calatrava, the so-called "symphonist of steel" behind the upcoming (and wildly over budget) World Trade Center Transit Hub, and the nearby Saint Nicholas Church. In the interview, Calatrava explained how New York City's building code impacted the two projects’ designs, offers his thoughts on the World Trade Center master plan, and comments on the construction quality of the Transit Hub. Overall, the controversial architect lavishes praise on just about everyone—from Daniel Libeskind to Larry Silverstein to the Port Authority. Were the World Trade Center Transit Hub's lateral struts part of the original Calatrava design? The World Trade Center Transportation Hub—or as its designer Santiago Calatrava likes to think of it, the "bird in flight"—is just blocks from AN's office, so we get to walk by and watch it try to take off regularly. But in the weeks before the holidays, odd “struts” started to be welded between the structure’s giant fins or blades. Not only do these lateral supports detract from the elegance of its long thin blades, I don’t remember seeing them in the renderings of the station. So I went back through every image I could find online and none show these connectors. In many of the renderings, the overlapping of the transit hub's fins obscures where the connectors would have been located. The renderings fades into solid white, obscuring those areas from clear view. Could it be that these were added later in the design process or did Mr. Calatrava know all along that these were needed to help support the weight of the fins? What do you think? Do they compromise the design? Archtober Building of the Day #26> SLO Architecture adds art to Middletown Road Station in the Bronx Archtober Building of the Day #26 Middletown Road Station Middletown Road & Westchester Avenue, Bronx SLO Architecture The “steel river,” as Alexander Levi of SLO Architecture referred to the Pelham Line #6 train on last weekend's Archtober tour, makes its way north towards Pelham Bay, crossing over four different waterways along its route. These bodies of water are cleaner now than they used to be, due in part to community-based efforts to clear unwanted debris and waste. As a result, plants and animals have returned to the area, and a feeling of pride has returned to the community. To uphold this stewardship and help maintain the waterways, Levi and Amanda Schachter of SLO designed Cross-Bronx Waterway for the Middletown Road Station, commissioned by MTA Arts & Design and chosen through a panel process. Cross-Bronx Waterway shows the evolution of the river cleanup projects. The series of eight stainless-steel panels, fabricated by AMI-Metal, depict birds, fish, boats, bottles, and other living and nonliving inhabitants of the surrounding rivers. The objects float within ribbons of steel, or “water,” assembled in different patterns on each panel. The birds depicted are species recently found along the Bronx River that had not been spotted for years, including herons. Despite signs of improvement, Schachter stressed that there are still objects found in the river that are not meant to be there. By including unwanted objects in the art as well, the architects have created a reminder that community members must continue to care for the natural environment and prevent the rivers from returning to their previous state. Levi and Schachter also wanted to create a sense of being underwater for people waiting for trains on the elevated platforms. Looking at the sculptural panels, subway-riders see the bottom of boats and the underside of birds. From the street, pedestrians looking up see the objects that protrude from the panels from an above-water angle. The architects intentionally changed the sense of view. Emma Pattiz is Policy Coordinator for the AIA New York Chapter.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line559
__label__wiki	0.938146	0.938146	Behind Brad Richardson’s 4 goals, Coyotes win 5th in a row Arizona Coyotes Stories By Matt Layman \| February 28, 2019 at 10:22 pm Arizona Coyotes center Brad Richardson (15) celebrates his second goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the first period of an NHL hockey game with Coyotes center Alex Galchenyuk (17), center Clayton Keller (9) and center Nick Cousins (25) Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) GLENDALE, Ariz. — Brad Richardson made it look easy on Thursday night. The Arizona Coyotes enjoyed a 37-save performance from goaltender Darcy Kuemper and won their fifth consecutive game 5-2 over the Vancouver Canucks, but the story ended up being the 34-year-old center whose career high in goals was 14, which he scored 12 years ago. It all started when Richardson skipped an important staple of many NHL players on game day: the pre-game nap. “I was pissed when I got here. I hadn’t napped. Maybe I’ll keep the trend going,” he said, later adding the reason why he didn’t sleep: “I got punched in the face last game and I can’t breathe out of my nose. So, I think it was something with that.” BRAD RICHARDSON’S FOURTH OF THE NIGHT! THAT IS NOT A TYPO. pic.twitter.com/2t0VYCqhEZ — Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) March 1, 2019 As if his hat trick in the first two periods wasn’t enough, Richardson tacked on a fourth goal of the night in the third period to take the team lead in the category and set a new career high. Earlier in the game, he hit the inner corner of the crossbar, meaning he nearly had five goals on the evening. “Six would’ve been nice,” he joked. “I thought Vinnie [Hinostroza] and ‘Pans’ [Richard Panik] had quite a few chances, too. It was a good night, it could’ve been really good, but the two points [in the standings] is the big thing.” Coyotes center Derek Stepan will receive MRI due to left leg injury NHL Western Conference Wild Card tracker: Coyotes 4 points back GM Chayka: Coyotes have had 'preliminary discussions' with RFAs Richardson’s third goal gave him the team lead with 15 on the season, but Alex Glachenyuk scored only a few minutes later for his own 15th tally. The two forwards shared the Coyotes goal lead for 10:28 of gameplay until Richardson got No. 4. He became the first Coyotes player since Keith Tkachuk in 1997 to score four goals in a game. Richardson’s last hat trick was on Oct. 23, 2010, when he scored three goals against the Avalanche while playing for the Kings. Both the Avalanche and Thursday’s opponent, the Canucks, are former teams of Richardson’s. “Coyotes better not trade me,” he said. RT If you think Brad Richardson should wear this blue suit and score four goals every game. 👌 pic.twitter.com/XckLOyB80Y Richardson scored 14 goals in 2006-07 when he was playing for the Colorado Avalanche, and until Thursday, that was his career high. He has tied Teppo Numminen (12 years) for the second-longest span in NHL history that a player has gone between setting career highs in goals, behind Harry Howell (13 years). Richardson had never scored more than 11 goals in a single year until this season. With Richardson’s prowess on the penalty kill, defensive acumen, faceoff work and veteran leadership, he’s undoubtedly one of the team’s most important players. Even if he doesn’t score four goals a night. “He’s a pro. You talk about those guys who are pro, he’s a pro,” head coach Rick Tocchet said. “He acts like a pro, talks like a pro, practices hard every practice. When it’s a 10 o’clock gym session, he’s there at 10 doing it. Those are the guys you want in that locker room. Those are the guys that change cultures, those are the guys you want.” Besides sharing the team lead in goals, the Ontario native also leads the Coyotes in faceoff win percentage (55.2 percent) and is tied for second on the team with three shorthanded goals. This is despite having only played 48 games this season, which is fewer than 13 other Coyotes. “It was so much fun,” said Vinnie Hinostroza, who had three assists. “We just had a blast today. We weren’t thinking about scoring, we were just thinking about playing hard. That’s all we’ve been trying to do lately. Some games you’re not going to score, and sometimes they’re all going to go in.” The fun came with the caveat that Derek Stepan, a top-six center who has played a vital role for the Coyotes this season, went down with an injury in what appeared to be severe pain. Losing Stepan for any lengthy period of time would be a significant loss for Arizona, which now sits one point back of a playoff spot (barring a win by Dallas, who was playing on Thursday night at time of this story’s publishing). The Coyotes have been decimated by injuries this year, particularly at the center position, where Nick Schmaltz is done for the year. Christian Dvorak just returned to the lineup for the first time this season on Tuesday. “You try to stay positive,” Tocchet said. “We’ve been trying to stay positive all year, but hopefully we get some good news on him. “[Richardson] and Step’, one-two punch. Whether it’s he goes out there or Step, that’s really the reason why we – those two guys, being able to go against the top lines and do a great job of shutting them down.”	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line561
__label__cc	0.647307	0.352693	Iran and an Unpalatable Apology July 11, 2009 at 7:34 pm Garen Yegparian Garen Mouths Off 1 So, we’re told there’s a big revolution, or at least the beginnings of one brewing in Iran, stemming from the questionable results of the June election there and the popular movement those have ignited. I’ve had some trouble digesting this. And, given some recent snippets I’ve heard, I’m even more torn. No theocracy is legitimate—be it manifested in Europe’s medieval divine right of kings, the Ottoman Sultanate, Israel’s current practice, or Iran’s “Islamic Republic” (an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one)—and ought to be terminated. But is the termination of that illegitimacy what’s happening in Iran? It’s certainly a step in the right direction when people rise up against abusive rulers. But in this case, our pleasure ought to be tempered. Given a broader context, who comes out on top may come to be a perfect example of “be careful what you wish for, it might come true.” Let’s step a few hundred kilometers west, to another election-riven country, Lebanon. Consider how much noise was made by the Western powers in the lead-up to its June election. Consider that the Saudis reputedly spent $750 million or so on that election (if true, that’s more than both sides spent on the U.S. presidential election last year). A related story is that of last-minute vote buying. I’ve heard two stories about two different electoral districts, quite some distance apart. In one, votes were going for about $3,000, and in the other, $7,000. These numbers seem exaggerated to me, but probably represent a serious kernel of truth. Now let’s step north, and back in time a few years. The “colored” revolutions that brought pro-Western parties to power in the former Soviet space—the current Russians’ “near abroad”—didn’t just happen by themselves. Undoubtedly they had some assistance. That’s always the case when outsiders want to stick their nose in another country’s business. They latch on to a real, though often struggling, native, indigenous, home-grown movement. Given all this, and given that Iran’s much-touted “revolution” is probably just a step along a long road, I’m having trouble getting very excited over the progress. Plus, it seems that wherever the U.S./West has meddled, it’s been to Armenians’ detriment. In Iran, the leader/figurehead of the current resistance, Mousavi, is an Azeri, prompting some concern as to what policies he might pursue relative to Armenia if he were to get into office. This is particularly important since the current and previous Iranian government have been, at worst, fair with Armenia. In Lebanon, the winning side in the recent elections, supported by the Western meddlers, chose figureheads with Armenian names as their candidates for parliament. Four of the six Armenian seats went to these people who are not poised to serve our community’s interests, but likely do the bidding of their puppet masters on the Lebanese political scene. In Georgia, the West’s intrusion brought us Saakashvili and the Georgian-Russian war. The outcome for us? More oppression in Javakhk and Armenia’s trade routes badly impacted. The Ukraine, already friendlier with Azerbaijan than any sane Armenian would want to see, is even more able now to pursue that dangerous policy path. We as a world-wide dispersion have entered a particularly perilous time for our scattered nation, and that’s without factoring in the frightful reports of a looming sellout on Karabagh. But I can’t even address that issue meaningfully because the current leadership in Yerevan has shrouded the entire Armenia-Azerbaijan and Armenia-Turkey diplomatic process in extreme secrecy. It’s time to get reengaged in our national political life if you’ve been one of those armchair-observer-critic types, or just plain busy/lazy. Now, for that apology. It’s unpalatable, big time, for me, because I owe it to our meddlesome, as described above, Department of State (DOS). It seems the structure of the Q&A at Ambassador Yovanovitch’s session at Ferrahian, which I described in last week’s piece, was not DOS’s doing after all. My fault, I had not inquired deeply enough. However, the reality of the situation is even worse. The event organizers themselves had imposed that format, effectively gagging, masking, and attenuating the revulsion that people’s voices and bearings would have conveyed to the ambassador. She would then have, presumably, carried the prevailing mindset to her misguided bosses. But because Yovanovitch allotted only an hour and a half, based on what I was told, the organizers decided on this format lest someone take up too much time. That may seem like a valid concern on the surface, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to turn around and say, “No, madam ambassador, we need you for two and a half hours.” But gee, that might have cut into the dinner I understand was hosted for her right before the event… Wrongheadedness abounds everywhere, fight it. Asbarez Columnist Garen Yegparian is a fat, bald guy who has too much to say and do for his own good. So, you know he loves mouthing off weekly about anything he damn well pleases to write about that he can remotely tie in to things Armenian. He's got a checkered past: principal of an Armenian school, project manager on a housing development, ANC-WR Executive Director, AYF Field worker (again on the left coast), Operations Director for a telecom startup, and a City of LA employee most recently (in three different departments so far). Plus, he's got delusions of breaking into electoral politics, meanwhile participating in other aspects of it and making sure to stay in trouble. His is a weekly column that appears originally in Asbarez, but has been republished to the Armenian Weekly for many years. Latest posts by Garen Yegparian (see all) Sustainability and the Flat Tax - June 28, 2019 Dikranagertzi says: …why on earth would any Armenian host a dinner for Yovanogloo????…especially after Obamogloo’s blunder. I would be so repulsed by her presence that the last thing I would be able to do is eat. What were the event organizers at Ferrahian thinking? Do they not follow the news or bother to turn on the television or pick up a newspaper once in a while??????????…perhaps this is too much to ask. All this wrongheadedness is giving me an ulcer. Keep up the great work Garen. The fight continues.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line562
__label__wiki	0.731508	0.731508	Burn This Book PEN Writers Speak Out on the Power of the Word "A writer′s life and work are not a gift to mankind; they are its necessity" - Toni Morrison, Burn this Book Published in conjunction with the PEN American center, Burn this Book is a powerful collection of essays that explore the meaning of censorship, and the power of literature to inform the way we see the world, and ourselves. Contributors include literary heavyweights like Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Orhan Pamuk, David Grossman and Nadine Gordimer, and others. In "Witness: The Inward Testimony" Nadine Gordimer discusses the role of the writer as observer, and as someone who sees "what is really taking place." She looks to Proust, Oe, Flaubert, Graham Green to see how their philosophy squares with her own, ultimately concluding "Literature has been and remains a means of people rediscovering themselves." "In Freedom to Write" Orham Pamuk elegantly describes escorting Arthur Miller and Harold Pinter around Turkey and how that experience changed his life. In "The Value of the Word" Salman Rushdie shares a story from Bugakov′s novel The Master and the Margarita in which the Devil talks to a frustrated writer called "The Master" The writer is so upset with his own work he decides to burn it: "How could you do that?" the devil asks... "Manuscripts to not burn." Indeed, manuscripts do not burn, Rushdie argues, but writers do. As Americans we often take our freedom of speech for granted. When we talk about censorship we talk about China, the former Soviet Union. But the recent presidential election has shined a spotlight on profound acts of censorship in our own backyard. Both provocative and timely, Burn this Book include a sterling list of award winning writers; it sure to ignite spirited dialogue. Publisher: New York, NY : Harperstudio, c2009. Additional Contributors: Morrison, Toni PEN (Organization) Alternative Title: PEN writers speak out on the power of the word. Read more reviews of Burn This Book at iDreamBooks.com Censorship. Freedom of Speech.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line563
__label__wiki	0.67083	0.67083	Trump Says White House Is No Place for Lying Lowlife from Reality Show Home / Trump Says White House Is No Place for Lying Lowlife from Reality Show posted on April 20, 2019 by Craig Howell in Uncategorized Photograph by Carlo Allegri / Reuters BEDMINSTER, New Jersey (The Borowitz Report)—Blasting his former colleague Omarosa Manigault, Donald J. Trump said on Monday that “the White House is no place for a lying lowlife from a reality show.” “People were impressed by Omarosa because they saw her on a TV show,” Trump told reporters from his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. “Well, I’ve got news for you: being on a reality show does not qualify you to work in the government.” Explaining why he considered her a “lowlife,” Trump said, “She’s rude, abrasive, and offensive. Having someone like that in the White House is an embarrassment to our country.” But worst of all, Trump said, was Omarosa’s lying, which he called “constant.” “She can’t go a day without lying, and what’s more, she’s narcissistic and paranoid,” he said. “A psycho like that shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the Situation Room.” Pronouncing himself pleased that Omarosa was no longer in his Administration, Trump concluded his scorching remarks by saying, “The sooner we can rid the White House of reality-show con artists, the better off the country will be.” How to Write a New Yorker Cartoon Caption: Jim Gaffigan Edition The actor and comedian Jim Gaffigan, who stars in the movie “You Can Choose Your Family,” tries his hand at The New Yorker’s cartoon-caption contest. According to his projections, Republicans are running for prison “especially well” in districts where the G.O.P. member of Congress was an early supporter of Donald J. Trump. The two fantasy story lines in the President’s unreality show. In her memoir, “Unhinged,” the former Trump protégée’s product is not simply insider information but the idea that she may have outmaneuvered Trump.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line565
__label__cc	0.661003	0.338997	Pair of Illegals Arrested With 81 Pounds of Cocaine in North Carolina The left continues to claim that illegal immigration is not a problem. Two illegal aliens, one living in New York, and one living in North Carolina were arrested and charged with a litany of drug-related crimes after cops busted them with 81.4 pounds of cocaine. “Edis Leonidas Herrera Mejia, 52, of New York, and Octavio Lopez Martinez, 53, of Raleigh, were charged with conspiring to sell, deliver and traffic in cocaine. They were arrested Sunday night in southeast Raleigh,” according to The Observer. The report said that the Wake County Sheriff’s Office had surveillance on a tractor trailer moving from California to North Carolina before they made the bust. One of the illegals was transporting the drugs, while the other was supposed to receive the shipment, likely to distribute it. That amount of cocaine has a street value of somewhere around $15 million. “Mejia was also charged with trafficking in cocaine, according to his arrest warrants,” the report said. “Each man was being held Monday on a $5 million bond, court records show.” Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is not able to place a detainer on the pair due to Wake County, North Carolina’s sanctuary policy.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line566
__label__cc	0.617443	0.382557	WILLIE NELSON – Band of Brothers Album: Band of Brothers Label: Legacy www.legacyrecordings.com “The record people nowadays keep spinning round and round. Songs about the back roads that they never have been down. They go and call it country, but that ain’t the way it sounds… It’s hard to be an Outlaw who ain’t wanted anymore,” drawls Willie Nelson in his trademark nasal delivery, on “Hard To Be An Outlaw,” the Billie Joe Shaver-penned fuck you to modern country music. And if we’re being honest here, Band of Brothers, Nelson’s latest record taken in its entirety, is pretty much a weathered, defiant middle finger in the air to what is currently being peddled as “Country Music” nowadays. Nelson, Shaver, Waylon, Kris and Johnny (the Apostles of Outlaw Country) turned their backs on Nashville’s conveyer belt method of making watered-down, string-laden sappy records, and struck out on their own with an anti-establishment model in the ‘70s. Well, the record has spun around once again and contemporary country music is back to being style over substance (but this time it’s embroidered jeans and trucker hats instead of Nudie Suits and rhinestones) and every song is legally required (not sure if it’s a state law or one put in place by Nashville’s Music Row Mafia) to be about the beach and bikinis (the Jimmy Buffet-with-an-accent movement) or about God and Country. Which brings us back to Band of Brothers, a country record that simply sounds like nothing that is currently being played on country radio today. And that should be worn as a badge of honor. The album, Nelson’s third in 16 months, is his first one of predominately new (original) material since 1996’s Spirit. Aside from the Shaver-authored “Hard To Be An Outlaw,” Nelson covers four other songs written by contemporaries, including the fantastic credo tune “The Songwriters,” (courtesy of Gordie Sampson and Bill Anderson). All of these ringers compliment the Nelson songs beautifully. About a quarter of the tracks here are up-tempo (like the destined to be classic “Wives and Girlfriends” and “Crazy Like Me”), but the bulk of Band of Brothers finds Nelson in a less than raucous mood and that’s not a bad thing, when he trots out one slow burn, slyly-written sing-along after another. Like most prolific artists, Willie can be hit or miss with his offerings. This latest one lands the target dead on. DOWNLOAD: “Guitar in the Corner,” “Wives and Girlfriends” and “The Songwriters” This entry was posted in CD, New Releases and tagged review, willie nelson on June 30, 2014 by Fred Mills. ← CENTRO-MATIC – Take Pride In Your Long Odds CARLENE CARTER – Carter Girl →	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line573
__label__cc	0.638801	0.361199	Volume 14 Supplement 15 Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual Research in Computational Molecular Biology (RECOMB) Satellite Workshop on Comparative Genomics Proceedings \| Open \| Published: 15 October 2013 Lateral gene transfer, rearrangement, reconciliation Murray Patterson1,2,3, Gergely Szöllősi2,4, Vincent Daubin2 & Eric Tannier1,2 BMC Bioinformaticsvolume 14, Article number: S4 (2013) \| Download Citation Models of ancestral gene order reconstruction have progressively integrated different evolutionary patterns and processes such as unequal gene content, gene duplications, and implicitly sequence evolution via reconciled gene trees. These models have so far ignored lateral gene transfer, even though in unicellular organisms it can have an important confounding effect, and can be a rich source of information on the function of genes through the detection of transfers of clusters of genes. We report an algorithm together with its implementation, DeCoLT, that reconstructs ancestral genome organization based on reconciled gene trees which summarize information on sequence evolution, gene origination, duplication, loss, and lateral transfer. DeCoLT optimizes in polynomial time on the number of rearrangements, computed as the number of gains and breakages of adjacencies between pairs of genes. We apply DeCoLT to 1099 gene families from 36 cyanobacteria genomes. DeCoLT is able to reconstruct adjacencies in 35 ancestral bacterial genomes with a thousand gene families in a few hours, and detects clusters of co-transferred genes. DeCoLT may also be used with any relationship between genes instead of adjacencies, to reconstruct ancestral interactions, functions or complexes. http://pbil.univ-lyon1.fr/software/DeCoLT/ The evolution of genomes can be explored at two different scales. At the chromosome level, rearrangements have been studied from the 1930's [1, 2], and have progressively incorporated the possibility of unequal gene content, gene duplications and gene losses [3, 4]. Later, but largely independently, in the 1960's, the evolution of genomic sequences began to be modeled [5, 6], and has more recently been extended to include the duplication, loss and the lateral transfer of genes via the reconciliation of gene trees with a species tree [7–11]. These two scales have only met on a few occasions through the integration of phylogenies and rearrangements [12, 13], using reconciled phylogenies to account for the duplication and loss of genes. Here, we build on these ideas and reconstruct ancestral gene order based on reconciled phylogenies that account for gene origination, duplication, loss, and transfer. We propose an algorithm to simultaneously reconstruct all gene organizations along a species phylogeny, minimizing the number of gains and breakages of adjacencies that link consecutive genes on chromosomes. We build upon the dynamic programming principle proposed by Bérard et al. [13] and extend it to consider as input reconciliations containing lateral gene transfer produced by Szöllősi et al. [14]. We implement our algorithm naming the resulting software DeCoLT, in reference to DeCo [13] (Detection of Coevolution) with Lateral Transfers. We examine two datasets of gene trees from a single set of cyanobacteria species. The first set of gene trees is computed from sequence alignements only [15], and the second one is computed by a species tree aware method [16]. Our method and the efficiency of the computation is based on the hypothesis that adjacencies evolve independently from each other. While extant genomes consist either of a single or a relatively small number of linear or circular chromosomes, this hypothesis implies that reconstructed ancestral genomes may in theory exhibit more complex arrangements. For example an ancestral gene may be involved in more than two adjacencies, or a large number may have only a single adjacent gene. In the cyanobacteria dataset, extant genomes are all circular, and the ancestral genomes inferred by DeCoLT are also close to being circular with only a few deviations. Most deviations result from the absence of signal to reconstruct genomes in deep ancestors, but some are caused by errors in gene trees, leading to errors in ancestral gene contents. We observe that ancestral genome organizations computed from gene trees that are based on both the species tree and the sequence are closer to being circular than those computed from gene trees based on sequence alone. This argues for the validity of the reconstruction principle we present here and confirms that species tree aware methods produce more accurate gene trees. A dated species tree is a rooted binary tree whose leaves are the extant genomes and internal nodes, the ancestral genomes, are totally ordered. This total order, which gives a relative dating to all internal nodes, is supposed to be known. It is, for example, constructed from branch length by a molecular clock technique or from informations on transfers [11]. The time interval between two consecutive internal nodes of a species tree in this total order (one is not necessarily the descendant of the other) defines a time slice. See Figure 1 for an example, where branches leading to A, B or the ancestor of C and D overlap two time slices while the others overlap one. Genomes contain a set of genes and a set of adjacencies, which are pairs of genes, the genes being the two extremities of the adjacency. An adjacency between two genes a and b is noted ab (a and b always are in the same species, and can be homologous or not). In extant genomes, an adjacency means that two genes are immediately consecutive, with no other gene between them on the chromosome (regardless of their physical distance), so most genes belong to exactly two adjacencies. Adjacency evolution. The evolution of an adjacency within a dated species tree, along reconciled gene phylogenies. The gene trees are blue and purple, while red horizontal edges are adjacencies. The time slices t0, ..., t3 indicate in which order the speciation nodes (big green nodes) occur, and are used to localize genes in the species tree (a branch and a time slice give the coordinates of a gene or an event). Red crosses mean gene losses, for example in the branches leading to A or C(adjacencies are lost when one extremity is lost), or an adjacency breakage, for example in the branch leading to D(gene loss and adjacency breakages are different events, since a gene loss is not a rearrangement while a breakage is, and only rearrangements are counted in the objective function). Here one adjacency is gained in the branch leading to species C, one is broken in the branch leading to species D, and one is transferred from the branch leading to B to the branch leading to C. The transfer implies first a speciation outside the species phylogeny, and then a transfer which can be in another time slice. A tandem duplication in the branch leading to A gives a new adjacency between the two copies. Genes of all genomes are partitioned into homologous families, and each family is organized in a gene tree, which is a rooted tree whose nodes are the genes, describing the pattern of descent within a family. Gene trees are reconciled with the species tree, which means that nodes and branches of gene trees are annotated to account for the particular history of the gene family. Possible events are origination (of the gene in the species tree), speciation (genes follow the species diversification), duplication, transfer, or loss. Transfers are the acquisition of a gene by a genome in the species tree from a genome outside the species tree. Indeed genes at the origin of transfers almost always belong to unsampled or extinct species [14]. That is why speciation does not only happen at the nodes of the species tree. A gene can also leave the species tree by speciation from a species tree branch, and be transferred back later (see Figure 1 for an example). But we assume that genes do not diversify (either by speciation or by duplication) outside the species tree. Every event on a gene tree is associated to a branch and a time slice of the species tree. The input to our method is a dated species tree, a set of reconciled gene trees and the set of extant adjacencies. Reconciled gene trees yield ancestral genes (dots inside green circles in Figure 1). The problem will be to construct the ancestral adjacencies, given this input. In practice the input is provided by methods and software described in Szöllősi et al.'s trilogy [11, 14, 16]. The first paper of this trilogy explains how to find the dated species tree, the second one how to reconcile gene trees taking extinct or unsampled species into account, and the third one how to reconstruct species tree aware gene trees. We construct ancestral adjacencies in a manner that minimizes the number of rearrangements along the species phylogeny. This number is computed as the number of gains and breakages of adjacencies necessary to explain all extant adjacencies. For example, if we infer no ancestral adjacencies at all, then the value of this objective function is proportional to the number of extant adjacencies, because all of them are gained independently. If we propose an adjacency in an ancestral genome which is a common ancestor of a set of adjacencies, then the value decreases because all adjacencies in that set are explained by a unique gain (see Figure 1, where three extant adjacencies can be explained with two gains and a breakage). We then have to describe how an ancestral adjacency propagates within reconciled gene trees so that it can be recognized as an ancestor of an extant one. Propagation rules The two extremities of an adjacency are clearly always in the same species (extant or ancestral) at the same time slice. If there is an adjacency between two ancestral genes a and b, it is propagated to the descendants, in the absence of rearrangements, following the rules described in Figure 2, according to the events happening to genes a and b. Propagation rules. Propagation rules for an adjacency ab: a function of the events happening to its extremities a and b (events happening to a are written on the left, events happening to b are written on the right). If a1, a2, b1 and b2 are the children of a and b. Numbers on each subsquare are recurrence rules following the propagation rule. Recurrence rules add the possibility of rearrangements at each step. For combination of duplication or loss with another event not mentioned here, follow the rule with "no event" (the duplication or loss is supposed to happen first). A history is a set of ancestral and extant adjacencies. In a history, any adjacency which does not have a parent identified by the propagation rules yields an adjacency gain. A breakage is inferred when an adjacency is present in the history but one of its descendants according to the propagation rules is not. The cost of a history is the number of gains and breakages it yields. We compute a minimum cost history by writing a dynamic programming algorithm following the propagation rules and adding adjacency gains and breakages with costs that are considered in the optimization. In order to solve a more general problem and to present the recurrence formulas more clearly, gains and breakages are assigned a cost, which could be different, and we minimize on the number of events weighted by their cost. In practice we always use the algorithm with equal costs, thus minimizing the sum of the number of gains and breakages. Classes of adjacencies Two adjacencies are homologous with respect to a particular history if they descend from a common ancestor following the propagation rules. Homology of adjacencies is an equivalence relation. We first state a necessary condition for a set of adjacencies to be homologous in order to restrict the search space for homology. Two extant adjacencies a1b1 and a2b2 are possibly homologous if there are two ancestral genes a and b of an ancestral genome G, such that a (resp., b) is an ancestor of a1 and a2 (resp., b1 and b2). This simply tells us that in order to find a common ancestor of two adjacencies, there has to exist two genes being the extremities of this adjacency. So if two adjacencies are homologous with respect to a particular history then they are possibly homologous (the definition of possible homology is independent from any history). Possible homology, defined on two adjacencies, is obviously a symmetric and reflexive relation. It is also transitive, partitioning the set of extant adjacencies into equivalence classes. Consequently, homology can be searched within a class. For each class {a1b1, ..., a k b k }, there are two genes a and b, such that a (resp. b) is an ancestor of all a i (resp., b i ). Among the possible such genes a and b for a class, we call the highest distinct ones the roots of that class. We then work with the disjoint subtrees rooted by a and b, and find a history following the propagation rules for all adjacencies whose extremities are descendants of a and b. Hence, it is sufficient to search within pairs of trees to construct a history. Recurrence formulas within one class For any two gene tree nodes a and b, for which s(a) = s(b), let c1(a, b) be the minimum cost of a history for the two gene subtrees rooted at a and b, assuming there is an adjacency between a and b, and let c0(a, b) be the minimum cost of a history for two gene subtrees rooted at a and b, assuming there is no adjacency between a and b. The values of c1(a, b) and c0(a, b) are recursively computed, according to the events annotating a and b. The principle of these formulas is to describe the propagation rules and add to them the possibility of rearrangements (gains and breakages of adjacencies). We compute c1(a, b) and c0(a, b) as a function of c1 and c0 for the children of a and b. So we have to consider all combinations of presence or absence of adjacencies between the children. That is why some cases may imply up to 16 different subcases because of the symmetry of the children of a and b, if they are in the same species. Given a node u (u = a or u = b), u1 is the first (or only child of u in the case that u has only one child), while u2 is the second child. We write E(u) to denote the event at node u, where E(u) = Extant when u is a leaf of a gene tree corresponding to an extant gene. Case 1 E(a) = Extant and E(b) = Extant (both nodes are leaves). In this case, if ab is an adjacency then c1(a, b) = 0 and c0(a, b) = ∞, else c1(a, b) = ∞ and c0(a, b) = 0. Case 2 E(a) = GeneLoss (one of the genes is lost, any event may happen to the other). In this case c1(a, b) = 0 and c0(a, b) = 0. Case 3 E(a) = NoEvent and E(b) = NoEvent (both gene trees are changing time slice without any event). In this case c1(a, b) = min{c1(a1, b1), c0(a1, b1) + C(Break)} and c0(a, b) = min{c0(a1, b1), c1(a1, b1) + C(Gain)}. Case 4 E(a) ∈ {Extant, NoEvent, Speciation, SpeciationOut} and E(b) = GeneDuplication In this case we suppose that the duplication of b happens before any event in the gene tree containing a. Here, c1(a, b) = D1, and c0(a, b) = D0, where D 1 = min c 1 ( a , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a , b 2 ) , c 0 ( a , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a , b 2 ) , c 1 ( a , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a , b 2 ) + C G a i n , c 0 ( a , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a , b 2 ) + C B r e a k D 0 = min c 0 ( a , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a , b 2 ) , c 0 ( a , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a , b 2 ) + C G a i n , c 1 ( a , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a , b 2 ) + C G a i n , c 1 ( a , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a , b 2 ) + 2 * C G a i n Case 5 E(a) = GeneDuplication and E(b) = GeneDuplication. In this case c1(a, b) = min(D1, D12, D12) where D1 (defined in Case 4) is the cost in the case where the a duplication comes first, D2 is the cost in the case where the a duplication comes first, and D 2 = min c 1 ( a 1 , b ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b ) , c 0 ( a 1 , b ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b ) , c 1 ( a 1 , b ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b ) + C G a i n , c 0 ( a 1 , b ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b ) + C B r e a k D12 is the cost in the case where the a and b duplications are simultaneous, where D12 = min (over all 16 of the following cases): ( 1 ) c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 1 ) , ( 2 ) c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C G a i n , ( 3 ) c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C G a i n , ( 4 ) c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + 2 * C G a i n , ( 5 ) c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C B r e a k , ( 6 ) c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C G a i n + C B r e a k , ( 7 ) c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C G a i n + C B r e a k , ( 8 ) c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C B r e a k , ( 9 ) c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C G a i n + C B r e a k , ( 10 ) c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C G a i n + C B r e a k , ( 11 ) c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 1 ) , ( 12 ) c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C G a i n , ( 13 ) c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C G a i n , ( 14 ) c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C B r e a k , ( 15 ) c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + C B r e a k , ( 16 ) c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 1 , b 2 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 1 ) + 2 * C B r e a k The multiplication of the cases come from the symmetry of the children of both a and b (for example, (1) is the symmetric subcase of (11)). As there are four children, there are four possible pairings between children from a and b, so we examine all combinations, that is, 24 = 16. Here, c0(a, b) = D00, where D 0 0 = min D 0 c 0 ( a 1 , b ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b ) , c 0 ( a 1 , b ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b ) + C G a i n , c 0 ( a 1 , b ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b ) + C G a i n , c 1 ( a 1 , b ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b ) + 2 * C G a i n Case 6 E(a) = Speciation and E(b) = Speciation. We assume without loss of generality that s(a1) = s(b1) and s(a2) = s(b2). Here, c1(a, b) = S1 and c0(a, b) = S0, where S 1 = min c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) , c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + C B r e a k , c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + C B r e a k , c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + 2 * C B r e a k S 0 = min c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) , c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 0 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + C G a i n , c 0 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + C G a i n , c 1 ( a 1 , b 1 ) + c 1 ( a 2 , b 2 ) + 2 * C G a i n Case 7 E(a) ∈ {Extant, NoEvent, Speciation} and E(b) = SpeciationOut. In this case c1(a, b) = c1(a, b1) and c0(a, b) = c0(a, b1). Case 8 E(a) = SpeciationOut and E(b) = SpeciationOut. We assume without loss of generality that a1 (resp., b1) is the child that remains inside the species tree, while a2 (resp., b2) is the child that leaves the tree. In this case, c1(a, b) = c1(a1, b1) + min{c1(a2, b2), c0(a2, b2) + C(Break)} and c0(a, b) = c0(a1, b1) + min{c0(a2, b2), c1(a2, b2) + C(Gain)}. Case 9 E(a) = Transfer and E(b) = Transfer. In this case, c1(a, b) = min{c1(a1, b1), c0(a1, b1) + C(Break)} and c0(a, b) = min{c0(a1, b1), c1(a1, b1) + C(Gain)}. Observe that if E(a) = Transfer and E(b) ∉ {Transfer, GeneLoss}, or if a and b do not have a SpeciationOut ancestor in the same species, then (a, b) will form the root of an additional equivalence class. Indeed in this case c1(a, b) and c0(a, b) cannot be recursively called. Backtracking Procedure First, the dynamic programming matrix M [a, b] containing a cell for each pair (a, b) of nodes in the respective gene trees is created by following the recurrence rules for each equivalence class. Then, after applying the classical backtracking procedure on M, the optimal (minimum cost) history is then obtained by choosing the minimum among c1 + C(Gain) and c0 for the roots of all classes. Let m be the number of gene trees, n be the maximum number of genes in a gene tree, and s be the number of species. There are s - 1 time slices, so every branch of a gene tree may be subdivided as many as s - 1 ≤ n times, which gives at most n2 events (most of them are NoEvent events) in a given tree. The number of equivalence classes is O(m2), and hence there are O(m2n4) comparisons computed during the initial construction of dynamic programming matrix M. In practice, the number of equivalence classes is much smaller, closer to m than O(m2), and the majority of the O(n2) events each tree are NoEvent events. On the cyanobacteria dataset of (m =) 1099 families from (n =) 36 genomes, our implementation, DeCoLT, of this algorithm constructed the adjacencies in under 3 hours on a standard desktop computer. Cyanobacteria ancestral genomes The algorithm has been implemented and run on two datasets. They both have the same species tree (depicted in Figure 3), on the same set of 36 extant genomes from cyanobacteria and the same extant adjacencies. Cyanobacteria phylogeny. Cyanobacteria dated species tree. The size (area) and colours of internal nodes is the ratio of the number of adjacencies over the number of genes in every ancestral species. They differ by their set of gene trees. One of them is the sequence trees, which are maximum likelihood trees constructed from a model of sequence evolution using multiple alignments of protein sequences of extant genes from each family, taken from [11]. The other is the ALE trees, which are maximum likelihood trees constructed from a model of sequence evolution in conjunction with a birth and death branching model to account for origination, duplication, transfer and loss, taken from [16]. As transfers are very likely to involve lineages outside any given phylogeny [14], reconciled trees have nodes leaving the species tree (SpeciationOut) and nodes transferring to the species tree (Transfer). Note that the reconciliations may contain "speciation outside" nodes, which mean diversification of a gene outside the species tree, and our algorithm do not handle these nodes for the moment. In order to handle these datasets we simply removed these nodes, which has the effect of cutting some trees into pieces. For both datasets, ancestral adjacencies were computed using DeCoLT. The degree of each ancestral gene (the number of adjacencies it belongs to) was computed, and we then plotted the proportion of ancestral genes having degree k for k between 0 and 6 (Figure 4). Circularity of ancestral genomes. On the x axis is the degree of a gene, that is, the number of adjacencies it belongs to, and on the y axis there is the proportion of genes with this degree. In black, there are the values for the sequence trees and in red for ALE trees. There are almost no genes with degree larger than 2 in either dataset. The proportion of genes with degree 2 increases from 17% for sequence trees to 31% for ALE trees. This means that we: (i) accurately reconstruct ancestral adjacencies because they all have a circular structure; and (ii) the quality of gene trees nearly doubles the resolution of ancestral genomes. Finally, having only 31% of ancestral genes with degree two means that a large part of the gene order signal is lost in this very deep branch. However, this is not the case for ancestral genomes. The size of the nodes on Figure 3 indicates the ratio between the number of adjacencies and the number of genes in each genome (the ideal ratio is 1). In the Prochlorococcus clade, over 80% of the genomes are reconstructed whereas it drops to nearly 0% in deeper nodes. We found that 64 clusters of genes were co-transferred: transferred adjacencies were detected, as well as 28 clusters of co-duplicated genes during the evolution of cyanobacteria. Most are simply pairs of genes, but there is a cluster of 4 co-transferred genes, four clusters of 3 co-transferred genes, and two clusters of 3 co-duplicated genes. The optimizing property of the algorithm follows from the exact translation of the propagation rules into the recurrence formulas, adding all possibilities of rearrangements in each step. It is a generalization of the reconstruction of discrete ancestral characters solved by Sankoff-Rousseau type algorithms [17]. To see this, one can observe that our framework is strictly equivalent to the Sankoff-Rousseau algorithm [17] in the case where there are no events in the trees. Further improvements in the method would consist in adding the possibility of homolog replacement when a gene is transferred: for the moment any transfer yields rearrangements whereas some genes might replace an homologous one, keeping the gene order unchanged. We could also think of avoiding rearrangements caused by origination and losses of genes, which, for the moment, necessarily yield several adjacency gains and losses. Future work will also consist in deriving function information from co-transfers, and trying the same principles on other kinds of relations than adjacencies, starting for example from the relation between domains forming the same gene. Sturtevant A, Dobzhansky T: Inversions in the third chromosome of wild races of Drosophila pseudoobscura, and their use in the study of the history of the species. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1936, 22: 448-450. 10.1073/pnas.22.7.448. Sturtevant A, Tan C: The comparative genetics of Drosophila Pseudoobscura and Drosophila Melanogaster. Journal of genetics. 1937, 34: 415-432. 10.1007/BF02982303. Fertin G, Labarre A, Rusu I, Tannier E, Vialette S: Combinatorics of genome rearrangements. MIT press. 2009 Lin Y, Hu F, Tang J, Moret B: Maximum Likelihood Phylogenetic Reconstruction from High Resolution Whole-Genome Data and a Tree of 68 Eukaryotes. Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing. 2013 Zuckerkandl E, Pauling L: Molecules as documents of evolutionary history. J Theor Biol. 1965, 8 (2): 357-366. 10.1016/0022-5193(65)90083-4. Felsenstein J: Inferring phylogenies. 2004, Sinauer Associates, Inc Page R: Maps between Trees and Cladistic Analysis of Historical Associations among Genes, Organisms, and Areas. Systematic Biology. 1994, 43: 58-77. Maddison WP: Gene Trees in Species Trees. Systematic Biology. 1998, 46: 523-536. Arvestad L, Berglund AC, Lagergren J, Sennblad B: Bayesian gene/species tree reconciliation and orthology analysis using MCMC. Bioinformatics. 2003, 19: i7-15. 10.1093/bioinformatics/btg1000. Doyon JP, Ranwez V, Daubin V, Berry V: Models, algorithms and programs for phylogeny reconciliation. Brief Bioinform. 2011, 12 (5): 392-400. 10.1093/bib/bbr045. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bib/bbr045] Szöllősi GJ, Boussau B, Abby SS, Tannier E, Daubin V: Phylogenetic modeling of lateral gene transfer reconstructs the pattern and relative timing of speciations. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2012, 109 (43): 17513-17518. 10.1073/pnas.1202997109. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1202997109] Sankoff D, El-Mabrouk N: Duplication, rearrangement and reconciliation. Comparative Genomics: Empirical and Analytical Approaches to Gene Order Dynamics, Map alignment and the Evolution of Gene Families, Volume 1 of Computational Biology. Edited by: Sankoff D, Nadeau JH. 2000, Kluwer Academic Press Bérard S, Gallien C, Boussau B, Szöllősi G, Daubin V, Tannier E: Evolution of gene neighborhood within reconciled phylogenies. Bioinformatics. 2012, 28: i382-i388. 10.1093/bioinformatics/bts374. Szöllősi GJ, Tannier E, Lartillot N, Daubin V: Lateral Gene Transfer from the Dead. Syst Biol. 2013, 62: 386-397. 10.1093/sysbio/syt003. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syt003] Guindon S, Dufayard JF, Lefort V, Anisimova M, Hordijk W, Gascuel O: New algorithms and methods to estimate maximum-likelihood phylogenies: assessing the performance of PhyML 3.0. Syst Biol. 2010, 59 (3): 307-321. 10.1093/sysbio/syq010. [http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syq010]] Szöllősi GJ, Rosikiewicz W, Bousseau B, Tannier E, Daubin V: Efficient Exploration of the Space of Reconciled Gene Trees. 2013, [Accepted by Sys Biol] Sankoff D: Minimal Mutation Trees of Sequences. SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics. 1975, 28: 35-10.1137/0128004. The authors would like to thank Sèverine Bérard and Thomas Bigot for advice on the implementation aspects of DeCoLT. MP is funded by a Marie Curie Fellowship from the Alain Bensoussan program of ERCIM and and GS is funded by the Marie Curie Fellowship 253642 "Geneforest", and the Albert Szent-Györgyi Scholarship A1-SZGYA-FOK-13-0005. This work is funded by the Agence Nationale pour la Recherche, Ancestrome project ANR-10-BINF-01-01. This article has been published as part of BMC Bioinformatics Volume 14 Supplement 15, 2013: Proceedings from the Eleventh Annual Research in Computational Molecular Biology (RECOMB) Satellite Workshop on Comparative Genomics. The full contents of the supplement are available online at http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcbioinformatics/supplements/14/S15. INRIA Rhône-Alpes, 655 avenue de l'Europe, F-38344, Montbonnot, France Murray Patterson & Eric Tannier Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, CNRS and Université de Lyon 1, 43 boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France , Gergely Szöllősi , Vincent Daubin Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Science Park 123, 1098, XG, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ELTE-MTA "Lendület" Biophysics Research Group, 1117 Bp., Pázmány P. stny. 1A, Budapest, Hungary Gergely Szöllősi Search for Murray Patterson in: Search for Gergely Szöllősi in: Search for Vincent Daubin in: Search for Eric Tannier in: Correspondence to Murray Patterson or Eric Tannier. MP, GS, VD and ET devised the algorithm and wrote the paper. MP programmed the software. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-14-S15-S4 Species Tree Gene Tree Time Slice Lateral Gene Transfer Ancestral Gene	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line574
__label__wiki	0.539537	0.539537	Tag Archives: Vietnam When Life Requires a Change in Longitude: Interview with Authors Larissa and Michael Milne Sometimes, life throws wicked curve balls at inopportune times – such as, middle age. A lifetime of plans fly out the window, and you’re left facing … what? A couple of years ago, Larissa and Michael Milne experienced this scenario. To put it more bluntly, they encountered a personal apocalypse of sorts. Faced with a number of very difficult options, they chose to rekindle their love for each other – and to do it away from their Philadelphia home. So they sold everything, got on a plane – and spent the next year experiencing the world in what has grown into a most amazing story. Imagine taking in North Korea, Vietnam and Namibia while dealing with major family issues back home … The Milnes are writing about their 31-country, 6-continent journey in Changes In Longitude, a book that couples travel narrative and poignant memoir, with the Milnes’ journalistic skill and catchy humor present throughout. The book is now beginning to make its rounds in the publishing world, where it is certain to find a home that puts copies in countless readers’ hands in the near future. One thing for sure: the book is bolstered by one of the best and most brand-conscious websites out there, www.changesinlongitude.com. Recently, I had the chance to interview the Milnes, to whom I was introduced through my work for another travel narrative author and client, Lynne Martin, author of the forthcoming Home Free. As you’ll see, the Milnes’ experience is distinctive, unique – and well worth turning the pages to follow, for both its travel and emotional richness. Bob Yehling: In this busy publishing cycle of travel memoirs and narratives, you have a truly unique personal story that prompted your decision to travel for a year? Could you elaborate? Larissa and Michael Milne: On the surface, our decision seems like a lark or reaction to a mid-life crisis. In reality, it sprang from much deeper roots. We were reeling from the physical and emotional strain of years of dealing with a destructive family situation related to our daughter, whom we had adopted from Russia. By the time she became an adult, our relationship with her was broken and we became reluctant empty nesters. We needed time to heal so we turned to our love of travel. Larissa and Michael Milne pose with their Rocky statue in Philadelphia. The statue made the journey with them. BY: You combined truly exotic or hard-to-reach destinations with some world favorites – North Korea, Namibia, Vietnam, etc. Could you describe how that added to your experience – and to the narrative of Changes in Longitude? Milnes: This journey was about discovering new places as we rediscovered ourselves. We indulged our natural curiosity for far-flung destinations, seeking to understand the people behind the places. Since journalists are not permitted to enter North Korea, we provide rare perspectives of this isolated country. We met people there who were warm and welcoming, so unlike the vitriol spewed towards the world by their government. In Vietnam, we toured the My Lai Massacre site (from the Vietnam War). Locals, once they found out we were Americans, embraced us and said “U.S.-Vietnam friends now.” We realized that no matter how much governments are in conflict, people are the same all over the world and respect each other. BY: One of my favorite scenes is when you find yourself mired in a Scottish meadow, ankle deep in mud – with a bull getting ready to charge you. Why do you feel readers gravitate so readily to funny, even mindless moments within the larger scope of the journey? Milnes: Those I Love Lucy moments are entertaining. They remind us that travel is all about creating memories, experiences that you can’t predict. In 400 days of travel, we had our fair share. Wait until you read about Larissa’s encounter with a toilet on a Malaysian train. BY: You’ve been writing a column for the Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as pieces for National Geographic Traveler and other magazines. You were also featured in Smithsonian Magazine. What age groups have you heard responses from? And how did this writing prepare you or aid your decision to write Changes in Longitude? Milnes: Chucking it all to travel is a dream of many, regardless of age. The phrase “you’re living the dream” is one we heard consistently from people all over the world. Travel stories in newspapers and magazines typically place the reader “in the moment” by telling them the who, what, where and why of the story. We spread our wings more in the book by taking the reader beyond what happened in the moment; delving deeper into the situations we encountered and people we met. BY: What were the advantages and challenges of writing this book together? Milnes: We each have slightly different perspectives of our experiences, which adds dimension to our narrative. It can be a challenge writing in a collective voice. BY: You’ve obviously read several travel memoirs and narratives. What in your reading moved you the most about these works? And what devices did you find most advantageous to your book (though obviously tweaking to distinguish your voice and journey)? Milnes: Normally we enjoy reading narratives that make us want to visit a place. But there are also books like J. Marten Troost’s The Sex Lives of Cannibals. After reading it, we have absolutely no desire to visit Kiribati, but love the way he wrote about the country and its people with candor and affection. We both relish Bill Bryson; the way he writes with humor, but also delves into the local history, which places his observations in context. BY: Why do you feel travel is such a great way to work through traumatic emotional or structural changes in our lives? Milnes: Travel takes a person completely out of the routines of daily life, giving them the space and time to heal while gaining a self-awareness they wouldn’t achieve at home. Living in a foreign land where nothing is familiar also avoids stepping on many of the emotional trip wires that are pervasive at home. BY: The best single moment of your trip? Milnes: There was no one “best” moment, but there was a pivotal one when we realized how the journey was affecting us. This occurred on a beach in Perth, Australia as we were watching the sun melt into the Indian Ocean. It was the first time we realized that rather than taking a break, we were making a break; we would not return to our prior lives. Every step forward would help us shape our new life. That first step occurred sooner than expected. As more folks flocked to our isolated spot, we found out that we sat smack in the middle of a nude beach. To remain clothed would make us the odd man and woman out. So we shed our clothes as easily as we were shedding the vestiges of our former life. But one of the nice things about travel is that no one knows who you are. You can be anyone you want and even reinvent yourself along the way. BY: The most challenging moment? Milnes: In North Korea, we were fed a steady diet of propaganda related to the Korean War and U.S.-North Korea relations. We were warned ahead of time not to counter the guides with our version of these historic events. It wouldn’t reflect well on our hosts, and we wouldn’t their change minds, anyway. But when we were touring the War Museum in Pyongyang, Michael had enough of the alternative history – and apparently, it showed. He was pulled away from the group by an Army guide who questioned where he was from and why he was being so “callous.” BY: Now that you’re shopping Changes in Longitude, what do you feel are the central themes, or even experiences, that readers may find most engrossing? Milnes: No matter how down your life might be, travel can provide uplifting moments. String enough of those moments together and you can find a path forward to true happiness, a happiness that is newly defined. We embraced a much simpler lifestyle. (Living out of a 22” suitcase for a year will do that to you.) As the world became our home, our need for personal space has shrunk, and we no longer need the stuff we used to own. We learned to adapt to new environments and situations quickly; instead of acquiring possessions, we’re more interested in acquiring a wealth of experiences. None of this would have happened if we had continued with the same routine of our prior life. If you want to change your life, then change your life. Filed under Books, Education, Featured Websites, History, Interviews, Marketing, Memoir, Promotion, travelogue, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged as Books, England, National Geographic, North Korea, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Inquirer, publishers, Rocky, Russia, Smithsonian, Travel, travel narrative, travelogue, Vietnam Brewing an Adventure Romance Saga: Interview with Stephen B. Gladish Author Stephen B. Gladish (NOTE: Stephen B. Gladish is the author of a trilogy of adventure romance novels: Mustang Fever (2007), Storm Chasers (2013), and a reworking of a 2005 novel, now entitled Island Fever and currently in the final editing stages. The three books tell the interwoven stories, adventures, challenges and triumphs of a few memorable characters – Chance Chisholm, Luke LaCrosse, Annie Banner, Moana, and Cheyenne Autumn. Gladish is also the creator and co-editor of the 2006 anthology, Freedom of Vision, featuring writing from behind prison walls. He served in the Air Force, and is a retired creative writing teacher from Pima (Arizona) Community College. His writing is adventurous, colorful, deeply engaging and filled with characters who bring out the best qualities in each other … and themselves.) WJ: Steve, what types of adventure did you weave into Storm Chasers to illustrate the title? SG: It includes four variations of storm chasing: tornadoes, nuclear detonations, attacks via helicopter, and white-water rafting. WJ: How would you describe the book in a long sentence? SG: The storm chaser protagonist, Luke LaCrosse, locates and records deadly tornadoes in our nation’s Tornado Alley, is blasted and temporarily blinded as he tracks nuclear detonations in the Pacific, hunts down the deadly enemy in Vietnam, and effects a stunning rescue as a white-water guide Idaho’s “River of No Return,” through all of which he struggles to reconnect with and win back his childhood sweetheart, the one consistent love of his life. WJ: That’s a long sentence — almost a taste of Jack Kerouac! Speaking of which, who are some of the authors that influenced you most over the years, as a novelist and as a teacher of creative writing? SG: I have a long list, both from writing and teaching. All are pretty well-known authors: Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Louis L’Amour, Henry David Thoreau, Herman Melville, Emmanuel Swedenbourg, J.D. Salinger, James Fenimore Cooper, Larry McMurtrey, Herman Wouk, Ken Kesey, Stephen Crane, Langston Hughes, Stephen King, Flannery O’Connor, Truman Capote, Walt Whitman, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, Robert Frost, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Harper Lee. WJ: Back to your latest book. Where did the idea for Storm Chasers come from? SG: I wanted to call attention to the importance of weather in everybody’s lives, especially with all the climate change going on right now. I served in the US Air Force 6th Weather Squadron (Mobile) and the Severe Weather Warning Command in the early ‘60s. In this fictional story stemming from real life events, I take the reader through the sheer adventure of Luke LaCrosse growing into a man just as the military venue designs it. From a weather warrior, he graduates to become an officer and a pilot, one of the few who came home from the Vietnam War psychologically unscathed. In addition, I spent a lifetime of study especially on the cruel euphemism “global warming,” which I find a blurred, imprecise way of “dumbing down” the debate. The real definition is catastrophic climate change. Global emissions of carbon dioxide were a record high in 2011, and we had record high temperatures in the U.S. in 2012. The build-up of human-related greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels and forests must not be ignored. Because of catastrophic climate changes, the world faces multiple catastrophes including: sea level rise of five feet, with sea levels rising as much as twelve inches a decade, staggeringly high temperature rise, permanent Dust Bowls, massive species loss, more intense and severe hurricanes, masses and clusters of tornado outbreaks, huge enlargement of area in Tornado Alley. There are other unexpected impacts, such as the violent rainstorms in Italy in October 2011 that inundated towns of the Cinque Terre, Vernazza and Monterosso, and almost sank Venice. As George Orwell said, “During time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. WJ: How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript? SG: Twelve months and three hundred desert trail runs in the Rincon Mountains. WJ: All of us who write novels have our dreams of seeing the motion picture version. With that in mind, which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? SG: If they were a little younger, Matt Damon would play Luke LaCrosse, Josh Brolin would play Chance Chisholm, and Elizabeth Hurley would play Annie. WJ: Here’s a question that comes from the Next Best Thing Book Blog Tour, which I thought was quite revealing for readers who want to get a better grasp on an author’s influences and style: To which other books would you compare Storm Chasers within your genre? SG: Though not technically in my genre, many of Louis L’Amour’s stories take an innocent young man with strong moral values into situations where he must prove himself as a man in order to win the woman he loves: Sackett, 1961; To Tame a Land, 1965. All American literature begins with Huckleberry Finn, the story of an innocent boy who runs away from his Pap and all the sins in the culture of his time. Luke too runs away from a broken relationship into freedom. Both Luke and Huck find a true friend on their adventure. Huck’s adventure rafts on the Mississippi River; Luke’s adventure sails in the Armed Services. Herman Melville’s Typee, the first romance novel based in the South Pacific, has an innocent and moralistic hero as well. The Jason Bourne character from the Robert Ludlum series has parallels with Luke LaCrosse. Masculine qualities, an adventurous and ambitious protagonist, needs to win. WJ: Who or what inspired you to write this book? SG: The desire to fictionalize key events from real life, to show the infinite possibilities of life, to demonstrate what it takes to grow into a man. To bring to attention the dangers of catastrophic climate change; recent massive outbreaks of tornadoes; possibilities of present day nuclear bomb disasters, which in 1962 the United States strove to avoid as they developed and tested the most powerful deterrent; a thermonuclear arsenal. WJ: Tell us a little more about Luke LaCrosse. He is quite a morally strong protagonist, truly a model for young men today even though you’ve set the story in the 1960s. On top of that, you show romantic love not as a quick, perfect event, but as something that, in many cases, you have to pursue for years. SG: Luke’s odyssey, like Ulysses’, involves one challenge and temptation after another, as we experience Annie Banner and Luke’s tortuous and seemingly tenuous romance. Luke the adventurer has the need to feel like a warrior; he is quietly rebellious, leading to moments of anti-authority. He may be the last soldier to settle down, while Annie comes from a traditional upper class authoritarian family intent on her marrying anyone other than Luke. They both grow away from their families in independence. Theirs is an extraordinary journey with reversals and crashes on the proverbial rocky island shores, in war and in peace. They pick themselves up and in their separate crafts set sail again, hoping to connect finally on the sandy shores of a harbor home. Filed under Author Platform, Books, Classic Novels, E-books, Fiction, History, Interviews, literature, Promotion, Reading, travelogue, Writing, Writing Education Tagged as adventure, Air Force, Arizona, fiction, Idaho, kayaking, military, mustangs, Nevada, novelists, novels, nuclear testing, Oklahoma, romance, Salmon River, Samoa, South Pacific, Stephen B Gladish, Vietnam, Vietnam War Unraveling Memory: Conversation with ‘Pretty Flamingo’ Author Perry Martin Like his protagonist, David Perry, Pretty Flamingo author Perry Martin has a background as a recording and touring musician within and beyond his native Australia. That included a 15-month tour of his own in Vietnam, entertaining the troops. Like David Perry, he also re-settled in Orange County, CA. Beyond that, his life and the fictional experiences in Pretty Flamingo take much different paths. I spoke with Perry about his background and inspiration for this intriguing, gripping novel about the power, devastating impact, and ultimate liberation of resurrected memories. What began as a simple discussion about the book turned into a conversation that offers plenty of insight for writers of fiction, memoir and essay — not to mention a behind-the-scenes look at his fantastic opening novel, now available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Scribd.com (download), bookstores nationwide, and all online book and e-book sellers. You can also view a wonderfully produced preview trailer of the book on YouTube. 1) First of all, Perry, music plays an important part in David Perry’s growing-up years in Pretty Flamingo, obviously with some autobiographical moments in there. Could you talk about your long background in music? I started at a very young age and was lucky enough to have some “brushes with greatness” during the course of my musical career. I’ve worked with such people as Sheb Wooley of Rawhide fame, (the TV show that helped launch Clint Eastwood’s career), country legend Lefty Frizzell, pop/rock bands The Bee Gees, Ambrosia and Little River Band and, more recently, country greats Hal Ketchum and Lonestar. Between 1968 and 1969, I had a 15-month stint in Vietnam with country showband The Donnie James Show – which is where I came into contact with Sheb Wooley, Left Frizzell and his daughter, Leta. We went places no other band had ever gone in Vietnam and, because of that, we became so popular AFRTS gave us our own weekly TV show, Nashville Vietnam. From 1970 to 1971, I toured Southeast Asia with my father as part of a three-piece music and comedy cabaret act. We traveled to Japan, Okinawa, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and the Philippines. My father and I eventually settled in Hong Kong where I embarked on my own music career, which spawned three albums of original material. I left Hong Kong in 1983 for the U.S.A. and have lived here ever since. Between 1990 and 1997 I was with the band Two-Way Street. We were the opening act for B.J. Thomas, Ambrosia and Little River Band, among others. More recently, I have been part of the country band Marshalltown and have had the pleasure of being the opening act for Hal Ketchum and Lonestar. 2) And your writing background? I remember wanting to be a writer when I was kid, long before I developed an interest in music. I wrote stories that I would pass around to friends and family and I seem to recall starting a novel when I was about 12 years old. Lord knows what happened to it. I think what happened was that I started noticing the attention musicians got from people – particularly girls – and that swayed me in the direction of music! I think writing has been lying dormant in me, all these years, waiting for the right time to surface. I still had the urge to create artistically. I believe that’s when I resurrected my dream of becoming a writer. 3) How do you feel your skills as a musician and songwriter lend to your storytelling capabilities as a novelist? As a musician, if you want to be good, there’s a certain discipline. You have to be willing to practice, practice, practice and you have to honestly compare yourself to those musicians you respect and admire. That helped me develop my skill as a writer. I basically used the same approach. I read books by top authors and studied how they wrote, much the same way as I used to study how my guitar heroes played guitar, and then I would compare what I wrote to the authors whose work I admired and also most closely matched the kind of storytelling I wanted to achieve. I also studied books on writing, character development, etc which kind of parallels the music books I used to study. As a songwriter I always tried to write songs that would affect the audience emotionally. It was also important to engage and interest them quickly. You have a lot less time to do that in a song than you do in a book, but it’s a similar thing. Grab the reader within the first paragraph, if possible. And, most important, affect the reader emotionally just as I’d tried to do with my songs. 'Pretty Flamingo' author Perry Martin 4) Could you tell us about some of your other experiences that either made their way into Pretty Flamingo or informed them? Well, the first thing I should confess to is that, although I consider myself an Aussie at heart – and certainly have that persona – I was originally born in England and then moved to Australia at a very young age. As far as experiences go, there were a slew of incidents during my time with the country band in Vietnam that could be the subject of a whole book! For instance, the motorcycle accident that the central character of Pretty Flamingo, David Perry, has when he’s in Vietnam. That was based on actual personal experience. I was in Saigon and I’d had a few too many beers and had no business riding home on that bike. Many of the streets had large, wooden-framed, barbed-wire barricades that were positioned at presumably strategic points. I managed to run my bike into one of them, flew over the handlebars and hit the road – hard. I gashed my head pretty badly and it required several stitches above my left eyebrow. There were also numerous occasions where the country band went to places no other band had been to. We played for a Green Beret unit based very close to the Cambodian border. Halfway through the show, we were rushed into a bunker because the base was being mortared. The pedal steel player and I became the heroes of the evening as we grabbed a couple of cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon on our way to the bunker. We sat out the attack, which was successfully fended off, of course after all, we’re talking Green Berets! and then went back to the club to finish off the show. It was experiences like that, I think, made me grow up pretty fast, By the time I arrived back in Australia, I was a pretty mature sixteen-year old. I portrayed David Perry that way in the book because, later on, he has to make some very adult decisions. 5) What are the elements of the Manfred Mann song “Pretty Flamingo” that worked for you as the theme to this book? Well, for one thing, just the song in general evokes so many memories for me – both good and bad – that it seemed a natural choice. It made it easy to write around because it was a part of my life at a time where events occurred that had a profound impact on me. It reminded me of some very good friends and a family I cared very much about; they weren’t my family but they treated me that way. That’s why I wrote them into the book. For me, it’s also a very visual song. Every time I hear the line, “crimson dress that clings to tight” I can see this gorgeous girl walking up the street that everyone on the block called “Flamingo”. 6) Without giving away the entire plot, you have written a story about an Australian now living in California who has a recall experience about something so shattering that he’s blocked it out for 35 years. What is it about sudden recall experiences that you find so intriguing and captivating that you’d wrap an entire story around it? Wow, that’s a great question. First, like many people I know, I love a good mystery. So, the idea that there is something buried in someone’s past that has been subconsciously affecting his decisions throughout his life was intriguing to me. You could call it a “hidden influence”. A movie that comes to mind is Conspiracy Theory, where the central character keeps buying the same book over and over again and has no idea why he’s doing it. We eventually find out why when he finally remembers what happened. It started me thinking along those lines. How much of our lives might be influenced by forgotten events? How many things are we doing or not doing because of something like that? 7) Once David has the shattering wake-up experience of déjà vu, you proceed to unravel the recall experience slowly … and then launch us into an incredible series of events for any two teenagers. What narrative issues did you work out before settling on this slow roll-out of the life-shattering event — as well as the decision to weave before-and-now chapters as you do? I wanted to create conflict, mystery and suspense. Some of the conflict comes from within as well as without and I wanted to show David wrestling with his own doubts and fears which were his personal, internal antagonists – as well as the other antagonists he encounters along the way. I found that rolling it out slowly, initially, helped create the mystery throughout the book. Each time you discover the answer to one thing there are still other questions still not answered and, as I’ve been told by numerous people, this is what kept them turning the pages – which was what I wanted to do. The decision to weave before-and-now chapters was also part of the whole idea of creating a mystery. We see how, even the first few glimpses of previously forgotten memories, start to affect the main character. We watch him undergo a gradual transformation while, at the same time, we are able to go back and gradually discover how it was that he became the person he was at the start of the book. 8) In this book, you’ve got a full package on the human condition — mad teen love, more complicated mature adult love, a compelling mystery, exotic adventure, music, an unspeakable crime, and more. What do you feel are the important factors — or were the deciding factors in Pretty Flamingo — of writing such a story to maintain its believability? Nobody in this book is perfect – because, let’s face it, nobody is. That’s what makes us human. My characters have their flaws, and they don’t always make the right decisions but, except for the villains, they are basically good (as I believe most people are) and they try their best to do the right thing, at least from their point of view. I purposely didn’t gift my characters with eloquence, excellent vocabularies or the best social graces, because that’s not the kind of people they were – especially the Aussies. They are a down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is bunch of people and I think that makes them likeable and believable. 9) What about the characters of David Perry and Lisa Morgan made them both ideal for this “perfect storm” of a tale? Well, without giving anything away, I think I can say that they had some things in common although they arrived at those things in different ways. They both had experiences that forced them into a maturity beyond their years. They also had some idea of themselves as spiritual beings, something more than just flesh and blood. That, for me, was the element that would eventually create the unbreakable bond between them. 10) David Perry and Lisa Morgan are compelling in entirely different ways. They’re also decidedly Australian, with a bit of swagger and persona that has been intriguing to American audiences for the past 25-30 years. As an Aussie who has lived in the U.S. for quite a long time, what do you feel it is about the Australian persona that draws us to seek it out in our movie and fiction characters? I think there is a “no worries,” laid-back feel to the Aussies that is very attractive. There’s also a refreshing honesty to them that I think we like. They are some of the friendliest, down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet.. There’s definitely a lack of political correctness, by and large, and I think it reminds Americans of how things used to be in this country. To this day it’s still a bit “wild and wooly” in Australia and there’s that rebel streak that kind of says “take me or leave me, I don’t give a s–t!” That’s the kind of attitude Americans used to have and it helped them kick the Brits out back in 1776 and grow to become the greatest nation on earth. I think we’ve lost that here, to some degree, and the Aussies kind of remind us of what it was like to be that way. 11) What redeeming qualities or statements do you feel the characters and story of Pretty Flamingo make about love, forgiveness, redemption and the power of memory? Overall, I think that the book demonstrates that the vast majority of us are good people and that the power of love can overcome anything. It’s as important to forgive ourselves as it is to be forgiven, for we sometimes hold ourselves accountable when there is no longer any need. Also, to know that nothing is truly forgotten – it may be buried, hidden or otherwise blocked out, but it is still there. For you “not to remember” something implies that there must be “something there” to be forgotten. 12) What are your future writing plans? I am actually working on another book right now, Savannah. It’s a little different than Pretty Flamingo although there are some similarities inasmuch as there is once again a mystery aspect to it and the protagonist has had a troubled past. It’s a story about childhood friendship, integrity and redemption. There’s a spiritual aspect to it that’s quite interesting, too. I’ve pulled a lot more from my experiences as a musician for this book and I’ve tried to give the reader some insight as to what it’s like to be a struggling musician. Filed under Author Platform, Books, E-books, Featured Websites, literature, Online Media, Promotion, Promotions, Reading, Teen Literacy, Writing, Writing Education Tagged as Australia, love, love songs, Manfred Mann, memory, music, novel, Orange County, Perry Martin, Pretty Flamingo, romance novel, touring bands, Vietnam, Vietnam entertainment, Writing	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line576
__label__wiki	0.530767	0.530767	Tag Archives: X Previewing a Book for National Poetry Month … and A Book for Life Closing out a month that I will forever remember as the Month of Voluminous Editing. Never have I worked on so many great books simultaneously – novels, memoirs, travel narratives, my own projects. It just goes to show that, in this age where traditional publishing, self-publishing and e-publishing all offer viable paths of publishing success, good writing will rule out in the end. There will never be any shortage of well-written, well-conceived books. In fact, from where I sit, it seems that we’re back on an upward curve when it comes to overall quality of writing. Let’s keep it up. Now we come to April: . I want to profile a couple of books that are on their way to bookstores and online The first is The Hummingbird Review, the literary journal for which I’ve been editor for three years (except for the Spring 2012 issue, when I was teaching at Ananda College). Publisher, poet and author Charles Redner, who always keeps part of his heart attached to his dramatic arts past, decided to paint a Hollywood theme this time – combining movies and literature. For his part, Charlie wrote a short piece on those dramatic arts days … and a fine actor who emerged from his class. (I’m not telling you: you’ll have to read The Hummingbird Review). The result is the Spring 2013 issue, our annual National Poetry Month issue, which features Hollywood-themed poetry and essays by our esteemed cast of new and established authors, including Dances With Wolves author Michael Blake, extraordinary poet Martin Espada, screenwriters Adam Rodman and David Milton, and a special lyrics package from my friend and client Stevie Salas, who scored Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventurein the late 1980s as his musical career was beginning to take off. Now Stevie is producing a documentary film on Native Americans in rock and pop music. We also have stirring lyrics from the solo work of legendary X frontman, lyricist and poet John Doe, who has appeared in more than 30 films and TV shows and series. (We did ask John to furnish the lyrics to one of X’s greatest songs, “The Haves and Have Nots”, which also appears). We also pay tribute to an old friend of mine, the late Idaho Poet Laureate Emeritus Bill Studebaker, a man whose outrageous humor and sense of adventurism (especially white water kayaking) was matched by two things: his love of family, and his poetry writing. He was a fantastic poet whose works will live on for a long, long time. We present a half-dozen of his poems in a special tribute. Bill died in 2008 in a kayaking accident. In addition, the spring issue features three dozen fine poems from new and regular contributors from throughout the country. It opens with one of the more memorable conversation-interviews I’ve conducted, with former Poet Laureate of the United States Billy Collins. The interview features plenty of Billy’s trademark humor, while also touching on subjects near and dear to his heart – such as bringing contemporary poetry into the schools through his Poetry 180 project. The Hummingbird Review will be available through bookstores, on Amazon.com and on the website at www.thehummingbirdreview.com in mid-April, which is National Poetry Month. About 18 months ago, the person who would later become my literary agent, Dana Newman, asked if I would be interested in editing a very special memoir that she was representing. I took a look at the manuscript, and knew it was a book I would never forget. Now, here it comes. Cracked … Not Broken is the story of Kevin Hines, a young man from San Francisco, diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, who attempted to end his life at age 19 by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. He survived. Halfway through his plunge, he realized he wanted to live, and by the grace of God, his body turned in such a way that he survived impact. From there, Kevin started embracing life. It was tough, and painful, but now, he is a dynamic, nationally recognized speaker and advocate for suicide prevention, a man whose story has inspired countless thousands. Maybe millions. This memoir is a testament to the will to live, and to learning to fall in love with life – after nearly ending it. There’s no sugar coating in this book: it is tough, gritty, emotionally raw, and leaves nothing to chance or speculation. Which makes it a great book. Cracked … Not Broken is available on pre-order from Amazon.com. Filed under Author Platform, Books, Creativity, E-books, Editing, Featured Websites, Film, Interviews, Journalism, literature, Memoir, Music, poetry, Promotion, Reading, Spiritual Subjects, travelogue, Uncategorized, Writing, Young Writers Tagged as Bill Studebaker, billy collins, bipolar disorder, Hollywood, hummingbirds, Idaho, john doe, Kevin Hines, lyrics, Martin Espada, movies, National Poetry Month, rock music, San Francisco, Stevie Salas, suicide, X	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line577
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__label__wiki	0.889073	0.889073	us toll free: 1-800-948-5563 international: +1 (843) 849-0283 UK: +44 (0) 1334 260018 Wish List \| My Account \| Shopping Cart Browse Rare Books Search Rare Books Browse Signed Books Search Signed Books Browse First Editions Search First Editions Legendary Authors V.S Naipaul J. R. R Tolkien blogis librorum. A blog about books. Rare books. Famous Authors Who Wrote Only One Novel By Kristin Masters. Jun 19, 2019. 9:00 AM. Topics: Legendary Authors, Pulitzer Prize, Literature, Nobel Prize Winners On March 30, 1820, Anna Sewell was born into a devoutly Quaker family. Her mother, Mary Wright Sewell, was a successful children's book author. Sewell was mostly educated at home and did not attend school for the first time until she was twelve years old. Two years later, she seriously injured both ankles in an accident. From then on, Sewell had extremely limited mobility; she required crutches and could never walk great distances. Boris Pasternak, Thwarted Nobel Laureate By Carrie Scott. Jun 13, 2019. 9:00 AM. Topics: Legendary Authors, Nobel Prize Winners, Book News If English literary critic William Hazlitt was correct in his assertion that “When a thing ceases to be a subject of controversy, it ceases to be a subject of interest,” we can assume that the 1958 Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to Boris Pasternak will remain relevant through the ages. A Saul Bellow Round-Up By Leah Dobrinska. Jun 10, 2019. 9:00 AM. Topics: Legendary Authors, Nobel Prize Winners If you've been reading our blog for any length of time, you know that we have a strong appreciation for Saul Bellow. Bellow was an extremely prolific writer in his lifetime, and his works have become prized collectibles. He is perhaps best known for the titles The Adventures of Augie March, Herzog, and Henderson the Rain King. Bellow was also the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize (in the same year!). We've written about him at length, so in honor of his birthday, we've rounded up several of our favorite Saul Bellow posts for you to enjoy. Rudyard Kipling: A Retrospective By Kristin Masters. Dec 30, 2018. 9:00 AM. Topics: Legendary Authors, Book Collecting, Nobel Prize Winners Today marks the anniversary of the birthday of Rudyard Kipling, the world renowned author who brought a new (and often controversial) perspective to British imperialism. During his lifetime Kipling would cross continents, win a Nobel Prize, and befriend the celebrated authors of his day. Harold Pinter: Playwright, Actor, Cricketeer, Nobel Prize Winner By Kristin Masters. Oct 24, 2018. 9:00 AM. Topics: Fine Press, Book Collecting, Literature, Nobel Prize Winners This month, we celebrate Harold Pinter, whose varied career spanned over fifty years. Born on October 10, 1930, the Nobel laureate was more than a legendary writer. He was also a political activist, actor, director, and cricketeer. Happy Birthday, Doris Lessing! By Kristin Wood. Oct 22, 2018. 9:00 AM. When it comes to literature, Doris Lessing has her hand in every dish. She claims the titles of novelist, poet, playwright, short story writer, and biographer – if anyone proves that it’s possible to do it all, and well, it’s Lessing. She won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature, along with the David Cohen prize in 2001. Ongoing Scandal Causes Nobel Prize in Literature to Go Unawarded By Adrienne Rivera. Oct 4, 2018. 9:00 AM. Topics: Nobel Prize Winners, Book News This spring, the Swedish Academy announced that there would be no Nobel Prize in Literature awarded this year, stating instead that two laureates will be awarded in 2019. At the heart of this issue is photographer Jean-Claude Arnault, husband of committee member Katherine Frostenson, who has been accused of eighteen counts of sexual harassment and assault. He is also suspected of leaking lists of possible winners for betting purposes. While this is not the first time this has happened (in 1949, the Academy famously announced that no candidates met the criteria, delaying the decision to the following year when they selected William Faulkner as the 1949 winner), this is the first time the decision has been made as a direct result of scandals surrounding the committee. Happy Birthday, T.S. Eliot! By Leah Dobrinska. Sep 26, 2018. 9:00 AM. Topics: Legendary Authors, Poetry, Nobel Prize Winners T.S. Eliot authored some of the most recognizable poems of the 20th century. He was a major player in the modernist movement, and his "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is considered one of the best of the genre. Eliot won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948, and the selection committee praised him for "his outstanding, [pioneering] contribution to present-day poetry." Many other writers owe a debt of gratitude to T.S. Eliot for paving the way, and as Britannica states, "From the 1920s onward, Eliot’s influence as a poet and as a critic—in both Great Britain and the United States—was immense, not least among those establishing the study of English literature as an autonomous academic discipline." Ten of the Best William Faulkner Quotes For many, William Faulkner is synonymous with American literature, specifically Southern Literature. Hailing from Mississippi, Faulkner used his home state and his experiences growing up in the rural south in much of his most famous work. He became well-known following his 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature win. The committee praised Faulkner "for his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel." Faulkner’s use of emotion and stream-of-conscious writing style set him apart from many of his contemporaries. His works and his interviews are a playground for word enthusiasts, offering numerous memorable sentences. In honor of Faulkner’s birthday, here are ten of his best quotes. Seven Books We All Read in School By Adrienne Rivera. Sep 4, 2018. 9:00 AM. Topics: Legendary Authors, Pulitzer Prize, Awarded Books, American Literature, Nobel Prize Winners It's the day after Labor Day, and that means for many, it's time to go back to school. Books and school go hand-in-hand. Whether they were on summer reading lists, sprinkled throughout the general curriculum, or assigned for a book report, the following books represent some of the most common novels we all read in school. Check out some of these classic novels and relive your school days. See a listing of all posts How can I identify a first edition? Where do I learn about caring for books? How should I start collecting? Hear from librarians about amazing collections, learn about historic bindings or printing techniques, get to know other collectors. Whether you are just starting or looking for expert advice, chances are, you'll find something of interest on blogis librorum. Get blog notifications per email: American Literature (223) Awarded Books (87) Book Care (33) Book Collecting (376) Book History (78) Book Making (41) Book News (84) Books collecting (3) Caldecott Medal (45) Children's Books (202) Christmas Books (26) Collecting guide (1) Dust Jackets (9) Fine Press (52) J. R. R. Tolkien (24) Learn About Books (36) Legendary Authors (366) Legendary Illustrators (55) Libraries & Special Collections (63) Literary travel (73) Modern First Editions (80) Movie Tie-Ins (112) Mystery, Suspense & Crime (39) Newbery Award (21) Nobel Prize Winners (192) Pulitzer Prize (54) Rare Book Gift Ideas (48) Rare Books (146) Umberto Eco (15) > see older posts Books Tell You Why, Inc. 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__label__cc	0.518341	0.481659	Tag Archives: Central Park Bradley Cooper tries to explain to Zoe Saldana why she can’t be in The Hangover III (2012) Drama (CBS) Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Ben Barnes, Nora Arnezeder, Ron Rifkin, John Hannah, J.K. Simmons, Michael McKean, James Babson, Brian Klugman, Zeljko Ivanek, Elizabeth Stauber. Directed by Brian Klugman and Len Sternthal Writing is near and dear to my heart. I am fascinated by words and like to use a lot of big ones. I don’t apologize for that. Communication is my job and I like to be precise about it. Still, as I’m fond of saying, I don’t write because I want to; I write because I have to. Those who write for a living will tell you that they didn’t pick their particular career choice; it chose them. Clay Hammond (Quaid) is reading from his latest best seller. A comely grad student named Daniella (Wilde) approaches him from the audience and asks him for more detail about his story than he had given during the reading. Clay, who is separated from his wife, is a little tipsy and responds to the flirting. He starts to tell her about it. Rory Jansen (Cooper) has dreams of being a writer. He works for three years on a novel, pouring out his heart. It’s good, he’s told but not great. He, like many struggling writers, begins to collect rejection slips like Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons. His girlfriend Dora (Saldana) is supportive; his dad (Simmons) not so much, although there is clearly affection between them. It’s just that dear old dad wants his son to grow up and take responsibility, understanding that not every dream is achievable. Rory and Dora (which sounds a bit like a preschoolers cartoon – couldn’t you have come up with better names than that?) eventually get married and wind up honeymooning in Paris (which is a bit pricey for struggling young newlyweds but let’s assume they got it as a gift) and while antique hunting Dora finds a beautiful old valise which she buys for Rory to use at his new job in the mailroom at a literary agency. Still, Rory is depressed about his stalled career and wonders if he has the talent to be somebody. His depression begins to create a gulf between him and his friends and even between him and Dora. Then Rory finds a manuscript in the valise, one that has been sitting there for a long while. He begins reading it. He can’t put it down. It’s almost like a slap in the face; here is the novel he’s always wanted to write and someone else has written it. He becomes obsessed with it. He wants to know what it would be like to write something like that, so he takes the typewritten manuscript and types it, word for word including the misspelled words, into his laptop. He leaves it there and forgets about it. But Dora finds it. She insists that he take it to an agent so he does. The agent (Ivanek) loves it. It gets published. The little book becomes a sensation. At first Rory feels guilty over plagiarizing the work but reasons that it was a means to an end; the novels he couldn’t get published now have deals and all due to this forgotten manuscript. He wins awards and becomes rich. His relationship with Dora becomes stronger. One day while reading on a bench in Central Park, an old man (Irons) sidles up and sits nearby. The old man recognizes him and gets his copy of the book autographed. Then the old man tells him a story; the story of a young man (Barnes) in Paris after World War II. The young man becomes smitten with Celia (Arnezeder), a waitress in a sidewalk cafe. She falls in love with him. They marry but after a tragedy they separate. He becomes disconsolate without her. He writes a book, one he pours all his heart and soul into. The words flow out like a river. It is finished in two weeks. He sends it to her and she reads it. She’s amazed and agrees to come home. Unfortunately, the valise she put the novel in got left aboard a train. It disappears – and it’s absence comes between the young man and Celia just as surely as a brick wall would. The line between fiction and fact blurs a little in The Words. It isn’t about writing so much, although the demon in Rory that compels him to write, that compels him to be adored for it, is one I know all too well. But this is a story about guilt and how it gets into a relationship insidiously destroying it from within. It destroys people as well. The three stories are all interrelated, but which ones are true and which ones are fantasy are pretty much left up to the interpretation of the audience (my take? All three). It is a story inside of a story within a story which while not an original means of telling a story is nonetheless not an easy one and takes a deft hand to pull off, which it is here. It helps to have some strong performances from the male leads, and the filmmakers get them. Irons is one of those actors who looks and sounds great even when uttering banal lines. He’s memorable when onscreen and his scenes with Cooper are among the best in the movie. Quaid also has some fine moments although he is little more than a framing device. Still, there’s some thought and depth to his character. The women don’t fare as well – Saldana gets the most screen time among them but for the most part the women in the movie aren’t developed quite as well as the men are. They are entirely reactive and serve either as ornaments or as plot devices. It’s not a commentary on them as actresses; more of a commentary on the writing. It is meant to be literate and there is a bit of the hoity toity “writers are special” attitude that movies about writers sometimes get. And, as a movie about words, there are a lot of them. Much of the action moves through dialogue and there are voiceovers throughout. And while you may not see everything coming (to their credit the filmmakers refuse to spell things out although you can pretty much figure things out) the story isn’t what you’d call ground-breaking. Still this is a smart movie that also appeals to the heart. The Old Man is a figure you will have a great deal of sympathy for, even though much of his dilemma is of his own making. I have to say I was inspired to go and do some writing after seeing this, even though that’s something I do every day. Writing movie reviews is one thing. Writing something that counts, something that means something to somebody and gives them insight to life or at least their own soul – that’s an entirely different thing. REASONS TO GO: Thoughtful and literate. Inspires me to write. Fine performances by Irons, Quaid and Cooper. REASONS TO STAY: Overly talky. Story is a bit been-there done-that. FAMILY VALUES: There is some fairly rough language in certain places. TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Rosamund Pike was considered for the role of Daniella but it eventually went to Olivia Wilde. CRITICAL MASS: As of 9/25/12: Rotten Tomatoes: 17% positive reviews. Metacritic: 37/100. The reviews are horrible. COMPARISON SHOPPING: The Hoax ERNEST HEMINGWAY LOVERS: The book that inspires the Young Man to writing is Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. NEXT: The Jackal Posted in New Releases \| Tagged Ben Barnes, Bradley Cooper, CBS Films, Central Park, cinema, Dennis Quaid, Drama, Ernest Hemingway, Films, guilt, J.K. Simmons, Jeremy Irons, John Hannah, literary agency, literary awards, Michael McKean, movies, New York City, Olivia Wilde, Paris, park bench, plagiarism, reviews, Ron Rifkin, struggling writer, The Words, valise, Zoe Saldana \| 1 Reply Posted on February 12, 2012 by carlosdev Russell Brand and Greta Gerwig try to out-cute one another. (2011) Romantic Comedy (Warner Brothers) Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig, Nick Nolte, Geraldine James, Luis Guzman, Christina Calph, Evander Holyfield, Leslie Hendrix, John Hodgman, Richard Bekins, Peter Van Wagner, Charlie Hewson. Directed by Jason Winer The thing about remaking a movie which has become so beloved as 1981’s Arthur is that the new version is inevitably compared to the original and usually found wanting. The thing about films like Arthur (the original) is that they tend to be viewed through the dewy-eyed lenses of nostalgia and their flaws overlooked. Of course, some movies are just flawed from the get-go. Arthur Bach (Brand) is the son of the CEO of Bach Worldwide, a major investment firm run by his mother Vivienne (James). Arthur is the sort of guy tailor-made for the tabloids, constantly getting involved in one scandal or another, usually having to do with women (he’s single) or alcohol (which he drinks a lot of). He is watched over by Hobson (Mirren), his childhood nanny who drily and somewhat acerbically sees to his needs and fruitlessly tries to protect him from himself. But there’s one scandal too many and investors are beginning to lose confidence in Bach Worldwide. To stop the bleeding, Vivienne proposes to have Arthur marry Susan Johnson (Garner), her extremely competent right hand and the daughter of wealthy Burt (Nolte) the builder from Pittsburgh. She and Arthur had a previous relationship which ended badly. Needless to say Arthur is reluctant to agree until Vivienne insists that if he refuses, he’ll be cut off from his inheritance of $950 million (why couldn’t they just have made it an even billion?) so Arthur, not one to give up his toys easily agrees. Trust me, he’s got a lot of toys from a floating magnetic bed to the Batmobile. Yeah, that one. So then he meets Naomi (Gerwig), a beautiful and spirited tour guide – well, a non-accredited one but she’s working on it. Arthur gets immediately taken with her and begins to woo her, despite her impending nuptials. He knows he has to go on with his wedding, not just for the money but because Burt the builder is going to use a power saw on him if he doesn’t. So Arthur is left with an age-old dilemma; marry for love, or marry for money. The new version follows the old very closely, with some minor differences. Linda (the Liza Minnelli character from the original) and Naomi are very different, with Linda being a bit brassier and a bit shall we say less shameless while Naomi is a bit more quirky. The movie rests on a several factors – the most crucial is the likability of Brand. He’s done this type of role before, the addled rock star Aldous Snow in Get Him to the Greek and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Brand can be charming and is here for most of the show but to be honest, it’s hard to really be too sympathetic to a spoiled billionaire rich kid with mommy issues. In all truthfulness, Dudley Moore really made the part his and Brand doesn’t quite measure up. Secondly, the relationship between Arthur and Hobson has to be strong, and it is. Sir John Gielgud won an Oscar for his portrayal of the stiff English butler who has an arch streak in him and a soft spot for his gentleman. Mirren is a distaff version of the part who is almost motherly towards her charge but with a Margaret Thatcher iron spine. She doesn’t get as many bon mots as Gielgud did (“I’ll alert the media” in response to Arthur’s announcement he’s taking a bath, a classic) and she doesn’t have the same chemistry with Brand that Moore and Gielgud had. There is a good deal of crudeness here; the original was for its day somewhat crude in its depiction of drunkenness but this one exceeds the quotient that way and for no good reason. The overall environment for the movie – the middle of an economic downturn might not be a time where the general moviegoing public might be terribly sympathetic to the super-wealthy – might also have contributed to its lack of connection to the audience when it was released to theaters. There is some charm and warmth here which does go a long way – Arthur isn’t a bad boy at heart, merely a spoiled one. Garner does some nice work as the cast iron bitch who wants to marry him for his name and no other reason, a role that strangely suits her, possibly because she also does the nice girlfriend so well. As for snuggling up with your honey on the big romantic movie night, there are probably some better movies to put on the DVD/Blu-Ray/VCR if you’re of such a mind, but if you’re into extravagant romantic ideas, there are some here that might fire up your imagination. WHY RENT THIS: The source material had a good heart which shows through here. WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Russell Brand is no Dudley Moore. Crude in places it shouldn’t be. FAMILY VALUES: There is quite a bit of alcohol use here (mostly by Arthur), some sexuality, a few naughty words (very few) and a couple of drug references. TRIVIAL PURSUIT: In the movie Arthur’s father is 44 when he dies, the same age as the original movie’s director Steve Gordon was when he passed away. NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: There’s a gag reel and outtakes which give you a further appreciation for Brand’s skills as a comedian but nothing that really sheds any light on the making of the film. BOX OFFICE PERFORMANCE: $45.7M on a $40M production budget; the movie was unable to recoup its production budget during its theatrical run. TOMORROW: The Princess Bride Posted in DVD Review \| Tagged alcoholism, Arthur, based on an '80s movie, Batmobile, Central Park, chauffeur, cinema, Cinema of the Heart, conspicuous consumption, DVD Reviews, Evander Holyfield, Films, Geraldine James, Greta Gerwig, Helen Mirren, illegal tour guide, inheritance, investments, Jennifer Garner, limo driver, limousine, Luis Guzman, Manhattan, millionaire, movies, nanny, New York City, Nick Nolte, parties, penthouse apartment, remake, romantic comedy, Russell Brand, Warner Brothers \| 1 Reply Keanu Barada Nikto. (20th Century Fox) Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, Jon Hamm, Kyle Chandler, Robert Knepper, James Hong, John Cleese. Directed by Scott Derrickson It is no secret that we have been poor custodians of our planet. One wonders what superior intelligences might think if they noticed us, and if they would be moved to step in. Dr. Helen Benson (Connelly) has a full plate. Not only is she an academic with a classroom-full of disinterested minds, she has an unruly stepson named Jacob (Smith) who has been acting out ever since his father – her late husband – died in Iraq. One night she is fetched by stern, humorless military sorts who escort her from her home to an unknown destination. They won’t – or can’t – tell her what’s going on, but there is no doubt it’s serious; a busy freeway has been completely closed off for the benefit of their motorcade. It turns out there’s a spaceship approaching Earth and it appears it is going to land in Central Park, which should have alerted the Men in Black immediately. Instead, we get the Army with a bunch of trigger-happy jarheads that open fire the moment something emerges from the spaceship, which is actually a sphere of swirling green. Lots of these spheres have landed all over the Earth, but none of them have a giant robot (which is called Gort after some military acronym that I forgot five seconds after the line was spoken). It is about to open up a can of giant robot whoopass on the Army when the fallen alien speaks “Klaatu Barada Nikto.” Truer lines have never been spoken. While recovering from its gunshot wound, the alien begins to evolve at an accelerated rate, eventually evolving into Keanu Reeves (I guess the alien wasn’t done evolving yet…thanks folks, I’ll be here all week). The alien, whose name is Klaatu, demands to be taken to our leaders (sorry, I couldn’t resist) which according to Secretary of Defense Regina Jackson (Bates) is out of the question. Instead, she sets up Klaatu to be interrogated. This is what is known in the biz as a bad choice. Using powers beyond human ability, he escapes and seeks out Dr. Benson, the only human who has treated him with any kindness at all. The government is absolutely bonkers to get him back and puts out an APB, which means that everyone is chasing Klaatu, Dr. Benson and the spoiled brat…I mean Jacob. Dr. Benson finds out to her horror that Klaatu represents a coalition of aliens that have been observing our planet and are very disappointed at how we’re treating our planet. Therefore, in order to save this life-giving orb, they need to wipe out the parasites that are killing it…namely us. She must find a way to convince him that we are worth saving, otherwise we’ll be joining the dinosaurs on the woulda coulda shoulda list. Obviously this is based on the 1951 classic sci-fi film of the same name. Derrickson and his writers are relatively faithful to the original, making only minor changes in the overall story but some of them are rather crucial. While the first was an anti-war and anti-nuclear holocaust warning, this one is squarely on the side of those scientists who have been making dire predictions about where the planet is going (and somewhere, Al Gore is smirking “See? You shoulda voted for me”). It’s the details which are vastly different and quite frankly, therein lies the devil. While this isn’t particularly a special effects-driven movie, they are pretty spectacular when the movie chooses to use them. The robot Gort, who is 28 feet tall (20 feet taller than the original Gort), is particularly menacing although some purists were screaming when they found out that Gort was actually a biological being and not mechanical. On that score, I have my doubts about Keanu Reeves. His stiff, emotionless demeanor actually works here as an alien being. He is well matched with Connelly, who is one of the more expressive actresses we have going. She is the yin to his yang in the movie, and that makes the movie far more successful than it might have been otherwise; whereas Keanu is the movie’s brain, Connelly is the heart. Monty Python’s John Cleese does a fine turn in a non-comedic role as a scientist Helen brings Klaatu to talk to in a last-ditch effort to convince him not to kill everybody. Bates is always dependable to be plucky although she brings an element of menace that she usually doesn’t display. Jaden Smith, excellent in The Pursuit of Happyness is merely average here; he’s such a brat that you just want to throw him under the nearest freight train, which I suppose must mean he’s a plenty good actor because if he was really that whiny and disrespectful, his dad Will Smith would have long ago put the fear of Gawd into him. If the movie has a flaw, it’s that it tends to be a bit preachy and a little overbearing. While I get the urgency of the message, I still get peeved when someone feels the urge to nag me about it, even if it is for my own good. It’s enough to make me want to trade in my Hybrid for a Hummer. The movie may have been a little too thoughtful for its own good in that regard. It surprisingly doesn’t disgrace the original, which I quite expected it to do – that’s a very high bar to live up to – but it doesn’t measure up to it either, which I also quite expected from it. This won’t make the Earth stand still, but it might just make it take notice if we’re lucky. WHY RENT THIS: There are some very nifty special effects and Connelly makes a great every-woman. WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Sometimes a little bit over-ponderous and preachy. FAMILY VALUES: There are some images of global disaster and some occasionally disturbing violence; those prone to nightmares and the more sensitive sorts should probably not see this one. TRIVIAL PURSUIT: The Central Park bridge under which the surviving heroes take shelter with at the movie’s conclusion is the same one used at the end of Cloverfield. NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: There are featurettes on the eco-friendliness of the production as well as on the real-life search for extra-terrestrial life. Visual Effects supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun discusses how the filmmakers arrived at the final version of Gort, which is fascinating stuff. The Blu-Ray edition has a feature that allows you to design your own Gort, and finally as a special bonus treat, the two and three disc DVD editions as well as the Blu-Ray edition come complete with the 1951 version this movie is based on, starring Michael Rennie and the late Patricia Neal. BOX OFFICE PERFORMANCE: $233m on an $80 production budget; the movie was a hit. TOMORROW: Killshot Posted in DVD Review \| Tagged 2008, 20th Century Fox, alien spacecraft, arks, based on a classic sci-fi movie, Central Park, cinema, doomsday, DVD Reviews, ecological disaster, Films, giant robot, Gort, Jaden Smith, James Hong, Jennifer Connelly, John Cleese, Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, Keanu Reeves, Klaatu, Kyle Chandler, love, movies, nanobots, New York City, physician, Robert Knepper, sacrifice, Science Fiction, scientists, The Day the Earth Stood Still, U.S. Military \| Leave a reply	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line589
__label__wiki	0.662519	0.662519	Celebrities • Do You Know? Remembering Om Puri On His Birthday: Fell In Love With 55 Years Old Maid At The Age Of 14. Published on: 18/10/18 7:36 PM From being a great actor of Bollywood to the most controversial ones, Om Puri’s life story is very interesting to know. Om Puri was born in Ambala in a Punjabi Hindu Khatri family. His father, Rajesh Puri, worked in the railways. As he had no birth certificate or records, his family was unsure of his date and year of birth. His mother told him that he was born two days after the Hindu festival Dussehra. As an adult when he moved to Mumbai, Puri looked up when Dussehra was celebrated in 1950, to establish his date of birth as 18 October. Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah were each other’s classmate in the National School Of Drama. They later became a close ally to each other. Om Puri’s first marriage was with Anu Kapoor’s sister, Seema Kapoor. However, this marriage could not last long for even one year. Later, in 1993, Om Puri married with Nandita who was a journalist by profession. Nandita wrote a book (‘Unlikely Hero: The Story Of Om Puri’) in which she revealed that Om Puri’s first love was his 55 years old maid. She then revealed that Om and his Maid also had sexual intercourse with each other and Om was just 14 at that time. This of course made the actor quite upset for obvious reasons. Om Puri with his wife Nandita Nandita had also lodged a domestic violence complaint against Om Puri. This feud resulted to the extent of divorce also but this did not happen. Both lived as a married couple without interfering in each other’s life. Was not good at English, still worked in Hollywood movies Om Puri could not speak proper English, but by noticing his acting skills he was offered to work in Hollywood movies. Om worked hard to learn and speak correct, fluent English and fulfilled this task. Later on, he played important roles in English movies like Gandhi, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and City Of Joy. On 6 January 2017, Puri died at the age of 66, after having a heart attack at his residence in Andheri, Mumbai. He was honored at the 89th Academy Awards in memoriam segment for his contribution in Indian and world cinema. Tags#bollywood films and facts om puri bio unlikely hero Do You Know? • Travel Bylakuppe: A Tibetan Town In Karnataka 5 Astonishing Underwater Museums In The World Dominican Tree House Village- Take A Leap Into “Best Kept Secret” Jungle Sushmita Sen Posts A Lovely Video Performing Dhunuchi Dance Bollywood Celebs Who Spoiled Their Lives Due To Alcohol Addiction	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line594
__label__wiki	0.95465	0.95465	Rumours swirl that Kate Middleton is on her way to London Social media is buzzing with the latest reports that the Duchess has left her family's Berkshire home. Pregnant Kate Middleton may have left her parents' Berkshire home to return to Kensington Palace ahead of the birth of royal baby. Twitter was aflutter with reports of decreased security at Michael and Carole Middleton's house in Bucklebury, sparking rumours that the Duchess of Cambridge had left the property. "All royal protection officers in Bucklebury appear to have left. Gates at Middleton family home left wide open," one Twitter user wrote. Another tweeter reported a police escorted car leaving the house at shortly after 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Although it's not clear where Kate might be en route to, it is thought that she could be returning to her and Prince William's Kensington Palace residence in order to be closer to St. Mary's Hospital, where she plans to give birth. According to reports, the 31-year-old has been resting at her family's $7,675,901 Georgian home with Prince William for the last few days. The father-to-be is currently on a period of rest days from his RAF duties. It was reported by the Telegraph that Friday 19 July is her official due date — not July 13, as previously suggested. Kensington Palace has only ever said that William and Kate's firstborn was expected in "mid-July", and it has been assumed that she is now past her due date. But an insider has disclosed, "A small number of staff at St. Mary's who might be called upon when the Duchess gives birth were told they had to remain teetotal for a month before the Duchess's due date. "They were told the due date was 19 July, meaning they couldn't drink from 19 June onwards. "Only a handful of people were told, because there are very few hospital staff who might be needed in the case of an emergency." Kate is due to give birth in the private Lindo wing of the hospital in Paddington, with the Queen's former gynaecologist Marcus Setchell and the Queen's current gynaecologist Alan Farthing in charge of the delivery. A later due date does raise the possibility that the royal baby could arrive as late as August 2, if he or she is two weeks overdue. While the world's press maintain a round-the-clock vigil outside the Lindo wing at the Paddington hospital, the media presence has started to build up outside the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading — the nearest hospital to the family home. While aides have confirmed that the Duchess fully intends to have her baby in the private Lindo Wing, it is being reported that there is a contingency plan in place for a birth at the Reading facility, where Kate was born in 1982. A version of this article appeared at Hellomagazine.com with the headline "Rumours swirl that Kate Middleton is en route to London." Kate Middleton's uncle says she is having a girl	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line595
__label__cc	0.645341	0.354659	CAAM Presents, Food January 13, 2016 January 13, 2016 Share Your Lunar New Year “Traditions: New and Old” with CAAM and StoryCorps by CAAM "Good Health and Good Fortune." Photo courtesy Kenny Louie on Flickr/Creative Commons. https://www.flickr.com/people/99472898@N00 The recordings will culminate in a special series of oral history devoted to Lunar New Year. Come in with someone you know, someone who's important to you in some way, and share your story. “When I was in my parents’ homeland and it was new year, I remember I had to go all around the neighborhood with my parents and sister to say ‘Happy New Year’ to all our community elders. During every visit, they’d be like, ‘Gong Xi Fat Choy!’ and then I’d be like, ‘Gong Xi Fat Choy!’ and then we’d go inside, sit down, drink some tea, make some chit chat, and then I’d get a foongbao (red envelope). And then that would happen all over again, until we visited everyone. Today, since I’m so far away from my family, I don’t do anything like that anymore. It feels a little like a loss. But, now that I’m older, I also get to give foongbaos to people in my life. Except, instead of money, for a variety of reasons, I put love notes in them.” – Geraldine Ah-Sue CAAM is proud to partner with StoryCorps in San Francisco for a second year, in time to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Monkey! Last year, we collected stories on food and the Lunar New Year. This year, throughout the month of January and leading up to Monday, February 8th (Lunar New Year day), the two organizations are collecting stories about Lunar New Year Traditions: New and Old. Did you have to help clean the house when you were a kid? What about today? Will you be ringing the new year with the sound of popping fireworks, or did the sound terrify you when you were younger? What are your memories of new year dinners from when you were a kid, and how have those adapted to now? Do you give red envelopes out, or changed the tradition to celebrate people instead of wealth and money? We want to hear your stories! The recordings will culminate in a special series of oral history devoted to Lunar New Year. Come in with someone you know, someone who’s important to you in some way, and share your story. All participants will go home with a copy of the recording on a CD, which you are free to make copies of and have others listen to as well. Perhaps you can share it during New Year dinner! You’ll have the option to archive it in the Library of Congress, as well as make it available for consideration to produce and broadcast on NPR and/or KALW. Some of the stories will also be selected for sharing at www.caamedia.org. To make a reservation, use this link and be sure to write “CAAM” in the Notes section. Questions? Email Momo Chang at momo[at]caamedia.org The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. We do this by funding, producing, distributing and exhibiting works in film, television and digital media. For 35 years, CAAM has exposed audiences to new voices and communities, advancing our collective understanding of the American experience through programs specifically designed to engage the Asian American community and the public at large. About StoryCorps StoryCorps is a national oral history project working to record, share and preserve stories from people of all backgrounds and beliefs across the country. We are dedicated to building a national archive that reflects the diversity and richness of our communities. We believe that every story matters and that our stories deserve to be told in our own voices. StoryCorps partners with the Library of Congress to archive stories, as well as National Public Radio to broadcast stories. In addition, at the end of each recording, participants always receive a CD copy of their conversations that they are free to make copies of and share with loved ones. Participants are free to record in any language that they would like, and record any story they wish to preserve. The StoryCorps recording itself is a recording between two people who are important to each other in some way. Participants record a 40 minute recording, again, about anything that they would like to talk about. A StoryCorps staff member will be with participants for the whole time to orient them through the process and offer support during the recording. After the recording, we take pictures, go over Release Forms, and then participants go home with their CD that they are free to make copies of and share with others. You can check out StoryCorps here, and listen to some stories that have aired on NPR here. audio, chinese, culture, food, Holidays, interview, Korean, Lunar New Year, Mongolian, oral history, recording, storycorps, Tibetan, traditions, vietnamese Danielle Chang on CAAMFest 2015 Closing Night Film Lucky Chow “Off the Menu: Asian America” now on DVD Lunar New Year Memories with StoryCorps	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line596
__label__wiki	0.608488	0.608488	Officials, Labor Leaders Celebrate Federal Transportation Plan Filed Under:Ann Schneider, Brad Schaive, Dave Dahl, Illinois Department of Transportation, International Union of Operating Engineers, Laborers International Union of North America, Mike Zahn, road construction, Transportation Bill, U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello CHICAGO (CBS) — Labor leaders joined Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider and U. S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in taking a victory lap on Friday to celebrate President Barack Obama signing the new $105 billion federal transportation bill. WBBM Newsradio’s Dave Dahl reports the measure pumps more than $4 billion into Illinois roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects. Obama is scheduled to sign the measure Friday afternoon. “This is a great day today,” said Schneider. “I’m very pleased that Congress and the president have established a solid transportation reauthorization bill that puts Illinois on strong footing going forward.” Brad Schaive, business manager of Laborers International Union of North America Local 477, said the economic ripple effect includes not only workers spending their paychecks, but also work being done before the new roads are built. “This highway bill is an economic engine. A typical project could have between 5 and 75 men and women of your local communities,” he said. “As they work on this project, they take those monies from the living wages they make on those jobs, and they go out and they spend it in their community.” Mike Zahn, business manager of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 965, said “from Cairo to Chicago, there are double-digit unemployment numbers. This bill will produce 140,000 jobs over the next two years.” LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Dave Dahl reports Durbin and U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) were part of the conference committee to work out the final bill. But Durbin was disappointed the bill did not include funding for Amtrak projects. “I think there should have been resources available, for more on-time performance. We have dramatic increases in ridership on Amtrak. We’ve seen a lot of construction associated with high-speed rail in our state. I wish they would have continued it, but we weren’t successful,” Durbin said. The Illinois Department of Transportation plans to bid out 60 projects next month, totaling $106 million. Projects include road improvements between Springfield and Taylorville, U.S. 51 at Assumption, and progress toward a new I-74 bridge at the Quad Cities.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line597
__label__wiki	0.520517	0.520517	Bernstein: Enough With ‘Next Man Up’ Filed Under:Bears, Bulls, Chicago Sun-Times, Dan Bernstein, Descartes, Epictetus, heat, Josh McCown, Lao Tzu, Marc Trestman, NBA, NFL, Thermopylae, Tom Thibodeau, Xerxes, Yahoo! Sports CHICAGO - AUGUST 21: Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears talks with teammate Lance Briggs #55 on the sidelines during a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at Soldier Field on August 21, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Raiders defeated the Bears 32-17. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) * Local Caption * Jay Cutler;Lance BriggsLance Briggs and Jay Cutler. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) By Dan Bernstein- CBSChicago.com Senior Columnist (CBS) Tom Thibodeau and Marc Trestman. Visionaries, both. How else to describe their ability to elevate the idea of a perfunctory managerial activity to the level of philosophy? Just as Descartes led 17th century rationalists, Lao Tzu founded Taoism and Epictetus codified the ideas of ancient Greek stoics, these two coaches have apparently pioneered a radical, new concept — replacing an injured player with another player. Here’s how this brilliance has been described: “Thibs: Bulls Employ Next Man Up Strategy” – 670theScore.com, 3/15/12 “Thibodeau’s ‘next man up’ philosophy” – Chicago Sun Times, 4/4/13 “It’s next man up. It’s how we do it.” — Josh McCown, 10/21/13 “Marc Trestman keeps referring to the ‘next man up’ philosophy” – Yahoo Sports, 10/11/13 And here are the men in their own words: “The philosophy here is the next man up.” – Trestman, 10/21/13 “This team has an obligation with the next-man-up philosophy of coming together.” — Trestman, 10/21/13 “We’ve called it the next man up mentality” – Trestman, 10/11/13 “We believe in it.” – Thibodeau, 5/13/13, when placards with the three words were placed around the United Center before a playoff game against the Miami Heat. I had no idea that a depth chart was something that required belief. I just thought it was an ordered list of names of people in line to do a job, but it’s apparently an entirely new way of thinking about the theory of backups. All this time I had been under the impression that this was how all teams did it, but I guess not. Instead of this all being assumed practice in every workplace anywhere, ever, it’s now considered “strategy” to “employ” to…put a guy in a game. It’s a “mentality” that b-teamers are on a roster and are expected to perform when needed, and it’s a “philosophy” to tell whomever is on a lower tier that it’s now his turn. Before Thibs and Trestman arrived to revolutionize the thinking in team sports, what did we do as an alternative? Not replace guys with other guys? I must be unable to recall such incomplete squads that had to have been sent on their doomed, heroic missions — these plucky, three-man NBA units or courageous NFL defenses of eight, guarding the gates of Thermopylae from the advancing Persian armies of Xerxes. I get it, that coaches even at the highest professional levels feel that anybody in possession of a uniform should feel that he can compete at the same level as the injured player, even if that guy was just signed after an open tryout and had spent the last seven months processing car loans at a dealership in suburban Des Moines. (Meanwhile, at Fleener Hyundai, general manager Gary Shartz strides purposefully across the gleaming showroom to the cubicle of their young, inexperienced Assistant Loan Processor. Sliding the newly-titled nameplate into the slot by his desk, he explains “Tom has just been signed by the Bears. Our philosophy here has always been ‘next man up,’ and there are loans to be processed. This is your time. Make the most of it. May God be with you.”) It’s just not unique, obviously, to have to use a full complement of players. Put a team out there and get on with it. Repackaging a universal fact into an essentially meaningless mantra accomplishes little outside of abstraction. Far more often than not, the next man up sucks. And everybody knows it. Dan Bernstein Dan Bernstein joined the station as a reporter/anchor in 1995, and has been the co-host of Boers and Bernstein since 1999. Read more of Bernstein’s columns, or follow him on Twitter: @dan_bernstein. The Boers and Bernstein Show airs every weekday from 1PM to 6PM on The Score, 670AM (or you can listen online). Listen to The Boers and Bernstein Show podcasts »	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line598
__label__wiki	0.901243	0.901243	Gold Medal Olympian Enters The World Of Mixed Martial Arts By Megan Mawicke June 20, 2018 at 2:14 pm Filed Under:Chicago Theater, Judo, Kayla Harrison, Megan Mawickie, Mixed Martial Arts, Olympian, Olympic gold medalist CHICAGO (CBS) — Mixed martial arts will be the main event at the Chicago Theater on Thursday. The upstart Professional Fighters League held an outdoor workout on State Street on Wednesday for a little PR punch. CBS 2’s Megan Mawickie has the story of a female Olympian making her MMA debut. “I’m a little bit insane, for sure. I’m definitely insane.” Kayla Harrison said that because she’s going from an Olympic mat to a cage. Harrison reached the pinnacle of judo. She’s the first American woman to win two gold medals at the Olympics. Now she’s starting over, hitting the mixed martial arts world. “I spent a lot of time after the Olympics doing some soul-searching,” said Harrison. “I knew that I was done with judo. I knew that I was burnt out but I didn’t want my athletic career to be over and I knew I wanted a new challenge. Let me tell you MMA is really a challenge!” There are similarities between MMA and judo but many differences. The biggest adjustment for Harrison? “I would say getting punched in the face,” laughed Harrison. “Most days it goes OK. Some days I don’t move as much as I should and then I become one of those bobble heads.” A few other Olympic medalists have crossed over into MMA, most notably Ronda Rousey. But don’t compare Kayla to Ronda. “(Am I) tired of it, yeah. I’m not going to lie. I’ve moved to Boston when I was 16. She was there training. She was my roommate, my teammate for years. When I was young, I wasn’t the star in judo, she was,” said Harrison. “I wanted the coach to pay attention to me so I had to work harder. She’s always been sort of this rabbit that I’ve been chasing.” Harrison said she’s got range of emotions as she enters a new arena. “I’m definitely nervous. I’m putting everything on the line, my reputation, everything that I’ve worked for,” said Harrison. “And I’m anxious to see how I deal with a new set of pressures.” Megan Mawicke More from Megan Mawicke	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line599
__label__cc	0.510549	0.489451	Posts Tagged ‘No Country for Old Men’ Book Review: “The Poor Boy’s Game” by Dennis Tafoya Posted: August 21, 2014 in Books, Writers Tags: Cormac McCarthy, crime thriller, Dennis Tafoya, Dope Thief, No Country for Old Men, Philadelphia, The Poor Boy's Game I’m reluctant to tell you the plot of Dennis Tafoya’s novel “The Poor Boy’s Game.” Not because of spoilers. More because a basic synopsis of the plot may give you the impression that it’s a very different kind of book than it actually is. I’m reminded of the time I got ambushed — there’s really no other way to describe it — by Cormac McCarthy’s “No Country for Old Men.” I was getting ready to take a long car trip, and checking out the books-on-CD selection at the library for something to listen to on the drive. On a whim, I happened to pick up “No Country for Old Men,” knowing nothing about the book or its author. The dust jacket described the plot. A guy discovers a cache of organized crime loot and goes on the run with it, pursued by a relentless hit man. Meanwhile, an old-school sheriff goes searching for hunter and hunted alike to head off any bloodshed. My reaction? “Gee, that’s original.” Seemed like the kind of book where you could not only predict all the major plot developments, but the pages where they occur. But I figured what the heck, I’d give it a listen anyway. And … Ho … Lee … Shit! Technically, yeah, the sequence of events on the dust jacket described the plot. But it was in no way the conventional thriller it sounded like. Tafoya’s novel is nowhere near as bleak as McCarthy’s. But it’s similar in the respect that it starts with what looks like a fairly conventional set-up for a crime thriller, then takes it to unexpected places for a richer and more nuanced story than you initially thought you were going to get. (Unless you’ve read Tafoya’s stuff in the past, and know not to expect the commonplace.) The story concerns U.S. Marshal Frannie Mullen, who finds herself suspended when an operation goes bad. Then the bad news keeps mounting. Her father, who provided muscle for some local thugs before going away to prison, has escaped. He’s brought violence into her life before. And judging by the fact that somebody is intent on killing her, it seems old habits die hard. As in Tafoya’s previous novel “Dope Thief,” he sets up the main conflict and then spends a lot of time wandering away from it. It often annoys me when thriller writers do that. Call me a Philistine, but I’m just not that interested in the criminal profiler’s troubled relationship with his estranged wife. I want to know how the whole catching-the-serial-killer thing is shaping up. In Tafoya’s novels, though, that meandering is one of their strongest attributes. The situation obliges Mullen to revisit and try to make sense of the damage her father left behind in her life, and that of her alcoholic sister. As a Philadelphia-area resident myself, I can verify that Tafoya has a good feel for the details of the city where the story takes place. The vernacular. The attitude. The overall texture of the perhaps inappropriately nicknamed City of Brotherly Love. All of this gives the book a naturalistic, lived-in vibe. The characters come across as real people, not the catchphrase-spouting automatons that populate too many crime thrillers. You actually feel like you’re hanging out with these people, watching their lives unfold. As a result, the action sequences pack that much more of a wallop. So I’d highly recommend “Poor Boy’s Game.” Like Frannie Mullen, you might find that checking out a familiar neighborhood with a new perspective yields some rewarding insights. Classic vs. cliche Posted: May 24, 2013 in Blogs, Uncategorized, Writers Tags: Blade Runner, Dennis Tafoya, Dope Thief, Hellblazer, No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski, Veronica Mars I recently reviewed Dope Thief by Dennis Tafoya, which I regard as a prime example of a classic setup played off right. As such, it’s an illustration of what I like about genre fiction in general. Note the term “classic setup.” The plot of Dope Thief revolves around a small-time thief who pulls what’s supposed to be a routine job, and unexpectedly finds himself in possession of a huge wad of cash. He realizes too late that he’s stolen organized crime money, and that some very dangerous characters will be coming after him to collect. Variations on that setup have been done plenty of different times. But Tafoya throws in plenty of overt and covert references to classic crime fiction, communicating he’s well aware of this. Sometimes, I hear people complain about genre fiction, saying that it’s essentially the same thing being done over and over. To me, this is tantamount to complaining that the the classic song structure of verse-chorus-verse is inherently hackneyed. And yeah, there’s plenty of derivative crap on the radio. But plenty of vital, innovative music follows the verse-chorus-verse structure is still getting released, which means that isn’t the quality that makes a song derivative crap. The classic song structure remains viable because: 1) It works, and 2) Part of the appeal is seeing what new variations songwriters get out of that configuration. So let’s look at, say, the classic hard-boiled detective story. (more…)	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line601
__label__cc	0.661281	0.338719	NYS Common Retirement Fund’s Climate Action Plan Posted by Thomas P. DiNapoli, Office of New York State Comptroller, on Comment Print E-Mail Tweet Climate change, Environmental disclosure, ESG, Institutional Investors, New York, Pension funds, Stewardship, Sustainability More from: Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is New York State Comptroller. This post is based on a memorandum from the New York State Comptroller Office. Related research from the Program on Corporate Governance includes Social Responsibility Resolutions by Scott Hirst (discussed on the Forum here). Message from the Comptroller As Comptroller of New York State and Trustee of the Common Retirement Fund (CRF), I am deeply concerned about the impact of climate change on the Fund’s investments, as well as its impact on the economy as whole. I understand the immense investment risks posed by climate change, but also recognize the significant investment opportunities in the transition to the emerging low carbon economy. Ensuring strong investment returns for the CRF is fundamental to providing the benefits that our more than one million members, retirees and beneficiaries rely on for retirement security. Our government employers and New York’s taxpayers are also important stakeholders for the CRF. Identifying, assessing and addressing the investment risks and opportunities associated with climate change is integral to ensuring the long-term health of the CRF and the payment of those benefits. For years, the CRF has used a multi-faceted approach to climate change, employing investment, active stewardship and public policy advocacy strategies. Over the last 10 years, the CRF has: identified and assessed its risks through scenario analysis and carbon footprinting; committed to investing $10 billion in sustainable strategies, including climate solutions; engaged with the largest emitters to reduce risks and assess transition readiness; and advocated at the international, national and state levels for policies to reduce climate-related investment risks and create opportunities for the CRF, and the economy as a whole. Our efforts have been recognized, with the Asset Owners Disclosure Project (AODP) ranking the CRF as third in the world and first in the U.S. among public funds in addressing climate-change-related investment risks and opportunities. Notwithstanding these successes, I am always looking for new ways to improve the CRF’s efforts. Recent studies conclude that significant impacts due to climate change are already upon us, [1] and that if the global community fails to limit temperature rise to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius, the situation could be dire. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 Degrees Celsius and the United States Fourth National Climate Assessment describe these impacts as already affecting human health and safety; natural resources, agriculture and ecosystems; infrastructure, buildings and social systems; and the global economy and rate of economic growth. Understanding that the physical impacts of climate change are already manifesting themselves and that the transitional risks are growing, it was clear the CRF needed to take additional action. In recognition of the urgency and complexity of the task, I worked with New York State Governor Cuomo to convene and appoint the Decarbonization Advisory Panel, a distinguished group of six experts, to develop recommendations for the CRF’s climate-related work over the next decade. The Panel delivered its ambitious recommendations in early April 2019, and in response, I directed staff to build on the Fund’s existing work by formulating this bold Climate Action Plan to put the CRF on the path to achieving a sustainable portfolio. The following Climate Action Plan delineates the CRF’s next level of climate- related assessment, investment, engagement and advocacy work. Climate change presents a complex set of challenges and requires a complex, multi- faceted and phased response, which will require the CRF to invest in additional staff, consultants and managers to execute. This is a worthwhile endeavor, as the costs incurred will lead to the long-term health of the system and ensure benefits for the CRF’s members, retirees and beneficiaries. Thomas P. DiNapoli New York State Comptroller Current warming trends are caused by human actions. These changes pose significant risks and opportunities for the CRF, the markets, and the economy as a whole. To fully understand the context and basis of the CRF’s Climate Action Plan, it is necessary to discuss the supporting beliefs—economic, scientific and legal—that are the driving forces behind it. These beliefs are based on a variety of sources including academic research, governmental studies, third-party data providers, interviews with leading experts, and the experience of the CRF’s managers, consultants, Decarbonization Advisory Panel members and investment staff. Together, these beliefs create the compelling business case for the actions in this plan. CRF Climate Beliefs Climate change is real. Current warming trends are caused by human actions. These changes pose significant risks and opportunities for the CRF, the markets, and the economy as a whole. [2] Mitigation actions towards complying with the Paris Agreement will increase, with additional nations and regions adopting carbon pricing and a ramping up of prices in existing programs over the next 10 years. [3] It is likely that additional regulatory efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change will affect a broad range of companies and industries. [4] Statutory, regulatory and policy decisions by governments at all levels worldwide will be the key to ensuring any chance of limiting global warming to less than two degrees Celsius (the goal set by the Paris Agreement). Climate change mitigation is beneficial to capital markets and the economy as a whole—and therefore our portfolio—to avert the large economic losses projected to occur if no action is taken. [5] There is a clear global trend toward a low-carbon economy, resulting in increased use of renewable energy and decreased use of fossil fuels. [6] There is evidence that fossil fuel production and use may peak globally as soon as the next decade. [7] The physical impacts of climate change will impact investments—not just in the long term, but also the near and medium terms. [8] The changes brought by climate change will also bring new investment opportunities in a lower carbon economy. [9] Addressing investment-related climate risk and seizing climate investment opportunities through a multifaceted strategy that includes prudent investment decision making, engagement, and advocacy is consistent with the Comptroller’s fiduciary duty. Most of the CRF’s investments are at some level of risk due to climate change, but the timing and severity of those risks varies. There is still time for many of those risks to be mitigated or managed. Some companies that are at greatest climate change risk are also capable of providing the greatest investment opportunities because, in the face of significant uncertainty, they have the ability to adapt to provide climate solutions. For example, innovation and change among energy producers and utilities will be critical to the electrified, low-carbon future—during which they may see significant increase in demand. [10] Not all companies within a high risk sector or industry pose the same investment risks; thus engagement is a key component of any effort to assess and address identified risks. Using the CRF’s voice and vote to encourage and support efforts in risk management, strategic planning, and reporting by portfolio companies to achieve a successful transition to the low carbon economy is integral to long-term value creation for shareholders. The fossil fuel divestment movement has played an important role in highlighting the urgency of the climate crisis. But divestment is a last resort and should be reserved for specific investments (and not the fossil fuel industry generally) where there is an articulable, serious, and sustained financial risk to continuing the investment and where an economic analysis demonstrates that divesting would not have a negative economic impact on the CRF. At this time, broad-based fossil fuel divestment by the CRF is not consistent with the Comptroller’s fiduciary duty, and would not be effectual for either risk reduction or broader climate change mitigation. [11] In all asset classes, the CRF should actively seek to expand its investments in climate solutions that meet the CRF’s requirements for risk, return and scale, to the extent consistent with its investment strategies. CRF Climate Actions The actions in this Plan fall into three categories: Identification & Assessment; Investment & Divestment; and Engagement & Advocacy Many of these actions build on the prior work of the CRF, but some are bold new ambitions that will take time, research and resources to realize. Given the scope of the risks and opportunities, and the scope of the challenges in addressing them, it should not be surprising that this Plan lays out a multi- faceted, comprehensive and systematic set of actions to achieve our ambitious goals. Identification & Assessment Regularly assess the CRF’s exposure to high impact sectors as defined by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations (energy & utilities, transportation, materials & buildings, agriculture, food & forest products, and financials) across asset classes. Issue Requests for Information (RFIs) for advanced climate assessments to inform investment strategies in the high impact sectors, potentially including scenario analysis, asset-class-specific physical risk analyses, and alternative criteria for measurement of investment and climate performance. Work with managers, data providers, index providers and consultants to identify, define and prioritize asset-class-specific metrics and minimum standards to evaluate transition readiness and resiliency for companies in each high-impact sector beginning with thermal coal companies. Track the CRF’s exposure to investments in sustainable strategies and climate solutions by asset class. Refine manager Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) evaluation processes by developing asset-class-specific evaluation tools to assess the climate-related strategies of the CRF’s managers. Using these tools, score manager performance in addressing climate risks and opportunities. Hire staff dedicated to evaluating manager ESG implementation, including climate risk and opportunity assessment. Identify consultants or data providers to measure the carbon footprint of all public equity and fixed income asset classes annually. Investment & Divestment Create a formal, multi-asset-class Sustainable Investment-Climate Solutions Program (SICP), similar to the Emerging Manager Program, with dedicated funding for sustainable investment strategies including climate solutions. Hire investment staff, including a Senior Sustainable Investment Officer, dedicated to identifying investment opportunities and deploying capital to sustainable investment strategies including climate solutions. Build on the CRF’s current $10 billion commitment to SICP and set a goal of doubling that commitment to $20 billion over the next decade. Work with managers, asset class consultants and index providers across asset classes to identify sustainable investment strategies, including strategies that evaluate transition-readiness and resiliency metrics to address climate risk and opportunities Formally integrate climate risk assessment and engagement into investment processes, including the development of an enhanced, phased, risk assessment process, to evaluate companies in high impact sectors on climate transition readiness. Those companies with poor performance would be placed on a watch list for prioritized engagement. In the event that the poor performers fail to demonstrate improvement in transition readiness, additional actions such as underweighting, restricting new investments, or divestment may be considered consistent with the CRF’s investment policies, processes and fiduciary duty. This process would begin with thermal coal companies and then move to other high impact sectors. Conduct regular information sessions on climate risks and opportunities for the CRF’s staff by inviting guest speakers and providing up-to-date data and reports. Explore partnerships with other asset owners, entities or the New York Green Bank to identify investment opportunities. Develop a prioritized shareholder engagement program to address climate change risk using the identified transition-readiness and resiliency metrics to define goals, measure progress against these goals, prioritize companies for engagement and set timeframes. Continue to collaborate with peers on engagement. Communicate the CRF’s Climate Beliefs to portfolio companies and develop strategies to support transition ready companies. Communicate the CRF’s Climate Action Plan to the CRF’s managers and consultants, and ask the managers to explain how they are aligned or plan to align with the Plan. Create a prioritized watch list of managers with low scores with whom to engage. Engage with index providers on integrating climate risks and opportunities into their index construction processes. Continue to provide public policy advocacy at the international, federal and state levels on climate change issues that may impact the CRF’s returns including carbon pricing and GHG emissions regulation. Communicate the CRF’s climate initiatives to the Retirement System’s members and the public. 1https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/(go back) 2Hsiang, Solomon, et al. Estimating Economic Damage from Climate Change in the United States. Science. Volume 356, Issue 6345. (June, 2017.) http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/356/6345/1362.full.pdf, See Also. The Cost of Inaction: Recognizing the Value at Risk from Climate Change. https://eiuperspectives.economist.com/sites/default/files/The%20cost%20of%20inaction_0.pdf, Dietz, Simon, et al. ‘Climate Value at Risk’ of Global Financial Assets. Nature Climate Change. Volume 6, (2016). https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2972(go back) 346 national and 28 subnational jurisdictions are putting a price on carbon as of April 2018. https://www.carbonpricingleadership.org/who/(go back) 4https://www.usclimatealliance.org/publications/oneyearanniversary, https://www.sierraclub.org/ready-for-100(go back) 5https://www.mercer.com/our-thinking/wealth/climate-change-the-sequel.html(go back) 6International Energy Agency. Renewables 2018: Market Analysis and Forecast from 2018 to 2023. https://www.iea.org/renewables2018/, See Also, Lazard’s Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis: Version 11.0 https://www.lazard.com/perspective/levelized-cost-of-energy-2017/, Henze, Veronika. Tumbling Costs for Wind, Solar, Batteries Are Squeezing Fossil Fuels. Bloomberg NEF (March 28, 2018) https://about.bnef.com/blog/tumbling-costs-wind-solar-batteries-squeezing-fossil-fuels/,(go back) 7Shankleman, Jessica and Hayley Warren. Why the Prospect of ‘Peak Oil’ is Hotly Debated. Bloomberg NEF (December 22, 2017). https://about.bnef.com/blog/why-the-prospect-of-peak-oil-is-hotly-debated/. See Also. Bond, Kingsmill. 2020 Vision: Why You Should See Peak Fossil Fuels Coming. Carbon Tracker Initiative (September, 2018). https://www.carbontracker.org/reports/2020-vision-why-you-should-see-the-fossil-fuel-peak-coming/, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-20/bp-sees-electric-future-with-oil-demand-peaking-in-2030s.(go back) 8Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Global Warming of 1.5C, Summary for Policy Makers, (October 6, 2018) See Also. U.S. Global Change Research Program: Climate Science Special Report. June 28, 2017 and Munich Re calculated overall economic losses from natural disasters was $350 billion in 2017 the highest ever https://www.munichre.com/topics-online/en/climate-change-and-natural-disasters/natural-disasters/2017-year-in-figures.html See Also. Wing, Bates, et al. Estimates of Present and Future Flood Risk in the Conterminous United States (February 22, 2018) shows that the total US population exposed to serious flooding is 2.6–3.1 times higher than previous estimates. http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aaac65/pdf(go back) 9The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, The New Climate Economy (August 2018) https://newclimateeconomy.report/2018/executive-summary/, https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/our-insights/resource-revolution-how-to-capture-the-biggest-business-opportunity-in-a-century(go back) 10Goldman Sachs estimated $6 trillion investment opportunities in EV charging network and power infrastructure. Goldman Sachs, From Pump to Plug, 2017(go back) 11Hansen, Tyler and Robert Pollin. Economics and Climate Justice Activism: Assessing the Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement. Department of Economics and Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) University of Massachusetts-Amherst (April, 2018).(go back) NYS Common Retirement Fund’s Climate Action Plan 2019-06-16T09:21:00-04:00 2019-06-16T09:21:00-04:00 Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line602
__label__wiki	0.928296	0.928296	Tag Archives: Syria War Crimes February 26, 2015 by craftymcclever Reuters reported on Thursday that the Senate moved Wednesday to advert a shutdown of U.S. domestic security agency this weekend by voting to clear the way for funding a funding bill that does not include the immigration issue. The vote came shortly after an appeal from the current and two former Security secretaries appealed to Congress to avoid the shutdown and give full funding for the department of Homeland Security this year. The final hurdle for passage will fall to the conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives who still oppose the bill and procedural negotiations that could delay the final vote beyond Friday’s funding deadline for the department. The agency set up after 9/11 coordinates domestic efforts to combat security threats like the recent Somali based Islamic militants against U.S. shopping malls and encompasses the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration as well as border, immigration and several other federal agencies. The original bill would of funded the agency with $39.7 billion until Republicans against Democratic President Barack Obama’s executive order lifted deportation threats of undocumented immigrants got in the way causing Republicans to approve the bill adding a provision to ban spending on the order. This in turn caused a deadlock that lasted weeks between Republicans and Democrats leading up to Wednesday’s vote. The 98-2 vote cleared the way to take out the House’s immigration provisions and leave the vote on immigration orders for a later date under the plan designed by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to end the deadlock. The overwhelming bipartisan support for McConnell’s approach means there is strong support for drama free funding for Homeland Security. Democrats have called for a clean Homeland bill all along without any immigration restrictions as Obama had threatened to veto the House passed measure. House Speaker John Boehner declined to tell Reuters if he would put the bill to a House vote even thought the deadline ends at midnight Friday. If no deal is reached, then Homeland Security would be forced to furlough about 30,000 employees or 15 percent of its workforce. This translate to many of the essential personnel such as airport and border security agents would have to wait to be paid until new funding is approved. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and some of his predecessors pleaded at a news conference for Congress to swiftly pass the funding bill. A cut-off in funds also would suspend grants to states to support local counter-terrorism activities. As security issues at home become increasingly worrisome, the White House has said President Barack Obama would be open to negotiating with Congress for new authorization for military force against Islamic State militants including a three year limit on U.S. military action and use of American troops, according to the AP’s Nedra Pickler, Obama open to changes to military authority against IS. After a weeklong holiday break, lawmakers returned to Washington Monday and have started to consider the proposal with some Republicans saying it is too restrictive for the mission to succeed and some Democrats wanting more limitations on Obama’s authority so the U.S. doesn’t sign on for another open ended war. Obama is open to discussing every aspect of his proposal but firmly opposed to any geographic restriction on where the U.S. military pursues ISIS with strongholds in Iraq and Syria but have been operating across international boundaries. White House press secretary Josh Earnest stated, “I’m not at all going to be surprised if there are members of Congress who take a look at this legislation and decide, ‘Well, I think there are some things that we should tweak here, and if we do, we might be able to build some more support for. So I think it is fair for you to assume that this reflects a starting point in conversations.” Obama argues he doesn’t need new authority to legally pursue the militant group as he has been launching strikes based on authorizations given to President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. However, critics say Obama’s use of this authority is a stretch and the White House has taken a new position making it clear it doesn’t see reliance on this authorization as ideal. Once new authority is signed into law, the White House says Obama will mot longer rely on the 2001 approved authority to purse the group and rely solely on the new powers. The White House added that Congress could make that clear in the new authorization. The change also prevents any future president from interpreting the law the way Obama has since last year. On Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department announced the arrest of three men accused of planning or supporting ISIS in Syria, AP’s Deepti Hajela reports, Feds: 3 accused in Islamic State plot vocal about beliefs. Two men are charged with plotting to help the Islamic State group as evident by both online and personal conversations about their commitment and desire to join the extremists, federal authorities reported. Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, was arrested at Kennedy Airport, where he was attempting to board a flight to Istanbul, with plans to head to Syria, authorities said. Another man, 24-year-old Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, had a ticket to travel to Istanbul next month and was arrested in Brooklyn, federal prosecutors said. The two were held without bail after a brief court appearance. A third defendant, Abror Habibov, 30, is accused of helping fund Saidakhmetov’s efforts. He was ordered held without bail in Florida. If convicted, each faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. New York Police Department Commissioner William Bratton said this was the first public case in New York involving possible fighters going to the Islamic State, but he hinted at other ongoing investigations. According to the federal complaint, Saidakhmetov said he intended to shoot police officers and FBI agents if his plan to join the IS group in Syria was thwarted. Loretta Lynch, who is Obama’s choice to be U.S. attorney general, said “The flow of foreign fighters to Syria represents an evolving threat to our country and to our allies.” The Islamic State group largely consists of Sunni militants from Iraq and Syria but has also drawn fighters from across the Muslim world and Europe. While the U.S. fights to thwart and contain the Islamic State, the rest of the world has not been so lucky in keeping ISIS as bay. On Tuesday, AP’s Zeina Karam reported, Dozens of Christians abducted by Islamic militants in Syria, the Islamic State militants before dawn raided homes in a cluster of villages along the Khabur River in northeastern Syria abducting at least 70 Christians as thousands fled to safer areas. The captives’, mostly women and children, fate was unclear Tuesday as relatives said mobile phone service was cut off and land lines were not working and heavy fighting in the area was reported. The Islamic State group has a history of killing captives, including foreign journalists, Syrian soldiers and Kurdish militiamen. Most recently, militants in Libya affiliated with the extremist group released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians. While the U.S. and coalition of regional partners conduct airstrikes against the group, the group has repeatedly targeted religious minorities since taking a third of both Syria and Iraq. The British based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights working with a network of activist in Syria have reported the number of Christians held by the group at 90. The extremists could use the Assyrian captives to try to arrange a prisoner swap with the Kurdish militias it is battling in northeastern Syria. Hassakeh province, where a majority of the captives come from, is strategically important due to sharing a border with Turkey and areas controlled by IS in Iraq. Kurdish militiamen from the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, backed by the coalition airstrikes, have made advances in the province in a new offensive launched this week. Heavy fighting broke out in the province Monday as Kurdish fighters and IS militants battled for control of villages near the Iraqi and Turkish borders. The Kurds have been one of the most effective foes of IS, a reputation they burnished in recent months by repelling an assault by the extremists on the town of Kobani on the Turkish border. The coalition carried out hundreds of airstrikes that helped the Kurds break the siege in January. As the world tries to get a grip on the seemingly phantom group called ISIS, the ongoing ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia seems once again to have fallen apart as fighting continues to rage and Russia refuses to loosen its grip on Ukraine. On Wednesday, AP reported Russian courts refused to release Ukrainian prisoners whose fate has attracted global attention as Moscow’s City Court turned down an appeal by Nadezhda Savchenko’s lawyers leaving her to remain behind bars pending an investigation, according to the article, Russian court refuses to release Ukrainian prisoner. Savchenko, a Ukrainian military officer captured by Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine in June and put in custody in Russia, is awaiting trial on charges of involvement in the deaths of two Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine. She denies the accusations. Russia claims Savchenko voluntarily crossed the border into Russia before she was detained, but she said she was dragged across the border into the Russian custody. Savchenko has been on a hunger strike since Dec. 13 demanding her release, and her lawyers on Wednesday voiced concern about her condition. More than 11,000 people including prominent cultural figures have petitioned Russian President Vladimir Putin urging Savchenko’s release. Even while in jail, Savchenko was elected to the Ukrainian parliament and named a delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The European Union and the United States have urged her release. Pavel Polityuk and Anton Zverev reported, Kiev Says It Can’t Withdraw Weaponry As Attacks On Ukrainian Troops Persist, the Ukrainian military said Monday it could not leave the front line in the east as required by the ceasefire due to pro-Russian separatists who advanced last week were attacking its position making it difficult to withdraw heavy weaponry. A truce to end fighting that has killed more than 5,600 people appeared stillborn last week after rebels ignored it to capture the strategic town of Debaltseve in a punishing defeat for Kiev. Nevertheless, the peace deal’s European sponsors still hold out hope it can be salvaged, now that the Moscow-backed separatists have achieved that objective. Spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said in a televised briefing: “Given that the positions of Ukrainian servicemen continue to be shelled, there can not yet be any talk of pulling back weapons.” Anatoly Stelmakh, another military spokesman, said rebel forces had attacked the village of Shyrokyne overnight, along the coast on the road to Mariupol, a port of half a million that Kiev fears could be the next big rebel target. Rebel commander Eduard Basurin denied the fighters had launched any such attack, and said the situation was calm. Nearly a million people have been driven from their homes by the war between pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine and government forces. Last week’s ceasefire was reached after the rebels abandoned a previous truce to launch their advance, arguing that previous battle lines had left their civilians vulnerable to government shelling. Kiev says the rebels are reinforcing near Mariupol for a possible assault on the port, the biggest city in the two rebellious provinces still in government hands. Defense analyst Dmytro Tymchuk, who has close ties to the military, said rebels had brought 350 fighters and 20 armored vehicles including six tanks to the area. Posted in 2015, budget, conflict, congress, controversial, crime, death, democracy, goverment, hostage, human rights, insurgency, international, Islamic State, law, lawmakers, militants, military, news, peace, politics, protest, religion, Russia, terrorism, tragedy, United Nations, United States, US, video, violence, war, white house, world, world financial crisis, world health Tagged Boehner, CIA ISIS, Coptic Christians, East Ukraine Truce, Egypt Libya Islamic State, Egyptians Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, FBI ISIS, homeland security, Homeland Security Funding, Isis, ISIS abductions Syria, ISIS Homeland Security, ISIS plot in US, Isis Syria, ISIS Threat, Islamic Caliphate, Islamic State, middle East, Migrant Workers, Mitch McConnell, Obama Isis, Obama war authority, POTUS, POTUS ISIS, Syria, Syria Fighting, Syria Violence, Syria War, Syria War Crimes, Syria War Crimes Investigation, Terrrorism, U.S. Congress, U.S. ISIS plot, U.S. ISIS Threat, U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. Senate, Ukraine, Ukraine Ceasefire, Ukraine Civil War, Ukraine Crisis, Ukraine Fighting, Ukraine Peace Deal, Ukraine Pro Russia Separatists, UN War Crimes Panel, video, War Crimes ISIS, War Crimes Syria, WorldPost Gaza Ceasefire Holding, Libya on the Brink of Collaspe, Islamic State Advances, New Challenges for Syria, and All While Ukraine and Russia Hurl Accusations Officials on Tuesday from Hamas and Islamic Jihad , the main groups in Gaza, said a deal had been reached with Israel to end the seven week war that killed 2,000 Palestinians, Mohammed Daraghmeh and Karin Laub report, Palestinian officials: cease-fire made with Israel. Ziad Nakhala, a senior Islamic Jihad officials, said the deal included an open ended cease fire, an Israeli agreement to ease the blockade of Gaza to allow relief supplies and construction materials into the territory and talks on more complex issues, such as Hamas’ demand to build an airport and a seaport for Gaza, would begin in a month. According to Palestinian health officials and the United Nations, the Gaza war this round killed 2,133 Palestinians and wounded more than 11,000, while the Unite Nations estimates 17,000 homes were destroyed leaving 100,000 homeless. The Israeli side had 68 deaths with only four being civilians. Later the same day, both Egyptian state television and the state news agency MENA announced officially the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that began at 7p.m. local time, the Associate Press reported, Egypt state media announces Gaza war cease-fire. Hamas declared victory and celebratory gunfire erupted across Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a long rival of Hamas, will likely play a key role in the new border deal for Gaza as he is expected to regain a foothold under the Egyptian brokered deal after losing it to Hamas in 2007. In this scenario, Abbas forces will be posted at Gaza’s border crossings to allay fears by Israel and Egypt about renewed attempts by Hamas to smuggle weapons. On Tuesday night, Abbas in a televised address said a permanent solution to the conflict with Israel is needed: “What’s next? Gaza has been subjected to three wars. Shall we expect another war in a year or two? Until when will this issue be without a solution? Today, I’m going to give the Palestinian leadership my vision for a solution and after that we will continue consultations with the international community. This vision must be clear and well defined and we are not going to an open-ended negotiation.” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a news conference at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital: “We are here today to declare the victory of the resistance, the victory of Gaza, with the help of God, and the steadfastness of our people and the noble resistance.” In Washington, State Department spokesman Jen Psaki told journalists: “We view this as an opportunity, not a certainty. Today’s agreement comes after many hours and days of negotiations and discussions. But certainly there’s a long road ahead. And we’re aware of that and we’re going into this eyes wide open.” On Wednesday, the Associate Press reports, Gaza cease-fire holds as sides weigh gains, the Israeli military said there were no reports of violations since the ceasefire went into effect at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not put the ceasefire to a vote in his cabinet because of opposition from ministers who wanted to continue fighting. Political commentator and critic of Netanyahu, Nahum Barnea, wrote in the mass circulation Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper: “Israelis expected a leader, a statesman who knows what he wants to achieve, someone who makes decisions and engages in a sincere and real dialogue with his public. Instead they received a slick spokesman and very little else.” In Gaza, life regains some normalcy as civilians returned to their homes and utility crews hurried to fix electrical and water infrastructure issues. While Gaza seems on the mend, Libya seems to be on the verge of collapse as weeks of fighting escalated in Libya this weekend when anti-government fighters secured control of the country’s main airport in the capital of Tripoli, Eline Gordts reports, How Libya Became A Country On The Brink Of Collapse. A group of pro-government fighter from the curt of Zintan controlled the airport after the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2001, however Saturday, a collation of Islamist fighters from Misrata called Operation Dawn pushed them out. Only three years ago, the two fought together side by side against Gaddafi forces, but now the two groups are locked in a vicious fight for economic and political control pushing the country toward collapse. The current violence is the most intense since 2011 starting after the country’s parliamentary elections in June when members of the outgoing Islamist dominated parliament lost the vote to liberal and federalist candidates. The Islamist and their backers would not recognize the newly elected body forcing the new MPs to move the parliament from the capital to the eastern city of Tobruk out of fear of safety. The Islamists victory in Tripoli this weekend has led to demands on Monday for the old parliament to be reinstated and calls for their own prime minister to be elected causing the country to have two rival leaders and assemblies backed by armed factions. The Libyan army has few national troops it can rely on forcing it to turn to local militias to secure key sites, but these militias have their own agenda and allegiance ultimately lies with their commanders. Washington Post’s Frederic Wehrey explains the divide between groups, according to Gordts: “There’s a political divide between Islamists and liberals, a regional divide between fighters from the city of Misrata and Zintan, and a divide between the old order and those who consider themselves revolutionaries.” Libya’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdel Aziz told the Guardian on Monday that Operation Dawn is stronger and better armed than the government making it impossible for the government to safeguard key institutions. On Monday, American officials told the New York Times that attacks on Islamist fighters last week were by Egyptian and the United Arab Emirates’ planes, nut both countries deny involvement in the strikes. The article explains: “Since the military ouster of the Islamist president in Egypt one year ago, the new Egyptian government, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have formed a bloc exerting influence in countries around the region to roll back what they see as a competing threat from Islamists. Arrayed against them are the Islamist movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood, backed by friendly governments in Turkey and Qatar, that sprang forward amid the Arab Spring revolts.” Meanwhile, civilians in the capital are facing dire conditions as violence in Tripoli lead to gangs of armed men burning and destroying the homes of government supporters with entire neighborhood being leveled. A the beginning of August, 5,000 to 6,000 people cross into Tunisia each day forcing authorities to close the border, while international organizations pulled employees out of Libya and many countries closed their diplomatic posts due to violence. According to Bradley Klapper and Maggie Michael, Officials: Egypt, UAE behind airstrikes in Libya, a joint statement from the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy expressed concerns over the recent attack saying “outside interference in Libya exacerbates current divisions and undermines Libya’s democratic transition.” Newly appointed U.N. convoy to Libya headed by diplomat Bernardino Leon said only an inclusive political process with all Libyans represented in parliament, government and other state institutions can get “Libya get out of chaos.” While Israel was granted a temporary reprieve from fighting in Gaza, another battle seems to be spilling over into the country from the Syrian border. Islamic State militants, an offshoot of al-Qaida, executed Syrian army soldiers and took hostages after capturing an air base in northeast Syria near Ragga city on Sunday, posting pictures on the Internet and on Twitter by supporters on Wednesday, Reuters reports, ISIS executes soldiers, takes hostages at Syria base. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports after five days of fighting at the base cost more than 500 lives with 346 Islamic State fighters and 170 members of security forces dead. According to the Associated Press, Syrian rebels seize border crossing with Israel, Syrian rebels, including fighters from the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, took control of a frontier crossing with Israel in the Golan Heights on Wednesday after heavy clashes with President Bashar Assad’s forces leaving 20 Syrian soldiers dead, The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said reports. Fighting also took place in the towns of Jaba, Tal Kroum and Rawadi in Quneitra province. Gen. Ibrahim Jbawi, the spokesman for the Free Syrian Army’s southern front, as well as the Local Coordination Committees activist group, also confirmed the rebel gains. Israel’s military said an officer stationed in Golan Heights was wounded by errant fire Wednesday from the Syrian side of the frontier as it appeared that the heavy fighting from Syria had spilled over with large clouds of smoke could be seen in the distance. Israel has avoided taking sides in the war, but has responded to the violence across its border, according to the military, by targeting two Syrian army positions that were confirmed hits. Israel says it holds the Syrian government responsible for any violence that comes out of the territory. While war rages on in the region, an independent U.N. commission on Wednesday said that the Syrian government has likely used chlorine gas to attack civilians and the Islamic State group fighting them has committed crimes against humanity with attacks on civilians in two provinces, John Heilprin reports, UN Panel: Crimes Against Humanity Spread In Syria, Including Possible Gas Attack. The commission said government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad used a chemical agent likely chlorine on civilians in northern Syrian villages eight times in April. Commission member Vitit Muntarbhorn, a Thai professor who investigated human rights in North Korea, said: “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the chlorine has been dropped, particularly in barrel bombs from helicopters belonging to the government authorities. So the finger points there.” The commission also said the widespread and systematic killings of civilians by the Islamic State, which controls large parts of north and eastern Syria, have also committed crimes against humanity in Iraq and Syria where the group has carved out their caliphate. One disturbing fact was the large training camps where children mostly 14 and older are recruited and trained to fight along side adult Islamic State fighters. Commission member Carl del Ponte, a Swiss former war crimes prosecutor, said: “In Syria, it’s total impunity. Crimes are committed each day, from all parties, and nobody’s dealing with the criminal responsibility for those crimes.” Heilprin explains: “The report, based on 480 interviews and documentary material, cited dozens of documented public executions in Aleppo and Raqqa during the bloody and complex Syrian civil war that the U.N. says has killed more than 190,000 people since 2011. Crowds of people including children have reportedly watched as the group’s fighters pronounce mostly adult men guilty of violating religious laws and then behead them or shoot them in the head at close range. The purpose, according to the commission, is ‘to instill terror among the population, ensuring submission to its authority.’ But the commission also emphasized that Assad’s government forces continue to perpetrate crimes against humanity through massacres and systematic murder, torture, rape and disappearances. And it said other factions fighting Assad’s government are also committing massacres and war crimes.” Zeina Karam reports, Syria Suffers Record Death Toll, the British based Syrian Observatory for Human rights said about 1,240 soldiers and other Assad loyalist have been killed in the past 10 days in northern Syria. Despite the war, Assad was re-elected last month in a vote confined to government controlled areas and dismissed by the opposition and its Western allies as a sham. He was sworn in on July 16 and declared victory praising his supporters for “defeating the dirty war” against Syria. The government losses followed shortly after his speech when fighters from the Islamic State group attacked army positions in northern and central Syria capturing a government controlled gas field and two major air bases in three different provinces this past week. While the Middle East has collapse into chaos with cross border fighting, Ukraine and Russia trade accusations about alleged men in green crossing from Russia into Ukraine. Maria Tsvetkova reports, Heavily Armed ‘Men In Green’ Enter East Ukrainian Villages, heavily armed strangers with Russian accents have appeared in an eastern Ukrainian village arousing suspicions despite Moscow’s denial. Two witness told Reuters on Tuesday that dozens of men entered the village over the weekend and set up a road block and carrying military ration packs marked with Russian writing. The men had white arm bands similar to the ones worn by 10 men captured by Ukrainian forces few miles away and were identified as Russian paratroopers on Tuesday. Geoffrey Pyatt, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said in a Twitter post: “The new columns of Russian tanks and armor crossing into Ukraine indicates a Russian-directed counter-offensive may be underway.” A resident of the town said the military vehicles had their identifying marks painted over with white circles adding: “The people at the new checkpoint, they were polite military men wearing green. Definitely not Ukrainian. They’re definitely not from around here.” Another witness, Alexei, who was in Kolosky Monday, said the men told residents that they came to protect them. In addition, he and a friend counted what they said was 38 armored personnel carriers, 2 fueling trucks and numerous military transport vehicles full of people in Kolosky and the immediate vicinity. Both sides said they first saw military hardware in Sunday including anti-aircraft systems and artillery guns. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the presidents of Russia and Ukraine met late Tuesday for their first bilateral talks in Minsk. The talks came as Ukraine captured 10 Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine and shelling spread to a new front in the southeast. Nataliya Vasilyeva and Peter Leonard report, Putin sits down with Ukrainian president for talks, Poroshenko said the purpose of the visit was to find political compromise and promised that the interests of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine would be taken into account, while Putin concentrated on Ukraine’s decision to sign an association agreement with the 28 nation EU that would result in losses for Russia who would then be forced to protect its economy. Ukraine is set to ratify the agreement in September. Regarding the fighting in the east, Putin said the conflict “could not be solved by further escalation of the military scenario without taking into account the vital interests of the southeast of the country and without a peaceful dialogue of its representatives.” Poroshenko is unlikely to agree with Russia’s demand to federalize Ukraine, but would consider giving the regions some expanded powers. Posted in 2014, al-Qaida, bombing, conflict, controversial, crime, death, goverment, hostage, human rights, insurgency, international, Iran, Iraq War, Islamic State, law, militants, military, news, peace, people, politics, Russia, terrorism, tragedy, United Nations, United States, US, violence, war, white house, world Tagged AP, Assad, Bashar Al Assad, Benjamin Netanyahu, East Ukraine, East Ukraine Separatists, Eastern Ukraine, Eastern Ukraine Fighting, Eastern Ukraine Military Operation, Egypt Israel Hamas, Egypt Israel Palestinians reach deal, Egypt UAE strike Libya, Gaza Ceasefire holding, Gaza Strip, Gaza truce reached, Hamas, Hamas Isreal ceasefire, Helicopter South, HuffPost Live, Israel, Libya, Libya Chaos, Libya Civil War, Libya Militias, Libya War, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestinian Isreal ceasefire deal, Palestinians, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Rebels Ukraine, Reuters, Russia Ukraine, South Sudan, South Sudan Crisis, South Sudan Helicopter Crash, South Sudan Un Helicopter Down, Sudan Fighting, Syria, Syria Atrocities, Syria Chemical Attack, Syria Chemical Weapons, Syria Crimes Against Humanity, Syria Crisis, Syria Dead, Syria Death Toll, Syria Deaths, Syria Fighting, Syria Gas Attack, Syria Syria War, Syria War, Syria War Crimes, Syrian War, Ukraine, Ukraine Conflict, Ukraine Crisis, Ukraine Fighting, Ukraine Men in Green, Ukraine Rebels, Ukraine Russians, Ukraine Separatists, Ukraine War, Un Helicopter Shot South Sudan, Un South Sudan, United Nations South Sudan	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line604
__label__cc	0.676895	0.323105	Reaching Across a Mountain Range Somewhere near the corn-on-the-cob display in our local grocery store I heard a snippet of conversation. The speaker was bemoaning the murky skies that were ruining our record-breaking string of sunny days here on the western side of the Cascade Mountains. Just past the mushrooms and sweet peppers I greeted an acquaintance who mentioned how weird the air was, and that you could actually look straight at the sun that was now bright red, and how everything was eerie out there and made her feel irritable. And I couldn’t stop myself from saying, “We’d feel more than irritated if we were refugees from the wildfires on the other side of the mountains.” I was tired of hearing how inconvenienced some Puget Sound folks were feeling after nearly two weeks of raging fires that they saw on their TV screens – but not out their own living room windows. How little empathy they felt for the people caught in the chaos. On our “safe side” of the mountains we were worried that we’d have to cancel a backyard potluck barbecue, but didn’t think much about the fire fighters and smoke jumpers who had been injured or had lost their lives. On the eastern side of the Cascades there were a hundred wildfires that consumed nearly half a million acres of trees. Thousands of people were evacuated. Our whole bioregion had had no appreciable rain in three months. On September 2 Governor Inslee issued a proclamation stating that “a State of Emergency exists in all Counties in the state of Washington.” (Many of those fires are still not contained, a month later.) The opaque smoke that drifted westward over to our side of the mountains turned the air an orange-brown and threatened the health of children and anyone with pulmonary problems. During the days of densest smoke, small flakes of ash fell on our side of the mountains, like a malignant snow. A few weeks ago I drafted a poem entitled “Prayer to the Scarlet Sun.” A colleague encouraged me to see that it got published soon, “so that our brothers and sisters on the other side of the mountains know that we’re thinking about them.” I said I didn’t know of any publications that had that specialized focus, and she suggested that I contact the Washington state Poet Laureate, Tod Marshall, to ask his advice. I did just that, and he emailed back immediately, saying that he’d publish the poem himself, on his website. He kept his promise, and you can read the poem at https://wapoetlaureate.org/ . I’m grateful that I’m not in the path of the current wildfires. I’m grateful to my Muse, who inspired my poem; grateful to my writing friend who encouraged me to circulate it; grateful to Tod Marshall who made that happen; and grateful to you, for following the link, reading the poem, and setting aside a few moments of thought for all those people who still are caught in the chaos and loss and devastation of the wildfires. Your attention WILL make a difference, in the larger scheme of things. October 1, 2017 /20 Comments/by Cynthia Trenshaw https://cynthiatrenshaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/header-new.jpg 0 0 Cynthia Trenshaw https://cynthiatrenshaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/header-new.jpg Cynthia Trenshaw2017-10-01 10:00:072017-10-01 10:00:07Reaching Across a Mountain Range	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line607
__label__cc	0.545843	0.454157	Péter Pázmány, the leader of the Hungarian counter-reformation was born 445 years ago LMP co-chair promotes changing Dublin Rule Published on 10 October 2015 He was the archbishop of Esztergom, cardinal, leader of the counter-reformation, writer, preacher and representative of the Baroque. A versatile man, who was born 445 years ago. He was born into an ancestral noble family in 1750 in Várad (later Nagyvárad). His family was present in the Hungarian history since the time of the kings of the Árpád dynasty. At the time of his birth, his family was Calvinistic but their conversion to Catholicism came when he was 12 years old. These kinds of conversions were general in that time, a time when your religion determined your political faith, your outlook on life and how much you could vindicate your interests. The previously committed Calvinist family turned into a committed Catholic family, which meant that they accepted the Habsburg dynasty as the one and only authority. The church serving the Habsburgs has wanted to form the conversions into a counter movement against reformation. This aspiration was the counter-reformation and its main organisation was the Jesuits. Péter Pázmány became a Jesuit and the main figure of the Hungarian counter-reformation. Pázmány was first an exceptional follower, then an exceptional leader and the educator of his whole nation. He studied at the best universities of Europe. His writings are the most beautiful fulfilments of the Hungarian Baroque. He looked at his literary work as part of his service for the Catholic Church but they became the universal sources of national values, morals. These are Dezső Kosztolányi’s thoughts: “He is the father and legislator of the Hungarian prose…When I read his work, I don’t feel the need for neology, and I don’t see the absence which was realised after a whole century, in the beginning of the 18th century.” He founded a seminary (Pázmáneum) in 1623 in Vienna which still operates up to this day. He founded a university in 1635 in Nagyszombat with theological and liberal arts faculties. Its assigns are the Eötvös Lóránd University and the Pázmány Péter Catholic University. Photo: MTI He died in 1637. He was undoubtedly one of the significant figures of his time. He left a rich legacy for us. Written by Alexandra Béni Source: Daily News Hungary Memorial plaque to Hungarian explorer of the source of Nile inaugurated in Uganda Lady Baker was the first European woman to reach the… Big cities in Hungary – 5 facts you may not know about Keszthely – PHOTOS Take a look :) #Keszthely is a #lovely #town at… Castle of Huszt – Castles of Subcarpathia – 4K VIDEO The former Hungarian castle can be found in #Transcarpathia/ #Kárpátalja,… The secrets of Budapest Metro Line 1 We travel by it every day, but do we know…	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line611
__label__wiki	0.889973	0.889973	High-ranking African leaders in science, technology and innovation gathered at MIT on September 23 and 24 to explore areas for mutual cooperation. The visit is a reflection of the rising interest among African countries in putting science and technology at the center of their development process. As part of their visit, the African leaders participated in a Starr Forum event "Africa Rebooted: Science Technology, and Innovation in Development." This public event was hosted by the Center for International Studies and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. CIS Welcomes Mohamed ElBaradei The Center welcomed Mohamed ElBaradei on December 8 for an off-the-record conversation about Egypt and the Middle East, as well as nuclear issues. ElBaradei was director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency from 1997 to 2009. He and the agency shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. After his tenure at IAEA, he became involved in the politics of his homeland, Egypt, serving as a leading advocate for democratic reform, and, briefly as acting vice president in 2013. During the period 2011-2013, ElBaradei played a prominent role in the Egyption uprising and quest for democracy. He holds a doctorate in international law from New York University Law School where he was also an adjunct professor. MIT Alumnus Elected Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Wolf, an alumnus of the MIT Department of Political Science, has been elected governor of Pennsylvania. He came to MIT in 1974 after studying Indian history in London and serving three years in the Peace Corps in Orissa. At MIT he was a student of Walter Dean Burnham in American political history and Myron Weiner in political demography. His doctoral dissertation won the E.E. Schattschneider Prize of the American Political Science Association for the best doctoral dissertation in the field of American politics. Notwithstanding his very promising prospects as an academic, governor-elect Wolf chose to return to his home town and expand the family business. From that base, he became one of southeastern Pennsylvania's most philanthropic business leaders. He has served on the department's visiting committee and is a charter member of the CIS advisory board. CIS director, Richard Samuels, who was his class mate in the political science PhD program, remarked, "The citizens of Pennsylvania have made a splendid choice. They are fortunate to have so bright and dedicated a leader." Malachy Sumaila on Boko Haram Malachy Sumaila, a lecturer from Ahmadu Bello University in Northern Nigeria and currently at MIT as a distinguished MIT-Empowering the Teachers fellow, shared his experiences with Boko Haram from the perspective of his university, community and family. The talk was hosted by the MIT Africa Program. The Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar hosted two talks: "The Islamic State and the Future of Iraq: Terrorism, Sectarianism, and Democracy," with Eric Davis (Department of Political Science, Rutgers University); and "Gaza: Inventions and Illuminations," with Sara Roy (Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University). Each year MISTI presents three types of awards to outstanding students who embody the mission and spirit of MISTI. MISTI provides a $1,000 award to the honorees. The 2014 awards and recipients are: the MISTI Ambassador Award went to the following students: Akanksha Midha, Sloan MBA, Global Startup Labs (Sri Lanka) Camille Richman, junior in MechE, MIT-Israel and MISTI 2.0 Programs. The MISTI Achievement Award, presented to an MIT student or recent alumnus who has made a particularly noteworthy contribution to his or her host organization in the course of his or her internship, went to Joseph Chism, Sophomore in Management Science and Mathematics, MIT-Russia Program. The Suzanne Berger Award for Future Global Leaders, which is presented to a graduating senior who, through his or her coursework and practical experience abroad, has demonstrated his or her potential to become a global leader went to Jellimo Maswan, junior in EECS, MIT-Germany Program; and for the first time, MISTI honored a student with the Clarisse Lebel Internship in 2014. This award went to Sasha Churikova, sophomore in Physics, MIT-France Program. The Security Studies Program's lunchtime lectures included: Nora Bensahel, Center for a New American Security, on "Iraq, Syria, and the Role of the U.S. Military"; Shai Feldman, Brandeis University, on "The IDF's Doctrine and Force Structure: The Effects of the Gaza War"; Paul Staniland, University of Chicago, on "Governing Coercion: Armed Politics and the State in South Asia"; and Angela Kane, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, on "The United Nations and Disarmament: Old Problems, New Opportunities, and Challenges Ahead." A full list of SSP Seminars for fall 2014 is available here. The Center hosted multiple Starr Forums this fall, including: a screening ofDocumented and a conversation with the filmmaker Jose Antonio Vargas ; a discussion on U.S. grand strategy with four scholars: Barry Posen, Ford International Professor of Political Science at MIT and the director of MIT's Security Studies Program; Frank Gavin, Frank Stanton Chair in Nuclear Security Policy studies and professor of political science at MIT; Stephen Walt, the Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard; and Jacqueline Hazelton, assistant professor at the Naval War College. The forum was moderated by Ken Oye, who holds a joint appointment in political science and engineering systems. A spirited discussion on "Palestine Now" with speaker Husam Zomlot, a Palestinian and specialist on Middle East affairs. And a book talk with Mary Sarotte, professor of history at the University of Southern California. She discussed her recent monograph, The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall. Introduction and commentary was made by Noam Chomsky. For a full list for fall Starr Forums, click here.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line613
__label__cc	0.6419	0.3581	SOVEREIGN GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH St Cecilia Anglican Parish 64 Quinns Road MINDARIE 6030, WA – SERVICE 3:00 PM CONTACT – PASTOR -REV STEPHEN DESILVA -admin@sgpcinternational.com – ecclesia reformata semper reformanda est. ad fontes—“back to the sources!” ABOUT SGPC Food and Cooking tips Missions to Africa An Interview with Justin Peters Q.3. What do the Scriptures principally teach? January 13: School & Family Catechist, WSC Q. 2 Terms for the Covenant Mordern Dispensationalism and the Doctrine of the Unity of Scripture Chris Price on 10 Marks of the Holy Spirit in… Reformed faith salsa… on From the Word of Faith to the… possesshispromises on A Pastor’s Wife Breaks Free of… Deconstructing the K… on Deconstructing the Kingdom of… STEPHEN on COVENANT THEOLOGY AND DISPENSA… Escathology ICAI in AFRICA NON REFORMED DOCTRINE Reformed Truth SGPC Sermons Sovereign Grace Fellowship SOVEREIGN GRACE PC Spiritual Awakening Sermons. Follow SOVEREIGN GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH on WordPress.com Modern Dispensationalism and the Unity of Scripture Posted on April 28, 2016 by STEPHEN Volume 15, Number 15, April 7 to April 13, 2013 Oswald T. Allis The rejection of the Old Testament, in part or in whole, was one of the numerous errors of the Gnostics This article was first published in The Evangelical Quarterly, January 1936.No doctrine concerning Scripture is of more practical importance to the Bible student than that which affirms its unity and harmony. Obviously, the trustworthiness, perspicuity and plenary inspiration of Scripture cannot be maintained aside from the belief that the Bible is a thoroughly self-consistent whole. The Westminster Confession of Faith in enumerating some of the “incomparable excellencies” of Scripture, mentions “the consent of all the parts”. And it is on the basis of a recognition of this essential feature that the Westminster divines laid down this “infallible rule” for the interpretation of Scripture? The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one) it may be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly. This rule has been called the “analogy of Scripture” or the “analogy of faith”. Its meaning and importance has been well stated by Hodge:If the Scriptures be what they claim to be, the word of God, they are the work of one mind, and that mind divine. From this it follows that Scripture cannot contradict Scripture. God cannot teach in one place anything which is inconsistent with what He teaches in another. Hence Scripture must explain Scripture. If a passage admits of different interpretations, that only can be the true one which agrees with what the Bible teaches elsewhere on the same subject. This great doctrine has been recognized and accepted, more or less clearly and consistently, by the Christian Church throughout its history. It has been a sign of heresy to reject or ignore any part or portion of Holy Writ. Thus the rejection of the Old Testament, in part or in whole, was one of the numerous errors of the Gnostics. Within comparatively recent times-a century or more-this doctrine has been challenged by two quite different groups, both claiming a place within the Christian Church.The so-called “Higher Criticism” has as one of its most characteristic and fundamental assumptions the denial of the unity and harmony of the Scriptures. In place of the doctrine of the “consent of all the parts”, it posits the doctrine of the dissent of all or many of the parts. It divides the Pentateuch, for example, into documents which differ from and even contradict one another; and it is not too much to say that these documents are constructed on the basis of, and with a view to establishing and illustrating, the alleged differences. Thus, the opening chapters of Genesis are alleged to evidence two different and contradictory traditions as to the antiquity of the covenant name LORD (JHWH). According to one tradition (the J account) the name was known and used from the earliest times; according to the other (the P account) it was first used in the days of Moses. So considered the Higher Criticism may be described as a quest of contradictions. Document is pitted against document; and it is simply astonishing the number of differences and contradictions which the enterprising critic can find in narratives which to the uninitiated show remarkable evidence of unity, continuity and harmony. The Higher Criticism is justly entitled to the name” divisive”, because it divides up Scripture into documents which have no existence except in the imagination of the critics. The Higher Criticism is also rightly called “destructive” because the divisive method which it employs is destructive of the ordered and organically progressive unity of the Bible and tends to disintegrate it into a meaningless mass of contradictions. One of the most dangerous of the contradictions introduced into Scripture by the critics is the recognition of two distinct types of religion in the Bible, the priestly and the prophetic, “prophetic” religion being the true one and finding its fruition in Christianity. This leads logically to the rejection of the vicarious atonement of Christ, of which the “priestly” religion of the Old Testament was directly typical. The Higher Criticism in short is the error of the Bible disbeliever. The second” divisive” tendency within Christendom today is one which we hesitate to place in the same category with the one just mentioned because while it clearly belongs there it differs from the Higher Criticism in many important respects. If Higher Criticism is the error of the Bible-disbeliever, “Dispensationalism”, as it is called, is the error of many a Bible-believer. The Higher Criticism is naturalistic and is largely dominated by the theory of evolution. Dispensationalism is intensely super-naturalistic and even catastrophic in its view of human history and destiny. Higher Criticism reduces Scripture to a merely human book, inspired if at all only as Shakespeare is inspired. Dispensationalism holds a high view of Scripture and assigns to it a unique inspiration and authority as the very Word of God. Higher Criticism, at least in its consistent forms, finds in the Cross a stumbling block or foolishness.Dispensationalism, with an important exception to be noted later, exalts the Cross as the only hope of hell-deserving sinners. But, despite these and other differences that might be mentioned, Dispensationalism shares with Higher Criticism its fundamental error. It is divisive and holds a doctrine of Scripture which tends to be and is in many respects as destructive of that high view of Scripture which its advocates assert as it is disastrous to some of the doctrines most precious to the hearts of those that hold it. In a word, despite all their differences Higher Criticism and Dispensationalism are in this one respect strikingly similar. Higher Criticism divides Scripture up into Documents which differ from or contradict one another. Dispensationalism divides the Bible up into dispensations which differ from or even contradict one another; and so radical is this difference as viewed by the extremist that the Christian of today who accepts the Dispensational view finds his Bible (the part directly intended for him) shrunk to the compass of the Imprisonment Epistles.The divisive tendency inherent in Dispensationalism appears clearly in the definition of a “dispensation” as given, for example, in the widely used Scofield Bible: A dispensation is a period of time during which man is tested in respect to obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God. Seven such dispensations are distinguished inScripture. Dispensationalists differ as to the number and extent of these dispensations. The seven recognized in the Scofield Bible are Innocency, Conscience, Human Government, Promise, Law, Grace, Kingdom. And since during each dispensation man is tested in respect of some special revelation of the will of God”, the tendency is to confine to or concentrate each of these specific features in its own proper period, and to set each period definitely and distinctly over against and even at odds with the others. This leads to strained exegesis and strong-arm methods of inclusion and exclusion which are dangerous in the extreme. For the purpose of the present discussion we shall confine ourselves to the last three of the dispensations: Law, Grace, Kingdom.One of the best known and at the same time most characteristic illustrations of the dispensational method and the dangers that beset it is the Lord’s Prayer. There are thousands of Christians today who do not use this prayer: there are many ministers who have eliminated it from the accustomed order of worship in their churches. Why is this? The reason is briefly stated in the comment which is found in the margin of the Scofield Bible on the Fifth Petition, “and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”:“This is legal ground. Cf. Eph. iv. 32, which is grace. Under law forgiveness is conditioned upon a like spirit in us; under grace we are forgiven for Christ’s sake, and exhorted to forgive because we have been forgiven.See Matt. xviii. 32 xxvi. 28, note.” “This is legal ground” is the indictment brought by Dispensationalism against this petition. Law, of course, belongs to the Dispensation of Law. We are today in the Church age, the Dispensation of Grace. Therefore this petition and by inference the whole prayer is legal and not for the Christian. Dr. Haldeman puts it bluntly when he says “…it does not belong to the Church, it is not for the Christian at all”. He calls it “a prayer that has no more place in the Christian church than the thunders of Sinai, or the offerings of Leviticus.” It should hardly be necessary to call attention to the radical way in which Dispensationalism thus cuts itself off from historical Protestantism. Schaff in a brief comparison of “the typical Catechisms of Protestantism,”—Luther’s (1529), the Heidelberg (1563), the Anglican (1549), and the Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647) —says of them all: “They are essentially agreed in the fundamental doctrines of catholic and evangelical religion. They teach the articles of the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer; that is, all that is necessary for a man to believe and to do in order to be saved. They thus exhibit the harmony of the chief branches of orthodox Protestant Christendom.” Three elements common to all —the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer! (7). Yet many Dispensationalists refuse to recite the Lord’s Prayer, mainly because the Fifth Petition is legal ground; and of course the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in these catechisms makes them doubly offensive to the thoroughgoing Dispensationalist. For what could be more legal than the Decalogue? Having noted how radical is the departure of Dispensationalism from traditional Protestant usage as to the Lord’s Prayer, let us examine the reasons given in the Scofield Bible in support of it. After describing the words of the “Fifth Petition” as “legal ground”, the comment goes on to say, “Cf. Eph. iv. 32, which is grace.” This verse which reads as follows, “And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted,forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you”, is interpreted to mean, “Under law forgiveness is conditioned upon a like spirit in us; under grace we are forgiven for Christ’s sake and exhorted to forgive because we have been forgiven”. We are then referred to “Matt. xviii. 32 and xxvi. 28, note.” Turning first to the latter passage where there is a marginal note which deals with the subject of “Forgiveness” we read, “Human forgiveness rests upon and results from the divine forgiveness. In many passages this is assumed rather than stated, but the principle is declared in Eph. iv. 32; Matt. xviii. 32, 33”. We have turned to this note first, because it indicates with perfect clearness that Matt. xviii. 32, 33, like Eph. iv. 32, states the principle of forgiveness under grace. This can be the only meaning of the placing of Eph. iv. 32 and Matt. xviii. 32, 33, together in the statement: “…the principle is declared in Eph. iv. 32; Matt. xviii. 32, 33”. Both passages referred to must illustrate the same thing, the principle of forgiveness under ‘grace’. Let us now turn to Matt. xviii. 32, 33. These verses are a part of the conclusion of the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, a passage which sets forth the obligation of forgiveness with terrible impressiveness? 32. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt,because thou desiredst me 33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?”This according to the Scofield Bible is “grace” and is similar to Eph. iv. 32. But let us read on to the end of the chapter:34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”This separation between the Kingdom and the Church which is as unscriptural as it is dangerous leads to one of the most serious errors of Dispensationalism, the tendency to minimize the importance of the present Gospel age in the interest of the Kingdom age that is to come. This is the age of individual conversions, the snatching of a brand here and there from the burning. That is to bean age of mass conversions, nations born in a day. Yet this age as has been pointed out is, according to Dispensationalism, pre-eminently, we may even say exclusively, the age of the preaching of the Cross. We have said above that the Dispensationalist with an exception to be noted later, exalts the Cross as the only hope of hell-deserving sinners. Here we see clearly what the exception is. It is a very important exception. It is for the dispensation of grace, for the Church age and for this age only that he exalts the Cross. One of the most amazing statements to be found in the Scofield Bible concerns the meaning of the phrase “at hand” as used by Jesus in Matt. iv. 17: ‘At hand’ is never a positive affirmation that the person or thing said to be ‘at hand’ will immediately appear, but only that no known or predicted event must intervene. When Christ appeared to the Jewish people, the next thing, in the order of revelation as it then stood, should have been the setting up of the Davidic kingdom. In the knowledge of God, not yet disclosed, lay the rejection of the kingdom (and King), the long period of the mystery-form of the kingdom, the world-wide preaching of the cross, and the out-calling of the Church. But this wasas yet locked up in the secret counsels of God (Matt. xiii. 11, 17;Eph.iii.310). (p.998 note).How such a statement can be reconciled as to the Old Testament with the 22nd and 110th Psalms and the 53rd of Isaiah, or as to the New Testament with the words with which the Baptist greeted our Lord, “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world”, or with the words of the risen Lord to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, “O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” or with the whole grand argument of the Epistle to the Hebrews, is a mystery. They are simply irreconcilable. But what we are here concerned to point out is the terrible way in which this treatment of the Cross disparages it and minimizes its importance in the history of redemption. The “Gospel of the grace of God” is, according to the Scofield Bible, the Gospel for the Church age; and the Church age is a parenthesis of indeterminate length between the sixty- ninth and seventieth weeks of Daniel ix. It is an interlude in the history of God’s people Israel. It is a time when the great prophetic clock is silent. It does not figure in prophetic history.It is “time out” in sacred chronology. Yet this parenthesis period is the Church age, the age of the Cross, of the preaching of the gospel of the grace of God. How could a “Bible Christian” minimize more seriously the value and centrality of the Cross in Biblical Revelation? This will sound like a gross misrepresentation to many Dispensationalists. But we ask them simply to ponder the words: “When Christ appeared to the Jewish people, the next thing in the order of revelation as it then stood, should have been the setting up of the Davidic kingdom.” We ask them to read again the definition of the “Gospel of the kingdom” and then to face this question seriously and squarely, Where does the Cross come in? It is hard to see how any thoroughgoing dispensationalist can sing the lines of the familiar hymn, “In the Cross of Christ I glory, Towering o’er the wrecks of time; ‘All the light of sacred story Gathers round its head sublime’.” For, according to the logic of his position, the Cross belongs to the Church age, not to sacred story as a whole. And it is a parenthesis; we are tempted to say, merely a parenthesis, between the Kingdom age that is past and the Kingdom age that is yet to come. One of the most characteristic features of Dispensationalist is its pessimistic view of the present or Church age. The Bible teaches that this is the age or dispensation of the Spirit. Jesus said to his disciples before his Death, “It is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you.” The Bible also teaches that this is the age of the invisible reign of the Sovereign Lord who said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth.” Yet the Dispensationalist regards this age as demonstrably bankrupt and is looking to the Kingdom age to accomplish by a display of kingly power and through the binding of Satan what the preaching of the Cross has been unable to accomplish in nineteen Christian centuries. What is this if not to minimize the Cross? Yet it is the clear teaching of Scripture and the experience of every true Christian that it is the preaching of the Cross which is the power of God unto salvation, that it is by his Cross that the divine Saviour, has drawn, is drawing, and will draw all men unto Himself. In what has been said above the writer has been speaking of consistent Dispensationalism and its implications, and has appealed especially to the express statements of the Scofield Bible. Fortunately the Dispensationalists are not thoroughly consistent. Doubtless many of the Dispensationalists who read this article, if they do read it, will say that they do not draw these conclusions. The reason the Scofield Bible is such an extremely difficult book to understand is because the attempt to avoid the logical implications of a consistent dispensationalism makes it at many points a jumble of inconsistencies and contradictions. But if we are to have the distinct dispensations of law, grace and the kingdom, and if the dispensation of grace, or the Church age, is to be regarded as merely an interlude in God’s dealings with Israel, a parenthesis in the history of redemption, the inferences and conclusions which we have stated are logical and inevitable.The fundamental error of Dispensationalism is, as was stated at the outset, that its attitude toward Scripture is divisive, and consequently destructive of its essential unity and harmony. What is needed to day is a return to and a hearty recognition of the fundamental importance of that great doctrine regarding Scripture of the “consent of all the parts”. The slogan of Dispensationalism, “rightly dividing the word of truth”, is itself a Misinterpretation. This exhortation does not mean to divide up Scripture into dispensations and set each one at variance with the others, but so to interpret it that by a study of each and every part, the glorious unity and harmony of the whole shall be exhibited and the correctness of the exposition of the one part be established by its perfect agreement with every other part of Scripture as the God-inspired Word. 1.chap. I, 9. 2.Systematic Theology, Vol. I, 187 3.p. 5, note 4 4.p. 1002, note 1 5.How to Study the Bible, pp. 135, 140. 6.History of the Christian Church, Vol. VI, p. 555. 7.In the Westminster Shorter catechism there are 107 questions and answers of which about forty deal with the Ten commandments and nine with the Lord’s Prayer. 8.The word “freely” is especially noteworthy.This is not unwarranted exegesis. It is simply the application of the principle that Scripture, which so clearly teaches that salvation is of grace, must interpret this passage in harmony, not in conflict with itself. 9.According to the Scofield Bible Matt.xviii. belongs to the period after “the kingdom of heaven …has been morally rejected” and “the new message “ of “rest and service” or “discipleship has been substituted (cf. Scofield Bible, p. 1011). Since according to the Scofield Bible the “final rejection” did not take place till Matt. xxi. (Bullinger puts it at Acts xxviii.), the attempt might be made to explain the alleged contradiction between “law” and “grace” in Matt. xviii. 32-35 as due to the period being “transitional”. But there is no excuse for ignoring verse 35, however it may be explained. 10.In justice to Dr. Scofield it should be stated here that he not only recognizes but stresses the fact that the Old Testament ritual of sacrifice plainly sets forth in type Christ in his atoning work as Saviour. But the form of statement here must be admitted to be both unfortunate and dangerous. 11.The antithesis between these different “forms” of the Gospel appears especially clearly in a statement in the definition of the “ everlasting Gospel” which is mentioned third in the list (p. 1343). There we are told definitely, “It is neither the Gospel of the kingdom, nor of grace.” 12.In the comment on Zech. vi. 51, there is definite reference to the priesthood of Christ. But this note is itself an anomaly because according to the definite teaching of the Scofield Bible, the “rejection of the king”, which led directly to the Cross , “was as yet locked up in the secret counsels of God” (p.998). How then could it be revealed in Zech. vi. 11f? 13.p. 999, note 2. It is not expressly stated here that perfect obedience will constitute “righteousness” in the Kingdom age. But the inference is a natural one. It is instructive to note in this connection that the “exposition of the Davidic Covenant by the prophets” (p.977) makes no mention of “atonement”. Yet we are told that this Covenant “has not been abrogated but is yet to be fulfilled.” Furthermore we are told elsewhere (p.1226) that this promise “enters the New Testament absolutely unchanged” and the sections under this head which describe the future kingdom say nothing of salvation but speak in terms of royal rule and authority. Chafer (‘The Kingdom is, History and Prophecy’, p.49) tells us: “It should be borne in mind that the legal kingdom requirements as stated in the Sermon on the Mount are meant to prepare the way for, and condition life in, the earthly Davidic kingdom when it shall be set up upon the earth…” 14.The “parenthesis” view of the Church which is taught in the Scofield Bible sheds important light upon the distinction drawn there between the Gospel of the grace of God and the Gospel of the Categories: Escathology, Reformed Truth, SOVEREIGN GRACE PC Published by STEPHEN I am a International Reformed Christian Pastor ,Teacher , Evangelist and Missionary to Africa and the world .I consider my self a staunch modern day reformer I hope to continue the Reformation that was started by the Reformers and Westminster Divine's i don't know if i will be as great as these Spiritual giants but God willing i hope to make some significant impact to the present generation and the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. I wish To Minister hope, Peace , Joy and Gods Sovereign salvation and love to all who are thirsty for true life. View all posts by STEPHEN PreviousThe Binding of Satan NextWESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line617
__label__cc	0.579444	0.420556	Tag Archives: animal husbandry What is Animal Husbandry A majority of the Indian population is primarily dependent on the agriculture sector with around half of the population being involved in this. Apart from the mainstream cash-cropping exercise, a majority of this sector is involved with Animal Husbandry. In India, a large number of farmers are dependent on animals for their livelihood. In addition to milk, meat, eggs, wool, and hide(skin), animals like bullock are still considered as the backbone of agriculture and serve as a major source of power and transportation for the rural population. A gross value of this sector is nearly about 25% of the total agricultural output of India. India had approximately 25 percent of the world’s cattle, with a collective herd of 193 million head. India also had 110 million goats, 75 million water buffaloes, 44 million sheep, and 10 million pigs. Milk production in FY 1990 was estimated to have reached 53.5 million tons, and egg production had reached a level of 23.3 billion eggs. Today, India has the world’s largest dairy herd (composed of cows and buffaloes), at over 304 million strong, and stands first in milk production, with 112.5 million tons of milk produced in 2009-2010. Problems Faced by Animals During Extreme Heat Animals naturally tend to face a lot of problems during the summer season, mainly because of the intolerable heat. Extreme heat causes significant stress for all animals and as a reason, it results in low production rate, a decrease in output and quality products, and risk of falling ill. Farmers of all type have shades to prevent their livestock from extreme weather condition, but these shades are sometimes inadequate in providing a suitable and cool environment. Further, these shelters are built on small patches of land with a high density of livestock, that is responsible for further degradation of output in production. For instance, dark skinned animals, dairy cattle, and young animals are at a higher risk of heat stress and these types of animals should be watched more closely for signs of heat stress during days of high temperature. These problems cannot be neglected in a long run and often farmers rely upon temporary solutions to resolve them. Another way to avoid the heat is to take the animals to a water body like a pond or any other large water source and leave them (like buffaloes) in water for at least 4 hours a day. The problem with this approach is that not all dairy farmers have access to a pond or a river and this method is not practical for big dairy farms. Solar Powered Foggers: A Revolutionary Innovation for Dairy Farms A solar powred fogger is a simple device that takes a mixture of water and fresh air as input. These flow under pressure, through a pipe which has multiple nozzles. The resultant mixture, which is developed in a pressurized condition, is then released as mist/fog (this setup is also known as misters or mist systems). The water droplets developed by the system evaporate before they can reach to the ground. This mist form helps in reducing the overall temperature of the animal’s shed. Thus, Foggers are used to maintain humidity and control temperature in a closed environment. This helps in maintaining a suitable and comfortable environment for animals, and keeping them safe from heat strokes and other heat related issues. Overall, this helps in increased output. Apart from serving the need of dairy farmers, these foggers have other applications as well. These include: Watering plants in Greenhouses and Poly houses. Sprinkling the pesticides. The Solar Fogging Solution Electricity is still inaccessible across many villages in India. Even if the villages with a proper electrical network, power is not available as per the requirement. Presently, the rural population is largely dependent on diesel for electrical needs and the same applies in the case of foggers. These foggers are primarily being run with the help of diesel as grid electricity is not available in abundance to the farmers. Solar powered foggers have a very low or negligible maintenance cost. Switching from diesel to solar is considered infeasible by many farmers as the solar systems require a high cost for initial setup. Also, during the summer season, when the requirement of these foggers is at peak, these solar powered foggers tend to work at the highest efficiency. Further, emission of smoke from diesel powered foggers can have a dangerous effect on the livestock. Solar powered foggers are safe to use with no carbon emission. Claro Energy-ICAR Collaboration on Solar Fogger systems Claro Energy undertook a project in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Claro Energy deployed a solar fogger system at the Patna campus of ICAR. ICAR had been looking for a sustainable solution to keep the temperature of their buffalo shed in control. The project site had a shortage of continuous grid electricity supply and hence deploying a fogger that runs on Grid power wasn’t helpful. Therefore, Claro Energy undertook this project of designing a solar powered fogger for ICAR. This project helped ICAR by providing a desired solution to maintain a suitable temperature in Buffalo shed. This step will result in higher milk production as compared to the past and will provide with a suitable environment for breeding as well. The System and its Working The system consists of Solar Modules, DC Motor, Fogging Nozzles, and Pressure generation machine. Here Solar Modules serve as the primary source for energy requirement, converting Solar Energy to Electrical Energy. There is a Change Over Switch connected between the Solar Module and D.C. Motor, that provides the D.C. supply to the motor or other pumps. The D.C. motor has a two-way connection, one with the storage tank, where water is stored for fogging purpose and other with the Fogging Nozzles. A Fogger Machine is used to pressurize the flow of water that serves the purpose of fogging. It combines fresh air with water supply to create mist/fog. Fogging Nozzles generate water droplets that evaporate and helps in maintaining a lower temperature in the shed. Thus, like any other agricultural necessity, a fogger is the demand of the hour and will significantly boost up the output from Animal Husbandry. Also, due to the lack of grid electricity, or to avoid the high maintenance and running cost of diesel pumps, Solar Powered foggers are the best possible solution that supports economic feasibility in a long run. Written by: Abhishek Edited by: Priyanka Agricultureanimal husbandrySolar power fogger Impact Story: Gouduniposh, Odisha Solar Pumps- Powering The Way Ahead Etching The Way to a Water-Secure Future : Drop by Drop Mr Kartik Wahi honoured with “Amity Leadership Award for Excellence in the Energy Industry 2018”. Greenathon by VNC and Claro for a Better Tomorrow Benefits of Solar rooftop - Claro Energy Private Limited on 10 Things you need to know about solar rooftops Mr WordPress on Business Standard: Lessons from my entrepreneurial journey IV Benefits of Solar Pumps Geographic presence Mobile Applications for Agriculture solar rooftop	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line618
__label__wiki	0.535369	0.535369	Microcar Mondays Pt II Posted on 17 December 2012 by ClassicCarWeekly The Bruce Weiner Microcar Collection Offered by RM Auctions \| Madison, Georgia \| February 15-16, 2013 1955 Kapi Jip Another Monday and some more microcars. These are now harder to feature as RM Auctions is doing their best to obscure any information about these cars that might exist on the internet. It’s delightful. But that just motivates me more. The Kapi Jip was produced in Barcelona from 1955 through 1956. It’s powered by an 8.5 horsepower 175cc single-cylinder engine that propels this miniature Jeep-looking thing to 40 mph. Less than 25 were built and this is the second one I’ve seen go up for auction in the past year. That one sold for $8,500 and this one is expected to sell for between $15,000-$25,000. Not sure where that extra money is going to come from but you can click here for more info. Update: Sold $24,150. 1947 A.L.C.A. Volpe The A.L.C.A. Volpe is a very rare Italian microcar built in 1947 only. It was supposed to be a cheaper and smaller version of the already small Fiat Topolino. It uses a rear-mounted 124cc two-cylinder making 6 horsepower. Less than 10 were built – mostly because the company, l’Anonima Lombarda Cabotaggio Aereo, was a scam and was shut down when accused of defrauding potential customers out of roughly €5 million in today’s currency. So it’s a rare car with a weird story of how it came to be. It should sell for between $15,000-$25,000. Click here for more info. 1956 Heinkel Kabine 175 Type 153 The Heinkel Kabine, which, let’s be honest, shares some similarities with the Isetta, was made from 1956-1958 by Heinkel in Germany. It was later built in the U.K. as the Trojan. This particular model, the 174cc single-cylinder (there were larger version offered as well) was on sale from 1956-1957. It makes 9 horsepower and will do 54 mph. Yes, it is a four-wheeler, with the rear two wheels sitting right next to each other. This one has a targa removable roof, which is cool. Buy it for $35,000-$45,000 and check out more here. 1970 SMZ S-3A Don’t those little go-kart sized tires look a little chunky for a small car like this? Like it’s intended for light off-roading, which it isn’t, as this was a car designed for invalids. The benefits of communism were at play here – the Soviet Union distributed these small cars for free (or at least at a hefty discount) to disabled people through their social welfare system. I would really like to make a political joke here at America’s expense, but I won’t. SMZ is now know as SeAZ and this model was made from 1957-1970. It uses a 10 horsepower 346cc single-cylinder. It should sell for between $15,000-$20,000. For more information, click here. 1947 Julien MM5 Automobiles Julien was founded in 1946 in Paris. Car building materials were scarce in postwar France – especially for an upstart manufacturer hoping to put a tiny little convertible into production. The French government had to approve it and free up the necessary materials – not many were made, so it didn’t hurt France too much to do so. The car was produced from 1947 to 1949. Different engines were used, but at its peak, the car had a 10 horsepower 325cc single-cylinder. I’ve seen performance described as “acceptable.” This one should bring between $45,000-$55,000. For more information, click here. 1959 Scootacar Mk I This is a two-seat automobile, if you can believe it. The Scootacar exists because the wife of one of the heads of a railway locomotive manufacturer wanted “something easier to park than her Jaguar.” Rough life. So Scootacars Ltd was set up as a subsidiary of that locomotive company to produce, well, something much easier to park than a Jaguar. The Mk I was a fiberglass bubble that is taller than it is wide and just barely longer than it is tall. It’s a single-cylinder engine of 197cc that pushes this thing to 50 mph. And you steered with handlebars. There were other models as well, but production on this one started in 1957. Only 130 Scootacars of all types were produced by the time the company closed in 1964. This one should sell for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info. 1958 Maico 500 Champion was an automobile manufacturer in Germany that made tiny little cars that looked exactly like this from 1952 to 1955. When they went out of business, a small company called Maico bought their assets for pennies on the dollar, er… pennies on the Deutsche Mark. The Maico 500 went on sale in 1955. It used a 452cc two-cylinder making just under 18 horsepower (17.75 to be exact). Maico built a few thousand cars between 1955 and 1958 (both the 500 and 400 model series). They lost money on every one and only quit making them to avoid bankruptcy. Solid business plan. This one will cost you between $30,000-$40,000 when it crosses the block. Check out more on it here. 1958 F.M.R. Tg 500 Known as the “Tiger,” this Messerschmitt-based car differs from its base car in that it has wheels at all four corners, as the Messerschmitt was only a three-wheeler. FMR stood for “Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbau GmbH Regensburg.” So yeah, “FMR” is way easier to say and fit on the fender. Built from 1958 through 1961, the Tg 500 (Tg stood for “Tiger” but Tiger was trademarked by someone else) used a 494cc two-cylinder making 19.5 horsepower. Top speed was 78 mph and – and this is the first car I’ve come across from this sale that is capable of such a statistic – a 0-60 mph time of 27.8 seconds. Yes, that might seem like an eternity, but hey, it can actually do it. Only 320 were built and apparently they are highly desirable today, as this one has a pre-sale estimate of $125,000-$150,000. Check out more here. Update: Sold $322,000. 1951 Gutbrod Superior 600 Let’s face it: Gutbrod might not be the sexiest name ever slapped on a car. Superiors were manufactured from 1950 through 1954 and they featured a rollback convertible roof (those b-pillars don’t go anywhere). The cloth roof just kind of unfurls backward and voila! a convertible. The engine was a front-mounted 593cc twin making 20 horsepower. They were known as good handlers but they were also loud. There was a “700” model as well, with an extra 6 horsepower and 70 more cubic centimeters in displacement. Of both models, 7,726 were made. This one will go for between $15,000-$25,000 and you can read more here. Update: Sold $16,100 1951 Bond Minicar Mk B The Bond Minicar went through various re-designs during its production run from 1949 through 1966. The Mk B was the second such iteration, made in 1951 and 1952 only. This three-wheeler uses a 197cc Villiers single-cylinder. Of this type, 1,414 were built before Bond moved on to the Mk C. Of all the Bond Minicars offered during this sale, this one has the highest pre-sale estimate of $15,000-$25,000. For more info click here. And to check out more from this sale click here. This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 175 type 153, 1947, 1951, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1970, 500, alca, auctions, bond, fmr, gutbrod, heinkel, jip, julien, kabine, kapi, maico, microcars, minicar, mk b, mk i, mm5, rm auctions, s-3a, scootacar, smz, superior 600, tg 500, tiger, volpe by ClassicCarWeekly. Bookmark the permalink. 1 thought on “Microcar Mondays Pt II” Pingback: February Auction Round-Up \| Classic Car Weekly	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line619
__label__cc	0.685908	0.314092	Previous Post Back Next Post At the Piano With……Alan Fraser By The Cross-Eyed Pianist \| November 23, 2012 January 19, 2014 Alan Fraser teaching What is your first memory of the piano? I was learning a piece called ‘Baby Bear’, and I was having difficulty with it. It was about the sixth piece in my grade one book, and I think you actually had to play hands together or something incredibly challenging like that. My mother sat down with me and patiently helped me through it. For some reason that always stuck in my mind – it’s one of the few memories I have of a warm and caring feeling between my mom and I. Who or what inspired you to start teaching? The lack of good piano teachers. I figured there has got to be some way of offering students better than what I received. But it was also just by chance – some neighbourhood kids needed lessons, so I taught them. I was 16 which means I’ve now been teaching over 40 years. Who were your most memorable/significant teachers? First off the bat is Richard Hunt, an Englishman who ended up in Montreal and later founded Quartango, one of the best tango groups around. He taught me for only two years when I was 8 and 9 years old, but he instilled a love of music in me that I carry to this day. He was very clever and he let me have fun! We even had some of our lessons on the church organ instead of the piano. Then there was Phil Cohen who had been Yvonne Hubert’s assistant (she had been a student of Cortot and taught such Canadian greats as Janina Fialkowska, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Ronald Turini who later studied with Horowitz, Andre Laplante and Louis Lortie). Phil was fascinated with the psycho-physical aspects of performance and would do strange things with your hand that made you play way better but you weren’t sure what exactly was going on. When I finished my studies with Phil I wanted to understand what had just happened to me, so I did a training in Feldenkrais Method, and I count Moshe Feldenkrais as my next most memorable and significant teacher. I concluded that Phil had given me an amazing degree of refinement, but I had never acquired the firm foundation upon which such sophistication needs rest. So I went to study with Kemal Gekić in Yugoslavia. More or less a product of the Russian School, he rebuilt everything from the ground up and indeed gave my hand a strength and security it had never had before. Finally, in the past few years I have again been having occasional sessions with Phil – getting some reminders about that sophisticated part and synthesizing what I’ve learned from both Phil and Kemal to develop what I call Craft of Piano Method, the approach presented in my three books on piano technique. Who or what are the most important influences on your teaching? All of the above. Also Richard Feynman, the physicist and author of ‘Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman – Adventures of a Curious Character’, and Werner Erhard, whose work now goes by the name Landmark Education. Also G. I. Gurdjieff. And various psychological disciplines…… what they gave me is the idea always to make it a positive, creative experience. To respect the person. To try to discover the person. Never to fault the student for not understanding but to fault myself for failing to discover the language that would have him or her understand. Most memorable/significant teaching experiences? Hoo boy, there are hundreds of those… Recently I worked with a violinist in Pensacola, Florida, who had shoulder pain. I had him continue his up bow way past the violin, towards the ceiling, then around in a big circle. Then his down bow expanded into a big circle in the other direction. Then I had him play not moving his bow at all but moving his violin back and forth underneath the bow. Finally I explained to him where his arms are attached to his body: do you know? It is only at the central end of the collarbone where it attaches to the sternum. I put my bunched fingertips one on each of these collarbone-sternum joints and palpated them while he played, just kept physically in touch with them. His sound went through the roof. It had been improving steadily but this was a quantum leap, it had power, sonority, richness, expressivity – it gave us all goosebumps. I recently worked with a young Italian pianist in Geneva. She had been given a steady diet of arm weight technique and told not to move her fingers too much. When I showed her a way of moving her fingers which gave them activity and tonus without stiffening them or causing any stiffness elsewhere, her playing became amazingly poetic. I was blown away because I didn’t have to tell her to be more expressive or poetic, we just worked to undo the physical block which had been preventing her natural expression from finding its voice. I taught an American pianist in Trossingen, Germany many years ago. Her hand suffered (as so many do) from over-relaxation, and I worked to build up its structure, just to get it to stand nicely on the keyboard even before we tried to play anything. All of a sudden she says, “Gee, I feel so muscular!” We all laughed, because of course, it wasn’t her muscles at all that were giving her the sense of power, it was her skeletal structure. I remember teaching a Chinese student during my year in Wuhan. She was playing Liszt’s Dante Sonata and couldn’t really get the special atmosphere of the second theme. I tried explaining to her how Liszt was pulled in two directions, towards divine love but also towards carnal love, and that we don’t really know which one this theme represents. I myself feel it as towards the divine, how about you? No result. I try another tack: “Imagine you are the Emperor of China and it is your yearly pilgrimage to the Sun Temple. You must pray to the Gods for rain, and if you fail, your people will die of famine. You enter the temple, you pray with all your heart, and suddenly, a sound of brass from the sky, a divine melody descends from the clouds – you know your prayers have been answered. Play this theme as if it was that heavenly melody.” She played and we were literally in tears. It was indeed heavenly. It was a prayer. I was fascinated because I had to go into her culture to access the universal quality of that theme. Trying to get her to understand Liszt’s culture met with no success, but her own culture proved an admirable path for her to understand that music, music which does indeed speak to us all. She needed her own culture to access the right side of her brain, which of course possesses a perfect understanding of the spiritual element in this theme. What are the most exciting/challenging aspects of teaching adults? Exciting: their intelligence, their sensitivity, their curiosity, their receptivity, and their willingness to be beginners. Challenging: 1) the slightly rusty nature of their brains, compared to the incredible flexibility and speed of their younger colleagues. 2) having to fix the sometimes vast amounts of garbage they have been taught over the years… What do you expect from your students? Curiosity, engagement, dedication…. What are your views on exams, festivals and competitions? They are excellent, a stimulus to high level work. Competitions are the equivalent of a scientific congress where people go to meet their colleagues, share ideas and be stimulated. It’s a chance to feel like you are part of a community instead of this weirdo who mostly sits between four walls practicing on his or her own. Whenever I prepared a competition I played better, because I knew I had to. Perhaps theoretically I should play my best simply out of love for the composer, but I find the practical stimulus of a concrete goal a much more effective kick in the pants. What do you consider to be the most important concepts to impart to beginning students, and to advanced students? Beginning: Sing a simple song, sense your own voice. Let your fingers begin to find that song on the piano. Experience your fingers on the piano as an extension of your voice. Tap simple rhythms, one hand on your knee, the other on a piano key. Let rhythmic sense be as important as the sense of the notes from the very beginning. Play first, read second. Never let the task of reading distract you from the task of making music. Never let relaxation lead you into a state of emasculated collapse. “Don’t bang” does not mean “play like a wimp,” it means “find a way to play where you stand up into your hand’s structure instead of letting it collapse. Banging mostly comes from weakness not too much strength. Have your hands learn to stand, walk, run and jump well on the keyboard, then give them musical tasks that give them a reason for doing these things. Never let technique distract you from the sound you are making, the music you are making. They are intimately connected. Understand your hand’s structure and function, then find out where it is not working optimally for you. Find out how the body participates in supporting the hand in working well. What are you thoughts on the link between performance and teaching? They feed each other. I couldn’t really do one well without the other. Who are your favourite pianists/pianist-teachers and why? Passed on: Horowitz, Rubinstein, Rachmaninoff, Ignaz Friedman, de Pachamann. They all had supreme virtuosity, compared to which most of the best pianists today only move their fingers well. This virtuosity is way beyond digital dexterity – it’s creating orchestral sonorities and emotional characterizations that grow naturally and organically out of the soundscapes the composers created. Living: Kemal Gekić. He is the one pianist today who is breaking new ground in this realm. He is using his transcendent mastery of the keyboard to explore new emotional and spiritual elements in the music he plays, and dealing with adjustments to the sonority at the micro- or even nano- level to evoke unbelievably huge changes in the expressive dimension. Canadian pianist Alan Fraser is best known as the author of three major volumes on piano technique: The Craft of Piano Playing (also in DVD), Honing the Pianistic Self-Image, and All Thumbs: Well-Coordinated Piano Technique. Fraser’s new approach grows out of his many decades’ study with Phil Cohen and Kemal Gekić, synthesizing the best features of previous schools of piano technique in order to move beyond them. Analyzing piano technique in the light of the Feldenkrais Method of neuromotor reeducation (Fraser is a senior Feldenkrais practitioner) allows Fraser to unlock the hand’s innate potency at the keyboard by returning to its inherent structure and function. Instead of distracting from musical aspects of piano playing, Fraser’s focus on the physical brings the pianist, by improving his physical relationship to his instrument, back into contact with his essential artistic self. Thus Fraser’s students gain not only in technical mastery; but in their artistic expression which develops a whole new dimension of tonal breadth, emotional subtlety and spirituality. In 2011 Fraser inaugurated the Alan Fraser Piano Institute, a week-long intensive course designed to create a breakthrough in one’s piano technique. Branches of the Institute have already sprung up at Smith College, Massachusetts; Salt Lake City, Utah; Concord New Hampshire; Stuttgart, Germany; Geneva, Switzerland; Nice, France; and Haarlem, the Netherlands. In addition to his Institutes, Alan Fraser gives recitals and master classes throughout Europe and North America, and continues to teach at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. He has composed several vocal works including two masses and a Magnificat, and is a respected digital sound engineer who edited Kemal Gekić’s monumental recording of the 27 Chopin Etudes. Posted in Teaching and tagged as Alan Fraser, At the Piano, Canadian pianist, piano teaching, piano technique.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line620
__label__wiki	0.529217	0.529217	166.4 cm (5 ft 5.5 in) Compare your height to Marion Cotillard Marion Cotillard is 166.4 cm (5 ft 5.5 in) tall The difference in height is 166.4 cm or 5 ft 5.5 inches Who is Marion Cotillard? Marion Cotillard is a French musician and actress. Marion's acting career was launched in 1993 when she featured in the television series Étude sur le Mouvement. By 2001, she branched into music and released her first single titled L'homme d'amour which was used as the soundtrack of the film Lisa. Marion has gotten the most recognition for her role in the movie La Vie en Rose. The flawless portrayal of her character in this film earned her a Golden Globe Award, an Academy Award as well as a British Academy Film Award. Marion is straight. She has 2 children with her co-French actor Guillaume Canet who she has been in a relationship with for 10 years. Her first child Marcel was born on the 19th of May 2011 while she had a second child on the 10th of March 2017. Her mother is the actress Niseema Theillaud while her father is a comedian Jean-Claude Cotillard. Religious Belief Marion is from a traditionally Catholic nation but she is non-religious. Marion is a very talented musician and can play various musical instruments like the keyboard and the guitar. She did play in movie Allied with Brad Pitt. She won an Oscar for the role of Edith Piaf in the movie La Vie en Rose (2007). She has a twin brother Quentin who is a sculptor. Alysson Paradis Julie Depardieu Lisa Roberts Gillan Share your thoughts about Marion Cotillard Suggest a Marion Cotillard Update	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line623
__label__wiki	0.643542	0.643542	January 9, 2016 Crime / Dramas Directed by Adam McKay Based on the book The Big Short by Michael Lewis Screenplay by Charles Randolph, Adam McKay Starring: Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt In the midst of the housing bubble four men discover the horrifying truth about the economy. Now they’re taking a shot at the banks and hoping to cash in on the corporate greed that created the crisis. This film is based on the non-fiction book The Big Short that was written by Michael Lewis. After being published in 2010 the book spent 28 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. This film was adapted from the book by Charles Randolph (The Life of David Gale) and Adam McKay (The Other Guys) who also directed this film. The film stars Ryan Gosling (Drive), Christian Bale (American Hustle), Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Brad Pitt (Fury). Taking the story of the worst financial disaster in recent American history and turning it into a film was no small feat. Adam McKay and Charles Randolph took on the story starting with the book The Big Short, written by Michael Lewis. The writing weaves in a bit of humor into an otherwise depressing story. Spread out over more than two years, this story also does a nice job pulling the right moments to highlight. Each of the characters is interesting, and the dialogue is very smart. Like The Wolf of Wall Street this one uses some interesting style choices to help tell the story. These choices might feel a little gimmicky, but they work nicely with the tone of the film. Overall, this is a well-written film that is both disturbing and fun. The acting in this film is very good. Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Brad Pitt anchor a cast that features a number of other great actors. Gosling leads the way in this one, helping to give the film a unique tone right from the start. Bale also brings something interesting to the table with a very good performance as a very unique character. Steve Carell also does a great job with a more serious role, and an excellent followup to his performance in last year’s Foxcatcher. Brad Pitt also does a good job with another interesting role in this one. Overall, the acting benefits from great writing and a very unique setting for a film. Fans of the stars won’t be disappointed. This one is put together nicely. The music chosen for the film is stylistically important and fun. The movie also finds a great way to play with the visuals to make some points throughout the film. This is a very unique movie in many respects, but it doesn’t do anything that feels out-of-place. Fans of the stars should really enjoy their performances. Keep in mind that this film is based on the worst financial crisis in recent memory. So some people may not enjoy the subject matter. I would definitely suggest this to people who enjoyed movies like The Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle, or other films based on real life events. I give this one 4.3 out of 5 stars. 2015Adam McKayBrad PittCharles RandolphChristian BaleMichael LewisMovieReviewsRyan GoslingSteve CarellThe Big Short Pingback: The 88th Academy Awards – My Picks \| Did You See That One? Pingback: La La Land \| Did You See That One? Pingback: Moonlight \| Did You See That One? Pingback: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 \| Did You See That One? Pingback: A River Runs Through It \| Did You See That One? Pingback: Lady Bird \| Did You See That One? Pingback: Abacus: Small Enough to Jail \| Did You See That One? Pingback: Hostiles \| Did You See That One? Pingback: The Equalizer 2 – Did You See That One? Pingback: Vice – Did You See That One?	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line628
__label__wiki	0.595968	0.595968	Scores of Russian Journalists Pen Open Letter After Colleagues Fired By DC Editors - May 22, 2019 Leave a Comment From Voice Of America More than 180 journalists at the prominent Russian newspaper Kommersant have signed an open letter to readers, saying the country “deserved freedom of speech.” The move came a day after almost a dozen journalists covering political news for Kommersant quit their jobs in solidarity with two colleagues who were fired over an article about a possible change of leadership in the upper chamber of parliament, reporters said. The two journalists were fired at the request of shareholders as a result of their article saying that Federation Council chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko, a staunch Kremlin ally, might be leaving the post. In the May 21 letter, the journalists said shareholders were “destroying one of Russia’s best media outlets” for “short-term political gains.” “We are confident that Russia deserves a better future,” the letter said. “It deserves freedom of speech.” Kommersant’s deputy editor in chief, Renata Yambayeva, said that the decision to fire a deputy chief editor of the newspaper’s political unit, Maksim Ivanov, and special correspondent Ivan Safronov, was made by the newspaper’s owner, Kremlin-friendly oligarch Alisher Usmanov. Usmanov’s representative said late on May 20 that the billionaire had nothing to do with the firings and claimed he never interferes in the newspaper’s editorial decisions. Yambayeva said the firings were “unfounded” and “disastrous for the newspaper,” adding that it was an act of “open pressure” on journalists. Filed Under: International Democracy Tagged With: Europe, Journalism and Free Speech, Russia Home \| ALL NEWS \| WORLD \| Scores of Russian Journalists Pen Open Letter After Colleagues Fired	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line630
__label__wiki	0.883716	0.883716	‘Suspiria’: Luca Guadagnino On Amazon’s Wild First Horror Pic, Dakota Johnson, That Cinema-con Scene & Sequels By Andreas Wiseman Andreas Wiseman Co-International Editor @AndreasWiseman More Stories By Andreas ‘Stan & Ollie’ Director Jon S. Baird Hired For Marv Films Movie, Prompting ‘Kingsman’ Speculation HanWay Appoints Marta Ravani As Director Of Docs & Library Label HanWay Select Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria is a wild ride. “It’s amazing when a studio backs a movie as bold and auteured as Suspiria,” someone close to the Amazon and K Period Media-backed chiller admits. “It’s like ‘woah’, even as you’re watching it. There’s nothing quite like it.” Call Me By Your Name director Guadagnino’s $20M re-imagining of Dario Argento’s 1977 cult classic stars Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth, Lutz Ebersdorf (perhaps), Jessica Harper (of the original) and Chloe Grace Moretz. Johnson leads cast as the American newcomer to the prestigious Tanz school who comes to realize it is a front for something very disturbing. The pic debuts at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday. But that’s only a slice of this movie’s story. Cinema-con footage left audiences reeling and buzzing at the same time. The first teaser was one of the best I’ve seen and Amazon’s marketing and artwork has been consistently compelling. Private screenings have had some squirming in their seats and others watching through cupped hands. Guadagnino has crafted a movie which chimes deliciously with its original and a host of 1970s horror pics which were distinctive and intricately crafted but also unsettling and shocking. It speaks to a type of auteured genre film which rarely gets made by studios today. Don’t Look Now and The Wicker Man come to mind. As do controversial dramas Caligula and Pasolini’s 120 Days Of Sodom and more recent cult classics Under The Skin and Hideo Nakata’s Dark Water. Like some of those movies, Suspiria could divide opinion. Its box office potential is enigmatic. Given the more commercial direction Amazon has said it is going in, and the direction other studios have been going in more generally, we might not see its like again for a while. Why did you want to revisit Dario Argento’s 1977 classic? Luca Guadagnino: I first saw the poster for Dario’s movie when I was 11 in 1982. I saw the film two years later. It made an incredible impression on me. The idea of trying to transfer the explosive emotion I felt into a new movie began almost immediately. Dario’s movie is evocative of so many things including of motherhood. It’s the story of a group of women united by an obscure agenda. There is something that I couldn’t stop thinking about. For all the violence of Dario’s movies they are also beautiful fairy-tales. There is something alluring about it for a young person. There is an incredible sense of unease permeating the movie. It is a very eerie mood piece. Dakota Johnson said she needed therapy after the production and described a very haunting production location. Can you tell us more about that space and how you generated that sense of unease? Honestly, I don’t think the shoot was traumatic. It’s a complicated movie because of its set-pieces but every day was a joy to work with such a skilled team. The problem for Dakota was that it’s an intense storyline and it’s an intense performance. We were shooting on top of a mountain overlooking the Italian city of Varese in an abandoned hotel. We completely remade it into our Tanz Dance Academy. There was a lot of eeriness in the place, which probably resonated with Dakota. I like to think that when you make a movie you are orchestrating a combination of elements that must sing together but at the same time individual contributions stand by themselves. These blurred lines between the personal identity of the performer and character may become very intense. I bless that. With that kind of intensity you get amazing performances, which I’m very proud of. Have you spoken to Dakota about her reaction? Perhaps the therapy comment was tongue-in-cheek… We spoke about it constantly. We had fun with it. Dakota is very sharp and very witty. I very much doubt she has been permanently damaged by the movie… There are some disturbing scenes. Were there any things the actors were reluctant to do? None. Zero. The cast dared themselves to do everything. Dakota, Mia, Jessica, the dancers, all of them. Nobody was shy about anything. We emboldened each other. I like to think my movies are an eight, nine, ten-week party. We were having fun. There is a brutal dance scene which caused quite a stir at Cinema-Con. It’s a tough watch but also remarkable in its composition. The actress, Elena Fokina, is a dancer. Was there much CGI in that scene? Elena is an incredible dancer and a wonderful actress. I’m really proud to have directed her in her screen debut. We shot the sequence mainly without VFX. It’s 85% Elena’s performance and Damien Jalet’s choreography. We used some prosthetics and we removed some physical elements afterwards in the digital process but we did not use CGI 3D work. The movie has a number of striking, dream-like cutaways [it’s masterfully shot by DoP Sayombhu Mukdeeprom]. Dario Argento’s vibrant and psychedelic colour scheme was influenced by Disney films. Your colour scheme tends to be darker. Were there particular inspirations for you and your creative team? I had conversations with [screenwriter] David Kagjanich in which we wanted to encompass the power of German cinema and particularly the cinema of Rainer Werner Fassbinder from the 1970s. With my production designer we looked a lot at Fassbinder but also the great painter Balthus who was well known for dreamlike paintings and portraying young girls in eerie settings. The colour and palette of Balthus is very evocative. Dario and his DoP Luciano Tovoli worked on the primary colours in a definitive way and I didn’t want to go in exactly the same direction. We also thought about radical feminist art of the 1970s which looked a lot at violence on the female body. Dario Argento was quizzed about the amount of violence towards women in his film. Were you concerned about that? Well, the majority of the cast are women. My relationship with my performers is a mutual co-operation. I’m not there to puppet anyone. It’s a tango. I have no anxiety about portraying violence. We were creating together. The violence in the movie is not gratuitously acted on the female identity, it is a little more layered and complex than that I hope. I had brilliant partners in Amazon. They supported and shared the vision of this film. Being a studio movie, it’s a great example of how with the right people and perspective you can create a very bold studio film. This must be Amazon’s most violent and experimental film production to date. It’s their first Original horror. Were they comfortable? The last 20 minutes, for example, is quite something… Totally. We had great conversations about all the different shades of blood… It is really refreshing to see an avant-garde studio movie [the film is also backed significantly by Kimberly Steward’s K Period Media]…There are a number of key diversions from the original film in terms of plot and characters. Did you have female empowerment or the #MeToo movement in mind? We weren’t thinking about female empowerment in that way. We just did it as a matter of course. It’s problematic when something becomes a topic that you have to address. It’s more important to be in the right mind-set without having to think about it. The production design is beautiful. I saw $10M quoted as a budget online but it was surely more than that? It was $20m. The story around Lutz Ebersdorf, the 82-year-old male lead, is pretty surreal. He has never been in a movie before. How did his casting come about? We wanted to have a fresh face. Someone who was born on screen with this movie. We wanted someone who could embody the tragedy of the 20th Century somehow. His character wants to try to survive but also claw back what he has lost. Was he dubbed? He has an ‘other worldly quality’… No. [Guadagnino has dismissed speculation that the mysterious Ebersdorf is in fact Swinton under many prosthetics]. This is Radiohead frontman Thom York’s first film score. He has said was very nervous about tackling it. The original by Italian band Goblin is very cult. What were you both trying to achieve with the music? I was particularly taken by a song that plays over the final credits… Thom, myself and my editor Walter Fasano spoke at length about a score that sounded in line with the sound of the times, 1970s Europe. Thom really enjoyed working with electronic music and contemporary classical sounds, two different musical worlds. All the songs from Thom are originals for the movie. Have you shown the movie to Dario Argento? Dario saw the movie. He is one of our associate producers. I had a very good call with him about it. But it’s up to him to say what he thought about it. The original had sequels. There have been hints about a potential triptych. Could you make a sequel to this film? At the beginning we were going to title the movie Suspiria: Part One but we didn’t want to give the impression of something that couldn’t stand alone. Truthfully, I’d be interested to explore the origin of Madame Blanc and Helena Marcus and also the future of Suzy Bannion in the world. So maybe. We’ll have to see how the movie goes. Have you spoken to Tilda about that possibility? I plot adventures with Tilda on a daily basis. This could be one. We have to see how audiences react. There is a moment worth waiting for after the end credits. What was the message behind that final shot? The character is looking forward towards something. I think it would be interesting to know what that is… On occasion in the past, Italian media on the Lido have gone after English-language films made by successful Italian filmmakers. Do you have any concern about their reaction? I’m old enough and experienced enough that this time I’ll go and try to have fun and not worry. I’m very serene. Do you understand that type of reaction? You should ask them… What’s next? You’re also working on a Call Me By Your Name sequel, right? A long holiday. I’m scribbling things for it, yes. But I need to have a rest now. This article was printed from https://deadline.com/2018/08/suspiria-luca-guadagnino-amazon-dakota-johnson-comic-con-sequels-1202453398/	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line633
__label__wiki	0.978156	0.978156	Latest in Law & Order: SVU Fox’s MyNetwork TV Sets 2019-20 Schedule With ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Returning Fox’s MyNetworkTV programming service has set its 2019-2020 schedule, which is highlighted by the return of Law & Order: SVU. Other shows produced by Law & Order maven Dick Wolf are in the MyNetworkTV mix, including Law & Order: CI, and Chicago P.D. Another well-established title in the Monday-to-Friday lineup is Datel… By Dade Hayes ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Leads Sheldon Cooper-Free Finales Thursday Night CBS' The Big Bang Theory series finale (3.1 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic, 17.99 million viewers) sucked much of the oxygen out of Thursday night in primetime, clocking its biggest crowd in more than three years and its best demo rating since the middle of last season. 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And as HBO is looking to extend the GOT… ‘Law & Order: SVU’: Mariska Hargitay & Fellow Cast Members React To History-Making Renewal Law & Order: SVU stars Mariska Hargitay, Ice T and Peter Scanavino are among cast members sharing their reactions to the news of the series’ record-breaking Season 21 renewal. “20 years ago, we started a conversation. We’re not finished,” Hargitay tweeted Friday. “I’m profoundly proud of how far we’ve come. Prouder… Philip Winchester Leaving ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Ahead Of Historic 21st Season With news of the historic renewal of NBC’s Law & Order: SVU for its 21st season, we’re learning that key cast member Philip Winchester won’t be returning. Winchester, who portrays Asst. 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Viewers watched more than 6 million hours of the morning news show… By Bruce Haring ‘A Million Little Things’, ‘The Good Doctor’, ‘S.W.A.T.’, ‘SVU’ & ‘Bull’ Join ‘HTGAWM’ In Premiere Week Triple-Digit DVR Lift Club After the Live+3 ratings for Premiere Week came in, there was one series, ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder, that posted a three-digit ratings lift from Live+Same Day, 100% in adults 18-49. After four days of Live+7 data, including all of Premiere Week’s big L3 percentage gainers, six shows more than doubled their… Tribeca’s 2nd Annual TV Festival To Feature Anthony Bourdain Premiere And ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Season 20 Bow Tribeca has announced details for its second annual TV Festival, which will feature premieres of shows like Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Law & Order: SVU and Ray Donovan as well as a new showcase for indie TV pilots. In 2017, Tribeca launched its fall TV extension as public fascination with the medium and the… Dylan Walsh Books Recurring Role On ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Unforgettable alum Dylan Walsh is set for a recurring guest role on the upcoming 20th season of NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Walsh will play John Conway, a self-made man and major beverage distributor who is respected by his community and looked up to by his children. His story will unfold in the near… ‘Scandal’s George Newbern Joins ‘Law & Order: SVU’ As Recurring EXCLUSIVE: George Newbern has booked his first post-Scandal TV series gig — a recurring role on the upcoming 20th season of NBC’s crime drama Law & Order: SVU. Newbern will play Dr. Al Pollack, a charming, handsome and very wealthy doctor who is a past and future love interest to Detective Rollins (Kelli Giddish)…	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line634
__label__wiki	0.829645	0.829645	DealBook \| Panel Rejects Proposal to Allow Election-Related Trading Panel Rejects Proposal to Allow Election-Related Trading By Ben Protess April 2, 2012 7:59 pm April 2, 2012 7:59 pm Peter Wynn Thompson for The New York TimesTimothy G. McDermott, general counsel for the North American Derivatives Exchange, said the company would think about challenging the decision. Wall Street, which buys and sells all types of exotic securities, has found a limit to its financial innovation. It can’t trade derivatives tied to the 2012 election. On Monday, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission rejected a plan for so-called political event contracts, wary that mixing politics and trading would create a dangerous cocktail. The agency ruled, in part, that such trading amounts to gambling — and that it could unduly influence election results. “This is a very slippery slope here,” said Bart Chilton, a Democratic member of the commission. “We need to be supercareful about handing part of our electoral process over to the trading pits.” The North American Derivatives Exchange, the sponsor of the proposal, is undeterred. The Chicago-based trading platform, noting that regulators have allowed similar trading in the past, is considering whether to revise its proposal to address the agency’s concerns. The exchange also has the option of filing a lawsuit to appeal the decision, although it has not said it will do so. “We’re disappointed, and we continue to believe that the products meet their requirement for trading on a regulated exchange,” said Timothy G. McDermott, the exchange’s general counsel. “We will look at the potential costs and benefits of challenging the decision.” The derivatives exchange, also known as Nadex, planned to offer futures contracts that would allow firms to wager on Congressional races as well as the presidential battle. The product was expected to draw interest from retail traders, exchanges and potentially banks. With a modest minimum buy-in of $100, and a maximum payout of $250,000, the exchange said it was appealing more to mom-and-pop investors than Wall Street titans. It was not the first attempt to develop such products. Intrade, the popular yet controversial online exchange, has dominated the business for years with an unregulated version of the derivatives. But Nadex sought to bring oversight to the fledgling industry. Nadex was building on a long line of unusual futures contracts emerging on Wall Street. While traditional derivatives are tied to stocks or commodities like oil and wheat, the financial industry in recent years has grown more creative, inventing products that bet on the future value of mortgages, next month’s weather and even movie productions. Nadex said it took the logical next step, at least in an election year. The exchange, which currently is a marketplace for derivative contracts tied to commodities and stock market indexes, wanted to offer five basic contracts. One contract would have allowed traders to wager that President Obama will win another four years in the White House. Others were tied to whether the Democrats or Republicans would control the Senate or House. The company’s effort was seen as a crucial test case for other financial firms that have considered political contracts but have been skittish about treading on murky legal ground. Some states explicitly outlaw gambling on elections. In Las Vegas, the epicenter of American gambling, betting on elections is off limits, regulators say. In 2008, regulators sought public feedback on whether to allow a range of event contracts but never took action. Only academics have escaped the de facto ban. For two decades, the futures commission has allowed business students at the University of Iowa to operate an electronic exchange for trading political contracts. Intrade is the most prominent player in political trading. But the company has largely escaped the regulatory limelight because it is based in Ireland. It is unclear, regulators say, whether American law applies to Intrade. The regulatory loophole hit home for Mr. McDermott in November as he listened to the radio in his Chicago office. An Intrade executive was boasting to a show’s host about the success of the company’s election trading. As the election was heating up in the fall, the public and the media turned to Intrade and others not just for trading, but as a barometer for the election. Intrade has fashioned itself as a public opinion polling site, providing odds on who will secure the Republican presidential nomination. Mr. McDermott sensed an opportunity. Nadex soon sought permission from the trading commission and then began a lobbying blitz at the agency. In early March, for instance, Mr. McDermott e-mailed the agency’s five commissioners, with the hope of meeting them at an industry conference in Boca Raton, Fla. “Also, we can certainly be available for teleconferences and can try to travel to Washington, D.C., if that can be arranged,” Mr. McDermott wrote. “Again, we appreciate your busy schedules and will make every effort to accommodate each of you to arrange for an opportunity to explore any questions or concerns you might have about the proposed contracts.” His bid had backing from academia. In a letter supporting Nadex’s proposal, a group of 19 law and business professors noted that “existing political event futures have proven useful” but that the full potential “cannot be realized in academic-scale markets or offshore,” references to Intrade and the Iowa project. “There are many exciting potential applications of such markets, in research and policy making,” the professors said. Nadex also highlighted that it was subject to federal oversight at the futures commission. That status brings safety and legitimacy, the exchange said. “If the information is going to be reported to the public on such a wide basis, shouldn’t it be coming from a regulated exchange rather than an unregulated overseas trading platform?” Mr. McDermott said. “My fear is that we actually see an increase in unregulated markets being offered to the retail public.” Nadex also underscored an extra perk of the contracts: businesses can hedge their risks tied to a particular presidential hopeful and his policies. So if a corporation faced higher costs under, say, President Obama’s health care plan, the company could buy what amounted to an insurance policy on his re-election bid. The futures commission was unconvinced. The Dodd-Frank Act mandates that the agency ban event contracts tied to terrorism, war, gambling and other matters contrary to the public interest. In an order on Monday, the agency ruled that the contracts could run afoul of the election process if traders had financial incentives to vote for particular candidates. The contracts, the agency said, “can potentially be used in ways that would have an adverse effect on the integrity of elections.” Goldman Announces Changes to Its Board JOBS Act Jeopardizes Safety Net for Investors	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line635
__label__wiki	0.655399	0.655399	DealBook \| What JPMorgan’s Bonds Say About the Fortress Balance Sheet What JPMorgan’s Bonds Say About the Fortress Balance Sheet By Peter Eavis April 13, 2012 5:40 pm April 13, 2012 5:40 pm One number in JPMorgan Chase’s first-quarter earnings suggests that not everyone believes in the fortress balance sheet. As the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates low, banks are receiving a lower level of interest on the loans they make. That doesn’t hurt lending profits if a bank can also reduce the cost of its borrowings. But in the first quarter, JPMorgan paid a higher interest rate on its third-largest source of funds – $255 billion of long-term debt. The interest rate on this debt was 2.71 percent, higher than in any of the preceding four quarters. By contrast, the cost of Wells Fargo’s long-term debt fell in the first quarter, to 2.6 percent, lower than in any of the four preceding quarters. JPMorgan’s long-term debt costs need to be watched closely. The bank faces a possible credit-rating downgrade by Moody’s, perhaps as early as next month, which could push up its borrowing costs. In addition, as elements of the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul take effect, JPMorgan may have to pay even more. That’s because the legislation tries to remove parts of the government safety net from underneath large banks. If rating agencies and bond investors think this will make JPMorgan less likely to get bailed out, interest rates on the bank’s debt may climb still further. True, other sources of JPMorgan’s funding fell in the first quarter. But the rise in the cost long-term debt, combined with a decline in the interest income on loans and other assets, helped cause the profit margin on JPMorgan’s loans to fall to 2.5 percent in the fourth quarter, from 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter. If this margin keeps narrowing, the bank may try and make up with profits from less stable sources, like trading or originating mortgages. Time to check the foundations of the fortress. New Figures Stoke the Home Inequity Debate Solid Results at 2 Banks Bode Well for the Industry	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line636
__label__wiki	0.964692	0.964692	DealBook \| Secretive Apple Squirms in Gaze of U.S. Monitor Secretive Apple Squirms in Gaze of U.S. Monitor By Matthew Goldstein January 13, 2014 9:03 pm January 13, 2014 9:03 pm Michael Bromwich monitors Apple’s compliance with antitrust laws.Credit Harry Hamburg/Associated Press Most companies are reluctant to open themselves to outside inspection. Yet Apple is even resisting someone who was appointed by a court to do exactly that, leading to an unusual public feud between the world’s biggest technology company and the Justice Department. In recent weeks, Apple has been campaigning aggressively against Michael R. Bromwich, a Washington lawyer who was appointed by a federal judge in October. His task was to make sure that Apple complied with antitrust laws after the company was found last summer to have conspired with five publishers to fix prices for e-books. Apple argues that Mr. Bromwich is intruding with its daily operations by demanding interviews with board members and with senior executives, even the chief executive, Tim Cook. Apple’s court papers compare the monitor with an unchecked “independent prosecutor.” And it says that Mr. Bromwich, who is charging $1,100 an hour for his services, is using his appointment to embark on an inquisition to generate high fees for himself and his Washington consulting firm. The monitor, Apple says, will get in the way of the company’s ability to innovate and develop new technologies. Such resistance is not completely surprising. Silicon Valley technology companies routinely keep a tight wrap on their products and operations. But even among its peers, Apple, whose best-known products are the iPhone and the iPad, stands out for its level of secrecy. At Apple headquarters, some unreleased products are kept draped in black cloth. And employees are prohibited from sharing details about the products they are working on with anyone outside their own team. Even their own family members can’t know. Those caught leaking information about Apple’s plans have been fired. But the judge who appointed the monitor has now taken issue with Apple’s arguments. Tim Cook is Apple’s chief executive.Credit Jim Wilson/The New York Times At a hearing Monday afternoon in United States District Court in Lower Manhattan, the judge, Denise Cote, told Apple and its lawyers to stop wasting time and start cooperating with the monitor. She said if there were problems with Mr. Bromwich, the company needed to work them out with the monitor and lawyers from the Justice Department, which sued Apple in 2012, accusing the company of price-fixing in the market for e-books. The judge said that after several months of delay and objections to Mr. Bromwich’s requests for interviews and documents to review, Apple needed to “restart” its relationship with the monitor. That is not likely to happen anytime soon, however. The hearing ended with Apple’s lawyer telling Judge Cote that the company intended to continue its fight to unseat Mr. Bromwich with an appellate court. The appointment of monitors is not uncommon in litigation that results in rulings that are intended to change a company’s behavior. In pleading guilty to securities fraud charges last November, for example, the hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors is being required to hire an outside monitor to oversee some of its operations for a period of time. In the case of Apple, the very arrangement of a monitor is at issue. The company contends that it should not be forced to open its door to a court-appointed monitor as a way of proving to Judge Cote that it is changing its ways. On Monday, the judge said she had been reluctant to appoint a monitor but decided it was necessary to make sure the company did not engage in price fixing again. The judge said she was sensitive to not interfering with Apple’s business, which is why she rejected the Justice Department’s request to put a monitor in place for 10 years. But she said the move was already having a positive impact, noting that Apple has retained outside lawyers to put in place procedures for ensuring the company complies with antitrust principles. Judge Cote reminded Apple and its lawyers that it did not have much bargaining room when it came to the role of the monitor. “Apple is no position to define the scope of the monitor’s duties,” said Judge Cote, who said she would soon issue a written decision that would amplify on her ruling at the hearing. “I want the monitorship to be a success for Apple.” It is not clear how Apple will fare at the appellate level. The company is not only appealing the judge’s decision to appoint Mr. Bromwich, it also seeks to stop him or any other monitor from doing any work until the appeal on the legality of Judge Cote’s decision is determined. Apple contends that given the length of time it can take an appellate court to rule, it is unfair for the company to continue to pay Mr. Bromwich’s salary and make its executives and board members available for interview with him during that time. In court filings, Apple has made much of the $1,100 hourly fee charged by Mr. Bromwich, who runs his own consulting firm and is also a litigation partner with Goodwin Procter. The company points to the $138,432 legal bill Mr. Bromwich submitted for his first two weeks of work as evidence he is using his appointment to run an unwieldy and unfair investigation. The company notes that because Mr. Bromwich’s consulting firm is separate from Goodwin Procter, he has to hire lawyers from other firms to work with him and also charge a 15 percent administrative fee for his services. But Judge Cote observed on Monday that “lawyers get paid a lot of money.” She also pointed to a recent article in The National Law Journal that said it was not uncommon for top lawyers at a large law firm to bill clients at a rate of $1,000 an hour. Judge Cote noted that one lawyer at Gibson Dunn, one of the firms representing Apple, billed at a rate of $1,800 an hour. In an attempt to resolve the fee dispute, she directed Apple and lawyers with the Justice Department to mediate the issue with a United States magistrate. The company especially took issue with Mr. Bromwich, a former federal prosecutor who has served as court appointed monitor on three previous occasions, with moving too quickly to request interviews and meeting with some of Apple’s board members and senior executives. The company pointed to his repeated insistence on interviewing former Vice President Al Gore, an Apple board member. The company argued that board members like Mr. Gore had little involvement with the company’s pricing policies. Apple’s lawyers argue that Mr. Bromwich continues to press for the meetings even after he was told that some of the people the monitor wanted to meet with had nothing to do with the antitrust procedures. For his part, Mr. Bromwich said in a court filing that Apple was providing him with “far less access” and cooperation than he had received in previous monitoring experiences. Mr. Bromwich, who has a son who is a news assistant with The New York Times, was not available for comment and did not attend Monday’s hearing. Apple had argued the court filing by Mr. Bromwich should disqualify him from serving as monitor because he displayed a bias by disputing some of Apple’s complaints about his activities. But Judge Cote rejected that line of argument. Earlier in the proceeding, Lawrence Buterman, a Justice Department lawyer, told Judge Cote that Apple’s attacks on Mr. Bromwich were consistent with the company not wanting to work with any monitor. “They don’t want anyone checking their work,” Mr. Buterman said. Brian X. Chen contributed reporting. A version of this article appears in print on 01/14/2014, on page A1 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Secretive Apple Squirms in Gaze Of U.S. Monitor. Europeans Struggle to Set Derivatives Rules The Man Behind Alibaba’s Eventual I.P.O.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line637
__label__wiki	0.535487	0.535487	Holland’s Prostitutes Start Paying Taxes (2001) Published on 15th November 2018 by Journeyman Pictures Taxing Prostitutes (2001): The Dutch are well known for their liberal stance on issues such as sex and drugs. Now, they have gone one step further, by implementing a new law to make prostitutes pay taxes. Subscribe to Journeyman here: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=journeymanpictures# For the past year, women who work in Dutch brothels are treated like any other workers – they now have health insurance, tax numbers and holiday entitlement. Many welcome the new law, which gives the authorities a way of regulating the industry. But only those from the EU stand to benefit; Holland’s many Eastern European prostitutes are not covered by the legislation. Even so, many in the industry object to the new laws: “Legalisation is a disaster,” says Jan Bik, owner of seven brothels. “Holland has said that the goal of legalisation is to improve control and safety, but it’s just sent everything further into the hands of the Mafia.” Many of the prostitutes feel the same way, preferring to work illegally in order to preserve the freedom that goes with anonymity. But others feel that this legislation will help to improve the conditions of these women and combat the prejudice they experience within society. For more information, visit https://www.journeyman.tv/film/1185 Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/journeymanpictures Tweets by JourneymanNews Tweets by JourneymanVOD Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/journeymanpictures ORF Fernsehprogramm-Service GmbH & Co KG – Ref. 1185 Tag NEW Fault Lines – Meet the Team: Andrea Schmidt The fight against ecocide – VPRO documentary India’s Slave Brides – 101 East	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line642
__label__wiki	0.667045	0.667045	Ice Cube Says “Nah, We’re Not Performing” At The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction By SunShyne N.W.A will reunite at their induction ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Friday, but they won’t be performing, says Ice Cube. In an interview with the New York Times Thursday, Ice Cube said he expects the whole group to show up for the ceremony, including core members Dr. Dre, M.C. Ren and D.J. Yella in addition to Ice Cube; Eazy-E died in 1995. photo credit: NWA “I believe everybody’s going to be there. As it stands now,” Ice Cube said. But the legendary hip-hop group, immortalized in the recent bio-pic Straight Outta Compton, won’t be rapping for the crowd. “Nah, we’re not performing. I guess we really didn’t feel like we were supported enough to do the best show we could put on,” Ice Cube said about the organizers. “We wanted to do it on a whole other level, and that just couldn’t happen.” No disrespect, he hastened to add. “But we’re totally honored, humbled and appreciative to the Hall for even just considering us, inducting us and inviting us.” N.W.A. is only the fifth hip-hop act ever voted in to the Hall (after Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy), and they join the 31st class of inductees, all from an earlier era of classic rock: Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple and Steve Miller. N.W.A. had been nominated three times before and Ice Cube thinks Straight Outta Compton was “the thing that put us over the top.” He said he’s eager to hear more about his fellow inductees, whose music is not entirely familiar to him. “I’m kind of interested to know what their major hits are. I’ve been in hip-hop, R&B, soul and funk for so long, so it’s always cool to know why people love these groups. I don’t know what they sing, like they probably don’t know what I do. “It’s a night of discovery.” Source: USA Today Ear Hustle & Share: Related Items:Earhustle411, honors, induction, nwa, Performance, rock and roll hall of fame, Support Legendary Rock & Roll Musician Chuck Berry Dies At 90 Tony Award Winning Broadway Star Jennifer Holliday Bows Out As A Performer For The Presidential Inauguration You Be The Judge: The Good, Bad And Ugly Side To The Life Of Singer Michel’le And Surviving Compton White Scientist Says The Black Community Is Being Targeted By The Medical System, They Are Deliberately Being Poisoned [Video] 16- Year Old White Girl Text Nude Picture Of Herself To 17-Year Old Black Boy He Sends One Back & Now He’s Being Charged With Child Pornography 23- Year Old Male Babysitter Will Only Get 30 Days For Molesting 8-Year Old Boy; Judge Says Prison Will Be Too Hard On Him, He’s Just A Boy Ex-Gang Member From Chicago Exposes The Government, Says They Are Dropping Hundreds Of Guns In The Black Neighborhoods In Crates Along With Bullets White Police Officer Tells Why They Keep Killing Black People & Uses The Bible Specifically The Book Of Exodus To Explain It. Teenage Girl Get’s Shot In Her Stomach Three Times But Took Time To Post To Facebook [ Video] Officer Pulls Over Young Black Man Because He Doesn’t Believe He Owns Property In The Neighborhood, The Black Guy Takes Him To His House To Prove It Why Isn’t The Media Dragging Bill O’Reilly As They Did Bill Cosby For Sexual Allegations Sheriff Claimed Cops Were Heroes For Trying To Save 3 Black Girls From Drowning But Dashcam Show They Watched Them Scream As They Drowned Black Men In Chicago Are Taking Over Abandoned Property & Rebuilding The Neighborhood With The Youth By Creating Their Own Jobs	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line645
__label__wiki	0.748571	0.748571	Remove this filter Country: Americas Epidemiological update (10) Yellow fever transmission could affect urban areas in Brazil, increasing the risk to travellers, especially during Carnival News - 19 Jan 2018 ECDC issues new risk assessment in light of the yellow fever resurgence in Brazil (in particular in São Paulo) and the expected increasing flow of travellers during the upcoming Carnival. Yellow fever in Brazil: confirmed cases in urban areas in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro News, Epidemiological update - 1 Dec 2017 From July to October 2017 the Brazilian authorities reported three confirmed human cases of yellow fever - one in Rio de Janeiro and two in São Paulo State. One person died. In addition, several animal cases were detected in the urban area of São Paulo City. The national health authorities have started a vaccination campaign in São Paulo State. Diphtheria outbreaks in Yemen and Venezuela News - 24 Nov 2017 An outbreak of diphtheria is currently being experienced in Yemen and Venezuela. One hundred and twenty diphtheria cases have been reported in Yemen in the last two months, while Venezuela has seen more than 500 probable cases in 2017, as detailed in today’s Communicable Disease Threat Report. Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, 12 May 2017 Epidemiological update - 12 May 2017 Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection present in some tropical areas of Africa and South America. On 6 January 2017, Brazil reported an outbreak of yellow fever that started in December 2016 and is still ongoing. Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Suriname have also reported cases of yellow fever in 2017. Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, 5 May 2017 Epidemiological update - 5 May 2017 Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection present in some tropical areas of Africa and South America. On 6 January 2017, Brazil reported an outbreak of yellow fever that started in December 2016 and that has been ongoing since then. Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Suriname have also reported cases of yellow fever in 2017. Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, 28 April 2017 Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection present in some tropical areas of Africa and South America. On 6 January 2017, Brazil reported an outbreak of yellow fever that started in December 2016 and that has been going on since then. Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Suriname have also reported cases of yellow fever in 2017. Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, 23 March 2017 Epidemiological update - 23 Mar 2017 Between 6 January and 16 March 2017, Brazil has reported 1 357 cases (933 suspected and 424 confirmed), including 249 deaths (112 suspected and 137 confirmed). The case-fatality rate is 18.3% among all cases and 32.3% among confirmed cases. Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, 16 February 2017 Epidemiological update - 16 Feb 2017 As of 2 February 2017, 826 cases (including 155 confirmed) have been reported in Brazil. This represents an increase of 315 cases (including 67 confirmed) since the last CDTR. The most-affected state remains Minas Gerais, with 740 cases (including 138 confirmed) reported.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line647
__label__wiki	0.933171	0.933171	The all-electric MINI Cooper SE unveiled [videos] Jaguar Land Rover accelerates electrification, electric Jaguar XJ confirmed Tesla sets quarterly global delivery record with over 95,000 electric cars BMW Vision M NEXT is BMW M brand’s electrified future Electric Car News Electric Car Reviews Charging Map Final Update: March 2017 Plug-in Vehicle Sales All major automakers are posting March sales numbers for plug-in electric vehicles. NOTE: As always, this article is updated throughout the day as soon as more data is available. Last update: Tuesday, April-04, 2017 @ 01:00 pm. Sales of the all-electric Nissan LEAF totaled 1,478 units, up 18.6% compared to March of 2016 when Nissan sold 1,246 LEAF EV’s. In terms of year to date in 2017, 3,287 LEAFs have been sold, which is up 12.1% compared with 2016 when ,2,931 were sold, Last year, Nissan introduced the all-electric LEAF with an available 30 kWh battery that provides an EPA-estimated range of 107 miles – a 27-percent increase over the previous 24 kWH battery. Chevrolet Volt sold 2,132 units last month, up 14.3 percent compared to March of 2016 when Chevy sold 1,865 Volts. Overall for the year, 5,563 Chevrolet Volt plug-ins have been sold, which is up by 39.5% compared to 2016 when 3,987 units were sold. Prius Plug-in Hybrid sold 1,618 units during the month, after selling 1,362 in February and 1,366 units in January. Overall for the year, 4,346 Prius Prime plug-ins have been sold. The Prius Prime PHV achieves a remarkable EPA-estimated 133 MPGe and MSRP that will range from $27,100 for the base Prius Prime Plus grade. Ford C-Max Energi Ford C-MAX Energi sold 662 units in March. Previously in February, Ford sold a,639 C-MAX Energi plug-ins. Overall for the year, 1,774 C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrids have been sold, which is up 22.3% compared to 2016 when 1,450 units have been sold. Ford Fusion Energi Ford Fusion Energi finished last month with 1,002 deliveries, after selling 837 units in February. In terms of year to date in 2017, 2,445 Fusion Energi plug-ins have been sold, which is down 11.1% compared to 2016 when 2,751 units have been sold.. Chevrolet Bolt EV sold 978 units in March, 952 units in February. In terms of year to date in 2017, 3,092 Bolt EVs have been sold. The Chevrolet Bolt EV begins at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $37,495, which includes destination and freight charges, but excludes tax, title, license and dealer fees. Depending on individual tax situations, customers may receive an available federal tax credit of up to $7,500. Porsche Panamera S-E Hybrid Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrids finished last month with 3 deliveries, after selling just 1 unit in February and 2 units in January. Overall for 2017, just 6 Panamera S E-Hybrids have been sold. Porsche Cayenne S e-Hybrid Porsche sold 126 Cayenne S E-Hybrid SUVs last month, after selling 121 units in February. In terms of year to date in 2017, 424 Cayenne S E-Hybrids have been sold. Tesla Model S – Does not report exactly monthly sales Tesla Motors delivered 13,450 Model S vehicles, according to Q1 results. Tesla Model X – Does not report exactly monthly sales Tesla delivered 11,550 Model X vehicles in the Q1 of 2017. BMW i3 sold 703 units last month, after selling 318 units in February. In terms of year to date in 2017, 1,403 BMW i3 EVs have been sold. BMW i8 sold 49 plug-in hybrid sports cars last month. BMW sold 58 units in February. Overall for the year, 157 BMW i8 plug-ins have been sold. BMW X5 xDrive40e The BMW X5 xDrive40e sold 397 units, after selling 275 units in February. Overall for the year, 934 BMW X5 xDrive40e SUVs have been sold. With a total system output of 230 kW/313 hp generated by a 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder gasoline engine and a synchronous electric motor, the BMW X5 xDrive40e achieves a combined fuel consumption of 69 – 71 mpg. BMW 330e BMW 330e sold 365 units during the month, after selling 144 units in February. Overall for the year, 638 BMW 330e plug-in hybrids have been sold. The 2016 BMW 330e is priced at $44,695 including $995 destination & handling. The all-new BMW 740e sold 42 units during the month, after selling 35 units in February. In terms of year to date in 2017, 95 BMW 740e plug-ins have been sold. The 2017 BMW 740e xDrive iPerformance is priced at $89,100 plus $995 Destination and Handling. With its eDrive technology the BMW 740e xDrive iPerformance can be driven in all-electric mode up to 75 mph. Combined fuel economy of 64 MPGe and an all-electric range of 14 miles is possible (EPA official figures). Mercedes-Benz GLE 550e Mercedes-Benz GLE 550e sold 47 units in March. Previously in February, the GLE 550e sold 59 units. Overall for the year, 158 Mercedes-Benz GLE 550e plug-in hybrids have been sold GLE 550e is equipped with V6 gas engine and a seven-speed automatic transmission, combined with an electric motor for total system power of 436 hp, 479 ft lbs of torque. The 8.8 kWh battery pack stores enough juice to travel up to 30 km (19 miles) on electric power. Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive finished last month with 50 deliveries, after selling 56 units in February and 53 units in January. The B-Class Electric Drive starts from $41,450 and has an all-electric range of 87 miles. For an extra $600, one can purchase the extended range package which allows the driver go 104 miles. Mercedes-Benz C 350 e Mercedes-Benz C 350 sold 17 units during the month, after selling 51 units in February and 210 units in January. The Mercedes-Benz C 350 e combines a combustion engine with an electric drive system and a high-voltage lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 6.38 kWh, which can be charged from an external power source. The C 350 e can reach a top speed of 155.3 mph while achieving certified fuel consumption of 112 mpg US. Mercedes-Benz S550 Plug-in Hybrid Mercedes-Benz S550 Plug-in Hybrid sold 60 units last month, after selling 51 units in February and 55 units in January. The S550 Plug-in Hybrid offers a system output of 436 hp and 479 lb-ft torque, sprints from 0 to 62 mph in just 5.2 seconds and can drive up to 20 miles purely electrically. Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV Volvo XC90 PHEV sold 103 units during the month, after selling 83 units in February. Overall for 2017, 282 XC90 PHEV SUVs have been sold. The MSRP of the Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV is $68,100 before incentives. Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid – coming later this year The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid starts at $34,495 with available U.S. federal tax credit, not including state and local incentives. The Pacifica Hybrid has earned a fuel economy rating of 84 MPGe from EPA. It also offers a total driving range of 566 miles and an electric-only range of 33 miles. Volkswagen e-Golf sold 342 units last month, up 297.7 percent compared to March of 2016 when Volkswagen sold 86 e-Golf EVs. Overall for the year, 967 e-Golfs have been sold, which is up by 58% compared to 2016 when 612 units were sold.. Sales of the A3 Sportback e-tron did well in March with 414 vehicles, an increase of 24.7 percent compared to March of 2016 when A3 Sportback e-tron sold 332 units. In terms of year to date, sales of the A3 Sportback e-tron no stand at 1,201 units, up 32.4% compared with 2016 when 907 units were sold.. For May, Fiat 500e sold 355 units in last month, after selling 283 units in February 345 units in January. In 2016, sales of the Fiat 500e were 5,330 units. Hyundai Sonata PHEV Hyundai Sonata plug-in hybrid sold 275 units during the month. Previously in February, Sonata PHEV sold 175 units. Overal for the year, 675 Sonata plug-in hybrids have been sold, Hyundai Sonata PHEV is priced from $34,600 before incentives. Kia Optima PHEV Kia Optima PHEV plug-in hybrid sold 70 units during the month, after selling 85 units in February. In terms of year to date, sales of the Optima PHEVs now stand at 141 units. With an estimated 600 miles of total driving range, the Optima PHEV’s battery system features a 9.8 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack, which produces roughly 60 percent more energy output than the battery pack found in the outgoing Optima’s hybrid system, and is estimated to achieve 27 miles in full EV mode Kia Soul EV sold 171 units last month, after selling 152 units in February. Overall for 2017, 440 Soul EVs have been sold. Offered in two trims, Base and + (Plus), the 2015 Kia Soul EV MSRP is $33,700 (not including federal tax rebate of $7,500) for the Base trim. Smart Fortwo Electric Drive Last month, smart fortwo ED sold 13 units last month, after selling 22 units in February and 15 units in January. Overall for 2016, 657 smart fortwo EDs have been sold. Spark EV sold just 3 units in March, after selling 4 units in February and also 4 units in January. Last year, 3,035 Chevrolet Spark EVs have been sold. Ford Focus Electric sold 407, after selling 228 units in February. In terms of year to date, sales of the Focus Electric now stand at 901. Mitsubishi i Mitsubishi sold 3 units last month, after selling just one unit in February. Last year, only 94 iMiEVs have been sold. The 2016 Mitsubishi i-MiEV will arrive at Mitsubishi dealers across the United States in late March 2015. With a starting MSRP of only $22,995, the 2016 i-MiEV is the most affordably-priced electric vehicle available in America today, and after factoring in the Federal tax credit of $7,500, the net starting MSRP is reduced to $15,495. Toyota sold 118 Mirai fuel-cell electric sedans last month, after selling 110 units in February and 83 units in January. Last year, 1,034 Mirai FCVs have been sold. The Mirai is priced MSRP $57,500 plus an $835 destination fee. With combined state and federal incentives of $13,000 available to many customers, the purchase price could potentially fall to under $45,000. Cadillac ELR – discontinued General Motors has pulled the plug on the Cadillac ELR after years of dismal sales. Cadillac only managed to sell 1,354 units of the ELR in 2014, while only 1,024 were delivered in 2015. Apr 3, 2017 Blagojce Krivevski Tesla Delivers Record 25,000 EVs In Q1Eco Tour di Sicilia with Renault ZOE electric cars Sales of Electric and Alternative Fuel Vehicles Will Reach Nearly 12.4 Million Annually by 2022 Electric Cars in the UK Achieve Five Years’ Growth in a Single Year Blagojce Krivevski Blagojce Krivevski is physicist and green technology lover. Keep in touch with Blagojce through his email, web site, Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and Google+. April 3, 2017 Electric Car NewsElectric Car Sales, Electric Vehicle Sales, ev sales, plug-in sales, Plug-in Vehicle Sales There are More Than 68,800 EV Charging Units in the United States Toyota to test high-efficiency solar roof for its electric cars ABB to provide charging infrastructure for public electric buses in Singapore BMW donates 100 new EV charging stations for visitors to national parks ElectricCarsReport.com is a website dedicated to pure electric vehicles and the full range of consumer information and tools about electric cars, green technology energy, and the environment. 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__label__wiki	0.784257	0.784257	Difference between cycle and loop What word of two mentioned above should I use when I mean a map route which begins and ends at the same point? difference word-difference kassiekassie Looking at your question, I feel you want to mean that there's a map where you begin at one place and also end at the same. Cycle does not fit and loop refers more to a shape than what you probably want. Okay... One of the common words used for this is ... circuit - A roughly circular line, route, or movement that starts and finishes at the same place You may also use track but I don't think it starts and ends at the same point whereas circuit does probably because the electronic circuit happens only when it completes its path. Maulik V♦Maulik V Agreed. "Track" implies the surface you're walking on, or is the word for sports events (racing track, running track etc). "Trail" is also a possibility, if it involves a walking route, but lacks the aspect of starting and finishing in the same place. – JMB Mar 11 '14 at 10:51 Thanks for great answer. And one more question on this theme. How should I call road which is around the whole city like this. We call it "ring road" in Russian. – kassie Mar 11 '14 at 11:42 @kassie You nailed it! It's ring road and many cities around the world have adopted it (including my hometown). – Maulik V♦ Mar 11 '14 at 11:47 In America, a road that makes a circle around a big city is called a "loop" or a "beltway". When it's part of the Interstate Highway System, a loop is always given a 3-digit number starting with an even digit. As opposed to a spur, which is a road that branches off the main highway and ends, usually in a big city, and which is given a 3-digit number starting with an odd digit. I've never heard the term "ring road". What country are you from @Maulik? – Jay Mar 11 '14 at 13:55 @Jay India. But thanks for sharing. Ring road is an official term here and you see signboards stating that. :) – Maulik V♦ Mar 11 '14 at 14:18 I don't know of any single English word that would be understood to mean what you are asking without further explanation. The closest phrase I can think of is "round-trip route". You could use "loop" to describe such a route. You'd have to specify that you're talking about a route -- a "loop" can be anything that goes in a circle or something resembling a circle. Like you can say, "I travelled in a loop" or "The route made a loop." "Cycle" implies something that happens over and over. We talk about the "cycle of the seasons" or the "election cycle". If you said, "I travelled in a cycle" ... Well, first people would likely think you meant, "I travelled ON a cycle", meaning a bicycle or a motorcycle. But assuming you used another wording or emphasized the "in", they would understand you to mean that you travelled the same route over and over. @Maulik's suggestion of "circuit" is possible. I think in general, though, people would understand a "circuit" to mean a route that has many stops. Like we say, "The salesman made a circuit of his five biggest clients", meaning that he visited each of the clients, then went back to the first and started over, probably many times. We used to have "circuit judges" in America, which were judges who would travel through a series of small towns, each of which was not big enough to need a full-time judge. He'd arrive in a town, hear whatever cases had come up since his last visit, then go on to the next. Some judges still have an official title of "circuit judge" but they no longer ride from town to town on a horse. They just have authority over a large area. We actually have official road signs in Atlanta, GA, USA that are referred to as, for instance, the "120 loop", etc. These roads are certainly not laid out in a circle, and indeed, do not return to the same place! They are referred to as loops because they enter and leave from the same road, if you stay on them long enough. (Imagine the loop part to the the curvy part of the letter P). – Msfolly Jan 30 '16 at 22:42 @Msfolly When talking about highways in the U.S., we sometimes use "loop" to mean a road that goes around a city when the main highway goes through the city. Sometimes it's a circle that goes around the entire city, so you could start and end at the same point, but fairly often it's only part of a circle. – Jay Feb 1 '16 at 15:18 The Interstate Highway System has a numbering scheme for this: Main highways are two-digit numbers, even for east-west and odd for north-south. Loops are three-digit numbers with the first digit even. Spurs -- roads that go from the main highway to a city that the highway misses -- are three-digit number with the first digit odd. – Jay Feb 1 '16 at 15:19 Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged difference word-difference or ask your own question. Difference between words ‘cycle' and ‘loop' What is the difference between “wait” and “await”? What is the difference between “general” and “generic”? What's the difference between “last” and “latest”? Difference between online and on line Difference between 'café' and 'cafeteria' What's the difference between “Twin bed” and “Double bed” Feel the difference between words What is the difference between grey and gray? what is difference between “sorry”, “excuse me” and “pardon me”?	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line650
__label__wiki	0.983669	0.983669	Police: Illegal weapons found in house of Palestinian diplomat who died after blast From Ivana Kottasova, CNN Updated 1748 GMT (0148 HKT) January 2, 2014 Police guard the residence of Palestinian diplomat Jamal al Jamal in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. "Several illegal firearms were seized," police spokeswoman says Police say Jamal al Jamal died after a blast possibly related to his improper handling of a safe His wife was taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation and shock Their son was not hurt Illegal weapons have been found inside the northern Prague residence of a Palestinian diplomat who died Wednesday of injuries suffered when he opened a safe in the living room and an explosion occurred, police said Thursday. "Several illegal firearms were seized by the police in the flat of the late Palestinian ambassador," Jamal al Jamal, Prague police spokeswoman Andrea Zoulova told CNN about al Jamal, 57. She would not say how many weapons were found or where they may have come from. In the Czech Republic, all firearms must be registered with authorities; possession requires a permit. Police said Wednesday that al Jamal died after an explosion possibly related to his improper handling of a safe inside his house in the neighborhood of Suchdol. He died after he was taken to Prague Military Hospital. "The explosion was most likely caused by dangerous or unqualified manipulation with the safety box by the ambassador himself," Zoulova said Wednesday. "The explosive device was probably part of the safety mechanism of the safe." She added that authorities had found evidence of explosives in the debris. However, police have ruled out any "criminal involvement of a third person intending to kill a particular person," she said Thursday. She had said Wednesday that the incident was not related to terrorism. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry announced that the explosion occurred minutes after al Jamal opened an old safe that had been moved from the old diplomatic mission to his two-story house, which was being readied to house the new diplomatic mission. A high-level delegation sent by the ministry arrived in Prague on Thursday to help with the investigation. The house was newly constructed, said CTK, a state-run news agency. The blast, which occurred about 12:30 p.m. (6:30 a.m. ET), also injured al Jamal's 52-year-old wife, who was treated at an area hospital for smoke inhalation and shock. The couple's son, who was also in the house at the time of the blast, was not hurt. Al Jamal had been a diplomat in the Czech Republic since last October, CTK said.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line656
__label__wiki	0.929827	0.929827	Americas coping with climate Updated 0740 GMT (1540 HKT) June 27, 2014 Photos: Americas coping with climate Hot Chile – South and North American teams have warmed to Brazil 2014, with a host of nations exceeding expectations. Chile has led the way, escaping the "Group of Death" after defeating Australia and reigning champions Spain. Sampaoli stamp of approval – Jorge Sampaoli has won a number of admirers since becoming Chile coach in 2012. His high-energy, attacking brand of football has fired La Roja to the World Cup's round of 16, where host Brazil awaits. World beaters Costa Rica – Costa Rica has been the surprise of the tournament so far, having already qualified from a group full of former world champions. Impressive wins against Uruguay and Italy have ensured a place in the round of 16 for just the second time in the nation's history. Colombia dance out of group – While Brazil and Argentina have made hard work of their group games, Colombia has looked dominant in the wins against Greece and Ivory Coast. Its performances have been all the more impressive given that star striker Radamel Falcao is missing through injury. Jose Pekerman's guiding hand – Colombia is led by an Argentine in Jose Pekerman, who previously guided Argentina to the quarterfinals in 2006, while he also won the World Youth Championship three times with his nation's under-20 side. Mexican marauders – Mexico has proved it's scared of no-one in this tournament after holding Brazil to a 0-0 draw. Miguel Herrera's side has advanced to the round of 16 thanks to wins against Cameroon and Croatia, while it only missed out on top spot in Group A to the host due to goal difference. USA – USA was moments away from booking its place in the round of 16 but for Silvestre Varela's late equalizer for Portugal. Had it held on, Jurgen Klinsmann's side would have advanced to the next stage one game ahead of Germany. Team USA were beaten 1-0 by Germany in their final group game, but still reached the knockout rounds. Brazil's shining star – Brazil will need to up its game when it meets Chile in the round of 16, having yet to get into fifth gear. Neymar's goals ensured the Selecao finished first in Group A, but he will need others around him to step up if the side are to go any further.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line657
__label__wiki	0.562313	0.562313	NASS Approves Two Election Resolutions at Winter Meeting By Doug Chapin February 22, 2017 [Image via NASS] Secretaries of State from across the nation were in Washington, DC this past weekend for the annual Winter Meeting of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) – and before leaving town, the membership approved two resolutions registering NASS’ position on key issues in the ongoing struggle to balance federal and state control over elections: NASS Resolution Reaffirming the NASS Approach to Federal Legislation (originally adopted 2007, reaffirmed 2012 and 2017) The nation’s Secretaries of State believe that our federal and state governments must work in cooperation to serve the citizens of the United States. To facilitate the appropriate balance for an equal and effective partnership, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) urges federal officials to adhere to the following guidelines when developing laws and regulations: 1. Members of Congress should respect our country’s legal and historical distinctions in federal and state sovereignty and avoid preemptions of state authority when drafting federal legislation. 2. Federal legislation should include a reasonable timeframe for implementing state requirements or programs. 3. Federal legislation that affects the office and duties of the Secretaries of State should be drafted with input from NASS or a representative sample of the Secretaries of State who would be impacted by the bill. 4. Federal legislation that mandates changes to state laws or regulations should include full funding to support those changes. 5. Federal legislation should not curtail state innovation and authority solely for the sake of creating uniform methods among the states; all legislation should grant states maximum flexibility in determining methodologies for properly and effectively carrying out the duties of Secretaries of State, including the protection of voting rights. NASS Resolution Opposing the Designation of Elections as Critical Infrastructure (adopted 2017) WHEREAS, the United States Constitution recognizes the authority of the legislatures of each State to regulate the times, places, and manner of holding federal elections; and WHEREAS, the election infrastructure of the United States is utilized to conduct federal, state, and local elections alike; and WHEREAS, on January 6, 2017, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced that he had designated election infrastructure as a subsector of the existing Government Facilities critical infrastructure sector; and WHEREAS, Secretary Johnson’s scope of the designation of elections as critical infrastructure includes physical elements, such as “storage facilities, polling places, and centralized vote tabulations locations,” to which cybersecurity issues do not apply, “voter registration databases,” of which redundant copies are separately stored, and “other systems to manage the election process and report and display results,” which are not critical to the determination of official certified election results; and WHEREAS, Section 1016(e) of the USA Patriot Act of 2001 (42 USC § 5195c(e), the “Critical Infrastructure Protection Act”) defines critical infrastructure as, “systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters[,]”; and WHEREAS, the election infrastructure in the United States is highly decentralized and constitutionally under the purview and control of the states and their local jurisdictions; and WHEREAS, the opposition to designating elections as critical infrastructure is bipartisan, as evidenced by a September 28, 2016, letter signed by Paul D. Ryan, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader of the United States House of Representatives, Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader of the United States Senate, and Harry Reid, Democratic Leader of the United States Senate, stating, “we would oppose any effort by the federal government to exercise any degree of control over the states’ administration of elections by designating these systems as critical infrastructure[,]”; and WHEREAS, Secretary Johnson stated that he would not designate elections as critical infrastructure without a thorough discussion with members of this body; and WHEREAS, questions submitted by numerous members of this body and other election officials remain unanswered; and WHEREAS, numerous members of this body and other federal, state, and local election officials have publicly opposed the designation of elections as critical infrastructure; and WHEREAS, several states have discovered attempted intrusions by the Department of Homeland Security under former Secretary Johnson, which need to be thoroughly investigated by the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General, including regarding such attempted intrusions to the designation process; and WHEREAS, on February 7, 2017, current U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly indicated during testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Homeland Security Committee that he intends to uphold the former secretary’s designation of elections as critical infrastructure, and; WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has no authority to interfere with elections, even in the name of national security; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) opposes the designation of elections as critical infrastructure. It’s worth noting that NASS is doing more than just talk about cybersecurity – it also unanimously formed an Election Cybersecurity Task Force tasked with developing and advancing NASS priorities and plans regarding state election cybersecurity issues, including strategies for building effective partnerships with public/private stakeholders and the federal government, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Per NASS policy, both resolutions remain in effect for five years unless amended or rescinded. While neither resolution has any legal effect on the policy debates in Washington, the language of both suggest that NASS continues to value the strong role of states in the administration of American elections and will fiercely defend the power of Secretaries to set and direct election policy in their home states. In short, while federal policymakers at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue may have ideas about elections, NASS and its members will fight to keep that authority at the state level. It’s not news, but it’s definitely noteworthy as 2017 continues … stay tuned. Previous: Lone Star Loophole? Affidavits Reignite Debate Over Texas ID Requirement Next: Dispute Over Montana All-Mail Election Raises Partisan, Cost Concerns LIGHTNING ROUND: Quick Followup on Recent Blog Entries U-Turn: Potential Big Changes in Voting Rights Cases in TX, NC Dispute Over Montana All-Mail Election Raises Partisan, Cost Concerns NCSL’s Wendy Underhill on Poll Watching and Poll Work in 2016 1 Comment on "NASS Approves Two Election Resolutions at Winter Meeting" win an samsung Gear vr \| July 21, 2017 at 8:18 pm \| Reply Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I’m impressed! Very helpful information particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such information a lot. I was looking for this particular info for a lojg time.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line658
__label__cc	0.570033	0.429967	For K12 Georgia State uses Google Cloud Platform to improve disaster recovery By shifting their backup data storage into Google’s cloud, Georgia State improves operations and ensures seamless data recovery. Working with Commvault and Google eased their transition while keeping data secure. As a large teaching and research institution, Georgia State University faces significant challenges in designing a disaster recovery plan. Its seven campuses and more than 50,000 students are spread out across 71 acres in metropolitan Atlanta. The university manages an enormous (and ever-growing) amount of data for an extended community who need reliable access, even when working remotely. Kelly Robinson, Director of Enterprise Infrastructure, explains that “we need an anytime, anywhere approach to services to support a digital university. We want to develop resources so that you don’t always have to physically come to campus to leverage available services.” And, of course, all this data must be kept private, secure, and accessible, even in the event of unplanned emergencies. With storms, fires, computer hacking, and other threats to digital systems in the news every day, how could Georgia State’s Instructional Innovation and Technology department plan for its data backup and recovery systems to survive natural disasters and any other new potential challenges around the corner? Their solution: migrating their backup data to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) as a key component of their disaster recovery process. Google Cloud Storage within GCP is a web service for storing and accessing data on Google's infrastructure. The service combines the performance and scalability of Google's cloud with advanced security and sharing capabilities. Georgia State already had a working relationship with Commvault, a leading provider of data management services, so when Commvault and Google established a strategic partnership, Georgia State leveraged the resources of both to ease their migration to the cloud. "It can take minutes to begin restoring data now with GCP and Commvault where it used to take hours to get access to offsite backups." Kelly Robinson, Director of Enterprise Infrastructure, Instructional Innovation and Technology, Georgia State University Using cloud technology to improve operations Until recently, Georgia State stored all their data on tapes in off-site data centers, like most large enterprises. These were expensive and inconvenient to maintain. Backing up their many terabytes of data on a weekly basis meant dedicated employees manually changing the tapes and being on call until the backup process completed, often during weekends and after hours. Restoring data involved a complicated chain of events that included calling the service provider to manually deliver tapes to campus, locating the correct files from multiple backup tapes, and staying onsite until the full backup process was complete. It was a time, and energy, consuming process. Together Georgia State, GCP, and Commvault created a customized hybrid solution to streamline this process. According to Robinson, with GCP, data is accessible, protected, and automated to backup continuously. She notes that “it can take minutes to begin restoring data now with GCP and Commvault where it used to take hours to get access to offsite backups. It’s an easy online process to start data recovery.” Georgia State’s hybrid solution consists of keeping daily data at several on-premise sites that backup to GCP regularly. Travis Remington, who directs Enterprise Computing and led the collaboration with GCP and Commvault, says, “in the event of a system failure we can restore quickly now using this cloud solution.” The new system was tested in September 2017 when Hurricane Irma threatened the Atlanta area. With power outages expected across the state—and across Georgia State’s multiple campuses, it was critical to ensure there was no loss of data and minimize any interruption in service. After all, even offsite data centers might be within the range of a natural disaster like this, but GCP would not be impacted. Their cloud solution helped them feel confident they were prepared, and it worked. When prolonged power outages resulted in certain systems needing to be restored, they were able to quickly bring the systems back online. Robinson says, “While we were able to protect our data before, GCP has made it much easier to perform data recovery after an event like this one.” Why Google Cloud and Commvault? Robinson explains that Georgia State chose to shift their disaster recovery to Google Cloud Platform because its backup is cost-effective, secure, and convenient, and its data recovery is fast and efficient. Robinson attributes the ease and efficiency of the transition to the partnership with Google and Commvault. Georgia State’s Instructional Innovation and Technology team was able to work through challenges together and both companies offered great support and resources. Her advice to other IT administrators looking to improve operations by transferring systems to the cloud? “Find someone you can truly partner with and road map what you are trying to accomplish. Look for the low-hanging fruit, like data recovery, which is also high value.” This migration to the cloud is just one step in a larger enterprise transformation toward a digitally-enabled university. Robinson and her team assess how new initiatives can leverage cloud resources so they are designed from the start to take advantage of these new capabilities and efficiencies. GCP is part of Georgia State’s overall cloud strategy and planning for the digital future. About Commvault Commvault is a leading provider of data protection, cloud and information management solutions, helping companies worldwide activate and drive more value and business insight out of their data. With solutions and services delivered directly and through a worldwide network of partners and service providers, Commvault comprises one of the industry’s leading portfolios in data protection and disaster recovery, cloud, virtualization, archive, file sync and share. To learn more about Commvault—and how it can help make your data work for you—visit www.commvault.com. "I’m just back from an industry conference and it surprised me how many people are continuing to use tapes. It’s time to look at the cloud. It can save you money and save you worry." Travis Remington, Enterprise Computing, Instructional Innovation and Technology, Georgia State University Founded in 1913 in downtown Atlanta, Georgia State University is one of four public research universities in the state. With over 50,000 students, it is ranked in the top ten for best undergraduate teaching by U.S. News and World Report, and is known as a diverse and innovative university. Google Cloud Platform, Sign up to get periodic updates on products, programs and events. Change language or region English (United States) English (Canada) English (Australia) English (India) English (New Zealand) English (United Kingdom)	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line659
__label__cc	0.641357	0.358643	Spain’s GDP per capita outperforms Italy’s one In 2017, Spanish GDP per capita at purchasing power parity managed to surpass Italy’s one for the first time since 1998, as follows from a report issued by the International Monetary Fund. According to IMF forecasts, for five years the Spanish indicator will account for 7%, which is higher than Italian, although ten years ago Italy was ahead by 10%. Moreover, the fund experts predict that by 2023 in this regard Italy will be beaten by such countries as Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Economic surge in Spain is on a more positive and convincing trajectory than in Italy since 2011, so it’s quite natural, as some market experts pointed out. Stagnation in the Italian economy has become one of the key reasons for political contradictions, as Italians lose faith in the ability of traditional parties to return the country to growth and provide the population with jobs, writes the Financial Times. Therefore, the popularity of populist and opposing political forces is increasing. Italy's huge public debt, in relation to GDP second only to Greece, is considered to be one of the main risks for the euro zone in general. As some market experts point out, this situation will continue if the Italian authorities don’t get down to structural reforms. At the same time, Spain has been increasing GDP faster since 2015 than Germany, France and the United Kingdom, although the Spanish economy is still just 2% higher than in 2007. According to experts, Spain has a number of structural advantages over Italy, including the younger population. However, the country also more effectively invested in public funds, especially in infrastructure, and demonstrated greater openness to innovation and foreign investment. In the late 1990s, Italy, the eurozone's number three economy, managed to outperform Spain in terms of GDP twice, and currently - by 50%. Compared to 2000, the Italian economy increased only slightly, while the main eurozone countries surged by 25%, and Spain came up with a 35% leap. motivation europe geopolitics	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line662
__label__wiki	0.658466	0.658466	The Punk Singer (2013) Published on 17 June 2014 29 May 2015 by Ewan M NEW RELEASE FILM REVIEW \|\| Seen at ICA, London, Wednesday 14 May 2014 \|\| My Rating good © IFC Films An increasing number of independent features are finding their breaks through crowdsourcing sites like Kickstarter, and The Punk Singer, a documentary about Kathleen Hanna, one of the originators of the so-called Riot Grrrl movement, is no different. It may not play well to those who are not already sympathetic towards Hanna’s life and music, but for those who are, it’s a compelling compilation of archive clips, blasts of her ferocious musical talent (with bands Bikini Kill, Le Tigre and now the Julie Ruin), and the de rigueur talking head commentaries from those who’ve lived with her, worked with her, or just been fans of her music. Hanna herself is interviewed as well (one gets the sense that she is partially an auteur of this particular vision) and it manages to avoid pure hagiography through her apparent caginess as a documentary subject. In many ways it seems like it’s the affliction she’s coped with over the last decade (Lyme’s Disease), and its corrosive effect on her musical creativity, which she feels gives her license to focus on herself as much as this documentary does. I may of course be projecting, but you get the sense from the interviews that she wouldn’t have felt comfortable just doing a piece about her place in musical history (which, let me be clear, is fascinating in itself), whether from humility or as a result of the way her position (as an outspoken woman in a traditionally male-dominated arena) has been distorted by the media; in this regard, it’s probably no coincidence that the majority of talking head interviews here are with women. And so it’s this enforced break in her career that came in 2005 which serves as the documentary’s linchpin, and it turns out to be a relatively dramatically satisfying one as well. The fact that she cancelled a planned appearance at the screening I went to, as well as her upcoming European tour, are clear indications that she hasn’t fully recovered (nor perhaps ever will) from this period of illness, but her recent undaunted musical output suggests there’s some hope for her and for her fans in the future. CREDITS \|\| Director Sini Anderson \| Cinematographers Jennie Jeddry and Moira Morel \| Starring Kathleen Hanna \| Length 80 minutes Categories Classification: 15, Country: USA, Rating: *** (3)•Tags 2013, directed by a woman, documentary, film reviews, jennie jeddry, kathleen hanna, moira morel, music film, punk, sini anderson, usa Previous White House Down (2013) Next Frank (2014)	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line665
__label__wiki	0.520671	0.520671	Microtome For the moth genus, see Microtome (moth). A microtome (from the Greek mikros, meaning "small", and temnein, meaning "to cut") is a tool used to cut extremely thin slices of material, known as sections. Important in science, microtomes are used in microscopy, allowing for the preparation of samples for observation under transmitted light or electron radiation. Microtomes use steel, glass, or diamond blades depending upon the specimen being sliced and the desired thickness of the sections being cut. Steel blades are used to prepare sections of animal or plant tissues for light microscopy histology. Glass knives are used to slice sections for light microscopy and to slice very thin sections for electron microscopy. Industrial grade diamond knives are used to slice hard materials such as bone, teeth and plant matter for both light microscopy and for electron microscopy. Gem quality diamond knives are used for slicing thin sections for electron microscopy. Microtomy is a method for the preparation of thin sections for materials such as bones, minerals and teeth, and an alternative to electropolishing and ion milling. Microtome sections can be made thin enough to section a human hair across its breadth, with section thickness between 50 nm and 100 µm. A diagram of a microtome drawn by Cummings in 1770.[1] In the beginnings of light microscope development, sections from plants and animals were manually prepared using razor blades. It was found that to observe the structure of the specimen under observation it was important to make clean reproducible cuts on the order of 100 µm, through which light can be transmitted. This allowed for the observation of samples using light microscopes in a transmission mode. One of the first devices for the preparation of such cuts was invented in 1770 by George Adams, Jr. (1750–1795) and further developed by Alexander Cummings.[2] The device was hand operated, and the sample held in a cylinder and sections created from the top of the sample using a hand crank.[1][3] In 1835, Andrew Prichard developed a table based model which allowed for the vibration to be isolated by affixing the device to the table, separating the operator from the knife.[4] Occasionally, attribution for the invention of the microtome is given to the anatomist Wilhelm His, Sr. (1865),[5][6] In his Beschreibung eines Mikrotoms (German for Description of a Microtome), Wilhelm wrote: The apparatus has enabled a precision in work by which I can achieve sections that by hand I cannot possibly create. Namely it has enabled the possibility of achieving unbroken sections of objects in the course of research. Other sources further attribute the development to a Czech physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně. [7] Several sources describe the Purkyne model as the first in practical use.[8][9] The obscurities in the origins of the microtome are due to the fact that the first microtomes were simply cutting apparatuses, and the developmental phase of early devices is widely undocumented. At the end of the 1800s, the development of very thin and consistently thin samples by microtomy, together with the selective staining of important cell components or molecules allowed for the visualisation of microscope details.[10][11] Today, the majority of microtomes are a knife-block design with a changeable knife, a specimen holder and an advancement mechanism. In most devices the cutting of the sample begins by moving the sample over the knife, where the advancement mechanism automatically moves forward such that the next cut for a chosen thickness can be made. The section thickness is controlled by an adjustment mechanism, allowing for precise control. ApplicationsEdit Microtome (C. Reichert, Vienna, 1905–1915). The most common applications of microtomes are: Traditional Histology Technique: tissues are fixed, dehydrated, cleared, and embedded in melted paraffin, which when cooled forms a solid block. The tissue is then cut in the microtome at thicknesses varying from 2 to 50 µm. From there the tissue can be mounted on a microscope slide, stained with appropriate aqueous dye(s) after removal of the paraffin, and examined using a light microscope.[12] Frozen section procedure: water-rich tissues are hardened by freezing and cut in the frozen state with a freezing microtome or microtome-cryostat; sections are stained and examined with a light microscope. This technique is much faster than traditional histology (5 minutes vs 16 hours) and is used in conjunction with medical procedures to achieve a quick diagnosis. Cryosections can also be used in immunohistochemistry as freezing tissue stops degradation of tissue faster than using a fixative and does not alter or mask its chemical composition as much. Electron Microscopy Technique: after embedding tissues in epoxy resin, a microtome equipped with a glass or gem grade diamond knife is used to cut very thin sections (typically 60 to 100 nanometer). Sections are stained with an aqueous solution of an appropriate heavy metal salt and examined with a transmission electron microscope. This instrument is often called an ultramicrotome. The ultramicrotome is also used with its glass knife or an industrial grade diamond knife to cut survey sections prior to thin sectioning. These survey sections are generally 0.5 to 1 µm thick and are mounted on a glass slide and stained to locate areas of interest under a light microscope prior to thin sectioning for the TEM. Thin sectioning for the TEM is often done with a gem quality diamond knife. Complementing traditional TEM techniques ultramicrotomes are increasingly found mounted inside an SEM chamber so the surface of the block face can be imaged and then removed with the microtome to uncover the next surface for imaging. This technique is called Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscopy (SBFSEM). Botanical Microtomy Technique: hard materials like wood, bone and leather require a sledge microtome. These microtomes have heavier blades and cannot cut as thin as a regular microtome. Spectroscopy (especially FTIR or Infrared spectroscopy) Technique: thin polymer sections are needed in order that the infra-red beam will penetrate the sample under examination. It is normal to cut samples to between 20 and 100 µm in thickness. For more detailed analysis of much smaller areas in a thin section, FTIR microscopy can be used for sample inspection. A recent development is the laser microtome, which cuts the target specimen with a femtosecond laser instead of a mechanical knife. This method is contact-free and does not require sample preparation techniques. The laser microtome has the ability to slice almost every tissue in its native state. Depending on the material being processed, slice thicknesses of 10 to 100 µm are feasible. TypesEdit SledgeEdit A sled microtome A sledge microtome is a device where the sample is placed into a fixed holder (shuttle), which then moves backwards and forwards across a knife. Modern sled microtomes have the sled placed upon a linear bearing, a design that allows the microtome to readily cut many coarse sections.[13] By adjusting the angles between the sample and the microtome knife, the pressure applied to the sample during the cut can be reduced.[13] Typical applications for this design of microtome are of the preparation of large samples, such as those embedded in paraffin for biological preparations. Typical cut thickness achievable on a sledge microtome is between 1 and 60 µm. RotaryEdit A rotary microtome of older construction This instrument is a common microtome design. This device operates with a staged rotary action such that the actual cutting is part of the rotary motion. In a rotary microtome, the knife is typically fixed in a horizontal position.[14] Principle of sample movement for making a cut on a rotary microtome In the figure to the left, the principle of the cut is explained. Through the motion of the sample holder, the sample is cut by the knife position 1 to position 2, at which point the fresh section remains on the knife. At the highest point of the rotary motion, the sample holder is advanced by the same thickness as the section that is to be made, allowing the next section to be made. The flywheel in many microtomes can be operated by hand. This has the advantage that a clean cut can be made, as the relatively large mass of the flywheel prevents the sample from being stopped during the sample cut. The flywheel in newer models is often integrated inside the microtome casing. The typical cut thickness for a rotary microtome is between 1 and 60 µm. For hard materials, such as a sample embedded in a synthetic resin, this design of microtome can allow good "semi-thin" sections with a thickness of as low as 0.5 µm. CryomicrotomeEdit See also: Frozen section procedure A cryomicrotome For the cutting of frozen samples, many rotary microtomes can be adapted to cut in a liquid-nitrogen chamber, in a so-called cryomicrotome setup. The reduced temperature allows the hardness of the sample to be increased, such as by undergoing a glass transition, which allows the preparation of semi-thin samples.[13] However the sample temperature and the knife temperature must be controlled in order to optimise the resultant sample thickness. UltramicrotomeEdit A ribbon of ultrathin sections prepared by room-temperature ultramicrotomy, floating on water in the boat of a diamond knife used to cut the sections. The knife blade is the edge at the upper end of the trough of water. An ultramicrotome is a main tool of ultramicrotomy. It allows the preparation of extremely thin sections, with the device functioning in the same manner as a rotational microtome, but with very tight tolerances on the mechanical construction. As a result of the careful mechanical construction, the linear thermal expansion of the mounting is used to provide very fine control of the thickness.[13] These extremely thin cuts are important for use with transmission electron microscope (TEM) and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM), and are sometimes also important for light-optical microscopy.[14] The typical thickness of these cuts is between 40 and 100 nm for transmission electron microscopy and often between 30 and 50 nm for SBFSEM. Thicker sections up to 500 nm thick are also taken for specialized TEM applications or for light-microscopy survey sections to select an area for the final thin sections. Diamond knives (preferably) and glass knives are used with ultramicrotomes. To collect the sections, they are floated on top of a liquid as they are cut and are carefully picked up onto grids suitable for TEM specimen viewing. The thickness of the section can be estimated by the thin-film interference colors of reflected light that are seen as a result of the extremely low sample thickness.[15] VibratingEdit Main article: Vibratome The vibrating microtome operates by cutting using a vibrating blade, allowing the resultant cut to be made with less pressure than would be required for a stationary blade. The vibrating microtome is usually used for difficult biological samples.[13] The cut thickness is usually around 30–500 µm for live tissue and 10–500 µm for fixed tissue.[citation needed] SawEdit The saw microtome is especially for hard materials such as teeth or bones. The microtome of this type has a recessed rotating saw, which slices through the sample. The minimal cut thickness is approximately 30 µm and can be made for comparatively large samples.[13] LaserEdit See also: Laser microtome A conceptual diagram of laser microtome operation The laser microtome is an instrument for contact-free slicing.[16] Prior preparation of the sample through embedding, freezing or chemical fixation is not required, thereby minimizing the artifacts from preparation methods. Alternately this design of microtome can also be used for very hard materials, such as bones or teeth, as well as some ceramics. Dependent upon the properties of the sample material, the thickness achievable is between 10 and 100 µm. The device operates using a cutting action of an infrared laser. As the laser emits a radiation in the near infrared, in this wavelength regime the laser can interact with biological materials. Through sharp focusing of the probe within the sample, a focal point of very high intensity, up to TW/cm2, can be achieved. Through the non-linear interaction of the optical penetration in the focal region a material separation in a process known as photo-disruption is introduced. By limiting the laser pulse durations to the femtoseconds range, the energy expended at the target region is precisely controlled, thereby limiting the interaction zone of the cut to under a micrometre. External to this zone the ultra-short beam application time introduces minimal to no thermal damage to the remainder of the sample. The laser radiation is directed onto a fast scanning mirror-based optical system, which allows three-dimensional positioning of the beam crossover, whilst allowing beam traversal to the desired region of interest. The combination of high power with a high raster rate allows the scanner to cut large areas of sample in a short time. In the laser microtome the laser-microdissection of internal areas in tissues, cellular structures, and other types of small features is also possible. KnivesEdit A diamond knife blade used for cutting ultrathin sections (typically 70 to 350 nm) for transmission electron microscopy. The selection of microtome knife blade profile depends upon the material and preparation of the samples, as well as the final sample requirements (e.g. cut thickness and quality). Design and cut typesEdit Profiles of microtome knives. Generally, knives are characterized by the profile of the knife blade, which falls under the categories of planar concave, wedge shaped or chisel shaped designs. Planar concave microtome knives are extremely sharp, but are also very delicate and are therefore only used with very soft samples.[14] The wedge profile knives are somewhat more stable and find use in moderately hard materials, such as in epoxy or cryogenic sample cutting. Finally, the chisel profile with its blunt edge, raises the stability of the knife, whilst requiring significantly more force to achieve the cut. For ultramicrotomes, glass and diamond knives are required, the cut breadth of the blade is therefore on the order of a few millimetres and is therefore significantly smaller than for classical microtome knives. Glass knives are usually manufactured by the fracture of glass bars using special "knife-maker" fracturing devices. Glass knives may be used for initial sample preparations even where diamond knives may be used for final sectioning. Glass knives usually have small troughs, made with plastic tape, which are filled with water to allow the sample to float for later collection.[13] Diamond blades may be built into such an existing trough, allowing for the same collection method. SectioningEdit Prior to cutting by microtome, biological materials are usually placed in a more rigid fixative, in a process known as embedding. This is achieved by the inflow of a liquid substance around the sample, such as paraffin (wax) or epoxy, which is placed in a mold and later hardened to produce a "block" which is readily cut. The declination is the angle of contact between the sample vertical and knife blade. If the knife blade is at right angles (declination=90) the cut is made directly using a pressure based mode, and the forces are therefore proportionally larger. If the knife is tilted, however, the relative motion of the knife is increasingly parallel to sample motion, allowing for a slicing action. This behaviour is very important for large or hard samples The inclination of the knife is the angle between the knife face and the sample. For an optimal result, this angle must be chosen appropriately. The optimal angle depends upon the knife geometry, the cut speed and many other parameters. If the angle is adjusted to zero, the knife cut can often become erratic, and a new location of the knife must be used to smooth this out. If the angle is too large, the sample can crumple and the knife can induce periodic thickness variations in the cut. By further increasing the angle such that it is too large one can damage the knife blade itself. ^ a b Hill, John (1770). The Construction of Timber, from its early growth; Explained by Microscope, and proven from Experiments, in a great Variety of Kinds. London: The author. pp. 5–11, Plate I. ^ Quekett, John (1848). A Practical Treatise on the use of the Microscope. London: Hippolyte Bailliere. pp. 306, Chapter XII (Microtomes and Microtome Knives). ^ Anonymous (1910). "An eighteenth century Microtome". Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society. Oxford, England: The Royal Microscopical Society: 779–782. ^ Gilbert Morgan Smith: The Development of Botanical Microtechnique. In: Transactions of the American Microscopical Society 34, Nr. 2. 1915, S. 71–129, (PDF-Version of the article) JSTOR 3221940 doi:10.2307/3221940 ^ "Wilhelm His". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 24 March 2009. ^ Loukas M, Clarke P, Tubbs RS, Kapos T, Trotz M (2008). "The His family and their contributions to cardiology". International Journal of Cardiology. 123 (2): 75–78. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2006.12.070. ISSN 0167-5273. PMID 17433467. ^ "Histology". msn Encarta. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2009. ^ Detlev Ganten: Handbuch der molekularen Medizin (Handbook of molecular medicine), Springer, ISBN 3-540-64552-7, (Google-Books) ^ Werner Gerabek, Bernhard D. Haage, Gundolf Keil, Wolfgang Wegner (2005): Enzyklopädie Medizingeschichte (Encyclopaedia of medical history), Walter de Gruyter, ISBN 3-11-015714-4, (Google-Books) ^ Ernst Mayr (2002). Die Entwicklung der biologischen Gedankenwelt. (The evolution of the biological thought ). Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-43213-5. ^ Werner Linß, Werner Linb, Jochen Fanghänel: Histologie: Zytologie, allgemeine Histologie, mikroskopische Anatomie. (Histology: Cytology, general Histology, microscopial anatomy) Walter de Gruyter, 1998, ISBN 3-11-014032-2 (Google-Books) ^ Bancroft, John; Stevens, Alan, eds. (1982). The Theory and Practice of Histological Techniques (2nd ed.). Longman Group Limited. ^ a b c d e f g Gudrun Lang (2006). Histotechnik. Praxislehrbuch für die Biomedizinische Analytik. (Histology : practical textbook for analytical biomedicine). Springer, Wien/New York. ISBN 978-3-211-33141-5. ^ a b c Klaus Henkel: Das Schneiden mit dem Mikrotom Archived 10 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Mikrobiologische Vereinigung München e. V., 2006, accessed 15 February 2009 ^ Peachey Lee D. (1958). "Thin Sections: A study of section thickness and physical distortion produced during microtomy" (PDF). J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 4 (3): 233–242. doi:10.1083/jcb.4.3.233. PMC 2224471. PMID 13549493. ^ Holger Lubatschowski 2007: Laser Microtomy, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, Biophotonics, S. 49–51 (PDF Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine). doi:10.1002/opph.201190252 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Microtome. "Microtomy" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Microtome&oldid=900916512"	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line668
__label__wiki	0.948497	0.948497	Alitalia Flight 771 An Alitalia Douglas DC-8 similar to the one involved July 7, 1962, 18:40 UTC (July 8, 1962, 00:10 local) Controlled flight into terrain due to Pilot error 11 km NW of Junnar, Maharashtra, India I-DIWD Flight origin Kingsford-Smith Airport (SYD/YSSY), Sydney, Australia 1st stopover Darwin International Airport (DRW/YPDN), Darwin, Australia 2nd stopover Don Mueang International Airport (DMK/VTBD), Bangkok, Thailand 3rd stopover Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM/VABB), Mumbai, India 4th stopover Jinnah International Airport (KHI/OPKC), Karachi, Pakistan Last stopover Mehrabad Airport (THR/OIII), Tehran, Iran Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FCO/LIRF), Rome, Italy Alitalia Flight 771 was a multi-leg Douglas DC-8-43 international scheduled flight from Sydney via Darwin, Bangkok, Bombay, Karachi, and Tehran to Rome with 94 on board. On July 7, 1962 18:40 UTC (July 8, 1962, 00:10 local) it crashed into a hill about 84 kilometres (52 mi) north-east of Bombay while on approach. 2 Crew The aircraft involved in the accident was a Douglas DC-8-43 constructed in 1962 and registered as I-DIWD to Alitalia. At the time of the accident the aircraft had sustained 964 flight hours. The registration and airworthiness certificates were both valid. The Captain of the flight had signed the Certificate of Maintenance on 6 July 1962. The aircraft was equipped with a VHF navigation receiver, glide slope receiver, marker beacon receiver, ADF receiver, Loran receiver, doppler radar, and a transponder; but the aircraft did not have any flight recorders.[1] No mechanical issues were reported, and the center of gravity and weight of the DC-8 were within permitted parameters.[1] Crew[edit] Nine crew members were aboard the flight. The cockpit crew consisted of: Captain Luigi Quattrin,[2] who was 50 years old and had been a pilot since 1939. He had accumulated 13,700 flight hours, of which 1,396 were on the Douglas DC-8. He had previously flown the Rome-Bombay route on DC-6 and DC-7 aircraft but did not go all the way to Bangkok. On the familiarization flight for the Bangkok-Bombay route, which was required by Alitalia in order for him to be permitted to fly the route as pilot-in-command, he flew the route to Bangkok via the Tehran-Karachi-Bombay route.[3] The Co-pilot Ugo Arcangeli[4] was 33 years old and had been a pilot since 1956. He had accumulated a total of 3,480 flight hours, of which 1,672 had been from flying as co-pilot on the DC-8.[3] The Flight engineer Luciano Fontana[4] was 31 years old and had 4,070 flight hours, of which 386 were from flying on the DC-8.[3] The remaining six members of the crew were flight attendants. Both the captain and co-pilot were trained navigators, but there was no individual navigator in the flight crew. After starting initially with 45 passengers in Sydney and taking on more passengers on the stops to Darwin and Singapore,[5] Flight 771 departed from Bangkok at 15:16 UTC with 94 people aboard as stated by the load sheet, although the official flight plan stated there was to be 98 people aboard. The flight plan was not signed by the pilot-in-command, a violation of the Alitalia Operations Manual.[6][7] Flight 771 first made communications with Bombay Flight Information Center at 17:20, during which the flight requested a weather forecast for landing, as well as stating their estimated time of arrival to be 18:45 and their altitude to be 36,000 feet. Between the times of 17:30 and 17:47 they were informed of the local weather forecast; Various weather reports for Bombay at the time of the accident indicated that there was light rain but no thunderstorms or other dangerous conditions.[8] At 18:20 the flight switched to the Bombay approach frequency and requested to initiate descent when over the point of Aurangabad to an altitude of 20,000 feet. The descent was approved and the weather information provided was acknowledged.[8] The flight initiated descent at 18:24:36 UTC, descending from 35,000 ft to 20,000 ft approximately twenty minutes before it was due to land at Bombay with an ETA at 18:45. At 18:25 the flight was cleared to take a transition level of 4,000 ft. Weather information was transmitted again at 18:28:04, with the QNH at 29.58 inches. At 18:29 the air traffic controller was informed of the flight's preference to land of runway 27. At 18:38:34 the flight was asked if it would be making a 360° over the beacon or landing in directly.[8] At 18:38:49 the flight only replied "OK" leading to some confusion as to which approach would be taken. The flight clarified shortly thereafter that it would make a 360° over the outer beacon.[9] At 18:38:54 the DC-8 reached an altitude of 5,000 feet; the flight plan provided by Alitalia prescribed a 100-mile descent to Bombay in 13 minutes. The flight continued descending further to 3,600 feet, well below the minimum safety altitude at 9,000 feet as well as below the 4,000 ft minimum initial approach altitude.[9] The last communication heard from the aircraft was at 18:39:58 again confirming the 360° over the beacon. The DC-8 crashed into Davandyachi hill on a bearing of 240°. The wreckage of the aircraft was found scattered among trees on the hill with the remains of the cockpit altimeter at an altitude of 3,600 feet, only 5 feet short of the top.[7] The DC-8 was completely destroyed and all persons aboard perished in the crash.[9] Causes[edit] Investigators explored several potential causes, including: navigational errors which led the pilot to believe that he was nearer to his destination than he actually was; failure to maintain the recommended safe altitude; and pilot unfamiliarity with the flight route.[10] Pilot intoxication was initially suggested but ruled out as a contributing cause. Chart number 21 from the radio facility did not show the terrain the flight crashed into and only indicated the presence of a location 13 miles to the north at a height of 5,400 feet.[11] Investigators concluded that errors in navigation led the pilot to think he was closer to the necessary point of descent than in reality resulting in a premature descent for a straight-in instrument approach at night, resulting in controlled flight into terrain.[12] Secondary causes of the accident were cited as follows by the ICAO:[12] "1. Failure on the part of the pilot to make use of the navigational facilities available in order to ascertain the correct position, of the aircraft. 2. Infringement of the prescribed minimum safe altitude. 3. Unfamiliarity of the pilot with the terrain on the route." Air Inter Flight 148 Crossair Flight 3597 Indian Airlines Flight 605 India portal ^ a b ICAO Circular, p. 86. ^ "The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales on July 8, 1962 · Page 2". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2017-12-09. ^ a b c ICAO Circular, p. 85. ^ a b "Seduta di Lunedì 9 Lugio 1962 Presidenza del Vicepresidente Bucciarelli Ducci" III Legislatura — Discucioni — Seduta del 9 Luglio 1962 http://legislature.camera.it/_dati/leg03/lavori/stenografici/sed0640/sed0640.pdf ^ Vadukut, Sidin (2015-03-27). "The origin of the black box". Live Mint. Retrieved 2017-12-09. ^ ICAO Circular, p. 88. ^ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network "ICAO Circular 71-AN/63" (PDF). International Civil Aviation Organization. 1966. Retrieved 2017-12-09. Aviation accidents and incidents in 1962 (1962) Feb 25 Avensa Fairchild F-27 accident Mar 1 American Airlines Flight 1 Mar 4 Caledonian Airways Flight 153 Mar 8 Turkish Airlines crash Mar 16 Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 May 6 Channel Airways Dakota accident May 12 Godthab Catalina crash May 22 Continental Airlines Flight 11 Jun 3 Air France Flight 007 Jun 22 Air France Flight 117 Jun 30 Aeroflot Flight 902 Jul 7 Alitalia Flight 771 Jul 19 United Arab Airlines Flight 869 Jul 22 Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 301 Jul 28 Aeroflot Flight 415 Aug 1 Royal Nepal Airlines DC-3 crash Sep 3 Aeroflot Flight 3 Nov 23 United Airlines Flight 297 Nov 27 Varig Flight 810 Nov 30 Eastern Air Lines Flight 512 Dec 19 LOT Vickers Viscount accident Coordinates: 19°12′00″N 73°52′48″E / 19.20000°N 73.88000°E / 19.20000; 73.88000 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alitalia_Flight_771&oldid=896980609" Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain Aviation accidents and incidents in India History of Mumbai (1947–present) Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-8 Aviation accidents and incidents in 1962 1962 in India Alitalia accidents and incidents	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line670
__label__wiki	0.976051	0.976051	New Mexico Air National Guard New Mexico ANG 188th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron - F-16 Fighting Falcons over Iraq, 2009 7 July 1947 - present "To meet state and federal mission responsibilities." New Mexico Department of Military Affairs United States National Guard Bureau New Mexico Department of Military Affairs, 2251 Air Guard Drive Southeast, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87117 Civilian leadership (Commander-in-Chief) Heather Wilson (Secretary of the Air Force) Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (Governor of the State of New Mexico) State military leadership Major General (NM) Kenneth Nava (Adjutant General of the State of New Mexico) Emblem of the New Mexico Air National Guard The New Mexico Air National Guard (NM ANG) is the air force militia of the State of New Mexico, United States of America. It is, along with the New Mexico Army National Guard, an element of the New Mexico National Guard. As state militia units, the units in the New Mexico Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of New Mexico though the office of the New Mexico Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Adjutant General is MG (NM) Kenneth Nava. The New Mexico Air National Guard is headquartered in Albuquerque at Kirtland Air Force Base, and its commander is currently[update] Brigadier General Robert Reyner. 2 Components 3.1 Korean War 3.2 Cold War 3.3 Vietnam War 3.4 1970s 3.5 Gulf War 1991 3.6 War on Terror 3.7 2010 Combat Air Force Restructure 3.8 2013 to Present Day Under the "Total Force" concept, New Mexico Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components (ARC) of the United States Air Force (USAF). New Mexico ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. In addition, the New Mexico Air National Guard forces are assigned to Air Expeditionary Forces and are subject to deployment tasking orders along with their active duty and Air Force Reserve counterparts in their assigned cycle deployment window. Along with their federal reserve obligations, as state militia units the elements of the New Mexico ANG are subject to being activated by order of the Governor to provide protection of life and property, and preserve peace, order and public safety. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of vital public services, and support to civil defense. Components[edit] The New Mexico Air National Guard consists of the following major unit: 150th Special Operations Wing (formerly 150th Fighter Wing) Established 7 July 1947 (as: 188th Fighter Squadron) Stationed at: Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque Gained by: Air Force Special Operations Command The 150 SOW is currently engaged in assuming part of the mission of the USAF 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland AFB. The future mission of the 150 FW will be to train aircrew in the HC-130P and HH-60G search and rescue aircraft, and the MC-130E Combat Talon I, MC-130P Combat Shadow, and CV-22 Osprey special operations aircraft.[1] The New Mexico Air National Guard owns and uses the Cato/Smitty MOA, southwest of Albuquerque, from 500 feet AGL to 51,000 feet with some supersonic flights conducted above 30,000 feet. The unit also utilizes the very large White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) airspace for both air-to-air and air-to-ground training. In addition to Cato and WSMR, the Tacos make use of the Pecos MOA that is east of Albuquerque and North of Roswell. For air-to-ground training, the NMANG has several options for local flying, including Melrose Bombing Range co-located with the Pecos MOA, Red Rio, Oscura, and Centennial ranges in the WSMR airspace, and Airburst bombing range in southern Colorado. The 150th Fighter Wing scheduled three Military Training Routes (MTR) that are wider than average to help dissipate the environmental effects of overflight. They usually get very few noise complaints. VR-176 is an MTR that accesses the White Sands Missile Range airspace and even though it is very wide, has the most noise avoidance areas. Every attempt is made to brief infrequent or transient users of VR-176 about the noise sensitive areas. VR 1195 and 1107 encompass the majority of eastern New Mexico. New Mexico has some of the greatest flying weather in the country, three large supersonic training areas, five air-to-ground ranges (three manned, all scoreable), and three very large Military Training Routes. On 24 May 1946, the United States Army Air Forces, in response to dramatic postwar military budget cuts imposed by President Harry S. Truman, allocated inactive unit designations to the National Guard Bureau for the formation of an Air Force National Guard. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units.[2] New Mexico Air National Guard F-51H Mustang, 1948 The New Mexico Air National Guard was federally recognized on 7 July 1947 as the 188th Fighter Bomber Squadron. The unit was composed of a utility flight equipped with Douglas B-26 light bombers, a fighter squadron composed of 100 officers and airmen flying 25 F-51D Mustangs and three T-6 Texan trainers, plus a small weather detachment. Pilots were drawn from returning World War II veterans, including David Tallichet, and new local recruits. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the New Mexico Air National Guard's official birth concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the United States military under the National Security Act.[2] The 188th's mission was changed from fighter bomber to interceptor in 1948. Korean War[edit] In December 1950, the unit was called to active duty for the Korean War. A total of 54 officers and 400 airmen were assigned to Long Beach Airport, California. Most unit members were then absorbed by other USAF units and dispatched to Japan and Korea. First Lieutenants Robert Lucas and Joseph Murray were killed while flying close air support missions in Korea. Captain Francis Williams and First Lieutenant Robert Sands were each credited with shooting down three Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 fighters. The unit was released from federal active duty in November 1952. Cold War[edit] 188th Fighter Squadron in 1955 In August 1953, the 188th FIS received their first jet aircraft, the F-80C Shooting Star. Between 1953 and 1957, the 188th was one of three squadrons of the 140th Wing, with headquarters in Denver, Colorado. In 1957, the 188th was presented the Spaatz Trophy and the Air Force Association Trophy for being the outstanding tactical unit of the Air National Guard for the period 1 January 1956 through 31 December 1956. In 1957, the unit was re-designated and federally recognized as the 150th Tactical Fighter Group. On 1 July 1961, the 188th Fighter Interceptor Squadron assumed 24-hour Air Defense alert status at Kirtland Air Force Base. In 1958, the 188th became the first squadron in the Air National Guard to receive the F-100 Super Sabre, 12 F-100As and two F-100Fs. This conversion raised unit strength to 956 officers and airmen.[3] In April 1961, an aircraft malfunction caused an AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile to launch and shoot down a B-52B Stratofortress bomber near Grants, New Mexico. The B-52B (AF Ser. No. 53-0380, aircraft nickname "Ciudad Juarez") from the 95th Bomb Wing took off from Biggs Air Force Base, at El Paso, Texas on a practice mission. During an intercept by two New Mexico ANG F-100As, an AIM-9B shook loose and impacted one of the engine pods on the left wing, taking the B-52's left wing off in the subsequent explosion. Three B-52 crewmembers died; the F-100 pilot was absolved of any blame.[4] In the fall of 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis put the 150th on an alert status that lasted for 90 days. Later, the 150th was reassigned from Aerospace Defense Command to Tactical Air Command and equipped with the F-100C fighter-bomber. Vietnam War[edit] In January 1968, the group was activated as a result of the Pueblo Crisis, and in June of that year the 188th Tactical Fighter Squadron and approximately 250 maintenance and support personnel were deployed to Tuy Hoa Air Base, Vietnam. Remaining group members were assigned to various bases in South Korea. The unit flew over 6000 combat sorties in the F-100C Super Sabre and amassed over 630 medals and decorations before release from federal active duty in June 1969. Captain Michael Adams was killed in action and Major Bobby Neeld and First Lieutenant Mitchell Lane are listed as missing in action. The unit received the USAF Outstanding Unit Award with a bronze "V" for valor. 1970s[edit] In New Mexico, units of both the Army and Air Guard were ordered to State duty in 1970 to assist local and State police during campus riots at the University of New Mexico. In 1973 the 150th Tactical Fighter Group converted from the F-100C to the A-7D Corsair II. In 1977, the unit participated in the "Coronet Ante" exercise, which was part of the NATO "Coldfire" exercise in Europe. The 150th TFG deployed nine A-7Ds to Gilze Rijen Air Base, The Netherlands, from 2 September through 27 September 1977. Close air support missions were flown over The Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, and the North Sea. During exercise "Bright Star '81", the 150th TFG set an A-7 and first endurance record of 111⁄2 hours flying non-stop from Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire to Cairo West Air Base, Egypt.[3] Gulf War 1991[edit] 188th Fighter Squadron flying over Kuwaiti oil wells during the Operation Southern Watch, 1998 The 150th Fighter Group was partially activated in support of Operation Desert Storm. On 11 December 1990, 44 members of the 150th Security Police Flight and other unit members were deployed to Saudi Arabia. All members returned home by May 1991. In the following year, the 150th was redesignated as the 150th Fighter Wing (150 FW) as part of a redesignation of nearly all Air National Guard flying units previously designated as groups. The 150 FW also transitioned from the A-7 to the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon. War on Terror[edit] Since the September 11 attacks 2001, the 150th FW supported several deployments connected with Operation Noble Eagle. Within hours of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington D.C., 150th FW aircrews flew combat air patrol sorties over key resources within the western part of the United States, and continued to do so for many months. To protect the local homeland of New Mexico, 150th Security Forces Squadron (SFS) personnel provided several months of security protection to the Albuquerque International Airport.[5] 2010 Combat Air Force Restructure[edit] In 2009, it was decided to assign the 21 F-16C/D aircraft of the New Mexico ANG to other Air National Guard units in the District of Columbia Air National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard as part of the "Fiscal Year 2010 Combat Air Force Restructure". The last two F-16s left Kirtland AFB in September 2010.[6] The 150th FW was to take over the mission of Kirtland's 58th Special Operations Wing. An Air Education and Training Command (AETC) unit, the 58 SOW trains about 2,200 military personnel a year in special operations and combat search and rescue utilizing the HC-130P/N King, MC-130H Combat Talon II, MC-130J Commando II, the HC-130J King II, HH-60G Pavehawk, UH-1N Iroquois, and CV-22 Osprey. 2013 to Present Day[edit] Located on Kirtland Air Force Base that borders Albuquerque, New Mexico, on December 1, 2013 due to the Department of the Air Force restructuring and realignment, the 150th Fighter Wing was renamed as the 150th Special Operations Wing through a Total Force Integration with the 58th Special Operations Wing. This historic redesignation hails the activation of a new mission for the 150th from a fighter unit to a special operations training unit. Currently, the 150th SOW has one C-26 Metroliner support aircraft and is highly involved with the 58th Special Operations Wings day–to-day operations. They have been highly successful in this endeavor and are currently a highly integral part of the operations and maintenance side of the house on the following aircraft; HC-130 P/N, HC-130J, MC-130J, HH-60G, and 6 “by-name” members on the CV-22. The 150 SOW maintains its daily operations with the support of over 335 full-time personnel and approximately another 650 Drill Status Guardsmen. Today, the NM ANG is composed of State Headquarters, the 150th Special Operations Wing, 150th Maintenance Group, 150th Operations Group, 150th Mission Support Group, 150th Medical Group, 250th Intel Squadron, and 210th RED HORSE Squadron. In addition, the wing is assigned one C-26 support aircraft and supports both domestic and world-wide Combatant Commander taskings. New Mexico portal New Mexico State Defense Force New Mexico Wing Civil Air Patrol This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/. ^ 150th Fighter Wing factsheet ^ a b Rosenfeld, Susan and Gross, Charles J (2007), Air National Guard at 60: A History. Air National Guard history program AFD-080527-040 Archived 2012-10-16 at the Wayback Machine ^ a b http://www.cybermodeler.com/history/nmang/nmang1.shtml ^ http://www.angelfire.com/dc/jinxx1/images/Shootdown.html ^ http://www.kirtland.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5598 ^ http://www.peopleforpearce.com/content/last-two-f-16s-depart-new-mexico%E2%80%99s-150th-fighter-wing Gross, Charles J (1996), The Air National Guard and the American Military Tradition, United States Dept. of Defense, ISBN 0160483026 New Mexico Air National Guard website Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Mexico Air National Guard. 150th Fighter Wing factsheet Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico New Mexico National Guard - Minuteman Magazine published by AQP Publishing, Inc. https://www.dma.state.nm.us/ State and Air National Guard Readiness ANG AFRC Test ANG Weather Readiness I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Wings and Groups Air Refueling 52d* 54th* 61st* 106th* Combat Communications 281st* Cyberspace Engineering Installation Air Command and Control Non-Flying Air Support 113th ASOS 285th Civil Engineering Squadron Engineering Installation Force Support Information Warfare Aggressor Joint Communications Support Logistics Readiness Space Control Space Warning Special Operations Communications Special Tactics Asterisk (*) denotes an inactive unit Under Secretary of the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Four-star generals House Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Senate Committee on Armed Services Senate Subcommittee on Airland Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces District of Washington Operational Test and Evaluation Center Major Commands AETC AFGSC AFMC AFRC PACAF USAFE-AFA Numbered Air Forces Eleventh Twelfth Seventeenth Eighteenth Nineteenth Twentieth Twenty-Second Twenty-Fourth Twenty-Fifth Air Forces Central Civilian auxiliary: Civil Air Patrol Personnel and Specialty Code Aeronautical ratings Training: Air Force Academy Airman Leadership School Uniforms and Aeronautical Division / Aviation Section / Division of Military Aeronautics / Army Air Service / Army Air Corps / Army Air Forces "The U.S. Air Force" Air Force Band Airman's Creed Women Airforce Service Pilots Air Force One / Air Force Two Service numbers United States National Guard: Army National Guard and Air National Guard Alabama (Army/Air) Alaska (Army/Air) Arizona (Army/Air) Arkansas (Army/Air) California (Army/Air) Colorado (Army/Air) Connecticut (Army/Air) Delaware (Army/Air) Florida (Army/Air) Georgia (Army/Air) Hawaii (Army/Air) Idaho (Army/Air) Illinois (Army/Air) Indiana (Army/Air) Iowa (Army/Air) Kansas (Army/Air) Kentucky (Army/Air) Louisiana (Army/Air) Maine (Army/Air) Maryland (Army/Air) Massachusetts (Army/Air) Michigan (Army/Air) Minnesota (Army/Air) Mississippi (Army/Air) Missouri (Army/Air) Montana (Army/Air) Nebraska (Army/Air) Nevada (Army/Air) New Hampshire (Army/Air) New Jersey (Army/Air) New Mexico (Army/Air) New York (Army/Air) North Carolina (Army/Air) North Dakota (Army/Air) Ohio (Army/Air) Oklahoma (Army/Air) Oregon (Army/Air) Pennsylvania (Army/Air) Rhode Island (Army/Air) South Carolina (Army/Air) South Dakota (Army/Air) Tennessee (Army/Air) Texas (Army/Air) Utah (Army/Air) Vermont (Army/Air) Virginia (Army/Air) Washington (Army/Air) West Virginia (Army/Air) Wisconsin (Army/Air) Wyoming (Army/Air) and territories District of Columbia (Army/Air) Guam (Army/Air) Puerto Rico (Army/Air) U.S. Virgin Islands (Army/Air) Northern Mariana Islands (proposed) American Samoa (none) Philippines (deactivated) Santa Fe (capital) Census-designated places Bizcochito New Mexico music New Mexicans Pueblos and Tribes Seal of New Mexico Apachian zone Central New Mexico Chicoma Mountain Chihuahuan Desert Eastern New Mexico Llano Estacado Mogollon Plateau Northern New Mexico San Luis Valley Sandia Mountains Shortgrass prairie Sangre de Cristo Mountains Wheeler Peak (highest point) Southwestern New Mexico Albuquerque (Metropolitan Area) See: List of counties in New Mexico Catron De Baca Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Mexico_Air_National_Guard&oldid=904585219" United States Air National Guard Military in New Mexico Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Air Force Historical Research Agency	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line671
__label__cc	0.569745	0.430255	32-YO Athlete Succumbs To Rare Cancer After 10 Years Of Treatments While Racing To Success Gabriele Grunewald survived cancer for 10 years. She taught the world to face your disease with the brightest smile and never stop following your goals. Some are mothers, others are teachers, there are many leading a team of men in the world of business, and then there are the many in the world of sports and athletics, matching their male competitors every step of the way. You will find strong women thriving in practically every field imaginable. And 32-year-old Gabriele Grunewald was one such athlete who achieved her success while battling cancer, a disease that can leave you weak and frail, physically and mentally exhausted. After ten years of one heartbreaking diagnosis after another, chemotherapy and winning championships, Gabriele succumbed to the deadly disease on June 12, 2019. Growing with every step they take, teaching a lesson or two through their actions, and leaving a mark that will never be erased. Most people lose hope when they go through difficult phases in life. Regardless of how bearable our pain may be, as humans, we tend to give up on ourselves. However, there are some individuals who exhibit extraordinary courage and bravery through what others consider impossible. According to The New York Times, Justin Grunewald, Gabriele's husband announced the death of the runner through an Instagram post. He wrote, "At 7:52 I said 'I can’t wait until I get to see you again' to my hero, my best friend, my inspiration, my wife. @gigrunewald I always felt like the Robin to your Batman and I know I will never be able to fill this gaping hole in my heart or fill the shoes you have left behind." Gabriele Grunewald is a face that could never be forgotten from professional racing. The gifted athlete first discovered the news of her illness in 2009. Gabriele who was preparing for a race learned that she was affected by adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer of the salivary gland. However, the news of her illness did not stop the determined sportswoman. She ran the race knowing that she was now a victim of a deadly disease. Not only did she just run but also recorded her fasted timing in a 1500 meter time. In 2010, her thyroid gland was removed when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. But, she kept calm and ran faster than ever. “It’s like I lost all excuses for not pushing myself to reach my fullest potential,” she had said in an interview with New York Times. Gabriele talked less about her illness and focused on her progress on track. After graduating from college, she dedicated her entire time to professional racing, competing as a middle -distance runner. The athlete was made to undergo several sessions of chemotherapy and surgeries, the first of which damaged her facial nerve that changed her smile forever. However, nothing stopped her from smiling at the starting lines. Though her body was weak and in pain, the young woman did not give up on her dream. She kept her feet strong on the track field even when she knew her days were numbered. She took part in a series of races without worrying about her illness. In 2014, the determined athlete won the United States’ indoor national championship in the 3,000 meters. Gabriele decided to go public with her cancer battle when she learned that in spite of all the treatments she underwent, her cancer had returned. In 2017, doctors found new tumors in her body and the runner began interspersing chemotherapy sessions with training sessions. Throughout the last three years, Gabriele chronicled her cancer struggles. She started a foundation called the Brave Like Gabe and became an inspirational figure for cancer patients and survivors. She who kept running with the harsh chemo and surgeries flaunted her scars on the race track. “My scars represent survival. My scars teach me to embrace my body and honor its strength. My scars are a physical manifestation of what often feels like an invisible disease. My scars tell my life’s story, and I’m pretty glad it’s not over yet,” wrote Gabriele on a Facebook post this year. Though the medication drained her, she still hoped to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. “Being brave, for me, means not giving up on the things that make me feel alive,” wrote Gabriele on the cancer research foundation website. The brave athlete who fought cancer is a motivation that every person can look up to. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/sports/gabriele-grunewald-dead.html?fbclid=IwAR3kjaUN-mWcdRa0AmyY_gCR4jLsjr41XfmzqAjAT_s_BmLnTVVmPa0dBmg https://deadspin.com/gabriele-grunewald-who-defied-cancer-by-racing-at-the-1835453186 https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a27751824/gabriele-grunewald-dies-from-rare-cancer/?fbclid=IwAR1x8-dr1JkKpaXjtcrpnB8vKnMdAa0JEfwukU5A67pImmOhkgArmiXppmA https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/sports/gabriele-grunewald-dead-cancer.html	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line676
__label__wiki	0.729378	0.729378	Marshall Ryan Maresca and An Import of Intrigue Author Marshall Ryan Maresca joined us to talk about his latest book, An Import of Intrigue. He explained that this is the fourth book he's written in this world, and the second in the series - he's got two series going on concurrently, and a third series will be coming out in March! Wow. The fantasy world we spoke about is called Maradaine after the largest metropolis in it, though the nation itself is called Druthal. Druthal is a parliamentary monarchy, because Marshall said he didn't just want to copy and paste a British monarchy. So they have elections and parliament representatives. He wanted to keep a "street-level" perspective on this world. Series one is The Thorn of Dentonhill followed by The Alchemy of Chaos, and they feature a magic student who becomes a vigilante. The second series is The Murder of Mages followed by our featured book, an Import of Intrigue, which involves inspectors investigating magical murders. I asked Marshall about the magic system in his world. He said it wasn't logical; that some people were born with magic but that it wasn't genetically predictable. It usually manifests at thirteen years old or so, and the mage must be trained. Mages are pressed into training at a "circle," or a legally defined society of mages. If you are not trained by a circle, you are outcast and can become a target. In this world, trusting magic is new; two hundred years earlier, mages would be burned at the stake! Minox, one of the main characters, is an uncircled mage. He was adult when his powers manifested and was already working in the constabulary. You can't be circled and in the constabulary at the same time, because circled mages distrust the constabulary, thinking they will be locked up for disturbing the peace. Minox has to be careful with his use of power because he's not fully trained. Marshall says he's a bit like a bull in a china shop. People at the police station call him "jinx" and don't trust him. The other main character, Satrine, is an excellent inspector but unconventional. They respect and like each other, and each one gets point of view time. Book 1 only had two points of view, but Import of Intrigue has more points of view. Marshall says point of view is an element of trust with the reader, because you must be honest with the reader. Part of the point of having multiple points of view was to show that these characters have a life outside of their jobs. I asked Marshall about the maps that accompany the book. He designed them himself, and says he worked on maps while thinking about the book. He's made maps of the city, of the country, and of the world. He creates them with photoshop. He started working on them more than twenty years ago, so he says there are lots of photoshop layers! Maradaine is located by a very large river estuary, in a very protected port. There are islands before you get to the sea. Culturally, it's got a lot of people who have traveled from other regions, and it even has a neighborhood of foreign enclaves. He worked on linguistic background for five foreign cultures. "Trade" is what he calls the language of the Druth culture. It's a small piece of what was once a larger empire, and the language is shared by all the other regions which were once a part of this empire. Trade is rendered in English in the book. Marshall says he has a friend who is studying linguistics who helps out with particular linguistic aspects of language design. The first step for him is deciding on the phonemic inventory, or the list of all the different sound concepts used in the language, or "all the sounds I feel like I can make." He thinks about how to express those sounds in a consistent way using English letters, because he wants the languages to look different from each other, and also not to resemble particular Earth languages. Then he moves on to the distribution of sounds and the rules affecting them. Marshall really enjoys linguistic work. He told us about a different project in which the main character's culture has three different languages contributing to its basic vocabulary, which he says causes weirdness. An Import of Intrigue includes a pronunciation guide in the back. The Fuergan language comes from the east of the Keiran empire. It uses aspirated sounds like hr and hs at the starts of words - mostly names and a few nouns appear in the book. This is a language with many complex familial terms that come from a system of complex marriages. A Fuergan noble is the murder victim, and the Fuergan mourning ceremonies are featured. This language is foreign to the point of view characters. Marshall described it as a copyediting adventure trying to get all the languages correct and internally consistent, but says at least he can ascribe it to character error if anything comes out not quite right. He has extensive notes on language and transcription rules. Different cities have to reflect the language rules of their area. Morgan asked where he starts with the language. Marshall said he starts with the country names. He names them first, and then uses those names as a basis to inform the language concept. Druth history and language change also factor into the language. Pockets of the original pre-Imperial Druth language still persist in the form of place names. These names tend to resemble French a bit more. He created them first, then backformed the language from them. We agreed that one of the traps of conlanging (creating new languages) is over-regularization of the language. He said he was always frustrated that the Bajorans of Star Trek only ever seemed to eat hasparat. Because he uses points of view who are outsiders to these foreign languages, he can do more with those languages in the book. Culture and language navigation are the key to solving the mystery. It's a puzzle he created deliberately. The writing that accompanies the body is Lyranan, and the Lyranan language uses structured logograms where rotation of them changes their meaning, so each block of symbols can have four possible meanings. The Lyranans who read it weep at the poetry but find it impossible to translate with its full import. On the other hand, the knife with the body came from somewhere else! It was great to have Marshall Ryan Maresca visit the show - thanks, Marshall! The book is out, so go find it and explore all of its coolness. Dive into Worldbuilding will resume on January 4th, 2017 at 10am Pacific. Our author guest for January will be Laura Ann Gilman, who will be talking to us about The Cold Eye, the sequel to Silver on the Road, which she discussed with us this year, here. #SFWApro We had an interesting discussion of friendship. The word "friend" can be used for many different kinds of relationships. Acquaintance, classmate, just people you frequent, or very close friends, or Facebook friends, etc. Hangouts and Skype increase the list of who we can be friends with. You can be friends via letters or emails, too. Is your appearance (i.e. face to face meeting or video) necessary for a friendship? We said no. You can develop a friendship via other means (telephone, letter, email). If the appearance gets added in later, it can sometimes cause surprise or a feeling of disorientation, as I described when I first met my email/phone friend Janice Hardy face to face. Is friendship a commodity? Sometimes it can seem that way. It appears also that Middle Grade fiction requires the author to take a stance on friendship. Tight narrow age groups, such as in school grades, tend to restrict friendships. Siblings can cause you to make friends across age groups. These restrictions relax once you are outside of a heavily age-stratified social environment. Who are you allowed to be friends with? This is an interesting question, because lots of people try to restrict their children's friendships on the basis of various factors such as race, class, gender, or even caste. Can men and women be friends? Of course they can - the very asking of that question reflects negatively on the beliefs of the person asking it (I'm looking at you, Harry). Sometimes you can feel forced into a friendship because your parents are friends with someone else's parents - or sometimes those friendships can become an unexpected gift. In some cultures, there is a sense that neither of the two members of a friendship has higher rank than the other. In others, that is not the case. France has the formal and informal pronouns vous and tu, and they used to be used based on status even within a friendship, but the criteria for their use have changed and now are more indicative of solidarity rather than rank. Japan has the concept of senpai and kohai, which usually indicates age or year in school. The senpai is older or more experienced and has things to teach the kohai. Sometimes people try to control their friends by making them compete for favors. Can you be friends with a parent or a direct caretaker? Perhaps, or perhaps not, depending on the cultural definition of a friend and the nature of your relationship. Maybe, as in some cultures (e.g. a culture in the Kalahari), you can be friends with your grandparent before you can be friends with your parent, because it skips a generation. The degree of control that the parent is expected to exert over your behavior has a lot to do with the answer to this question. How well do you keep in touch with friends? Can you be friends in one context and not in another? What kind of contexts? What can you discuss with a friend? Are there topics (like politics or religion etc.) that you avoid in order to keep the friendship? How much trust do you have? Do you feel safe with your friend? What can you talk about without suggesting romantic interest? You can create an echo chamber in a group of friends who all agree. At the same time, this can be a safe place for people to air their feelings. Whether it's potentially harmful depends on the link to evidence. Sometimes friends can argue about things they agree about, exploring nuance or carefully defining terms. Where can you talk with friends? Hallways? Stairwells? Restaurants? Do you live with friends? How does that change your relationship? How do politeness expectations differ? How do you negotiate the maintenance of your shared environment? Is there a place you can go if you have to be alone because you can't stand it any more? What impact does that have on the others? How do you get your basic-level psychological needs met in a friendship? Do you have an obligation to air grievances against a friend? Some friends expect each other to "read minds" and have the other person notice that they are disgruntled. This can lead to friendships breaking up. Power and money complicate friendships. Would friendships be stronger in an empathic or telepathic society? Would they be fewer? I talked about the question of friendship in my story "Cold Words." Because rank is so important to the alien Aurrel, the alien protagonist Rulii has great difficulty understanding the word friend and struggles with his relationship with the human Parker throughout the story. Each one has things to offer the other, and each one admires the power of the other, so neither one wants to take a dominating stance. It makes Rulii feel as though the relationship is uncomfortably intimate. The Aurrel define the relationships of "huntmate," a person who shares a goal or project with you, and "littermate," a sibling, and "consort," or boy/girlfriend/spouse. Needing companionship is adaptive, because people can survive better in groups. Vulnerability is important though it also can cause trouble. There are friendship bonding rituals and procedures. How would another society define those? Do friends have nicknames for each other? Thank you to everyone who attended. Today I'm interviewing guest author Marshall Ryan Maresca about his new book, An Import of Intrigue. Next week on December 14, we'll be discussing in-groups and how they are defined, and what kinds of names and habits they have to mark themselves. Join us! Posted by Juliette Wade at 9:47 AM No comments: Ken Liu and The Wall of Storms Multiple award-winning epic fantasy and "silkpunk" author Ken Liu stopped by the show to talk about his new book, The Wall of Storms, which came out on October 4th. He said that writing this second book was a challenge because while he'd had unlimited time to write the first book, The Grace of Kings, he had to complete this one in only a year. He said that he did have an outline, which he spoke of in terms of "islands to sail to" in both the figurative and literal senses. He said that he had copious notes which helped a lot, and that he know what kind of book it needed to be. He had a really interesting answer when I asked him about how he went about fleshing out his outline. Ken is super interested in epic narratives, and foundational narratives, and he said that he was particularly interested in how foundational narratives have different meanings for different groups of people over time. One example he gave was the foundational narrative of the United States, which includes a statement about "self-evident truths." At the time it was written, he noted, the narrative didn't include African-Americans. He noted that now is another time of change for the foundational narratives of the US. These are stories that we live as well as stories that we tell. Ken sees The Wall of Storms as an illustration of the way foundational narratives change. He compared Book 1, The Grace of Kings, to the Oddyssey and the Iliad because it featured larger-than-life characters doing larger-than-life things and ended with the foundation of a new order. Book 2, The Wall of Storms, is a re-reading of the original narrative bringing in the voices of the poor and women who had less of a role in Book 1. They enlarge and revise the narration. Ken points out that The Wall of Storms begins with an incident where events from Book 1 are being told by a storyteller. However, the way the story is told does not match Book 1. Mata Zyndu is idealized into a resister to the new order, and changed in a way he would not recognize, just as we revise Greek and Roman narratives. There is another scene where Kuni Garu's children are called on to evaluate the story of Princess Kikomi, and his daughter Théra gives a new reading for the story. Her teacher welcomes this challenge. Ken says, "The series in a lot of ways is very meta." The narrative he creates is very complex. Ken says human beings are narrative-driven, not data-driven. "We don't write some optimization function" for our lives, but we create stories about them that make sense to us. This is one reason why stories are powerful. They define our notions of justice and fairness. This series features repeated uses and misuses of narrative. In Book 1, the gods' play is misused by a human to achieve his ends, and this happens quite a bit in The Wall of Storms. Jia, the new invading leaders, the children, and the soldiers are brave or not brave depending on the story they imagine themselves to be a part of. Ken says this kind of "meta," self-conscious writing can feel a bit distancing, because it reminds people they are reading a story, which can affect immersion. However, it reflects his own thinking about stories. He creates complex plots using a wiki of detailed notes about characters, plot, geography, history, dates, food, timelines, etc. One of the things that was new in Book 2 was that he tried to break it up by writing certain chapters in close point of view through letters, pseudohistories, and indirect interior monologue. He wanted to create the feel for a different type of book - one which dealt with second generation political realities rather than a larger-than-life, almost mythic history. I asked Ken about changes in the character of Jia. He told me that the shift in her character was planned. Book 1 doesn't have a "place" for everyone in it. His plan required that women and other points of view assert themselves in Book 2 to deliberately "blow it up." Jia is constrained in BOok 1, but is growing by the end in her goals and ambitions. It's not clear if she is a hero or a villain, and he says it's "natural" not to know how to take her. It has to do with the question of how we understand history. In The Wall of Storms, the official view of Princess Kikomi accepts the destruction of her reputation, but Princess Théra tries to recover the truth. Jia reveals her motives but in ambivalent ways. She should be a believable, powerful politician who is not likeable. Ken says there is too much emphasis on people being likeable. Jia is one of the most important points of view in the book. Ken designed her to be respected. I also asked about the character of Zomi. She is one of a new generation of charaters, and Ken describes her as an indication of the success of the new regime and its idea of meritocracy. She comes from a humble background but rises by dint of talent and education to become a powerful figure. In other ways, though, this narrative gets subverted. She had luck in finding a teacher who would advance her. Is that cronyism? Is the promise of social mobility by education an illusion? There are parallels to this in the real world, and the answer to those questions is not clear. Ken says the examination scene is one of his favorites, because he wrote it like a battle scene. He says, "Some of our most defining moments are exams." Zomi criticizes the regime but at the same time is an example of its success. She says there are hundreds of others like her who were not advanced, and asks how anyone can claim the system is just. She critiques the system that she benefits from. I asked Ken about what kind of advances he made in his "silkpunk" technology. He says that the technology "progresses apace both in peace and in war." He described progress as a kind of poetry. Epic poets don't memorize, but build from a basic outline using tropes and phrases in an improvisation. Engineers have a storehouse of techniques that they improvise with. Technology relies on discoveries that can be harnessed. People learn about new forces and physical phenomena. He wanted this to be low-magic fantasy, where magic is restricted to artifacts and to the gods. The engineers are like the wizards, performing great feats of wonder and amazement. At the end, he says, the nerds and geeks are heroes because new tech "saves the world." Engineers who defy the status quo find new ways to win. I remarked on how in several places Ken relies on bare dialogue to do his worldbuilding. The risk here, as he describes it, is falling into "As you know, Bob" dialogue where two people converse pointlessly about something they already know. He says he prefers to do infodumps straight as infodumps... but he also says, "I enjoy reading science papers for fun." One of his favorite scenes is a discussion of tax policy between Kuni and an advisor. Even tax policy can be a lot of fun if explained in the right way. People talk about things that are relevant to them. There are even places where they talk about the foundation of the Dara writing system, and how it enables conversation and inhibits literary production. Ken says the whole idea of the gods is big in The Wall of storms. It reflects the way gods change, as when Roman and Christian belief systems incorporated practices from the pagan systems that preceded them. This isn't often portrayed in fiction. The Dara gods were not native to the area, and changed with their migration. In this book we see invaders bringing new ideas and the gods responding. Where the truth of the gods lies is left deliberately ambiguous. At the end of our discussion, Ken brought to our attention a new anthology called Invisible Planets from Tor books. This anthology features contemporary science fiction from China (post 1990s). It's the first English language collection of such stories, and he says it offers people a chance to discover how different and how interesting science fiction is in China. My thanks go out to Ken for this fascinating discussion! Thanks also to everyone who attended. Next week we will meet on December 7 at 10am Pacific to talk with guest author Marshall Ryan Maresca about his book An Import of Intrigue. I hope you will join us! To support these hangouts and Dive in to even more Worldbuilding, please visit my Patreon. We got together a couple of weeks ago to talk about prosthetics. There are more prosthetic things than you might expect, of course, starting with the pirate's peg leg and the Captain's hook. If you define a prosthetic as any artificial addition to the body, that covers quite a lot. People have prosthetic teeth, or insulin pumps, or cochlear implants, chemo pumps or glass eyes. "Prosthetic" in the context of movies or theater can also refer to makeup that significantly alters facial features. In fact, in Star Trek, there were a number of instances when the crew got their faces surgically modified so they could hide amid an alien population distinguished by its facial shape. In our real lives, we run into prosthetics more than we realize. A lot of them are low-profile. Che told us about meeting people with prosthetics at the gym and at a writing retreat. I first met a man with an artificial leg when I was a kid. I also had a friend who used prosthetic hands. Artificial joints are now more and more common, and they also count as prosthetics. Here is a video with an animated sequence showing how knee replacements work. You may also remember the Bionic Man and Bionic Woman. Both of them had superpowers given to them by their artificial (prosthetic) parts. Ghost in the Shell involves someone with a total body replacement. Darth Vader also is largely defined by his prosthetics. In our real world there was a controversy surrounding runner Oscar Pistorius, who was given extra height and bounce by the running blades he wore in place of feet. What can be offered will depend on the technology level. Who makes your prosthetic? Is it the saddle-maker? If you have an amputation, who has done the amputation? Do people have the ability to take a mold of your leg, for example? An episode of Copper featured someone who had lost a leg in the Civil War. Star Trek Deep Space 9 had an episode where a man had a partial, and then total, brain replacement. Ann Leckie's Ancillary Mercy has a prosthetic leg in it, but that prosthetic is worn only so long as the person has not yet grown their leg back. Our current technology allows us to use biological scaffolding to grow bone, and also organs. Also, rather than a doctor or other special manufacturer being the sole source for a prosthetic, there are instances of people 3D printing their own prosthetic limbs, particularly in the case of children who will outgrown those limbs. There was a recent video in which Robert Downey, Jr. delivered an Iron Man-style prosthetic hand to a little boy. A lot depends on what you can afford. The cutting edge of current prosthetics is controlling them with brain waves. This would mean, ideally, that the prosthetic was rendered invisible... but while it's good to be able to manipulate a false limb in the same way that you manipulate your other limbs, it's not necessarily good to have it be invisible. Websites like alternativelimbproject.com have beautiful prosthetic limbs that are more about being visible and interesting/beautiful than invisible. One of the critical questions to answer is how to reduce the burden of an injury or birth defect both psychologically and physically. Artificial limbs can be normalized by having people who use them present and visible in society. Tammy Duckworth is an example of a high-profile woman (now a Senator!) who uses prosthetics because of her war injuries. People don't always use prosthetics in response to injuries. Sometimes they use wheelchairs. Sometimes people keep service dogs to help them also. Morgan mentioned a science fiction novel where a surgeon amputated his forearms to use his phantom limbs in surgery. The book was called Flesh and Silver by Stephen L Burns. Almost Human also featured a character with an artificial leg. I heard a story from real life about a man who was placed on house arrest with a GPS ankle bracelet but was then discovered at a robbery... because the GPS ankle bracelet had unwittingly been placed on his artificial leg, and he had left it at home. Thanks to Che and Morgan for a really interesting discussion. Again, Dive into Worldbuilding will not meet this Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving) but we will resume again November 30th with a discussion of Friendship. I hope to see you there! Please consider supporting my Patreon for more worldbuilding goodness! Most people have teeth, but they tend to fly pretty low under the radar in fiction unless we're talking about fangs. Vampire movies where the vampires brush their teeth are comedies. Tooth care varies widely across the world and across history but gets little attention in fiction. In some places, people clean their teeth by chewing on sticks. We have toothbrushes, that used to be made of wood and boar bristle (like some hair brushes) but are now made of plastic. We also have electric toothbrushes and water pik machines that shoot water really hard at our teeth. Just walk into a US grocery store and you'll see a gazillion choices of toothpaste. In Farscape, they used grubs to clean their teeth, a bit like hippos and birds. I'm sure there was a deliberate science fictional gross factor involved. Poor tooth health can be associated with lack of money. This recent article talks about the stigma of poor tooth health in the USA: https://aeon.co/essays/there-is-no-shame-worse-than-poor-teeth-in-a-rich-world . Tooth health is very important. In the US, orthodonture is seen as very important. This isn't the case across the world, but having straight teeth contributes significantly to better tooth health through life in part because it makes regular dental care easier. Removing wisdom teeth is a very common procedure. There is a luxury in not having to think about our teeth. Tooth health is also a form of public health. The fluoridation of drinking water was a revolution in tooth health, according to both my dentist and this CDC website where you can read up about it: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4841a1.htm Generally, main characters don't have tooth problems. Sometimes we see them in movies like Castaway, or Affliction with Nick Nolte, or even in Dances With Wolves, but they are rare. Dr. Who did mention that Shakespeare's breath was horrible. In The Lord of the Rings, Gollum mentions that he has nine (in the video, I misremember it as four). This may be in part because they are so personal to us. It was even difficult for us to start this discussion, because everyone's first reaction to talking about dentistry was to shudder. George Washington is well known for having only one of his own teeth left by the time he became president, and using dentures made of metal and hippopotamus ivory. It's no wonder that people didn't smile much in pictures of themselves! Of course, one thing that adversely affected tooth health was the easy availability of refined sugar. Dentistry dates back to 7000 BCE. We speculated that one could have aliens or fantasy creatures with rodent-like teeth, who would have to engage in constant gnawing. Humans also have deciduous teeth, and the dentistry performed on them is different because they are not permanent. A lot of dentist equipment looks like torture devices, especially in the 1800's. Dentists were also barbers in the early years. Diet has a huge influence on tooth health. Ancient Egypt generally had good tooth health. The evil dentist is a trope. We sometimes see endondontists, since root canals are very famous procedures. Orthodontists are even less common. Gold teeth do show up in fiction, however. Sometimes people put off going to the dentist for so long that by the time they go, the situation is catastrophic. This can be self-fulfilling. Tooth care in Japan is very different, and teeth are valued differently, even though toothbrushes and toothpaste are largely the same. The dentists I encountered there were much less interested in helping patients keep their teeth than the ones in the US. A Japanese friend of mine who came to the US perceived the US approach as overzealous, a bit like a mechanic who wants your money, and so finds problems where none exist. Snaggle teeth can be considered cute. Cultural value on teeth changes over time. Back when I was a kid, tooth whitening was not something anyone did. Then people latched onto it, and suddenly there was pressure to have whiter teeth, and to use all kinds of products. The Maya would inset jade into their teeth. The Ferengi in Star Trek would sharpen their teeth, and there was an episode where the Klingon Worf buys a tooth sharpener from a Ferengi. Some human cultures have filed patterns in their teeth or filed them to points. Over a person's lifetime, their teeth will wear down and their gums will recede. If you are working in a secondary or alien world, think about where references to teeth occur in the language. "Like pulling teeth" "hen's teeth" "long in the tooth" are just some examples from English. In ancient Japan, married women would blacken their teeth using a dye created by putting iron filings in tea or sake. Teeth are very personal to us. Should you show them when you smile? That's a very personal question. Should teeth be straight? That can be a significant source of embarrassment. We use super-white teeth as a symbol of vanity, as when you see the gleam coming off someone's teeth in cartoons. Tooth-baring can be a particular form of communication. Tooth pain is also very personal, maybe because it's in an orifice (as Che said) or because teeth are in our head, very close to our perceived seat of consciousness. Our teeth also affect our speech. The tooth fairy is a very old tradition. In France, children are visited by "la petite souris," or the little mouse (this mouse appears in Rise of the Guardians, but really should have been a female mouse). What if alien teeth were affected by different substances than ours? That would depend on what kind of bacteria were able to damage them, and what they consumed. Thanks to everyone who came and discussed teeth with me! There will be no hangout this week, for Thanksgiving, but we will resume the following week. Don't forget to visit my Patreon for worldbuilding links and prompts and more opportunities to worldbuild with me! Non-Auditory Languages A great many of us are accustomed to auditory languages, but those are not the only languages around. Not by a long shot! Linguists use the word "channel" to describe the different ways in which linguistic information can be transmitted. The auditory channel is only one of those. There are also olfactory, visual, and tactile channels - essentially, a channel for every sense. Sign languages are a really important form of non-auditory language used by humans. It's important to note that American Sign Language is its own language, and not at all the same as Signed Exact English. When working with signs, it's easy to think that signs are more iconic than auditory language, but if you look across international sign languages (they differ for different countries around the world) each one has its own iconicity. The idea that a sign is iconic is common, but how each one is iconic is culturally based. Sign languages in fiction are a challenge to work with. In fact, any non-auditory language will risk being overwritten by our auditory impressions of the language the story is written in. Language change is universal, and occurs in semiotics and in gesture, and in sign languages, over time. A language like American Sign Language has its own grammar. Grammar doesn't take the same form in non-auditory languages that it does in auditory ones. It still categorizes, however. It still does the basic job of grammar, which is to create shared context where none currently exists. In the same way that onomatopoeia imitates actual sounds, sign languages can do really cool things to indicate the manner in which actions are performed. It can also use locations in space as ways to refer back to antecedents. In my 2016 story, "The Language of the Silent," which I wrote with Sheila Finch, the sign language was created as a language of rebellion by the people who used it. There was a slave population who wished to coordinate their rebellion, and therefore they designed a set of signs based on the auditory language they spoke, and this turned into a full-fledged language they could use. I based my idea for this language in part on the way that Hebrew was revived as a full-fledged living language for the Jewish people in Israel. Readers who use auditory languages as their native languages will come into a story with a base-level assumption that the language used will be auditory. Other options are color based languages for cephalopods who can change their skin color. Morgan suggested pheromones making a language. Auditory languages have the property that they are strung out over time, because there are limitations on the way speech sounds are created and how they can be created in succession. Visual languages are less held back by time limits. You could imagine a language where color suggested emotional content and pattern carried grammatical information. A bioluminescent creature might have a finely tuned sense of color. Languages have to solve particular types of problems, like how to convey passage of time, how to indicate relative position, etc. They can solve these problems in different ways. You could use the relative balance of two different olfactory chemicals to create change that would convey information. Helen Keller used a tactile version of English to communicate when she was unable to use the auditory and visual channels. It's important to realize that humans don't communicate solely on the auditory channel. We communicate simultaneously on multiple channels including the visual (gesture, facial expression), olfactory (pheromones), tactile, etc. We can communicate by telephone, though, because the major burden of grammar falls in the auditory channel. Tone of voice is not the same as speech sounds in conveying grammar, but it still plays an important role, and it can appear strange when it is missing. Disability affects language of all types. You could imagine a disability possessed by a cephalopod, for example (as Morgan is doing). Deafness is not just a disability. It is also a language community with its own culture. This is why it's so complex to propose to give hearing to people via cochlear implant. Its effect can be to allow people to hear auditory language, but it simultaneously endangers the culture and language of the Deaf community. It is a mistake to assume that a channel problem equates to a mental, cognitive, or emotional problem. For example, if we are unable to make or to understand facial expressions, this can be misinterpreted as a mental problem, as if we have diminished capacity for a rich inner life. It's too easy to assume that because a piece of expected evidence is missing, that the internal life itself is also missing. In The Liars I created a language that was only partially conveyed on the auditory channel. So much of the language was conveyed on a magnetic channel that humans could not detect that the humans concluded that the Poik were cognitively diminished, and this contributed to discrimination and exploitation. Ask yourself how important the various channels are, and what kind of information each is used for. Author Nisi Shawl, Everfair It was a real treat to be joined by author Nisi Shawl, who spoke with us about her novel Everfair, which just came out on September 6th. I asked Nisi to tell us about the origins of the novel concept. She told us she was at World Fantasy Convention in 2009 and was placed on a Steampunk panel. She told us she'd always wondered why she didn't like Steampunk because it had many element she enjoyed, and she finally decided that she hated it because of the premise that all Empire is glorious, and colonialism is the way things ought to be. She said, "I wanted to make it better." So at the panel, she proposed to write a Steampunk novel set in the Belgian Congo. Everfair is just that - a Steampunk alternate history set in the Belgian Congo. I said that didn't sound easy to do, and Nisi agreed it wasn't easy, but that was partly why she did it. One of the challenges she described in researching the book was that because so many millions of people died, there was not a lot of material available on the indigenous experience in this region at that time. Nisi described wanting to be rigorous in her science. She asked questions like why dirigibles float and what is used for propulsion. She described herself as using science as an approach to the world in which you test how things work. Much of her work is classed as Fantasy or Horror, but to her, there is less of a division with Science Fiction than most people perceive. Everfair includes a person who can project her consciousness into cats, and plays with the properties of gravity, etc. She compared her approach to the Memoirs of Lady Trent, and to Octavia Butler's Fledgling. She told us that her research combined internet and print resources, with the internet serving as a scout. She put a lot of emphasis on music and food. She says she likes to work with music playing in the background, in part to set up continuity between her writing sessions, so for this book she set up a Pandora station with music from Kenya, central Africa, and migrants in north Africa. She discovered that much had been carried over to Cuba and other regions. She composed a national anthem for Everfair, the country in the story. It's a utopian experiment created by African American missionaries and European socialists who buy land from King Leopold of Belgium and set up a refuge. Naturally, there are tensions with indigenous people. She did grapple with the magnitude of the project, but decided "I was the person who was going to be able to handle it." She says she would be very interested to hear perspectives on her story from people who are descendants of the survivors of this terrible time in history. We talked about her use of multiple Point of View. She uses eleven viewpoint characters in this book, and says "That's a lot." When I asked her about how she constructed the voices of the characters, she told me that many of them were modeled on actual historical figures of the time, such as Colette, E. Nesbit, and George Bernard Shaw. She told us about the character of "Tink," a man named Ho Lin Huang who had no precise real-world analog, but was inspired by historical accounts of King Leopold bringing in Chinese people to build a railroad between the coast and the navigable sections of the Congo river. At a certain point they had had enough of the poor treatment they received and struck out for China - and though they never made it there, you can still find Chinese cultural influence in areas of the Congo today. I asked her how she tracked all of the various points of view and she said "with a legal pad and a pen." She tried to make sure everybody had their turn on the page. Everfair, the country itself, was the core backbone of the story rather than any single character. We talked about layers of meaning in the story. Nisi said that back when she was a hippie, she was actually the least political. She told us her character Lisette du Tournier says, "If you don't talk about politics, you don't talk about anything." Politics is a viewpoint, one of the lenses through which to view the story. The visceral and the sensual provide another viewpoint, and the emotional still another. Having multiple points of view helps with triangulation on the part of the reader, where the reader can construct their own judgment based on witnessing the events in different ways through the different points of view. The book covers a thirty-year period. This means sometimes the gap between points of view is a year, but other times it's just a few minutes. Nisi said when she constructed the voices of each character, she tried to "imitate what their literary voices would have sounded like" in the text of the book (and this is evident from the very first page). Colette, she said, was easy because she could look directly at her writings. King Mwenda and Tink were filtered through European anthropologists' viewpoints and transcriptions of their voices. There were also some mashups, such as the character Rima Bailey, who was a mashup of Zora Neale Hurston and Josephine Baker. She didn't actually sound like Zora Neale Hurston, Nisi said, but like the voice of someone Zora Neale Hurston would have transcribed in her anthropological work. The voices came to her pretty naturally, and she had help from her critique group to weed out anachronisms and anachronistic effects. The latter can occur when a word was actually used at the time, but is so heavily associated with aspects of our modern world in the head of a reader that it can throw them out of the narrative even though it would be appropriate. Managing reader expectations is a really important task here. There's also the question of culture: some things would be anachronistic for one culture, but not for another. Nisi said, "I have to be convincing" in how the cultures interact, so she also watched out for things that would be "against place" as well as "against time." A lot of cross-cultural interaction happened over prehistory and history. In one scene, Nisi's character Daisy looks at a "repeater," which is an early Victorian pocket watch that chimed. She had to make sure distinguish it from the antenna of the same name. In another scene, the character Rima Bailey describes "kissing someone's kitchen," and Nisi chose not to explain that meaning of "kitchen," which is the back of the head between the neck and head. She says this is a sexualized area. If you aren't familiar with the term, then it may seem ungrounded, but if you are familiar with the term, the story in that spot will feel even more deeply grounded. On the basis of this, she chose not do explain, but just to support use of the term in context. Nisi told us she was quite faithful to history in many places. Hives of bees attack invaders in the battle with France, just the way they did in real life. There was an actual British commander who wore women's clothing into battle; she has a character who does this. His choice meant different things to the Brits under his command, who saw it as eccentric, from what it meant to the indigenous people, who revered him for bucking gender norms. Nisi says she has had many thoughts for a sequel since she finished the book, but because it covers thirty years, she says, "I can't do another thirty years." She's thinking about looking at other places in this world, and starting to write stories to help her explore. She's also looking at things like the struggle between sustainable and non-sustainable energy sources (petroleum vs. palm oil). There was a huge solar collector in the Egyptian desert between 1913 and 1916, but the British scrapped it for planes. She imagines that a sequel would look at the worldwide struggle against imperialism, and that peoples across the globe would see the philosophy and structures of Everfair and be inspired to get rid of their oppressors. Nisi mentioned that she had taken inspiration from Fordlandia when she was thinking about how to try to have happy things happen in the Congo. Fordlandia was a capitalist experiment focused on rubber manufacturing in South America, and there is a lot of documentation about it. Nisi says she reads a lot of Victorian literature and was always attracted to the myths and legends of Africa. We also spoke briefly about Writing the Other, a book which Nisi Shawl co-wrote with Cynthia Ward about how to write from the perspective of people who are not of your own demographic group. It's a hugely valuable resource that Nisi said also helped her to write characters in Everfair. She and Tempest K. Bradford will be teaching a live version of Writing the Other on November 6. Thank you so much for joining us, Nisi! (Now I really have to go and buy Everfair!) A place, and a project, close to my heart (funded, with 60 hours to go!) This is Capitola. Specifically, it's a view from the top of Depot hill down into the Capitola Village, with just the tiniest peek of Capitola beach. Many people know this place from the perspective of tourists, but this is where I grew up. It's magical to me. That's why I was really excited when Jason Batt approached me about writing a story for the anthology Strange California. It was the perfect opportunity for me finally to bring together aspects of my real life story with my work in speculative fiction. As my setting, I chose Capitola and its yearly Begonia Festival. We used to go to it every year. We'd participate in the sand castle contest, and go see the Begonia parade on Soquel Creek. I always loved making big, serious sand castles (they were big and serious even when I was seven). I also loved watching the begonia floats move up and down the creek. One night, after the festival was over, one of the floats came unmoored and floated all the way up the creek to the back of our house. We were having a party with friends, and we all went down to the water and climbed onto it and took a ride before coming back home. My mom says I was about five years old. I just remember the float being SO BIG and still covered with so many flowers. The protagonist of my story, "If It Were Meant to Last," is a bit older than I was, but she understands how magical these events are. And she gets sucked in. Sand, water and flowers are more than they seem. They are momentous and powerful. In part because my story was so deeply emotional for me, and in part because I love my home state, this anthology means a lot to me. It's being funded right now on Kickstarter. We only have five days left, so please take a look and pass it on to your friends! My story appears alongside stories from some truly amazing authors like Seanan McGuire, Chaz Brenchley, Laura Anne Gilman, Christie Yant and Tim Pratt. I really want to see this made real, especially since the art will be done by the awesome Galen Dara. Capitola will always be a part of me, and I really want to share it with you. We tackled this topic first by talking about how charity is defined. Often it's defined within a religious context, but not always. It means kindness, and helping the less fortunate. It can mean donations of money, goods, or time. Volunteering is a form of charity in many cases. One of the special features of charity is that it's kindness without the expectation of reward (other than spiritual). People are given tax deductions on charitable donations that can muddy the waters here, but in general, charity makes a far bigger benefit to the recipient than it does to you. There are organizations whose mission is to perform charitable works. This is different from an individual doing acts of charity. Some charities gather used clothes or household objects and distribute them to the needy. Some, like Heifer international, use donations to provide animals to people around the world who could benefit from having those animals attached to their households. There are also organizations that allow you to personally sponsor individuals in other countries. One of the big questions with charity is always "who do you help?" There is an element of individual choice involved, but then, how do you choose? What criteria do you use? Do you try to determine if people are worthy? Is it because you have some kind of personal connection? Sometimes people support cancer charities because they know someone who is affected by the disease. Sometimes the connection comes through an institution like a church or a synagogue. In a fictional world, what form does charity take? In our society (modern US), there is a huge value placed on being able to care for yourself. How do you perceive your own opportunities? Do you consider the world just? Would you agree with the premise that what people have is what they deserve? Foreign aid is often spoken about as charity, but it often comes with strings attached, requiring employment of US companies. The country exerts control over the recipients of the aid. We then talked about when charity becomes problematic. Charity has a value; partaking of it can have requirements. The control involved is resented by some people. Colonialism and cultural hegemony can get involved. Sometimes you can't partake of charity unless you "are good." How is that good defined? We talked about tzedakah, which translates as "justice." You are supposed to give a percentage of your crops or income to the less fortunate in your community. The idea of community is really important here. The community itself has value, which means its members are inherently worthy of support. The question then becomes "who counts as a person"? What defines community membership? What happens if people are suffering, but their suffering is invisible? This can easily happen because of distance or because of privilege, i.e. the ways in which we don't share experience with everyone around us. There is no way to be perfectly aware of all suffering. This can include elderly people who can't work, or disabled people. We talked about equality of opportunity, and what that meant. I mentioned the comic of the baseball game: If you look into it, you'll find a lot of variations on this image with different discussions of the issue. For one thing, this assumes the presence of the fence, and it also assumes that everyone wants to watch the baseball game. In real life, we don't know what everyone needs. What are the basics for healthy community life? Roads, schools, electricity, water. We have seen in Flint, Michigan, how lead-poisoned water changes everything about the way that people lead their lives. The complexity of a civilization, and its culture, change what it perceives as necessary for the basics of community life. What kind of charity is seen as most appropriate, or most righteous? What is the basic minimum for participation in your society? What happens when a person is "bad"? We have things in our society like the disenfranchisement of felons. If someone has committed a crime, do you strip them of rights? Is that just? How do you make sure innocent people aren't stripped of those rights? What makes a worthy member of the community? We also asked, "Is health care a basic right within a community?" Is the burden of health care on the individual or on the community? If a person has a broken leg, that might appear to be individual because it doesn't affect very much about other community members. However, if a person has measles or any other contagious disease, other members of the community are definitely affected. We can also think about how a person's injury/illness affects the people in their web of normal daily interaction. How do you establish the rules of a community? Religious prescriptions are one way. I found this article interesting, about the amazing independence of Japanese children. What is going on here is not so much self-reliance, though, as the basic assumption that a child can rely on the community to keep them from running into trouble. People depend on one another even in a world like Mad Max. Evolution has many examples where the existence and behavior of a group allows evolutionary success even though the individual wouldn't necessarily have that same success. (Ants, for example). We referenced our earlier hangout on Corruption, because any kind of system can suffer abuses, and charitable systems are no different. There are charities who don't give all their money to charity. There are individuals who abuse charitable relationships. There are people who game the system to get more aid than they need. In these cases we have to take a look at how abuses fit into the larger life of the community and how the problems with these abuses balance with the larger achievements of the charitable system. Thank you for a fascinating discussion! We had a good discussion of hair. Sometimes hair is thought of as a simple thing. Do you have short or long hair? Hair is our personal style choice... but it's also more than that. It's a form of self-representation on both the personal and cultural levels, and as such, has a lot of complications. Take for example the question of short vs. long hair. This is complex because it's associated with gender roles (long=feminine, short=masculine) and sometimes with religions (like Sikhism where people don't ever cut their hair). Starting with the gender question, you have cases like that of Felicia Day, who was attacked online after she got her hair cut short. Some people clearly think that short hair implies a rejection of men, and some go on to feel that women should be punished for such rejection (assuming of course that it actually is rejection and not just a personal choice). We do talk about some kinds of short haircuts as "butch," implying that they are short and masculine. Our gender presentation is an important part of our personal identities. For men there was the question of the military haircut vs. the Beatles haircut, which started out as quite scandalous even before the Beatles grew their hair all the way out long. There's also the question of lack of hair. There is an entire industry based around bald-shaming. Patrick Stewart has spoken about how difficult it was for him to accept his baldness, which came on in his teens. When my family went to Colonial Williamsburg, we encountered the role-players who spoke to us of very different attitudes about hair - in particular, shaving all your hair off so you could wear a wig. In the late 17th century, wigs were super-fashionable. If you were a girl, whether and when you shaved your hair for a wig was up to your father. Brian noted that in the UK, judges wear wigs, and it's a holdover from this era. Barristers sometimes wear the wigs in crown court. Class is definitely a factor involved in the decision. In America, wigs can be worn for fashion or they can often be worn when people have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. There is definitely a baldness-acceptance narrative around chemotherapy, which is different from, but has some parallels to, the question of baldness as it's dealt with by men. In general, women who lose hair or who have thinning hair get much more shame and trouble for it. In many cultures, a woman's hair is considered her crowning glory (in the context of male gaze!) That is connected with the idea of covering hair as modesty in certain religions. Essentially, there are a lot of critical things at stake on our hair: personal identity, cultural identity, virility, attractiveness, and social standing. Geisha have very specific hairstyles that are held over from the Edo era in Japan. These are not the same as Japanese hairstyles from the Heian period, when it was the fashion for noble women and their attendants to have hair that flowed all the way beyond their feet. It was also important in this time period to wash your hair on an auspicious day. Sikhs are not the only group that doesn't cut hair. For them it's a religious observance. Some Native American groups don't cut their hair either. Some hairstyles have to do with professions. The tonsure is a haircut associated with the historical identity of Catholic monks. The topknot began as a hairstyle of samurai in Japan, but is still worn by sumo wrestlers. Different kinds of hair have different properties and can be styled in different ways. I mentioned the film Kirikou et la Sorcière because it portrays a community in Africa with a wide variety of hairstyles uncommon to straight-haired populations. Another story where hair has a special role is Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, which just won the Hugo for best novella. Hair can be high-stakes as a result of racism. Black people have sometimes been suspended from school or fired from a job because of wearing dreadlocks (there is an ongoing court case about this right now). There is huge pressure for Black women to straighten their hair in order to look orderly or "professional," but it's a double-standard trap. The hair becomes an excuse to enact racism. Words like "messy" or "inappropriate" can hide underlying racist motives. I mentioned using hair in a couple of my works - first as a social distinction between aliens in Cold Words, and also as evidence of personal conflict in my novel. In fiction, hair can be critical to your character. Different genres can have more or less tolerance of description of things like hair and clothes. This is related to gender bias. In the military and police, there is starting (gradually) to be more acceptance of different culturally based hairstyles. Beards have become an issue in the Israeli Defense Forces because ultra-orthodox beards are permitted, but beards are not permitted except in that specific population. Hair does not have to be a major plot point in order to be used to advantage in your fiction. Thanks to everyone who attended! Posted by Juliette Wade at 12:35 PM No comments: Invasive species are species that travel, come into a new ecosystem, overly thrive and then damage the other ecosystem. We don't apply the term to species that travel and fail. Examples include rabbits in Australia, cats on islands who kill birds, goats, rats, and snakes, all of which have caused damage. We did note that humans are the most invasive species at all. We are often the ones who bring damaging species into an ecosystem as we travel. Sometimes invasive species are introduced purposely but have unintended consequences, as when cane toads were brought to Australia in an attempt to control the bugs in the sugar cane fields. There are other instances when the travel of species is not considered a problem. I mentioned the Columbian Exchange, which caused potatoes, tomatoes, and cocoa to spread outside of the Americas, and diversified food without causing huge disasters. Plants can be invasive. Kudzu vines, bamboo, and pampas grass are examples of problem plants. Eucalyptus trees were brought to America because they grew fast and people hoped to use them to make railroad ties, but they brought a soft-wood species rather than a hard-wood species. Now those trees are all over... but are generally not thought of as damaging. When you bring a foreign plant into a new ecosystem you can get the "silent forest effect," which is where none of the local insects or birds are able to interact with the foreign species and so the ecosystem's diversity becomes suppressed. This has happened sometimes when forest-planting charities have planted non-suitable trees. We asked, "Would we survive on another planet? Would our crops interact well with bacteria and fungi?" I mentioned the case of Chris McCandless, who was poisoned when he ate the wrong kind of grain in the wilderness of Alaska. Che suggested that we might not survive unless we terraformed from the ground up. Whales eat krill which in turn eat phytoplankton, but if you try to remove whales from the web so you can use the krill yourself, you forget what the phytoplankton survive on, which is the fecal plumes of the whales. Sometimes we don't realize what impact a species can have on its ecosystem, and only discover it later after it has been lost and then reintroduced, like wolves in Yellowstone. What would happen if beavers returned to California? What if a species on another planet died out but could somehow be replaced by a species from our planet? What if you introduce something invasive accidentally - should you bring something else to keep it under control? What kind of trouble would that creature cause? What kind of research might prevent the problems? Two stories that deal with these questions are "Contaminated" by Jay Werkheiser (Analog) and the novel Archangel by Marguerite Reed. As a group, we had seen instances of invasive species less often in fantasy in science fiction, though the phenomenon happened as soon as sailors would start landing on islands with things like goats that endanger tortoises, rats that endanger insect or bird species, etc. The water buffalo is an invasive species in Australia. Australia has many examples of harmful invasive species in part because it is a (large) island that separated off from the other continents very early. People who traveled did so without any concern for people already living there, and even less for animals already living there. In my current novella, I'm working with a transplanted species called haali (a flower bush), but it is not invasive, needing tending in order to survive. I mentioned how when I was weeding in my yard over this winter and spring, I left some areas wild in order to preserve the insect population of the yard. Morgan said she had deer in her yard! There are wild parrots in Britain (more invasive) and a flock of parrots in SF that seems relatively stable. They affect the grape harvests. Mint will take over your yard. Blackberries are a scourge from Northern California up into the Pacific Northwest, and gorse is a problem in Oregon. We imagined what it would be like from a dragon's perspective, seeing humans as an invasive species. We also wondered what ecological effects would have cascaded from the genetic engineering of fire lizards into dragons on Pern. If you took invasive species into fantasy, they might cause change in magic systems as well as physical ecology. We saw invasive buzzy cute critters in My Little Pony. There were also green Smurfs. Morgan suggested that it would be interesting to consider the introduction of magical species where there was no magic, which made me think if the changes in Jeffe Kennedy's novel world. You could easily see a magical imbalance grow out of that. Thank you to everyone who attended! Next week, on October 19th, we'll be discussing Social Class and its values. Our next guest, Marshall Ryan Maresca, will be joining us on November 9th to talk about his latest novel. More on that soon! Author Carrie Cuinn, Semiotics, and Worldbuilding without Visual Imagination Author Carrie Cuinn joined us for a fascinating discussion. What would worldbuilding be like if a writer had no visual imagination? Carrie described to us how she had perceived herself as quirky adn different from everyone else, but only later realized she had a condition called aphantasia, which means she has no visual imagination. She is in fact participating in a study at the University of Exeter on this very subject. It's a more common condition than you might think. So what are writing, and reading, about if you can't visualize? They are about meaning rather than images - and that brings us to the study of semiotics. Carrie notes that we should not trust Dan Brown to inform us on the subject. It's actually a school of philosophy, and one of her favorite sources is in fact Umberto Eco. Essentially, there is a language of iconography, which is how you put images and objects together. Carrie introduces this concept by talking about Renaissance paintings. If such paintings featured small dogs, that would mean loyalty, for example. There was a deliberate symbolic significance to the inclusion of this image. She also encouraged us to think about the various features we associate with US images of the Virgin Mary, who is an icon archetype. It's about more than these simpler associations, however. The clothes (or hats) someone wears have meaning, etc. Semiotics is culturally constructed and contextually based. Often, Carrie says, people will write a story and give a person clothes or food but not think through the subtext. Even the significance of an action like wearing a kimono to school will be vastly different depending on where the person lives, what kind of event (or not) she's attending, and what year it is. When you're working in a secondary world, you have to consider two layers of semiotics: the secondary world semiotics, which are internally referential, and the real-world semiotics that the reader will be inclined to detect. Ask yourself is something you include is appropriate to the context. Make sure you have knowledge about that context. Make sure you are saying what you intend to say. Writing without visual imagination depends on you knowing the properties of an object, which you can do without seeing it with eyes closed. Carrie says she only rarely describes people. She told us about a story she'd written where an editor asked her why the protagonist was a white male when everyone around her was a person of color. In fact, Carrie had written this character as a person of color appropriate to the context, but because she hadn't described the protagonist, the editor had filled in the identity of that protagonist with the cultural default. Internal point of view can remove you from the visuals of a character [my note: avoid mirror scenes!] quite a bit, but certain kinds of cues are needed by certain readers. Carrie feels that with skin color, either none of it matters or it all matters - that we should describe light and dark colors with equal frequency. In context, objects and clothes also become very important. Carrie says she creates the semiotics of the secondary world, but if it runs counter to the defaults of our own world, she makes sure to explain it. She also told us about a workshop she was part of where a student had submitted a flash story involving the arrangement of dinner forks (fish, meat, vs. salad forks). Some people who read the story didn't look up the manners and rules surrounding the placement of silverware. They could enjoy the story, but those who took the time to look up those rules got more out of the story. Carrie wrote a story where a weird owl appears - it's got long stork legs and a crown. In fact, it's a demon called stolas, who is a prince of Hell and has special knowledge in science and astronomy. She leaves it there as an Easter eggs. She says she leaves Easter eggs like this "in everything I've ever written." Much of our knowledge - of symbolism, etc - is subconscious. Carrie said when she watches movies it feels "like two people are speaking at the same time" because of the explicit messages of the dialogue and the implicit messages of the imagery. When she edits, she catches extra layers of mean (intentional or unintentional). You may catch a lot subconsciously from a painting that comes from a familiar culture, like the French painting of freedom, but critics at the time had explicit knowledge of the significance of particular details of appearance, clothing, who is present, physical position, etc. in such a painting. The more distant you are from the origins of an image, the more you will be inclined to overlay the meanings taught by your modern culture onto it. People who "discovered" Troy or Stonehenge did just this. The discoverers of Egyptian tombs didn't understand what they were seeing. They thought "Oh, how primitive," and only later did they realize this was language and culture from a different time period. When you see ruins (in a story, a movie, or in life) you have history in front of you. You may not immediately know what it means, or which room was the kitchen, or what you did there. It's useful, as in Tolkien, if you have a three thousand year old person who knows exactly what it meant. Carrie feels that food needs to be more of a quest, because people have historically done a lot of work to procure food. She also notes that if you find shells eighty miles from the seashore, they may not have special significance, but may have hopped there via normal trade routes. It's interesting to write a story where the reader knows the meaning of the symbols but the characters don't. That includes stories like Planet of the Apes, or The White Mountains, or anything containing ruins of things from our own time. (Of course, there are many other options, too). You can apply archaeology to almost anything, even if it's relatively modern. Carrie told us about a dig that took place in Vinland, New Jersey on the old location of Welch's Grape Juice factory. Just a couple of things they learned were that the kitchen wasn't attached to the house, and that trash was buried in the back yard. Carrie says she loves to yell at the show Ancient Aliens, because it's a great example of people overlaying their own interpretation of context and applying it. The people on the show ignore scholarly writings about the meaning of the things they are seeing, and just make things up. This is one reason to be very careful about research if you are, say, a white person from Chicago trying to write a story about ancient India! Carrie pays attention to how people dress on the news, or on reality shows. Clothes can give hints about genre and character. She says in the genre of noir, a woman wearing a tight dress and sensible shoes is usually a secretary, while a woman with a tight dress and non-sensible shoes is usually a femme fatale. Sometimes the people of a region will turn some important symbolic landmark into a tourist thing to attract money to the region. So a show like Ancient Aliens can help a region because they can help get the message out that the government needs to recognize the importance of a particular site. Carrie has some semiotics-related links on her blog, as for example a semiotics primer for writers, part 1, and a semiotics primer for writers, part 2. Consistency is important. The rules are yours, and if you know what things mean, your readers will start to pick up that meaning. The hard part is to figure out why it means this to you. It's a good idea to study a place, to talk to people in that place, and to read about the place. Write a draft, she says, and then edit it. Find knowledgeable friends and then listen to their advice. Carrie says, "If you mean to be offensive, own it," but if you hear from a friend that something you've written has an offensive meaning and that is not your intent, then change it. Everything relies on context, and each person's context is different. This is one of the reasons that academic writing dedicates time and words to defining the terms that they will use. It gives them a chance to refer back to the context of the meaning and try to establish shared context. Every person who will read your story is from 1 to 6 degrees of separation away from our context. One reason it's easy to offend people is because you don't know what you're saying. Watch international movies made by local people, she suggests. She recommends the first season of Cleverman. Go through your manuscript and look for anything visual (there will be a lot!). Each one is an opportunity. Characters will react to those things, adding judgment to the situation. Carrie, thank you so much for visiting the show to share your experiences and insights! Come see me at Convolution! I'll be appearing at Con-Volution: The Age of Monsters this weekend on Friday and Saturday at the Hyatt Regency SFO in Burlingame, California. Come and talk to me! I'm going to try to schedule a reading, too, at some point, but that's not set in stone yet. I hope to see you there! Here is my panel schedule: Worldbuilding: The Monstrous Element Friday 21:00 - 22:30, Parlor 2021 (Hyatt Regency SFO) Including monsters and inhuman creatures in your fiction Worldbuilding. Steven Savage, Juliette Wade (M), ElizaBeth "Lace" Gilligan, Melissa Snark, Garrett Calcaterra, Anne Bishop An Aviary of Beasties Saturday 12:00 - 13:30, Parlor 2021 (Hyatt Regency SFO) The dragon and the pegasus are well-known to Western fantasy readers, but what other creatures lurk in the skies? The Manananggal of the Philippines, the Kongamato of Zambia, the Ahool of Indonesia, even the legendary Thunderbird of North America... Let's move past the common and explore the full range of airborne mythological creatures from around the world. Why are we so enamored with things that fly? Juliette Wade (M), Gregg Castro t'rowt'raahl Salinan/rumsien Ohlone, Lex Rudd, Trish Henry Fear of The Other Saturday 20:00 - 21:30, SandPebble B (Hyatt Regency SFO) Horror from previous generations draws much of its power from the fear of the Other. In some cases the other is an unknowable being, a cosmic terror, but just as often it's not, referencing instead more mundane distinctions between us and them. How problematic is the use of the Other to engender fear? Has fear of the Other led to some of the challenges genre faces today relative to inclusiveness and equality? Lillian Csernica, Juliette Wade (M), Garrett Calcaterra, Gregg Castro t'rowt'raahl Salinan/rumsien Ohlone, Sumiko Saulson Hats and other headgear I love a hangout where I can try on hats! We had a good conversation. Hats can serve for protection from sun, rain and wind. They also can be fashionable. Certain forms of headwear have religious significance, signifying humility, or indicating that a woman is married. Bridal veils are a specialized form of headwear. There are also special hats that indicate one's status or occupation. Helmets are also a critical form of headgear. We noted that some metal helmets were designed to be usable as washbasins or cooking pots. Some forms of headwear indicate one's membership in a social group. Some, like bishop's miters, are meant to stand out and indicate a very different status. There are also special meanings attached to certain kinds of headwear that would ordinarily just be considered fashion, as when people use the word fedora to indicate a certain type of attitude or behavior. I showed off some of my hats. One of them is an Akubra, which is an Australian brand of hat felted from rabbit fur. It's very effective at keeping off the rain. Beaver fur was felted for similar reasons. There were historical periods where just didn't go out without a hat. The 1960's back to nature movement did change that in the US. A hat presents you the way you want to be presented. A baseball cap maximizes visibility while maintaining shade. Winter hats keep you warm to differing extents. We wondered what the rationale was behind the propeller beanie, and guessed it was something fun for kids to play with. We talked about the b'nai mitzvah, the round cap made up of triangles with seams. They can be made of suede or fabric, and you can buy them in bulk for special events like bat mitzvahs. I shared an image of a number of different scarf-like head-coverings that are used by women of religious groups across the world. We also talked about tricorns. In the Monster Blood Tattoo series by D.M. Cornish, she jokes bout her main character losing hats. We also talked about Sikh head coverings. Turbans take different forms but are apparently some forms of the religion require them for both men and women. We talked about Mad Hatters, and the mercury that was used in making the felt, that led to the mercury poisoning. We asked whether wigs could be considered a head covering. Depending on the time period, they were more common than natural hair. We noted that many, many animals and birds have died for the sake of hat-making. We spoke about the feather headdresses of Native American cultures like the Sioux, the Cree, the Cheyenne, and others. These and many other forms of headwear have very specific cultural significance, and shouldn't simply be adopted for fashion purposes. We mentioned fascinators, those little tiny hats that sit askew on the head as a woman's accessory. They are ornaments, and often feature feathers and jewels. We wondered whether hoods or cowls counted as headwear (but reached no definitive conclusion). We also talked about an idea that grew out of the discussion of feather war bonnets, i.e. legitimacy in wearing a particular piece of headwear. Is it really your uniform? Do you belong in it? This question is very important and causes many problems in fiction (and reality!). Think, for example, about crowns - the wearing of crowns (as opposed to tiaras) is very restricted, and one's claim to the crown (literally and figuratively) must be legitimate. Even royalty do not wear crowns all the time because they are very heavy. It was an enjoyable discussion. Thanks to everyone who came. Alvaro Zinos-Amaro and Traveler of Worlds Alvaro Zinos-Amaro told us that he started out writing essays and reviews of science fiction, fantasy and horror. He's now a prolific author of short stories, and has published thirty stories since 2008! He says he likes to experiment in his stories, and to work from specific guidelines. Traveler of Worlds, which came out a week ago, is a book of interviews he conducted with author Robert Silverberg. Because he has written in Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper fictional universes, I asked him what it was like to work in other people's worlds. He told us about a story he wrote for the The Mammoth Book of the Adventures of Moriarty: The Secret Life of Sherlock Holmes's Nemesis, and says it's impossible to learn all of the things that have done in the case of a world like Sherlock Holmes, because the world has been so mined by others. That means you have to have a specific approach. His was to reread the canonical stories that featured Moriarty, and to research the main ways he's been portrayed, including novels and popular spins on Moriarty. Then he tried to come up with something really bizarre and make it look natural. He said he was inspired by the Nathaniel Hawthorne story about a man who leaves his home and lives in a house nearby, watching how his own life unfolds without him in it. He redid it as a Holmes-Moriarty story, and says the plot arose from trying to make the two worlds work together. He asked "How does the story have to end?" and "What is the character's journey?" and the world portrayal arose from that. In his story, he imagined that all the stories about Holmes and Moriarty that occurred after Reichenback Falls were actually flashbacks (life flashing before their eyes) in the minds of the two characters while they were falling from the waterfall. That meant that Moriarty had created a world for himself, and aspects of that world had to show him that something larger was wrong. In the case of a story he wrote for the Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper stories, he ended up making it science-fictional. Alvaro says that the commercial properties featuring Jack the Ripper are tame, and he wanted to get away from the legend and back to the brutal reality of this "nauseating character." He looked at newspaper clippings and articles from the period, as well as canonical stories and notes. He then blended this with an aspect of contemporary society he finds just as horrifying: the corporate interview. He says that he really connected with some recent articles which described the characteristics required for top corporate positions (like CEO) as corresponding closely with the characteristics of sociopaths and pscyhopaths. The story therefore featured different versions of Jack the Ripper murders, each from the perspective of a different sort of Jack the Ripper character - and [SPOILER!] these were all different people experiencing the stories as part of an interview process for CEO of a company. His intent was also to make readers wonder about how similar they themselves were to Jack the Ripper. Alvaro is very good at creating conceptual mashups! We then talked about his story, "WYSIOMG" which will appear in October in Cyberworld. The title is an acronym for "What You See Is Oh My God," bringing together the early concept of a graphic user interface with modern slang sensibilities. The story is a cyberpunk story. Alvaro says that there are many features of cyberpunk, such as tech, implants, cutthroat corporations, neon, and rain, that are mostly superficial, but that it's also important to include a degree of "stylistic audacity." He notes that postmodernism and cyberpunk arose at the same time. The point of view he uses in this story is somewhat unusual. Alvaro says "worldbuilding is building the world as it is experienced by the character." His main character here comes from a poor background and was sold on using products which damaged his brain, something Alvaro does not consider a disability but a feature of his perspective, represented by his prose stylistics. He says that the story was inspired in part by a news story about villages in Spain being up for sale; in this story, the empty villages have been colonized by poor people who have found their way there from a worse place. He looked at genetic engineering, drones, and the use of information in the future. I asked Alvaro to talk about the difference between character voice and narrator voice. The easiest way to identify narrator voice is if the story is not in first person - as in the Jack the Ripper story when the narrator was not first person and the reader is dealing with known events. The introduction of the consciousness of the character changes the voice. Alvaro says "everything betrays writer voice" on some level. He often thinks about the aesthetic he is trying to achieve in a story. If you look at writers from before the 20th century you often see longer sentences and formal language, so he used that in the Jack the Ripper story, but made style changes based on the four point of view characters. In the case of WYSIOMG, he used a cyberpunk aesthetic. There are many mentions of future technology, and the character's viewpoint uses run-on sentences, altered grammar, and mixes languages a lot. These stylistic features are meant to capture his multilinguistic background and also his brain injury. Alvaro told us he was born in Madrid, so his use of Spanish in the story didn't require any research, but he did research on Brazilian Portuguese to capture that aspect of his character. Cyberpunk often uses existing words in a new way (including compound words) and I observed that internet language is also changing sentence structure. Alvaro told us about a story of his in the forthcoming anthology This Way to the End Times, called "Prayers to the Sun by a Dying Person." This one required a lot of research because it was set in India as the future "crashes into the present." He said he looked deeply into linguistic questions, but also religion, culture, geography, rituals, etc. He takes the question of cultural appropriation very seriously and wants to use the material he learns in a way that is respectful yet innovative, and makes sense. "Sometimes you spend the longest time on the smallest things," he said. He went back and forth over several drafts about whether to include a brief explanation of the word "ghat" in his first sentence, where the woman was sitting on a step by a lake. In the end, he took the explanation out. Alvaro says "get on with the story; just make it so the reader has enough." I asked him about Traveler of Worlds, which has been available for about a week. Alvaro explained that he had been paired with Robert Silverberg for a project called When the Blue Shift Comes, where he wrote the second half of a piece with a very particular style that often makes direct address to the reader. Alvaro had to emulate that style "and have fun." The project went well, so Alvaro asked Silverberg to do a book of interviews about how he feels about things other than science fiction and fantasy. The key to successful interviews, Alvaro says, is making sure you can create a safe environment where someone feels they can talk about anything, and not to ask clichéd questions. It sounds like a really neat collection, and gave Silverberg a chance to talk about his early childhood as well as to analyze the work of some non-SFF authors. It sounds really cool. Alvaro, thank you so much for coming on the show! Now, everyone go check out Traveler of Worlds... The idea behind this hangout was to talk about the abuse of large systems - schools, bureaucracies, universities, governments, and judicial systems. Sometimes problems with these systems can be caused by individuals, and sometimes the entire system can become biased in its operation because of the aggregate effect of a lot of small oversights or problems. Corruption can be a really good story problem, or an element of worldbuilding, or both. Sarah mentioned the idea of normalization of deviance. Within a particular system, certain kinds of errors or biases can repeat and may eventually be perceived as normal by the people participating in the system. She mentioned the Challenger disaster as a case where this had occurred, but it immediately made me think of cases where sexual harassment has become normal within an organization. Complex systems are self-perpetuating, so common abuses that are not sufficiently restricted by the structure of the system will self-perpetuate. Any action within a system simultaneously perpetuates and changes it. Some examples of corruption we thought of: bribes - how corruptible are individual people? loopholes in law - who is looking for them, and what will they do when they find them? nepotism - do you have friends or relatives in high places who will act inappropriately on your behalf? There are a lot of examples of corruption in shows like Boardwalk Empire, mafia-related stories where the police are in someone's pocket. It's important to note that nepotism was once considered normal. What constitutes a conflict of interest is socially defined. There are many reasons why a person might encounter conflicting motivations in a position of power. Che said that bribing and jockeying for inheritance or power in government are common plot elements involving corruption. You can also see corruption in religious hierarchies, and some of these have doctrinal implications, like when the Catholic church makes changes in the system by which the Pope is selected. How much influence can a single person have within a complex system? One example of such a person was the clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. She was one person, but because of her structural position as an elected official, and the support of other elected officials, her influence was widespread. We talked about assassins - mostly because the concept of an assassins' guild is so (ridiculously) common in fantasy. Do such things actually exist? Apparently there were two real world examples (total) and they may have been questionable. Hassan i Sabbah and the Hashishin order provide the origin of the word "assassin" but they might be considered terrorists in today's parlance because they were killing for political, social, and cultural reasons. Let's assume for a moment that you are going to put assassins in your world. You need to think through some aspects of their operation, such as: 1. How does someone find out they are there? 2. How does a character contact them? 3. How does a character pay them? Other useful questions include "Is there a recognized organization of them?" and "Does everyone (or every family) have one of their own?" and "How does the presence of assassins interact with general rule of law in this society?" If a society is very chaotic, or if there is corruption in the police, maintaining the presence of assassins might be much easier. We spoke about Star Trek Into Darkness, which involved an interesting situation where someone did the wrong thing because they were desperate to save a child's life, and thus torn between duties. If you are thinking through a character's motivations, ask how much that person will be punished for wrongdoing, and what the reward for action might be. Think it through systematically, step by step. There can also be corruption in magical systems, and the consequences for that can be highly variable. We felt that corruption in the medical system made a good analogy. Morgan noted that you can learn to practice medicine, but often people have innate and restricted ability to do magic, which might mean having to tolerate the evil or inappropriate behavior of a person because they cannot be replaced. How replaceable are corrupt people in your world? Can you impeach them? Can you get rid of them if you don't catch them in the act? Do you have to vote them out? Will a corrupt person's friends and colleagues defend them? How do you go about changing the culture of a system? Elections are designed as a built-in way to have a revolution, but they can be influenced by redistricting and gerrymandering. People within the system aren't always selfless. There are shades of gray in good and evil, and awareness of problems. You have to acknowledge that, and build in methods to counteract abuses. Weird laws can sometimes arise as a result of particular people's behaviors - nobody would have thought of abusing the system in that way until one person did it, so now we have to have a law against it. Complex systems of laws always act in concert with the societal system of manners and decency, and when the latter breaks down, the law is often not enough. We briefly discussed the difference between the American democratic system of "checks and balances" and the Australian system which relies more on elections to oust people who have done things that the electorate doesn't like. Without built-in standards and methods for change, a system will be brittle. With those built-in methods, it will be more robust. We talked about the Demarchists in Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe. Specifically, we talked about the idea of AIs that might analyze what people want and then organize changes for them behind the scenes. How would they decide what the people want? How would they make decisions between what is best for the system as a whole and the desires of people within the system? Of course, people do vote against their own self-interest for many reasons. One virtuous reason is in the interest of the larger society. There is this interesting, and very common, idea that a person who doesn't want power is the best person to wield it. This is why we see so many farmboys becoming kings in fantasy fiction! It's also why Douglas Adams wrote about the mysterious de facto leader of the universe living incognito in a shack somewhere. It's also important to note, though, that the desire for power doesn't by definition exclude the possibility of goodness. Complex systems are not inherently bad, and neither are relationships of mutual benefit between people. The payment of money in return for changes in legal policy, or quid-pro-quo, is corrupt. However, people and institutions can give money in support of a candidate because they share a mutual interest in the policies that candidate pursues, and that is perfectly ethical. Transparency, or the ability to expose parts of the system and its operation to examination and judgment, is absolutely critical. When a system tends to create entries and pathways to success for a particular type of people, a marginalized group can attempt to use those entries and pathways, or can attempt to create its own entries and pathways. Either approach has drawbacks. We want to advance people we know because we feel better able to judge their merit. My final note was that it's important to differentiate between different kinds of power within a system. Power could be "I have the power to pay my bills," or it could be "I have the power to inflict terrible hardship on others." The degree of power possessed by an individual due to position within the system, relationships with others, etc. etc. will help you to determine how far their influence will be felt, and how much damage they can do to people with less power. Thanks to everyone who attended! Remember that this week's hangout, on August 31 at 10am Pacific, will be an examination of POV characters as representatives of their worlds. I hope you can join us! Contact me on Facebook or Twitter @JulietteWade if you would like to enter the discussion. A place, and a project, close to my heart (funded,... Author Carrie Cuinn, Semiotics, and Worldbuilding ...	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line677
__label__cc	0.638961	0.361039	Posted on June 22, 2018 June 22, 2018 by DJ Rob Hip-Hop’s Latest Chart Accomplishment Is Another Huge First For The Genre Just when you thought you’d heard it all about how dominant hip-hop has been as a musical force in the past 18 months, it notches yet another feather in its cap as it continues to be the top music genre consumed in America. It accomplishes this latest feat as Drake’s single “Nice For What” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for its third time (and seventh non-consecutive week overall). Drake’s historic No. 1 single, “Nice For What.” With his ascension, Drake gives rap and hip-hop the Number One song for the 21st(!) straight week on the Hot 100. It’s the first time in the chart’s history that hip-hop songs have reigned for that long, non-stop. To put this in perspective, the last time a non-rap/hip-hop song was No. 1 was back on January 27 when Camila Cabello was at the top with “Havana,” and even her tune featured a rapper (Young Thug). If you credit Young Thug’s appearance on “Havana,” then the number increases to 22 weeks, with the last non-rap affiliated Number One song being Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect,” which was last at the top on January 20. But for the purpose of this article, we’ll exclude “Havana.” By doing that, a total of four Number One songs have combined to create this historic achievement. The streak began when Drake’s previous chart topper, “God’s Plan,” ascended the peak on the February 3 list and held there for eleven weeks (his biggest hit to date, btw). “God’s Plan” was replaced by “Nice For What,” making Drake one of only a handful of artists of any genre to replace himself at No. 1. “Nice For What” held on for four weeks before having its run interrupted by Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” for two weeks. Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” has contributed to the streak of 21-straight weeks at No. 1 for hip-hop songs. “Nice For What” then returned for two more weeks beginning with the June 2-dated chart, before being temporarily displaced from No. 1 (again) by Post Malone’s “Psycho,” featuring Ty Dolla Sign, for one week. That set the stage for Drake’s latest return with “Nice For What” now back at the top for its seventh non-consecutive week. By moving back into No. 1 a third time, Drake also joins a very short list of six artists to have done that in the chart’s history. It first happened in 1978/79 when Chic’s disco classic “Le Freak” moved in and out of No. 1 three times. It wouldn’t happen again until 2008 when “Bleeding Love” by British singer Leona Lewis did it. Others to triple yo-yo the No. 1 slot since then include rapper T.I. (“Whatever You Like”), Bruno Mars (“Grenade”), and The Weeknd (“Cant Feel My Face”). A few asterisked footnotes: Before this year, the longest hip-hop had reigned on the Hot 100 was back in 2003 when 50 Cent (“In Da Club” and “21 Questions”) and Sean Paul (“Get Busy”) combined for 16 straight weeks at the top. And it’s being generous to include Sean Paul who is sometimes considered a hip-hop artist, but “Get Busy” was more of a dancehall track. Excluding Sean Paul, the longest time hip-hop reigned was fourteen straight weeks in 2002 when Nelly’s “Hot In Herre” and “Dilemma” reigned for seven weeks each, consecutively. And even that needs to be asterisked because “Dilemma” was more of a hip-hop ballad (featuring Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child) than a rap song. If you exclude “Dilemma,” then the longest previous streak was 13 weeks, which happened twice (and both involved Sean “Puff Daddy/P.Diddy” Combs): first in 1997 when Puff Daddy & Faith Evans feat. 112 held for eleven weeks with “I’ll Be Missing You” before being replaced by Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money, Mo Problems” (featuring Puff Daddy and Ma$e) for two weeks. Then in 2002, Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” reigned for 12 weeks before being replaced by B2K & P. Diddy’s “Bump, Bump, Bump” for one week. So any way you slice it, the current streak of 21 consecutive weeks at No. 1 (and counting) is a major accomplishment and another huge victory for hip-hop. And with other rap/hip-hop songs by Cardi B and Juice WRLD looming in the top ten this week, it doesn’t appear the streak will end anytime soon. DJRob CategoriesHip-Hop Perspective, Pop Stuff, Trivia You Can Use, Uncategorized TagsBillboard, Billboard Hot 100, Drake, hip-hop, Hip-hop music news, music news, Nice For What Previous PostPrevious With ‘Everything Is Love,’ Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Gamble May Have Killed Both Their Hot Streaks Next PostNext R.I.P. Joe Jackson (1928 – 2018). An Iron-Clad Dad Who Changed Music Forever The Chart Battle Between Titan Lil Nas X and Underdog Billie Eilish Just Heated Up! July 18, 2019 Culture-bonding or genre-smashing? Just who are these 4 new faces…of country music? July 17, 2019 All the Number One Hip-Hop Albums Ever – A djrobblog exclusive! July 15, 2019 40 Years Later: The facts and myths about the impact of Steve Dahl’s Disco Demolition Night… July 13, 2019 Diana Ross, Jennifer Hudson Surprise Fans in Chicago! 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__label__wiki	0.541836	0.541836	Justia Dockets & Filings Eleventh Circuit Florida Middle District Securities and Exchange Commission v. Nadel et al Filing 755 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Nadel et al Filing 755 RESPONSE in opposition to Motion of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (I) for Determination re Proofs of Claims filed by Burton W. Wiand. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A - Part 1 of 2, # 2 Exhibit A - Part 2 of 2)(Cohen, Jonathan) UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA TAMPA DIVISION SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, Plaintiff, v. ARTHUR NADEL, SCOOP CAPITAL, LLC, SCOOP MANAGEMENT, INC., Defendants. CASE NO.: 8:09-cv-0087-T-26TBM SCOOP REAL ESTATE, L.P., VALHALLA INVESTMENT PARTNERS, L.P., VALHALLA MANAGEMENT, INC., VICTORY IRA FUND, LTD, VICTORY FUND, LTD, VIKING IRA FUND, LLC, VIKING FUND, LLC, AND VIKING MANAGEMENT, LLC. Relief Defendants. / THE RECEIVER’S OPPOSITION TO MOTION OF WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. (I) FOR DETERMINATION THAT THE FILING OF PROOFS OF CLAIM HEREIN IS NOT NECESSARY TO PRESERVE SECURED CREDITORS’ VALID STATE LAW SECURITY INTERESTS IN, AND CLAIMS AGAINST, COLLATERAL IN THE RECEIVER’S POSSESSION, OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, (II) FOR LEAVE TO FILE LATE CLAIMS PURSUANT TO FEDERAL RULE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 60(b) Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as successor by merger to Wachovia Bank, N.A. (collectively, “Wells Fargo”) seeks (i) a determination by this Court that the filing of proofs of claim in this case is not necessary to preserve secured creditors’ state law security interests in, and claims against, collateral in the Receiver’s possession, or in the alternative, (ii) leave to file late claims pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) (“Motion”) (Doc. 740). In relevant part, Wells Fargo identifies itself as follows: (1) a second priority secured lender with respect to the approximately 420 acres in Buncombe and McDowell counties, North Carolina (“Laurel Mountain Property”) and (2) a loan servicer on a first priority secured loan held by Bank of America (“BoA”) and a second priority secured lender on the property located at 464 Golden Gate Point, Unit 703, Sarasota, Florida (the “Sarasota Property”) (collectively, “the Properties”).1 Both of the Properties are assets of this Receivership and the Motion relates to these Properties and loans. Wells Fargo is not entitled to the relief it seeks and, accordingly, its motion should be denied because: (1) it was required to file claims in the claims process; (2) its unfiled claims are now time-barred; (3) it is not entitled to relief under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) as a matter of law because it did not seek relief within the one-year period set forth in 1 Wells Fargo also identifies itself as a loan servicer on a first priority secured loan held by Freddie Mac on real property located at 30393 Upper Bear Creek Road, Evergreen, Colorado (the “Evergreen Property”). Unlike the Properties, which either (i) are owned by receivership entities or (ii) were funded with proceeds of the scheme underlying this case, the Evergreen Property was not funded with scheme proceeds and is not owned by a Receivership Entity. Instead, the Receiver obtained control of it under a settlement with Sharon Moody of the Receiver’s claims against her in Wiand, as Receiver v. N. Moody et al., Case No. 8:10-cv-249-T-17MAP (M.D. Fla.). That property is still titled in Ms. Moody’s name. Payments on the Freddie Mac loan secured by that property are current and the Receiver intends to continue to make payments and to satisfy the loan when the house is sold, with the balance of the sale price going to the Receivership Estate. Because this house was not funded with scheme proceeds and was not owned by Nadel, any other insider, or any Receivership Entity, the reasons why the security interests on the Properties and the purported amounts owed on loans related to those Properties are not valid do not apply to those relating to the Evergreen Property. 1 the rule; and (4) it has not satisfied the substantive requirements for relief under Rule 60(b). BACKGROUND On April 21, 2010, the Court entered an Order (Doc. 391) granting the Receiver’s motion to, in relevant part, approve a procedure to administer claims and proof of claim forms (“POCs”) and to establish a deadline for filing POCs. The Order directed that each “entity that asserts a claim against the Receivership arising out of or related in any way to the acts, conduct, or activities of Receivership Entities must submit an original, written Proof of Claim ... to be received on or before the later of 120 days from the entry of this Order or 90 days from the mailing of the Proof of Claim Form to known possible Claimants ...” (“Claim Bar Date”). Order ¶ 2 (emphasis in original). Further, it explained that any “entity that fails to submit a Proof of Claim ... on or before the Claim Bar Date ... shall be forever barred and precluded from asserting any claim against the Receivership or Receivership Entities ....” Id. In accordance with the procedures adopted by the Court, the Receiver provided notice to every potential claimant by mailing a claim packet consisting of a cover letter, a Notice of Deadline Requiring Filing Of Proofs Of Claims On Or Before September 2, 2010 (“Claim Bar Date Notice”), and a Proof of Claim form. (Doc. 713-10.) The cover letter explained that, “[m]ost importantly, to have your claim considered, you MUST submit a completed and signed Proof of Claim form ... that provides responses to all of the questions in the Proof of Claim form, so that it is received on or before September 2, 2010 at the address provided in the Proof of Claim Form and Notice.” Id. Similarly, the Claim Bar Date Notice explained that “the Court entered an order (the “Claim Bar Date Order”) establishing September 2, 2 2010 (the “Claim Bar Date”) as the last date for each person or entity ... to file a Proof of Claim against the Receivership Entities.” Claim Bar Date Notice at 2-3. It also explained that “[i]f you think that you may have a claim, you MUST file a Proof of Claim to share in distributions from the Receivership Estate.” Id. It added that, If you were an investor, but believe you are or may be a creditor of one o[r] of the Receivership Entities, you must provide to the Receiver by the Claim Bar Date (1) the amount you contend you are owed from any Receivership Entity; (2) any amounts received from any Receivership Entity; and (3) legible copies of all documents on which you base your claim (i.e., all invoices for services or goods provided, loan documents, etc.) or, if any such documents are not available, a detailed explanation as to why any such documents are not available. Id. Finally, the Claim Bar Date Notice warned as follows: 4. CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE TO FILE A PROOF OF CLAIM BY THE BAR DATE ANY HOLDER OF A CLAIM OR POTENTIAL CLAIM THAT FAILS TO FILE A PROOF OF CLAIM ... BY THE CLAIM BAR DATE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED, ESTOPPED, AND ENJOINED FROM ASSERTING SUCH CLAIM AGAINST THE RECEIVERSHIP ENTITIES ... THEIR RESPECTIVE PROPERTY, THE RECEIVE, OR THE RECEIVERSHIP ESTATE, AND FROM PARTICIPATING IN ANY DISTRIBUTION FROM THIS RECEIVERSHIP. Id. (emphasis in original). Finally, the Proof of Claim form explained that “to be eligible to receive a distribution from the Receivership Entities’ assets, you must complete and return this Proof of Claim form and, if applicable, provide the requested documentation, so that it is received on or before September 2, 2010 ....” Id. It adds that, “IF THIS COMPLETED FORM, SIGNED UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY, IS NOT RECEIVED BY THE RECEIVER ... BY SEPTEMBER 2, 2010, YOU WILL FOREVER BARRED FROM ASSERTING ANY 3 CLAIM AGAINST THE RECEIVERSHIP ENTITIES’ ASSETS AND YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVER ANY DISTRIBUTIONS FROM THE RECEIVER.” Id. (emphasis in original). Wells Fargo received the claim packet and understood its contents as demonstrated by its timely filing of the pre-printed Proof of Claim form mailed by the Receiver. (Doc. 712 at 9; Doc. 713 ¶ 24.) That claim, however, related only to its loan purportedly secured by real property generally referred to in this Receivership as the “Rite Aid Property” (see, e.g., Docs. 713-11, 713-12). Wells Fargo did not file a Proof of Claim relating in any way to the Properties. I. WELLS FARGO, AND WITH RESPECT TO TO THE SARASOTA PROPERTY ALSO BOA, RECEIVED TIMELY NOTICE OF ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE CLAIMS PROCESS. A. Wells Fargo Had Proper Notice Of Its Need To File A Claim Relating To Its Purported Interest In Laurel Mountain. Wells Fargo has been on notice of this Receivership, of the Laurel Mountain Property’s association with the Receivership, and of the requirement of filing a claim and of the Claim Bar Date for years. This is detailed in the Receiver’s Reply to Trste, Inc.’s and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.’s Objection and Opposition to Receiver’s Motion to Approve Determination and Priority of Claims (“Reply”) (Doc. 712 at 5-10) and the Declaration of Gianluca Morello in support of the Reply (Doc. 713). As those filings establish, Wells Fargo was informed of this Receivership shortly after it started (Doc. 690-2) and of Laurel Preserve, LLC’s – the record owner of the Laurel Mountain Property – inclusion in the Receivership no later than less than a month after it was included (Doc. 713-5). In March 2009, counsel for Wells Fargo informed the Receiver of its security interest in the Laurel 4 Mountain Property (Doc. 713-6), and communications between Wells Fargo and the Receivership relating to that property continued (Doc. 713 ¶ 19). Further, on June 4, 2010, the Receiver mailed a claim packet to Wells Fargo that specifically identified Laurel Preserve as a Receivership entity and, as detailed above, clearly explained the claims process and consequences of not filing a timely claim. However, Wells Fargo did not file a claim related to the Laurel Mountain Property, and now it is prohibited from pursuing any interest in that property. See Callahan v. Moneta Capital Corp., 415 F.3d 114, 117-18 (1st Cir. 2005) (potential claimants that did not submit their claims by bar date lacked “standing to object to the adjudication of a pending claim in the Claims Disposition Order”); SEC v. Princeton Econ. Int’l Ltd., 2008 WL 7826694, 4 (S.D.N.Y. 2008) (“All persons or entities with a claim that failed to file a proof of claim prior to the Bar Date and were not excused from filing a proof of claim under the Plan are forever barred, estopped, and permanently enjoined.”). Further, almost a year ago (on April 5, 2011), the Receiver’s counsel informed Wells Fargo’s counsel in writing that the Claim Bar Date had expired in September 2010, and added that if “[Wells Fargo] believes there are circumstances that justify its failure to file a Proof of Claim, it remains free to submit one and an explanation for the delay and any other materials or information which it deems appropriate.” (Doc. 713-8). That letter also explained that if Wells Fargo did not file a claim, “then its interest will not be considered by the Receiver, and the Court….” Id. Despite the Receiver’s invitation, Wells Fargo did not respond or file a claim. Instead, two months later it filed a petition in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, discussed infra – Wells Fargo has never given the 5 Receiver or this Court notice of that petition. As discussed herein, Wells Fargo is now forever barred from pursuing its interest in the Laurel Mountain Property. B. Wells Fargo And BoA Had Proper Notice Of A Need To File A Claim Relating To The Sarasota Property. Similarly, both Wells Fargo (the servicer on one relevant loan and holder of a second relevant loan) and BoA (the holder of one relevant loan) received timely notice relating to the Sarasota Property and both had notice of this property’s inclusion in this Receivership before the Claim Bar Date. The Court approved this property’s inclusion in the Receivership on January 28, 2010 (the “Sarasota Property Order””) (Doc. 327). BoA had initiated a foreclosure proceeding and the case was pending at that time. (See Doc. 324 at 2, 10.) On February 1, 2010, the Receiver filed in the foreclosure proceeding a notice of filing accompanied by the Sarasota Property Order, the Order Appointing Receiver, the Order of Preliminary Injunction and Other Relief as to Defendants Scoop Capital, LLC and Scoop Management, Inc. and All Relief Defendants, and an Order Reappointing Receiver. (Cohen Decl., Ex. B.) The Receiver also served a copy of this notice and orders on BoA’s and Wells Fargo’s attorneys in the foreclosure case. (Cohen Decl., Ex. D.) Further, on February 25, 2010, a copy of 01/28/10 Order was recorded in the Sarasota County public records. (Cohen Decl., Ex. A.) As previously noted, the Receiver then mailed to Wells Fargo a claims packet on June 4, 2010, which Wells Fargo received and understood. A claim packet was also mailed to BoA on June 4, 2010. (Cohen Decl., Ex. E). After the Claim Bar Date, the Receiver’s representatives continued to communicate with BoA’s and Wells Fargo’s respective outside counsel that were handling the Sarasota 6 Property and internal employees about the Receivership and its control over that property. In those communications, either the Receiver’s representatives informed counsel and internal employees of this Receivership and the inclusion of the Sarasota Property in the Receivership or it is evident the banks and their representatives were aware of it. See (Cohen Decl., Ex. F,G, and K). Nevertheless, neither bank ever filed a claim relating to either of the two loans purportedly secured by the Sarasota Property. Both Wells Fargo and BoA are now forever barred from pursuing their interests in the Sarasota Property. II. CONTRARY TO ITS ARGUMENT, WELLS FARGO WAS REQUIRED TO FILE A CLAIM TO PRESERVE ITS CLAIMED INTERESTS IN RECEIVERSHIP PROPERTY. Because it failed to file claims relating to the Properties, Wells Fargo now argues it did not have to file them because it asserts it is a secured creditor. Wells Fargo is wrong: the governing rule is that every creditor claiming an interest in property included in this Receivership Estate, whether the interest is secured or unsecured, was required to file a timely claim with the Receiver to preserve its interests for adjudication by this Court. Riehle v. Margolies, 279 U.S. 218, 224 (1929) (“Of course, no one can obtain any part of the assets, or enforce a right to specific property in the possession of a receiver, except upon application to the court which appointed him.”); see Ralph E. Clark, Clark on Receivers § 646 at 1132 (3d ed. 1992) (“Every person who has any claim or demand against the estate or property in the custody of the court through the receiver, ... must assert such claim or demand in the court in which such receiver was appointed.”). Wells Fargo does not cite a single case holding that a secured creditor does not have to file a claim in a receivership to preserve it. Instead, it essentially relies on two categories of cases: one category finds that in the context 7 of bankruptcy, sometimes secured creditors do not have to file claims; and the other category finds that a receiver takes property subject to all liens and encumbrances. Neither of those categories of cases supports Wells Fargo’s position in this Receivership. A. Wells Fargo’s Reliance On Bankruptcy Does Not Help It Here. Wells Fargo’s reliance on bankruptcy cases as justification for its failure to file claims for the Properties is wholly misplaced. As this is not a bankruptcy, the Bankruptcy Code is inapplicable and the Court is governed by rules of equity. See, e.g., Quilling v. Trade Partners, Inc., 2007 WL 107669, at 1 (W.D. Mich. Jan. 9, 2007) (“This proceeding is a federal equity receivership and the Bankruptcy Code does not apply.”); Marion v. TDI, Inc., 2006 WL 3742747, 2 (E.D. Pa. 2006) (“a bankruptcy proceeding differs significantly from an equity receivership imposed at the request of a government agency such as the SEC.”). As such, none of the bankruptcy cases cited by Wells Fargo governs this proceeding. But even if they did, the bankruptcy cases relied upon by Wells Fargo only paint an incomplete picture: in many instances – including some that share similar characteristics to those surrounding Wells Fargo’s purported interests – secured creditors must file claims in a bankruptcy proceeding to preserve their rights. See, e.g., U.S. Nat. Bank in Johnstown v. Chase Nat. Bank of N.Y.C., 331 U.S. 25, 33 (1947) (a secured creditor “must file a secured claim, however, if the security is within the jurisdiction of the bankruptcy court and if he wishes to retain his secured status, inasmuch as that court has exclusive jurisdiction over the liquidation of the security.”); In re Strong, 203 B.R. 105, 112 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 1996) (“If a secured creditor seeks distribution from the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee administering a confirmed plan it must file a proof of claim.”); In re Parrish, 326 B.R. 708 (Bankr. N.D. 8 Ohio 2005) (secured creditor trying to recover a deficiency balance must file a proof of claim). By not filing a claim, they have no right to receive distributions from the estate.2 Additionally, there are significant distinctions between bankruptcies and receiverships. Sometimes, a bankruptcy does not impact a secured creditor’s security interest because, at the conclusion of the bankruptcy proceeding, the collateral may remain subject to the secured creditor’s interest. Thus, even if the secured creditor does not file a claim in bankruptcy, it retains the ability to foreclose on its collateral property if it is not paid in accordance with the terms of the underlying obligation. This is not the case in a receivership. The receivership court can authorize the sale of encumbered receivership property free and clear of all claims, liens, and encumbrances, including a secured creditor’s interest. See, e.g. Miners’ Bank of Wilkes-Barre v. Acker, 66 F.2d 850, 853 (3d Cir. 1933); People’s-Pittsburgh Trust Co. v. Hirsch, 65 F.2d 972, 973 (3d Cir. 1933). Once the receivership court approves the sale of the encumbered property free and clear, the security interests are transferred to the 2 See In re Macias, 195 B.R. 659, 663 (Bkrtcy. W.D. Tex. 1996) (citing Matter of Simmons, 765 F.2d 547, 551 (5th Cir. 1985) (“[T]he bar date for filing unsecured claims … ought to apply as well to secured claims.”)) (“If a secured claim [in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy proceeding] is untimely filed, the trustee is entitled (perhaps even obligated) to object to its filing as untimely. Such disallowed claims will not be entitled to any distribution under the plan, nor will the creditor's failure to timely file permit the debtor to later argue a lack of adequate protection. Which brings us to the motion at hand. The creditor complains that it should not have to go through this indignity. The foregoing holding confirms that the creditor in fact does have to file a claim if it wishes to receive distribution under the plan. Moreover, it must file by a date certain, or face disallowance of its claim. Here, the creditor missed the bar date, and the trustee has indicated her intention to seek disallowance of the claim on grounds of untimeliness.”); In re MarketXT Holdings Corp., 336 B.R. 67, 71 -72 (Bkrtcy. S.D.N.Y. 2006) (“[The creditor’s] failure to file a proof of claim in MarketXT's Chapter 11 case is thus fatal to its demand to share in the proceeds of the litigation. The ‘bar date order’ entered in the Chapter 11 case required all creditors with secured or unsecured, contingent or fixed, liquidated or unliquidated claims to file a proof of claim by a date certain. This order was binding on [the creditor] as an alleged lienholder, whose claims do not ‘ride through’ a Chapter 11 case in the face of a valid bar order. [The creditor's] failure to file a claim is fatal to its pretensions to have a continuing participation in the existing Claims.” (Internal citations omitted)); Liona Corp., Inc. v. PCH Assocs., 949 F.2d 585, 605 (2d Cir.1991) (a Chapter 11 secured creditor whose claim is not scheduled or whose claim is characterized as disputed, contingent or unliquidated must file a proof of claim to preserve its rights). 9 proceeds of the property’s sale. See Passaic Plumbing Supply Co. v. Eastside Holding Corp., 105 N.J. Eq. 485, 486, 490 (N.J. Ch. 1930); Bogosian v. Foederer Tract Comm., Inc., 399 A.2d 408, 414 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1979). The only way a secured creditor can seek a determination of its rights with respect to those proceeds is if it has filed a claim. See Riehle, 279 U.S. at 224 (“Of course, no one can obtain any part of the assets, or enforce a right to specific property in the possession of a receiver, except upon application to the court which appointed him. ... [I]n the receivership proof of the claim [must] be made in an orderly way, so that it may be established who the creditors are and the amounts due them.”). In the absence of filing a claim, the proceeds of the secured property’s sale would be distributed in accordance with distributions of the rest of the receivership estate’s assets – here, to defrauded investors with allowed claims. In short, although sometimes after bankruptcy a secured creditor can still vindicate its rights independent of the bankruptcy proceeding, in a receivership it cannot do so because all rights to receivership property must necessarily be adjudicated by the receivership court so all receivership assets can be distributed before the receivership is concluded. B. Wells Fargo’s Reliance On Other Cases Also Does Not Help It. Significantly, none of the other cases cited by Wells Fargo contradicts Riehle, 279 U.S. at 224, either or otherwise holds that a secured creditor is immune from having to participate in a receivership claims process. Rather, they illustrate the point that receiverships take property subject to all liens and other encumbrances existing under applicable state law, and that the mere appointment of a receiver does not extinguish any preexisting property rights. However, the fact that the Receiver may have taken control of 10 property subject to existing liens and encumbrances is a very different matter from whether this Court has authority to require all creditors, including secured creditors, to file claims. See SEC v. Elliot, 953 F.2d 1560, 1566 (11th Cir. 1992) (court has “broad powers and wide discretion” to assure equitable distributions); SEC v. Hardy, 803 F.2d 1034 (9th Cir. 1986) (“a district court's power to supervise an equity receivership and to determine the appropriate action to be taken in the administration of the receivership is extremely broad.”). In other words, Wells Fargo conflates the survival of a security interest upon the creation of a receivership with the validity and amount of the creditor’s claim and whether, under governing principles of equity, any such claim should be recognized. Irrespective of bankruptcy law and state property law, Wells Fargo was obligated to file all claims to Receivership property it believed it had with the Receiver on or before the September 2, 2010 Claim Bar Date in accordance with the framework adopted by this Court. C. Wells Fargo’s Argument Does Not Make Practical Sense. Consistent with the use of receivership claims processes in general, the purpose of the claims process here was to implement a fair, efficient, centralized, and due-process compliant procedure for this Court to consider and adjudicate all claims to Receivership property. The completion and filing of a physical claim form was important for several reasons, including that it solicited information from the claimant that was relevant to the determination of its claim and it subjected the claimant to this Court’s jurisdiction for purposes of resolving the claim. As part of the claims process, the Receiver reviewed all submitted claims and, based on the information in his possession, made a determination with respect to each claim, proposed a procedure for claimant objections, and submitted his determinations to the Court 11 for review. As is clear from the Receiver’s filings, to the extent an objection cannot be resolved between the objecting claimant and the Receiver, it will be submitted to the Court for final adjudication following a procedure to be set by the Court based on the specific needs of the dispute. Wells Fargo’s argument that it can bypass this procedure simply because it has a security interest does not make sense. Indeed, this argument ignores that irrespective of whether Wells Fargo believes it has a valid security interest, the Court must still determine (i) whether the security interest is valid and (ii) even if it is found to be valid, whether the actual claim secured by such interest is valid – i.e., is Wells Fargo owed money by the Receivership Estate and is it entitled to receive it as a matter of equity – and, if so, what the appropriate claim amount is. In fact, the need for and importance of filing a claim to bring the matter before the court is welldemonstrated by the circumstances here, where Wells Fargo erroneously presumes that it has a valid claim for the full amount owed under the notes purportedly secured by the Properties and that its alleged security interests in the Properties are valid. As previously argued by the Receiver (Docs. 675, 714, 728), neither Wells Fargo’s security interests nor its contentions that it is entitled to money from the Receivership Estate are valid as a result of the fact that, at a minimum, it was on inquiry notice of fraud relating to Arthur Nadel’s activities.3 See Quilling v. Stark, 2007 WL 415351, 3 (N.D. Tex. Feb 7, 2007 (“The relevant inquiry is what the transferee objectively knew or should have known instead of examining the transferee’s actual knowledge from a subjective standpoint.” (internal quotations omitted)). 3 On February 9, 2012, the Receiver sued Wells Fargo and one of its former officers in Sarasota County, Florida for their relationship with Nadel’s Ponzi scheme. The complaint, which is attached hereto as Exhibit A, thoroughly details numerous indicia of fraud, Wells Fargo’s knowledge and assistance in fraud, and several causes of action asserted against Wells Fargo. 12 As a result of its inquiry notice of fraud, Wells Fargo did not act with requisite “good faith,” and thus all of the money and security interests transferred to Wells Fargo from Nadel and his entities in connection with the Properties, and with respect to the Sarasota Property, from Neil Moody, violated FUFTA and thus are void. Wells Fargo’s contention that the statute of limitation for fraudulent transfer claims has expired and thus the Receiver purportedly is barred from asserting fraudulent transfer claims relating to the Properties ignores the present circumstances and governing law. Even if the Receiver is statutorily barred from affirmatively filing a lawsuit against Wells Fargo and seeking avoidance of the transfer of those security interests, the Court can still consider those fraudulent transfers when determining Wells Fargo’s purported interests in any of the Properties as part of the claims process. The Court can do this because it has “discretion to summarily reject formalistic arguments that would otherwise be available in a traditional lawsuit.” Broadbent v. Advantage Software, Inc., 2011 WL 754838, *5 (10th Cir. 2011) (in administration of Ponzi scheme receivership, “it was proper for the district court to summarily reject appellants’ . . . various contract law arguments in favor of treating appellants like all other similarly situated claimants”); see Holmberg v. Armbrecht, 327 U.S. 392, 396 (1946) (“[S]tatutes of limitation are not controlling measures of equitable relief” because “[e]quity eschews mechanical rules; it depends on flexibility”). III. WELLS FARGO HAS NOT SHOWN AND CANNOT SHOW THAT ITS FAILURE TO TIMELY FILE PROOFS OF CLAIM QUALIFIES FOR RELIEF UNDER FED. R. CIV. P. 60(b)(1). Wells Fargo also argues that its failure to file proofs of claim regarding the Properties should be excused under the exceptions carved out in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 13 60(b)(1), which allows a court to relieve a party from a final judgment or order for “excusable neglect.” However, this argument fails for several independent reasons. First, it fails as a matter of law because Wells Fargo has not complied with the strict one-year deadline for seeking relief under Rule 60(b)(1). Second, it fails because Wells Fargo has offered no proof whatsoever to support its claim of “excusable neglect.” Third, it fails because even ignoring the first and second reasons, the facts here do not remotely come close to satisfying the “excusable neglect” standard. A. Rule 60(b)(1) Does Not Apply Because Wells Fargo Has Waited Over One Year To Seek Relief. Wells Fargo’s request for relief under Rule 60(b)(1) fails as a matter of law because any such motion must be made within one year of the entry of the order in question. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(c)(1) (emphasis added); see also Pioneer Inv. Services Co. v. Brunswick Associates Ltd. Partnership, 507 U.S. 380, 393 (1993) (“The same is true of Rule 60(b)(1), which permits courts to reopen judgments for reasons of ‘mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect,’ but only on motion made within one year of the judgment”). The Court’s Order establishing a Deadline for Filing Proofs of Claims (Doc. 391) was entered on April 21, 2010, and set a Claim Bar Date of September 2, 2010. Because the Bank did not file its request for relief until February 8, 2012 – almost two years after entry of the Order setting the Claim Bar Date – as a matter of law Wells Fargo’s requested relief must be denied. B. Wells Fargo Submitted No Relevant Proof And Otherwise Failed To Satisfy Its Burden Under Rule 60(b). Even assuming arguendo that this motion was timely filed, it should still be denied because Wells Fargo has not satisfied its burden for establishing excusable neglect. See 14 Pelican Production Corp. v. Marino, 893 F.2d 1143 (10th Cir. 1990) (“The burden is upon the party moving to have the judgment set aside to plead and prove excusable neglect.”). Wells Fargo does not “prove” excusable neglect because Wells Fargo offers almost no evidence to support a finding of excusable neglect, such as affidavits or declarations. Rather, Wells Fargo primarily relies on argument, which does nothing to prove excusable neglect. Wells Fargo does attach as Exhibit E a Declaration of Elizabeth A. Ryan (the “Ryan Declaration”) in support of its motion (Doc. 740-E). However, the Ryan Declaration falls short of providing the requisite supporting evidence of excusable neglect. Instead, Ms. Ryan identifies herself as a “Mortgage Quality Assurance Analyst at Wells Fargo Home Equity Group” (Doc. 740-E, ¶ 1) and offers her unfounded opinion that “in [her] experience a secured lender is not required to file a Proof of Claim and can simply stand upon its state law property interest as evidenced by its mortgage and security interest.” (Doc. 740-E, ¶ 5). Finally, Ms. Ryan declares that she did not receive “notice of the above-captioned proceeding until April 2011, one year and five months after the bar date for filing Proofs of Claim in this case (September 2, 2010). This is not evidence of excusable neglect. That a “mortgage analyst” incorrectly “presumed” (Doc. 740-E, ¶ 5) that secured creditors do not need to file claims in “a bankruptcy proceeding” is not tantamount to evidence, let alone relevant evidence; it is simply an incorrect opinion, which does not even address receiverships. See McDowellBonner v. District of Columbia, 668 F. Supp.2d 124 (D.C. Cir. 2009) (“inadvertence, ignorance of the rules, or mistakes construing the rules do not usually constitute ‘excusable’ neglect”) (internal citation omitted). Moreover, although Ms. Ryan states that she did not 15 receive notice of this proceeding until April 2011, she fails to identify what, if any, involvement or responsibility she had for the Properties or for deciding whether to file a claim. Further, Ms. Ryan makes no mention of whether other Wells Fargo employees or officers received timely notice of the instant proceedings well in advance of the Claim Bar Date. As shown by Wells Fargo’s filing of a claim relating to a different property, the clear answer is that Wells Fargo received timely notice. The Receiver was not obligated to provide notice to every employee of Wells Fargo or specifically to Ms. Ryan or any other “mortgage analyst.” He was simply required to provide notice reasonably calculated, under the circumstances, to apprise Wells Fargo of this Receivership and its right to file timely claims to preserve its interests. See Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co., 339 U.S. 306, 314 (1950) (“An elementary and fundamental requirement of due process in any proceeding which is to be accorded finality is notice reasonably calculated, under all the circumstances, to apprise interested parties of the pendency of the action and afford them an opportunity to present their objections.”). The Receiver complied with this obligation, and Wells Fargo received timely notice of the Claims Bar Date and of its obligation to file claims. C. The Circumstances Of This Matter Fall Far Short Of Constituting “Excusable Neglect.” Finally, the motion should be denied because the facts governing this issue fall far short of constituting “excusable neglect.” Relief under Rule 60(b) “is an extraordinary remedy and is granted only in exceptional circumstances.” Harrington v. City of Chicago, 433 F.3d 542, 546 (7th Cir.2006) (quoting Karraker v. Rent -A-Center, Inc., 411 F.3d 831, 837 (7th Cir.2005)). In Pioneer, the Supreme Court articulated a four-pronged test for 16 examining excusable neglect. Canfield v. Van Atta Buick/GMC Truck, Inc., 127 F.3d 248, 249-50 (2d Cir.1997) (finding that while Pioneer involved the Bankruptcy Code, the analysis was equally applicable to Fed. R.Civ.P. 60(b)). Courts must consider “the danger of prejudice to the [non-moving party], the length of the delay and its potential impact upon judicial proceedings, the reason for the delay, including whether it was in the reasonable control of the movant, and whether the movant acted in good faith.” Pioneer at 395. 1. Wells Fargo, Not The Receiver, Controlled The Long Delay Wells Fargo incorrectly argues that “most delays” are the fault of the Receiver. But rather than pointing to any facts demonstrating that the Receiver caused Wells Fargo’s “delay,” Wells Fargo superficially mentions that unidentified complexities of its merger with a failed financial institution combined with its purported misunderstanding of this Court’s Claim Bar Date caused its delay and also states that it did “not understand that its failure to file claims before the bar date could result in a loss of its valid state law property rights….” Mot. at 15. However, with respect to the “merger,” Wells Fargo submits no supporting proof to show how any of that impacted its filing of claims. In fact, it did file a claim on the Rite Aid Property but does not explain how it knew to file that claim while not knowing to file claims with respect to the Properties. With respect to its lack of understanding that its rights could be terminated, this is not a valid ground for finding excusable neglect. See Noah v. Bond Cold Storage, 408 F.3d 1043 (8th Cir. 2005) (“Neither a mistake of law nor the failure to follow the clear dictates of a court rule constitutes excusable neglect”). It also is inconsistent with Wells Fargo’s filing of a claim relating to the Rite Aid Property. As the record demonstrates, Wells Fargo was on notice as to the scope of the 17 Receivership and aware of the procedure for filing claims relating to its interests, was aware of the deadline for filing claims, and had many communications with the Receiver’s representatives. Its failure to timely file claims was, at best, a complete lack of diligence and thus not excusable neglect. See Robinson v. Wix Filtration Corp, LLC., 599 F.3d 403 (4th Cir. 2010) (“A party that fails to act with diligence will be unable to establish that his conduct constituted excusable neglect”). 2. Wells Fargo Has Not Shown That It Acted In Good Faith Not only did Wells Fargo fail to establish that it ever acted in good faith in connection with Nadel’s scheme, but it also does not and cannot show that it acted in good faith in this proceeding. For example, as outlined above in Section I(A), Wells Fargo was on notice of this Court’s and the Receiver’s jurisdiction and control over the Laurel Mountain Property as far back as no later than March 2009. Communications between Wells Fargo and the Receivership continued through February of 2010. Wells Fargo’s counsel sent a pair of letters to the Receiver in March 2011 which again identified Wells Fargo’s interest in that property and demanded payment on the underlying loan. On April 5, 2011, the Receiver responded by letter to Wells Fargo’s counsel informing them the deadline for filing a claim had passed in September 2010, but that if “the Bank believes there are circumstances that justify its failure to file a Proof of Claim, it remains free to submit one and an explanation for the delay and any other materials or information which it deems appropriate.” Well Fargo ignored the Receiver’s counsel. Instead, without ever notifying the Court or the Receiver, in June (and again in July) 2011, Wells Fargo filed a petition in United States v. A. Nadel in the U.S. District Court for 18 the Southern District of New York seeking adjudication of its alleged rights to the Laurel Mountain Property. Not only did Wells Fargo’s inexplicable failure to serve or otherwise notify the Receiver or this Court of its petition demonstrate a lack of good faith, but it violated this Court’s injunction. It violated the injunctive language of the Order Appointing Receiver (Doc. 8) enjoining all parties with notice of that Order – such as Wells Fargo – “from in any way disturbing the assets or proceeds of the receivership or from prosecuting any actions or proceedings which involve the Receiver or which affect the property of the Defendants or Relief Defendants….” See also Order Granting Second Unopposed Motion to Expand Scope of Receivership (Doc. 44) (including Laurel Mountain Preserve within the ambit of the Court’s Order Appointing Receiver). Rather than filing a late claim, Wells Fargo sought to circumvent this Court and the Receiver in violation of an injunction by seeking relief in New York without giving notice to either this Court or the Receiver. Without question, this fell short of “good faith.” 3. Allowing Wells Fargo To File A Claim 1 ½ Years After The Deadline Will Prejudice The Receiver And Impact The Proceedings Wells Fargo became aware of this Receivership no later than in a matter of weeks after the inception of this Receivership and, as a sophisticated party with sophisticated counsel, has very likely known about its need to file claims to preserve its interests in Receivership property for equally as long. But in any event, it received the claims packet that was mailed on June 4, 2010, and thus cannot dispute that it received all the notice it was entitled to about what it had to do to preserve its interests and have them adjudicated. Yet, for reasons that still remain untold, Wells Fargo chose not to file claims on the Laurel 19 Mountain Property or the Sarasota Property. To allow Wells Fargo to file claims now will cause prejudice to the Receiver and impact these proceedings. It will prejudice the Receiver because he will be forced to expend Receivership resources in addressing this dispute to the detriment of the Receivership Estate. The main purpose of the claims process is to adjudicate all claims to receivership property in an efficient and timely manner, and to bring finality to those claims so that receivership assets can be distributed to victims. Wells Fargo has already delayed that process, and allowing it to file claims now will prejudice the Receiver. Further, allowing Wells Fargo to file late claims will also cause additional delay to these proceedings. Wells Fargo has made numerous filings related to the Properties and another Receivership property in this Court and even one in the Southern District of New York in violation of an injunction, causing delays in this proceeding that would have been avoided had Wells Fargo followed its obligation to timely participate in the claims process. To allow Wells Fargo to now submit additional claims will delay the proceedings even further because of the time and resources needed to address the validity of those claims and, ultimately, delay distributions to defrauded investors. But more importantly, it would also “open the door” for other would-be claimants who previously ignored the Claim Bar Date from seeking similar relief. The entire purpose of the Claim Bar Date is to avoid requiring receivers to waste scarce receivership resources on circumstances that are like those presented by Wells Fargo here. And for that reason, the hurdle to overcome for receiving permission to file a late claim is very high. Wells Fargo showing falls far short of satisfying that hurdle, especially in light of its lack of good faith. 20 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I HEREBY CERTIFY that on February 23, 2012, I electronically filed the foregoing with the Clerk of the Court by using the CM/ECF system. I FURTHER CERTIFY that on February 24, 2012, I will mail the foregoing document and the notice of electronic filing by first-class mail to the following non-CM/ECF participants: Arthur Nadel, Register No. 50690-018 FCI BUTNER LOW Federal Correctional Institution P.O. Box 999 Butner, NC 27509 Respectfully submitted, JAMES, HOYER, NEWCOMER & SMILJANICH, P.A. /s/ Sean P. Keefe Sean P. Keefe, Esq. (FBN 413828) One Urban Centre, Suite 550 4830 W. Kennedy Blvd. Tampa, FL 33609 Telephone: (813) 397-2300 Facsimile: (813) 397-2310 E-Mail: skeefe@jameshoyer.com Attorney for the Receiver, Burton W. Wiand 21	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line680
__label__cc	0.742473	0.257527	by admin March 29, 2018 687 Views An international move is a major undertaking and relocating to the Philippines is one of the most significant events in one’s life. It’s natural to have lots of question since you are eased out from your comfort zone and transferred to another environment. Find answers to your questions before traveling so you won’t feel like a foreigner in a foreign land. Is travel to the Philippines safe? The tag “Safe to Travel” is a misnomer because it infers that you won’t be exposed to any danger or risk. And there is no guarantee that you will be 100% safe anywhere in the world even in your home. Like any country, the Philippines has pockets where violence is more likely to occur and places where it is safe. The best way to know if it is safe to travel is by tuning to the news broadcast or connecting with your embassy for any travel advisory. What is the weather in the Philippines? The weather in the Philippines is generally hot and quite humid with the average temperatureranging between 21 °C (70 °F) and 32 °C (90 °F). There are three seasons, namely: Hot dry summer (Tag-init) Wet (Tag-ulan) June to November Colder dry (Tag-lamig) December to February January is considered the coldest month while May is the warmest. How much is the cost of living in the Philippines? The cost of living depends on your lifestyle and the number of people that stays with you.Here is a computation of the necessities that you would need, it includes rent, food, transportation, and utilities. Rent: 1 Bedroom Apartment in the city $ 280 Food: 3 Meals/ day at an inexpensive restaurant for 2 $480 Transportation: Monthly public transport for 2 $70 Utilities (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Internet) $120 Can a foreigner work in the Philippines? With a tourist visa, you cannot. You can if you have the proper Philippine employment permits and working visas issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Or you can cut corners and marry a Filipina to obtain an automatic work permit. Beware! There is no divorce in the Philippines. What are the modes of transportation? The Filipinos are innovative people that is why they have some of the most peculiar and exciting rides in the world, here are some of those: Light Rail Transit (LRT). It’s the fastest way to move around Metro-Manila especially with the current state of traffic, Jeepney. This serves the commuting public and the cheapest way of getting around the streets of the metro and the provinces. Tricycle. A motorcycle attached with a sidecar that makes a three-wheeled vehicle. They service many parts of the cities to transport the riding public in designated routes, they cannot traverse the major thoroughfares. Bus. They ply longer routes to rural and suburban destinations from major cities. Ferryboats (Ro-Ro). An acronym for roll on/roll off freight vessel built for inter-island transport of vehicles with passenger accommodations. Taxis. They operate within the city but can travel to provinces for an extra charge. There are options like Uber, Grab, or other vehicles for hire. Horse Carriage. Popularly known as Kalesa, a bit of nostalgia when you ride one ‘coz this was the mode of transport many centuries ago. Do I need to learn to speak Tagalog? You don’t have to. English is the Filipino’s second language, it is used as the medium of teaching in schools and acknowledged as the business language. But if you want to have a fun time with the locals, try speaking Tagalog with your twisted tongue and notice the happy smile in their faces and the acceptance that you are their friend. Sources and citations: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Philippines cost of livingknow before you gotransportationweather Fruits You will Find in the Philippines by admin - Mar 28, 2018 Penalties Imposed to Common Traffic Violations in the Philippines The Philippines is fast becoming the favorite retirement haven of foreign nationals. More so now when retirement visa in the Philippines is made simple. That’s besides the fact that... Retirement becomes a more exciting prospect when you plan to retire abroad. You get a fresh new start. But like everything else in life, it needs funding. Retirement overseas... It’s never all fairytale stories of happy endings in the Philippines according to some headlines. But what do the foreigners living abroad, who have never visited the country yet,... Why Considering A Whole Range Of Metrics Is Essential Before Relocating: The Pros And Cons Of Retiring In The Philippines Once a country unsound of the radar of most future expats, there’s now a considerable evolution in the Philippines becoming a famous expat hot spot. But let’s face it,...	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line682
__label__wiki	0.786222	0.786222	FULTON STREET: East New York to Woodhaven, Part 3 by Kevin Walsh April 12, 2015 I’ve been on Fulton Street a lot. Over a decade ago I learned that the classic restaurant Gage & Tollner, at Fulton and Smith, had just closed, so I did a piece on it that evolved into a survey of ancient stuff to be found in the stretch between Adams and Flatbush Avenue. Not to be content with that, in 2004 I authored a piece on Fulton Street from the East River waterfrontand continuing with its guise as Cadman Plaza West as far as Joralemon and Adams Streets. THis part of town has been a FNY staple over the deca…ah, over the years. Later that year, I walked Fulton Street from Fort Greene to East New York and posted a page about all that in October 2004. It’s taken a full eleven years but I’m finally ready to complete the Fulton Street saga from East New York to the borough line with Queens and beyond. I actually had to shoot this whole page in its entirety twice. I walked the route in the fall of 2013, but my hard drive swallowed those photos in its death agony in December. Your webmaster, who is sometimes known as “Mr. Loser,” had failed to check if my backup, called Time Machine by Apple Computers, was still working; it had turned itself off for whatever reason some time before, and poof! went my work for about ten months. Easy come, easy go, as they say. I was determined to finish Fulton, though, so I revisited it after a few months when the route was newly fresh in my mind. I took the subway to the Broadway-East New York complex, went down Fulton, circled around in Woodhaven for awhile and staggered to the J train on Jamaica Avenue and headed home. GOOGLE MAP: Fulton Street to Woodhaven At the end of Part 2, I had arrived at Fulton and Crescent Streets, where the el turns north for three blocks and then east on Jamaica Avenue. This was all new territory for me because much of my explorations in the Cypress Hills-City Line area have happened on Jamaica Avenue or on Elderts (or Eldert, as the Department of Transportation has settled on) Lane, which serves as the undefended border between Brooklyn and Queens for much of its length. Two views of the south side of Fulton Street between Crescent and Hemlock Streets in the 1960s (via the East New York Project) and the 2010s. The ogee-curve doorways of the funeral home can still be made out in the Metro PCS store. Michael Long, a former City Councilman and the longtime chairman of the NYS Conservative Party, was a member of the Long family that ran the ice cream parlor. His son, firefighter and athlete Matt Long, chronicled his comeback from a severe bus accident in his book The Long Run. Here’s one of FNY’s lamppost mysteries. This post had a boxy base, a 4-sided shaft and a very short mast that had just the lamp fixture and diffuser bowl. It was installed on a few NYC streets in the late 1970s or early 1980s, mostly in business districts — it was used on both 5th Avenues, in Manhattan and Brooklyn (where they are no longer found) Church Avenue in East Flatbush, and a few other places. Some lamppost nuts call them “shoebox lamps” because of the lamp casing. They also were never given any special fire alarm light fixture. Anyone know who manufactured these, let me know. The still pop up here and there on Fulton between Crescent and Eldert, but when they fail, they’re grandfathered out of service. This is about as far east as Brooklyn gets. As a comparison, we are now directly south of Glendale, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and LaGuardia Airport. I’m fascinated with this group of apartments on the north side of Fulton between Hemlock and Autumn Avenue, since the brickwork, window lintels and corbelling are just a bit more intricate than usual. The bricks have been painted different colors over the years and the paint has almost completely peeled off. Even stranger, the building is only three windows deep at the west end and two windows deep on the east, making these probably the ultimate in railroad flats. A view from the air reveals 4 separate buildings. I wonder what the history is here. NE corner of Fulton St. and Autumn Avenue. Some of the combo apartments/stores along Fulton Street are terrific to look at since they have retained a lot of their original elements. A group of porched houses, all part of the same development, along Autumn Avenue north of Fulton. On older maps, Autumn Avenue shows up as “Railroad Avenue.” Southeast corner of Fulton Street and Lincoln Avenue, again with original features like arched windows and corner feature. North-south streets in this part of Brooklyn are named for Civil War figures such as Lincoln, Grant and Sheridan; north of Atlantic Avenue, Sheridan becomes Nichols Avenue, named for New York’s first British governor, Richard Nicolls, who ascended to power after the British takeover of New Netherland in 1664. Glass house number on Fulton between Nichols and Grant. The easternmost block of Fulton Street between Grant Avenue and Eldert Lane. The last address on Fulton Street, at the SW corner of Eldert Lane, is #3480, once the address of the William (though the chiseled name says W.M.) Evans Dairy Company. The name can also be seen painted at the roofline along Fulton Street. An internet search comes up empty about the Evans Dairy Co., but this 1929 atlas plate indicates it had been built by that year. Going back to the early 1980s I remember the corner of Fulton and Eldert well, since it was the only place in the city where Fulton Street was represented by a sign in Queens white with blue letters. The sign had been placed there by mistake since it was on the Brooklyn side; unlike Jamaica Avenue or Atlantic Avenue, Fulton Street stops at the undefended border and becomes 91st Avenue once in Queens. The former Franklin K. Lane High School’s tower looms over City Line. When built in 1923 and named for the Secretary of the Interior under President Woodrow Wilson, it was one of the largest high schools in the world. Over the decades it gained notoriety as one of the city’s toughest. After the grauating class of 2012 it was split into five separate schools: The Academy of Innovative Technology, The Brooklyn Lab School, Cypress Hill Prep Academy, The Urban Assembly School for Collaborative Healthcare, and Multicultural High School. Among its alumni are Red Holzman, the only coach to pilot the New York Knicks to titles (1970, 1973) and actress Anne Jackson. Fulton Street becomes 91st Avenue in Queens and narrows considerably. The first cross street it encounters is… … Rockaway Boulevard, seen here looking toward its western end at Eldert Lane. Just as Fulton Street does not deign to enter Queens, Rockaway Boulevard, here a mere two-lane road, does not go sufficiently west to make it into Brooklyn, and never has! This road shows up on maps going back to the 1850s and it likely existed long before that. It has been called the Jamaica South Plank Road, Rockaway Plank Road and finally, Rockaway Boulevard. Its eastern end is in the Five Towns of Nassau County, just NE of the Rockaway peninsula. Continuing east on 91st Avenue past Rockaway Boulevard. The general scenery and atmosphere abruptly changes in Queens. Could you imagine these three duplex houses on Fulton Street? The building on the left has an unaltered roofline. These buildings likely go back before 1920. Unusually, 84th Street is wide with a tree-filled median for one block, between 91st Avenue and 90th Road, and at the north end of the mall, Lt. Clinton L. Whiting Square announces itself with a flagpole and a large boulder. The square is named for a local military hero: …a First Lieutenant in the 308th Infantry, who was posthumously awarded a Distinguished Service Medal for Heroism in Action on August 4, 1919 for his performance on the battlefields of World War I. While on an advance through the Argonne Forest in France between the 26th and 28th of September, 1918, Whiting was able to lead his men into a key position in a marsh covered by wire, grass, and stunted brush despite heavy enemy fire. However, Whiting paid the ultimate price for his bravery, as a machine gun bullet seriously wounded him on September 28, 1918. Whiting died from his wounds on October 23rd of that same year. NYC Parks An old name for this section of Queens is Union Course, as the area hosted a race course by that name between 1821 and 1868. Little trace remains of it except for the local watering hole Neir’s Tavern, which opened when the racetrack was still in business, and Trotting Course Lane, Woodhaven Boulevard’s old name before about 1920 or so when it was straightened and widened. Short pieces of the old lane can still be located in forest Hills. Looking east on 88th Avenue at 85th Street toward St. Thomas The Apostle Church at 88th Street, which has a wealth of colorful terra cotta. My old high school principal, the late Msgr. Joseph A. Martusciello, was the principal at my high school, Cathedral Prep for several years there. Walking north on 85th Street you find several groups of attached brick buildings with bay windows, convenient for looking up and down the street. Most of these are home to two families. Just about my favorite variety of NYC housing. In early 2015, an announcement was made about the closure of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church at 85th Street and 87th Road, and its congregation transferred, along with an other church, to a Brooklyn congregation. I do not know what will happen with this handsome blond-bricked church building, opened in 1910. I have come a long way from the East New York el complex at Fulton Street and Van Sinderen Avenue, time to get the train back home. The J is the only remaining subway line in NYC with a brown bullet: the M turned orange when it was moved to 6th Avenue, and the brown diamond R, which went from Bay Ridge to Chambers Street, was discontinued about 30 years ago. For more on Woodhaven… Woodhaven in FNY Project Woodhaven BrooklynCity LineCypress HillsQueensWoodhaven GASLAMP, Little Neck CAR 6239, Grand Central Joe Fliel April 12, 2015 - 8:08 pm In addition to Fulton St., the Wm. Evans Dairy Co. had plants at 32 Lexington Ave. and 15 Quincy St., in Brooklyn, and in Newton, N.J. There was also a plant in Long Island City, among other locations. joe bernstein April 13, 2015 - 6:53 am I went to the city day camp at Franklin K Lane in the Summer of 1953 and came down with polio-luckily I wasn’t paralyzed,but needed physical therapy to get back to normal-other thanthat the camp was fun. Tom Walsh April 13, 2015 - 5:49 pm Alright! This is my old turf. It’s a lot grittier than when I lived there. I lived at 203 Autumn Avenue. My mother was raised there, too. It was called Railroad Avenue because there was a station on it (of the same name) on the LIRR at Atlantic Avenue (before it was tunneled). She went to Lane with Anne Jackson (they were in plays together). By the 60’s Lane was so tough that my school, Blessed Sacrament, changed its schedule to let us out so we’d be home before Lane got out. That bodega on the corner of Autumn and Fulton was “Mr. Neri’s.” Nice old Italian couple ran a scruffy little grocery store. Long’s was always a classy ice cream parlor. No one ever used the word “Eldert.” It was “Elderts” Yvonne Temann April 13, 2015 - 6:19 pm The image of Franklin K. Lane HS brought back memories. I’m glad the building is still being used for academic purposes. It was a tough school; however, many students succeeded there and in life after graduation. My alma mater, class of 1977. Lane Knights rule and never die. Martin Pereira April 4, 2018 - 7:36 pm Thats right Yvonne Bob Biniek April 14, 2015 - 1:27 pm I lived on 90th Rd about half a block from Whiting Square. We moved out in 1966. When I was a kid the Rock had a bronze plaque on the side. It was a big deal to run up to the Rock, get your toe on the top of the plaque and jump to the top of the Rock. Every Memorial Day there would be a service at the Rock and a parade down to the Veteran’s Hall also located on 90th Road. Sorry to hear about the closing of St Lukes church. I went through confirmation there in 1964. Back then the church had two services on Sundays and both services were very well attended. I guess there are just too many slackers like me who don’t go to church anymore. I am amazed at how little the neighborhood has changed after all these years John Jensen February 19, 2018 - 2:04 pm I still call it Elderts Lane. With an “S”. I remember as a young man, there was a little strip of metal embedded in the pavement on Elderts Lane, just a few feet south of Jamaica Ave. I always imagined this strip was put there to mark the Brooklyn/Queens border. I know it probably wasn’t actually there for that purpose, and I’m also sure it has been repaved over since. I think it was About 8 inches long and maybe an inch and a half wide. It was directly in the middle of the street.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line692
__label__cc	0.543232	0.456768	Abeona Therapeutics Announces JAMA Publication of Positive Phase 1 Study Results for EB-101 Gene Therapy Clinical Trial for Epidermolysis Bullosa Marketwired November 2, 2016 NEW YORK, NY and CLEVELAND, OH--(Marketwired - November 02, 2016) - Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (ABEO): EB-101 Phase 1 clinical trial therapy demonstrated clinical efficacy of 67% healed wounds at 6 month post-treatment, lasting through 12 months, including collagen biomarker expression EB-101 was well tolerated in patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) Ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial enrolling at Stanford University Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (ABEO) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering gene therapies for life-threatening rare diseases, announced that positive clinical trial results from the EB-101 Phase I gene therapy clinical trial were published as "Safety and wound outcomes following genetically corrected autologous epidermal grafts in patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa" in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA): http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2576610. Abeona recently announced commencing enrollment in the Phase 2 portion of the clinical study (NCT01263379). Typically, wounds in patients with RDEB, also known as "butterfly skin" syndrome, can remain unhealed for months to years due to the inability of the skin to stay attached to the underlying dermis and can cover a large percentage of the body. Results from the clinical study demonstrated that treatment with EB-101 restored Type VII collagen expression at the dermal-epidermal junction at the graft sites in 90% of the biopsy samples at 3 months post-treatment, in 66% at 6 months post-treatment, and in 42% samples at 12 months post-treatment. Importantly, correct type VII collagen localization was observed at anchoring fibrils. Wounds that demonstrated type VII collagen at graft sites displayed 87% healing at 3 months, 67% at 6 months, 50% at 12 months compared with baseline wound sites. "Phase 1 data indicate that EB-101 COL7A1 ex-vivo gene transfer has a favorable safety profile and capable of cutaneous type C7 delivery, highlighting the potential of durable cell-based RDEB therapy in humans in devastating non-healing chronic wounds associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality," noted Steven H. Rouhandeh, Executive Chairman. "We are looking forward to completing Phase 2 enrollment and exploring approaches to make this potential breakthrough treatment available to RDEB patients." The Phase 1 clinical trial with gene-corrected skin grafts has shown promising wound healing and safety in patients with RDEB. Investigators at Stanford University are enrolling adolescent and adult patients for the Phase 2 EB-101 trial to determine the safety and efficacy of COL7A1 gene-corrected grafts on wound healing. "The clinical data demonstrate that EB-101 gene therapy corrected the underlying genetic deficit in RDEB patient wounds for months to over a year, and the wounds closed -- which is remarkable for a disease where the patient's skin can blister and erode every day," said Timothy J. Miller, Ph.D., President and CEO of Abeona Therapeutics. "We are very pleased that JAMA recognized the efforts of Drs. Peter Marinkovich, Jean Tang and the team at Stanford University for a decade of work and publish the clinical study results." About Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB): EB is a group of devastating, life-threatening genetic skin disorders impacting children that is characterized by skin blisters and erosions all over the body. The most severe form, recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), is characterized by chronic skin blistering, open and painful wounds, joint contractures, esophageal strictures, pseudosyndactyly, corneal abrasions and a shortened life span. Patients with RDEB lack functional type VII collagen (C7) owing to mutations in the gene COL7A1 that encodes for C7 and is the main component of anchoring fibrils that attach the dermis to the epidermis. EB patients suffer through intense pain throughout their lives, with no effective treatments available to reduce the severity of their symptoms. Along with the life-threatening infectious complications associated with this disorder, many individuals often develop an aggressive form of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). About Abeona: Abeona Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing gene and plasma-based therapies for life-threatening rare genetic diseases. Abeona's lead programs are ABO-102 (AAV-SGSH) and ABO-101 (AAV-NAGLU), adeno-associated virus (AAV) based gene therapies for Sanfilippo syndromes (MPS IIIA and IIIB, respectively). Abeona is also developing EB-101 (gene-corrected skin grafts) for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), EB-201 for epidermolysis bullosa (EB), ABO-201 (AAV-CLN3) gene therapy for juvenile Batten disease (JNCL), ABO-202 (AAV-CLN1) gene therapy for treatment of infantile Batten disease (INCL), and ABO-301 (AAV-FANCC) for Fanconi anemia (FA) disorder and ABO-302 using a novel CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing approach to gene therapy for rare blood diseases. In addition, Abeona has a plasma-based protein therapy pipeline, including SDF Alpha™ (alpha-1 protease inhibitor) for inherited COPD, using its proprietary SDF™ (Salt Diafiltration) ethanol-free process. For more information, visit www.abeonatherapeutics.com. This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include, without limitation, our plans for continued development and internationalization of our clinical programs, that patients will continue to be identified, enrolled, treated and monitored in the EB-101 clinical trial, and that studies will continue to indicate that EB-101 is well-tolerated and may offer significant improvements in wound healing. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to continued interest in our rare disease portfolio, our ability to enroll patients in clinical trials, the impact of competition; the ability to develop our products and technologies; the ability to achieve or obtain necessary regulatory approvals; the impact of changes in the financial markets and global economic conditions; and other risks as may be detailed from time to time in the Company's Annual Reports on Form 10-K and other reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligations to make any revisions to the forward-looking statements contained in this release or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. New York's climate plan will drive big changes, if it works Why Mallinckrodt Stock Is Sinking Today The Multibillion-Dollar Race for Gene Therapy Manufacturing Is On Small Peninsula biotech targets big impact on deadly childhood aging disease New antibiotics desperately needed for rising tide of drug-resistant ‘superbugs’	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line694
__label__wiki	0.764485	0.764485	BBG Acquires Jerome Haims Realty PR Newswire December 3, 2018 New York appraisal firm widely recognized for industry-leading litigation support, arbitration and expert testimony services DALLAS, Dec. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BBG, a leading independent national commercial real estate valuation, advisory and assessment firm, today announced that it has acquired Jerome Haims Realty, Inc., a top New York City-based real estate appraisal and consulting firm specializing in litigation support and related services. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. BBG appoints Eric Haims, MAI, AI-GRS, as Practice Leader of firm's New York office's litigation support services group. The acquisition significantly builds on litigation support and other capabilities of BBG's New York office and the company overall. It is the latest in a series of acquisitions and new office openings this year for the rapidly growing firm, which now has a total of 30 offices nationwide. Jerome Haims Realty is one of the largest providers of litigation support, arbitration and expert witness testimony services in the New York City real estate market. Over the years, the 50-year-old firm has been involved in numerous condemnation court cases, including Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, the Queens West Redevelopment Project, the Second Avenue Subway Line and the $15 billion Hudson Yards development. The firm also provides feasibility studies, cash flow and investment analysis and other commercial property business services. Jerome Haims Realty President Eric Haims MAI, AI-GRS, was appointed as Practice Leader of the New York office's litigation support services group. The firm's other commercial real estate appraisers, including Yamil Arocho, MAI and Andrew Sikiric, MAI, CCIM, will also join the BBG office. Mr. Haims is a well-respected authority on real estate valuation issues and has a proven track record in providing expert witness testimony and other services in real estate-related court cases. As part of BBG, his team will continue providing these services to attorneys, private clients, New York City real estate families, corporations, developers, not-for-profit entities, and numerous Federal, State and City government agencies. During a career spanning more than 25 years, Mr. Haims has appraised thousands of commercial properties in the Metropolitan New York area and elsewhere across the country. He has focused on the appraisal of commercial properties for both litigation and eminent domain purposes, arbitration, discounted cash flow analysis, estate tax and planning, land valuation, air rights and other areas. An active member of the Appraisal Institute, Mr. Haims serves on the organization's national board of directors and is the current vice chair of one of its 10 regions. He is also a member of the Institute's national finance committee, and has previously served on its nominating and government relations committees, in addition to other national and regional roles. He is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York and served as a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the National Association of Real Estate Appraisers. Mr. Haims is also a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. BBG CEO Chris Roach commented on the acquisition: "Our acquisition of Jerome Haims Realty further strengthens our position as one of the country's largest commercial real estate appraisal firms and appreciably enhances our ability to continue to provide a comprehensive range of services to our clients. We look forward to Eric and members of his team joining our highly talented and dedicated professionals in advising our clients to achieve the best possible outcomes and continuing to make BBG a leader in this industry." Susan Kominski, Senior Managing Director of BBG's New York office, added: "This acquisition solidifies the ability of the New York office to effectively serve the diverse range of client needs in the most dynamic market in the country." Mr. Haims commented: "We are very excited to join forces with BBG, which has proven to deliver outstanding results to its clients.Our vast experience and expertise in commercial real estate litigation support services, combined with BBG's strong geographic presence, best-in-class expertise, multi-service lines, and other resources will take the firm to its next level of growth." About BBG BBG is a leading independent national commercial real-estate valuation, advisory and assessment firm headquartered in Dallas with 30 offices in key US markets. BBG has achieved a reputation for personal attention, on-time delivery and deep expertise in multi-family, office, retail and industrial sectors. For more information about BBG, please visit www.bbgres.com. Marc Weinstein Ascent Communications marc.wein57@verizon.net View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bbg-acquires-jerome-haims-realty-300758592.html ‘I am disgusted’: New Yorkers react to Trump telling congresswomen to ‘go back’ to their countries 20 Key Signs That Your House Is Losing Value Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk Have Agreed to Live in the Same City as Part of Custody Agreement South Florida company granted patent for child-resistant cannabis packaging Encore Boston Harbor casino 'in compliance,' preliminary investigation finds U.S. Justice Department may sue to block Sprint, T-Mobile merger - source	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line695
__label__wiki	0.733882	0.733882	Ride-sharing Introduced legislation to legalise ridesharing and modernise the taxi industry. In February 2016, Fiona Patten introduced a private member’s bill to the Victorian Parliament to lift restrictions on ride-sharing services such as Uber. She did so in the context of an ongoing Government failure to keep pace with innovation and recognise emerging sharing economies. The purpose of the Ride-sharing Bill was to establish a system for regulation, accreditation and administration of ride-sharing services across the state. The bill would have legalised the provision of ridesharing services in Victoria, imposed duties on facilitators of ridesharing, provided exemptions for ridesharing from certain provisions under the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983, and amended the Transport Integration Act 2010 to recognise the undertaking of rideshare journeys as a transport service. The bill was due to be brought on for debate in June 2016, however following an 11th hour deal with Transport Minister Jacinta Allen debate was adjourned, the Minister undertaking to work with Patten to fine-tune a Government bill with the same purpose. The Government ultimately introduced reform of a distinctly different structure to our proposal, which Patten was integral in amending to secure a fairer deal for drivers and passengers. The state government accepted Fiona Patten’s recommendations for a $1 levy, and for the Essential Services Commission to determine when the government had recouped the amount paid in compensation. The levy funds will be used to compensate existing taxi licence holders. Patten said: “I had to force the government to act, but as a result of this reform, Victorians will now be able to legally access and work within a business model with massive growth and an exciting future,” “A lower levy is a win for consumers, means full financial assistance can flow and cuts in half the amounts operators will have to pay the government.”	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line699
__label__cc	0.707259	0.292741	MS PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (17:14:28): I would like to begin this address-in-reply by acknowledging the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, who are the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which this Parliament meets, and to whom during the 59th Parliament I hope we can pay the ultimate respect of a fair and fulsome treaty process. Congratulations to you, President. I have enjoyed working with you so far, and I am sure it is only going to get better. I am looking forward to it. I would also like to congratulate all the members of the house on their election or their re-election. The outcome of the 2018 state election was complex, to say the least, but I hope the new composition of the house represents a new opportunity for cross-party collaboration, where policy rather than politics will be the principal driver. I have to say so far, so good. I am incredibly honoured to be elected to represent the Northern Metropolitan Region. I love the north, and in speaking directly to my constituents now, I am so very grateful for your support. Thank you. It is a privilege in exchange for which I pledge to work tirelessly in the hope of effecting genuine change for the better—change that I hope can improve lives and save lives. I am proud that I can fly the flag of Reason, a party founded on evidence-based policy, equality and pragmatism. In turning to my address, I thank the Governor for the speech in outlining the legislative agenda of this government in its second term—a government that I do acknowledge was re-elected for having a positive plan, for tackling infrastructure in a big way and for driving our economy in the process, but also a government that was rewarded for a progressive social reform, achieved I might add with a bit of a push. Four years ago, when the Governor set out the agenda for the 58th Parliament, I do not recall mention of voluntary assisted dying, safe access zones, a supervised injecting centre or ridesharing reform—meaningful change that I believe featured prominently in the government’s re-election and reform in which I am proud that Reason played a leading role. It is reform like this that I will continue to pursue in the 59th Parliament of Victoria. The medically supervised injecting room in North Richmond categorically is saving lives and reducing pressure on first responders. It is also busily referring some of the most disadvantaged people in Victoria to the health and treatment services they need. I was very pleased to hear earlier this year the Leader of the Opposition commit to a fair assessment of the evidence resulting from this trial. My promise to the residents of North Richmond in the meantime is that to the best of my ability I am focussed on alleviating any issues that might arise around the facility. The centrepiece, I hope, is a hydromorphone trial for users of centre—an intervention that overseas has broken the nexus between heroin addiction and crime and has refocused chaotic lifestyles away from trying to score and onto things like finding work and reconnecting with family and at the same time has reduced the demand for heroin, meaning less local drug trafficking. As the Governor’s speech marked the start of the new Parliament by outlining the government’s agenda for the new term, I too would like to take a few moments to address mine. On day one of this Parliament I first read a bill to legalise, tax and regulate adult-use cannabis in Victoria. Our costed policy would conservatively deliver $204.6 million to the Victorian budget over four years and in doing so would smash the $1.5 billion illicit market. It is reform that has community support and will take pressure off our police and courts. Recent research has shown that the legal availability of cannabis can reduce prescription opioid overdose deaths by as much as 30 per cent. It also results in a reduction in the use of and subsequent harms associated with alcohol, tobacco and other substances. I have also introduced legislation for a spent convictions scheme in Victoria. We are the only state in this country that does not have such a scheme, but I am confident that with the broad cross-party support already articulated by many members of this chamber it is reform we can achieve in the near future. This is just one plank of the evidence-based criminal justice platform that I hope to achieve, the focus being reform that will address the causes of offending and reoffending, not just warehouse criminals. I am looking forward to working with the newly created Minister for Crime Prevention in this regard. Sex work was decriminalised in New South Wales, the ACT and New Zealand decades ago, where sex-related businesses are treated like any other business rather than being subjected to specialist regulation. This is the modern, best practice approach to sex industry reform. Decriminalisation is recognised as the best model to keep workers and the community safe. This has been asserted by Amnesty International amongst many other organisations. I am convinced that we can achieve this reform in Victoria. I will continue to promote small business and innovation as the drivers of our future economy. We must be responsive to the start-up sector and emerging industries and nurture the bright new ideas capable of catapulting our economy. I was certainly listening to Mr Dalidakis mention some of the already fantastic innovative businesses that exist in Victoria, many of which, I might add, are in Northern Metropolitan Region—from whole new industries that we could not have imagined 10 years ago to good ideas like electric scooters that elsewhere are already replacing short vehicle fares and reducing congestion and pollution in the process. Electoral reform in Victoria is a must. Politicians should not be seen to buy their way into Parliament. This is why I have given notice of two motions to enhance community engagement in the electoral process, including a citizens jury review of the 2018 state election. I will prosecute the case for religious accountability; drug law reform that treats addiction as a health issue not a criminal one; harm minimisation strategies, including pill testing; strong anti-discrimination laws; an ageing strategy; and action on mental health prior to the finalisation of the royal commission, including action on social isolation. My mantra is that prevention is better than a cure and a fence at the top of the cliff is cheaper and more effective than an ambulance at the bottom. Most importantly, we must not let up on the climate emergency that we are facing. This summer Adelaide experienced its hottest day ever, and Queensland experienced unprecedented flooding that affected an area twice the size of Victoria and killed half a million cattle. Victorian infrastructure and industry must be audited with these types of extremes in mind and mitigation plans implemented. More than that, we as the state of Victoria must be leaders in addressing the existential threat of climate change. The forecasts are compelling, and the scenarios are devastating. We cannot forget for a second that the most important question of our time is how to restore a safe climate now, which must include a fast transition to zero emissions. There are only 40 of us elected to the Legislative Council, and we should keep reminding ourselves of the great responsibility with which we have been entrusted by Victorians in permitting us to act on their behalf. Their welfare is the joint goal shared by us all, and I hope that we can work together to achieve a lot of good in this place and leave the incredible state of Victoria in a better place than we found it. Fiona Patten MP Leader of Reason Member for Northern Metropolitan Region Address in Reply 1/5/19 Crimes Amendment (Carjacking and Home Invasion) Bill 2016 Voluntary Assisted Dying – Second Reading Speech	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line700
__label__wiki	0.830702	0.830702	Governor Scott Breaks Ground on Port Everglades Intermodal Container Transfer Facility Governor also commits $13 million in 2013 for more port dock spaceGovernor Rick Scott today broke ground on the nation’s only combined on-port international and domestic cargo rail facility at Port Everglades. The Governor also committed $13 million to begin work on the Southport Turning Notch Extension project which will add more dock space for Port Everglades. The new Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) at the Port will lead the way for Florida to attract new international business to the state through its seaports and support the creation of an estimated 135,000 jobs for Florida families. Today’s announcement comes on the heels of the Governor’s commitment earlier this week for $36 million of state funding for JAXPORT. Governor Scott said, “Today’s announcement is another example of Florida’s commitment to our world class port system being a driver of our economy. This $13 million investment in our port system is one of the reasons why Florida’s economy continues to move in the right direction and creates more jobs and opportunities for Florida families.” Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) Chief Executive Officer Jim Hertwig said, “The new ICTF will allow the FEC to efficiently and effectively deliver superior transportation service between South Florida and the Southeastern United States. Upon completion, this new facility enables South Florida to be in a competitive position for additional freight and jobs. This facility will be able to handle the additional cargo of larger ships that are coming out of Europe today and when the Panama Canal expansion is complete and beyond.” Port Everglades Chief Executive & Port Director Steven Cernak said, “An ICTF on Port Everglades property will not only ensure our seaport remains competitive with other U.S. East Coast gateways, but will give our port a cost and time-to-market advantage over many of these gateways, thereby putting more and more South Florida residents to work as a result of the additional business opportunities it will generate. This unique public–private partnership is consistent with Governor Scott’s efforts to expand support to Florida’s ports, leveraging private sector capital to complete the project.” Senator Eleanor Sobel said, “Today’s announcement is a great step forward for Port Everglades and Broward County. The increased productivity that will be achieved at Port Everglades will create jobs and help our community compete for increased trade.” Representative Joseph Gibbons said, “Investment in Port Everglades is great news for our community and for Florida. I applaud Governor Scott and everyone who has made job creation through port investment a priority.” Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Ananth Prasad said, “I applaud Governor Scott for his leadership and continued investment in Florida’s seaports. By leveraging public/private partnerships such as these, all Florida ports will be able to grow, meet market demands and provide good jobs for Floridians.” Doug Wheeler, president of the Florida Ports Council said, “Port Everglades being a leading cargo port means that they must prepare for the increasing size of cargo ships and the increasing volume of freight coming through the port. Both the Southport Turning Notch Expansion and the new ICTF will help Port Everglades continue to capitalize on global trade opportunities.” Florida East Coast Railway’snew 42.5-acre near-dock ICTF will facilitate containerized cargo transfer through the Port to/from the FEC main line by mid-2014. The facility will be unique compared to similar facilities at other ports in that both domestic and international cargo will be handled at the site, which will result in the advantageous transfer for Port Everglades customers and local companies. FEC signed a long-term agreement with Broward County in March 2012 to build, operate and maintain the ICTF. Construction costs are estimated to be $53 million, which is funded by an $18 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and $35 million from FEC (including a $30 million State Infrastructure Bank loan from FDOT). Broward County contributed 42.5 acres of Port Everglades property, valued at $20 million, for the ICTF. FDOT is also constructing a $40 million overpass to elevate I-595/Eller Drive to allow the trains to access the Port at ground level for the ICTF. Construction on the overpass began in July 2011 and will be completed in 2014. The project will elevate traffic over the rail tracks, allowing for a better traffic flow and increased port activity. The completion of the Intermodal Facility, the Eller Drive Overpass, the Southport Turning Notch Extension project and the Port’s deepening project will ultimately create more than 135,000 jobs for Florida families.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line701
__label__wiki	0.911701	0.911701	Archive for January 30th, 2009 Longshanks is dead! Posted in Disinformation, film, movies, obituary, TV, tagged Braveheart, Ice Station Zebra, McGoohan, Prisoner, Scanners, Silverstreak, The Phantom on January 30, 2009\| Leave a Comment » Longshanks is dead! Long live the king. Patrick McGoohan as Longshanks King Edward I in the blockbuster Braveheart The actor who once turned down the rolls of James Bond and the Saint but later went on to become one of the UK’s highest paid stars, has died at the age of 80. McGoohan made his name with Danger Man, a TV spy drama that was first broadcast in the UK from 1960 to 1968. He played secret agent John Drake, who worked mainly for NATO but often questioned the ethics of his missions. Photograph: Everett Collection/Rex Features British actor /director /writer Patrick McGoohan, who oddly enough, was born in the US, raised in Ireland and played Number Six in the cult TV series “The Prisoner,” died Tuesday January 13 2009, in Los Angeles after a short illness according to his son-in-law, film producer Cleve Landsberg. Who is Number One? You are Number Six. I am not a number! Famous for his portrayal of the unnamed secret agent known only as Number Six, a character that would ultimately imprison McGoohan, due to type casting, is about a secret agent who resigns his commission suddenly and wakes up to find himself in a prison disguised as a holiday resort known euphemistically as The Village. Portmeirion is a village in Wales, built by architect Clough Williams-Ellis. He wanted to build a place designed in harmony with the surrounding landscape. Built in 2 phases, with a delay caused by the WWII. Now a private resort open to visitors. Location of the British TV series "The Prisioner," filmed there in the 60's. Following the success of Danger Man, McGoohan and George Markstein created The Prisoner, an innovative, surreal series blending elements of spy novels, sci-fi and psychological thrillers. Originally screened in 1967-68, the show did not attract big ratings but has influenced TV directors and film-makers. Photograph: ITV/Rex Features Raised to Cult status. The cult of The Prisioner spawned many books, college courses, a quarterly magazine and documentaries. 60's cult tv series "The Prisoner" McGoohan at his LA home last year A partial filmography includes: Ice Station Zebra, Scanners, Silverstreak, The Phantom, Braveheart. see also: Patrick_McGoohan, Patrick McGoohan in pictures: The Prisoner, Danger Man and more, Why ‘The Prisoner’ Endures	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line703
__label__wiki	0.96711	0.96711	Broadway Balances America Invites You to Fly Behind the Scenes of Finding Neverland September 20th, 2016 \| By Ryan Gilbert Dreams do come true! Broadway Balances America, the special six-part series airing on The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television, continues its third season on September 26 (the episode will re-air on October 3) with an exclusive look at the touring production of Finding Neverland. Tune in as The Balancing Act takes viewers behind the scenes of the Broadway.com Audience Choice Award-winning musical, which kicks off its touring production on October 7. In this episode, correspondent Amber Milt takes viewers to meet original Broadway cast member Laura Michelle Kelly (Sylvia) who reveals what it was like creating and bringing to life this strong female character that inspired J.M. Barrie to achieve his dreams. We'll also hear from visionary Tony-winning director Diane Paulus (Waitress, Pippin, Hair) and Emmy-winning choreographer Mia Michaels (So You Think You Can Dance) as they share their inspiration and process of bringing the magical and creative world of Finding Neverland to the stage. Based on the critically-acclaimed Oscar-nominated film starring Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland tells the incredible story behind one of the world’s most beloved characters: Peter Pan. Playwright J.M. Barrie struggles to find inspiration until he meets four young brothers and their beautiful widowed mother. Spellbound by the boys’ enchanting make-believe adventures, he sets out to write a play that will astound London theatergoers. With a little bit of pixie dust and a lot of faith, Barrie takes this monumental leap, leaving his old world behind for Neverland, where nothing is impossible and the wonder of childhood lasts forever.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line708
__label__wiki	0.589251	0.589251	The Benny Goodman Story The Benny Goodman Story is a biographical film starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed, directed by Valentine Davies and released by Universal Studios in 1956. The film is based on the life of famed clarinetist Benny Goodman, who recorded most of the clarinet solos used in the film. The film captures several major moments in Goodman's life but it has been described as less than accurate in details. Goodman's Jewish background is never explicitly mentioned, despite it playing a part in his artistic and personal endeavors for decades. In one scene, where his mother tries to talk him out of a romance with Alice Hammond, played by Donna Reed, whom Goodman eventually married, she says, "Bagels and caviar don't mix." Genre: Biography, Drama, Music Actor: Barry Truex, Berta Gersten, Dick Winslow, Donna Reed, Herbert Anderson, Hy Averback, Robert F. Simon, Sammy Davis Sr., Steve Allen Director: Valentine Davies Barry Truex Berta Gersten Herbert Anderson Valentine Davies Phar Lap On Her Shoulders Trailer: The Benny Goodman Story	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line714
__label__wiki	0.750242	0.750242	Eels Q&A and Playlist: ‘The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett’ Piper Ferguson by Zach Dionne The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett, the 11th Eels record since 1996’s Beautiful Freak, is one of the most searingly personal documents the man called E has cooked up yet. It’s the first time his real name and unobscured face have appeared on the cover, and it’s a spiritual successor to his 2008 autobiography, Things the Grandchildren Should Know. The 13 songs are colored with just about every shade of personal reflection, from quiet celebration to bone-deep remorse, and underpinned with subtly adventurous orchestration. On the occasion of his fifth studio release in five years, E discusses learning to reconcile life and music, the legacy of Electro-Shock Blues, and why he’d love to work with Kanye West. I recently found this video where you’re in your thirties and talking about how you’re a really awkward guy, both in life and onstage. You turned 50 last year — has anything changed? I noticed specifically in the tour we did last year that I did not feel that anymore. I felt like such a rock star some nights that it was scaring me. I was probably able to convey it earlier, but I never really felt it until recently. I’m still totally awkward in life. It seems you’re most comfortable obscuring yourself, whether with a flight suit or a giant beard or character-driven songs. But Cautionary Tales has your name and your face right there. That’s why this one’s so terrifying for me. There’s no “Dog Faced Boy” character, and I really just feel like I’m standing naked in front of the world. I don’t like it, I don’t like this feeling at all, but I do believe it’s a worthwhile endeavor. It just feels about a hundred times more vulnerable than usual. I bet there are people who’ve listened to you all this time who don’t know your real name’s Mark Everett. Yeah, that’s OK. I don’t care. It’s fine with me if they think it’s a fictional character. So what made you go to this place, if it’s so rough? More Grantland Q&As Click here for all of our interviews with fascinating people from the worlds of sports and pop culture. That’s a good question. [Laughs.] I’d been through this experience and I thought a musical version of it could really offer something and maybe even be something to learn from. At 10 years old my favorite record was Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon, which I now know is a very odd record for a 10-year-old to embrace. But there was something about the way he could cut to the heart of the matter in such an honest way that really resonated with me and I think it just stuck with me forever. A 10-year-old E screaming along to “Mother” makes sense — I’ve read you say how you felt like you were raised by wolves. That’s part of what led to this record — I really didn’t have a clue. I wasn’t given any direction as a child and I was just such a lost cause and a lost soul, and then music saved me. It was such a miracle that I got to make one record, let alone all these records 22 years later. But because music saved me, that’s what my whole … that’s what all those years were about, survival. And now I’m at the point where I had to realize there’s a price you pay for that. It creates a really unbalanced life. Life catches up with all of us if things aren’t balanced, and it caught up with me and I went through this experience that was … since the time music came along and saved me, this was the next biggest thing to change me as a person. I thought I should combine the two now and make some music about the experience. I have to mention how much regret there is in these songs. There’s a lot of beauty, but you can’t escape how mournful they are, too. Well, thank you. Any true lesson that any of us learns in life comes at the expense of experiencing great pain. And this is one of those. But if you’re smart, you use it and you look at it and you figure it out and try to figure out how to make some changes so things are better in the future. Control is something I wanted to ask you about. On “Gentlemen’s Choice,” which is one of the heavier songs here, you say, “Too many years getting my way / Never let anyone have their say / How could I think it would work out? / Never a question, never a doubt.” That’s all part of the price I’ve paid for having music save me. I’ve never had a day that bad, but it’s an extreme version of how I feel on some days. I was thinking it’s like the Ghost of Christmas Future comes to visit me and is like, “Hey man, if you keep going like this, this is how you’re gonna end up.” That’s so scary. Yeah, but it’s a great wake-up call. And then I get to the point, after examining it from every angle I can imagine, I get to the song “Mistakes of My Youth,” where it’s like a lightbulb goes off — “Man, I just keep doing the same stupid shit over and over again. This is all about me. I gotta fuckin’ get my act together and make some changes.” What’s your relationship with your label at this point? We make the whole record on our own, I pay for it all myself, and then we give it to somebody to put out. It’s nice in that respect, it’s really as indie as it gets. And yet Eels and the term “indie” don’t ever go together in my head for some reason. You’re clearly independent, but not “indie.” I’ve never felt like part of any scene. We all probably think of indie some big way and it’s a bunch of guys with beards and flannel shirts and they stare at their shoes while they play songs. I don’t know what indie really means, but if anyone is indie, it must be me, because I have been very independent for a long time. A lot of Eels songs are just you, solo, but you’ve been touring and writing with this lineup the last few years. What’s it like making an album like Cautionary Tales collaboratively, sitting in a room with these guys and pouring your heart out? It is the worst. Making a record like Wonderful, Glorious is the funnest possibility. We didn’t write anything ahead of time, we just said, “Let’s meet on this day and see what happens.” And this record is kind of the opposite approach, and it’s really not fun for me at all. It’s really uncomfortable the first time you have to sing one of these songs in front of the guys in the band. You’re just imagining they’re on the other side of the glass chuckling. [Laughs.] Are you guys enough of a band now that you’re actual friends, that you’ve gone through some things together? Oh, yeah. When you tour the world with the same group of people maybe, I don’t know, four times now, you become very close. We were already friends before all that, and it’s become the best part of my life, touring. In the early days it was kind of the worst part of my life, but it’s all about the combination of people and the feeling of a family rolling on wheels. Do you have other artist friends you bounce ideas off? From the outside it seems like everything Eels-oriented happens in your head and in your basement. It is in a bubble, pretty much. Other than occasionally Jon Brion maybe, it’s hard for me to think of any other people. I’m too kinda shy to like sit there and play whatever I’m working on for people to listen to. It’s crazy to think Jon Brion had a hand in both your early stuff and Kanye West’s second album. I love Kanye West. I really love his new record, especially. I would love to work with him, too. I think he’s kind of as good as it gets in terms of modern artists. And he’s clearly nuts, but that just makes me like him more. He’s one of those guys that has no filter, and that’s what I’m trying to do on this new Eels record, I’m just trying to get rid of the filter. I find it refreshing when a guy like Kanye comes along and is willing to say all these ridiculous, outrageous things, and he’s just telling the truth as he sees it. How haven’t you produced for anyone yet? I don’t know if I have the right people skills for it. I feel like I would have a hard time, because if you’re producing an artist, they get the last say. And if I feel like they’re really making a bad choice, that’s gonna be hard for me to sit through. But that said I would like to experiment with it at some point. Have you been able to gauge the impact of your autobiography? It was such a good feeling, because I didn’t have a book deal, nobody asked me to do it, I just tried it out as an experiment. And then to have it come out … I’ve probably had people stop me on the street and say something about the book more than about the music, at this point, which is a nice feeling. Talk about feeling vulnerable — that felt really vulnerable, to put out such a naked account of my life, just chock-full of embarrassing details. As a survival mechanism, I think, once I finished it I just never thought about what was in it again. So when people come up to me and say they liked the book I just don’t think about anything specific in the book that they now know about me. I would say if anyone was interested in what happened since then — ’cause that was probably nine, 10 years ago that I wrote it — this new album is kind of a sequel. It’s as close as I have to an update to what’s happened since then. It’s been almost 16 years since you put out Electro-Shock Blues. I’m not gonna do the thing where I insist that the early stuff is the pinnacle, but it does feel like that album’s got kind of an unbeatable legacy. It’s such a ready-made album to hand to anyone grieving for a loved one, and it’s so musically all over the place. It’s nice to hear that, ’cause I just remember what it was like when I made it. And when I played it to anyone that I was involved with in the music business, they all thought I was crazy and shouldn’t put it out. It was one of the loneliest times in my life, compounded by what I was going through with my family. [Editor’s note: E’s older sister committed suicide and his mother died of cancer, both shortly after the success of the first Eels album.] And then feeling really confident about that album and being told it shouldn’t come out. So it’s nice that I was brave enough to put it out and that people like it. It must have been crushing to have the label not get what you’d made. That was definitely a defining moment for me. I think had I not done that, had I done what I was being advised to do, I don’t think we’d be talking right now. I don’t think I’d still be around. If I put out Beautiful Freak Part 2 like everybody wanted me to, I think that would’ve been about the end of it, probably. Do you maybe feel like you don’t get what the big deal about Electro-Shock Blues is, since you’ve made so many albums that were obviously meaningful to you since then? In my mind, that one is an important one. And Blinking Lights, for me, is maybe a tie with that one. And I think Cautionary Tales is right up there with those. I wouldn’t put any of them out if I didn’t think they were good, but I understand why some people would gravitate toward those. And then there’s people that feel the opposite way — they’re all about Souljacker or Shootenanny! and they don’t like the softer stuff and the introspective stuff. Do you picture a life after music? Or are you just doing this till the wheels fall off? [Laughs.] Well, that’s an interesting way to put it. I very well might retire at some point, I don’t know. I have no idea. Music, as I said, really saved me, and I would be nowhere without it. But now I’m dealing with the other side of the coin and trying to figure out how to create some balance in my life, so who knows. There’s no plans for the future right now — we’re just gonna get this record out and play some concerts. After that, it’s a blank slate. Historically, it has been difficult for me to not do it. But I also might be at a point in my life where it’s the right thing to do, to not do it. Are you scheming about how to get away from all the nakedness of this one yet? I haven’t thought beyond this yet, but I’m sure after this experience I’ll want to do some hiding, be it actual hiding or hiding in some character. And now, a bonus playlist with commentary from E: “Fresh Feeling” (Souljacker, 2001): “I remember at the time the record company was like, ‘Well, it sounds like a douche commercial.’ They didn’t even make it a single. And it might be our most popular song now, all these years later.” “Prizefighter” (Hombre Lobo, 2009): “Love playing that one live, always satisfying. The howling stuff in the middle of it? You can’t have more fun than that.” “It’s a Motherfucker” (Daisies of the Galaxy, 2000): “That’s still one of my favorites, I think. It’s incredibly brief, which is the kind of writing that I admire most in people — very succinct writing, getting in and getting out, making a point and trimming all the fat.” “Ant Farm” (Electro-Shock Blues, 1998): “I wrote it in a hotel room in a castle in France. It was around the time I knew my mom was sick and wanted to write a song about my appreciation of her.” “Looking Up” (Tomorrow Morning, 2010): “Most fun I ever had in a recording studio, and really fun to play live. That’s always been one of the most exciting kinds of music to me, since I was a teenager, is old-time gospel, that boom-cha-boom-cha beat.” “Peach Blossom” (Wonderful, Glorious, 2013): “That was probably a reaction to … I didn’t realize this at the time, but six months before that, we’d done our first attempt at the Cautionary Tales album. And so a lot of the stuff on Wonderful, Glorious is a reaction to that, like ‘Peach Blossom.’ It made me laugh, too. That’s what’s fun about it.” “Love of the Loveless” (Shootenanny!, 2003): “I think it’s underrated, possibly. I dunno if it is. In my mind it should be … overrated [laughs]. It just always resonates with me.” “Apple Trees” (End Times, 2010): “That’s an odd one. At one point I was writing some short stories just for the hell of it. I had that little instrumental vignette and I decided to add me reading that.” “On My Feet” (End Times, 2010): “I often try to get to some positive point by the end of an album, and in that case, that’s one of the bleaker attempts at a positive point. It’s saying that I’m not really in a great place but maybe I’ll get to one. Originally I was gonna end that album with a cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Goin’ Down Slow,’ which is just an incredibly bleak song.” “Grace Kelly Blues” (Daisies of the Galaxy, 2000): “It’s kinda dumb I called it that, because only the first verse is about Grace Kelly. It really doesn’t make any sense as a song, but for some reason it seems to work.” Filed Under: Music, Eels, mark oliver everett, the cautionary tales of mark oliver everett, Grantland Q&A ‘Jalen and Jacoby’: Discussing DeMarcus Cousins, the Thunder, and More October 30, 2015 The Tao of Dabo: How to Appreciate Clemson’s Coach October 29, 2015 Summer Movie Preview: Same Dudes, More Women! Lightning Round: What the Hell Is Michael Bay’s ‘The Last Ship’ About?	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line716
__label__cc	0.588746	0.411254	 Current Issue Where to Cycle in Nova Scotia A Great New Resource for Enthusiasts of All Levels The Grapevine > Articles > Where to Cycle in Nova Scotia A Great New Resource for Enthusiasts of All Levels Author: Genevieve Allen Hearn June 27, 2019 Articles, Events By Joel Hornborg Have you ever wanted to explore more of your community by bicycle, or maybe venture into new parts of our beautiful province? Local cycling and community development enthusiast Adam Barnett recently published a new cycling guidebook for Nova Scotia, in partnership with Bicycle Nova Scotia and through a collaboration with cyclists across the province. I sat down with the author to find out more about this new and exciting recreational cycling resource. Adam Barnett has been working in outreach and communications with Bicycle Nova Scotia (BNS), a non-profit organization, for over three years. The positive public response to a series of free cycling maps, produced in a recent partnership with Tourism Nova Scotia, helped identify the need to develop a new provincial cycling guidebook. While the Blue Route initiative of BNS aims to connect communities through active transportation, this book is aimed at recreational cyclists looking to explore the province through cycling loops, helping the public find routes for cycling that appeal to a wide range of interests and abilities. The book includes a large-scale fold-out provincial map, outlining all 106 routes indexed with easy access to relevant information and stats for each route, including length, estimated time, difficulty, elevation change, and more. Individual maps and descriptions for each route also include valuable ride considerations to help make the ride more enjoyable. The book also includes features on Destination Trails, the Cabot Trail, and routes suitable for cycling with kids. All route information is also available electronically through the BNS website for easy downloading to the device of your choice. This easy-to-use resource will help make cycling accessible by allowing people to choose cycling routes they feel comfortable with and that align with their travel plans. Barnett has drawn from his personal experiences as a cycling tour guide around Atlantic Canada, and tapped into local expertise to access route information through crowdsourcing. As a starting point, he generated an updated provincial cycling map through social media and direct contact, as well as analyzing data from Strava, Ride with GPS, and Map my Ride. He then engaged in continuous community feedback from bike shops, riders, and communities to collect the most accurate and current route information. Finally, he scouted every route to verify the route details and fill in the gaps. The result is an invaluable cycling resource that will appeal to both local and visiting cyclists seeking to explore Nova Scotia. The author aims to give credibility to the great cycling opportunities in Nova Scotia, a beautiful province that is well-suited to being explored by bicycle, noting that “on a bicycle, you smell, hear, and feel the area so much more.” As more and more people get out cycling across the province, it should promote increased provincial commitment toward developing cycling tourism and enhancing safe and supportive cycling infrastructure, including revised road maintenance strategies by the Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Renewal. Barnett’s philosophy of cycling is grounded in the health benefits of being active outdoors in your community. He hopes this book helps to remove barriers to getting outside, and helps people have positive cycling experiences. “If you are interested in cycling and exploring in Nova Scotia at all, there are routes in there that are guaranteed to be new to you and give you all the information you need. You’ll blow your mind over the beauty of the routes around our province!” Where to Cycle in Nova Scotia is published by Nimbus Publishing and will be officially launched on July 14 in Wolfville. The launch will take place at the Front Street Community Oven in the Robie Tufts Park (117 Front Street) at 1pm, with copies of the book available for purchase, oven-baked pizzas, and a community bike ride. The book will be available in early July in bookstores and bike shops across the province, as well as online. Revenue from the book sales will support future cycling initiatives of Bicycle Nova Scotia. Check bicycle.ns.ca for updates and details.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line717
__label__cc	0.723989	0.276011	Tag: Worldwide Refugee Crisis Refugee Crisis Meets a Crisis of Conscience On November 23, 2015 November 23, 2015 By Kent Harrop7 Comments We can’t escape the images of refugees fleeing war and poverty in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Eritrea and the list goes on. Certain photos have become iconic: A baby boy’s body washed up on a Greek island; an anguished father holding his exhausted child. Some nations like Hungary have placed razor wire, others like France and Germany struggle to make room for hundreds of thousands of the displaced. Then last week a terrorist cell brought carnage to Paris. 128 murdered/ executed, 350 plus wounded, a city and nation traumatized. One assailant was believed to be a Syrian. The response of many around the world was fear. Fear that the tide of refugees contain terrorists. Fear that we need to put up barriers between ourselves and those who are different. Fear that we too are at risk. In the United States Donald Trump has climbed to the top of Republican presidential poll waving the flag of fear. He’s called for an insurmountable wall being built along the Mexican border. He’s called for mass deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants, most from Mexico. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in the wake of the Paris attack has called for a halt to efforts to welcome Syrian refugees. He’s called the current 18 month vetting process insufficient. Nearly all Republicans and a significant number of Democrats voted with the Speaker. Over half the Governors support further restrictions. Fear has a way of constricting the mind and the heart. Many who have voted to remove the welcome mat are people of faith. What are we to make of this? Jesus understood the power of fear. He understood what it means to be a homeless refuge. In response he told a story whose hero is a Samaritan, an outcast. At a time when an emphasis was placed on religious orthodoxy and racial purity the Samaritan was neither. They were outcasts. Looked down upon by those in power. In his story in Luke’s Gospel 10: 25 – 37 Jesus tells of a man beaten, robbed, stripped naked and left to die in a ditch. Along comes a religious leader who sees but chooses to walk by. Next is a political leader who also walks by. It is the Samaritan who stops, binds up the man’s wounds and takes him to an inn. There he pays for the victims lodging and medical care. Jesus ends the story by asking the listeners: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” They replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus replied: “Go and do likewise.” It is one thing to say or do the right thing when there is little cost. But as we wrestle with how to respond to the refugee crisis this isn’t easy or cost-free. My faith tradition puts it this way, ‘this is come to Jesus time’. We either believe in Jesus’ wisdom or we don’t. We either believe in the power of love or we give in to the power of fear. This is the time when we as Jesus followers are called to push back against the fear peddlers. We are called to set aside our fears and step out in faith. We are asked to place our faith in a 2000 year old story that promises to show us the way forward. Will you walk with me? From Scarcity to Abundance: Refugee Crisis, Part 2 On September 16, 2015 September 16, 2015 By Kent HarropLeave a comment In the previous blog we explored how our world is governed by the Economy of Scarcity. A scarcity mindset constricts the mind, imagination and heart. Scarcity teaches that there is only so much to go around and we must protect what is yours. Desperate refugees fleeing civil war and grinding poverty in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and northern Africa are fleeing in record numbers to the gates of Europe. The response of the Hungarian government is a grim example of the scarcity mindset at work. That government has set up razor wire barriers and passed a law criminalizing any refugee who seeks to pass through. Is there an alternative to scarcity thinking? Yes. The answer is found in an ancient story. Whether you take the story literally or metaphorically there are lessons to be had. 2000 years ago a healer and prophet named Jesus brought about a miracle. A crowd of 5000 had gathered to hear him. Late in the day his disciples urged Jesus to disperse the crowd so they could forage for food. Instead, Jesus had the crowd break into companies of 50 and 100. Then Jesus took his disciples scarce provisions, 5 loaves and two fish and offered everything he had to the crowd. At first glance this seems like a hopeless and reckless gesture. How do you feed so many with so little? Parker Palmer the theologian suggests that this intentional act of vulnerability led to the miracle. Moved by the generosity and selflessness of Jesus and his disciples, the crowd which had hidden away food of their own, began to share with others. The miracle was that those who had nothing now had enough. Those who had much and a little had enough. And, points out Palmer, by breaking the vast crowd into companies of 50 and 100 it was no longer as easy to ignore or refuse to help. Now the person in need had a name, a story. This is called the Gospel of Abundance. Translated to today’s refugee crisis, nations of the world have the capacity to solve this crisis. We have the resources to feed and place those who are fleeing war and poverty. We have the resources and capacity to solve the conditions that have led to the wars and poverty. The Gospel of Abundance tells us that there is an alternative to fear which fuels scarcity thinking. When we act abundantly we make a series of choices: We choose to not give in to fear. We choose to take a risk and share what we have. We choose to open our hearts, minds and imagination to new ways of thinking, new ways of partnering to solve seemingly intractable problems. Do we see examples of abundance at work? Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Jordan, Turkey have been on the front lines for many months and in some cases for years in housing and rescuing refugees. Germany has committed to receiving and housing up to 800,000 refugees in 2015 at a cost of 6.6 billion dollars. Such examples of abundance offers an example to the United States. My country has stood largely on the side lines and only recently agreed to receive 10,000 Syrians at an undetermined rate. We are capable of doing so much more. As a pastor I see local communities of faith being capable of getting involved and making a difference. A committee in the church I serve is researching ways to lobby our elected officials to make our nation more generous. One step is to lobby for ‘The Protecting Religious Minorities Persecuted by ISIS Act’, now before Congress. We’re also looking into ways to partner and help house refugee families. Imagine what happens when every church, synagogue, mosque, temple, tribe, city and nation is led by the Gospel of Abundance. 2000 years ago a prophet and healer named Jesus made a choice not to be governed by fear or scarcity. The result was a miracle. That same capacity for the miraculous is found within you and me and the communities we belong to. Don’t you think its time for another miracle?	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line720
__label__cc	0.680196	0.319804	gringaofthebarrio A barrio gringa with a dream of cosmic proportions: writing to satiate my insatiable curiosity, worldwide literacy beginning with our youth, and to be the first barrio gringa to explore outer space! Follow Gringa of the Barrio on WordPress.com View gringaofthebarrio’s profile on Facebook View @gringaofbarrio’s profile on Twitter View gringaofbarrio’s profile on Pinterest View UCHHVbmO6PCESpfNUzu8BFOg’s profile on YouTube Immigration Posts Watership Down Videos Tag: semitic Good Guy/Bad Guy – Who Needs ’em? The good guy/bad guy narrative is a literary classic. It seems rooted in religious beliefs of good and evil and non-religious esoteric beliefs of Yin & Yang. For every good guy there seems to be a universal need for a counterbalancing bad guy. Is this realistic? Is this necessary? The gringa would like to believe that bad guys and evil are simply obsolete. I mean, haven’t we reached that point yet in the evolution of humanity that we don’t need the contrast of the bad in order to recognize and appreciate what is good? And if we are basing our good guy/bad guy theory on ancient teachings that use real world examples of good and evil, what if those past histories are incorrect? After all, aren’t historical records always skewed according to the perspective of the author, whether they be the victor or the vanquished? Take, for example, one of the earliest examples of good guy/bad guy: Egypt and the ancient Israelites. According to the religious teachings of Judaism and Christianity, it is widely accepted that the Egyptians were the “bad guys”, enslaving the Hebrew people who were eventually chosen by God to be the “good guys”. However, historians and archaeologists who specialize in Egyptian history, not to mention Egyptians themselves, argue that this is an unfair depiction of the relationship between the ancient Egyptian empires and the surrounding less powerful nations and peoples. Can science and historians reveal the truth? David Wolpe is a rabbinical scholar who argues that archaeological evidence simply does not support the biblical notion that ancient Egypt practiced widespread enslavement of the Hebrew people, or any people for that matter. But just because evidence hasn’t been found doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. So let’s look at the historical facts that are known and the science of archaeology to understand these facts. 1700 B.C. Before their enslavement, the Hebrew people migrated to Egypt to survive a famine. The biblical record maintains that they were there for several generations. There is basically a 300 year gap between the appearance of the Joseph story and Moses. The earliest possible date suggested by the Jewish and Christian religious texts for the enslavement of the Hebrew people by Egypt would have been 1400 B.C., in other words, about 300 years after the era of the pyramids. So what was going on in Egypt from 1700 B.C. to 1400 B.C.? Why would Egypt need widespread enslavement if the grand monuments had already been constructed? 14th Dynasty Egypt’s 14th Dynasty ruled anywhere from 1725-1650 B.C. or 1805-1650 B.C. depending on which historian you talk to. Regardless, this would have been the dynasty in power when Jewish and Christian texts claim that Joseph took his family to Egypt in order to survive the region’s famine. His family would grow to become the Hebrew people. Does the known history and archaeological science support that a famine occurred in the region during this time? What kind of science might be used to find out? Interestingly enough, an examination of pollen buried deeply in Egyptian soil around the Nile reveals that a devastating drought occurred at this time in history. This region was dependent upon the annual floods of the Nile Delta to enrich their agricultural lands. A drought would have, indeed, resulted in a famine. So what would life have been like as an immigrant in an ancient Egyptian kingdom? Archaeology reveals that rulers during the 14th dynasty had names that indicated Canaanite or Western Semitic origins, with one king and queen with Nubian names. So, it seems that at this time Egypt was an ethnically mixed bag. These kings and queens would be involved in conflicts with neighboring rivals to control the strategic area of the fertile Nile Delta. Control the agriculture, control the food. Eventually a prolonged period of famine and disease weakened the kingdom which then fell to a takeover by the Hyksos. The Hyksos takeover would have occurred after the suggested time of the Hebrew Exodus story. So, pre-Hyksos Egypt was noted by industrious multi-ethnic rulers who jealously defended the Nile Delta with military might and concentrated on building extravagant monuments to demonstrate their success as rulers. Rulers during the time period 1800 B.C. to 1650 B.C. contain a series of non-contested figures as well as controversial names: Yakbim Sekhaenre (contested): 1805 B.C. – 1780 B.C. Ya’ammu Nubwoserre (contested): 1780 B.C. – 1770 B.C. Qareh Khawoserre (contested): 1770 B.C. – 1760 B.C. Ammu Ahotepre (contested): 1760 B.C. – 1745 B.C. Sheshi Maaibre (contested): 1745 B.C. – 1705 B.C. Nehesy Aasehre (uncontested): 1705 B.C., name means “The Nubian” inscribed on 2 known monuments. Khakherewre (uncontested): 1705 B.C. Nebefawre (uncontested): 1704 B.C. Sehebre (uncontested): 1702-1699 B.C. Merdjefare (uncontested): 1699 B.C. Sewadjkare III (uncontested): 1698 B.C. Nebdjefare (uncontested): 1697-1694 B.C. After this there is a list of names established as Egyptian kings of the 14th Dynasty but without designated dates for their reigns. What do we know about these kings and the conditions of their kingdoms that might have any affect on the good guy/bad guy designations in the Jewish and Christian religious texts? Majority of the cartouches excavated refer to each reigning king as “son of Ra” in addition to whatever the king’s individual name was. During Sheshi’s reign 1745-1705 B.C., seals with his provenance have been discovered in archaeological digs in Egypt, Nubia and Canaan suggesting that his kingdom enjoyed widespread trade and relations outside the immediate borders of Egypt. Some scholars believe this to be the Sheshai mentioned in Jewish and Christian religious texts as being of the Anakim of Hebron when the Hebrews conquered the land of Canaan. If Sheshi had good trade relations with the people of Canaan and was the ruler of Egypt when the Hebrew people conquered Canaan, it would only be natural that Egypt might then take a posture of hostility toward the Hebrew people. It is then possible that the ancient Hebrew people were not victims of the ancient Egyptians. They may have been viewed as nomadic invaders who disrupted trade with allies. It reminds the gringa of European history and stories of Viking raiders. The Hebrew people also practiced a foreign religion that was monotheistic. It is easy to see even today how religion can play a big part in hostilities between cultures that can lead up to oppression and even war. I mean, think about it. The Hebrew people first show up needing a place to survive a famine. Egypt graciously takes them in. Then, after weathering the storm, growing fat and happy as well as increasing in population and herds who need grazing land, the Hebrews, within one generation, rise up and attack a trade ally, Canaan, a rich land for Hebrew herds of sheep and goats. The Hebrew people take over the nation by slaughtering, according to the biblical account, every man, woman and child because God “told them so”. The gringa can imagine the horror of Egypt at these actions. I can also understand how the polytheistic Egyptians would decide that the single God of the Hebrews was a backstabbing baby-killer. No suprise then, that there would be no love loss between Egyptians and Hebrews that continued to live together in Egypt. Hebrews were probably eyed suspiciously and discriminated against, though probably not enslaved. These resentments, deep in the heart of the Egyptians who saw their trade allies vanquished by people they considered to be dangerous heretics, would have most likely been an attitude that would have been passed down for generations. Just as politicians have used such emotions and history to stir up support for their cause throughout my own country’s history, the gringa thinks it is very possible the same type of politics were at play when it came time for the Hebrew people to rise up, claim oppression, revolt and march out of town. They just seemed to forget that they started it all. The natural result would be for the Hebrew people to villainize Egypt, victimize themselves, then paint a heroic picture of their escape to inspire their own people and motivate them for noble purposes. On the other hand, the ancient Egyptians would have historians creating records for the pleasure of their rulers. They would depict their nation as benevolent and tolerant. Factions such as the immigrant, nomadic, heretical Hebrews would be painted as radical rebels stirring up unrest and not wanting to work. So, in the end, the gringa does believe that, much as I would like to think that humanity has evolved to the point where we no longer need the good guy/bad guy narrative because people know better now, that’s simply not the case. As long as we have politicians who have something to gain by exploiting the differences in groups of people, we will always have the good guy/bad guy narrative. But it is a human creation, not a spiritual reality. And for kids who adore science as much as they adore truth, the science involved in archaeology can help resolve many divisive differences that exist today because of politicized religious teachings of yesterday. Become an archaeologist and change the world. www.biblicalarchaeology.org www.ancientegypt.co.uk Image Credit: flashtrafficblog.files.wordpress.com Posted on August 22, 2016 August 17, 2016 Categories Adolescent, agriculture, archaeology, Art, christ, christian, class warfare, culture, Discriminate, discrimination, Diversity, dominion, Education, Egypt, emigrate, Ethnic, Ethnicity, famine, immigrant, Judaism, politics, prejudice, pyramid, Religion, Science, technology, theology, UncategorizedTags aasehre, agriculture, ahotepre, anakim, ancient, archaeologist, archaeology, bible, biblical, canaan, cartouche, christ, christian, dynasty, Egypt, esoteric, europe, evil, famine, God, hebrew, hebron, heresy, heretic, historian, historic, histories, history, hyksos, Israel, Jew, judaism, khakherewre, maaibre, merdjefare, migrate, moses, nebdjefare, nebefawre, nehesy, nile, nubia, nubwoserre, pollen, pyramid, ra, rabbi, religion, religious, scholar, science, scientist, sehebre, sekhaenre, semite, semitic, sewadjkare, sheshai, sheshi, slave, viking, wolpe, yakbim1 Comment on Good Guy/Bad Guy – Who Needs ’em?	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line721
__label__wiki	0.501235	0.501235	December 2, 2018 HOME No comments San Bernardino: In Remembrance of December 2, 2015 Message from Supervisor Robert Lovingood: Sunday marks the third anniversary of the December 2, 2015 attack in San Bernardino. On that horrific day, 14 people including 13 members of our County of San Bernardino family were taken from us in an evil act of terror. We will always remember the people we loved and cherished and we will continue to support those who are still healing from physical and emotional wounds. At that time, the county will pay tribute to those who were taken from us and the survivors on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. We have also arranged to have full-page memorial messages printed in the Sun, Daily Bulletin, Daily Facts and Daily Press newspapers and on their websites on Sunday. If you fly an American flag at home, we ask that you lower your flag to half-staff on Sunday in honor of those who were taken from us on that tragic day three years ago. We have asked the same of everyone in our county community. If you are experiencing trauma due to the events of December 2, 2015, resources are available to help you. Please click here for more information. Trauma Support Please continue to support those who are still hurting and healing and continue to look out for each other.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line722
__label__wiki	0.926253	0.926253	Somalia, Kenya should avoid diplomatic row: ex-PM Somalia and Kenya should avoid descending into a diplomatic row over their maritime boarder dispute in the Indian Ocean, according to a former leader. “There is a long history between the two countries. When Somalia collapsed as a government in 1991, Kenya hosted more than 500,000 Somali refugees, so Kenya cannot be an enemy for Somalia and Somalia cannot be an enemy of Kenya,” former Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi told Anadolu Agency in an interview in Johannesburg. Relations between the two countries have not been good lately after Kenya accused Somalia of auctioning off oil blocks in a disputed area of the Indian Ocean. Both countries claim ownership of the 100,000-square-kilometer triangle of water, which is thought to have huge oil and gas deposits. According to media reports, Kenyan authorities recently stopped three Somali officials from entering the country to participate in a conference on the grounds that they had not obtained visas from the Kenyan embassy in Somalia. In retaliation, Somalia also asked its officials to boycott meetings of UN-hosted events in Kenya. Experts believe this is a sign of the increasingly bitter relations between Nairobi and Mogadishu. In 2014, Somalia dragged its neighbor to the International Criminal Court after years of failing to reach an agreement on how to resolve their dispute, but there has been no progress. “The current conflict is just a matter of political misunderstanding. The two nations should find ways and avenues to sort out the conflict,” Gedi said. He said the two countries cannot be enemies because there is a large population of Kenyan citizens of Somali origin as well as Somali migrants who have settled in East Africa’s largest economy. “If we share many interests and there is only one conflict, normally it’s a procedure to put aside that single conflict and consider other interests between the two countries,” he said. Gedi, who served as prime minister of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government between 2004-2007, appealed to the leaders of Kenya and Somalia to put aside their dispute and focus on the many interests they share to attain prosperity for their people. “For instance, there is a dispute between Kenya and Uganda over the ownership of Migingo Island which is pending, but the two countries are still cooperating,” he said. Police arrest al-Qaeda funder in Pakistan - AP	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line723
__label__cc	0.740708	0.259292	Hilltop Communications Writing, Speaking, Consulting Hilltop History Contact Hilltop Communications We are passionate about the power of words to educate an audience and to make complex subjects accessible. Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti has spoken for a wide range of audiences, with specialties including: Faculty training and development at the college and university level Popular speeches for community organizations Adjunct instruction at the college level College commencement addresses Presentations for the college classroom Workshops or continuing education Hilltop Communications can tailor a talk that is just right for your audience. Download our brochure of current speeches: Workshops Brochure Summer 2018 Standard Sample topics include: History and Current Events Observing the Hemingways: Ernest Hemingway and Great Depression Tourism in Key West When American writer Ernest Hemingway discovered that his house was prominently marked on an official map distributed to tourists, he was angry enough to build a masonry wall around his beautiful home. But this kind of tourism was due to the influence of New Deal efforts to change Key West’s primary economic base from the lucrative harvest and salvage industries that dominated the 19th century to the tourism that would dominate today. This talk shows the change in the island’s economic focus and the influences of the Great Depression and its relief programs through Hemingway’s eyes, including the tragedy of the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane. Henry Flagler: How a Man from Ohio Took the Railroad to the Southernmost Point Many people have heard of John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil, but fewer know of his business partner, Henry M. Flagler. A native of northern Ohio, Flagler took his Standard Oil earnings and used them to launch an ambitious project to take the railroad through Florida to the southernmost point of the United States, Key West, crossing swamps, reefs, and open ocean in the process. Flagler achieved his goal in 1912, forever changing life in the Florida Keys. This is an entertaining and inspiring story of an Ohio native who very much wished to winter in the South – and made it happen. The Cigar Rollers of Old Key West In the late 1800s, Key West was the richest city per capita in the United States, and much of this affluence was driven by one of its first industries, cigar production. When unrest drove Cuban cigar makers north, Key West opened its arms to several manufacturers who built factories up and down the waterfront dedicated to making these hand-rolled indulgences. Although the industry was relatively short-lived on the island, with wooden factories filled with tobacco leaves a natural target for fire, the presence of the cigar industry has left an indelible stamp on the island. Learn about this vibrant industry and the legacy it has left to the Florida Keys today. The Development of Photography: Daguerreotype to Civil War When Louis Daguerre announced the development of his process for creating images by exposing a plate to light – photography – he was building on many decades of efforts to render the world in an accurate, easy-to-capture way. Soon, this process would undergo changes and improvements that made it suitable for capturing a wide range of activities and events. This talk will trace photography’s early years and tell the story of how it educated and informed, introduced the public to the realities of war, and influenced a presidential election. The Development of Printing: From Asia to Europe Moveable type and the printing press changed the way the world communicated, but the development of this technology was not an easy one. With early efforts in Asia laying the foundation for Gutenberg’s ground-breaking press, the development of printing depended on a variety of factors, ranging from development of the proper metal alloys to the characteristics of the very alphabet that would form the building blocks of the printed piece. This visual talk will explore the attempts to develop printing and the results that changed the world. Getting to Know Art Nouveau Art Nouveau is an artistic style used in fine art, posters, and advertising, primarily in the 1800s. This beautiful style of art was inspired and interpreted by several different cultures, including Japan’s “pictures of the floating world,” French celebrations of the Moulin Rouge, the restrained English and American interpretations, and the lush beauty of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. This visual talk will explore the various types of Art Nouveau and its influence on culture today. Getting to Know Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement emerged in England in the late 1800s as a reaction to the mechanization and depersonalization of the Industrial Revolution. Artists and designers who embraced this movement sought to honor the creative process and the end user in their work, making some of the most recognizable design in the world. This talk will address Arts and Crafts graphic design and its history, with forays into architecture and other areas. What Generational Theory Tells Us about Decades Past . . .and the Decade to Come Drawing on the generational theory of historians William Strauss and Neil Howe, this talk explains how the rotating cycles of generations through history explain the events of the post-WWII era, the turbulent 1960s and 70s, the “Me Generation” of the 1980s, the events of the turn of the Millennium, and the present day. We will also use this theory to explore what we might expect culturally, politically, and economically in the coming decade. Propaganda Advertising of WWII “Propaganda” has a negative connotation today, but, in times of crisis, it is a powerful tool to persuade the population and encourage positive behaviors. In this highly-visual talk, we will explore the wide variety of purposes and techniques of propaganda advertising as they were used during the 1930s and 40s and how to recognize effective propaganda advertising today. The Creative Revolution in Advertising In 1960, advertising giant Doyle Dane Bernbach released the iconic “Think Small” ad for the Volkswagen Beetle, and the advertising world would never be the same again. We will explore the “Creative Revolution” in advertising, looking at some of the most famous and noteworthy ads of the period and exploring what lessons they can teach advertisers today. The Greatest Advertising Campaigns in History Woodbury’s A Skin You Love to Touch. Listerine’s Often a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride. Burma Shave signs. Maidenform’s I Dreamed. VW’s Think Small. Apple’s 1984. These and other campaigns transcended mere product advertising and entered the cultural vernacular. Learn the stories behind a variety of historic advertising campaigns, what made them successful, and why we remember them today. Skills and Activity Training Building the Perfect Pickle Pickling is quickly becoming a lost art, and that’s a shame, because the pickles you make yourself from home-grown cucumbers will be the best you ever tasted! This informative talk will cover everything you need to know from seed to Mason jar: selecting the right cucumber to grow, sprouting and transplanting, growth tips, dealing with pests in an organic way, and producing the final product (bread and butter or dill pickles). This talk is suitable for either a lecture style or a demo kitchen environment. Saving Money with Your Home Garden Based on my popular GRIT magazine “How Much Does a Garden Really Grow?” and many years of experience as a home gardener, I will share tips and tricks for saving the most money off your grocery bill with the help of your home garden. Topics will include seed/plant selection, understanding varieties, figuring out your family’s needs, and calculating your savings. Ideas are easily scalable for gardens ranging from windowsill to acreage, with a focus on the kitchen garden. Planning Your Trip to Key West So you’ve decided to visit Key West! Whether you are taking a cruise and will be there for a day or are going for a long weekend or even a week, this presentation will introduce you to the historical sites, interesting activities, and options for downtime that fill the island. We will cover options ranging from the athletic to the relaxed, suitable for every traveler. How to Deliver a Dynamic Lecture They call it “Death by PowerPoint:” the boredom that ensues when a speaker constructs a slide deck, turns off the lights, and reads each slide aloud. It shouldn’t be this way! Lecture can be one of the most effective ways of engaging an audience, because the best lectures use the techniques of storytelling, interaction, and passion to keep an audience interested. In this session, we will explore the components of a dynamic lecture and cover actionable strategies that will make your next talk a hit. Getting Started in Self-Publishing (suitable for workshop or class format) Have a great idea you’d love to see in print? Have you finished your book but don’t want to go through a traditional publisher? Self-publishing may be for you! With an estimated 40 percent of all e-book revenue going to authors who self-publish, this method is ideal for people who have a book with a limited audience, those who wish to maintain creative control over their work, or those who enjoy the publication process. Using Amazon CreateSpace, we will work through the process of turning your book into both a physical and an e-book product and placing it for sale. Beginning Ballroom or Social Dancing (suitable for workshop format or limited or ongoing class) Co-Taught with Partner Daniel Lorenzetti Whether you are going to an upcoming wedding, have a class reunion in the future, or just want to learn to “cut a rug,” ballroom dancing is a great way to get some exercise and have fun with your partner and your friends! We will cover the basic steps of dances, chosen for your group’s needs from: Ballroom option: waltz, tango, foxtrot, rumba, swing, cha-cha Social option: salsa, bachata, merengue, rumba, swing 5201 Marshall Road What you need to know about congenital heart defects and the lifetime of care required for a healthy future. My lat… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 16 hours ago I have hit Twitter feed balance. Half insightful professional discussion, half ragingly insane political diatribe. 1 day ago I thought I learned a lot in the classroom, until I got on the other side of those desks. Then the learning really… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 day ago RT @NASA: At 9:32am ET, the #Apollo11 launch occurred sending three astronauts on a trajectory to the Moon. As we celebrate our #Apollo50th… 2 days ago You know you're an #adjunct when... 1. You know the drill better than staff at your new gig. (I need an ID, a login… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 days ago Follow @jclorenzetti	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line724
__label__cc	0.552028	0.447972	Questions about example sentences with, and the definition and usage of "Blurred" Similar words to "Blurred" and their differences What is the difference between Blurred vision and Unclear vision ? , thank you very much Other questions about "Blurred" Hi, I learn English, and my main problem now is that I can't always link sentences logically and smoothly. Please, offer me how I can improve this text with linking words naturally. Of course, if there're m... does this sound natural? I think that this story is very interesting and instructive. So, I want to explain how I became short-sighted. As it happens, a friend of mine hada poor eye sight. By the way, she was my best friend. At first I thought it was funny when she was squinting and for that reason that's why I started coping her. After a while, I noticed changes in my eyesight. What was my first noticeable change? Blurred vision. That was my my first complain. Of course I evaluated the situation and understood the reason. Because of that I stopped immediately squinting, but the situation didn't improve. To conclude from my point of view, this is common in our world where people often act before thinking. Why do some sentence start with “Me”？ For example：“Me everytime I listen to Blurred Lines...” Why... I guessing you've seen this on the internet? For example in the picture attached, the 'me' means that the person feels like the girl in the picture. The full sentence would be: '(That's) me every time I see a dog' Does that make sense? Blurry? Blurred? Or Blur? 1) couldn’t see well the background because the image was blurry/blurr... does this sound natural? Blurry? Blurred? Or Blur? I couldn’t see the background well because the image was blurry. I couldn't see the background very well because the image was blurry/blurred. Either works. "Blur" doesn't work, though, because that's a verb. 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__label__wiki	0.975215	0.975215	Perth hip hop artists work together to achieve a dying man’s wish When you think of Australian hip hop, you think of beers, illicit drugs, graffiti, and crews. However the passing of Perth rapper and SBX crew member Robert Hunter, of cancer in late October, has shown a massive supportive community of friends who band together in tough times. Two years ago, in 2009, when Hunter was first diagnosed he decided he wanted to give back to the community that had given him so much love and respect. On the suggestion of a friend, he decided he would create an Aussie hip hop compilation album with the proceeds going to not-for-profit organisation CanTeen. “It seemed like a natural thing for me cos I knew a lot of people making Australian hip hop,” said Hunter. “Hip hop can be very inspirational and hopefully we can sell enough CD’s and iTunes to make money to do something cool for the kids.” It has been two years in the making, but the Australian Hip Hop Supports CanTeen album is due to be released on Friday December 2nd. Although a number of both established and up-and-coming Australian hip hop artists, such as the Hilltop Hoods and Perth’s Bitter Belief and Downsyde have provided tracks for the album, it is the determined work of Hunter’s Perth-based mates, who want to see Hunter’s project come to fruition, that have ensured the release of this album. Fellow SBX crew member and good friend Dazastah, of the Perth hip hop group Downsyde, has worked tirelessly to ensure the release of the album before Christmas. Working from his home studio, Daz executive produced the album with Hunter. In his final interview with RTR’s Bren McGurk, Hunter even admitted that Daz had “taken over” and that Hunter had “put this on his shoulders”. But Daz doesn’t mind. “Anything for the crew,” he said. Daz had the difficult task of mastering the album, with songs that have been produced and mixed in studios all across Australia. “I wanted to get a consistent sounding, technically good sounding album, and it was actually harder than I thought,” Daz said. “But it’s come along really well. It’s a mammoth album to listen to but it’s awesome.” When working on something as big as releasing an album, it’s not all fun, games and music. There is an endless trail of paperwork, involving marketing, legal documentation and distribution. Another of Hunter’s good friends, SBX member and one of two girls in the crew, Porsah Laine, along with her sister Rachel, of Wonder Management, have worked since 2009 on the ‘boring’ stuff to ensure this album’s release. Porsah Laine said, “I was hoping that Hunter would see the completion of his amazing project, but I’m happy the pain has gone. He’s set a standard for us all to, even in the face of death, follow your passion and always help others.” Daz, Porsah Laine and Rachel, along with rapper Layla and Deej have put immense time and effort into the Australian Hip Hop Supports CanTeen album. Graphic designer Paul ‘Deej’ Donnachie, of Toasted Designs, has been involved in the all aspects of design for the project, particularly with marketing material and album cover design. With the album developing into a double CD compilation, it is going to be the Australian hip hop album release of 2011. Kylie De Vos	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line726
__label__wiki	0.637607	0.637607	Happy New Year 2019 from The Spy Command Posted on December 31, 2018 by The Spy Commander Our annual greeting It’s the end of another year. Here’s hoping for a great 2019 for readers of The Spy Command. And, as Napoleon Solo reminds everyone, be sure to party responsibly this New Year’s Eve. Happy New Year, everyone. Filed under: The Other Spies \| Tagged: Happy New Year, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. \| 2 Comments » Forever and a Day: Mixing 1950 with 2018 U.K. cover image for Forever and a Day, Anthony Horwitz’s second James Bond continuation novel. Yes, there are spoilers. Stop reading if you don’t want to see them. Art reflects the time when it was produced. So it is with Forever and a Day, the second James Bond continuation novel by Anthony Horowitz. The story mixes a 1950 setting with 2018 sensibilities. When the novel was announced, Ian Fleming Publications emphasized how it would be a prequel to Casino Royale, Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel. (Horowitz’s first Bond novel, 2015’s Trigger Mortis, was set in 1957 after the events of Goldfinger.) Specifically, IFP’s marketing emphasized how the new novel would show Bond being promoted to the Double-O section and depict his first mission with the code number 007. Horowitz’s story emphasizes the time period. It’s just five years after World War II ended and there’s plenty of uncertainty. The reader is treated to a bit of M’s philosophy in managing the Double-O section and how it reflects what’s occurring in 1950. At the same time, there is a 2018 mind-set present. The female lead, Joanne Brochet, aka Sixtine, aka Madame 16, is introduced as a mysterious character. Before the novel ends, she’s like a more subtle version (at least in personal style) of Jinx from the Eon 007 film Die Another Day. Just to be clear, Sixtine is a much more developed character than Jinx. But they’re comparable in their abilities to inflict death. By the time I finished the novel, I imagined what it would be like if Sixtine were a character in an Eon 007 movie. She’s Bond’s equal in every way. She takes her destiny in her own hands. She’s not passive. In Forever and a Day, it turns out Sixtine is even better at killing than Bond is. She makes clear to Bond they will only make love on her terms. And she’s older than Bond. Bond himself changes because of their relationship. When he first meets Sixtine, there’s this passage: “She was about ten years older than him and, for Bond, that made her at least fifteen years too old to be truly desirable.” The agent feels considerably differently when they part ways. Horowitz utilizes two villains. With one, Horowitz describes Fleming-style physical characteristics. It’s a Horowitz take on a classic trope. The other villain, however, reflects current-day U.S. politics despite the 1950 setting This occurs when this character gives his “big villain speech.” Just to be clear, I enjoy big villain speeches when done well. The one Horowitz writes keeps you reading. But I couldn’t help but notice the similarities to what’s happening in 2018 with talk (via the villain) of why the U.S. should be more isolationist. One other note: Whether intentional or not (my guess is not), the plot of the villains has a strong resemblance to a villain’s plot in a certain Roger Moore 007 film. The dynamics aren’t identical. The movie villain expects to get even richer; Horowitz’s villain expects the opposite but is doing it for a far different reason. This, of course, doesn’t figure into the theme of 2018 creeping into Horowitz’s 1950 tale. But it is there. Filed under: James Bond Books \| Tagged: Anthony Horowitz, Forever and a Day, Ian Fleming Publications, Roger Moore \| 3 Comments » Somewhere in an alternative universe… …this James Bond-ish adventure was an actual film, not just a “movie within a movie” as in 1978’s Hooper. And, in that alternate universe, you could be sure that egotist director Roger Deal would seek enhanced billing. “Make me look good, Sonny.” Warner Bros. Presents A film by ROGER DEAL A Max Berns production ADAM WEST in THE SPY WHO LAUGHED AT DANGER Screenplay by Cordwainer Bird and Roger Deal Story by Cordwainer Bird Produced by Max Berns Directed by ROGER DEAL (c) MCMLXVIII Warner Bros. A Warner Communications Company Filed under: The Other Spies \| Tagged: Adam West, Burt Reynolds, Hooper \| 4 Comments » Epilogue: Why MGM dumped its CEO MGM’s Leo the Lion logo One of the oddities of the long hiatus between SPECTRE and Bond 25 was how Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer extended the contract of CEO Gary Barber in October 2017 and then got rid of him in early 2018. MGM, of course, has been the home studio of the 007 film series since the company acquired United Artists in 1981. The New Yorker on Dec. 27 came out with a lengthy profile of Mark Burnett. Formerly, he was a reality TV mogul whose company made Survivor and The Apprentice. The latter featured now-U.S. President Donald Trump and helped shape his image in the 21st century. (That’s the primary reason for the Burnett profile.) MGM acquired Burnett’s company in 2015 to bolster its TV operations. Burnett now oversees those operations, both reality programs and scripted dramas such as The Handmaid’s Tale. According to the profile, Burnett worked with Kevin Ulrich, MGM’s chairman, to have Barber “kicked off the island.” Barber was interested in selling the studio—a move that Ulrich opposed. According to several sources, Burnett began cultivating Ulrich, inviting him to events and introducing him to celebrities. Then, last March, M-G-M’s board informed Barber that he had been fired; he had just signed a contract extension, so the studio would pay him two hundred and sixty million dollars to leave. Despite this payment, he was incensed. The disagreement about strategy between Barber and Ulrich was reported earlier this year by The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Deadline: Hollywood. The New Yorker article provides some additional color. “People who know Ulrich describe him as someone who relishes the flashy perquisites of Hollywood moguldom,” according to The New Yorker. “Whereas Barber liked to spend weekends quietly tending to the racehorses he owns, Ulrich liked going to parties and premières.” MGM has yet to hire a replacement for Barber. Since Barber’s ouster, MGM has been run by a committee of executives. On the studio’s website, there’s a page featuring three key executives. One is Burnett. Another is his wife, Roma Downey, There’s no business like show business. Filed under: James Bond Films \| Tagged: Bond 25, Kevin Ulrich, Mark Burnett, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Roma Downey, SPECTRE \| Leave a comment » Unanswered 007 questions as 2018 draws to a close 2018 is about to end. So here are some questions that have gone unanswered — and likely will remain so — as the year concludes. Whatever happened to the notion that the Broccoli-Wilson family might sell out its interest in the Bond franchise after Bond 25? In July 2017, Phil Nobile Jr., then a writer for Movies. Birth. Death., had a story with this passage: “I have read thoughts from someone I believe to be close wth the production that the Broccolis are looking to do one more Bond then sell the franchise off, a la George Lucas/Star Wars/Disney.” In reaction, the James Bond MI website wrote the following on Twitter: “@bmoviesd would love to say there’s nothing to this but we can’t.” Since then? Nada. Neither was a definitive “this is going to happen.” And neither has followed up that the blog is aware of. For that matter, neither have British tabloids (who’ll write stories at the drop of a hat when British bookies adjust their odds on future Bonds). Neither have major entertainment news outlets. Was there never anything to it? Is there something to it, but we won’t know until 2020, when Bond 25 is scheduled to come out? Who knows? But it’s one of the most intriguing questions during long hiatus between SPECTRE and Bond 25. Whatever happened to the idea that Apple and Amazon were “racing” to lock up 007 film rights? That’s was what The Hollywood Reporter reported in a story labeled “exclusive” in September 2017. The story was so exclusive that THR rivals Deadline: Hollywood and Variety never got around to matching it. Neither did The New York Times nor The Wall Street Journal, both of which follow Apple and Amazon closely. And THR itself never appeared to have done a follow-up. Were Apple and Amazon really making a concerted effort but came up short? Or was the story so much hot air? Eventually, in 2018, it was announced that Bond 25 would be released in the U.S. by an MGM-Annapurna joint venture, with international distribution by Universal. Does Eon-Danjaq still have its heart in doing Bond films? The hiatus between 2015’s SPECTRE and Bond 25 will be the second-longest in the history of the Eon-produced series. Moreover, it’s the first such hiatus that occurred simply because the principals (Eon boss Barbara Broccoli and star Daniel Craig) simply didn’t feel like making one for a while. A long while. There have been no legal fights (the 1989-95 hiatus) or studio bankruptcies (1989-95 and 2008-2012) in the mix. Some fans will shout, “Of course they do!” Maybe yes, maybe no. We’ll see. Filed under: James Bond Films \| Tagged: Amazon, Apple Inc., Barbara Broccoli, Bond 25, Daniel Craig, Eon Productions, James Bond MI6 website, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Phil Nobile Jr., SPECTRE \| 1 Comment » Happy holidays 2018 from The Spy Command The accompanying graphic has been the blog’s annual Christmas/holiday season greeting since 2011. It’s a tradition and it wouldn’t be the same without it. The graphic was designed by Paul Baack (1957-2017). It’s just one sample of his artistic handiwork. He designed it when the blog was part of the Her Majesty’s Secret Servant website (1997-2014). To the blog’s readers: Thanks for being here. If you’ve got some time off, enjoy it. Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone. Filed under: James Bond Books, James Bond Films \| Tagged: On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Paul Baack \| 3 Comments » About Eon’s lack of a long-term plan Over the weekend, I read complaints by friends on social media about the 007 film series. One cited how Eon flipped the order of filming You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The other cited SPECTRE, the most recent Bond film made by Eon Productions. Neither friend knows the other. The thing is, both complaints reflected the same thing — Eon isn’t known for its long-term planning. When Eon launched the series, it initially intended to adapt Thunderball, the then-newest Ian Fleming novel. Richard Maibaum cranked out a script before Eon cast its Bond actor (Sean Connery). But there were legal issues so plans shifted to starting with Dr. No. For the next entry, Eon opted for From Russia With Love, even though that novel preceded Dr. No. That wasn’t a big deal at the time. But the OHMSS-YOLT switch was more of a problem. The novels were very connected. Bond is a broken man in the Twice novel because of how Majesty’s ended. But that went by the wayside for a variety of reasons. Still, that wouldn’t have occurred if a long-term plan had been in place. For some Bond fans (including one of the aforementioned friends), that was a major missed opportunity. With SPECTRE, the tale is even more complicated. Quantum is better than SPECTRE. What’s that? Uh, never mind! Screenwriter John Logan sold Eon on a two-film story, something Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced in November 2012. But star Daniel Craig vetoed that approach. So Logan retrenched. Eventually, veteran 007 screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were summoned to rewrite Logan’s script. At one point, Logan’s scripts had Blofeld as an African warlord or a woman. After Purvis and Wade got through with it, there was a more traditional Blofeld. However, in the final version, Blofeld was also Bond’s foster brother — pretty similar to how Dr. Evil was the brother of Austin Powers. Just a guess, but that wouldn’t have been the case with long-term planning. Over the decades, there are other examples. At the end of The Spy Who Loved Me, the audience was promised that For Your Eyes Only would be the next entry in the series. But with the popularity of the first Star Wars film, Eon grabbed the only Fleming title with a rocket theme (Moonraker) as the starting point for its next production. In the 21st century, Eon’s brain trust talked about how SPECTRE was passe and how the new Quantum was more sophisticated. Then, Eon got all the rights that had been held by Kevin McClory. Suddenly, SPECTRE was the No. 1 villainous organization again. Regardless of your opinions about the individual films involved, it’s pretty clear Eon has never had a long-term footprint. SPECTRE was a belated attempt to tie the four Daniel Craig films together. That doesn’t make individual entries bad. Still, the lack of a long-term plan still has an impact on Eon’s 007 film series. Filed under: James Bond Films \| Tagged: Daniel Craig, Dr. No, Eon Productions, John Logan, Moonraker, Neal Purvis, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Richard Maibaum, Robert Wade, SPECTRE, The Spy Who Loved Me, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice \| 1 Comment »	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line728
__label__wiki	0.556649	0.556649	Social Media Case Study The Dallas Roughnecks are a Professional Ultimate Disc Team located in Dallas, Texas; they are one of the 26 teams of the American Ultimate Disc League, which is the largest professional ultimate league in the world. However, a lack of awareness for the sport presented a challenge in driving ticket sales for the Roughnecks as well as the need for a growing fan base to separate the team from its competitors. With a strong belief in social media to help bridge this gap, the Roughnecks handed full control of its social presence to HCK2, with the objectives of building awareness for the sport and team, driving engagement among its fans and pushing traffic to its website where tickets are sold. HCK2 conducted a social media audit, established a strategy and executed it daily. This included expanding its social presence to new platforms, creating a weekly player-promo graphic series, executing several Facebook live segments with the team, live tweeting games, publishing game-recaps, interacting with fans daily and hosting a Reddit IamA to harness millennial engagement. Social media alone drove more than 50 percent of the e-commerce site’s traffic; this in turn contributed to tickets being sold out for the first game of the season as well as higher ticket sales than other teams in the league for the rest of the season. The Reddit IamA resulted in over 300 questions and comments as well as 800 bit.ly clicks. Facebook live segments entertained thousands of viewers on a regular basis and the Roughnecks’ total social media audience increased 154 percent in four months. Channel Audits	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line730
__label__wiki	0.5773	0.5773	heather kirn lanier Heart-Shaped Bed in Hiroshima Teaching in the Terrordome The Story You Tell Yourself Star in Her Eye “You know how some writers’ work makes you feel better of being alive? That’s how I feel about Heather Kirn Lanier’s work.” –Amy Monticello “Heather Kirn Lanier is a real human I want to hear from.” –Jennifer Lunden, Pushcart Winner, speaking to her gmail spam Heather Kirn Lanier is an essayist, memoirist, and poet. She’s the author of Teaching in the Terrordome: Two Years in West Baltimore with Teach For America (University of Missouri, 2012), and two award-winning poetry chapbooks, Heart-Shaped Bed in Hiroshima (Standing Rock, 2015), and The Story You Tell Yourself (Kent State U, 2012), winner of the Wick Poetry Open Chapbook Competition. Her book about raising a child with a rare chromosomal syndrome is forthcoming from Penguin Press and Piatkus / Little, Brown UK. Her related TED talk, “‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Are Incomplete Stories We Tell Ourselves,” has been viewed over two million times. She has received a Rona Jaffe – Bread Loaf Scholarship, an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, and a Vermont Creation Grant. Her work has been noted in The Best American Essays Series and The Pushcart Anthology Series. She has published poems and essays in dozens of places, including Salon, The Sun, Vela Magazine, Utne Reader Online, The Southern Review, The Threepenny Review, and Fourth Genre. A graduate of Ohio State University’s MFA program, she has taught ninth graders in Baltimore, Maryland, English language learners in Imabari, Japan, and undergraduates of all stripes at Ohio State, UC Berkeley, Miami University, and Skidmore College. She is now Assistant Professor of Creative Nonfiction at Rowan University. You can contact her at heatherklanier@gmail.com. She’s represented by Anna Knutson Geller of Write View.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line732
__label__wiki	0.947301	0.947301	This Is All of Us Virginia governor to white supremacists: "Go home" Kitty Lindsay Win McNamee/Getty Images In the aftermath of the deadly violence that erupted at a gathering of right-wing extremists in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe had an extremely clear message for the white supremacists wreaking havoc in his state: Go home. McAuliffe appeared before reporters at a press conference yesterday to confirm the deaths of three people present at Saturday’s explosive “Unite The Right” rally, a death toll that included two law enforcement officials whose helicopter crashed while circling the event, and a woman who was killed when a car plowed through a crowd of counter-demonstrators. But McAuliffe seized the opportunity to address the white supremacists and neo-Nazis at the center of the chaos directly, urging them to take their hatred and bigotry elsewhere. “I have a message to the white supremacists and the Nazis who came into Charlottesville today,” said McAuliffe. “Go home. You are not wanted in this great commonwealth. You pretend that you are patriots, but you are anything but a patriot." McAuliffe’s powerful words stand in sharp contrast to Donald Trump’s watered down response via Twitter just hours before. What is vital now is a swift restoration of law and order and the protection of innocent lives.#Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/DB22fgnu6L Later, Trump spoke from his resort and golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he failed to unequivocally condemn the actions of white supremacists specifically, and instead opted to blame “many sides” for their contributions to Saturday’s violence. In these frightening and uncertain times, we’re so grateful for leaders like McAuliffe who bravely stand up to racists, bigots, and people who seek to harm others. “You came here today to hurt people,” McAuliffe told white supremacists Saturday. “There is no place for you here, there is no place for you in America.” Thank you, Gov. McAuliffe. We couldn’t agree more. By Kitty Lindsay	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line735
__label__cc	0.57132	0.42868	Eminem Grows Up? A music review: Recovery by Eminem Marshall Mathers, a.k.a. Eminem, is flatly one the most talented rappers there is in terms of his ability to puts words together and spit them out in unbroken streams of rapid rhyme. But as anyone who has followed his career can tell you, Eminen is also negative and vulgar. There can often be perverse elements of violence or violent sexuality as a regular part of his recipe. His hit single “Stan” is a prime example, though such elements pervade his Relapse album. Even the title of the CD, Relapse, reveals that, although he had entered rehabilitation for his alcohol and drug problems, that project was to be a collection of songs about defeat rather than victory. And so it is, with his perversity in full swing. But could he have been reaching out or hiding behind an image? The song “Beautiful” may offer a clue, where he says he’s been hard to reach, and even contemplates hanging up the microphone for good. There he admits that he “hides behind the tears of a clown.” It is often the most insecure children at school who act out. More clues show up on his 2010 album, Recovery. But before we get to them, some general comments. Recovery is less shocking. The perversity, the violence, the graphic content—it’s much sparser on Slim Shady’s latest offering. Yes, there is some sexual content. One only need look to tracks “W.T.P.,” “Seduction,” or “So Bad,” but it is not as perverse or violent content. It’s regular party life stuff you would expect from non-christian people. Still wrong, but normal. Graphic elements are still present on a number of tracks, but those elements do not define this album; they are not by any means the main focus of the album. Mostly, it is about recovery, and the whole selection is permeated with a change in attitude and the determination to follow a new direction in life. This change in course is perhaps dramatized in the opening song, “Cold Wind Blows” as Eminem starts out with some of his usual fare, until he is suddenly struck by lightening. Eminem says, “Lord, forgive me for what my pen do”—that is, for what I write—to which God responds, “This is for your sins I cleanse you. You can repent, but I warn you, if you continue, to hell I send you.” This is an implicit recognition that Eminem knows he deserves divine retribution and needs forgiveness. Of course, I’m not going to read too much into the exchange (it is not as though Eminem gets squeaky clean after this), but it is unexpected and interesting to note. Now, the clues I mentioned. They begin right away on the second track, “Talkin’ 2 Myself,” where Eminem says, “I just want to thank everybody for being so patient and baring with me over the last couple of years.” He says he was “goin’ through growing pains, hatred flowing through my veins, on the verge of going insane,” and, speaking to himself, “you’re lying to yourself, you’re dying, you’re denying, you’re health is declining with your self esteem, you’re crying out for help.” Further, he admits he had “become a hater” and had “put up a false bravado,” that he has a problem and he should do something about it instead of feeling sorry for himself. To sum it up, he says his last two albums didn’t count. He says, I’ve come to make it up to you now no more f—-n’ around. I got something to prove to fans ’cause I feel like I let ’em down. So please accept my apology. I finally feel like I’m back to normal, I feel like me again. Let me formally reintroduce myself to you. For those of you who don’t know, the new me’s back to the old me and, homie, I don’t show no signs of slowin’ up. Clearly, he is setting the stage for the rest of the album. Tracks six and seven are the most significant songs on the album. As if it weren’t obvious, track six is plainly called “Going Through Changes.” In it, Slim talks about his struggle with pills and the temptation they present. He talks about contemplating suicide, but again reaches out. He says, Why do I act like I’m all high and mighty, When inside, I’m dying? I am finally realizing I need help. Can’t do it myself, too weak. Two weeks I’ve been having ups and downs, going through peaks and valleys. But in the end, he remembers the things that matter most to him, his relationships, his baby girls—especially Hailie—and it motivates him to change, even though “heaven knows I’ve never been a saint.” “My friends can’t understand this new me,” he says, but he nonetheless exhorts himself to “be a man.” Track seven, “Not Afraid,” is what I consider the centerpiece of Recovery. The chorus, or hook, goes like this: I’m not afraid to take a stand. Everybody, come take my hand. We’ll walk this road together, through the storm, whatever weather, cold or warm. Just letting you know that you’re not alone. Holler if you feel like you’ve been down the same road. The bridge adds, And I just can’t keep living this way, so starting today I’m breaking out of this cage. I’m standing up, gonna face my demons. I’m manning up, Imma [I’m going to] hold my ground. I’ve had enough, now I’m so fed up. Time to put my life back together right now. Worth quoting is a large portion of verses two and three: And to the fans, I’ll never let you down again. I’m back. I promise never to go back on that promise; in fact, let’s be honest, that last Relapse CD was “ehh.” Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground. Relax, I ain’t going back to that now […] I’m way too up to back down, but I think I’m still tryna [trying to] figure this crap out. Thought I had it mapped out, but I guess I didn’t. This f—–g black cloud still follows me around but it’s time to exorcise these demons. These m———–s are doing jumping jacks now! It was my decision to get clean, I did it for me. Admittedly, I probably did it subliminally for you, so I could come back a brand new me. You helped see me through, and don’t even realize what you did, believe me you! […] No more drama from now on, I promise to focus solely on handling my responsibilities as a father. So I solemnly swear to always treat this roof like my daughters and raise it. You couldn’t lift a single shingle on it, ‘cause the way I feel, I’m strong enough to go to the club or the corner pub and lift the whole liquor counter up, ‘cause I’m raising the bar. I shoot the moon, but I’m too busy gazing at stars, I feel amazing. In “Cinderella Man,” Eminem realizes that not everyone gets a second chance, and says he’s not going to blow the one he got. “Love the Way You Lie” and “You’re Never Over” even get emotional. They’re very open songs about some of Eminem’s issues. In “Love the Way You Lie” Eminem is lamenting destructive patterns of behavior in his relationship. It’s almost heartbreaking how he feels sorry for what he continues to do. What he’s really doing is coming to terms with his own depravity, and he admits that when it comes to love he is “blinded.” He also says, “But you promised her, next time you’ll show restraint. You don’t get another chance; life is no Nintendo game. But you lied again. Now you get to watch her leave out the window. Guess that’s why they call it window pane.” “You’re Never Over” is almost a virtuoso piece for Eminem’s polished rap craft. But in it, he talks about the loss of a loved one. He says, So, God, just help me out while I fight through this grieving process. Tryna process this loss makes me nauseous, but this depression ain’t taking me hostage […] I know I’m never gonna be the same without you. I never woulda came in this game, I’m going insane without you. Matter of fact, it was just the other night I had a dream about you. You told me to get up, I got up, I spread my wings and I flew. You gave me a reason to fight. I was on my way to see you [that is, I was going to die, probably speaking of suicide]. You told me nah, Dudey, you’re not layin’ on that table. I knew I was gonna make it. Soon as you said “Think of Halie” I knew there wasn’t no way that I was gonna ever leave them babies, and Proof. Not many are lucky to have a guardian angel like you. Lord, I’m so thankful, please don’t think that I don’t feel grateful. I do. Just grant me the strength that I need for one more day to get through. Eminem, as he put it, is going through changes. Obviously, the last couple of years have been a difficult time, and his emergence from a dark valley is apparent in Recovery, even as the name of the album itself is hopeful. Eminem has been described as being authentic. A lot of people seem to call negativity authenticity automatically. I don’t. I think Recovery is possibly Eminem at his most authentic. When you’ve made a living being hard, being arrogant (in an older song he claims he’s better than 90% of rappers out there, which is likely), and being tough, it’s takes a measure of humility to admit you’ve been wrong and you need help. Maybe that’s why Recovery sold over 740,000 copies in its first week. Pop Culture, Religion Celebrate America at the Backyard Barbeque this Afternoon. But in these walls, Celebrate Jesus The fourth of July is a time to celebrate. Americans on this day celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which marked the official break of the American colonies from increasingly heavy-handed and unreasonable British rule; and that fissure of political bonds is surely a good excuse for Americans to throw a party. But as the fourth falls on a Sunday this year, I am especially reminded that it is not a good reason to throw a party in church. For that, there are better reasons. The church I used to attend celebrated Independence Day in church every year. God and Country, they called it, and in fact, the banner on their website now flatly says, “Celebrate America: July 3 and 4”. I do not like church-bashing and that’s not really my intent. My formative spiritual years were spent at SMCC and the roots I acquired there were good. But may I suggest that their God and Country worship service is completely inappropriate. The spectacle SMCC puts on during the July 4 Sunday worship includes awarding active and retired military personnel, playing the military branch theme songs, the unfurling of one of the largest American flags I’ve ever seen, and actual fireworks in the sanctuary (!). It’s a pretty impressive pageant, but as I have learned more and more about my own faith over the past five or six years, it actually begins to break my heart that faithful men would treat the service this way. Sunday worship, you see, cannot be hijacked to “celebrate America.” How can it be? It is already a celebration! It is indeed a celebration of a kingdom, a nation, a commonwealth—but a kingdom, nation, and commonwealth that transcends any and all geopolitical borders. God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself. He is forming for his own possession a holy nation, a royal priesthood, from people of every language and tribe and country (1 Peter 2:9, see also Eph. 2:12-13). When I step into the the house of the Lord on Sunday morning, there is no American; there is neither Jew nor Greek, but all are one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11). When I step into the house of the Lord, I am Christian, and am spiritually joining with fellow citizens around the world—citizens not of the U.S. (or China or Bolivia), but of heaven (Phil. 3:20)! I am an assimilated member of the one holy catholic church, the church universal, the church global, which God purchased with his own blood. God calls us to celebrate every week the fact that we have been grafted into this worldwide nation, adopted into this family and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. He calls us to confess sin and receive forgiveness, to sing songs, to pray, to hear the public reading of Scripture, to hear the Word preached and taught, and to receive the ordinances of baptism and communion. With all that going on, what room is left to celebrate a temporal geopolitical entity? Such is not just inadvisable, I believe it’s wrong. I thank God for the confidence I have that when I attend my church today, the fourth of July will not be more than mentioned in passing. I go celebrate the same things I celebrated last week, the same things I will celebrate next week. After all, this is church. Let’s be perfectly clear. I love the Fourth of July. I have a sensible quantity of nationalism in me. If I weren’t working today, I’d join my family for hamburgers, potato salad, and fellowship in a house dripping with red, white and blue. I’d watch the celebratory fireworks give brilliant bursts of color to the night sky, and begin to get sentimental when I hear “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free!” It’s appropriate to thank God for shedding his grace on this land. But you cannot bring that into the worship service. It would be completely out of place; a misuse, in fact, of that time that is given to us to worship, and to worship in the manner God has laid out for us in the Bible. Here, we celebrate not only a holy nation, but her King. Here, we celebrate Jesus.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line739
__label__wiki	0.802826	0.802826	Fast Fact: U.S. immigration authorities apprehended or turned back more than 103,000 illegal aliens along the U.S.- Mexico border in March April 11, 2019 By D.A. King Image: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) From CBS News U.S. immigration authorities apprehended or turned back more than 103,000 migrants — including approximately 53,000 families and nearly 9,000 unaccompanied children — along the U.S.-Mexico border last month, further overwhelming the Trump administration’s efforts to address the unprecedented surge in migrant families from Central America heading north. “We’ve arrived at the breaking point,” Brian Hastings, chief of law enforcement operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), told reporters Tuesday. About 92,000 of the 103,000 migrants were apprehended between ports of entry, while nearly 11,000 migrants who appeared at ports of entry to claim asylum were deemed “inadmissible” and turned back, according to CBP statistics. Filed Under: Fast Facts Archives	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line741
__label__wiki	0.834883	0.834883	People: Morneau Shepell Inc (MSI.TO) MSI.TO on Toronto Stock Exchange 30.24CAD Lalonde, Ron Mr. Ron A. Lalonde is an Independent Director of the Company. Mr. Lalonde is the Director of the company. effective March 2, 2016. Prior to his retirement in 2010, Mr. Lalonde was Senior Executive Vice President, Technology & Operations at CIBC. Prior to this, Mr. Lalonde was the Chief Administrative Officer of CIBC, with responsibility for finance, legal, compliance, human resources, marketing and other support functions. Mr. Lalonde also held senior executive positions in London, England and New York. Mr. Lalonde currently serves as a director of several companies, including Street Capital Group Inc. and DH Corporation. Mr. Lalonde serves as a Commissioner on the Board of the Toronto Transit Commission and is a director of The Canadian Stage Company. Mr. Lalonde holds a BA from Western University and an MBA from the Ivey Business School. Total Annual Compensation, CAD 50,250 Restricted Stock Award, CAD 50,250 Long-Term Incentive Plans, CAD -- All Other, CAD -- Fiscal Year Total, CAD 100,500 Gillian Denham Stephen Liptrap Scott Milligan Pierre Chamberland Hazel Claxton Rita Fridella	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line742
__label__wiki	0.911069	0.911069	@theststyle 🦋🌺✨ A post shared by @ selah on Apr 7, 2017 at 1:15am PDT Lauryn Hill’s Daughter Selah Marley Is Dropping a New ‘Interactive’ Project Soon Daryl Nelson The daughter of Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley, Selah Marley, has carved out an impressive lane for herself. She's still in her teens but she's already done modeling work for Calvin Klein, Chanel, Beyoncé's Ivy Park and Kanye West's Yeezy Season show. Next, the 18-year-old will be releasing her own project, which she says is hard to describe but will contain writing, visuals and will also be totally interactive. "I'm working on a project that basically expresses the entirety of myself," said Marley in an interview with the U.K.'s Sunday Times magazine. "I feel like modeling can be a little surface. I think this project is really just the purest expression of myself and things I've internalized for a long time." She's also on the cover of the mag's latest edition. Elsewhere during the interview, Marley talked about working with Ivy Park and West's Yeezy Season, and she recalled being nervous to meet the Chicago spitter. "I was getting anxiety, like, yo, I wanna tell Kanye I love him," she explained. "He's been through a lot of persecution in the media and by people but it doesn't stop him from being who he is." You can read the rest of Marley's interview here and see some photos of her below. The 25 Greatest Rap Albums of 1996 Source: Lauryn Hill’s Daughter Selah Marley Is Dropping a New ‘Interactive’ Project Soon Filed Under: lauryn hill	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line743
__label__cc	0.615115	0.384885	Independent Voter Registration Statistics by State by Independent Voter Project, published Feb 24, 2016 Independent voters are the fastest growing voting demographic in the United States. As of the latest registration reports, there are approximately 28 million independent voters registered nationwide. The chart below includes the most recent available data for each state as of mid-January 2016. Please note that some secretary of state offices do not regularly update this information and not every state offers the option of declaring party preference upon registration. Because of this, it is difficult to determine the exact number of independent voters in those states. Please note that any information taken from this page must be properly attributed to the Independent Voter Project. Independent Voter Registration Statistics Create your own infographics About The Independent Voter Project The Independent Voter Project was founded in 2006 to provide voters with accurate and reliable information about important public policy issues and to encourage nonpartisan voters to vote and to participate in the democratic process. Photo Credit: Joe Belanger / shutterstock.com Independent Voter Project IVP was founded in 2006 to provide voters with accurate and reliable information about important public policy issues and to encourage non-partisan voters to vote and to participate in the democratic process.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line746
__label__cc	0.500208	0.499792	Like No Other. What makes one education experience so-so and another inspiring? We think it's the teacher. And the connection he/she is able to make with the student. If you're looking for Ivy League and top tier tutors who are experienced, caring, and results-oriented, you've come to the right place. Most online tutoring companies cannot deliver this because they never meet their tutors, nor do they provide any professional development to help their teachers improve. We do. For 16 years, we have been an elite, New York City company, catering to some of the most demanding clients out there. We've perfected our craft and are thrilled to be able to now use white board and video technology to offer our services worldwide. Our hiring process includes resume submission, reference checks, education verification, a background check, phone and in person interviews, and a teaching test. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. 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We want to make sure students are extremely comfortable with their tutors and we try our best to ensure that this happens. How do you choose your tutors? Our tutors are beyond qualified and go through an interview process to ensure that they are (1) experts in their respective subjects, and (2) are able to present and convey complicated information in a clear fashion. For test prep tutors, our hiring process includes resume submission, reference checks, education verification, a background check, phone and in person interviews, and a teaching test. Most importantly, however, our tutors connect with children on a level that older adults and parents are not always able to access. Most of our tutors are are either actively enrolled Ivy League (or top tier) university students or graduates of these fine institutions. High School students who are college bound profit from the college experiences their tutors are able to share with them. What can we expect from Ivy tutors? Our tutors are young and fun, they are experienced, flexible and hand-picked to match your child’s needs. The program was started by Lisa Speransky in 2003. Lisa grew up in New York, attending the Bronx High School of Science (8 former students have received the Nobel Prize in science, more than any other secondary school in the world) and then Columbia University. As we have grown, we have stayed committed to our core values: hand-picked tutor matches, personal attention via phone and email at times that are convenient for you, only the best tutors, and affordable rates. Call us today at 212-519-1981 or email info@ivytutorsnetwork.com Have questions about a specific exam? Not sure whether to take the SAT or ACT? Wondering if it's too late to start studying for the SHSAT? Lisa & Richard are here to help! We pick up the phone everyday and we answer emails promptly. We can help guide you in the right direction and find you a fantastic IVY tutor once you are ready.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line747
__label__wiki	0.891197	0.891197	Mepham named assistant director of Humanities Institute Aimee Mepham has been promoted to assistant director of Wake Forest’s Humanities Institute. Mepham, who first joined the Wake Forest staff in 2008, was previously the institute’s program coordinator. As assistant director, Mepham’s new responsibilities will include overseeing the Humanities Institute’s Story, Health and Healing Initiative, which is one of several recipients of the Engaged Humanities grant that the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded Wake Forest in December 2015. Since 2014, Mepham has been participating in basic and advanced narrative medicine training workshops at the Program in Narrative Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center, and offering writing workshops in narrative medicine in Winston-Salem. Previously, Mepham has taught creative writing workshops and undergraduate writing courses at Indiana University, Washington University in St. Louis, Wake Forest and Salem College, where she was visiting assistant professor of creative writing and interim director of the Center for Women Writers. “She is a gifted writer who brings to her work at the Humanities Institute key skills and experience that have helped shape the institute’s current programs and are generating exciting new trajectories for future programming,” said the institute’s announcement. Mepham earned her bachelor’s degree at Albion College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Washington University in St. Louis. Her work has appeared in a number of publications, including River Styx, Opium Magazine, Pinball Magazine and Meridian. Her work has also been performed by Liars’ League NYC, a live literary journal featuring professionally trained actors reading original short stories by writers. Having served in a number of roles at Wake Forest, Mepham was the first administrative coordinator for the Humanities Institute and the Institute for Public Engagement. Before that, she was administrative assistant for the psychology department. Tags: Aimee Mepham, Humanities Institute	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line751
__label__wiki	0.814355	0.814355	Home » About Us » Blog » Hemingway in Cuba Hemingway in Cuba Literary giant Ernest Hemingway loved Cuba: its fishing, its climate, the daiquiris he discovered at a local bar and would popularize. Cubans, in turn, adored “Papa” Hemingway, who described himself as “Cubano sato,” an average Cuban. He first saw Cuba as a layover on his way to Spain, and ended up living on the island for most of his last two decades (1940-60). Hemingway wrote three of his best-known works, A Moveable Feast, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea, at his unpretentious island home, nicknamed Finca Vigia, or Lookout Farm. Writing The Old Man and the Sea, the author drew inspiration from fishing excursions off the Cojimar coast. That book’s main character, a feisty mariner with an indomitable spirit, is said to have been modeled, at least partly, on Gregorio Fuentes, captain of Hemingway’s fishing boat, the Pilar. “Old man,” indeed! Fuentes lived to age 104. The novella won Hemingway the 1954 Nobel Prize for literature. He donated his gold medal to the Cuban people. During World War II, the author hunted German U-boats from The Pilar. The vessel had been named for his wife, Pauline, though the boat and the couple’s marriage predated his move to Cuba. Hemingway resided on the island with two subsequent wives: Martha Gellhorn and Mary Welsh. Hemingway met Fidel Castro (accompanied by revolutionary “Che” Guevara) briefly in 1960 at a fishing contest named for the writer. Shortly after Castro’s rise to power, however, the Hemingways left Havana for their home in Idaho. The author would die there a few months later. Image from the interior of the Floridita bar, in Havana, Cuba. Statue of Ernest Hemingway by Cuban artist José Villa Soberón. Photo credit: Frederic Schmalzbauer Hemingway’s Legacy Finca Vigia is now a museum. Hemingway’s favorite bars (La Floridita, where he was introduced to the Daiquiri, and which boasts a life-sized statue of the literary lion, and Bodeguita del Medio, famous for its Mojitos) still receive scores of visitors each year. The Hotel Ambos Mundos, where the author stayed before establishing a permanent home in Cuba, preserved his room as a tourist destination. West of Havana, amid low white buildings with colorful rooftops, stands Marina Hemingway, where the annual Hemingway International Billfish Tournament has run for more than 60 years. As Cuba left its impression on “Papa” Hemingway, so, too, did Hemingway leave his mark on Cuba. Hemingway Marina in Cuba. Photo credit: Robin Thom Text by Chelsea Lowe	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line752
__label__cc	0.649918	0.350082	Linnea Duff (middle) and her son Peter (right), volunteering at an event in 2013. Peter volunteers teaching English as a second language to political refugees Targeted Cancer Therapies Make Mass General Patient Optimistic Linnea Duff has advanced lung cancer, but she remains grateful for the care she has received at Mass General, including targeted cancer therapies. Published 5 years ago by Mass General Giving in Cancer Center, MGH Fund, Patient Care When Linnea Duff was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer nine years ago at the age of 45, she was shocked. “Prior to my diagnosis, I thought that the only people who needed to worry about lung cancer were smokers,” she explains. “And I had never smoked in my life.” Linnea’s primary care doctor sent her to a local hospital. But it immediately became clear that Linnea needed more specialized care. A close friend recommended she transfer to Massachusetts General Hospital. Linnea Duff (right) with her two sons, August (left) and Peter (middle) The mother of three didn’t think she would make it to see her children grow up, or to tell her story today. “I did a lot of research,” recalls Linnea. “Survival statistics are worse for lung cancer than for almost any other cancer. At the time, four out of five people diagnosed with lung cancer died within 5 years. I was beyond terrified.” Linnea underwent an invasive surgery to remove most of her left lung. This was followed by extensive chemotherapy and drug therapy at the Mass General Cancer Center. This proved to be ineffective, and her cancer continued to spread to both of her lungs. In 2008, her cancer reached the most advanced stage. Linnea was terminally ill, and she felt completely hopeless. “Survival statistics are worse for lung cancer than for almost any other cancer,” says Linnea. “I was beyond terrified.” Just when Linnea feared she was out of options, the cancer specialists at Mass General offered her hope. She learned that specialized therapies were being developed in the laboratory. Depending on a patient’s genetic makeup, certain targeted cancer therapies can be effective in fighting advanced cancers. Linnea was tested for a newly-discovered genetic mutation. When Linnea tested positive for it, she was overwhelmed with hope. Linnea Duff and her daughter, Jemesii Almost immediately, Linnea entered a clinical trial for a new drug that would target her genetic mutation, becoming the fourth person in the world to receive the therapy developed at Mass General. “Within days of starting the trial, I started to feel better,” recalls Linnea. Then, something amazing happened – her cancer slowly started to disappear. The drug was successful. “Linnea’s results were phenomenal,” says her oncologist, Alice Shaw, MD, PhD. “Her cancer shrunk tremendously.” Today, although she still has cancer, Linnea lives a healthy, full life. She enjoys spending time with her children and family, and frequently visits them across the country. Linnea is also an avid painter, photographer, vintage clothing collector, writer and an advocate for cancer patients. She describes herself as “terminally optimistic.” Then, something amazing happened – her cancer slowly started to disappear. The drug was successful. A Commitment to the Future In her blog, outlivinglungcancer.com, Linnea chronicles her daily life, cancer treatment, travels and family. “I’ve been given the gift of more time on this earth and I want to use it as an opportunity,” says Linnea. “I blog because I want to educate people about cancer, offer insight into the patient experience and instill hope in fellow sufferers of this awful disease.” Linnea Duff and her niece, Zola In addition to encouraging her readers not to lose hope, she encourages them to stay grateful – to their families, friends and caregivers. In fact, Thanksgiving is Linnea’s favorite holiday because it is a day devoted to family and gratitude. Above all, Linnea is grateful to Dr. Shaw and her research on targeted cancer therapies. “Before coming to the Mass General Cancer Center, I didn’t have any options,” says Linnea. “Now I have choices. I have hope.” In addition to caring for patients like Linnea, Dr. Shaw is working in the lab to develop new targeted cancer therapies. She is also studying how to treat cancers when they become resistant to specialized treatments. Recently, Dr. Shaw and her colleagues published a paper on a key development in targeted lung cancer therapy that improves health outcomes and decreases side effects. “Dr. Shaw is not only brilliant, she’s incredibly caring,” says Linnea. “Had I not met her, I would not be here today.” Recently, Linnea rented some studio space near her home in Lowell, Mass. There, she plans to paint and set up shop. She will be selling her photographs and paintings, along with vintage clothing she has collected over the years. She plans to call her store “The House of Redemption – Second Chance Clothing” in honor of the second chance she has been given. “Opening the store is a commitment to my future,” says Linnea with a smile. “I hope to be an old lady someday.” Your gift helps patients like Linnea receive advanced care. Support the MGH Fund Donate	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line757
__label__wiki	0.924812	0.924812	James Bond video games, Video games with original storyline, First-person shooters, Electronic Arts Game — Soundtrack — Song — Characters — Equipment Game information: EA Canada, EA Redwood Shores, Savage Entertainment (Xbox) Publisher(s): id Tech 3 NA November 13, 2001 PAL November 30, 2001 GameCube, Xbox NA March 12, 2002 PAL June 14, 2002 First-person shooter Mode(s): Single-player, multiplayer PlayStation 2, Xbox, 007: Agent Under Fire is a first-person shooter video game based on the James Bond franchise. Developed and published by Electronic Arts, it was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube game consoles. It is the fourth Bond game which is not based on a film or book in the James Bond series, following The Duel, James Bond 007 and EA's own 007 Racing. The game's story arc continues in the following sequel, Nightfire, released a year later. Unlike previous Bond games which featured the likeness of then current Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, Agent Under Fire used the voice and likeness of English actor Andrew Bicknell for Bond. CIA agent Zoe Nightshade, a mole in the Hong Kong based Identicon Corporation, is discovered and captured. Identicon, a botanical research firm, is a possible front for a weapons-smuggling ring. James Bond infiltrates the facility in an attempt to rescue her, as well as retrieve a suspicious courier case in the same building. After freeing Nightshade from a submarine set to launch, the pair flee the facility with the courier case. Nigel Bloch, the head of Identicon, has his forces chase the agents through the streets of Hong Kong. The two steal a second case of vials from a nearby Identicon factory. They then rendezvous with R, who provides Bond with a gadget-laden BMW Z8. A limousine pulls up, as an assassin inside launches a rocket at the agents, killing Zoe, and steals the case. Bond gives chase, stopping an armored van which contained the stolen vials. The vials contain nine blood samples, eight of which contained blood of world leaders. One contains the blood of British diplomat Reginald Griffin, serving in Romania, who is obsessed with protecting a room, outside of his jurisdiction, in the embassy. Bond investigates the embassy, finding Griffin dead, before a similar-looking man attacks him. After overcoming him, Bond finds a message from Bloch on Griffin's computer that mentions Malprave Industries, based in Switzerland. Bond takes the information from the computer and escapes. At Malprave Industries, Bond, posing as a journalist, sees that the CEO is a woman he met at the embassy, Adrian Malprave. After collecting evidence, he makes his escape from the facility. Analysis of the computer message from Romania mentions "Damaged Goods," believed to be a codename for Dr. Natalya Damescu, formerly in the employ of Malprave, now under protection at the British embassy in Romania. She also has inside information to offer. Carla the Jackal, an infamous terrorist who also killed Zoe, leads a raid on the embassy. Bond fights the terrorists before running into Damescu. After a confrontation with the Jackal, Bond picks up a data chip on something known as Poseidon, and delivers it to R for analysis. The chip leads Bond to an oil rig in the South China Sea. After running into Bloch, Bond follows him into Poseidon, an underwater base devoted to clone development. After destroying the lab, he climbs onto a submarine bound for a Royal Navy aircraft carrier. On the submarine, Bond finds Zoe, who reveals that the woman he "saved" from the Identicon facility was a clone meant to infiltrate the CIA, and that the Jackal intended to kill Bond. Depending on whether or not the player picked up the verification code, Bond and Zoe are either captured or are taken to the carrier unharmed. In either case, the pair investigate the ship. It is discovered that 8 world leaders have been cloned, and are to be replaced by the clones. Bond destroys the craft carrying the clones, and the pair make their escape. They arrive at Malprave's base in the Swiss Alps, where Bond saves the eight world leaders. Before he can escape the base, however, he encounters Malprave, who has set the base to self-destruct. She reveals Bloch is still alive, and that Bond had killed his clone. After an encounter with him, Bond follows him into the main office and kills him. He manages to escape the base before it explodes, taking Malprave with it. "Trouble in Paradise" "Precious Cargo" "Dangerous Pursuit" "Bad Diplomacy" "Cold Reception" "Night of the Jackal" "Streets of Bucharest" "Fire and Water" "Forbidden Depths" "Poseidon" "Mediterranean Crisis" "Evil Summit" Cast & characters (Andrew Bicknell) Zoe Nightshade (Sydney Rainin-Smith) Adrian Malprave (Corina Harmon) Nigel Bloch (Denny Delk) Carla the Jackal (Erin Cahill) Reginald Griffin (Joe Paulino) (Miles Anderson) (Caron Pascoe) Dr. Natalya Damescu (Beattie Edney) Bella & Bebe (Lois Wong) G8 world leaders Starting with GoldenEye 007 and continuing on with The World Is Not Enough, multiplayer support in a James Bond game has become a staple. The multiplayer mode in Agent Under Fire features up to 4 players, with the option for AI bots in the Xbox and GameCube versions. Weapons and Gadgets Agent Under Fire features over fifteen different types of firearms as well as other weapons. Each firearm is based on a real firearm, but is given a pseudonym, the same manner as the weapons in GoldenEye 64, and The World is Not Enough. Most of the gadgets are concealed in a mobile phone, including a decryptor, grapple, laser, and remote transmitter. Bond is also provided with a card that disrupts electronic signals, as well as a jetpack. Agent Under Fire originally started as the PS2 and PC versions of The World Is Not Enough, and was based on a modified Quake III Arena engine. In 2001, the PC version was cancelled, and the PS2 version was remade as Agent Under Fire.[1][2] The game was intended to be one of the first titles to be available for the next-gen console, and after a series of promising screenshots & adverts were released to the public, the video-game was eagerly anticipated by Bond fans and game enthusiasts alike. Nevertheless, despite a seemingly excellent production flow, several cutbacks and rearrangements at EA resulted in numerous members of the game's development staff being laid off.[2] In early 2001, production of the game was suspended and it's spring 2001 release date was delayed. After speculation that the game wouldn't meet sales expectations due to the fact that almost two years had passed since the film's debut and interest had declined, the game was officially scrapped.[2] Once all troubles at EA had settled down, a new development team was put together and production of an altogether new game quickly began, creating a new story, new characters, and modifying the unfinished The World Is Not Enough engine for the new title. Though the PC and PlayStation versions of The World Is Not Enough were ultimately cancelled, many assets from these games made their way into the finished version of Agent Under Fire: Many character models were recycled for Agent Under Fire. If one looks closely, the henchman carrying the case of vials in the beginning cinematic of "Trouble in Paradise" is Lachaise. The design of Nigel Bloch is essentially a modified version of what would have been the character model for Renard. The character and look of Adrian Malprave retains many elements of what was originally the character Elektra King. Two levels in the game end in a submarine dock enclosure, which were most likely derived from the level, "A Sinking Feeling". The case of vials obtained in level 1 would have also appeared in "Courier." Various wall plaques and doors seen in the Romanian Embassy and Malprave's Office are identical to the ones that would have appeared at the Banque Suisse de L'Industrie Building in the "Courier" mission. Several elements from the lower levels of Malprave's base were taken from the nuclear bunker that would have been the stage for the level "Masquerade." The computer screens in the Poseidon Lab as well as the wall screens in Malprave's Control Room feature visible schematics of the King Pipeline and pipeline transport rigs, both of which would have been seen in "Flashpoint." "Forbidden Depths" in Agent Under Fire seems to be a redesign of a brand new level which would have been set after "Flashpoint", taking place within the King Pipeline aboard transport rigs. The Cyclops Oil Platform contains several environments that would have appeared at Zukovsky's caviar factory. The streets of Bucharest & Hong Kong seem to be an amalgamation of the outdoor environments from "Courier", "King's Ransom", "Thames Chase", "Underground Uprising", and "Turncoat." Several cues of music that appear throughout the game were recycled from the PlayStation release of The World Is Not Enough. Almost all the weapons that appear in the game would have appeared in The World Is Not Enough, including the Frinesi, PS100, and Defender. In addition to borrowing assets from The World Is Not Enough, the game was heavily influenced by 1997's GoldenEye 007. EA stated in several gaming magazines that Bond would be going "back to its roots," as the game was originally designed to be a true successor to Rare's iconic 1997 video-game. Notably, early promotional screenshots of the game reflected this, featuring the renowned GoldenEye 007 health-bar. Before going further in development, the studios' original plan was to bring Roger Moore to reprise his role as Bond.[3] In the end, however, the behaviours between Moore's interpretation of the character and the one in this game shared identical attitudes. Andrew Bicknell provided the voice and likeness of Bond for the game. However, his casting was not widely reported, and many PS2 magazines released at the time, such as PlayStation World erroneously reported that Bicknell's Bond was an original generic character invented for the game. Similarly, originally John Cleese was to reprise his role as "R" from The World Is Not Enough. Cleese had previously played R in the PS1 and N64 versions of The World Is Not Enough and 007 Racing, and production footage of the game released clearly showed Cleese's likeness and voice. However, due to copyright reasons, Cleese's likeness was replaced and his lines redubbed by Miles Anderson, who had imitated the voice of Desmond Llewelyn's Q in previous games.[4] Cleese did however reprise his role as R in commercials for Agent Under Fire.[5] 007: Agent Under Fire received mixed to positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 2 version 75.38% and 72/100,[6][7] the GameCube version 73.40% and 74/100[8][9] and the Xbox version 71.63% and 71/100.[10][11] The Cincinnati Enquirer gave the PlayStation 2 version three-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "Slick, sexy and jam-packed with action — but this adventure is short with limited playability over time, except perhaps for its multiplayer modes."[12] However, it later gave the other two versions a score of four stars out of five.[13] FHM gave the PS2 version three stars out of five, stating, "There is the usual mix of chick[s], cars and guns to keep even the most special of agents happy."[14] Maxim also gave the PS2 version six out of ten and stated that "At last you’ll infiltrate the secret lair, where you’ll discover…you’ve been playing a very standard-issue game."[15] ↑ Horsley, John. Agent Under Fire Q&A. Gamespot. Retrieved on 4 March 2011. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The World Was Not Enough. MI6-HQ (January 2007). Retrieved on 28 December 2016. ↑ The 'Bond 6' Saga. MI6-HQ.com. Retrieved on 4 November 2014. ↑ http://www.dailyllama.com/news/2003/llama202.html ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LRRyY-87VY ↑ James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire for PlayStation 2. GameRankings. Retrieved on 2012-08-20. ↑ James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire for PlayStation 2 Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2012-08-20. ↑ James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire for GameCube. GameRankings. Retrieved on 2012-08-20. ↑ James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire for GameCube Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2012-08-20. ↑ James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire for Xbox. GameRankings. Retrieved on 2012-08-20. ↑ James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire for Xbox Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2012-08-20. ↑ Saltzman, Marc. "Bond game shakes, but it doesn't stir", 2001-12-26. Retrieved on 2013-12-02. ↑ Saltzman, Marc. "Movies inspire more video game titles", 2002-05-28. Retrieved on 2014-08-20. ↑ James Bond: Agent Under Fire (PS2). FHM (December 2, 2001). Archived from the original on 2002-04-14. Retrieved on 2014-12-09. ↑ Porter, Alex (2001-11-16). 007: Agent Under Fire. Maxim. Archived from the original on 2001-12-10. Retrieved on 2014-12-09. Shaken but Not Stirred -- James Bond 007 -- A View to a Kill (text) -- A View to a Kill (action) -- Goldfinger -- Live and Let Die -- The Living Daylights -- Licence to Kill The Spy Who Loved Me -- The Stealth Affair -- James Bond Jr. -- The Duel -- GoldenEye 007 -- James Bond 007 -- Tomorrow Never Dies The World Is Not Enough -- 007 Racing -- 007 Ice Racer -- Agent Under Fire -- Nightfire -- 007 Hover Chase -- Everything or Nothing -- GoldenEye: Rogue Agent -- From Russia with Love -- Casino Royale (mobile game) -- James Bond: Top Agent -- Quantum of Solace -- Quantum of Solace (mobile game) Blood Stone -- GoldenEye 007 (2010) -- 007: License to Drive -- 007 Legends -- World of Espionage Retrieved from "https://jamesbond.fandom.com/wiki/Agent_Under_Fire?oldid=83608" James Bond video games Video games with original storyline First-person shooters	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line761
__label__cc	0.715211	0.284789	Jazz Theory Afro-Cuban Dance – The Rumba, Salsa and Timba Articles Jazz Theory Latest Lifestyle Travel 16 April 2019 Articles Jazz Theory Latest Lifestyle Travel By Zuko Komisa The impact of Afro Cuban music can be seen all over the world, with popular dances being exported to many parts of the world. Like many South Africans, my earliest encounter of Latin music came from the likes of Ricky Martin and Carlos Santana. The swinging of hips, elegant body movements, piercing drum beat with an infectious rhythm, Afro Cuban music has hypnotic rhythms that lifts your spirits, and simply make you want to dance! Here are some of the most prominent Afro Cuban dance styles that have evolved with the music. The Rumba A synonym for “party” in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it represented a variation worldly music styles known as Cuban rumba. With the curiosity of the world around the culture in Cuba, much of the 20th century,”rumba” was used to show the rest of the world the culture and to introduce them to Cuban music in North America, as well as West and Central Africa, all this happen before the rise of salsa, mambo, pachanga. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVczWZir0po Cuban Salsa: The Cuban salsa or Salsa Cubana, has been present in the Latin music scene since the 1990s. Cuba is the only country in the Spanish Caribbean that celebrates and nurtures African-Derived roots and culture, you hear the influence in the style of the percussion and how the Afrocentric nature of the music has been revered across the world. Timba: The Timba combines contemporary son with Salsa and hip-hop influences. This form of dance is best explained by Sue Steward who was a prominent authority on Latin and world music in Britain. She was qouted saying: “Timba is salsa, by any other name, but with an innovative jumped- up rhythm and phat, funky bass”. This high paced rhythmic timba style influenced the development of salsa at the level of dance. The many societal changes in Cuba has led to the prominence of of Afro-Cuban music in the international dance scene, giving dance that extends from the music a wide international audience. Zuko	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line763
__label__cc	0.712702	0.287298	Avure cold pasteurization system offers extended juice shelf life Innovations, News, Products Innovative technology that can extend the shelf life of fresh juice by up to four months forms the basis of High-Pressure Processing (HPP) systems developed by Avure, a company that was recently announced as the latest addition to the JBT family. Unique in its focus on cold rather than hot pasteurization, Avure’s HPP machines can safely pasteurize liquid foods with almost no impact on taste or flavor, according to the firm’s Ohio-based CEO, Jeff Williams. “We achieve safe foods while completely preserving the nutritional, taste and quality aspects of the product,” he explains. “Not only do we get these benefits, we are also able to achieve an extended shelf life for fresh products. A fresh juice may only have a couple of days’ shelf life – we are able to achieve two, three or even four months without the use of any additives, chemicals or heat pasteurization.” According to Williams, all this means that the HPP technology is closely aligned with the movement towards ‘clean label’ products – that is removing all chemicals and preservatives from foods and beverages. Widely accepted The technology on which Avure’s HPP system is based was created in the 1950s in Sweden with the focus on metal forming and industrial diamonds. During the late 1980s, researchers began to investigate food and beverage applications and by the mid 1990s, Avure was able to market HPP, putting it into production in food processing plants. The process has continued to grow and gain acceptance, not just in liquid foods, but across the protein spectrum and is now used by the world’s largest juice companies and many of the leading protein producers. “It is not a novel technology anymore,” says Williams. “It is widely accepted by the academic, scientific and regulatory communities, and is now commonly used in production lines throughout the world.” Cold pasteurization How does it work? The first thing to understand, says Williams, is that this is not a sterilization process. The prepared foods or liquids processed in this manner are maintained in a refrigerated distribution chain, but with the stipulation that whatever the product might be, it needs to be stored in a flexible package, such as a PET bottle or a vacuum-sealed pack. These flexible packages are then subjected to extremely high pressures – 87,000 pounds per square inch or 6,000 BAR – and depending on the product, they are held at that pressure for anywhere between one to three minutes. This process does a number of different things, says Williams. “One primary result from a food safety standpoint is it inactivates pathogens, such as salmonella, listeria or E.coli,” he explains. “We achieve this through cold rather than hot pasteurization, typically around 4-5ºC. Due to this, it has almost no impact on the nutritional characteristics or organoleptic properties of liquid foods.” JBT family On Avure’s integration into the JBT family, Williams describes it as an exciting development, which will be a great fit for the company. “From an Avure perspective, being coupled with the JBT infrastructure will rapidly expand our global footprint and enhance our ability to sell and service worldwide,” he says. “From the JBT side, JBT has a host of solutions up and down the production line, and this is another nice fit – whether the customer wants a heat pasteurization, aseptic or now an HPP option, all those things can be found within the JBT family.” Click here to learn more about how Avure’s HPP technology works	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line764
__label__wiki	0.544609	0.544609	European Parliament to share… European Parliament to share amendment web tool as open source Gijs Hillenius The IT department of the European Parliament will next year make available as open source At4am, software that helps staff at the EP write amendments. The tool could be useful for many other parliaments and other public bodies that create legislative texts. The United Nations and the parliaments in Denmark and in the United Kingdom have expressed interest in the software. "Processes for drafting legal texts differ from parliament to parliament. We hope that by sharing our software, we can at least inspire other legislative bodies", says Claudio Fabiani, Project Manager at DG ITEC, the Directorate General of the European Parliament, and involved in the development of At4am. The decision to make At4am (Automatic Tool for AMendments) open source was taken in recent months. It was briefly mentioned last week Thursday during a workshop in the EP on the use of XML for drafting legislation. The At4am web editing tool was first made available to the EP staff in early 2010. It can only be accessed by users logged in to the EP's Intranet. Any browser The web editor can be used in any web browser. EP staff write amendments by creating files in an XML format which is designed especially for parliamentary, legislative and judiciary documents. That XML schema, called Akoma Ntoso, is currently under consideration for standardisation at OASIS. The software saves the EP staff time by automatically applying the rules for drafting such amendments. When opening a text, At4am shows which paragraphs can be changed and presents the user with editing information. This information is stored as metadata for the amendment. All amendments are saved in the At4am database as content, rendering codes and metadata. They can be exported either in the Akoma Ntoso XML schema or saved as a binary electronic document. The application itself is available in the three working languages of EP, English, French and German. All documents to amend however are instantly accessible in any of the official languages of the EU. Licence combination The IT department at the EP has not yet decided which open source licence it will use. "Maybe we will use the EU's open source licence, the EUPL, but we might also pick another one, or make a combination", says Fabiani. The software developers also have not yet settled where they will publish the source code. The EC's Joinup software repository is one option, Fabiani says. "Though maybe we will settle for Google's software forge, or both. We just started thinking about all of this." The open source version will not be exactly the same as the software used in the EP, explains Fabiani. "It has some functions that are unique to the EP. To make sure it can be implemented by or is useful for other parliaments, we will first have to untangle some of the legislative context and services." International workshop: Identifying benefits deriving from the adoption of XML-based chains for drafting legislation Report abusive content Share Login or create an account to comment.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line768
__label__cc	0.706498	0.293502	Columns, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Politics, Society, Supreme Court March 4, 2014 March 4, 2014 An Inconvenient Symbol: Why The Flag Decision Flies In The Face Of Our Core Values Below is my column today in USA Today on the ruling out of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit over a ban at a California high school of students wearing tee-shirts with American flags during the Mexican heritage celebration Cinco de Mayo. The opinion is Dariano v. Morgan Hill Unified Sch. Dist., 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 3790. On Cinco de Mayo in 2010, students who came to Live Oak High School outside San Jose were rounded up by teachers for engaging in offensive speech. The speech? They had American flags on their T-shirts, something the school viewed as insulting to Hispanics. Administrators insisted that only the Mexican flag could be shown on campus that day. Last week, the school’s actions were unanimously upheld by the federal appellate court in California — a ruling that would allow flags and other patriotic symbols to be banned like profanity or hate speech. In reality, the ruling is not a sign of contempt for the flag but a sign of contempt for the rights of students. The fact that this speech concerns the flag itself (the very symbol of civil liberties) captures how far the courts have gone in abandoning core First Amendment rights for students. The case started because Live Oak High was concerned about prior disruptions and saw the American flag as “incendiary” and disrespectful. Accordingly, Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez ordered students to change their shirts or turn them inside out to hide the flag. Those who did not comply were sent home. Last Thursday, the federal appellate court in California unanimously upheld the school’s actions. Judge M. Margaret McKeown of the Ninth Circuit ruled, “Our role is not to second-guess the decision to have a Cinco de Mayo celebration or the precautions put in place to avoid violence.” What they did is second-guess the First Amendment and the precautions put in place to protect it. What is most ironic is that the Ninth Circuit decision was handed down days from the anniversary of the 1969 decision in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District. In Tinker, the court supported the free speech rights of students who were wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War, a highly divisive issue that had resulted in violent clashes around the country. Then, the court insisted that students did not “shed their constitutional rights … at the schoolhouse gate.” Since Tinker, however, the federal courts have not only stripped students of their free speech rights at the schoolhouse gate, they also have done so at their bedroom doors. Federal courts have upheld a series of cases where school officials have punished students for statements that they make outside school on social media. The current members of the Supreme Court have fueled this rollback in their own controversial decisions. What is most disturbing about last week’s decision is that the court entirely misses the distinction between speech and conduct. When presented with threats of violence, the school should punish those who engage in harassing or violent acts. Indeed, the court described an earlier confrontation when some students raised an American flag on Cinco de Mayo and “one Mexican student shouted ‘f* them white boys. … Let’s f* them up.'” One would have thought that those who made threats would face action from the school administration. Removing any display of the flag in the face of violence is akin to removing gay students to avoid harassment or girls to avoid sexual assaults. Our high schools should be training future citizens to live within a pluralistic society. Instead, Live Oak High is teaching students that it is the speech, not those who threaten the speakers, that is the problem. Citizens shaped in such an environment are likely to view speech as a discretionary privilege allowed by our government rather than an individual right guaranteed in our Constitution. Ironically, the flag is the very symbol of a nation of differing faiths, cultures and races bound by liberty. Perhaps the school was right: If you are going to deny free speech, it is the last thing you want to see. Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor, is a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors. Perils of the Press: Weatherman Gets Buried In His Work Snay It Ain’t So: Florida Father Loses $80,000 Settlement Over Daughter’s Facebook Posting 44 thoughts on “An Inconvenient Symbol: Why The Flag Decision Flies In The Face Of Our Core Values” martingugino says: The only “bright spot” is that they are trampling on the rights of the majority. So it could be worse. “Somehow I can’t make sense of this at all.” Good. Unless you hope to be a judge. E R Brwster says: Situational Free Speech? Re: 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says a public school may order students not to wear a shirt with the American Flag on it when a foreign holiday is being celebrated. Think about this a second if you’re old enough to remember the anti-Viet Nam war protests. Generally speaking, it was the liberals who opposed the war and supported the right to protest, even for students in public schools. (And I was on their side, on the free speech/expression issue at least, as were the Courts as I recall.) Now, it’s generally the liberals who are concerned that this very same type of free speech/expression will offend someone and are willing to turn the First Amendment on it’s head NOT to protect free speech, but to avoid being offensive. So the proper exercise of one’s First Amendment rights is “situational?” Somehow I can’t make sense of this at all. Giovanna De La Paz says: The mentality of our court system and our state and federal government, under rule of law, is to ban and make everything illegal (except drugs),so as to NOT offend anyone and protect everyone. PLEASE stop protecting me so much 🙁 California used to be a state that most other states looked up to, now the states legislature and judicial system has gone down the drain. I hope other sane states will ignore them. Many Americans claim to support the constitutional “rule of law” which promotes civility and peaceful political discussions. Many claim to be “law & order” Americans. The problem is rule of law that protects the student wearing the tee shirt also protects gay rights, gun rights, religious rights, press freedom, speech rights, women’s rights and due process rights. Democrats don’t like the entire package and Republicans don’t like the entire package. Government bureaucrats dislike most of the package like requiring warrants based on probable cause before searches. Every group wants to cherry pick the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights/US Constitution is an entire package – you accept all of it or none of it. If the school had brought on additional police for the day to maintain order, and then worried that that was not enough to ensure the safety of the people (kids), they would have a better case. Their theory seems like a “fighting words” theory, but I can’t quite place it. ” Removing any display of the flag in the face of violence is akin to removing gay students to avoid harassment or girls to avoid sexual assaults.” Or telling women not to wear short skirts. William Berry says: @Nick Spinelli: “Baron of the PC Peninsula”. Damn’! That sounds important. I’ll take it! And while you’re at it, go ahead and call me a “bleeding-heart liberal”. I actually don’t mind being flattered. Fair warning, though: it will get you nowhere. On that PC thing: as you well know, it stands for “politically correct”. And the operative word there is “correct”. traveling limey says: ‘1984’. They work on the kids to make them timid & unexpectant of rights in adulthood. Quite disgusting; & this from someone who often does not see the point in flag waving as its generally too ambiguous as to what you mean. However, to ban it on a tee shirt to any age any day of the year is totally disgusting! The First Amendment is designed to protect unpopular and even offensive speech from government sponsored retaliation [school officials] – popular speech doesn’t need protecting. There are very few exceptions to America’s “supreme law of the land”. Federal, state and local laws are mandated to operate within these boundaries under our Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution [Article VI]. Short of a school uniform policy, the school could provide better civics education so children better understand our Bill of Rights and rule of law: teaching kids to counter peaceful Freedom of Speech – with “more” peaceful Freedom of Speech, not violence or property destruction. Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, offers free civics education to teachers and parents at http://www.iCivics.com. It’s a very sophisticated website that uses various games to teach kids about American government. Teachers and school administrators might learn a thing or two also! RevDeacon Joseph A Pasquella says: Flag etiquette in our country used to dictate that the American Flag would be displayed higher than others. Why would the Mexican Flag be worn on a tea shirt in this Country and not the American Flag? All the teachers, administrators,and judges are here alive in a so called free country because of what that flag stands for, they should all be deported to Mexico being they love that Culture and their flag so very much; and that goes for the boys in the other post that said they want to beat up the white Americans for Raising high our Banner. I am very happy that the author of this article had the courage to write it. God bless Jonathan. bigfatmike says: “The wearing of the shirts is plainly anti-Mexican hate speech.” Well, maybe it is hate speech. But in the article describing the situation, the clearest expression of hate came from the adolescent shouting words to the effect ‘f*ck those boys up’. If I understood the article correctly that student was not trying to display the US flag. In any case, I, for one, don’t see how you can get to symbolic speech being ‘plainly’ anything. It is symbolic. The meaning of the symbol has to do with both the intention of the one who displays the symbol and the understanding of the one who views the symbol. The first possible meaning of a flag is the country or entity the flag represents. The first meaning that I see in the display of a flag is allegiance by the one who displays the flag to that entity, in this case the US. There might be any number of reasons why students or others might want to display their preferred flag. If the display of the flag is hate speech then the one who sees that meaning in the symbol needs to explain to the rest of us why that is the most reasonable interpretation of the symbol. Finally, we should remember two things. Expressing support for one group is not necessarily the same as opposition to a different group. And there is nothing necessarily hateful about expressing opposition to a different group. Hate is specific and serious. Merely displaying support for or expressing opposition to a particular group are not at all the same as hate. Bron says: Darren: Children cant drink or smoke or drive. They arent expected to understand various things because of their youth. Doesnt a jury trial imply a level of sophistication most youths dont have? In most cases do we want our young subjected to adult law? Pingback: So Goes The Ninth \| The Liberty Principle nick spinelli says: US Flag = Hate Speech sayeth William Berry, Baron of the PC Peninsula. The decision is correct. The fact that it was the U.S. flag on the tee-shirts is completely irrelevant. The wearing of the shirts is plainly anti-Mexican hate speech. The school admin was correct in recognizing it as such. I agree with Gary T and I might add I have always felt the lack of due process with juveniles is a constitutional abomination. I am not aware of anything in the constitution that grants rights only upon adulthood other than sufferange and ages of representatives, sentators, and the president. The lack of a jury trial is the most flagrant. Sure, the states call it delinquency and a civil matter but it is not relevant and just a change of semantics. doesn’t anyone recognize common sense any more ? If a kid wants to wear any flag on their clothes, unless there is a school uniform, that should be ok – what are they achieving here ? I do not understand ! PaulRevereWear says: I commend the author for mention of the Tinker case. Last year Mary Beth Tinker, one of the Tinker plaintiffs, and her family did a tour around the nation to encourage students and others to exercise their free speech rights. The students in this particular school out there in northern Mexico should completely immolate the black armband thing embraced by the Tinkers. They could then use the Tinker decision as their Supreme Court precedent. The students should invite the Tinker Tour to come to that Mexican American town and teach the teachers about the Constitution. They could stop in at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Remember this too: Those who can: do; those who can’t: teach; those who can’t teach: teach teachers. We have to turn this around and teach those dumb teachers and principals about the Constitution. I think that the students should attend the School Board Meeting with the black armbands and chant that The British Are Coming! Remember. It is what you wear that matters.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line769
__label__wiki	0.51786	0.51786	← From Justice Delayed to Justice Denied: Katyń in Strasbourg Kenyatta’s Next Move: What Kenya Wants from the ICC → Searching in Vain: Perfect Justice in Syria Posted on November 10, 2013 by Mark Kersten (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) A hot topic for many of the best and brightest in the field of international criminal justice is the ongoing conflict in Syria. Is it possible for justice to be delivered for the commission of atrocities – on both sides of the war? If so, what is the best way forward? Much of the debate on justice in Syria unfortunately suffers from a rigid, all-or-nothing approach. Either perfect justice must be achieved or absolutely no justice should be pursued; either the international community gets the International Criminal Court (ICC) involved via a UN Security Council referral that funds the Court’s work and protects it from political manipulation or… well, nothing. As a result, attempts to elaborate how to achieve justice in Syria have marginalized middle-ground options on the grounds that they aren’t perfect or exactly what should happen in an ideal world. The perfect solution really has become the enemy of any solution. But, of course, there are middle-ground solutions. They deserve more attention than they’ve received and key states involved in the conflict should weigh the costs and benefits of each. Here’s three worth talking about: A Conditional Referral I previously wrote about this concept but it remains just as, if not more, pertinent today than ever. Interestingly, Former ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has endorsed the idea. A conditional referral would entail a legal guarantee from the Security Council that it would refer the situation in Syria by a given, future date. The parties to the conflict would then have a clear timeline for when they needed to end hostilities and cease their commission of atrocity crimes. If they did not, the Security Council would be legally ‘locked-in’ to issuing a referral of the situation to the ICC. There are significant problems with this proposition, especially because it risks placing the ICC at the complete and utter whim of the Security Council member-states. As a result, it could severely undermine the independence and thus legitimacy of the Court. For many, it has consequently raised an uncomfortable question: is the pursuit of justice in any one context worth undermining the Court’s long-term viability? A Free Syrian Army fighter in Damascus(Goran Tomasevic/Reuters) A Referral-Deferral The concept of a referral-deferral hasn’t received much attention (in fact, I can’t find anything written about it to date). Still, it is an interesting proposition that was first proposed to me by Jason Ralph, who has written extensively on the legitimacy costs of UN Security Council deferrals. The proposal is, in essence, an adaptation of a conditional referral. The Security Council would pass a resolution referring the situation in Syria to the ICC. It would then immediately pass a resolution deferring any investigation and prosecution in Syria for a period of 12 months. The belligerents in Syria would thus have one year to the resolve the war or to demonstrate that they were on a viable path to doing so and thus deserved a second 12-month deferral. Importantly, a referral-deferral might provide an incentive for the parties to negotiate an accountability mechanism that would satisfy the Court’s complementarity regime and therefore make any subsequent investigation unnecessary. Of course, there are those who believe that a deferral under Article 16 is anathema to the ICC despite the fact that it forms an integral part of the Rome Statute. But a referral-deferral does have some advantages. Unlike a conditional referral of Syria to the ICC, a referral-deferral would put the onus and responsibility for matters of justice and accountability on the Security Council member-states and not the ICC. An Ad-Hoc Tribunal The idea of an ad hoc tribunal gained traction after a number of high-profile academics and practitioners released a draft statute of a tribunal aimed at preventing Syria becoming a post-conflict “basket case”. There have been important voices, like Dov Jacobs, who expressed disappointment with the effort. But the broader outlines of the idea an ad hoc tribunal deserves more attention. Still, for some reason the idea of an ad-hoc tribunal has been treated as an affront and an attack on the ICC. Others suggest that it simply can’t deliver justice. For example, Richard Dicker, Human Rights Watch’s Director of International Justice and Human Rights, recently told US lawmakers that an ad hoc tribunal “the solution most likely to provide justice is not a stand-alone ad hoc tribunal for Syria.” It isn’t entirely clear why an ad hoc tribunal is an offence to the Court nor ultimately a denial of justice to Syrians. There is no inherent need for the Court to be the only show in town. In fact, there is a good argument to suggest that an ad hoc tribunal would actually protect the Court from undue politicization. Not all international jurists are convinced that a referral of Syria to the ICC would be a good thing for the Court. There is an ever-present risk that a referral would be tailored to suit the political interests of the certain members of the Security Council. Moreover, it is unlikely the Court would get funding from the Security Council (the US is legally prohibited from giving the ICC any financial support). With all of the controversies swirling around the ICC, does it really want to become embroiled in the political machinations of the single most controversial conflict in the world? At the same time, an ad hoc tribunal may be a more realistic option than any Security Council referral. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has seemed amenable to the idea of such a tribunal, although he added that it would have to await for an end to fighting. The fact that both sides of the conflict are alleged to have committed serious crimes has acted as the primary barrier to any ICC referral. With the lessons of Libya in mind, Russia is weary of the Court being used solely against the Assad regime. The UK, France and the US are undoubtedly concerned that the Court would investigate the ‘guys in their corner’ – the Syrian rebels. In its cases to date, the Court has been reluctant to prosecute both sides of a conflict, at least at the same time. In Syria it would be under immense pressure to do so – and to do so quickly. Changing the Parameters of the Debate None of the above options are perfect. All have serious downsides. But they need to be debated more honestly and vociferously. Whatever justice is delivered or achieved in Syria won’t be perfect — because it can’t be perfect. But debating all of the options on the table can at least help to determine the precise costs of each and to establish which is ultimately the least-worst option. Otherwise, the people of Syria will continue to wait and suffer as we debate how to achieve the impossible. This entry was posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Syria, UN Security Council. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Responses to Searching in Vain: Perfect Justice in Syria Pingback: Anton’s Weekly International Law Digest, Vol. 4, No. 15 (19 November 2013) \| Anton's Weekly International Law Digest Pingback: Why not Just take Syria to the International Criminal Court? \| Informed Comment Pingback: What counts as evidence of Syria’s war crimes? - The Washington Post Pingback: What counts as evidence of Syria's war crimes? \| الحرب الطائفية في المملكة Pingback: What counts as evidence of Syria's war crimes? \| NOFrack.co	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line773
__label__cc	0.551351	0.448649	According to Sixth Tone, Laoximen land clearance and resettlement is scheduled for completion by the end of this year with major works to start after this Chinese New Year. This extremely informative blog has a number of well researched articles on the progressive demise of Shanghai's old neighborhoods, and it's well worth the time for those interested to read them. Lyn's last tip is to have your own website. "Show off your work on Instagram and Facebook, but do ensure you have a good, easy to use website too. It should have some of your best work (with lots of keywords!), any specialities, and awards/competitions you have won, and your contact details. It's too easy to get carried away, add thousands of images, and forget the basics. Keep it simple." The World Travel Guide (WTG) is the flagship digital consumer brand within the Columbus Travel Media portfolio. A comprehensive guide to the world’s best travel destinations, its print heritage stretches back 30 years, with the online portal reaching its 15-year anniversary in 2014. Available in English, German, French and Spanish versions, the WTG provides detailed and accurate travel content designed to inspire global travellers. It covers all aspects, from cities to airports, cruise ports to ski and beach resorts, attractions to events, and it also includes weekly travel news, features and quizzes. Updated every day by a dedicated global editorial team, the portal logs 1 million+ unique users monthly. Chinese opera has a long, rich history that dates back to 200 A.D. Over the centuries, a handful of styles of opera emerged — each with its own distinct makeup, music, and acting traditions — reflecting the eras and tastes of the changing dynasties. Sichuan opera is the youngest style, emerging around 1700 in Chengdu, Sichuan province, where it is still performed today by a dwindling roster of troupes. The setting for the photo shoot which resulted in the slideshow was the beautiful Lin Ben Yuan Family Mansion and Garden (林本源園邸) in the Banqiao District, Taipei. It was a residence built by the Lin Ben Yuan Family, and is the country's most complete surviving example of traditional Chinese garden architecture. It can be traced back to 1847 when it was built for storing of rice crop whose location was more convenient for the increasingly wealthy Lin Ben Yuan family. A few years later, it became the family's main residence.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line774
__label__wiki	0.811058	0.811058	Oral Answers to Questions Topical Questions Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Con) T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. [903151] The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Boris Johnson) My priorities for the new year include taking forward Britain’s response to the crisis in Yemen, where we support Saudi Arabia’s right to defend its security while insisting that millions receive the aid that they desperately need. In April, Commonwealth leaders will gather in London for one of the biggest summits that this country has ever hosted, demonstrating the unrivalled network of friendships of a global Britain. Later in the year, as I have said, we will co-host a summit on tackling the illegal wildlife trade. Mr Speaker, I wish you and the Foreign Secretary a happy new year. Through the Inter-Parliamentary Union, along with other hon. Members, I recently met Ministers from Madagascar, including the President, who expressed a desire for Madagascar, which is currently the president of the African francophone nations, to become a member of the Commonwealth. As he noted, Commonwealth countries in Africa seem to be doing much better, politically and financially, than others. What measures is the Foreign Secretary taking to encourage Madagascar and other countries without British colonial links to establish close relations with the UK and the Commonwealth, especially after Brexit? I am delighted to hear the news from Madagascar from my hon. Friend, and I certainly hope that it is correct that Madagascar will pursue that, although the procedures with the Commonwealth secretariat must of course be followed, as he would expect. I gather that several countries in Africa are now queueing up to join the Commonwealth. Liz McInnes (Heywood and Middleton) (Lab) President Trump’s biographer, Michael Wolff, has said that the President’s only interest in a state visit is the opportunity to “Trumpalize the Queen”. I have literally no idea what that means, but will the Secretary of State please save Her Majesty from that unpleasant-sounding ordeal and cancel this wretched visit? I think Her Majesty the Queen is well capable of taking this or any American President in her stride, as she has done over six remarkable decades. She has seen them come and she has seen them go. If the hon. Lady seeks advice on whether to invite the President of the United States to visit this country—she will remember that we are very close allies—I invite her to ask the person next to her, the right hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry), who said only last year: “I think we have to welcome the American President to Britain. We have to work with him.” Those are the words of the right hon. Lady. Alex Chalk (Cheltenham) (Con) T3. The “Fire and Fury” book about the Trump presidency has reheated some debunked claims about the role of British intelligence. Although the ordinary stance of the British Government is neither to confirm nor deny, given the highly unusual facts of this case will my right hon. Friend take this opportunity, as the intelligence chiefs have, to slay those myths? [903154] As my hon. Friend rightly says, we do not normally comment on such matters, but in this particular case GCHQ made it clear last year that the allegations are “nonsense”, stating: “They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored.” Ian Murray (Edinburgh South) (Lab) T2. UK humanitarian workers have told us that 10 hospitals in Syria have been directly targeted by Russian and Syrian forces over the past few weeks. These attacks go against the Geneva convention, but they have also left hundreds of children starving and in need of urgent humanitarian help. Will the Foreign Secretary indicate whether he intends to follow through on his previous pledge to donate British troops to UN peacekeeping forces? Will he ask President Putin to desist from doing such things? Will the Minister also ensure that the Geneva process is re-energised? [903153] The Minister for the Middle East (Alistair Burt) The attacks over the Christmas period were deeply distressing. I spoke to some of the medical agencies involved in getting those with medical issues out of eastern Ghouta to seek treatment, and the overwhelming need is for proper humanitarian access to the area. However, as the hon. Gentleman rightly says, the Geneva process, which is being driven forward by Staffan de Mistura and reaches its next part later this month, must keep going to try to see an end to this conflict, which is the only thing that will relieve the suffering. The United Kingdom is right behind that process. Luke Hall (Thornbury and Yate) (Con) T8. Can my right hon. Friend update the House on what role the Foreign Office played in ensuring the opening of the Yemeni seaport of Hodeidah? [903160] Alistair Burt Following my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development’s visits to Djibouti and Riyadh in December, the Saudi authorities announced that the coalition would fully open the Hodeidah port for 30 days from 20 December. From then until now, more than nine ships have docked, delivering food, fuel and coal, and that process is continuing with more ships having been cleared. It is essential that the port remains open after that time, and we are working with others to try to ensure that that will be the case. Hannah Bardell (Livingston) (SNP) T4. It has been nine months since my constituent Kirsty Maxwell tragically fell to her death from a balcony in Benidorm and still the family do not know what happened to the clothes on her body when she died or the circumstances of her death. The Minister has been very helpful in trying to assist, but we are no further forward. Will he put more pressure on the Spanish authorities, and will he do a full-scale review of the support that families who have lost loved ones get? [903155] The Minister for Europe and the Americas (Sir Alan Duncan) I fully understand what the hon. Lady says, and we have been working closely on this tragic consular issue. I am happy to offer her a further meeting and to pursue every possible step to go into the details in more depth. Mr Speaker I call Chris Green. The fella’s gone. Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (Con) The Foreign Secretary recently commented on the immeasurable contribution of this country, and the RAF in particular, to combating extremism in the middle east. However, does he agree that our pausing reluctance to intervene in the first place diminished us and our standing in the region, leading to many more deaths, and that never again should Britain, with all we can offer, be reduced to standing on the sidelines while extremists and despots kill hundreds of thousands of people with impunity? My hon. Friend speaks for many in this House who now regret what happened in 2013 and our failure to stand by our red lines, because many more deaths have occurred than would otherwise have happened. Alex Cunningham (Stockton North) (Lab) T5. When he was Foreign Secretary, William Hague described the UN Human Rights Council’s universal periodic review as“a valuable mechanism for holding countries accountable for their human rights record.”—[Official Report, 15 April 2013; Vol. 561, c. 15WS.] Does the Foreign Secretary agree that the UN periodic review meeting on 23 January provides an opportunity to hold Israel to account for its treatment of Palestinian children held in Israeli military custody, and will he use the meeting to do so? [903156] Order. I do not wish to be unkind to the hon. Gentleman—he is a most perspicacious Member of the House—but questions are simply too long at topical questions; topical questions are supposed to be briefer. If we can have brief questions and brief answers, far more colleagues will get in. The council will indeed be used by the United Kingdom to offer a statement in relation to Israel, and the issues raised by the hon. Member for Stockton North (Alex Cunningham) are covered in a number of different ways in our representations to Israel. Ms Nusrat Ghani (Wealden) (Con) Violence in Iran has escalated. Does the Foreign Secretary share my concern about the reports that 450 Iranians may have been arrested for taking to the streets against a regime that brutalises women and oppresses religious minorities? As I said earlier, I have made it absolutely clear to the Iranian authorities that we believe in and support the right of the people of Iran to demonstrate peacefully in accordance with the law. I will continue to make that point to my Iranian counterparts later this week. Wes Streeting (Ilford North) (Lab) T6. Following ministerial appointments since the general election, can the Foreign Secretary provide some reassurance to the House that the Department for International Development has not become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Foreign Office and that aid will continue to be the primary focus of DFID? [903157] Most sensible commentators would say it is vital that this Government perform and act overseas as one HMG, and that is what we are doing. Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford-on-Avon) (Con) The Iranian people quite rightly pride themselves on their educational attainment. How does banning the teaching of the English language in Iranian schools help future generations? My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Of course banning the teaching of English does nothing to help future generations of Iranians. On the contrary, it is likely to impoverish them, and it is something we deeply discourage. Laura Smith (Crewe and Nantwich) (Lab) T7. Research conducted by the International State Crime Initiative found examples of four of the six stages of genocide being carried out in Rakhine state against the Rohingya people. What assessment has the Foreign Secretary made of the potential for the other two stages—extermination and “symbolic enactment”—to occur? [903158] The Minister for Asia and the Pacific (Mark Field) I hope the hon. Lady will be assured that we are keeping abreast of the issue of genocide or any sort of referral to the International Criminal Court. It is obviously difficult because Burma is not currently a member of the ICC. We are working with other countries at the UN to ensure that the very real concerns she expresses are put into place. Stephen Crabb (Preseli Pembrokeshire) (Con) Ahead of Emmanuel Macron’s first visit here as President next week, will my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reaffirm the importance of a continuing, deep and close relationship between the UK and France? Does he agree that the relationship must get stronger after Brexit, not weaker? My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. The relationship between Britain and France is of huge and historic importance, and it has been intensifying over recent years, particularly in the sphere of defence and security co-operation, following the Lancaster House agreement. I hope he will be pleased by some of the developments and announcements that we will be making on 18 January. Dan Carden (Liverpool, Walton) (Lab) Will the Foreign Secretary update the House on what discussions, if any, he has had with the Government of Mauritius following the overwhelming decision of the UN General Assembly last year to refer the question of decolonisation and self-determination of the Chagos islands? As I am sure the hon. Gentleman knows, we believe this case to be without merit and will continue to contest it. Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con) Will my right hon. Friend and his colleagues continue their very important support of the political process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018? We certainly shall. Mr Pat McFadden (Wolverhampton South East) (Lab) Why are the Government taking legal advice on suing the European Union for preparing to treat Britain as a third country from March 2019 when that is the express intention of UK Government policy? As I am sure the right hon. Gentleman and his constituents would want, we intend to get a superb new relationship, a new deep and special partnership, with our friends and partners in the EU. That is the objective of the negotiations now under way. Ross Thomson (Aberdeen South) (Con) Can the Foreign Secretary confirm that the United States remains our closest ally and that the special relationship rests on more than just leaders’ personalities—it rests on trade, close military alliances and a shared view of the world? I could not have put it better myself, and I commend again to the House the shadow Foreign Secretary’s wise words that it was the right thing to do to invite the President of the United States to visit this country. Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP) In response to Kim Jong-un, President Trump, who is apparently “really smart” and a “stable genius” to boot, tweeted: “I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” What does President Trump have to say or tweet in order for any invitation to visit the UK, for any wedding or otherwise, to be withdrawn? If I understood the hon. Gentleman’s question correctly, he wishes to rescind the invitation to the President of the United States. I do not believe that is sensible. The US is our closest, most important security and economic partner, and will continue to be so. Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con) Given events in Iran, is it not time that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was a proscribed organisation, with its assets frozen worldwide? I appreciate the sentiment that my hon. Friend expresses. The IRGC clearly does not represent the forces of progress in Iran to which I was alluding earlier. We keep its status for sanctions purposes under continuous review. Tony Lloyd (Rochdale) (Lab) The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is a human outrage on a regular basis, and the tension between Pakistan and India is threatening world peace. Will the Foreign Secretary use the opportunity of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting to bring our good friends Pakistan and India together and move a peace process forward? Mark Field I very much hope CHOGM will provide that sort of opportunity. Both India and Pakistan are long-standing friends of the UK. On the issue of Kashmir, as the hon. Gentleman knows, we do not intervene or interfere; it is for those two countries to determine. Carol Monaghan (Glasgow North West) (SNP) The plight of the Rohingya people continues to shock, particularly as so many of them are unaccompanied children. What discussions has the Foreign Secretary had with his counterpart in Bangladesh to ensure these vulnerable children are protected from traffickers? I assure the hon. Lady that we have regular conversations; indeed, I am seeing the Bangladesh high commissioner to the UK in my office this afternoon, when this matter will be the first aspect on our agenda. John Woodcock (Barrow and Furness) (Lab/Co-op) Will the Secretary of State place in the Commons Library details of the number of UK nationals who have been deported back to the UK on suspicion of terrorism in supporting Daesh in Iraq and Syria? I am very happy to do that. I am sorry we are so short of time, but I would not want the hon. Gentleman from Northern Ireland to feel excluded. His is the last go. I call Ian Paisley. Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP) Thank you very much for your kindness, Mr Speaker. The Muslim Brotherhood is a well-financed organisation, and before Christmas the Foreign Secretary made a statement along the lines of, “I will scrutinise their visa applications into the United Kingdom.” What action has been taken as a result of that scrutiny? In addition to looking harder at the visa applications, we are looking harder at the engagement of the Muslim Brotherhood and its associates in charities in this country. I would be happy, pursuant to the answer I gave just a moment ago, to supply further details to the hon. Gentleman of what we are doing in respect of Muslim Brotherhood visas. Emily Thornberry (Islington South and Finsbury) (Lab) On a point of order, Mr Speaker. If it appertains to the exchanges, we will hear it. I think I heard the right hon. Lady erupt a moment ago—that would be a fair characterisation. If she wishes to erupt on her feet rather than from her seat, that would be good. The Foreign Secretary might think it courteous to stay—he is not obliged to do so, but he is a courteous chap. Emily Thornberry On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Rather than erupting, is it in order for me to say to correct the record that I have never thought it was a good idea to invite the President of the United States to the United Kingdom? I thought the invitation was issued with undue haste. Once it has been issued on behalf of Her Majesty, it is very difficult to withdraw it. The Foreign Secretary is beetling to the Box. If he wishes to stand up at the Box to offer us a product of his lucubrations, we will be happy to hear it. I am not exactly sure what is in order here, but doubtless you will guide me, Mr Speaker. I must redirect the right hon. Lady and indeed the House to her words of 14 May 2017 on the “The Andrew Marr Show”, when she said: I rest my case. [Interruption.] Order. I think honour is served. The shadow Foreign Secretary has offered us her thoughts and the Foreign Secretary has, with some alacrity, beetled back to the Box in order to respond. I think we should, at least for today, leave it there.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line777
__label__wiki	0.709077	0.709077	Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Chelmsford. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales Motion for a Humble Address Earl Howe That a Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty the Queen as follows: “Most Gracious Sovereign, We, Your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, beg leave To assure Your Majesty of the great pleasure felt by this House on the seventieth birthday of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales; To convey to Your Majesty the admiration that is felt by this House for His Royal Highness; and To express the hope that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales may long continue to enjoy good health and happiness.” The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Earl Howe) (Con) My Lords, it is my happy duty today to lead the House in agreeing a humble Address to mark the 70th birthday of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. He is not only a remarkable public servant but also a remarkable individual: as a tireless promoter of charitable causes and their potential to provide practical help to people; as a representative of this country and of the Commonwealth; and as a father, husband and grandfather. It is fitting that on this significant birthday we pay tribute to him and express our admiration for his exemplary commitment and service. The Address before the House today rightly mentions the Prince of Wales’s achievement in establishing the Prince’s Trust. Since 1976, the trust has helped more than 870,000 young people into employment, education or training. The work of the trust has brought the Prince of Wales into close contact with young people from all backgrounds, including those who have encountered serious difficulty in life. The success and reach of the scheme is staggering: around 87,000 young people have been helped to set up their own businesses. The transformative effect of his and his trust’s work on those individuals is testament to his unstinting personal commitment. Like many noble Lords across all Benches, I have had the privilege of meeting a number of impressive young people who have benefited from the work of the trust over the years. Through his effort in this and other areas, the Prince of Wales has set an extraordinary example of hard work and stamina in the cause of public service. At times, he has been accused of meddling, but he has raised important issues, such as the impact of climate change and the effect of waste and plastics on the environment, well before they became political priorities. With a passion for the built environment, he has understood the value of fostering sustainable communities and the serious and lasting impact on people of not having the infrastructure—both hard and soft— they need to build thriving lives. He has stewarded developments in Poundbury, in Dorset, and more recently in Nansledan, near Newquay, in Cornwall. Through those developments, the communities that live there have assets which will be valued for generations to come, as do the communities in areas developed by the Duchy of Cornwall, such as those within spitting distance of this place in Vauxhall and Kennington, which were stewarded by his predecessors. His Royal Highness’s deep belief in the value of the built environment does not stop at our coastline: the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment helped to reconstruct and redesign buildings in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the appalling damage caused by the earthquake in 2010, as well as to refurbish historic buildings in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Kingston, Jamaica. His commitment to public service and duty is exemplary. It is a frequent occurrence for him to resume work on his boxes in the evenings, when public engagements allow, and to work long into the early hours. While many of us in this House may be familiar with such a routine, other than Her Majesty the Queen, nobody else has carried it for so long or with so much dedication. However, it is not just this country that has benefited from the commitment of the Prince of Wales. He has been a proud supporter of the Commonwealth throughout his adult life and played a central role in maintaining the Royal Family’s strong connection to its member countries, as his most recent visit to Ghana, the Gambia and Nigeria once again highlighted. Earlier this year, the Commonwealth Heads of State confirmed that they wish the Prince of Wales to succeed Her Majesty as Head of the Commonwealth—a vote of confidence which is fully merited. Of course, we as a House also have a special connection to the Prince of Wales. He was one of us and almost certainly will go down in history as the last Prince of Wales to sit in this House. As with everything he has done, he took his membership of this House seriously and participated in proceedings. I commend to noble Lords his maiden speech, delivered on 13 June 1974, in which he noted that it had been a century since a member of his family had spoken in the House but that in 1829 there had been a debate in which three Royal Dukes took part. The Prince of Wales recalled: “Each got up one after the other and attacked each other so vehemently and used such bad language that the House was shocked into silence”. Needless to say his own speech, which he approached with as much trepidation as any other new Member of this House, went down rather better, and introduced the House to an earnest, committed and well-informed young man, passionate about galvanising the potential of young people everywhere. He was also, I am assured, attired in smart business dress, which paled into comparison with his predecessor as Prince of Wales, also Prince Regent and later King George IV. In his speech the current Prince of Wales memorably described him as, “exquisitely dressed in black velvet, lined with pink satin and embroidered in gold and wearing shoes with pink heels”.—[Official Report, 13/6/1974; col. 624.] If the Prince of Wales’s speech summed up the young man, the life he has lived since, played out in the public eye, has given us many further examples of his personal qualities. As a father he has been devoted to the welfare of Prince William and Prince Harry and the whole nation shares his pride at the outstanding young men they have turned out to be. We have also shared in his obvious joy in his important role as a grandfather. On behalf of the whole House, I congratulate His Royal Highness and his family on what we hope is a very happy 70th birthday. I beg to move. Baroness Smith of Basildon (Lab) My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the Deputy Leader of the House, and we join in wishing the Prince of Wales a very happy 70th birthday. There is no job description for the role of heir to the Throne. As the longest serving heir during a time of significant social change, it has been an opportunity and no doubt at times a challenge to fulfil the role in the meaningful way that the Prince has undertaken. It is significant that the Prince is the first heir to the Throne to go to school rather than be educated by a personal tutor in a royal palace. He was the first to gain a university degree and the first have a cameo role in “Coronation Street”. He was also the first to be on Twitter, and the first to have his own birthday hashtag, #Charlesat70. He was also most definitely the first to run his classic Aston Martin car on fuel from the by-products of wine and cheese. I do not think that trying to get the Royal Train running on environmentally friendly used cooking oil has been quite so successful. As we have heard from the noble Earl, the speech of His Royal Highness in the House of Lords followed in the footsteps of his great-great-grandfather, Prince Edward, later Edward VII, who had made such a speech 90 years before. Both speeches focused on social issues. In a thoughtful contribution on a Lords Select Committee report on sports and leisure, which was developed in a later speech made to your Lordships on volunteering, His Royal Highness gave a glimpse of some of the issues that he would make it his life’s work to champion. In both speeches he reflected on how society could best support young people, the environment and our environmental heritage. But these were not woolly, do-gooder speeches; they had an edge to them and posed a challenge. The Prince recognised the role of the citizen and the state working together and the importance of support for life outside work to enhance physical and mental well-being. He advocated alternative activities and provision to challenge crime and anti-social behaviour. That personal interest led directly to the establishment in 1976 of the Prince’s Trust—but who knew that it was set up with his £7,000 Royal Navy severance pay? I know that the noble Lord, Lord Newby, will say more about the Prince’s Trust, but the vision that Prince Charles set out in the 1970s—that all young people, particularly those who have not had a good start in life, should have the opportunity to succeed—remains true today. He continues to be genuinely interested in the lives and life stories of young people, engaging directly with them. His vision and commitment has ensured that thousands of disadvantaged young people have been provided with the opportunity to transform their lives, helping nearly a million individuals into employment or business. However, it is on environmental matters that Prince Charles has at times ruffled a few feathers. Who could have failed to see the amusement in his face when it was put to him by John Bridcut in the BBC programme last week that he had been accused of meddling? He replied with a smile, “Really—you don’t say?” There is no doubt, however, that what in the 1970s were regarded as somewhat eccentric issues are today’s problems that we are all trying to grapple with, having failed to heed past warnings. That 1970 speech in which he warned of the approaching waste crisis arising from using non-returnable plastic bottles and indestructible plastic stands out, as does his long-term concern about climate change. Perhaps we should re-examine a few more of those so-called “eccentric” issues. The Prince’s Foundation is one of the many charities he has established and focuses on the built environment, heritage and community education projects. It aims to create a modern, viable and productive use for historic buildings. It proves that it is possible to bring together the past and the future in sustainable communities. The Prince has always been passionate about the nations’ built heritage, as I found out personally during my time as Environment Minister in Northern Ireland. As other Ministers will endorse, the usual response after a visit is a short note of thanks. Following one such visit to Northern Ireland, Prince Charles’ first letter to me ran to three long pages, with well-informed observations, thoughts and suggestions for future collaboration and support on heritage issues. It was what we would nowadays call “a nudge”. In the correspondence that followed, the Prince offered to arrange visits to newly developed sites and meetings with key advisers, all of which turned out to be both fascinating and useful. Around that time in 2003, my much-loved grandmother died. As her funeral was during his visit, which was over several days, there were a number of engagements that I was due to host or attend that I was unable to make. When I returned to Northern Ireland, I was surprised to receive many lovely messages of condolence from people whom I only slightly knew and I did not really understand why. I later found out that, at all the events I had missed, Prince Charles had explained to everybody why I was unable to be there and that I was with my family. It was very thoughtful and greatly appreciated. My favourite story of kindness is about the new young assistant private secretary accompanying his Minister to a meeting with His Royal Highness. Nervous and inexperienced, he read every book and took as much advice as possible on protocol and etiquette—he was not going to make a mistake. However, he became steadily more anxious as the day drew near. That his female Minister strode up to Prince Charles, arm outstretched to shake hands, did nothing to quell his nerves. As the Prince and the Minister sat talking over tea, the poor, now terrified, private secretary was unable to stop his hands shaking to such an extent that the sound of a cup clattering against saucer was in danger of drowning out the conversation. Ignoring it just made it worse. At which point, the Prince, sensing his acute discomfort, reached out and said, “May I take that from you?”—much to the relief of all. No comments would be complete without an acknowledgement of His Royal Highness’s deep commitment to the Commonwealth, especially now it is confirmed that he will be its next Head. His recent visit to west Africa demonstrates that this is more than a formal duty but a responsibility that he clearly respects and enjoys. None of us can choose the life that we are born into, but, especially from a position of privilege, we have a choice of how to live it and how to contribute. When His Royal Highness spoke in your Lordships’ House more than four decades ago, the then Leader of the House and previous Labour Leader, Malcolm Shepherd, reflected: “The noble Prince was born to great privilege and great opportunity, and also to a position of influence. Equally, such a position, by its very nature, is open to temptation. It would be easy to find the easy way out and to seek narrow, selfish interests, for we are all human … But the noble Prince … has chosen the hard road of duty and service”.—[Official Report, 13/6/74; col. 632.] While we hope that, on his birthday, he will be allowed to succumb to some temptation, on this side of the House we wish the Prince of Wales a very happy birthday. Lord Newby (LD) My Lords, it is a particular pleasure for me to support the humble Address, which we are debating today. For 20 years from the early 1990s, I worked with the Prince’s Trust, first as a consultant and then as chair of its Football Initiative. Started with the Prince’s severance pay when he left the Royal Navy in 1976, the trust has now helped more than 900,000 young people. Its turnover is more than £50 million a year. It turns around the lives of the vast bulk of the young people with whom it works. This has been possible only because of the hands-on commitment of the Prince, who has devoted an enormous amount of his time and energy to promoting its work. In doing so, he has deployed in an extremely canny way the soft power he wields—and which he knows he wields. One example sums this up. In the autumn of 1997, the trust had just launched an initiative to involve the Premier League football clubs in its work: to use the stardust of the clubs and their grounds to motivate participants in trust programmes. I had managed to persuade seven of the 20 Premier League clubs to become involved. To persuade the remainder, we held a tea party in St James’s Palace for the club chairmen. They all came. Prince Charles had tea with the ones who had signed up. The others had to suffer a lecture from me. At the end of my homily, double doors swung open and the Prince emerged, followed by seven grinning chairmen. The others were furious at their second-class treatment. One of them marched across the room and said in threatening tones, “You’ll be hearing from me in the morning”. Indeed, the next morning his club secretary rang and sheepishly asked to get involved, which the club then did. More than 20 years later this programme alone has raised more than £9 million from the Premier League and the Professional Footballers’ Association, and impacted on the lives of tens of thousands of young people. None of this could have happened without the Prince’s personal involvement at the start and his continuing involvement ever since. It is one of countless cases where the Prince has used his influence for the good of the country of which he will eventually become monarch. It is a formidable record of achievement which I suggest has had a greater impact on the country than that of any Prince of Wales since the Black Prince some 650 years ago. The country is fortunate in having such a thoughtful, committed and energetic Prince of Wales. He fully deserves all our good wishes for his 70th birthday and for his future health and happiness. Lord Hope of Craighead (CB) My Lords, as the House knows very well, the Cross-Bench group, whom I represent, seldom speaks with one voice, but on this occasion I am quite sure that every Member of my group would wish me to say how delighted we all are to be associated in every way with the tributes that have been paid across the House. Our group brings to this House Members with a wide range of experience. Some, by reason of the positions they have held, have a much greater appreciation than the rest of us of the work which His Royal Highness has done, and is still doing, in so many areas of public life with such a sense of dedication and commitment. But all of us, in one way or another, have our own memories of him and of the service that he has given, and we can all share in paying tribute to his many achievements in so many areas, to which reference has already been made. Our tribute would not be complete without special mention of His Royal Highness’s close interest in Dumfries House, near Cumnock in East Ayrshire. This is but one example of the many cases to which the noble Earl, Lord Howe, paid tribute in his address. Dumfries House is a handsome building which dates from the 1750s, a large country house with a priceless collection of furniture, and all was at risk of being abandoned and sold off had it not been for a very substantial loan from the Prince’s charitable trust. That was not all: as a result of his personal intervention in 2007 and his constant encouragement and unique guidance ever since, all of this has now been preserved and renovated, to the great benefit of the local economy. The estate is now open to the public and the surrounding area has been completely revitalised. This was a community which was suffering greatly, as East Ayrshire did, from the closure of its coal mines. What has happened since has been a renovation of the community as a result of the interest which His Royal Highness has taken. The whole enterprise has benefited greatly throughout from the close interest which he has taken in everything that goes on, and his belief, made clear in the television programme to which the noble Baroness, Lady Smith, made reference earlier, that in such things it is the detail that matters. If ever there was an example of his ability to make a difference, and to inspire others to do so, this is it. I know that the local community is immensely grateful for what he has done. I think that it is fair to say that His Royal Highness is not quite as well known for one-liners as his father, but I do remember one, because I was there and heard it. The date was 30 December 1999. The place was the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. His Royal Highness had decided to observe the arrival of the new millennium in Scotland and not, like many others, at the Dome in Greenwich. He gave a dinner party in the Palace that evening, and it was preceded by a parade. As we were in Scotland, it was of course a march past of pipe bands. There were hundreds of pipers and drummers of all ages and all shapes and sizes. I recall one little drummer boy who caught everyone’s attention. He was so small, and the drum so big, that his father had to hold it for him as he marched past. After dinner, His Royal Highness made a very brief speech. He summed up the whole evening for us at the end of it in one sentence, which I will always remember. It revealed his charming and kindly sense of humour, which is never very far away and was certainly there that evening. He said, “Love hath no greater gift to offer”, adding, to much laughter, “than that a father should carry his son’s drum”. On behalf of all of us on the Cross Benches, I join the rest of the House in supporting this Motion and wishing His Royal Highness a very happy birthday. To adopt the time-honoured phrase, we all wish him very many happy returns of the day. The Archbishop of Canterbury My Lords, on behalf of these Benches, I express our warm congratulations to His Royal Highness on the occasion of his 70th birthday and associate myself with the sentiments already expressed by those on the other Benches, especially as regards His Royal Highness’s work in the Commonwealth. In a speech that he gave some 40 years ago in this Chamber, His Royal Highness spoke of, “the very real desire on the part of all sorts of people to give service to other human beings without thought of any remuneration or particular recognition for themselves”.—[Official Report, 25/6/1975; col. 1418.] I am sure we can all agree that he has lived up to his own statement through his lifelong dedication to the service of our nation and his ongoing concern for our young people, especially through the Prince’s Trust, as was outlined by the noble Earl, Lord Howe, and the noble Lord, Lord Newby. There has been talk of meddling. In the Church we politely say “being prophetic”. To some extent, His Royal Highness is a prophet. A prophet in the Old Testament is someone who sees slightly further into things than other people and, perhaps to some people’s discomfort at times, may bring them out and is then proved to be right. He has shown his prophetic instincts, not least in his welcome advocacy of the critical need to protect the environment and, as has already been said by the noble Baroness, Lady Smith, his instincts around plastics pollution. Those efforts have been well ahead of most of us in this Chamber. His Royal Highness has been a leader also in speaking out on the plight of persecuted Christians around the world—something for which I am most grateful personally, including, as it does, benefit to the Christians of the Anglican Communion. His deep confidence in his own personal faith has been a basis for, as he has put it, “building bridges across chasms”. His own personal clear and orthodox Christianity is, like that of Her Majesty, combined with a proper, informed and profound hospitality to those of other faiths or no faith, and an equal concern for their flourishing. When I have had the privilege of seeing His Royal Highness at work, I have been struck by his profound pastoral skills, which have been outlined this afternoon. I think particularly of an event at Liverpool Cathedral for the bereaved relatives of police who had died in the line of duty. The impact he had on some of those who had been very recently bereaved was noticeable. His focused attention on the person he is meeting is always evident, as well as his striking sense of humour, as has already been said. His love for his family has been spoken of. As the whole nation has seen, it is matched by his clear love for and dutiful service to his country. We have united this year to celebrate his family’s joys and I am delighted to express the same joy on this occasion. In this Chamber, before business every day we pray for our Royal Family. I am sure that we join, in one way or another, with the good wishes or prayers that His Royal Highness may be endued, as the Prayer goes, “with thy Holy Spirit”; enriched “with Heavenly Grace”; prospered “with all happiness”; and brought “to thine everlasting kingdom”. The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler) My Lords, in briefly closing these contributions, I will say that what is clear from everything said today is the great affection with which His Royal Highness is viewed in this House. We send him our sincere congratulations and, at the same time, our best wishes to Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall. I would add only this directly to His Royal Highness: if you have reservations about turning 70, just you wait until you get to 80. Happy Birthday. Motion agreed nemine dissentiente. Motion that a Message be Conveyed That a Message be conveyed to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales as follows: “Your Royal Highness, We, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, warmly congratulate Your Royal Highness on Your Royal Highness’s seventieth birthday; We express our gratitude for Your Royal Highness’s outstanding service to the nation, not only in supporting Her Majesty The Queen but also in making Your Royal Highness’s own deep contribution to national life, in particular in Your Royal Highness’s creation of The Prince’s Trust, which has done so much to support disadvantaged young people and in your work with The Prince of Wales’s charities; We wish Your Royal Highness many happy returns”. Health: Stroke Baroness Wheeler To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in developing a national plan for stroke. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Lord O'Shaughnessy) (Con) My Lords, a stroke programme board was established in March 2018, co-chaired by NHS England’s national medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, and the CEO of the Stroke Association, Juliet Bouverie. Following this, the NHS long-term plan will include a focus on cardiovascular disease and stroke, and is set to be published before the end of this year. Baroness Wheeler (Lab) I thank the Minister for his response. While the promise of including the national stroke plan in the full NHS long-term plan is welcome, nevertheless publishing it in its own entity after the national strategy ran out last year would surely have helped to sustain the progress and momentum since 2010, particularly in the reconfiguration of stroke services. Instead, thousands of stroke survivors say that they feel abandoned after they come out of hospital: 70% of patients are not offered a personalised care plan for their ongoing treatment, care and support; only 30% of CCGs are commissioning the vital six-month reviews of their progress and problems; one in four hospitals does not have access to stroke specialist early supported discharge at home; and, on average, stroke survivors wait 10 weeks for urgent psychological support. What action are the Government taking to ensure that CCGs tackle these problems now? Lord O'Shaughnessy I understand the noble Baroness’s frustration about the gap between the strategy and the plan but it was right to include the work undertaken on the stroke plan within a long-term plan, because clearly that covers every aspect of how the NHS is working. In the meantime, I point out to her that the NHS RightCare programme for cardiovascular disease has been set up. It is aimed specifically at dealing with some of the variation in service that she talked about. But there is good news in stroke care: not only is there less incidence than 10 years ago but 30-day mortality rates have more than halved, so there is progress which we need to build on. If the noble Baroness and the House will allow me, I would like to use this opportunity to pay tribute to my noble friend Lord Skelmersdale, who died very recently. He was a predecessor in this role and a great champion of stroke care, both as a Minister and as chair of the Stroke Association for 10 years. I am sure that everyone in the House would offer their sincere condolences to his family and friends. Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (CB) My Lords, will the Government outline the plans to roll out thrombectomy, which is sucking out the blood clot and is done under remote X-ray control? It has massively improved outcomes, even on thrombolysis, which tries to dissolve the clot. Such services need to be available across the UK on a 24/7 basis because stroke does not respect the clock or the calendar. Lord O’Shaughnessy The noble Baroness is absolutely right. In 2017, NHS England announced a rollout of the mechanical thrombectomy procedure to 24 centres across England. It is expected that 10% of stroke patients will be eligible. It leads to big reductions in disability after stroke, is now approved by NICE, and will be a significant part of the long-term plan which we will publish by the end of the year. Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Con) My Lords, my husband had a stroke and it was not recognised. It was a clot. He got to the hospital rather late and his arm was definitely damaged for ever more. He died 10 years ago; the stroke did not affect his continuing to live. The hospital in Newcastle was so far ahead in clot-busting that it was three years ahead of London. I remind the House of how much effort Lady Rendell, who is no longer with us, put into Act FAST, a campaign to let people know pretty quickly what the symptoms are and not to delay so that they have more hope of being successfully treated. We have made great progress, but there is a clearly a lot more to make. I did not know that my noble friend’s husband had had a stroke; I am grateful to her for sharing that with the House. She is right that the examples of Newcastle and Northumbria have shown that hyperacute stroke units—the centralisation of services—save lives. Closing hospitals or changing services can be controversial, but in stroke we know that it makes a big difference. It is a focus of what we need to do, and we need to take courage on that. The Act FAST campaign, which my noble friend mentioned, has been incredibly successful in making sure that we get fast action when people have a stroke. More than 5,000 fewer people have been disabled by stroke since that campaign started. Baroness Jolly (LD) My Lords, when the national stroke plan is finally published, we should expect clinical elements. I hope that we will see some lifestyle elements around protection from stroke and stroke prevention. What actions are being discussed with Public Health England on the prevention part of the plan? Can he guarantee sufficient funding for local authorities to deliver it? The noble Baroness is right about prevention. There are lots of ways that we can prevent stroke, including by reducing hypertension, obesity and other things. Of course that will be a big part of it. She will know that decisions about funding for Public Health England will be taken at the spending review. Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate (Non-Afl) My Lords, the Minister will be aware that one of the medical conditions that can lead to stroke is atrial fibrillation. The important thing is to treat the patient once it is discovered. Some time ago, I attended a demonstration in the Palace of Westminster where patients put their hand on to a machine which detected whether they had that problem so that they could be treated. The idea was that the machine would be rolled out into doctors’ surgeries so that people could use it while they were waiting. How is that scheme progressing? The noble Lord is quite right that patients with atrial fibrillation have a five times greater risk of stroke. Most patients are diagnosed but about 300,000 are not yet, so finding them is critical. The tests are available now not just in GPs’ surgeries but increasingly in pharmacies. I will write to him with specific details about the rollout. Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab) Of course the prevention and treatment of stroke is very important, but unfortunately some people have strokes and are incapacitated by them, sometimes physically but sometimes mentally as well. What work are the Government doing to ensure that as many people as possible register a lasting power of attorney so that, when that bad thing happens to them, a proper care plan is available? I will need to write to the noble Baroness with specific details on promoting lasting power of attorney. There has been an improvement in the availability of occupational therapy for those who suffer disabilities from stroke, but I do not know whether there is support in terms of planning ahead. Development Co-operation: European Union Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish plans for future development co-operation with the European Union. The Minister of State, Department for International Development (Lord Bates) (Con) The White Paper and technical notes published on external security in the summer set out our vision for a future partnership with the EU on development co-operation. We have proposed a co-operative accord to cover development co-operation and international action. Our future relationship will be different and focused on areas of mutual interest. We remain open to pooling resources and expertise with the EU to maximise the combined development impact where it makes sense to do so. Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale (Lab) My Lords, I am sure the Minister shares my understanding that continuity in development programmes is essential, both for impact and for the professional skills that can be involved, particularly if the capacity is being built on the ground in developing countries. Continuity in the programmes that we either currently share with the EU or fund through it will therefore be essential through the so-called transitional period. I would therefore welcome an assurance from the Minister that, first, those who are poorest and living in conflict around the world will be at the heart of our decision-making in this partnership over the coming months and, secondly, the Government will publish more detailed plans in advance of the end of March 2019 for how these programmes will be financed in future. Lord Bates I am very happy to give that assurance. In fact, it is an assurance that has already been given in the White Paper, which refers on page 68 to our, “commitments to continue to work together to address global development challenges, supporting a cooperative accord between the UK and the EU on the development and external programming”. I should say that, as the Minister who has the privilege of attending the Foreign Affairs Council on development, I find that on virtually all the issues that we are raising in discussion we have absolutely common approaches and agendas. Both the EU and the UK are major actors on international development, peace and security, migration issues and humanitarian response, and we want to ensure that that continues—this is not a political point, it is a humanitarian one—for the people that the noble Lord has referenced and that we all care about. My Lords, I say to my noble friend that now that the facts are becoming clearer than they were in June 2015, a more informed choice is now possible. Given that, is the best way forward not to ascertain public opinion by holding a further referendum, the question in which should be whether to remain in the EU on existing terms or to proceed in accordance with the proposed deal? There has been a referendum and 17.4 million people cast their opinion in it. There has subsequently also been a general election in which over 580 of the 650 Members of the House of Commons were elected on platforms to respect that referendum. What the Government are now doing is seeking to implement it. Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab) My Lords, I know the Minister shares my concern that the EDF represents best value. This country was instrumental in terms of humanitarian development, but the fact is that that is at risk if we do not reach an agreement. What contingency plan is there for, and what consultation are the Government having with all the NGOs about, a no-deal Brexit? What are we doing to ensure that we do not face a cliff edge, and that those least able to defend themselves are protected? On the specific point that the noble Lord raises, in the event of no deal then we have already said that we will guarantee the funding for projects that are already under way. However, that is of course not what we are working towards. The EDF is the essential development framework that underpins the Cotonou agreement. We are party to that, and the Prime Minister has been very clear that as we leave the EU we will honour our obligations. That applies especially to the world’s poorest. Baroness Sheehan (LD) My Lords, development policy in the EU is evolving and proposals for the multiannual financial framework 2021-27 include a single instrument to cover all development aid, called the neighbourhood development and international co-operation instrument, which has worldwide coverage. As a member state, we have had a hand in designing it. Have mechanisms been built in to that framework to give third countries an equal voice in shaping strategy and oversight of funds, and do they allow programme delivery by UK NGOs, which are widely regarded as being among the best in the world? I absolutely agree with the latter point about the importance of our British NGOs and that they should continue to have access to those funds. Yes, we are participating in the discussion which the noble Baroness referenced. We have said that we want to participate, we want to be able to work in areas of common interest, but changes need to be made not just on our side but in how the EDF and Heading 4 funds operate to allow us to participate as a third country. If we are to do that, we have been clear that it is only right to look after the interests of the British taxpayer, so we should have some say in how the funds are overseen, and that UK entities should be able to bid for them, as she suggests. Lord Howell of Guildford (Con) My Lords, regardless of the Brexit outcome, the European partnership agreements are immensely valuable to many smaller island states, including many in the Commonwealth. Can the Minister assure us that, whatever happens, we will manage a smooth transition and enable those partnerships to continue, which have helped many small and very vulnerable states in the past? My noble friend is absolutely right. The trade preferences element of the economic partnerships have already been covered by legislation which we passed in this House in September on taxation and cross-border trade. We are currently negotiating seven economic partnership arrangements impacting on 29 countries. When the Prime Minister was in Africa, she announced the first, which had been agreed with the Southern African Customs Union and Mozambique. We are working to achieve more, because we passionately believe that one of the best routes out of poverty is trade, prosperity and giving people free access to our developed markets. That will continue to be the policy of Her Majesty’s Government. Lord Alton of Liverpool (CB) My Lords, as the Minister looks at future markers for development, with the approaching 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, will he look particularly at Article 18 and what it has to say about the right to believe, not to believe or to change belief? Professor Brian Grim says that those countries which respect those things become the most prosperous. How, therefore, do we justify spending £2.8 billion over the past 20 years in a country such as Pakistan which, as the case of Asia Bibi has shown, has no regard for minorities or the rule of law? My Lords, that is the reason why that funding predominantly goes to the education of young girls in Pakistan which, we hope, will contribute to change in future. I hope that the noble Lord will welcome two major initiatives announced following the Prime Minister’s commitment to act in this area. The first was the appointment of my noble friend Lord Ahmad as the Prime Minister’s special envoy on freedom of religion or belief, and the second was a meeting at the Foreign Office last week, where we announced the successful bidders for a £12 million DfID fund to promote freedom of religion and belief. That shows how clear and committed the Government are from the very top. Shipbuilding: Warships Baroness Bryan of Partick To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the process for awarding contracts for building complex warships will have on shipbuilding in the United Kingdom. My Lords, as set out in the national shipbuilding strategy, the Type 31e programme is the pathfinder for a new streamlined competitive procurement process which allows the Ministry of Defence to work collaboratively with industry to deliver warships to meet the Royal Navy’s needs. The Type 31e procurement is still under way. However, industry has welcomed the approach, and initial engagement indicates a healthy interest throughout the supply chain. Baroness Bryan of Partick (Lab) I thank the Minister for his Answer, but there is a strong case for awarding contracts for all Royal Navy ships, including those serving under the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, to UK shipyards. The Government are making an unnecessary distinction by insisting on putting RFA ships to international tender. Does the Minister agree that awarding these contracts to UK shipbuilders would provide certainty, and enable shipyards to grow in size and capacity, train more apprentices, help sustain their supply chains and, importantly, keep prices down? Does he also agree that this would be one of the MoD’s objectives: to contribute to UK prosperity? My Lords, I absolutely share the noble Baroness’s ambition for the prosperity of the UK shipbuilding sector. Future warship procurement will be restricted to UK-wide competition for reasons of national security. However, we think it right for other naval ships to be subject to open competition. This is not just because of the rules of the EU treaty. Of course, we hope that UK shipyards will be able to compete for those contracts, but they will win them only if they are internationally competitive. It is that competitiveness that will ultimately secure their prosperity, not only as suppliers in the UK context, but as potential exporters in the global marketplace. Lord Garel-Jones (Con) Will my noble friend tell the House what effect he thinks the recent announcement in the Budget of an extra £1 billion for the Ministry of Defence will have, not only on the building of complex warships in the United Kingdom, but on the wider operational activities of the Ministry of Defence? I am grateful to my noble friend. As the House will be aware, the Autumn Budget gave defence a further £1 billion between now and 2020, in addition to the £800 million of in-year support that we received earlier this year from the Treasury. We have not yet allocated precise sums to particular programmes, but there is no doubt that the additional funds represent a substantial boost for defence. It means that we will be able to modernise some key capability areas. Offensive cyber, anti-submarine warfare and protection of the deterrent are some good examples. Importantly, it also means that we do not have to make any cuts to the force structure or changes to our capability plans. Lord Boyce (CB) The Type 31 order seemed to have something of a derailment earlier this year. Will the Minister confirm that the original in-service stage is being held? Yes, we want the first ship in 2023, with five ships delivered by the end of 2028 to replace the five Type 23 general purpose frigates. Lord Campbell of Pittenweem (LD) My Lords, given that the National Audit Office report of 5 November concluded that the Ministry of Defence equipment budget remains unaffordable by as much as £14.8 billion, where will the money come from to build complex warships? My Lords, that worst-case prediction is a forecast over 10 years. We have plenty of time to manage the budget, as we always do, to make sure that we can deliver our very ambitious equipment programme. Work is in hand to do just that. Lord West of Spithead (Lab) My Lords, there has been a lot of talk about shipbuilding but very little building. It seems to me that we have to get a grip on things such as the Type 26 programme. We will now wait for six or seven years for the first frigate to appear, carrying all the costs of that yard, rather than pushing ahead, ordering all eight, getting all the long lead items and actually delivering them one a year. It seems that we are not grasping these key fundamental issues. The Solid Support Ships add into the programme, but we do not look at the real cost to the nation of not building them here in this country. My Lords, as regards Type 26, it is true to say that ordering ships in batches is normal commercial practice. For one thing, it enables lessons learned in building the early batches to be reflected in lower prices for the later ships, which of course achieves better value for money overall. Contracting for all eight ships up-front would have precluded us from benefiting from the potential economies of scale, which may now come from the successful export campaigns to Australia and Canada. Lord Trefgarne (Con) My Lords, can my noble friend say how many destroyers and frigates are presently available for Royal Navy service and how many of them are fully crewed? My Lords, all the frigates and destroyers that the Royal Navy has at its disposal are in one way or another fully operational. They may be subject to training of crew, they may be alongside having refits or they may be on deployments, but none of them is non-functional. Brexit: Proposed Agreement Lord Foulkes of Cumnock To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they anticipate publishing the details of a proposed agreement with the European Union on the terms of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal. The Minister of State, Department for Exiting the European Union (Lord Callanan) (Con) My Lords, a deal is in the interests of not just the UK but the European Union. We want to make progress as soon as possible, but there will not be an agreement at any cost. As the Prime Minister said on Monday, we are now in the end game for negotiations and are working extremely hard to deliver the withdrawal agreement and the future framework. Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab) My Lords, this has turned out to be a really topical Question. Does the Minister recall that the vote that took place in 2016—contrary to what the noble Lord, Lord Bates, said in answer to the noble Viscount, Lord Hailsham—was a vote by the narrow majority to authorise the start of negotiations for withdrawal? Now that we are imminently to be told the terms, surely the choice between leaving the European Union on those terms or the status quo should be put to another people’s vote. Lord Callanan I should congratulate the noble Lord on his foresight in tabling such a Question for such a slow Brexit news day, but perhaps we will be able to enlighten him further. I think that he is totally wrong in what he said and I agree totally with the answer given by my noble friend Lord Bates. We have already had a people’s vote and the people voted to leave. The question on the ballot paper was, “Do you want to leave the European Union or remain in the European Union?” and people said that they wanted to leave. Lord Lilley (Con) My Lords, will my noble friend confirm that, if Parliament rejects this agreement—as may well be the case given that the opposition to it spans the vast gulf between a brace of Johnsons—taxpayers will save £40 billion, which could be spent on taxpayers’ priorities? The second consequence is that we would trade on World Trade Organization terms, which should not be frightening. I say that not just because I helped to negotiate the establishment of the WTO but because our trade with countries with which we trade on WTO terms has grown three times as rapidly as our trade with the single market since it was established. I thank my noble friend for his question. It of course remains the case, because this House passed the withdrawal Act, that if Parliament refuses to agree the withdrawal agreement then we have no deal. Baroness Ludford (LD) My Lords, Parliament needs to see the actual text; perhaps the Minister can tell us when that will happen—preferably not too far behind the journalists. We already know enough to understand that this is a miserable Brexit; indeed, it is impossible for any Brexit deal to be as good as EU membership. When will the Government be honest about this, stop the disinformation and put it to the people for them to decide? The noble Baroness says that she wants to see the text, but she has already decided what it says before she has seen it, which is of course typical of the attitude of the Liberal Democrats—they have decided what they believe before they see the final deal. The Cabinet is meeting this afternoon to consider the draft agreement that the negotiating teams have reached in Brussels and will decide on the next steps in the national interest. Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Lab) My Lords, I congratulate the Minister on trying to bring everyone together. Does he appreciate, and agree, that there are 2 million people who will be much more affected than he or I will be by whatever deal the Government are considering and whatever deal is accepted? They were not allowed to vote in the referendum, but they would be entitled to vote today. Do they not deserve a say? The people who have a say are those who vote in the referendum or election that you have at the time. You cannot go back to elections and say, “What would the result have been if different numbers of people had taken part?” I reiterate the point my noble friend Lord Bates made: we have already had a people’s vote and people voted to leave. In my view, that is the settled will of the country, and we are implementing that outcome. Lord Dykes (CB) My Lords, despite the rumours, the Minister is a fair-minded man. Would he not therefore agree, in answer to the Question from the noble Lord, Lord Foulkes, that, bearing in mind that the Government psychologically lost the mandate to pursue the Brexit negotiations anyway in the 8 June 2017 election, now is the time to reflect the changes in public opinion and the younger voters coming on to the roll, and for the Government to allow Parliament to make that decision about a people’s vote? I thank the noble Lord for his compliment but no, I do not agree with him. At the general election, both we and the Labour Party stood on manifestos saying that the result of the referendum should be respected. Indeed, the leader of the Opposition confirmed that last week. Over 80% of votes were cast in that general election for parties that said that they would respect the outcome of the referendum. Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Lab) My Lords, does the Minister agree that, in addition to the 550 pages, the impact assessment should also be made available before this House debates the meaningful vote? Will he also ensure that our committees have time to predigest it so that we can benefit from their advice? I have discussed this with the noble Baroness before, but following the conclusion of the negotiation and ahead of the meaningful vote we will make available to all Members of the House a full, reasoned position statement laying out both the political and legal position of the Government on the proposed withdrawal agreement, including any protocols that might be attached to it. Lord Cormack (Con) My Lords, while I endorse what the noble Baroness just said, is this not a time when we should remember that it is always a mistake to rush to judgment? We have not seen this document yet; I await it with great interest. It is important that we have proper time to consider it. But we also have to bear in mind that in negotiations there has to be compromise on both sides. If those who have been ramping up the rhetoric in another place would only be calm for a week or two, we might come to a considered judgment. I agree with my noble friend; a little calmness on all sides would help a lot. But it is amazing to see the number of people rushing to judge something that they have not read yet. Lord Reid of Cardowan (Lab) My Lords, to have a meaningful vote, the House of Commons has insisted that it must have full information on the legal implications, impact assessments and future economic projections, otherwise it will not be meaningful. None of that was available at the time of the last referendum. In the event of a logjam in Parliament, which seems at least possible, why will the Government not allow the people, in the light of all that information, to have the final say on this issue? I set out in my reply to the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, what information we will make available. Of course, the House of Commons needs to come to its judgment in the light of all the available information and studies, and we will provide that. But I reiterate that we will not hold a second referendum; we have already had one, the people reached their view and we are implementing that view. Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill Committee (4th Day) Relevant documents: 35th Report from the Delegated Powers Committee, 11th Report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights, 14th Report from the Constitution Committee Clause 21: Port and border controls Baroness Williams of Trafford 60: Clause 21, page 22, line 4, leave out from “borders” to end of line 7 The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Williams of Trafford) (Con) My Lords, the government amendments in this group make a number of necessary changes to the provisions in Schedule 3 governing the retention of property and the power to make and retain copies of documents and other items. The new powers under Schedule 3 have been introduced to strengthen the tools of our law enforcement officers to tackle the harmful activities of hostile actors. Over recent years, we have seen a number of foreign powers demonstrating a significantly increased risk appetite regarding the conduct of their intelligence officers and agents. They seek to acquire and pass on property or information that would damage our national security. This could include highly classified protectively marked UK Government material, prototypes of UK defence infrastructure and hardware, or even the contact details of persons employed by our secret intelligence agencies. The Committee will appreciate that, to assert themselves in this way, foreign intelligence officers or those acting on their behalf are known to actively use the cover of certain professions; this includes journalists, lawyers and others. There is, therefore, a national security imperative for the police to be able to retain, copy and examine articles which may also include confidential journalistic or legally privileged material. In response, Schedule 3 introduces new powers that would allow an examining officer to retain, examine, copy and potentially destroy a person’s property, including confidential material, where the officer believes it could be used in connection with a hostile act or to prevent death or serious injury. Once a person’s property has been retained under these powers, no further action can be taken without the authorisation of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner. The retention process requires the commissioner to consider representations made by the owner of the article, the police and the Home Secretary before coming to a decision. Section 3 of the draft Schedule 3 code of practice, which I recently circulated to noble Lords, outlines the steps and timings for this process, which have been designed to strike a balance between affording the examinee an opportunity to defend possession of their property with the operational need to retain, use or potentially destroy it. The entire process from the point at which the property has been retained, to the point at which the commissioner authorises further action may take as long as four weeks but could possibly take longer as a result of delays or appeals. In the vast majority of cases, this process will be the right one, as there will not be an urgent need to examine the property and the immediate risk will have been mitigated by dispossessing the individual of the article in question. In some cases, however, these timeframes will not be acceptable, in particular where urgent action is needed to prevent death or significant injury or a hostile act. An example of such a situation might be where hostile agents are trying to leave the UK with information detailing live UK intelligence agency operations, capabilities and employees. Stopping an agent with this material and being able to access it immediately will give the police a greater chance of determining whether other hostile operatives are in possession of the material and which UK intelligence officers or agents are potentially at risk of exposure. In such a case, an expedited process would allow an urgent decision to be taken on whether the property should be returned to the individual, in parallel to examining the property to mitigate the immediate threat. Amendment 77 would provide for this expedited process by allowing the examining officer, with the approval of a senior officer not below the rank of superintendent, to examine or copy the property, including confidential material, before a decision has been made by the commissioner. This mechanism would require authorisation to be given or withheld by the commissioner, or a delegated judicial commissioner, after the event. Should the commissioner withhold that authorisation, he would have the power to direct that the article be returned to the examinee and the destruction of any information taken from it, including copies. As with the existing process provided for in the Bill, the decision of the commissioner will be taken after consideration of any representations made by affected parties and there will also be an opportunity to appeal that decision where it has been delegated to a judicial commissioner. This urgency procedure has been modelled on similar provisions in the Investigatory Powers Act in relation to interception warrants and has been set out in further detail in Section 3 of the draft code of practice. We had considered with operational partners and the IPC whether an expedited prior authorisation procedure could be put in place but have concluded that, while the process could be truncated, the requirement to receive and consider representations is such that any fast-track prior authorisation procedure would still take some days. I want to reiterate that these powers would only be used in the most urgent circumstances and subject to the safeguards that I have described. The consequences of misusing the powers are clear—the commissioner may direct the destruction of any information acquired through use of the property. I now turn to Amendments 78 to 82, which concern similar retention powers for copies that consist of, or include, confidential material. These amendments aim to make two key changes. First, as with Amendment 77, which I have just described, they would provide for an urgent process for the retention and use of copies that consist of, or include, confidential material. Secondly, they will ensure that the non-urgent process for retention of copies works in the same way as the non-urgent retention process for a person’s property. I note that Amendment 81 in the name of my noble friend Lord Attlee also seeks to provide for this. Currently, the Bill does not afford affected parties the opportunity to make representations before the commissioner decides to approve or otherwise the retention and use of copies. In applying the urgency procedure to copies, including the provision enabling affected parties to make representations, the amendments also provide for representations to be made in non-urgent cases. In summary, the aim of these amendments is to ensure that there are symmetrical processes for the retention of property and copies of that property that consist of, or include, confidential material. I hope that my noble friend is reassured that the government amendments will give effect to what he was aiming to achieve. The remaining amendments in this group are comparatively minor or consequential. Amendment 70 is a consequential amendment to clarify that the process of retention will be different where the urgency condition applies. Amendments 72 and 73 are to clarify that the commissioner may specify the timeframes for receiving representations through the non-urgent process, which are currently outlined in the draft Schedule 3 code of practice. Amendments 74 and 75 refine the definition of an “affected party” in paragraph 13(3) of Schedule 3. Currently, the Bill specifies that representations to the commissioner by the police in relation to a person’s property that has been retained under the new retention powers should be made by the chief officer of the police force to which the examining officer belongs. The amendments allow for the possibility of a chief officer from a different force to make those representations. This is because the force to which the examining officer belongs will not always be the investigating force and so would not necessarily be best placed to make representations regarding the decision to retain the property. Amendment 76 clarifies that the requirement to invite representations from a person whose property has been retained, “applies only so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so”. This is to allow for a situation where it is not possible to get in contact with the person, for example because they provided false contact details. Finally, Amendment 60 is a drafting amendment to ensure that Clause 21 appropriately describes the provisions in Schedule 3. I hope my explanation for these amendments is clear and that noble Lords agree with the importance of being able to act quickly against the imminent threat of hostile activity. I beg to move. Baroness Hamwee (LD) My Lords, I have some small questions for the Minister, and I hope she has been given notice of them in her brief—I contacted the Bill team yesterday. I think she has largely answered one of them, but I will ask it anyway. In her Amendment 73 and elsewhere, there is provision for a cut-off to the period for representations. I understand the need for that. Is there a timetable for the rest of the process? This is likely to be significant to the passenger, the affected party. Secondly, in Amendment 76 and other amendments—the Minister has just mentioned this—what is an example of what is not “reasonably practicable”? She mentioned the possible difficulty of getting in touch with the individual. Again, I understand that. Does the term “reasonably practicable” go to that sort of thing? In other words, is it on the part of the person trying to get in touch, or is it looked at from the point of view of the passenger? Destruction of an article or conditions as to the use of the article are likely to be significant in this situation. Thirdly, I have a similar question about the urgency condition in Amendment 77. Who assesses what is urgent? Is it the Home Office or the commissioner, and is it urgency in the eyes of the passenger? If the Minister can help to flesh out some of those queries, I will be grateful. Lord Rosser (Lab) Perhaps I may add one further question to those raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee. It relates to the urgency procedure. The noble Baroness has already asked who makes the decision on what is or is not urgent, but can we also have some feel, presumably based on the experience of the agencies concerned, of how frequently they expect to use this procedure? My Lords, the kind of situation in which we can expect the urgency provisions to be used possibly goes to the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, about how frequently they are used. It is difficult for me to talk about the average frequency in any week, year or other given timescale, but clearly there is a spike nature to some of these events. Therefore, I hope that the noble Lord will accept that I cannot give a definitive answer to his question. However, basically the provisions will be used to disrupt a live threat—for example, where a hostile agent tries to leave the UK with information detailing live UK intelligence agency operations, capabilities and employees. Stopping an agent with this material and being able to access it immediately will give the police a greater chance of determining whether other hostile operatives are in possession of the material and which UK intelligence officers or agents are potentially at risk of exposure. In the aftermath of something like the Salisbury event, Schedule 3 powers would provide the police with additional tools to stop and question persons with potential links to a hostile state or its actors who might have knowledge of or involvement in the attack. In such a scenario, it would be critical to analyse their devices and material at speed in order to understand the extent to which they were engaged in hostile activity. The noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, talked about the timeframe. Obviously, the urgency procedures would be used only where there was an immediate risk of death or significant injury or of a hostile act being carried out. In such a case, the police must be able to act with immediate effect. However, on the question of whether we could have done it the other way round, with a prior authorisation procedure being put in place, the answer is that that would still take some days. I hope that that answers the question. The point was made that the timeframe for the urgency process—that is, within 24 hours—makes it very difficult to make representations to the commissioner. I was asked whether that is enough time or whether it should be longer. The timescales for the urgency process aim to strike a balance between giving the property owner enough time to make representations and ensure that the police are not able to use the property without judicial authorisation with the decision having to be taken by the commissioner within three days, and, by the same token, conceding that it is likely the property owner will want a decision to be taken as quickly as possible to prevent the police using their property without a decision by the commissioner. The draft Schedule 3 code of practice, which is available online, makes it clear that the examining officer must provide a notice that will explain to the property owner that they are invited to make representations to the commissioner, including contact details and the associated timescales. Did the noble Baroness ask me what happens if the property owner cannot be contacted? Baroness Hamwee I asked about what is “reasonably practicable”. She did, and I have the answer here—as if by magic. Paragraph 63 of the draft Schedule 3 code of practice is clear that, where the examining officer retains a person’s property beyond the period of examination, the officer should ask the person how they would prefer to be contacted regarding the status or return of their property. The officer will typically seek to acquire the phone number, email address or postal address of the examinee. However, under the urgency process, the examining officer would attempt to use the details provided by the examinee to make contact and to provide the information. This would typically include attempting to call the person a number of times, as well as sending them information by recorded post and email. If the person is at the known UK address then the officer from the local force could be tasked to attend the address to deliver the relevant information in person. Obviously, however, it would not be reasonably practicable for the police to take this approach on every occasion or where the person is abroad. It would not be reasonably practicable for the examining officer to make contact with the person where they have provided false contact details. I hope that satisfies the noble Baroness. Lord Rosser I appreciate that the Government cannot stand at the Dispatch Box and announce that this will be used X number of times a week, a month or a year—of course I understand that. But is the provision there because of previous experience that there is a gap in the arrangements, for which we have had to pay a price because we have not been able to enact the procedure, or is it there because there is a feeling that there might arise a need for such a procedure in the future? There are several answers to that. Obviously, the Terrorism Act 2000 needs updating. The Salisbury attack showed us the need to update our laws in this regard, and clearly the way that technology and other things have moved on creates a gap in our abilities because they have not been provided for in previous legislation. Amendment 60 agreed. Debate on whether Clause 21, as amended, should stand part of the Bill. Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP) My Lords, it is my intention to oppose the Questions that Clause 21 and Schedule 3 stand part of the Bill. I will later move specific amendments, but it is my view that Schedule 3 should be entirely removed from the Bill. Schedule 3 creates a new regime in which anyone who is travelling into or out of the country can be searched, detained, interrogated and forced to hand over confidential documents without any suspicion by the border guards. That means that anyone could have their travel interfered with for no good reason—but of course it could be that people of black, Asian and minority ethnic groups will be disproportionately targeted by these broad powers. These powers already exist for the purposes of establishing whether someone is or has been involved in acts of terrorism. They are contained in Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000. The Government now seek to extend these powers beyond terrorism, to a very broadly defined set of “hostile acts”, which include threatening national security or threatening the so-called, “economic well-being of the United Kingdom”. Border officers could force anyone to hand over documents and information, and it would be a criminal offence to say no. They could detain anyone at the border for up to six hours without needing anything at all to suggest that the person has done anything wrong. A person who is questioned or detained has no right to remain silent and commits a criminal offence if they do so. An individual who is detained under these powers will have a right to speak to a solicitor, but the Bill does not appear to require them to be informed of this right until they have been detained for at least two hours. If a detainee chooses to speak to a solicitor, this can be delayed by officers under paragraph 25 or simply ignored altogether under paragraph 24. Additionally, paragraph 26 allows the police to watch and listen to the private conversations with the solicitor. I cannot believe that this is anything other than a fundamental attack on legal privilege and confidentiality. These powers are simply too broad and too intrusive. They mean that anyone passing through a port or airport is essentially waiving their basic legal rights. While some people might consider this proportionate when it applies to finding terrorists, it is completely unjustifiable when it is applied to find out whether people are threatening the economic well-being of the United Kingdom. I would therefore like the Minister to clarify some points for me. What does “threatening the economic well-being of the United Kingdom” mean? Has the phrase been defined anywhere and has it been considered by the courts? Would a business person who moves their business from the UK to another country be threatening the economic well-being of the UK? Why does the Bill allow a person to be detained for up to six hours without a single suspicion that they have done anything wrong? Would any Member of your Lordships’ House be prepared to be detained at the border for six hours without any suspicion that they done anything wrong? If it were applied to us—as it could well be—we would think it most unfair. How will the Government ensure that these suspicionless powers are not used in racist and discriminatory ways, further entrenching the abuse that black and Asian men face with existing stop and search powers? Dozens of amendments could be made to Schedule 3, but it is so fundamentally wrong that it must be opposed altogether. I beg to move. Lord Paddick (LD) My Lords, I support the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb, in opposing the additional powers conferred by Schedule 3, for some of the reasons she has just mentioned. We have already debated whether the powers in Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act are used appropriately in every case. From complaints made to me, I believe that there is increasing concern that Schedule 7 powers may be being used arbitrarily—particularly against black and other ethnic minority passengers—resulting in missed flights with no compensation. As the briefing provided by Liberty suggests, Schedule 3 covers a potentially vast and uncertain range of behaviours. Paragraph 1(1) refers to, “a person who is, or has been, engaged in hostile activity”. As the noble Baroness said, the Bill defines hostile activity as any act which threatens national security, the economic well-being of the UK or which constitutes a serious crime, where the act is, “carried out for, or on behalf of, a State other than the United Kingdom or … otherwise in the interests of a State other than the United Kingdom. However, the person need not be aware that they are engaged in hostile activity, and the state for which the hostile act is being carried out need not even be aware that the hostile act is being carried out. As the Bill is worded, someone from Paris or Frankfurt travelling to the UK to encourage UK businesses to relocate to their city in the face of Brexit will be caught by these provisions, because his mission would threaten the economic well-being of the UK and would be in the interests of another state—France or Germany. In a later group, the noble Lord, Lord Anderson of Ipswich, has an amendment in relation to what the definition of hostile act should be, and we will return to this subject then. This schedule and the powers it contains, according to the Home Office briefing we were provided with, is supposed to be a response to the attempted assassination of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, yet almost all commentators agree that this was an act of terrorism already adequately covered by Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act. Perhaps the Minister can give an example of a hostile act that has been committed against the UK that was not an act of terrorism. The fact sheet provided by the Home Office suggests that these provisions are needed because: “The UK faces a sustained threat from hostile actors seeking to undermine our national security in a wide variety of ways”. Can the Minister explain how every and all acts that threaten the economic well-being of the UK are a threat to national security, and why the wording used in the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 is not used here—for example, with regard to the issuing of bulk interception warrants under Section 138(2) of the 2016 Act, where the issue of a warrant has to be, “in the interests of the economic well-being of the United Kingdom”, but only so far as those interests are relevant also to the interests of national security? My Lords, we have already debated a number of points related to the new ports powers under Schedule 3 to the Bill. Groups of amendments to come will address other aspects of these provisions. That being the case, I will limit my remarks in responding to this stand part debate to explaining the overarching case for these new powers to combat hostile state activity. Schedule 3 will serve to address a current gap in our ability to tackle the threat from hostile state actors by introducing provisions to allow an examining officer to stop, question, search and detain persons at a UK port or the border area in Northern Ireland to determine whether they are or have been engaged in hostile activity. For the purposes of this legislation, a person is or has been engaged in hostile activity if they are or have been concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of a “hostile act” that is or may be carried out for or on behalf of a state other than the United Kingdom, or otherwise in the interests of a state other than the United Kingdom. An act is a hostile act if it threatens national security, threatens the economic well-being of the United Kingdom, or is an act of serious crime. The noble Baroness, Lady Jones, asked about the types of activity that would threaten the economic well-being of the UK. Acts of that kind include those which damage the country’s critical infrastructure or disrupt energy supplies. The power absolutely will not be used to target the legitimate activity of foreign businesses, an example of which was given by the noble Lord, Lord Paddick. The noble Baroness also asked whether the power will be used in a discriminatory fashion. The response is an emphatic no, it will not. That is because selection based solely on ethnicity, religion or other protected characteristics is quite clearly unlawful. Selection for examination will be informed by a number of considerations, including available intelligence about hostile activity, as listed in the criteria set out in the draft code. The events in Salisbury were a stark reminder of the impact that hostile activity can have on the safety and security of our communities. The use of a military grade nerve agent on UK soil demonstrated very clearly the lengths to which hostile actors such as the Russian state will go in order to achieve their illegitimate ends. We should not underestimate this threat. The Director General of MI5, Andrew Parker, set out the position in stark terms in a speech delivered in Berlin in May: “We are living in a period where Europe faces sustained hostile activity from certain states. Let me be clear, by this I … mean deliberate and targeted malign activity intended to undermine our free, open and democratic societies; to destabilise the international rules-based system that underpins our stability, security and prosperity … Chief protagonist among these hostile actors is the Russian Government”. It is not often that the general public are so exposed to the work of hostile actors. These actions highlight a contempt for public safety, the rule of law and international norms. However, they are consistent with the activities of the Russian state and others which our operational partners work tirelessly to counter. In introducing these new powers, the Government are seeking to provide the additional capability needed better to detect, disrupt and deter the threats from these hostile actors. As the noble Lord, Lord Anderson, put it in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee in January, if it is accepted that we need powers to stop and examine people at ports to combat terrorism, should not the police have similar powers to stop people on a similar basis who pose an equal but different threat to national security? In the Government’s view, the answer to the question must be an unequivocal “yes”. It is worth reiterating that the provisions of Schedule 3 are not entirely novel. They will in many respects mirror existing powers to stop and question persons at the border to determine whether they are terrorists, but will instead be used to determine whether a person is or has been engaged in hostile state activity. The Government are not saying that, simply because we have these powers for counterterrorism purposes, it justifies expanding them to hostile activity. Rather, we are saying that we have experience in exercising these powers; we already know the vital role that they play in countering the activities of terrorists, and we have taken into account the views of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation on the exercise of the powers to ensure that the subject of an examination is appropriately safeguarded. The noble Lord, Lord Paddick, asked for examples of hostile activity that would not be considered a serious crime or even be captured under current UK law or constitute terrorism. Examples might include unauthorised disclosure under the Official Secrets Act 1989; foreign intelligence officers building relationships with government officials with a view to influencing decision-making or recruiting them as an agent, or foreign intelligence officers receiving protectively marked information or stealing research plans for the UK’s next aircraft carrier. Section 1 of the Theft Act 1968 is applicable to tangible and in-action property, but does not cover information. It may be possible to prosecute a person for theft of the medium on which sensitive information is recorded, but the offence would carry limited sentencing. The threat to this country from hostile state activity is greater now than it has ever been. It is therefore vital that the police are equipped to disrupt and deter such activity. Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb I have not quite understood. If these stops by border guards are to be based on intelligence, why do they not need reasonable suspicion? My Lords, I think we went through this other day. It is because officers may have fragmented information which does not amount to reasonable suspicion but may show a pattern emerging. That may not reach the “reasonable suspicion” threshold. As the noble Baroness said, we cannot just stop and search black people arbitrarily; there has to be some rationale for stopping that person. It would not be arbitrary but would not meet threshold of reasonable suspicion. Lord Carlile of Berriew (CB) I am grateful to the Minister for giving way. If somebody is coming through a port of entry and their passport is examined, and in the moment of examination it becomes apparent that there is something about the passport that does not look quite right—for example, there may be very few entries in it whereas the person concerned looks to be a sophisticated traveller—would not such a situation fall well short of being reasonable suspicion but be a proper exercise of the ability of good officers to use intelligence applied in the moment? The noble Lord provides a very good example. It might not amount to reasonable suspicion, but there would certainly be a pattern of activity or information which allowed that officer to stop the individual. Lord Paddick Will the Minister answer my question about why the wording from the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 is not used? It attaches to the consideration of the economic well-being of the United Kingdom the further consideration of the interests of national security to differentiate between acts such as I described, of envoys from Paris and Frankfurt trying to steal UK business, and the example given by the Minister of somebody looking to target the electricity infrastructure. The Minister said that the powers could not be used to target people on the basis of race and religion because it would be illegal. In which case, can she explain why, in one police force area, you are 25 times more likely to be stopped and searched if you are from a black or minority ethnic background than if you are white? Why is that happening when it is illegal? Police stop and search is very often intelligence based. There may be areas where there is a higher than average proportion of black people. Quite often, some of the gang activity is black on black, but you cannot be stopped because you are black. The force I am quoting from is Dorset, if that helps the Minister. That does help me, and of course it is where the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, lives. The noble Lord makes a very good point in that instance. As for envoys trying to steal business, there is nothing wrong with healthy business competition, but undermining the economy, through critical infrastructure, is entirely different. He also asked about the IP Act and I will write to him on that. The answer just handed to me contains a quotation from the noble Lord, Lord Anderson, who wrote: “If Schedule 7 is being skilfully used, therefore, one would expect its exercise to be ethnically ‘proportionate’ not to the UK population, nor even to the airport-using population, but rather to the terrorist population that travels through UK ports”. That is a far more eloquent description of the proportionality. I will write to the noble Lord about the IP Act. Baroness Manningham-Buller (CB) It may help the Committee to focus on this as a counterespionage issue. In the years that I have been here we have had, as I said at Second Reading, endless debates and legislation on terrorism. We are now talking about something that was part of my career 30 years ago. The noble Lord, Lord Paddick, rightly suggests that the poisoning of the Skripals was attempted murder and a serious crime, but there is a range of hostile activity, much of which has been mentioned by the Minister, which is potentially seriously damaging to the UK. At one end, obviously, there is the Skripals and coercive repatriation, but before that there is the collection of information, the targeting of dissidents, collecting really important stuff which is sometimes difficult to detect. In answer to the noble Lord, Lord Rosser—which I should not do—I suspect that this will not be a very frequent occurrence, but as we heard from my successor but one in MI5, this is an increasing and serious problem. This is an attempt by the Government to address a counterespionage issue. I have a commitment this evening which may mean that I cannot stay to the end of this important debate, but I want to say at this stage that there is also the problem that there is quite a lot of this activity which is not serious crime. Under the Official Secrets Act—which, a bit like me and possibly some of your Lordships, is old and creaky—that is not adequately covered. I was encouraged to see that the Prime Minister suggested in the House of Commons on 5 September that some espionage legislation was necessary to bring this subject up to date. I look forward to seeing whether that materialises, and it would be interesting to know whether it is regarded as a patch, temporary or long-term, to some of those other problems. I fear that the later amendments trying to make this all serious crime will not work, because Official Secrets Act offences get only two years’ maximum, whereas serious crime starts at three years. So there is a gap which we have to attempt to fill. I thank the noble Baroness for her very experienced and helpful comments. She asked: is this a patch or have we thought further ahead? Obviously, in legislation that we introduce we try to look at future threats, but who is to know what threats may emerge in the future? Clearly, cybercrime is a hugely growing threat to us. But I thank her for those very helpful clarifications. On that note, I beg to move. Clause 21, as amended, agreed. Lord Marlesford 61: After Clause 21, insert the following new Clause— “Review: dual passports (1) Within the period of 12 months beginning with the day on which this Act is passed, the Secretary of State must lay a report before both Houses of Parliament evaluating the case for requiring dual nationality British citizens to declare the nationality of their other passport or passports in order to assist with border security.(2) The review must consider whether information on dual or multiple passport holders should be made available to border security staff and other relevant national authorities via a centralised database.” Lord Marlesford (Con) My Lords, in this country we allow, quite rightly, UK passport holders to be in the possession of passports of other countries—not just one but two or three; whatever is needed. When someone applies for a UK passport, they are required to declare what other passports they hold. But, astonishingly, this information is not kept in any sort of central database and still less is it available to border officers whose responsibility it is to examine the passports of those entering or leaving the UK. This is why my noble friend the Minister had to tell me, in a Written Answer on 16 April this year, when I asked about a register of second passports: “No statistical information is available showing whether British citizens hold another citizenship”. About five years ago I was tipped off by a member of the Security Service that its operations were made much more difficult by the fact that UK citizens were using their UK passport to travel to one destination and then another passport to get up to mischief, perhaps, in third countries. This was and is particularly relevant to would-be jihadists who travel to Pakistan, for example, and then attend training camps or indeed join al-Qaeda, ISIS or some other terrorist organisation in other countries. I raised this point a couple of years ago with Cressida Dick, the present Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who was at that time responsible for anti-terrorist operations. She expressed astonishment that border control officers were not automatically alerted to other passports held when a UK passport was electronically scrutinised at the point of entry. My Amendment 61 is exceedingly modest. It asks merely that the Government require dual nationals to declare other passports and that this information, “should be made available to border security staff and other relevant national authorities via a centralised database”. In fact, it is even more modest because all I am asking them to do is to study whether this is a sensible idea. That is not asking very much. This would be no more difficult or complicated than many other centralised databases, such as the DVLA for vehicle licences and all the rest of it, and the National Firearms Licensing Management System—the central firearms register—which I caused to be introduced under Section 29 of the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997, which finally came into operation in September 2007, and is working very well. I checked quite recently with my own county firearms officer. The Government have previously used three arguments to oppose what I am proposing. The first is that it would be an infringement of civil liberties. My answer to that is that such a concept of civil liberties is wholly outdated in an age when we are all subject to intense and often intrusive surveillance by foreign powers such as Russia and, rather more efficiently, China. The second is that there could be no way of enforcing the declaration of other passports. That of course has a simple remedy, which is—if it is declared to be deliberate and pernicious—the forfeiture of a UK passport when that is discovered. Noble Lords in the Committee might have their own view on this but I am quite sure that the great majority of second passport holders would have not the slightest objection to this being known to the authorities. After all, we all have to put up with a lot of inconvenient baggage examination under existing counterterrorism operations. Nor should we neglect the possibility of connivance by Home Office staff in committing terrorist or other serious criminal offences, whether in connection with passports or border control. The Minister will be well aware that in the last 12 years no fewer than 54 members of Home Office staff have been sent to prison, sometimes for long periods—nine or 11 years. In a recent case Shamsu Iqbal, an official in the immigration department of the Home Office, was sentenced in April to 15 years for misconduct in public office. Sometimes this connivance involves selling visas or trafficking in passports, assisting illegal immigration, forgery, bribery, money laundering and other serious matters. Only today the newspapers are carrying a report of a Mr Pellett, an officer in the Home Office Border Force, who has just been found guilty of assisting criminal gangs with smuggling in weapons and drugs at Dover. I suggest that the Home Office really cannot argue that we can rely on its existing standards of efficiency, let alone integrity, in the protection of our borders. The third argument is that we should have confidence in the Home Office’s intelligence-led processes and not concern ourselves with these matters. I am sure that my noble friend does not feel this but I think that Home Office officials regard me as pretty impertinent to be talking about these matters. On that I would simply say: it is now 12 years since the noble Lord, Lord Reid, declared when he was Home Secretary that the Home Office was not fit for purpose, while only this month the House of Commons Select Committee concluded, in the matter of my right honourable friend Amber Rudd, that the Home Office had lost its grip. This simple and modest proposal is necessary for national security. I believe that it will improve the Bill and I hope that the Government will show that they have some inclination to get a grip by adopting it. I beg to move. My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend Lord Marlesford for raising this matter and I acknowledge his long-standing interest in this issue. I share his aim of preventing those who may be of interest on the grounds of terrorism, serious crime or hostile activity from avoiding detection at the border. But before I reply substantively to him, I believe the Home Office to be blessed with many, many committed, honourable and very able civil servants. It is wrong for this Committee to gain the impression that it is somehow shot through with those who would seek to disobey the law. That is not my experience and it is certainly not the experience of my noble friend the Minister or, I dare say, any of your Lordships in this House who have had dealings with the Home Office. Holding dual national status is perfectly lawful in the UK and it is not a barrier to acquiring British citizenship or obtaining a British passport. When making such applications, dual nationals are required to provide the Home Office with details of any foreign passports or other nationality held. Such information will assist in the assessment of the application, including, in the case of an application for naturalisation, the assessment of any grounds for refusal based upon conduct through past or present activities. The request for dual national passport information is also necessary in understanding whether a person is using one name for all official purposes. The UK, through the Home Office, has also instituted a policy that a person must have one name for all official purposes and that this is reflected in biometric residence permits, naturalisation and registration documents and passports. This policy is in place not only for travel purposes but to frustrate the use of multiple names for access to goods and services. This, together with other measures in place, minimises the ability of a British citizen to manipulate travel documents to travel in to and out of the UK and other countries undetected for terrorism, trafficking and other criminal activities. My noble friend has asked that the Home Secretary considers two issues: first, the case for dual national British citizens to declare the nationality of their other passport or passports; and secondly, the case for such information to be made available to border officials and other national authorities through a centralised database in order to assist with border security. On the first issue, I have already indicated that when a dual national makes an application for a new, replacement or renewed British passport, Her Majesty’s Passport Office will always ask if the person holds any other passports. Where names in these passports are inconsistent with that being applied for in their British passport, the application will not be granted unless the person aligns their names or meets one of the limited exceptions. An exception is granted for gender change where this is not recognised by the other country to comply with the Equality Act 2010, but any other exception, where granted, requires the applicant to have an observation added to their British passport detailing the name and nationality of their dual national passport. Should such a person fail to disclose at the point of application for a British passport that they hold a passport under another nationality, they would be committing a criminal offence by making a false statement on the application form, and the Home Office would consider withdrawing or refusing to issue a British passport. That would be considered on the individual circumstances of the case and the seriousness of the consequences of the attempted deception. I recognise my noble friend’s concern about preventing those people who seek to cause harm to this country or our allies being able to travel in and out of countries on different passports. The Committee will be aware that the statement setting out the policy on exercising royal prerogative powers in relation to passports was updated by the Home Secretary on 25 April 2013. In her Statement to the House of Commons, the then Home Secretary made clear the importance of being able to refuse or withdraw passport facilities from British nationals who may seek to harm the UK or its allies by travelling on a British passport to, for example, engage in terrorist-related or other serious or organised criminal activity. The Government went further in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 which provided new powers to deal with the problem of foreign fighters and prevent radicalisation. This provided powers to the police temporarily to seize the passports of those suspected of leaving the UK in connection with terrorism-related activity. In some cases, this led to longer-term disruptive action such as use of royal prerogative powers to cancel British passports. I hope my noble friend will agree that a person’s identity is of primary importance and that safeguards are already in place to ensure that when differences in a dual national’s personal details are identified, alignment is required prior to the issue of a British passport. Information and documentation, including foreign passports, provided when making a passport application is recorded and available to others through existing data-sharing agreements. I turn to my noble friend’s second point. He suggested that information on dual or multiple passport holders should be made available to law enforcement agencies through a central database. Border security staff already have access to British passport and intelligence information, and if there is a person of specific interest they can access full details on immigration and passport history through current records. Where provided, this will include any declared dual national passports. We believe that this targeted approach makes the best use of Border Force resources and provides a relevant, timely and proportionate use of HM Passport Office data on dual nationality. This approach is compliant with the data protection principles as laid down in the general data protection regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, and respects those principles of data minimisation. Of course a person can change their name by deed poll or with overseas authorities at any time. However, we do not believe that a requirement to inform UK authorities of name changes, or of the acquisition or loss of other nationality, will make those seeking to hide their identity more likely to provide such information. That is why we believe that the use of facial matching, biometrics and other security checks, focusing on identifying individuals and tying them to an identity, rather than simply seeking to monitor the travel documents that they hold is a more effective safeguard. The UK, in aligning names for all official purposes or adding different names as observations where names are not aligned, assists other countries as well as the UK to identify British citizens who may be seeking to use more than one identity. Furthermore, as we have indicated to my noble friend when he has pursued this issue on previous occasions, we are clear that setting up any additional database on dual nationals would be of limited value. We have seen no evidence to indicate that a dual national database would enhance security at our ports, nor has it been requested by any security, intelligence or border agency. Moreover, there is no reason to believe that the study envisaged by the amendment would reach a different conclusion. I hope my noble friend will agree that steps are already in place to deal with the concerns that he raised. I am satisfied that the existing processes that focus on identity, and recording dual nationality and passports when required, provide the necessary safeguards. Importantly, mechanisms are already in place to share that data with relevant national agencies, including border staff, in a proportional and targeted approach. As Part 2 of the Bill demonstrates, we are ready to strengthen the powers that we need to protect our borders where a compelling operational case has been made and the investment required represents value for money, but we do not believe that a case currently exists for a database of dual nationals. I know this will come as a disappointment to my noble friend, but I hope he will nevertheless be content to withdraw his amendment. My Lords, I have great sympathy with my noble friend for having to read out a Home Office response that completely misses the point of my amendment. The point is that when people hold more than one passport, if their passport is scanned then the fact that they have another passport is automatically revealed. That would be very simple to do, and it is very necessary because that may well give the clue in certain cases—not many, but you do not need many cases for these things to be worth while—of the need for a follow-up. I will of course withdraw the amendment for the moment, but I must ask the Home Office to look at what I am actually proposing because a great deal of what my noble friend read out is wholly irrelevant to the point that I was trying to make. Having said that, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 61 withdrawn. “Consultation on the impact of this Act on the right to protest etc (1) Within the period of one month beginning with the passing of this Act the Secretary of State must consult on the probable impact of the provisions of this Act on the right to protest and undertake peaceful, non-violent direct action.(2) As part of this consultation, the Secretary of State must consider whether to introduce—(a) a statutory definition of “domestic extremism” and statutory criteria for designating individuals as “domestic extremists”; and(b) independent judicial oversight of counter-terrorist operations relating to domestic extremism, including the designation of individuals as “domestic extremists”.(3) The Secretary of State must lay a report of the outcome of the consultation before both Houses of Parliament.” My Lords, my Amendment 62 would require consultation on the right to protest and undertake peaceful, non-violent direct action. This is a very personal amendment for me because I do go to peaceful protests, and it is possible that some other Members of your Lordships’ House do as well—although, looking round, possibly not. I am compelled to bring the amendment for personal reasons but also in the knowledge that the Stansted 15 are undergoing a criminal trial for heroically trying to stop deportations in response to the Windrush scandal and the Government’s now discredited hostile environment policy. I also bring the amendment in the name of all environmental protectors who are harassed by armies of police and private security in the fight against fracking. This includes the Fracking Three, who were thrown in jail by a judge who had family ties to the oil and gas supply chain. They were later freed by the Court of Appeal. I also highlight the tree protectors in Sheffield, who spent years trying to stop the council felling thousands of healthy trees. They faced rough tactics by the police, and the council has taken unprecedented steps that risk bankrupting individual protesters. I pay my respects to all environmental protectors in the UK and around the world who face persecution and prosecution for the crime of protecting our planet. A noble Lord earlier said something about civil liberties being outdated. Not in my world they are not. I argue that if we want to live in a democratic society, civil liberties are a crucial component of it. A common thread runs through all the cases that I just mentioned. That thread is the use and abuse of laws which stamp out legal, peaceful protest. Whether it is terrorism legislation at Stansted, obstruction of the highway in Lancashire or trade union legislation in Sheffield, we see time and again that the state will use the law creatively to deter and punish those who put their bodies on the line to fight injustice and environmental destruction. There is an emerging application of civil injunctions, which means that companies and councils can bankrupt people for exercising their right to protest, even when they have not broken the law. Environmental protesters and campaigners have faced persecution in other ways, too. We have often been designated as domestic extremists and put into the same category as far-right neo-Nazis and the man who murdered MP Jo Cox. We have been spied on by the police and had our campaigns infiltrated by police officers. Some of us have even been deceived by police into forming a sexual relationship as part of their cover story. The sense of state intrusion in our lives is difficult to convey, and undoubtedly puts many people off taking part in protests. We have seen our causes proved right with time. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said that even if we meet the targets in the Paris climate agreement, which is unlikely, we will still see catastrophic consequences. The anti-fracking movement, once mocked for its suggestion that fracking would cause earthquakes, has been proven right by Cuadrilla causing dozens of quakes in the vicinity of its fracking site in Lancashire. Those quakes have repeatedly breached the upper limits set by the Government’s “gold-standard fracking regulations”. The Government’s response has been to change their myth-busting fact sheet from stating that fracking does not cause earthquakes to saying that it does not cause “serious earthquakes”. If the suffragettes were alive today, they would be standing alongside us as domestic extremists facing trumped-up criminal sanctions for doing the right thing. I am sure that in time history will recognise the environmental movement as forcing the same scale of social change as the suffragettes are credited with today. For these reasons, my amendment would require the Government to conduct a consultation on the impact of the Bill on the right to protest and to consult on a statutory system for designating people as “domestic extremists”. This is an essential first step towards enshrining a true right to protest in the UK, recognising that people should have legal defences when they act in protection of the environment and human rights. The powers in the Bill would add to the already long list of laws which can be used or abused against honest, dedicated campaigners—and that must be opposed. I beg to move. Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op) Amendment 62 proposed by the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb, seeks to add a new clause to the Bill after Clause 21concerning the right to protest. The right to protest peacefully is an extremely important right that we should all cherish. I have been on a few marches and protests in my time. I have usually gone with a few friends, standing up for what we believe in. Many of my noble friends have been on marches, and I am sure many other noble Lords have been as well. I do not think any one group can claim that they are the party of protest marches. I hope that the Government will agree that this is an important issue. The right to protest is an important one that we should all cherish. I have generally agreed with the Bill, and am happy to support it. However, I accept that we are giving the Government some extra powers. I support the Bill because it has a narrow focus, dealing with some very important matters, so I hope to get some assurance from the Government. I would not want to see anything in the Bill to stop people protesting peacefully; it is very important that we do not have that. The noble Baroness raised a point about domestic extremism, which is an important issue. I like the noble Baroness very much. We get on, and sometimes we agree on things, and sometimes we do not. I do not regard her as a domestic extremist; she is a campaigner and a noble Member of the House who makes a valuable contribution. It is important that people should not be branded or grouped together so that somehow, their rights can be taken away. However, let us be clear: there are dangerous people in this country. People who have been born here can be very dangerous; they can be on the hard right, the hard left, in other groups, or religious extremists. We need to have laws in place to deal with them, but at the same time we need to protect our right to protest and stand up for what we believe in. I look forward to the Government’s response. Can I just say to the noble Lord, Lord Kennedy, that I was not trying to corner the market in protest? I was thinking that perhaps a lot of Members would not have the time to do that sort of thing. I was not going to speak, and perhaps I should declare an interest, in that I have probably been to more protests than any other Member of this House, but mainly in uniform rather than to protest myself. I am struggling to understand which part of the Bill the noble Baroness is concerned about that would directly impact on peaceful protest. That is why I hesitated to make a contribution. My concern is that this is repressive legislation, and we are already finding that peaceful protest is heavily affected by other parts of terrorism legislation. I therefore think that this would have an impact as well. My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, for setting out the case for her proposed new clause. I would like to reassure her that the provisions in the Bill will not impact on an individual’s right to peacefully protest. Let me say without ifs or buts that this is a right central to a free and democratic society such as ours, and one which we would all seek to uphold and defend. The noble Baroness, Lady Manningham-Buller, argued at Second Reading that, “there is no liberty without security”.—[Official Report, 9/10/18; col. 27.] With due respect to the noble Baroness, I am inclined to agree. The measures in the Bill are intended to ensure that the fundamental rights and values held so dearly by the vast majority of individuals in this country are upheld, and that people are able to express their views and stand up for what they believe in in the face of a malign and growing terrorist threat. While we saw the ultimate expression of these hateful views in Finsbury Park, Westminster, London Bridge and Manchester, these attitudes also undermine the cohesion of our communities, restrict our freedoms and diminish our rights, in particular those of women and girls. I should make it clear that the type of conduct that the Bill’s provisions are aimed at concerns support for proscribed organisations—those which are, by definition, concerned with terrorism. There is a clear public interest in stymieing support for terrorist organisations, since the more support they have, the stronger their capacity to engage in terrorism. The Bill’s provisions, however, would not extend to support for other organisations that are not proscribed, or indeed to expressions of support for causes that are neither terrorism nor otherwise illegal. Tackling the evil ideology of extremism is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and we need a new approach to identifying, exposing and defeating it. This year, to step up the fight against extremists, we established the independent Commission for Countering Extremism, which will be crucial to bringing new drive and innovative thinking to all our efforts to tackle extremism. Our published charter sets out the commission’s status as a transparent organisation operating independently from government, and provides it with a clear remit to support the Government in identifying and confronting extremist ideology in all its forms, whether Islamist, far and extreme right-wing, violent or non-violent. It also confirms that the commission will have no remit on counterterrorism policies, including Prevent. In its first year, the commission is engaging widely and openly and is undertaking an intensive evidence-gathering phase to inform the advice to government on new policies to counter extremism. This will include revisiting the extremism definition. The commission has now engaged with over 400 experts and activists and, in September, published the terms of reference for its study, which will be informed by an open public consultation, evidence from government and further research. I urge everyone to engage with the commission in this vital effort. Peaceful protest is a vital part of a democratic society. It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to gather together and to demonstrate their views, however uncomfortable these may be to the majority of us, provided that they do so within the law. Articles 9, 10 and 11 of the ECHR form the basis of an individual’s right to participate in peaceful protest. There is, of course, a balance to be struck. Protesters’ rights need to be balanced with the rights of others to go about their business without fear of intimidation or serious disruption to the community. Rights to peaceful protest do not extend to violent or threatening behaviour and the police have powers to deal with any such acts. However, these powers are not contained within counterterrorism legislation, but in the Public Order Act 1986. Under that Act, chief officers of police may impose conditions on assemblies and public processions to prevent serious public disorder, serious damage to property, or serious disruption to the life of the community. The directions can relate to the duration, location and size of any demonstration. If the police assess that a march will cause serious public disorder, despite conditions being set, they can apply to the local council for an order prohibiting the holding of a public procession for a period of up to three months. The council must obtain the consent of the Home Secretary before making a banning order. In the London area, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner would need to apply to the Home Secretary for consent to ban the march. The police must not prevent, hinder or restrict peaceful assembly, except to the extent allowed by Article 11(2) of the ECHR. They must not impose unreasonable, indirect restrictions on persons exercising their rights to peaceful assembly, such as imposing a condition on the location of a protest which effectively negates the purpose of the protest. Pre-emptive measures taken by the police which restrict the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly will be subject to particular scrutiny. In certain circumstances, the police have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect those who want to exercise their rights peacefully. This applies where there is a threat of disruption or disorder from others. This does not mean that there is an absolute duty to protect those who want to protest, but the police must take reasonable measures in particular circumstances. Following debate in Committee in the House of Commons, my colleague the Security Minister undertook to consider amendments designed to prevent charges being levied on the organisers of a public procession or assembly, should an anti-terrorism traffic regulation order be required to protect such an event. The Government brought forward an amendment to Clause 15 to achieve this, so as not to restrict the right to peaceful protest, as we believe that people should not be charged to exercise these fundamental human rights. Prior to introduction of the Bill in the House of Commons, the Home Secretary made a statement that in his view the provisions of the Bill are compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights—a view which my noble friend shared when the Bill was introduced to this House. Given all this, and the scrutiny the Bill has received during its passage through both Houses and by the Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Constitution Committee, I am not persuaded that the consultation exercise envisaged by Amendment 62 is necessary. I hope that, with that somewhat lengthy explanation, and having had this opportunity to debate this important topic, the noble Baroness will be content to withdraw her amendment for the time being. I thank the Minister and beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames “Access to a solicitor (1) Schedule 8 to the Terrorism Act 2000 is amended as follows.(2) In paragraph 7(1) leave out “paragraphs 8 and 9” and insert “paragraph 8”.(3) In paragraph 7A—(a) leave out sub-paragraph (3);(b) in sub-paragraph (6) leave out from second “would” to the end and insert “create an immediate risk of physical injury to any person”;(c) in sub-paragraph (7) at the end insert “provided the consultation is in private”;(d) leave out sub-paragraph (8).(4) Leave out paragraph 9.” Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames (LD) My Lords, this amendment is also in the name of my noble friend Lord Paddick and the noble Lords, Lord Rosser and Lord Kennedy of Southwark. It would amend Schedule 8 to the Terrorism Act to protect the right of a person detained or questioned under Section 41—on suspicion of being a terrorist—or Schedule 7 of that Act, which is concerned with questioning at ports and borders, to consult a solicitor and to do so without delay and in private. The first and third parts of our amendment, in proposed new subsections (2) and (4), would amend paragraph 7(1) and omit paragraph 9 of Schedule 8. Paragraph 7(1) presently provides, subject to two exceptions to which I will turn in a moment, that a person so detained, “shall be entitled, if he so requests, to consult a solicitor as soon as is reasonably practicable, privately and at any time”. The two exceptions to the entitlement under paragraph 7(1) are, first, the power to delay a consultation with a solicitor. Under paragraph 8, an officer of the rank of superintendent or higher may authorise a delay in permitting the detained person to consult a solicitor in certain prescribed circumstances; the second is a restriction on the right to consult in private, which we suggest is central to the right to confidential advice. Under paragraph 9(1), a direction by a police officer of the rank of commander or assistant chief constable or above may in certain circumstances provide that a detained person who wishes to consult a solicitor may only do so, “in the sight and hearing of a qualified officer”. The specified circumstances for the application of both exceptions are—I paraphrase—where the lack of such a direction may lead to any of a number of risks. They include damage to evidence of a serious offence, interference with or physical injury to any person, alerting other suspects, hindering the recovery of property obtained as a result of a serious offence, hindering information gathering or investigation, alerting someone to an investigation so as to make it more difficult to prevent an act of terrorism, and alerting someone so as to make it more difficult to apprehend, prosecute or convict a person of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism. Our amendment would, significantly, leave the exception under paragraph 8 relating to the power to delay a consultation in the specified circumstances but would remove the exception under paragraph 9—that is, the denial of the right to a consultation in private. We are clear in our view that it is fundamental to the right to consult a solicitor that the consultation should indeed be in private. The Joint Committee on Human Rights considered this question in its second report. It said in the section on access to a lawyer, in respect of Schedule 3 to this Bill, at paragraph 55 and 56: “In some cases, the detainee may only consult a solicitor in the sight and hearing of a ‘qualified officer’. The Government explains that this restriction exists to disrupt and deter a detainee who seeks to use their legal privilege to pass on instructions to a third party, either through intimidating their solicitor or passing on a coded message … We recognise these concerns, but consider that there are more proportionate ways of mitigating these risks, such as pre-approval of vetted panels of lawyers. We suggest further consideration be given to alternative options so that timely and confidential legal advice can be given to all persons stopped and detained under these powers”. It is profoundly regrettable that the Government seem to have fallen into a habit of cavalier disregard of the recommendations of that very distinguished and largely consensual cross-party committee of both Houses. I echo the regret expressed by my noble friend Lady Hamwee at Second Reading at some of the disparaging remarks made by the Security Minister Ben Wallace MP in the House of Commons about that committee. In objecting to the proposals in the Bill on this point, the Law Society said: “Legal professional privilege … is a cornerstone of the constitution and the rule of law in this country. It guarantees that individuals can consult a legal representative in confidence, underpinning the right to a fair trial and access to justice. This privilege belongs to clients not lawyers. Not only is legal privilege central to the protection of the rights of individuals, the ability to access a fair and efficient legal system is the reason why our law and jurisdiction are used throughout the world”. The second part of our amendment in sub-paragraph (3) would amend paragraph 7(a) of Schedule 8 of the Terrorism Act, which prevents questioning of a person detained at ports or borders, “until the person has consulted a solicitor (or no longer wishes to do so)”. That consultation must generally be a consultation in person. These protections are subject to two exceptions. The first is that the entitlement to consult a solicitor does not apply if, “the examining officer reasonably believes that postponing the questioning until”, a solicitor has been consulted, “would be likely to prejudice determination”, of the matters under investigation. The second is that the consultation need not be in person if, “the examining officer reasonably believes that the time it would take to consult a solicitor in person would be likely to prejudice”, that determination. Our amendment would remove the exception for reasonable suspicion that consulting a solicitor might risk the determination of the matters under investigation. It is far too easy for an officer to come to that view, and the right to consult a solicitor is too fundamental to natural justice, to allow a suspicion of possible prejudice to an investigation to displace it. One must remember that this paragraph is concerned only with questioning at ports and borders where no suspicion of terrorism is necessary. It is not an investigation under Section 41, where there is suspicion of terrorism. In relation to the right for a consultation to be in person, our amendment would remove the general and very broad exception for likely prejudice to the investigation but would permit an exception in a more limited class of case where the examining officer reasonably believes that the delay involved in arranging a personal consultation would create an immediate risk of physical injury to any person. Finally, in relation to this amendment, the exception to the right to a consultation in person permits the examining officer in a case where the exception applies to require the consultation to take place in another way. Our amendment would add the proviso that such a requirement must ensure that the consultation will be in private. Before closing, I add my support to Amendments 83 to 88 in this group in the names of my noble friends Lord Paddick and Lady Hamwee, and the noble Lords, Lord Rosser and Lord Kennedy of Southwark. These amendments intend to protect the right of a person detained under Schedule 3 at a port or border area. They are recommended in exact terms by the Joint Committee on Human Rights and I repeat my observations about the respect that ought to be accorded to that committee’s recommendations. We should always remember when considering counterterrorism legislation that a central aim of it is to defend our democracy. Human rights, including the right to take timely and confidential legal advice, are fundamental to our democracy and should be limited only where the case is overwhelming. That is one of the reasons why we have a Joint Committee on Human Rights, otherwise the terrorists gain what they wish. My noble friend Lady Hamwee will explain these amendments in more detail. Amendment 83 would confer a right on detained persons to be informed of their right to consult a solicitor when first detained. Amendment 84 would remove the right to delay a consultation with a solicitor. Amendment 85 would remove the exception to the right to have a consultation with a solicitor in private in circumstances parallel to those that apply under the Terrorism Act by committing consultations in the sight and hearing of a qualified officer. Amendment 86, as an alternative, would substitute a consultation in the sight of a qualified officer but not in his or her hearing. We firmly suggest that the Government place a higher value on the importance to human rights of timely access to confidential legal advice from a solicitor in person. The restrictions in the Terrorism Act and in this Bill are disproportionate and should, I suggest, be amended in the ways we propose. I beg to move. My Lords, my noble friend’s curtain-raiser has covered a great deal of the ground. I will speak to Amendments 83, 84, 85, 87 and 88, which come from the Joint Committee on Human Rights and seek to ensure that, under Schedule 3 to the Bill, detainees are informed of their rights and provided with timely and confidential legal advice in all four jurisdictions. It is because there is more than one jurisdiction that there are a number of amendments. We are concerned that the safeguard of access to a lawyer is not adequately protected under this Bill. In particular, it is not clear that an individual will even be informed of his right to request access—apparently, this is available only on request. Access to a lawyer may not be available when a person is questioned initially; it may be delayed. In our view, it is not sufficient to rely on a code of practice in this area. The legislation should be adequate in itself and, as regards access, unqualified or very close to unqualified. I will come to that in a moment. The Government told the committee that a code of practice would make clear that permission to seek legal advice should be permitted when “reasonably practicable” and that the, “restrictions are to mitigate against the possibility of an examination being obstructed or frustrated as a result of a detainee using his right to a solicitor”. Leaving aside whether we should accept the second point—and I do not think I do—it is my view that the two statements are barely consistent or compatible. My noble friend quoted the Government’s response that legal privilege might be used to pass on instructions to a third party through intimidation or a coded message. These powers, or restrictions, unjustifiably interfere with the right to timely and confidential advice and therefore, ultimately, with the right to a fair trial if there is a prosecution. I make that point because the Joint Committee approaches everything from the point of view of human rights, the right to a fair trial being one. There is not in the Bill a sufficient safeguard against the arbitrary exercise of the powers. The last time I recall there being a question on legal privilege being regarded as a problem by the Government, I sat and listened in a Minister’s office to something like a seminar with the Minister and two very senior lawyers—both Members of this House and both of whom are here this afternoon—who articulated very effectively and authoritatively what I would describe as my own queasiness about the suggestion that access to a solicitor should be restricted. They dealt very effectively with the safeguards that exist against dodgy lawyers, if I may put it like that. After all, this issue is not peculiar to this situation. As my noble friend said, there have been suggestions such as the pre-approval of vetted panels of lawyers. I am not quite convinced—we will hear from the noble Lord, Lord Rosser—that Amendment 86, tabled by the Labour Benches, meets the Government’s points or deals with the principle, but we urge the Government to consider how a client’s fundamental human rights in this area should be protected, because there are other ways of dealing with this. Lord Judge (CB) My Lords, I invite the Government to think rather carefully about this. This provision enables an individual to be stopped, detained and searched—it is true that it is not an intimate search, but it is a strip search—and his or her property to be detained. It really should be elementary that he or she should be able to speak to a lawyer of some kind within the ambit of the amendment of the noble Lord, Lord Marks, if only to be told, “Yes, they do have these powers. It would be rather a good idea for you to comply”. Lord Pannick (CB) My Lords, I too am concerned about the subject, and I agree with the comments that have been made. The right to confidential legal advice is fundamental to the rule of law. The right to consult a solicitor is simply pointless if it is not to take place in private—a client will not speak freely in those circumstances. Therefore, any restrictions must be necessary and proportionate. I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Marks, that it is vital to look for more proportionate means of addressing the Government’s legitimate concerns. I also agree with him that a way forward is to adopt the approach that the client ought to be able to speak freely to any solicitor unless there are reasonable grounds to believe that that solicitor will not act in accordance with his or her professional obligations. Regrettably, there have been cases of such solicitors, although they have been very few, and it seems to me entirely disproportionate to prevent access to confidential legal advice because of the misbehaviour of a few rogue solicitors. We can deal with rogue solicitors in other ways. We too are obviously concerned about the right to access a solicitor. My name, and that of my noble friend Lord Kennedy, is attached to all the amendments in this group, but the one I wish to speak to in particular is Amendment 86. As the others do, this amendment refers to legal professional privilege and to a person’s ability to consult a lawyer in private in relation to stops at the border. As has been said, there is a power in the Bill for an officer not only to watch someone receiving legal advice but to hear that legal advice being given. Concerns were raised by the Government when the matter was discussed in the Commons. The first argument advanced by the Government was that, rather than contacting a lawyer, a person might contact someone they wanted to notify of the fact that they had been stopped. The Government further argued that that person might notify a lawyer who would not adhere to the professional standards that we would expect and who might pass some information on. The third argument advanced was that of a lawyer inadvertently passing on a piece of information. That appears to be the guts of the Government’s argument in favour of what is in the Bill at present. As the Minister will know, the shadow Minister for Security in the Commons put forward a proposition that there should be a panel of lawyers, properly regulated, he said, by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Law Society. I have subsequently found out that not necessarily all lawyers hold those organisations in complete awe, but the principle was one of having a panel of lawyers that was properly regulated. In his response in the Commons, the Minister for Security said he thought that the suggestion was a good one and promised to take it away and look at it. I hope that, in the light of that, we will be able to make some progress on this issue and that the Minister, on behalf of the Government, will be able to indicate movement—a great deal of movement, I hope—on the Government’s part towards the objective of ensuring a right to legal advice, to access a solicitor and to do so in private. Lord Anderson of Ipswich (CB) My Lords, the provisions relating to access to a lawyer, so far as they replicate those in Schedule 7, which I understand they are intended to do, should be seen against the background of three matters. First, the maximum period under both schedules is six hours’ detention, which was reduced from nine hours a few years ago and from much longer periods during the Troubles, when, as now, these controls could be applied to travellers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain—a long-standing example of a border down the Irish Sea. Secondly, some of these seaports and airports are remote, and stops, let alone detentions, are so unusual that it would be quite impracticable always to have a panel of lawyers on tap. Thirdly, a fact long considered obvious by the courts, and now enshrined in Clause 16, is that answers given under these compulsory powers may not be used in subsequent criminal proceedings save in the special circumstances outlined for Schedule 7 by the Supreme Court in Beghal and echoed in the Bill. The last of those factors caused Mr Justice Collins, in the case of CC, in 2012, to doubt whether there was any value at all in the presence of a lawyer during Schedule 7 questioning, since no responsible lawyer could advise their client to break the law by remaining silent. That view was rejected by the Divisional Court in the case of Elosta, which held that: “The solicitor does have a useful, if limited, role to play”. The fact remains that there are differences between an examination under Schedule 3 or Schedule 7, on the one hand, and a classic police interview under caution, on the other. It is perhaps also relevant to have in mind that, unless I am mistaken—I am sure I will be corrected if I am—these equivalent powers appear not only under Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act but under Schedule 8, where detention for much longer periods, of up to 14 days, is contemplated. Before the Minister thinks I have become too tame, let me please make this point. The operation of any powers to delay or impose limitations on access to legal advice, if they are to continue and to be extended, must be subject to effective independent review. This will only be possible if the reasons are recorded, as is correctly provided for in Schedule 3, and if the number of occasions on which they have been used is published, so that concerned citizens are aware and the independent reviewer can investigate individual cases or draw attention to and explore the reasons for any increasing trend in the use of the powers. The number of occasions on which access to a solicitor has been delayed for those detained under Schedule 8 is logged meticulously in Northern Ireland and published by the NIO in its annual statistics on terrorism legislation. The latest figures tell us that between 2001 and March 2018, only five persons in Northern Ireland were refused immediate access to a solicitor. However, effective review requires the equivalent figures to be available for the whole country. I was given to understand four years ago by the Home Office—not for the first time—that this was work in progress, at least where Schedule 8 was concerned. Will the Minister undertake that the statistics relating to delayed and conditional access to a solicitor on the part of those detained under the Terrorism Act and the new hostile state activity powers will be published across the country; and will she tell us whether there is anything she can do to speed things up a bit? My Lords, I thank noble Lords for their on these amendments, particularly the noble Lord, Lord Marks. I hope that by the end of my remarks, your Lordships will be more satisfied about the progress of the Bill in this area. The amendments in this group raise the important issue of a detainee’s right to access a solicitor when detained under the ports powers in Schedule 3 to the Bill or Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000. These amendments seek to ensure that where an individual has been detained under these schedules, the examining officer must postpone questioning until the examinee has consulted a solicitor in private. I am aware that the right to access a solicitor under these ports powers was the subject of much debate as this Bill was scrutinised in the House of Commons, as the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, pointed out. The good speeches at Second Reading in this House served as a fitting reminder that, as new threats emerge, we must continue to be steadfast in our commitment to the principles that our laws and practices are founded on. The powers under these schedules would afford any person formally detained the right to consult a solicitor, privately, if they request to do so. In the vast majority of cases where an individual has been detained under these powers, there will be no reason to interfere with that right. In exceptional circumstances, however, there may be a need for a more senior police officer to restrict that right where the officer has reasonable grounds for believing that allowing the detainee to exercise his or her right to consult a solicitor privately will have certain serious consequences—for example, interference with evidence or the gathering of information; injury to another person; alerting others that they are suspected of an indictable offence; or hindering the recovery of property obtained by an indictable offence. I have listened carefully to the debate; it is clear that there are particular concerns about the restrictions under these schedules that would allow an assistant chief constable to require the detainee to consult their solicitor within the sight and hearing of another police officer. Let me explain that the intention behind this restriction is to disrupt a detainee who seeks to exploit their right to consult a solicitor by using the solicitor as a conduit to pass on instructions to a third party, either through intimidation, willing collusion or the use of a coded message, as the noble Lord, Lord Marks, pointed out. Reasonable grounds for belief might develop where prior intelligence indicates that the individual may seek to obstruct an examination, either because they have a history of doing so or they have been trained to evade, frustrate or subvert police examinations. The officer might also witness interactions between the individual and their solicitor that alerts them to the possibility that the detainee is intimidating their solicitor. Amendments 85, 86 and 88 and the equivalents in the new clause proposed by Amendment 63 would see these restrictions removed from Schedules 3 and 7 in their entirety. I understand the rationale for these amendments and recognise the force of the arguments that have been made in defence of the principle of lawyer-client confidentiality. At the same time, we are all here because we recognise the threat that we face from hostile state actors and terrorists and the risk of leaving loopholes to be exploited. As alluded to by the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, during the debate on similar amendments on Report in the House of Commons, the Security Minister undertook to consider the proposal of the Opposition Front Bench to allow a senior officer, in such circumstances, to direct that the detainee use a solicitor from an approved panel—a point mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Marks, and the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, who reiterated this same proposition in today’s debate. Such an approach may offer an acceptable way through this issue and I can undertake to give sympathetic consideration to his amendment in advance of Report. However, I cannot be so accommodating about Amendment 84 because it would remove the power under Schedule 3 to delay a consultation between the detainee and their solicitor where a senior officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the exercise of this right will result in the consequences I have previously described. Powers for an officer to delay the communication of the fact of a person’s detention to a named person and to delay that detainee’s access to a solicitor have been enshrined in PACE for many years. These powers are therefore not novel but are familiar in the wider policing context and allow the police to delay contact with a third party or consultation with a solicitor where there are reasonably founded concerns that knowledge of the person’s detention may result in serious consequences. Removing this power of delay would undermine the ability to mitigate these risks. I have already addressed part of Amendment 63 but let me now respond to the proposed changes to the other powers that allow an examining officer to restrict a Schedule 7 detainee’s access to a solicitor. These restrictions under Schedule 8 to the 2000 Act currently allow an examining officer to question a detainee without a consultation having first taken place with a solicitor in person. However, I must point out that this does not preclude the detainee from consulting a solicitor via another means—for example, by telephone. These powers can be exercised only where the officer reasonably believes that to wait for the solicitor to arrive in person would prejudice the determination of the relevant matters. Amendment 63, however, would limit the availability of these restrictions to a situation where waiting for the solicitor to arrive in person could create an immediate risk of physical injury to any person. This is contrary to the intention of the powers, which were designed to mitigate the risk of a detainee using their right to consult a solicitor to obstruct and frustrate the examination and run down the short detention clock. As noble Lords will be aware and as the noble Lord, Lord Anderson, pointed out, the maximum period of examination is limited to six hours. It would not take a trained terrorist or hostile actor to work out that if they were to insist on speaking to a solicitor, in person, who happens to be located many miles away from the port where they are being examined, they have a means of significantly delaying their examination. The current powers under Schedule 8 provide a practical solution to mitigate that risk by allowing the person to consult that solicitor over the phone. If the person refuses that alternative, or the solicitor is unavailable, the officer can continue questioning the person while they wait for the solicitor to arrive. Any decision by the officer to apply these restrictions must be clearly recorded. Before using these restrictions, the examining officer will exhaust all other means to ensure that the detainee has been able to consult a solicitor in private, including directing them to a solicitor of the duty solicitor scheme. The changes proposed in Amendment 63 would resurrect the risks that I have described and undermine key powers for countering terrorism. The noble Lord, Lord Anderson, asked about recording when restrictions are used in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We will consider with our operational partners which statistics it would be appropriate to publish with regard to Schedule 3. I hope that the noble Lord is satisfied with that response and I will keep him updated. Lord Anderson of Ipswich The noble Baroness has asked whether I am satisfied with the response. As the independent reviewer, I was told four years ago that this was happening, and it was not the first time that I had been told it was happening, in relation to Schedule 8. I am sure that the Minister did not mean to backtrack on that commitment, but I would be very grateful if she felt able to give someone a bit of a push. I was going to use the word “shove”, but I will give them a push instead, which is probably more in keeping with your Lordships’ House. Perhaps I may move on finally to Amendments 83 and 87. I draw the attention of the Committee to the draft Schedule 3 code of practice, which I have already circulated to noble Lords. Like its equivalent for Schedule 7, the draft code is clear that a person detained under either power must be provided with a notice of detention that clarifies their rights and obligations. The examining officer must also explain these rights and obligations to the detainee before continuing with the examination. In addition, at each periodic review of the detention, the examining officer must remind the detainee of any rights that they have not yet exercised. The Government are in complete agreement that any person detained under Schedule 3 should be informed of their rights before any further questioning takes place. It has always been the case through the exercise of Schedule 7 powers and it is why we have made it explicit in the equivalent draft code of practice for Schedule 3. While the Government are clear that the intention behind these amendments has already been satisfied through the provision of the draft code, I am now ready to consider further the merits of writing such a requirement into Schedule 3 and Schedule 8 to the Terrorism Act. With those remarks, I hope that the noble Lord, Lord Marks, will be content to withdraw his amendment. I am grateful to the Minister for the points that she has said she will consider. We will wait to hear the results of that consideration. I also thank all noble Lords who have spoken in the debate. Although I do not necessarily come from the same position as the noble Lord, Lord Anderson, on these amendments, he made an important point about the recording of incidents when the right of consultation with a solicitor is either delayed or restricted. Whether it is a push or a shove that is needed, it would be helpful if that could be clearly achieved. I also make the point that while it is helpful that, in the vast majority of cases, the Government intend to ensure that the right to consult a solicitor in private in a timely and confidential manner is preserved, they should not underestimate the importance of the confidentiality of advice—a point made eloquently by the noble Lord, Lord Pannick. That is of course particularly relevant in circumstances where answering questions under these powers is compulsory. I therefore invite the Government to consider carefully, over and above the matters that the Minister has said she will consider, how far more proportionate ways of ensuring that detainees do not disrupt the purposes of their examination can be achieved without compromising confidentiality or the fundamental right to consult a solicitor. If we have that assurance—I note that the Minister is nodding in assent—I am happy to withdraw my amendment. However, it is a matter that we may well return to on Report. Schedule 3: Border security Amendment 63A 63A: Schedule 3, page 38, line 35, at end insert— “(3A) In order to inform a decision on whether to select a person for questioning under this paragraph an officer may approach a person and ask questions for screening purposes. (3B) Screening under sub-paragraph (3A) may include, but is not limited to—(a) asking questions to establish the identity, provenance and destination of a person;(b) asking questions to establish the method of travel and purpose of travel of a person;(c) scrutiny of a person’s travel document;(d) a comparison of the holder against the image contained in the document;(e) requesting additional documents from the person relevant to screening;(f) checking personal information against records where there is no significant additional delay.(3C) It is not an offence for a person to refuse to answer questions asked for screening purposes or to refuse to otherwise engage with officers in the screening process. (3D) An officer must inform any person they approach for screening purposes that they are not obliged to answer questions or engage with the officer on the screening process.(3E) An examining officer must not exercise powers under this Schedule, with the exception of the power to approach a person for screening purposes under sub-paragraph (3A), in respect of any person unless that person has been notified that an examination under this Schedule has commenced.” My Lords, as has been said, the Bill provides for a person to be questioned and detained under Schedule 3 powers and makes it an offence to refuse to answer questions in examinations. The draft code of guidance, which we have now seen, recognises that there may be a preliminary stage of questioning during which people may be screened before an officer chooses to officially question them under the schedule. During screening, a person is not required to answer a question they do not want to and the code of practice states that a person must be told when the screening ends and an official examination begins. The purpose of this amendment is simply to put the screening process, the right of a person not to answer questions and, equally importantly, the right of a person to be told when screening ends and questioning begins on to the face of the Bill. The screening does not appear to be an insignificant process. The draft code of practice, which we have sought to enshrine in the amendment, sets out the kinds of questions that can be asked and the issues that can be raised during the screening process. It states that there is no requirement for officers to keep a record of a screening interaction unless the person is subsequently selected for a Schedule 3 examination. There will be circumstances in which there is a requirement to make a record of a screening interaction. Indeed, it also says that while the screening of persons should take only a few minutes—I do not know what “a few minutes” is in this context—it states: “If it appears that this period will take significantly longer, the examining officer must conclude the screening process and either commence a Schedule 3 examination or notify the person that they have no further questions”. Again, in a situation where they run out of time and decide to commence a Schedule 3 examination, a record of the screening interaction must be made. It is not clear to us at the moment why no reference to this process has appeared in the Bill. One purpose of the amendment is to get an answer to that question since it would appear to be a part of the process under Schedule 3, which we have been discussing. I beg to move. My Lords, for every person who is subject to a Schedule 7 examination, as I often used to report, some 10 to 20 others are asked light-touch screening questions on a consensual basis, as a result of which it is determined that a Schedule 7 examination is not necessary. The prevalence of screening questions may explain the discrepancy between the low and rapidly declining incidence of Schedule 7 examinations, on the one hand—I think they are running at around a quarter of the level they were when the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, handed over the post of independent reviewer to me—and, on the other hand, the perception of some people that they are stopped on a routine basis when they travel abroad. I reported in 2016 the example of a security-cleared government lawyer with a Muslim-sounding name who had been stopped by police on each of the last five occasions that he had left the country and on the majority of occasions when he re-entered it. On each occasion, as he acknowledged, he was stopped for screening questions only. Because screening questions are not recorded, there was of course no way of alerting ports officers of the previous fruitless stops. I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, that the parameters applicable to screening questions need to be clearly set out under Schedule 3 to the Bill, as under Schedule 7. The draft code of practice, which I thank the Minister for providing well in advance, goes a long way towards doing that, although I am not sure that it cracks all the old chestnuts, one of them being how, if at all, one can administer screening questions to a coachload of people who are on their way to a possibly troubled part of the world. As to whether screening questions should go into statute, the noble Lord is not alone in his provisional view. Senior ports officers have said to me—as I have recorded in the past—that if screening questions appeared in Schedule 7, we would all know where we stood. Against that, one thinks of the provisions in PACE Code C relating to “voluntary interviews”, which are not enshrined in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, no doubt because of the moral and social duty, as it has been described by the courts, that every citizen has to give voluntary assistance to the police. I approach this issue with an open mind and look forward to hearing what the Minister has to say. In particular, can she tell us whether she has consulted the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, who is to have oversight of Schedule 3 and, if so, what he had to say, because I suspect that his view may help to inform mine? Lord Carlile of Berriew My Lords, my noble friend Lord Anderson tempts me to say a few words on this matter. He is absolutely right that the number of Schedule 7 stops declined dramatically over the years, and there was a very good reason for it. When I became Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, a phrase commonly used with me was “copper’s nose”. I was extremely concerned, because—if the noble Lord, Lord Paddick, will forgive me—coppers do not always have the same-sized noses nor the same air throughput into them. Some officers started to develop them for themselves. The noble Lord, Lord Hogan-Howe, is no longer here, but some officers in Scotland Yard with what is now called SO16 demonstrated to me how they had refined copper’s nose into a series of behavioural analyses that led them to decide whether and how to ask screening questions. A whole behavioural science has built up around this; it is called behavioural analysis. It emanated from America, but it has been well used by police officers here—I have been to a number of lectures about it. I regret that the formalisation of screening questions, as suggested in the amendment, is completely impractical. My noble friend Lord Anderson referred to a coachload of passengers. One place that I used to visit quite regularly was Dover port, where buses come through at speed. Officers go on to them and ask questions such as, “Where are you going?” or “When did you come to this country?”, usually based on a reason that they have derived from the methodology they use for the people they are questioning. Formalising this process would make it very slow and more oppressive in the minds of those asked simple screening questions. They do not mind being asked a simple question or two, but they would mind if it were done in a way that suggested that it was part of a formal police process. The police generally do this very well. They should be left to do it as they do it. We should not over-formalise something which has evolved to a point where the people who are stopped, asked a series of questions and detained for a time, and whose attention is demanded for a time, are usually those of whom there are good reasons to ask more detailed questions. My Lords, I accept what the noble Lord has just said, but in my reading of the amendment, which uses the phrase, “may include, but is not limited to”, it would not limit the sorts of questions that could be asked, but it would differentiate formally between a Schedule 7 situation and asking the simple questions as indicated in it. Does the noble Lord really think that an examining officer getting on to a bus at Dover should walk up to a passenger and say, “I am notifying you that an examination under Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act has been commenced. You’re not obliged to answer any questions or engage with me during this screening process. It is not an offence to refuse to engage with me in any way during this screening process. Where are you going?”? It sounds an absurdity, and it would be obstructive to the normal work of police officers under Schedule 7. Does the noble Lord not agree that, although the number of Schedule 7 stops has been reduced dramatically, there remains effectiveness in Schedule 7, which was never shown, for example, in Section 44 stop and search, which he will remember well? My reading of the amendment is that it would differentiate between a Schedule 7 encounter, where the person is not entitled to silence and has to answer questions because they commit an offence if they do not, and the informal process that leads up to a Schedule 7 encounter. I thank noble Lords for their points on this amendment. I start by saying to the noble Lord, Lord Anderson, that the IPC has been consulted throughout the drafting of the code. The interactions between noble Lords probably go to the root of the amendment proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Rosser. The section on screening outlined in the Schedule 3 code, which mirrors the existing guidance for the equivalent CT powers, is there to provide ports officers with clarity on the distinction between questions that can be asked by police officers in the ordinary course of their duties with a view to deciding whether to examine someone and questions that are permissible only once a Schedule 3 examination has commenced; that is, those questions designed to elicit information to enable an officer to determine whether the person is or has been concerned in hostile activity. We have all come across police officers as we go about our daily lives and are used to seeing them on local streets and in tourist hotspots or protecting our national infrastructure. Wherever officers are on the ground, it is reasonable to expect them to interact with the public. It is not only a reasonable expectation but a vital aspect of front-line policing. Such interactions will vary and depend on the specific purposes. They may range from polite conversation between an officer and a member of the public to a situation where an officer wants to query why a person is acting in a certain way or why they are present in a certain place. In such circumstances, police officers do not rely on specific powers of questioning; rather, they are simply engaging members of the public during their ordinary duties, as the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, pointed out. It is no different when officers are stationed at UK ports. It would be unusual if officers did not interact with the public in this way. It would be even more unusual if front-line officers were not able to use those interactions to determine whether any further action was needed. It is unfortunate that, in trying to clarify this distinction between what would constitute questioning or interaction during ordinary police duties and questioning that can take place only once a Schedule 3 examination has commenced, the language and intention of the code have somehow been misunderstood. Let me be clear: what is referred to as “screening” in the draft code is not a prescribed process or procedure that ports officers must adopt before selecting a person for examination. It is a clarification of what questions can be asked, if appropriate, prior to selection for examination, as against the questions that can be asked only during an examination. It is quite possible that a ports officer will speak to members of the public at a UK port in the course of their duties with no intention of selecting them for an examination of any kind. Of course, the person’s behaviour might lead the officer to consider use of a police power, but Amendment 63A could have the unfortunate implication that, in other contexts and absent specific statutory powers, officers are unable to talk to the public or request to see their documents in the ordinary course of their duties to determine whether they need to take the further step of invoking their legal powers. It would define such questioning as being part of the Schedule 3 examination itself, rather than something that takes place before an examination. All that said, even though I do not agree with the amendment, we will consider whether further clarity is needed in the code before formally laying it before Parliament for a debate and approval by both Houses. I hope that, with that assurance, the noble Lord will be content to withdraw his amendment. I thank the Minister for that response and all other noble Lords who have participated in this brief debate. I am grateful to the Minister for saying, if I understood her correctly, that there will be further reflection on this issue. I accept that she has not, on behalf of the Government, accepted the amendment. I do not know whether it is the listing of potential questions that is the cause of the difficulty. If it is, one solution might simply be to make reference to the fact that there may be a screening process, without laying down specifically what the questions are that may or may not be asked as part of it, since most of the debate seems to have centred on listing the specific questions. These, of course, were lifted straight from the code of practice. I think that the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, put it correctly. Rather than prescribe a list of questions, I am seeking to get clarity within the code in due course. I take it from that that the Minister will be coming back to let us know the outcome. On that basis, I thank the Minister for her response and I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 63A withdrawn. Amendments 64 to 65A not moved. 66: Schedule 3, page 38, line 41, leave out “hostile act” and insert “serious crime” My Lords, this amendment goes to the purposes for which the Schedule 3 power can be used. It raises what I believe is an important point of principle, to which there may, however, be a pragmatic solution. Schedule 3, like Schedule 7, contains perhaps the most extensive police powers anywhere in the statute book, extending to questioning, with no right to silence, detention, the taking of fingerprints and DNA samples, and the downloading of mobile devices and the long-term retention of their content, all without the need for any objective or even subjective suspicion of wrongdoing. Those powers are already used under Schedule 7 by police of all ranks, at very short notice, in seaports and airports both large and small, and anywhere within a mile of the Northern Irish border. Their extraordinary strength makes it all the more important that the purpose for which the powers can be used is clearly defined and understood. Schedule 7 is limited to the purpose of determining whether someone is a terrorist. Having learned from intelligence reports that it was in practice being extensively used also for the purpose of determining whether people were involved in proliferation or espionage, I suggested some years ago, as independent reviewer, that the reach of the power could usefully be extended to these other purposes. This would have put practice in accordance with the law, and it would have avoided the absurdity of having to pretend that David Miranda, stopped under Schedule 7 when carrying documents through Heathrow Airport stolen by Edward Snowden, might have been a terrorist, when more obvious explanations, falling outside the scope of Schedule 7, suggested themselves. After the Salisbury incident, this suggestion found favour with the Government. Schedule 3 powers, it is proposed, may be used for counterproliferation and counterespionage, and also to determine whether persons crossing the border are involved in other forms of hostile activity, such as assassination, whether or not with biological weapons. For myself, I entirely support that objective. Where I part company with the Bill is in the suggestion that these very extensive powers, memorably described by my noble friend Lord Carlile in his regular talks to the police as a Ming vase—precious and to be treated with very great care—should be used in order to determine whether a traveller has been engaged in activity which is perfectly lawful. That is the consequence of paragraphs 1(6)(a) and 1(6)(b) of Schedule 3. National security, as is well known, is nowhere defined in legislation, or even in the draft code of practice. The concept of threats to the economic well-being of the United Kingdom is more nebulous still and as the noble Lord, Lord Paddick, said, it is not even linked in Schedule 3, as it is in other contexts, to the concept of national security, let alone to a concept as specific as the critical national infra- structure, to which the Minister referred earlier. Acts falling into these categories need not be crimes. Indeed, they need not even be carried out for or on behalf of a foreign state; it is enough that they are judged by the officer on duty to be in the interests of such a state. It is quite true that MI5 is tasked by Section 1 of the Security Service Act 1989 with the functions of protecting national security and safeguarding the economic well-being of the United Kingdom from foreign threats. No one would quarrel with that. My unease stems from the proposal that the police be given new and very strong coercive powers, powers that intrude into civil liberties and that are not allowed to our intelligence agencies, for the purpose of determining whether persons may have acted in ways that are not contrary to the law. I am concerned by that. The police are entrusted with executive powers for the purpose of detecting crime and enforcing the criminal law. We have a ride range of offences relating to CBRN materials, espionage, sabotage and other types of hostile state activity. If that range is insufficient, or if the sentences are too short, as the Minister indicated she thought might have been the case with some of the lesser offences under the Official Secrets Act 1989, it is open to the Government to seek change. They could change the law on official secrets or change their own definition of serious crime for the purposes of the Bill, as they apparently had no difficulty in doing in the Data Retention and Acquisition Regulations. I see the noble Lord, Lord Paddick, nodding ruefully: those regulations were considered only very recently by the House. I think that in that case the definition was reduced to 12 months, so if the issue is the sentences of only two years for lesser offences under the Official Secrets Act 1989, that is worth thinking about. The Bill as it stands would allow these strong coercive powers to be used by any police officer for the purpose of defining whether people have acted in undefined ways that the Government may not like but have not chosen to make unlawful. I am not sure that I can think of any precedent for this, and I would be grateful if the Minister would tell me if she knows of any. In their human rights memorandum, the Government rely heavily, in relation to Schedule 3, on the majority decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Beghal on Schedule 7, but in Schedule 7 the scope of non-consensual police powers is strictly defined and limited to the detection of serious criminal activity. That is certainly not the case here. My noble friend Lady Manningham-Buller, who I know cannot be in her place at the moment, thought that the current version of the schedule could perhaps be swallowed as a temporary patch—perhaps pending the amendment of the Official Secrets Act or a change to the definition of serious crime. I am not very reassured by that. Temporary patches sometimes have a way of turning into slippery slopes. I shall listen carefully to the Minister, but I wanted to signal by this amendment that I am troubled. Lord Judge I support this amendment, as I have supported every one of my noble friend Lord Anderson’s amendments to the Bill. Every time he has spoken during our debates and said things that are agreeable to the Government, he is wise and elegant—I cannot think of all the many complimentary adjectives that have rightly been paid to him. When he raises a point with which the Government do not agree, can they please reflect that he is wise, elegant and so on and so forth, so that his submissions to the Government are taken with the seriousness they merit? I entirely support the noble Lord’s expressions of anxiety about the breadth of this provision. If I may say so, we could make life much easier for everybody who has to administer it, not least the examining officer, if we just reflected on a way of amending it slightly. I added my name to the noble Lord’s amendment. I support it. But I have listened to the debate this afternoon and I see that there are problems with it, in particular the problem raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Manningham-Buller, who, as has just been said, is not now in her place. But we really could turn sub- paragraphs (6) and (7) into a much simpler piece of legislation by saying that an act is a hostile act if it is an act of serious crime and then at sub-paragraph (7)(d) defining serious crime—I know it is defined differently in different parts of terrorism legislation, but this is a new power, in effect producing a new scheme and a new way of administering it—if on conviction the offender would be liable to a term of imprisonment of two years. That, I think, would cover all the various matters raised earlier by the noble Baroness, Lady Manningham-Buller, and it might make life much easier for everybody. Lord Pannick I share the concern about the breadth of the definition of “hostile act” as covering acts which threaten “national security” or, “the economic well-being of the United Kingdom”. These concepts are vague to the point of absurdity. No doubt some people would say that the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal threatens the economic well-being of the United Kingdom. I would not share that view, but some people might. Because of the vagueness of these concepts, they would inevitably confer extensive discretionary powers, which are inimical to the rule of law. Because they are so vague, they would inevitably also inhibit perfectly lawful activities. My Lords, I do not want to add to the comments that I made in the debate on whether Clause 21 and Schedule 3 should stand part of the Bill, which echoed the comments of other noble and noble and learned Lords. As the noble Lord, Lord Anderson of Ipswich, has said, regulations that we recently considered that were made under the Investigatory Powers Act radically redefined “serious crime” to mean offences which carry a minimum sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment but also all offences involving communication or the invasion of privacy. The Government are quite capable of redefining—and in fact have redefined—serious crime to fit more precisely the powers referred to in different pieces of legislation, even regulations made under a piece of legislation in which the definition of serious crime is different. So I do not agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Manningham-Buller, who mentioned earlier that it would not capture Official Secrets Act offences, because the Government, as has been suggested, can change, have changed and could change the definition of serious crime in relation to Schedule 3 powers. I will be very brief indeed. We will listen with interest to what the Government have to say in response to the amendment moved by the noble Lord, Lord Anderson of Ipswich, but—obviously, subject to what the Government say—it seems to us to have considerable merit. My Lords, I echo the words of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Judge: the noble Lord, Lord Anderson, is indeed wise and elegant in his words. As the noble Lord has explained, this group of amendments deals with the definition of “hostile act” in Schedule 3. It is important to emphasise that the design of any new power should be specific to the threat it is seeking to mitigate. The scope of this power has been designed to do just that; namely, to mitigate the known threats from hostile state activity. The danger of these amendments, therefore, is that they will limit the scope of the power, thereby limiting the range of threats that it has been designed to combat. For the benefit of the Committee, the ports powers under Schedule 3 will be used by examining officers at UK ports or the border area, “for the purpose of determining whether the person appears to be a person who is, or has been, engaged in hostile activity”. A person is engaged in hostile activity if they are, “concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of a hostile act that is or may be … carried out for, or on behalf of, a State other than the United Kingdom, or … otherwise in the interests of a State other than the United Kingdom”. Under this schedule, a hostile act is defined as an act that, “threatens national security … threatens the economic well-being of the United Kingdom, or … is an act of serious crime”. By replacing “hostile act” with “serious crime”, these amendments would significantly narrow the range of hostile activity that these powers are designed to counter. It would undoubtedly limit the ability of our ports officers to detect, disrupt and deter hostile actors. Serious crime is defined in the Bill as being an offence which could reasonably be expected to result in, “imprisonment for a term of 3 years or more, or … the conduct involves the use of violence, results in substantial financial gain or is conduct by a large number of persons in pursuit of a common purpose”. Some of the activities which I believe noble Lords would expect to be captured through these new powers would not fall within the scope of the truncated definition of hostile activity. As the noble Baroness, Lady Manningham-Buller, explained earlier, some offences under the Official Secrets Act 1989 attract a maximum penalty of only two years’ imprisonment and may not involve the use of violence, result in financial gain or involve a large number of people acting in pursuit of a common purpose. Consequently, an examining officer would not be able to exercise Schedule 3 powers for the purpose of detecting, disrupting or deterring this type of hostile activity even if the activity threatens national security or could be prosecuted for offences under the Official Secrets Act. This is simply not acceptable. There may even be occasions when we have intelligence to suggest that a person linked to hostile state activity is travelling to the UK for a hostile purpose but the intelligence we have is incomplete and the nature of the hostile purpose cannot be determined; therefore, we cannot assess whether the purpose is linked to a serious crime. In this circumstance, it would be very important to have a power to stop and examine them at the port to establish the nature of the hostile act. As noble Lords will know, following the appalling acts in Salisbury, the Government are undertaking a review of legislation to combat hostile state activity. Hostile activity, by its very nature, is often covert and undertaken by foreign intelligence officers or their agents seeking to acquire sensitive information to gain an advantage over the United Kingdom and undermine our national security. On occasions this activity may not be considered criminal under the law as it stands; for example, if a foreign intelligence officer intended to travel to the UK to maintain or build a relationship with employees contracted to work on UK defence projects with the aim of acquiring sensitive information, this may not be a crime but it would be imperative to detect and disrupt this activity at the earliest opportunity, before irreversible damage to our national security occurred. It is entirely plausible that a hostile actor should want to visit the UK in order to collect classified documents from an agent who had committed acts of espionage on their behalf. It is not a crime for the hostile actor to receive these documents and leave the country but, although the individual has not committed a crime, a Schedule 3 examination would enable an examining officer to make a determination as to whether they have been engaged in a hostile act. An examination would also allow the examining officer to remove the classified documents from the hostile actor, preventing the disclosure of potentially damaging information. Even though the purpose of a Schedule 3 examination is to make a determination as to whether the actor has been engaged in a hostile act, exercise of the power may provide a number of secondary benefits. In instances such as the example I have just talked about, it would provide the first leads into an investigation to detect who the agent is—if we did not already know—and prevent the documents from ever being disclosed. These investigations may or may not lead to future prosecutions. It is therefore right to give the police the power to investigate hostile state activity, even at a preliminary stage before we have reasonable suspicion that a foreign intelligence officer has committed an offence. I know that noble Lords do not really think that the police should not have the power to stop someone who is from, or acting on behalf of, a foreign intelligence service as they enter or leave the United Kingdom. If we were to accept these amendments, traditional behaviours undertaken by hostile states which have the potential to have such a detrimental effect would fall out of scope of the power and we would not be able to detect, disrupt or deter them. I put it to noble Lords that such activity should not go unchallenged. The definition of “hostile act” is necessarily broad to ensure that the powers capture the full range of activities which hostile actors engage in. We recognise the concerns that have been raised and I reassure the Committee that these were considered in the drafting of Schedule 3. This is why we have explicitly restricted the definition to an act that is carried out for, or on behalf of, or otherwise in the interests of a state other than the United Kingdom. I also recognise the concerns about the term, As has been pointed out, there may be instances where an act undertaken by a hostile state actor threatens that economic well-being yet does not threaten our national security; it is also true for acts of serious crime. Economic well-being, like national security, is a term already used in UK legislation. The intention of this limb of the definition is to ensure that these powers can be used to mitigate hostile acts which could damage the country’s critical infrastructure or disrupt energy supplies to the UK. For example, if an employee in the banking sector of the City of London discovered a serious vulnerability in computer networks and shared this information with a hostile state, it would drastically undermine confidence in the City of London and cost the UK economy millions, if not billions. I hope that with these explanations, the noble Lord will feel content to withdraw his amendment. My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister and to all noble Lords who contributed to this debate, including the noble Baroness, Lady Manningham-Buller, who made her remarks earlier. I asked the Minister whether she could give another example of the police being given strong, coercive powers for the purpose of determining whether people are acting in a way which may be undesirable but which is perfectly lawful under the law of the land. I do not think that I had an answer and, if there is no answer, I would suggest that the Bill as written constitutes a new and very dangerous departure. That is the point of principle behind this amendment and, with great respect to the Minister, she did not address it in her reply. I hope that the Minister will consider this carefully because my concerns, as she has heard, are shared by lawyers far more distinguished than I—and not only by lawyers. As to the pragmatic solution, the Minister has heard suggestions as to how the scope of this power could be reduced in a way that achieves its objectives in a manner more consistent with the principle of legality. I hope that she will deliberate further on those suggestions. I would be more than happy to discuss them with her but, in the meantime, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 67 not moved. Amendment 67ZA 67ZA: Schedule 3, page 39, line 7, at end insert— “( ) The Investigatory Powers Commissioner (“the Commissioner”) must be informed when a person is stopped under the provisions of this paragraph.( ) The Commissioner must make an annual report on the use of powers under this paragraph in the border area.” As has been said on more than one occasion, Schedule 3 deals with border security and the power to stop, question and detain and states: “An examining officer may question a person for the purpose of determining whether the person appears to be a person who is, or has been, engaged in hostile activity”. It goes on to say: “An examining officer may exercise the powers … whether or not there are grounds for suspecting that a person is or has been engaged in hostile activity”. There does not need to be reasonable suspicion. That is a very considerable power and safeguards are needed to ensure that it is used in a necessary and proportionate manner. Amendment 67ZA seeks to have such a safeguard in relation to this power by providing that the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, “must be informed when a person is stopped”, “make an annual report on the use of”, this power. In the schedule, there is provision for the Investigatory Powers Commissioner to keep under review the operation of the many provisions in the schedule and make an annual report to the Secretary of State about the outcome of the review. In the Commons, the Government were asked whether in carrying out the review process and producing the report—under Part 6 of Schedule 3 —the commissioner would be aware of every stop that had taken place. Our amendment provides that the commissioner must be informed of such stops. The initial reply from the Minister in the Commons was “Yes”, but he then went on to say: “Although the commissioner will not be informed every time someone is stopped, the numbers will all be recorded, and he will have the power … to investigate those stops while doing the review”.—[Official Report, Commons, Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill Committee, 5/7/18; col. 190.] That appears to be a qualification of the initial answer of yes. The information that the commissioner will get is the numbers—perhaps total numbers—but that may apparently be some time after individuals have been stopped. This amendment provides that the commissioner must be informed when a person is stopped. Will the Investigatory Powers Commissioner be informed when people are stopped, questioned and detained or only given numbers at a frequency that is unstated? Will the commissioner be told why people have been stopped, questioned and detained, or will he or she have to inquire about that when given overall numbers at some later stage? As I understand it, the Government’s argument appears to have been that the Terrorism Act 2000 powers on counterterrorism have been used to stop, question and detain people where there is an issue of potential hostile activity, and that the Bill simply regularises what is already happening. If I have understood the Government’s argument, does that mean that they expect no increase in the number of people being stopped, questioned and detained at our borders, particularly at the sensitive border in Ireland between north and south? One could put that interpretation on it, if it is correct that the Government are saying that the Bill simply regularises something that has been happening under the powers in the Terrorism Act 2000. But if not, and the Government expect an increase in the numbers of people being stopped as a result of this provision, on what scale is that increase expected to be? I beg to move. My Lords, I was not clear whether the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, was using this amendment to seek more information, but we wonder about the operational practicality of its first paragraph. It suggests that if the commissioner is informed of a particular stop, they would have some power or role to respond. More important are the points implicit in what the noble Lord said about keeping records or data. In another context, the noble Lord, Lord Anderson, used the term “meticulous” about keeping records in Northern Ireland, and reference was made to using them as the basis for review of practice. That is very important and although we have hesitations about the amendment’s first paragraph, what has prompted it is important. As the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, pointed out, Amendment 67ZA would require an examining officer to notify the IPC each time a person is examined under Schedule 3 and require the commissioner to publish an annual report on the use of the powers in the Northern Ireland border area. In relation to the second part of the amendment, as the noble Lord stated, Part 6 of Schedule 3 already requires the commissioner to review the use of the powers and make an annual report. The police will make a record of every examination conducted under Schedule 3, as they already do with Schedule 7. I reassure noble Lords that the commissioner will be afforded full access to these records on request, and to information on how the powers have been exercised. It would place an unnecessary burden on the examining officer to have to notify the commissioner each and every time a person has been examined. Regarding concerns about how these powers will be exercised at the border in Northern Ireland, media and political commentary over the summer sought, wrongly, to conflate the introduction of this legislation with the discussions on the Irish border in the context of Brexit and concerns over the possibility of more stringent measures. The Security Minister wrote to the shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 4 October to address these concerns. I circulated a copy of that letter after Second Reading, so I will not repeat his response in full here. However, I want to reiterate that it is simply not the case that these powers will be used as an immigration control or to interfere with the right to travel within the CTA. Their application to the border area mirrors that of the analogous counterterrorism powers in Schedule 7 to the 2000 Act, which have been in operation for 18 years. In that time, we have not seen a blanket or large-scale use of these powers in the border area. In fact, the number of examinations in Northern Ireland as a whole during 2017-18 amounted to 6% of the UK total. The Schedule 3 powers must be used only to determine a person’s involvement in hostile activity. The location and extent of their use will be informed by the threat from hostile activity and any decision to use them will be on a case-by-case basis. While the commissioner’s annual report will not provide a location breakdown of where the powers are exercised, for clear national security reasons, he will review police exercise of the powers, including their use in Northern Ireland. The noble Lord, Lord Rosser, asked whether the Bill regularises stops that are already taking place under Schedule 7. The answer is no. Schedule 3 powers will be used only to determine whether a person is engaged in hostile activity. We have already discussed the definition of hostile activity. Its broad scope is to mitigate a range of threats. Schedule 7 is about persons engaging in terrorism. I hope that I have been able to reassure the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, and that he will be content to withdraw his amendment. I thank the Minister for that response and the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, for her contribution to this brief debate. The point I was seeking to clarify is that, as I understand it, the Government have maintained that sometimes the powers under Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 were being used to stop people who, it might be argued, are involved in hostile activity. The point that I was trying to confirm is whether the Government feel that they are simply regularising what happened under another Act, or whether we are talking about a new group of people who may be stopped and detained. I gather from what the Minister said that we are, and that we are not talking about people who, rightly or wrongly, may have been stopped and detained under the Terrorism Act on the basis that it was counterterrorism. I assume that the Minister is once again going to say that she is unable to respond, but are we expecting any significant increase in the number of people being stopped and detained? She said that they will be people who are not being stopped and detained at present under other powers when perhaps those powers should not have been used, and that these will be new people. Is that the situation? Is it likely to be an extensive number? She said that it would be very difficult for the commissioner to be advised every time somebody was stopped, which suggests that there will be significant numbers of people. Mercifully for the UK public, the number of people involved in hostile state activity is low. The commissioner will have access to all the reports. We are expecting far fewer stops than under Schedule 7. I think I expressed that, but in a different way. We do not expect a plethora of new cases. The IPC can have access to all the records, but he does not have to be informed every time. He will have all the information he needs. I thank the Minister for that response. I want to reflect on what has been said. In the meantime, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 67ZA withdrawn. “( ) give the examining officer on request a sample of P’s DNA.” My Lords, in putting down this amendment, I am not particularly concerned with what the power should be for stopping people, nor am I concerned with the way powers are used and the various matters that have been discussed about the retention of information. All I am concerned with is to make it more efficient than it appears to be under the Bill as drafted. Paragraph 3(b) of Schedule 3 states that a person questioned under paragraph 1 or 2 must, “give the examining officer on request either a valid passport which includes a photograph or another document which establishes P’s identity”. It is an incredibly amateur way of doing things. Nowadays we have much better methods of establishing people’s identity. DNA is probably one of the best. It is now wholly unintrusive—you no longer have to take a blood sample or anything like that. You can simply take a swab. All I am suggesting is that the Bill should give those officers who feel it necessary to try to establish or record an identity the means of doing so in a much more certain way. This is a very limited proposal. I am merely suggesting that a tool should be included in this schedule. My Lords, I hope I can reassure my noble friend Lord Marlesford at least in part. As he has explained, Amendment 67A would allow an examining officer, during the course of a Schedule 3 ports examination, to require a person to provide a DNA sample. This would be in addition to the powers available to these officers to request information and identity documents. The ability to establish a person’s identity is undoubtedly an important aspect of an examination to determine whether that individual is or has been engaged in a hostile activity. I therefore highlight to my noble friend that these powers already allow for the taking of fingerprints and samples to help to ascertain a person’s identity. Paragraphs 27 and 35 currently allow for the taking of fingerprints and samples where a person has been detained. This biometric information can also be taken from the detainee without their consent but only at a police station and if authorised by a superintendent who is satisfied that it is necessary in order to assist in determining whether the detainee is or has been engaged in a hostile activity, or to ascertain the detainee’s identity. We are satisfied that these powers, which are subject to important safeguards, are fit for purpose and achieve the right outcome. In particular, we do not consider it necessary or proportionate to confer power on examining officers to require examinees who have not been detained to provide a DNA sample. The provisions in Schedule 3 to the Bill governing the taking and retention of DNA and fingerprints mirror the long-standing provisions in Schedule 8 to the Terrorism Act 2000, which governs the taking of biometric information from those detained under Schedule 7 to that Act. The experience gained in operating the counterterrorism ports powers does not suggest that a different approach is needed here. Indeed, the police have not asked for the power envisaged in my noble friend’s amendment. Given that, and on the basis that Schedule 3 already makes provision for the taking of fingerprints and DNA from persons detained under Schedule 3, I ask my noble friend to withdraw his amendment. My Lords, the only difference with what I seek is that if it is thought necessary to investigate someone—not necessarily to detain them—and establish their identity, it is sensible to have the power to take a sample that will help to do so. That is my point. Once again, I am not contradicting what the Minister says about the powers that already exist for the taking of samples from persons who have been detained. I am concerned that when, for whatever reason, it is regarded as desirable to establish someone’s identity, at the same time there should be the power to take the biometric samples required, which I am suggesting should be DNA because that is so much more certain and easy now than it ever used to be. I honestly do not quite see what the Minister’s argument is against that. Perhaps he could comment a little further on that before I withdraw the amendment. The argument is that the police and the authorities believe they have all the powers that they need already, and that those powers enable them to detain a person, if they think it is necessary and if that decision is confirmed in the way that I described, in order to assist in determining whether the detainee has been engaged in a hostile activity or, as relevant to my noble friend’s amendment, to ascertain the detainee’s identity. If a suspicion arises about the individual’s identity, the detention process could offer a way through to enable the DNA sample to be taken. I hoped that my noble friend would realise that what I am proposing is the use of the DNA capability in circumstances where it is not necessary—at that stage, at any rate—to detain people. This almost goes back to the point that I made on Monday on the need to have identity numbers with secure biometrics—I never envisaged that the establishment of identity should be able to be done only when someone is detained. Being detained is a much more serious matter than merely asking someone to give a method of establishing their identity. That is where I am sure that not my noble friend but perhaps the Home Office misunderstands what I am trying to say. I do not know if my noble friend would like to say anything further. I am grateful to my noble friend. Possibly the answer is for me to write to him after this Committee sitting. My feeling would be that to require someone who is not detained to supply a DNA sample would cross a civil liberties line that many would find uncomfortable. In my judgment, it should therefore be only for those detained—obviously you are detained only for a good reason—to be required to supply such a sample. I agree with the Minister on the civil liberties issue. The other problem is that taking a DNA sample would assist in identifying who the individual was only if that person’s DNA had already been taken and was on the database. I do not think we have many Russian spies’ DNA that we would then be able to use to identify that they were hostile actors by taking a DNA sample from them. It is only a small proportion of the UK population who have been arrested and convicted and whose DNA would therefore appear on the database. So, in addition to the infringement of civil liberties of completely innocent people having to provide DNA samples, the proposed measure would be of limited benefit because of the limited nature of the existing DNA database against which the DNA sample could be compared. I support the Minister and the noble Lord, Lord Paddick. It is quite rare for me to agree with the noble Earl so I thought I would take this opportunity to do so. More importantly, there would be widespread condemnation of this particular move; it would be deeply unpopular. It would be hard enough getting ID card legislation through without a lot of resistance, and this idea would be even tougher. I have listened to what people have said. I think the Minister made the important point here: we still have a hang-up about DNA samples. I agree that perception is what matters, and it may be that I am slightly ahead of public perception, but I do not see any difference between being asked to give a DNA sample for identification and almost any other method of doing so. If it involved taking blood or something then that would be another matter, but nowadays DNA can be taken by a simple swab. It is self-evident that if you do not have matching DNA then that does not take you very far, but there would be many circumstances in which, having suspected someone, having their DNA might at some stage be useful. I do not accept the general point that there is something sinister about DNA that means we should not use it; I think it should be used a great deal more than it is. Having said that, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. 68: Schedule 3, page 39, line 41, at end insert— “( ) A person may refuse a request for documents or information under sub-paragraph (1) where—(a) the information or document in question consists of journalistic material within the meaning of either section 13 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 or section 264(1) to (4) or (6) and (7) of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016; or(b) the information or document in question is subject to legal privilege.” My Lords, I spoke earlier in Committee about my opposition to the whole of Schedule 3. I shall now speak to my Amendments 68 and 69. I declare an interest: I have a journalist daughter and know many of her friends, and they could be very adversely affected by this part of the Bill because it is about the protection of journalistic material. Because Schedule 3 of the Bill allows border officials to question, search and detain anyone at the border without any suspicion whatever, people carrying journalistic or legally privileged material might want to refuse to hand over that material without committing a criminal offence. Without Amendment 68, journalists and lawyers could be forced to hand over sensitive and confidential material at the border. This surely cannot be the Government’s intention in drafting the Bill, and it surely will not be Parliament’s will to allow such a scheme to become law. Without Amendment 69, journalistic material confiscated at the border, including information about confidential sources, could be exposed in open court as evidence. This would be an enormous erosion of press freedom and the sacrosanct duty of journalists to protect their sources. It would have a chilling effect on individuals coming forward with information which is in the public interest. I have myself been approached by whistleblowers who are well aware of the severe consequences that await them. We must not add to the burden that deters people from coming forward with information about corrupt practices or wrongdoing. As drafted, Schedule 3 would put sources in danger of losing their job, their liberty or even their life. The Government would never allow their confidential intelligence sources to be exposed in this way, and I ask the Minister to explain why journalists’ sources should be treated any differently. Previously in Committee, the Minister declined to put specific protections in law for journalists on the basis that it was too broad a term. This is why my amendments and Amendment 71 in the name of the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, use the existing definitions in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and the Investigatory Powers Act. I hope that this approach is more palatable to the Minister and could be adopted at Report. I omitted to mention that the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, is unable to be here today. I said that I would say a few words on his behalf, and he said that he was sure that I could find the right ones—so let us hope that I have. My amendments are essential to protect press freedom and the confidentiality of sources. I hope that the Minister will listen to the concerns and bring forward amendments to fix the problems highlighted. I beg to move. We have Amendment 69A in this group. The purpose of our amendment is to provide that, where an examining officer wishes to retain an article which the owner alleges contains confidential material, the examining officer may not examine the article and must immediately send the article to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner. The commissioner must then determine whether the article contains confidential material and may then authorise the examination and retention of the article under the provisions of the Bill or return it to the examining officer if it is not confidential. This would provide for the independent oversight of confidential material, as required by the Miranda judgment. I appreciate that what the Government propose is not in line with our amendment. However, we now have the code of practice, which states: “If during the process of examining an article it becomes apparent to the examining officer that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the article consists of or includes items that are confidential material, the examining officer must cease examining”, the item. It also states: “An examining officer should take reasonable steps to review the credentials of an examinee to verify any such claim when considering whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that a specific item is confidential material”. It would be helpful if the Minister could respond to my points, as the purpose of my amendment is primarily to find out how it is intended that the process will operate—although we would obviously be extremely grateful if the Government decided to accept the amendment. If an examining officer who reviews the credentials of an examinee feels that the credentials stand up, will they still be able to examine material which they think may be confidential? If the examinee has said that there is confidential material and the examining officer is satisfied with their credentials, is that enough to prevent the item being examined, or would the officer still be expected or able to examine an item to ascertain for themselves that it contains what appears to be confidential material? In other words, on checking or reviewing the credentials of the examinee, if the examining officer is satisfied, does that mean that there is no question of the examining officer looking at any material that the examinee maintains is confidential, but instead they have immediately to send it to the commissioner to decide whether it should be retained? Despite what I have just said, we are not unappreciative of the Government’s argument that an officer may not always be able to accept a claim at face value that something contains confidential material. But do the Government believe that the system now set out in the Bill and the code of practice, which still involves the examining officer having sight of an article before it is passed to the commissioner, fully realises the protections that the Miranda judgment recommended? I ask that particularly as the Government have now introduced an emergency procedure so that urgent cases will not be slowed down by any system of independent oversight. We must ensure that we get these protections right and that they conform with the Miranda judgment. There appears to be no protection for confidential journalistic material, for example, if an examining officer looks at a notebook containing names and contact details of confidential sources as part of assessing whether there is confidential material. In that situation, an examining officer cannot unremember what they have seen. So the intended system does not mean that confidential material will not be seen by the examining officer. If the Government are satisfied with the credentials of the person being examined, nevertheless, the officer can proceed to check material which that individual claims is confidential. They do not have to apply straight away without looking at it to the commissioner to get the commissioner’s approval for retention and examination. It would be helpful if the Government could clarify that point. I think I know the answer already; nevertheless, it would be helpful if the Government could clarify it. Also, could they clarify that what they are proposing meets the requirements of the Miranda judgment? My Lords, briefly, I agree in principle with the intention behind the amendments, at least on confidential journalistic material and material that is subject to legal privilege. However, I recognise the dilemma of how you determine whether it is confidential information unless you just take the person’s word for it. Clearly, if you just accepted the person’s word that the matter was confidential, anybody could get away with not handing over documents. I do not think that Amendment 69A could work in practice in real time, but there is a real problem here that needs an explanation and some reassurance. My Lords, I hope that I can reassure noble Lords with my explanation, but I thank those who have raised their concerns about the use of Schedule 3 powers to compel a journalist to reveal their material, including confidential material. In drafting the Bill, we have been alive to such concerns and at pains to ensure that adequate safeguards, which I think noble Lords are talking about, are in place to protect confidential material, including confidential journalistic material. As the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, pointed out, the new retention powers in respect of confidential information require the authorisation of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, who has to be satisfied that certain conditions are met before granting that authorisation. In earlier debates on the powers under Schedule 3, I explained that a number of foreign powers and hostile actors are becoming even more bold and inventive in their methods. For example, as I outlined earlier, intelligence officers and their agents actively use the cover of certain professions, including journalism, the law and others. To ensure that our police officers are equipped to detect, disrupt and deter such activity, it is critical that they are able to retain, copy and examine documents or other articles that may include confidential journalistic or legally privileged material. That is why Schedule 3 introduces new powers and mechanisms to allow for such action to be taken where the article, which may include confidential material, could be used in connection with a hostile act or to prevent death or significant injury. I recognise that the protection of journalistic material held by any individual examined under ports powers is a sensitive matter and one where we clearly need to get the safeguards in the Bill right. I want to be clear that the powers in Schedule 3 are not intended to disrupt or impede the vital work of journalists in any way. Journalistic freedoms of speech and expression are the absolute cornerstone of our democracy, which should be protected in the exercise of any police powers. The provisions in the Bill, however, are aimed at those who seek to abuse our legal frameworks to put our national security at risk and who are often trained to do so. Amendment 68 would allow a person to refuse a request for documents or information where the information or documents in question consist of journalistic material, as defined by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and the Investigatory Powers Act, or are subject to legal privilege. In practice, this would prohibit the examining officer from verifying that the material in question is confidential and would require the officer to take the examinee at their word. Amendment 69A is similar and, while it does not quite go as far as allowing a person to refuse to provide requested documents or information, it would prohibit an examining officer from verifying that that material is confidential. Instead, it would be for the IPC to determine the question. Restricting powers in this way would be problematic, particularly where the examinee is a trained hostile actor. Amendment 68 would provide a ground for a person to refuse to hand over documents or information simply by claiming that the material is journalistic or legally privileged. Furthermore, it would mean that the examining officer could not seek to examine such material, where there is a need, by retaining the material and applying for IPC authorisation. Amendment 69A is also concerning, as it would impose a restriction on the examining officer such that they were unable to establish their own reasonable belief that the article consists of confidential material. The police have a duty to protect our citizens and prevent crime. They cannot be expected to take at face value the word of someone they are examining who, in some cases, will be motivated to lie. It is important to note that there are additional safeguards to govern the retention of property under Schedule 3 that consists of, or includes, confidential material. The IPC will authorise the retention and use of the material only if satisfied that arrangements are in place that are sufficient for ensuring that the material is retained securely, and that it will be used only so far as is necessary and proportionate for a relevant purpose—that is, in the interests of national security or the economic well-being of the United Kingdom; for the purposes of preventing or detecting serious crime; or for the purposes of preventing death or significant injury. The Government are of the view that it is reasonable to expect that an examining officer will need to review material, to conclude one way or the other that specific items are, or include, confidential journalistic or legally privileged material. That being said, the draft Schedule 3 code of practice is clear: “If during the process of examining an article it becomes apparent to the examining officer that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the article consists of or includes items that are confidential material, the examining officer must cease examining and not copy these items unless he or she believes there are grounds to retain it under either paragraph 11(2)(d) or (e)”. The provisions in paragraph 11 of Schedule 3 contain the retention powers involving oversight by the IPC and the safeguards that I described earlier. I acknowledge that handling confidential material requires vigilance and discretion to safeguard it against unnecessary examination or retention, which is why the mechanisms under paragraphs 12, 13 and 15 of Schedule 3 in relation to these retention powers require prior authorisation of the IPC to be sought, save in exceptional circumstances, before an examining officer is able to examine such material. We are therefore confident that the safeguards provided for in Schedule 3 and the associated draft code of practice are sufficient to protect the work and privacy of legitimate journalists and lawyers, and are consistent with the Court of Appeal’s judgment in the Schedule 7 case of Miranda that, “independent and impartial oversight … is the natural and obvious adequate safeguard”, in examining cases involving journalistic material. Amendment 69 would extend this bar to information and documents where the material falls under the definition of journalistic material, as defined by the PACE and IP Acts. Such a position would go much further than safeguarding the examinee against self-incrimination. By extending the statutory bar to cover information or documents that are considered journalistic material, Amendment 69 could prevent evidence of a hostile act being used in criminal proceedings where it has been acquired through the legitimate examination of confidential material on the authorisation of the IPC. This would significantly undermine the ability of the police and the CPS to prosecute hostile actors who have used journalistic cover to disguise their criminal activities and been uncovered through the Schedule 3 examination powers. In answer to the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, an officer can proceed to verify that material is confidential, subject to IPC authorisation, and look at confidential material, even if satisfied of the credentials of the journalist who might nevertheless be a hostile state actor. Amendment 71 concerns the definition of “confidential material” in paragraph 12(10) of Schedule 3 and the associated protections. For the purposes of Schedule 3, confidential material adopts the definition of the IP Act. This definition covers, for example, journalistic material and communication that the sender intends the recipient to hold in confidence. As I explained, this material would fall under the definition of confidential material. It cannot be used or retained by an examining officer unless authorised by the IPC. With those explanations—I am sorry they were so lengthy—I hope that the noble Baroness will feel happy to withdraw her amendment. My Lords, I have listened very carefully and will reread the Minister’s arguments tomorrow. I do not feel entirely comforted. I hope that the Government feel that this has been a useful debate in terms of perhaps adjusting their position. I very much hope that that will happen. While we talk all the time about hostile actors and people who could lie, we also rely so much on the individual who is stopping them, and on their discretion and judgment. When there is so much leeway for these people, there are opportunities for wrong decisions that could impact quite heavily on some people. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendments 69 and 69A not moved. 70: Schedule 3, page 43, line 29, at end insert “, other than an article in respect of which an authorisation is granted under paragraph 13A” Amendments 72 to 80 72: Schedule 3, page 45, line 6, after “representations” insert “, before the end of whatever period the Commissioner may specify,” 73: Schedule 3, page 45, line 8, at end insert “before the end of that period” 74: Schedule 3, page 45, line 15, leave out from “constable” to end of line 21 and insert “, the responsible chief officer,” “( ) In sub-paragraph (3) “responsible chief officer” means—(a) in a case where the article was taken in connection with an investigation being conducted by a police force in England and Wales, the chief officer of police of that police force;(b) in a case where the article was taken in connection with an investigation being conducted by the Police Service of Scotland, the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland;(c) in a case where the article was taken in connection with an investigation being conducted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland;(d) in any other case—(i) where the examining officer is a constable of a police force in England and Wales, the chief officer of police of that police force,(ii) where the examining officer is a constable of the Police Service of Scotland, the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland, or(iii) where the examining officer is a constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.” “( ) A requirement under this paragraph to invite representations from, or to provide information to, the person from whom an article was taken applies only so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so.” “13A(1) This paragraph applies where—(a) an article is retained by virtue of paragraph 11(2)(d) or (e), and (b) the examining officer who retained the article considers that the urgency condition is met in relation to the article.(2) The urgency condition is met in relation to an article if—(a) there is an urgent need for the article to be examined or otherwise used for the purpose of preventing—(i) the carrying out of a hostile act, or(ii) death or significant injury,or for the purpose of mitigating the risk of any such act, death or injury occurring, and(b) the time it would take for the requirements of paragraphs 12 and 13 to be complied with in relation to the article would not enable such use to take place with sufficient urgency.(3) The examining officer may apply to a senior officer for authorisation to continue to retain and use the article.(4) An application under sub-paragraph (3) in relation to an article may be made only to a senior officer who has not been directly involved in the exercise of any power under this Part of this Schedule to take the article or to question a person from whom the article was taken.(5) A senior officer may grant an authorisation under this paragraph for the retention and use of the article if satisfied—(a) that there are reasonable grounds for considering that the urgency condition is met in relation to the article, and(b) in the case of an article that consists of or includes confidential material, that— (i) arrangements are in place that are sufficient for ensuring that the material is retained securely, and(ii) the material will be used only so far as necessary and proportionate for a purpose mentioned in sub-paragraph (2)(a).(6) An authorisation under this paragraph—(a) must be recorded in writing;(b) may be granted subject to whatever conditions the senior officer thinks appropriate.(7) Paragraphs 13B and 13C contain further provision about authorisations granted under this paragraph.(8) In this paragraph—“confidential material” has the meaning given by paragraph 12(10) and (11);“senior officer” means—(a) where the examining officer is a constable, another constable of at least the rank of superintendent,(b) where the examining officer is an immigration officer, an immigration officer of a higher grade than the examining officer, and(c) where the examining officer is a customs officer, a customs officer of a higher grade than the examining officer.13B(1) If a senior officer grants an authorisation under paragraph 13A, the examining officer who applied for the authorisation must inform the Investigatory Powers Commissioner and each affected party of its grant.(2) The information required under sub-paragraph (1) must be given as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event within 24 hours after the grant of the authorisation.(3) An affected party may make representations to the Commissioner about how the Commissioner should proceed under paragraph 13C in respect of an authorisation granted under paragraph 13A.(4) Representations under sub-paragraph (3) must be made in writing no later than the end of two working days beginning with the first working day after the day on which the authorisation is granted. (5) The information provided under sub-paragraph (1) must include an explanation of the right to make representations in writing and the time by which they must be made.(6) The Commissioner must have regard to any representations received before the end of the time mentioned in sub-paragraph (4) in determining how to proceed under paragraph 13C.(7) The requirement under this paragraph to provide information to the person from whom an article was taken applies only so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so.(8) In this paragraph and paragraph 13C—“affected party” has the meaning given by paragraph 13(3);“working day” means a day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a day which is a bank holiday under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 in the part of the United Kingdom in which the authorisation is granted.13C(1) This paragraph applies after the Investigatory Powers Commissioner has considered any representations made about an authorisation in accordance with paragraph 13B.(2) The Commissioner must—(a) approve the grant of the authorisation, or(b) cancel the authorisation.(3) A decision under sub-paragraph (2) must be made— (a) after the end of the time for making representations referred to in paragraph 13B(4), and(b) before the end of three working days beginning with the first working day after the day on which the authorisation is granted.(4) If the decision under sub-paragraph (2) is to approve the grant of the authorisation, the retention and use of the article may continue in accordance with the conditions on which the authorisation was granted (subject to any further conditions or variation of the existing conditions that the Commissioner specifies).(5) If the decision under sub-paragraph (2) is to cancel the authorisation, any further use of the article must stop as soon as possible.(6) If the Commissioner cancels the authorisation the Commissioner may direct that the article—(a) is destroyed, or(b) is returned to the person from whom it was taken,and the Commissioner may further direct that all reasonable steps are taken to secure that any information derived from the article is destroyed.(7) Sub-paragraphs (5) and (6) do not apply if the article is further retained under a power conferred by paragraph 11(2)(b) or (c).(8) The Commissioner must inform each affected party of the Commissioner’s decision under sub-paragraph (2).(9) The requirement under this paragraph to provide information to the person from whom the article was taken applies only so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so.(10) Where a Judicial Commissioner, other than the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, exercises a function under this paragraph in relation to an article, an affected party may ask the Investigatory Powers Commissioner to decide whether to approve the way in which the function was exercised.(11) Nothing in this paragraph affects the lawfulness of—(a) anything done under an authorisation before it is cancelled; (b) if anything is in the process of being done under an authorisation when it is cancelled—(i) anything done before that thing could be stopped, or(ii) anything done which it is not reasonably practicable to stop.” 78: Schedule 3, page 46, line 15, at end insert “, other than a copy in respect of which an authorisation is granted under paragraph 15B” 79: Schedule 3, page 46, line 45, leave out sub-paragraph (10) 80: Schedule 3, page 47, leave out line 4 Amendments 72 to 80 agreed. 82: Schedule 3, page 47, line 6, at end insert— “15A(1) Before proceeding under paragraph 15 in relation to a copy, the Commissioner—(a) must invite each affected party to make representations, before the end of whatever period the Commissioner may specify, about how the Commissioner should proceed under that paragraph, and(b) must have regard to any representations made by an affected party before the end of that period. (2) Where a Judicial Commissioner, other than the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, exercises a function under paragraph 15 in relation to a copy, an affected party may ask the Investigatory Powers Commissioner to decide whether to approve the way in which the function was exercised.(3) Each of the following is an “affected party” for the purposes of this paragraph—(a) where the examining officer is a constable, the responsible chief officer,(b) the Secretary of State, and(c) the person from whom the article was taken from which the copy was made.(4) In sub-paragraph (3) “responsible chief officer” means—(a) in a case where the copy was made in connection with an investigation being conducted by a police force in England and Wales, the chief officer of police of that police force;(b) in a case where the copy was made in connection with an investigation being conducted by the Police Service of Scotland, the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland;(c) in a case where the copy was made in connection with an investigation being conducted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland;(d) in any other case—(i) where the examining officer is a constable of a police force in England and Wales, the chief officer of police of that police force,(ii) where the examining officer is a constable of the Police Service of Scotland, the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland, or(iii) where the examining officer is a constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.(5) Sub-paragraph (6) applies where—(a) a direction for the destruction of a copy is given under paragraph 15, or (b) authorisation for the retention and use of a copy is granted under that paragraph.(6) The Commissioner must inform the person from whom the article was taken from which the copy was made that—(a) a direction to destroy the copy has been given, or(b) (as the case may be) authorisation to retain and use the copy has been granted (and in this case the Commissioner must provide details of any conditions subject to which that authorisation was granted).(7) A requirement under this paragraph to invite representations from, or to provide information to, the person from whom an article was taken from which a copy was made applies only so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so.(8) Representations under sub-paragraph (1) must be made in writing.15B(1) This paragraph applies where—(a) a copy consisting of or including confidential material is retained by virtue of paragraph 14(3)(d) or (e), and(b) the examining officer who retained the copy considers that the urgency condition is met in relation to the copy.(2) The urgency condition is met in relation to a copy if—(a) there is an urgent need for the copy to be examined or otherwise used for the purpose of preventing—(i) the carrying out of a hostile act, or(ii) death or significant injury, or for the purpose of mitigating the risk of any such act, death or injury occurring, and(b) the time it would take for the requirements of paragraphs 15 and 15A to be complied with in relation to the copy would not enable such use to take place with sufficient urgency.(3) The examining officer may apply to a senior officer for authorisation to continue to retain and use the copy.(4) An application under sub-paragraph (3) in relation to a copy may be made only to a senior officer who has not been directly involved in the exercise of any power under this Part of this Schedule to make the copy or to question a person from whom the article was taken from which the copy was made.(5) A senior officer may grant an authorisation under this paragraph for the retention and use of a copy if satisfied that—(a) there are reasonable grounds for considering that the urgency condition is met in relation to the copy,(b) arrangements are in place that are sufficient for ensuring that confidential material contained in the copy is retained securely, and(c) the material will be used only so far as necessary and proportionate for a purpose mentioned in sub-paragraph (2)(a).(6) An authorisation under this paragraph—(a) must be recorded in writing;(b) may be granted subject to whatever conditions the senior officer thinks appropriate.(7) Paragraphs 15C and 15D contain further provision about authorisations granted under this paragraph.(8) In this paragraph—“confidential material” has the meaning given by paragraph 12(10) and (11);“senior officer” means—(a) where the examining officer is a constable, another constable of at least the rank of superintendent, (b) where the examining officer is an immigration officer, an immigration officer of a higher grade than the examining officer, and(c) where the examining officer is a customs officer, a customs officer of a higher grade than the examining officer.15C(1) If a senior officer grants an authorisation under paragraph 15B, the examining officer who applied for the authorisation must inform the Investigatory Powers Commissioner and each affected party of its grant.(2) The information required under sub-paragraph (1) must be given as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event within 24 hours after the grant of the authorisation.(3) An affected party may make representations to the Commissioner about how the Commissioner should proceed under paragraph 15D in respect of an authorisation granted under paragraph 15B.(4) Representations under sub-paragraph (3) must be made in writing no later than the end of two working days beginning with the first working day after the day on which the authorisation is granted.(5) The information provided under sub-paragraph (1) must include an explanation of the right to make representations in writing and the time by which they must be made.(6) The Commissioner must have regard to any representations made before the end of the time mentioned in sub-paragraph (4) in determining how to proceed under paragraph 15D.(7) The requirement under this paragraph to provide information to the person from whom an article was taken from which the copy was made applies only so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so. (8) In this paragraph and paragraph 15D—“affected party” has the meaning given by paragraph 15A(3);“working day” means a day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a day which is a bank holiday under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 in the part of the United Kingdom in which the authorisation is granted.15D(1) This paragraph applies after the Investigatory Powers Commissioner has considered any representations made about an authorisation in accordance with paragraph 15C.(2) The Commissioner must—(a) approve the grant of the authorisation, or(b) cancel the authorisation.(3) A decision under sub-paragraph (2) must be made—(a) after the end of the period for making representations referred to in paragraph 15C(4), and(b) before the end of three working days beginning with the first working day after the day on which the authorisation is granted.(4) If the decision under sub-paragraph (2) is to approve the grant of the authorisation, the retention and use of the copy may continue in accordance with the conditions on which the authorisation was granted (subject to any further conditions or variation of the existing conditions that the Commissioner specifies).(5) If the decision under sub-paragraph (2) is to cancel the authorisation, any further use of the copy must stop as soon as possible.(6) If the Commissioner cancels the authorisation the Commissioner may direct that—(a) the copy is destroyed, and (b) all reasonable steps are taken to secure that any information derived from the copy is also destroyed.(7) Sub-paragraphs (5) and (6) do not apply if the copy is further retained under a power conferred by paragraph 14(3)(b) or (c).(8) The Commissioner must inform each affected party of the Commissioner’s decision under sub-paragraph (2).(9) The requirement under this paragraph to provide information to the person from whom the article was taken from which the copy was made applies only so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so.(10) Where a Judicial Commissioner, other than the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, exercises a function under this paragraph in relation to a copy, an affected party may ask the Investigatory Powers Commissioner to decide whether to approve the way in which the function was exercised.(11) Nothing in this paragraph affects the lawfulness of—(a) anything done under an authorisation before it is cancelled;(b) if anything is in the process of being done under an authorisation when it is cancelled—(i) anything done before that thing could be stopped, or(ii) anything done which it is not reasonably practicable to stop.” Amendments 83 to 88 not moved. Schedule 3, as amended, agreed. Clause 22 agreed. Schedule 4 agreed. Clauses 23 and 24 agreed. Clause 25: Extent My Lords, I do not wish to detain the Committee for long on this clause, but I would like to put a couple of points on the record about the devolution implications of this Bill. Counterterrorism and national security are reserved matters in Scotland and Wales and excepted matters in Northern Ireland. Consequently, in the view of the UK Government, none of the provisions in the Bill relates to matters within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales or Northern Ireland Assembly. None the less, we recognise that there will be an impact on devolved criminal justice agencies in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and on local authorities in Scotland and Wales. Consequently, we have consulted the devolved Administrations extensively throughout the preparation of the Bill and, subsequently, during its parliamentary passage. I am very grateful for the collaborative approach adopted by the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Department of Justice towards this Bill, so that we can ensure that it is fit for purpose in Scotland and Northern Ireland, recognising that those parts of the UK have a criminal justice system distinct from that in England and Wales. There are two provisions in the Bill that impact on the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers, namely those relating to the power to charge for an anti-terrorism traffic regulation order in Clause 15 and the amendment to the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 in Schedule 4. I am therefore also grateful to the Scottish Government for taking forward a legislative consent Motion in relation to these provisions; the Motion is due to be debated in the Scottish Parliament later this month. With that, I beg to move that Clause 25 stand part of the Bill. Clause 26: Commencement Baroness Howe of Idlicote 89: Clause 26, page 25, line 30, at beginning insert “Subject to subsection (2A), ” Baroness Howe of Idlicote (CB) My Lords, I rise to speak to Amendments 89 and 91 in my name and, in doing so, I thank the Minister for the letter that she sent to noble Lords before Committee stage began, which responded to a number of different concerns, including the points that I made at Second Reading. I am grateful for that response and will use it as my starting point in moving these amendments today. By way of introduction, it would probably help if I recapitulated my central concern, which I expressed at Second Reading and is the reason that I move these amendments. It is absolutely right that the Government should do everything in their power to tackle the great evil that is terrorism. The events of last year must cause them to apply themselves, with even greater determination than before, to the development of really effective policy and legislation to deal with the threat that terrorism poses. Part of our response to terrorism is to say that it has no place here and to defend the British commitment to liberty and all the attendant constitutional safeguards that uphold it. In this context, it seems to me that when we cross from terrorism to extremism which is not related to terrorism, we enter very difficult territory. While I have no problem with the state intervening when someone’s values cause them either to commit a terrorist act, to glorify a terrorist act or to encourage others to engage in a terrorist act, I have the greatest difficulty with the idea of censuring extremism without a connection to terrorism. When we start to engage extremism with no connection to terrorism, it seems to me that we enter entirely different territory. It is all so very subjective. One person’s “extreme views” could be another’s common sense, just as their common sense could seem extreme to another person. Part of the challenge of living in a free society is accommodating differences of opinion, including those that we may find, for want of a better phrase, “nutty and extreme”. I feel uncomfortable about the idea that we should start policing these thoughts. Having reminded noble Lords of this backdrop, I turn to detailed consideration of my amendments and the Minister’s letter. As things stand, Clause 19 amends Section 36 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, which requires local government to seek to identify those at risk of being drawn into terrorism. Clause 19 broadens the scope of Section 36 and the point that I made at Second Reading is that Clause 19 should not be implemented until such a time as the accompanying guidance is updated to prevent policing people’s views which the state describes as extreme but which do not espouse and celebrate acts of violence. There is no basis for that reach beyond terrorism in the primary legislation. In her response, the Minister has suggested that the Channel guidance is very clear that the point at which an intervention is made is the point at which the person concerned is indeed deemed at risk of either espousing, celebrating or committing acts of violence. There are, however, two problems. First, while the Channel guidance is clear about the point of intervention to bring someone in, it in fact ranges rather more widely. This is reflected in the references to extremism in that guidance, where there is no need for any reference to terrorism. Paragraph 51, for example, encourages the consideration of, “indicators that an individual is engaged with an extremist group, cause or ideology”. It goes on to say that these indicators include things such as, “spending increasing time in the company of other suspected extremists”, “day-to-day behaviour becoming increasingly centred around an extremist ideology, group or cause”. It seems to me that, as currently defined, the Channel guidance mandates two forms of intervention: an intervention where there is a perceived risk that someone is in danger of being drawn into terrorism—with which I have no difficulty—and a prior intervention for the purpose of monitoring because the state does not like the views espoused, even though they have nothing to do with espousing, celebrating or committing acts of terrorism. Of course I have no difficulty with the idea of monitoring to identify when someone is at risk of being drawn into terrorism, but that must be because they are coming under the influence of those who are in some sense connected to terrorism, and not simply because they come into contact with those whose views the state deems extreme. That is a key distinction, but it is one that I am not convinced the Channel guidance currently respects. In expressing this concern, I highlight once again the judgment in the case of Salman Butt. In her letter, the Minister suggested that Mr Justice Ouseley’s judgment in that case merely underlines and indicates the current approach of the Government in being clear that the point of intervention is when there is a risk that the person will be drawn into violence. With respect, however, Mr Justice Ouseley was underlining this distinction in response to a concern that, while on some occasions it is being respected by guidance, on other occasions it is not. Of course I fully understand that Mr Justice Ouseley’s judgment refers specifically to the Prevent guidance, but I think the same principle should be applied with respect to the Channel guidance. This takes me to the second difficulty with the Government’s response. In her letter, the Minister suggested that the only relevant guidance at this point is the Channel guidance, inferring that other forms of guidance such as the Prevent guidance and the Counter-Extremism Strategy are simply not relevant. I do not find that argument in any way convincing. Quite apart from anything else, paragraphs 6 and 7 of section 1 of the Channel guidance relate it to Prevent and the Prevent guidance. In this context, it seems entirely possible that those discharging their duties under Section 36 of the 2015 Act will feel it entirely appropriate to allow their conduct to be impacted by the broad approaches set out in that document. Moreover, it seems entirely reasonable to me that someone discharging their duties under Section 36 and wanting a better handle on extremism should turn to the Counter-Extremism Strategy or counterterrorism strategy for additional guidance. However, these documents completely fail to respect the crucial distinction that Mr Justice Ouseley sets out in his judgment. For example, paragraph 74 of the latest version of the counterterrorism strategy states: “We protect the values of our society – the rule of law, individual liberty, democracy, mutual respect, tolerance and understanding of different faiths and beliefs – by tackling extremism in all its forms”. Paragraph 124, meanwhile, references the Channel guidance and says: “Channel is run in every local authority in England and Wales and addresses all types of extremism”. The Counter-Extremism Strategy, meanwhile, states at paragraph 8: “We are clear that this strategy will tackle all forms of extremism: violent and non-violent”. These are just a few of the examples. This means that the guidance that feeds into thinking about the application of the duty to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism, or assessing the extent to which identified individuals are vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism, is broadened to cover a very broad concept of extremism where there is not always a connection to terrorism. I believe that this is simply not acceptable, and the Government need to rein in their focus away from extremism in all its forms to focus very specifically on those who espouse, celebrate or commits acts of violence or who are in danger of doing so. In making that point—and in moving this amendment—that would require the Channel guidance, the Prevent duty guidance, the counterterrorism strategy and Counter-Extremism Strategy to be updated, so that they do not transgress beyond the narrow focus on a necessary connection to violence to extremism in all its forms. I close by quoting from the Salman Butt judgment in which Mr Justice Ouseley stated very clearly that the Prevent duty does not refer to all forms of extremism as defined in the Prevent duty guidance of 2015 and the Counter-Extremism Strategy of 2015. Mr Justice Ouseley rightly said that extremism is, “active opposition to fundamental British values”, “must in some respect risk drawing others into terrorism before the guidance applies to it. If there is some non-violent extremism, however intrinsically undesirable, which does not create a risk that others will be drawn into terrorism, the guidance does not apply to it”. Thus, the Prevent duty does not apply to all forms of extremism, and specifically not to non-violent extremism if there is no risk of people being drawn into terrorism. The Prevent duty guidance should be updated so that the guidance consistently reflects this position. The other relevant guidance documents that could also have bearing on the discharging of the responsibilities defined by Section 36 of the 2015 Act, which Clause 19 amends, should be similarly updated. Moreover, these documents should also be updated to reflect the distinction that Mr Justice Ouseley has made in their application generally beyond Section 36. I beg to move. Lord Morrow (DUP) My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Howe, on bringing forward Amendments 89 and 91, which I am content to support. Like the noble Baroness, I scrutinised the Minister’s letter, which I will come back to. The letter makes two key claims with respect to the Channel guidance. First, it states: “The Channel Duty Guidance is clear that ‘preventing terrorism will mean challenging extremist (and non-violent) ideas that are also part of a terrorist ideology’”. In this context, the Minister argues that the only point of intervention would be where extremist ideas are used, “to legitimise terrorism and are shared by terrorist groups”. In truth, however, as the noble Baroness, Lady Howe, pointed out, the guidance contains some references to extremism that are not rooted in a necessary connection to terrorism, and it thereby effectively mandates two interventions: one quite properly, where there is concern that the individual in question is being drawn into terrorism, whereas the other is effectively a monitoring intervention to monitor people whose views the state considers extreme but in relation to which there is no need for any immediate connection to terrorism. I assume that the thought is that because they have extreme views, there is a chance that they could at some point show signs of interest in terrorism, but in the absence of anything other than a vague definition of extremism, this opens the door for the state to start monitoring any views its officers decide are extreme. I find this second intervention Orwellian and illiberal. The current legislation in Section 36 of the 2015 Act provides a clear and narrow remit that is confined to terrorism. It is completely inappropriate to issue guidance that strays into undefined views that the state or its representatives happen to find extreme, unless they are connected to espousing or celebrating terrorism. This problem is clearly underlined by the fact that paragraph 124 of the new Counter-Terrorism Strategy, published in June, comments on the Channel programme and states: That tells us all we need to know: it addresses extremism in all its forms, and thus there is no necessary connection of any sort with terrorism. I find somewhat disingenuous the suggestion from the Minister that the Channel guidance is the only guidance that will inform the approach of local government officials in discharging their responsibilities under Section 36. I completely accept that the Channel guidance has been specially developed to help local government discharge its responsibilities with respect to Section 36. It is certainly the guidance to which local authorities refer first when considering their Section 36 responsibilities. However, that does not mean that the other guidance documents to which the noble Baroness, Lady Howe, referred will not be consulted. The fact that the Channel process is part of the Prevent strategy is spelled out for us by the Channel guidance. Paragraph 7 of Section 1 states: “Channel forms a key part of the Prevent strategy”. In this context it would not be at all surprising if the Prevent Duty Guidance was consulted in addition to the Channel guidance to provide a broader context as Channel is, by the guidance’s own admission, part of the Prevent strategy. On the same basis, it would not be at all surprising if a local authority in want of a better understanding of extremism also turned to the Counter-Extremism Strategy, or if a local authority in want of a better understanding of terrorism also turned to the Counter-Terrorism Strategy. This is where Justice Ouseley’s judgment becomes so important. In her letter, the Minister said: “The High Court in the case of Salman Butt v the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Baroness Howe also mentioned, was clear that the Government was fully within its powers to include this form of non-violent extremism within the scope of the Prevent Duty Guidance”. I accept that it is possible to find a good number of statements in the Prevent Duty Guidance that are consistent with this statement. Take paragraph 38, for example, which states: “We expect local authorities to use the existing counter-terrorism local profiles … produced for every region by the police, to assess the risk of individuals being drawn into terrorism. This includes not just violent extremism but also non-violent extremism, which can create an atmosphere conducive to terrorism and can popularise views which terrorists exploit”. However, it is also possible to find numerous references to extremism in the Prevent Duty Guidance, where no such distinction applies—for example, in paragraph 106, which states: “Prisons should perform initial risk assessments on reception, including cell-sharing risk assessments, and initial reception and induction interviews to establish concerns in relation to any form of extremism, be that faith based, animal rights, environmental, far right, far left extremism or any new emerging trends”. Let us now consider paragraph 109: “Appropriate information and intelligence sharing should take place, for example with law enforcement partners, to understand whether extremism is an issue and to identify and manage any behaviours of concern”. Again, there is plainly no necessary link to terrorism here; and let us consider paragraph 131: “In addition PCTLs should lead the development of, for example, faith awareness or Extremism Risk Screening training of local training and staff development to supplement the Prevent awareness training. This should focus on emerging issues and any new support and interventions that become available”. I could go on, but in some ways the most damning statement from the guidance is the glossary definition of extremism, which provides the baseline account for the term in the guidance. The glossary in the 2015 guidance, which can be located on page 21, states: “‘Extremism’ is defined in the 2011 Prevent strategy as vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of our armed forces, whether in this country or overseas”. Crucially, this definition does not require any connection with terrorism. The calling for the death of servicemen is not necessary to meet the definition which also does not require any other link to terrorism. It is this glossary definition of extremism that is being used to broaden the scope of the Channel and Prevent duties. The very moment these duties divert from their primary aim of addressing the risk of people being drawn into terrorism to addressing the risk of people being drawn into terrorism and extremism—where the two are contrasted they clearly are not the same—we are at risk of becoming an Orwellian state. In this context, it is particularly concerning that, as reported by the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Dr Charlotte Heath-Kelly at the University of Warwick has warned about her concerns with local authority involvement in Prevent. She said: “We have found that this leads healthcare professionals and Local Authority processes to enquire into incidences of dissent and illiberal political beliefs—rather than vulnerability to abuse in persons with formal care needs (the legal definition of safeguarding). For example, during our study of local authority owned Prevent work, we found cases where children had been referred to safeguarding teams for watching Arabic television, and where adults were referred for planning pilgrimage trips. While these incidents did not reach Channel, it is crucial that the select committee investigate the low level, and misguided, monitoring of religiosity and political beliefs. People have a right to their beliefs without them being interpreted and medicalized as ‘vulnerabilities’”. I very much hope that, when the Minister responds to this debate, she will acknowledge that there are real concerns here; I hope she might be willing to meet concerned Members to discuss the matter between Committee and Report about the way the relevant guidance documents handle extremism. I should say that there are members of the other place who would also like to attend such a meeting with the Minister. They had wanted to raise this matter through an amendment on Report but were somewhat taken aback by the fact that the day the Government announced the date for Report in another place was the very same day as the deadline for submitting amendments. This meant that the only amendments tabled on Report in another place were from the Front Benches, who knew in advance the date for Report and thus the deadline for tabling amendments to explore these issues. There was not a single Back-Bench amendment. My Lords, I thank both the noble Lord, Lord Morrow, and the noble Baroness, Lady Howe, for explaining the amendments at length. I say at the outset that I am happy to meet with both the noble Baroness and the noble Lord in due course. Both at Second Reading and today, the noble Baroness mentioned a number of guidance documents and strategies which she suggested had informed the decisions made by local authorities about the referral of individuals to a Channel panel. Among them, she referred to the Prevent Duty Guidance. However, this guidance is not the relevant document which will guide local authorities through this process. The Prevent Duty Guidance concerns a separate duty, the wider Prevent duty, containing Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The proposal in Clause 19 instead talks of the duty of local authorities to maintain a panel to assess and provide support to people who are vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism; this is commonly known as the Channel panel. The statutory basis for these Channel panels is found in Sections 36 to 41 of the 2015 Act. This is accompanied by its own statutory guidance, issued under the power in Section 36(7), known as Channel duty guidance. The Channel duty guidance is quite clear that, “preventing terrorism will mean challenging extremist (and non-violent) ideas that are also part of a terrorist ideology”, as the noble Lord and the noble Baroness pointed out. The guidance also states that the way in which vulnerability to being drawn into terrorism is to be assessed is through a “vulnerability assessment framework”, containing 22 factors that can contribute to such vulnerability. The guidance goes on to say: “Association with organisations that are not proscribed and that espouse extremist ideology as defined in the Prevent strategy is not, on its own, reason enough to justify a referral to the Channel process”. Given this, I am not persuaded that the provisions in Clause 19 which, as I say, relate to Channel panels and not the wider Prevent duty, call for a wholesale revision of the Channel guidance and certainly not in respect of the issues raised by the noble Baroness. We keep the Channel guidance under review and from time to time it will need updating. But it would be quite wrong to make the revision of this guidance, or the separate Prevent guidance, a precondition of the commencement of the much-needed provisions in the Bill. As I said, I am very happy to meet the two noble Lords and, in the meantime, I ask the noble Baroness to withdraw her amendment. My Lords, I thank the Minister for her reply although it was obviously not the one I would have hoped for. I will have to think about it in quite a lot of detail before coming to a conclusion about what should happen on Report. I also thank the noble Lord, Lord Morrow, for his contribution and for backing what I still consider to be a very important range of thoughts. As there is a need for a bit of talk before we come to any full conclusions about this, a look at diaries before Report would be good to fix a convenient time for all concerned. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendments 90 and 91 not moved. House resumed. Bill reported with amendments. Cameroon: English-speaking Minority Question for Short Debate Lord Boateng To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to safeguard the human rights of the English-speaking minority in Cameroon. Lord Boateng (Lab) My Lords, Cameroon is in the grip of a humanitarian disaster that threatens to affect it and the whole region. The anglophone communities in the country see their rights and their expectations of a prosperous and safe life trampled underfoot. The crisis has its origins in a 1961 plebiscite, which I, a child in the region at the time, recall as being of concern then to the region, to my father—a Cabinet Minister in a neighbouring country—and, significantly, to Members of this House and the other place. They saw a flawed plebiscite that posed a binary question to the English-speaking regions of Cameroon: join Nigeria or join francophone Cameroon. They were not given the choice to form their own independent state. We live with the legacy of that plebiscite in the plight of the peoples of Cameroon to this day, the English-speaking ones in particular. The horrific figures speak for themselves: 460,000 people have been displaced; 3.3 million are in need of humanitarian assistance; and more than 450 innocent civilians have been killed—often in horrific circumstances—in the conflict in the anglophone regions, as well as countless separatist fighters and government soldiers. Only this morning, I met someone whose family member was giving assistance to a government soldier who, when he returned to the place where the soldiers had gathered, had seen the heads of four of his comrades displayed on the road. Not surprisingly, he has gone mad. Atrocities have been committed on both sides. As we speak, people are held without trial, people have disappeared and people have been kidnapped. It is a dirty war and no one comes out of it with any credit at all. What is to be done? The answer surely has to be that we have to engage. We have heard numerous expressions of concern from Her Majesty’s Government. Concern is welcome but it is not enough. The time has come to engage with the specific purpose of inculcating a genuinely national dialogue within Cameroon designed to address these grievances. The grievances are real, continuing and some years ago now—the situation has been deteriorating over the last two or three years in particular—led lawyers and teachers to go on strike. The protections they had secured from the original federalist solution that followed the plebiscite had been so dissipated that anglophone students were at a disadvantage when they took exams. Cases could not properly be heard in the courts because francophone judges were adjudicating on a common law of which they had no knowledge, in languages that were improperly translated. All of that led to the increasing marginalisation of the English-speaking people of Cameroon. In no other country in the world is an English-speaking minority as discriminated against and disadvantaged as it is in Cameroon. Regardless of our historical responsibilities as the holders of the mandate that led to the creation of a federal Cameroon after independence, and, equally, with the universal right of people to protection, which we are obliged to accept, how can we stand by to see English people discriminated against in this way? We hope to hear from the Government tonight the practical measures that they will take to address this issue. We have an excellent high commissioner in Cameroon. How is he to be supported by additional resource? After all, the Government have been very clear that we have made a commitment to increase the resources available to ensure that the Foreign Office is able to guarantee the right to protection against atrocity. Are these resources to be made available to the high commission in Cameroon? It cannot follow through that guarantee on the resources currently allocated for that purpose. On 21 and 22 November, the Anglophone General Conference will be organised by Cameroonian religious leaders. How are we, as a nation, to support that with resources? Will we encourage the Government of Cameroon to engage with religious leaders at that conference and, crucially, will we encourage the separatist movements also to engage? Innocent people are being caught between a rock and a hard place: between on one hand the separatists, who terrorise them, and on the other the Government, who also terrorise them and at the same time fail to protect them. I declare an interest in this concern. I chair two charities that currently work in Cameroon. The Minister of State for Africa rightly, in my view, referred to the long-standing friendship between the British people and Cameroon, and the fact that we are partners in the Commonwealth. That long-standing friendship has caused Book Aid International, previously the Countess of Ranfurly library trust, to work in both English-speaking and French-speaking Cameroon since 1962. It is a charity that trains librarians and provides books. It helped me as a little boy growing up in the Gold Coast and then Ghana by founding the first dedicated children’s library in sub-Saharan Africa. We are now no longer able to work in English-speaking Cameroon, such is the impact on education in those provinces. Similarly, I chair the International Council of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. We have had a long-standing relationship with Cameroon and work closely with ministries and civil society there. However, we are no longer able to work in English-speaking Cameroon. That is the reality on the ground and something has to be done. I shall close my remarks by allowing the people of English-speaking Cameroon to speak for themselves. One child describes how she and her family have had to take to the forest to be safe both from government troops and from the separatists. Her education has been disrupted. She has no access to what we would expect any child to have. She says, “I will not be able to go back to my village and school, which have been burnt down. The forest is now my home, though there are no schools or books here. I still have hopes to go to school and read books again”. Book Aid International has no government support—it does not ask for it. It is supported by publishers, which provide brand-new books, by ordinary British people, and, because of the difficulty of working in Cameroon at this time, by the People’s Postcode Lottery, to which I give great thanks and credit. As a result, we have now been able to send 5,000 brand- new publisher-donated books to be distributed not as they normally are through schools and libraries but in the forests, on the roads, in the camps and in places where these displaced children are—distributed, it has to be said, with the aid of brave local partners. The Churches are at the forefront of this. One bishop has said, “We believe that we can give these children hope in a hopeless situation. Dreams should not end because there is strife and conflict, but unless we right the wrongs now for these children so they can learn today, there will be no tomorrow for them and their communities”. I ask the Government: are we to support the Commonwealth or the African Union to hold the ring in the national conversation that the President of Cameroon has promised to address the long-standing grievances and current abuses of human rights on all sides, and what resources will Her Majesty’s Government make available to the Commonwealth and/or the African Union for that purpose? It will not be enough to call on them to do something unless we give them the resources and unless, within the ministerial council of the Commonwealth, we exercise the political will that the people of Cameroon are entitled to look to Her Majesty’s Government to exercise. We have a choice. We cannot, to any useful purpose, revisit the wrongs of yesteryear in the plebiscite—the flawed referendum—and in the withdrawal from imperial responsibility, but we can ensure that these children and communities have a tomorrow. My Lords, I shall try not to repeat any of the very clear and passionate points made by my noble friend Lord Boateng about the current situation and recent developments in Cameroon. Suffice it to say that I fully support his call for UK engagement in this situation, not least because of our historical responsibilities for the actions in 1961 and a degree of abandonment thereafter when the federal system was abandoned in 1972. However, I want to add a few points to the discussion this evening. First, although there is a role for the United Kingdom, there also has to be a role for the African Union. Over the years, many of us have welcomed the shift from the old policy of non-interference in the practices of the Governments of the member states of the Organisation of African Unity to the new policy of non-indifference in the African Union, where there is—at least, in theory—a more interventionist approach to these kinds of situations. It seems to me that it is where the region and the continent have been more actively engaged than the international community that there has been success in recent years in tackling human rights abuses and preventing atrocities. Secondly, here, there is yet another lesson for the ambitions the Government claim to have for a global Britain post Brexit. If we are to increase our resources in the Foreign Office and to have a more active international policy, I believe that it has to have human rights and atrocity prevention at its core. We have that responsibility in the UN Security Council but also as a nation, given our historical responsibilities for our colonial past. The Government must ensure that human rights and atrocity prevention are at the heart of the new policy of global Britain. I am interested to hear the Minister tell us about the Government’s assessment in relation to atrocity prevention. What has been the Foreign Office’s approach to the “responsibility to protect” focal point? What is its response and its attitude to this situation, and how much worse it could become? My third point relates to the crucial politics of the situation, and here I want to generalise far beyond Cameroon. If we look around the world, we see that almost every major conflict today is based on an identity clash between a majority and a minority. Many of these were created by borders that were defined by the end of the First World War or by the end of colonisation in the 1950s and early 1960s. But elsewhere many are still raging, without any engagement from any of the European former colonial powers. Look at Myanmar, the Philippines—where I have been involved as an adviser to the Mindanao peace process, as is listed in the register of interests—the former Soviet states of Ukraine and elsewhere, the Middle East, and across large parts of Africa in large and medium-sized states. We see conflict between a majority and a minority, where the minority, rightly or wrongly—in most cases rightly—feels persecuted and disadvantaged by the majority, and where the majority fears the minority and therefore will not concede power. It seems to me that the system of federated government that was designed for Cameroon back in the late 1950s and early 1960s—at least in theory—and which prompted the decision of the Southern Cameroonians in the plebiscite to choose to be part of Cameroon rather than Nigeria, is the kind of political solution that must be promoted around the world to ensure that these conflicts are not just contained but are resolved in the long term. Unless people have a political voice, representation of their identity and an opportunity to govern themselves and influence the rest of the country in an appropriate way, the underlying causes of these conflicts will not end, whether it is in parts of Africa, the Middle East, the former Soviet states, south-east asia or anywhere else. The British Government, perhaps along with other European partners, could be making more effective interventions. We have a history of devolution and a political settlement in Northern Ireland, bringing to an end the violent conflict there, and a history in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK of creating political devolution in a peaceful way. In both these instances, there are lessons we can take elsewhere in the world and use to help prevent conflict and sustain peace. That is one initiative that could be at the heart of the global Britain approach that we are promised post Brexit. Lord Chidgey (LD) My Lords, first, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, on giving us the opportunity to raise these issues concerning Cameroon, which are so important in our overall philosophy for the development of Africa. After independence in 1961, there followed a long period of economic migration back and forth between Cameroon and Nigeria, together with asylum seekers fleeing from Boko Haram, perhaps inevitably, given the war between Cameroon’s army and the Islamist militant group. Since 2015, however, Cameroon has apparently forcibly removed tens of thousands of asylum seekers back to north-east Nigeria, despite warnings that the region remains unsafe due to Boko Haram attacks. In March 2017, concerns about forced returns led Nigeria, Cameroon and the UNHCR to sign an agreement for the voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees living in Cameroon. The agreement states that, “repatriation of Nigerian refugees will be done solely on the basis of their freely expressed will”, and only when, “the conditions are favorable for the return of refugees in safety and dignity to the place of their final destination in Nigeria”. Yet in September 2017, Human Rights Watch reported that over 100,000 Nigerian refugees were deported from Cameroon in the hope of stemming the spread of Boko Haram, defying a plea from the UN Refugee Agency not to return anyone to north-east Nigeria, where Boko Haram had killed thousands of people. According to Human Rights Watch, the Cameroonian military’s torture and abuse of Nigerian refugees seems to be driven by an arbitrary decision to punish them for Boko Haram attacks in Cameroon and to discourage Nigerians from seeking asylum. It is still not safe to drive from Cameroon into places like the border towns of Pulka and Banki, say leaders of the Borno Community Coalition, which assists IDPs. The attacks on returnees should prove to Cameroon that forcing refugees back to Nigeria could lead them to their death. Last week, the fury created by reports that as many as 100 students had been kidnapped from a Presbyterian secondary school subsided to a large degree when the true figure of 11 was confirmed on their release. Separatists fighting for independence of the two English-speaking regions condemned the kidnapping in Bamenda and accused the Government of staging the incident. On 5 November, the Journal du Cameroun reported that the Committee to Protect Journalists, the CPJ, was exhorting the Government to stop intimidating journalists in the country. Angela Quintal, the CPJ’s Africa program co-ordinator, said: “Over the last year, Cameroonian journalists have been repeatedly summoned simply for doing their work. In many instances, these summons resulted in detentions. This pattern of intimidation must end”. Before the London CHOGM, the CPA UK branch hosted the visit of a parliamentary delegation from Cameroon. The delegation was led by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon, the honourable Emilia Monjowa Lifaka. The tension between anglophone and francophone areas of Cameroon was discussed, in particular the disparity between the French and English legislative and legal systems operating in different parts of the country. The delegation stated that, as a minority of the population came from the English-speaking community, there was less demand for, and therefore less incentive to provide, trained officials who specialise in the English legal and legislative systems, leading to a shortage of these personnel. The honourable Emilia Monjowa Lifaka later attended the opening plenary session of the London CHOGM, as the newly elected chair of the international Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Referring to the CHOGM themes of fairness, prosperity, security and sustainable development, she said: “There can be no peace without fairness, there can be no meaningful development without peace, there can be no security without peace, and therefore, no nation can prosper without fairness, peace and security”. As the chair of the all-party group on the Commonwealth, I wonder what advice the Minister might give the chair of the international CPA on how her wise words might well be applied to her own Parliament, as well as to the Commonwealth at large. With the anglophone conflict edging towards civil war, will the Minister urge dialogue between the separatists and the Government of Cameroon as a means of halting escalation? Will she call for support for an anglophone general conference, able to negotiate with the Government of Cameroon, breaking their reliance on a military campaign to crush the rebels? Will she also confirm that she will urge the Government of Cameroon to reflect that, as signatories to the Commonwealth charter, they too are committed to helping to establish and apply human rights throughout the Commonwealth in accordance with the Latimer principles? Viscount Waverley (CB) My Lords, Cameroon has the hallmarks of the region and the world sleep-walking into another humanitarian disaster even beyond that which we are witnessing today. My past visits to Cameroon have been to assess the appropriateness of a key agricultural investment in the French-speaking north. I begin with my conclusion and a possible way forward—but not before commending the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, for securing a debate on this rapidly deteriorating situation and for his powerful intervention. It is terrible and so sad that these wounds have resurfaced, but I fear it was always going to be thus with the exclusion of the English-speaking minority from the affairs of state. The only practical solution, from a distance, is a political settlement with either a United Nations or African Union peace-keeping contingent being placed on the ground to enable an immediate cessation of violence, ensuring a humanitarian protective intervention and a cooling-off period to create the conditions to allow an equitable settlement to be hammered out. Building on lessons learned, autonomy but not separation in a close-knit federation is the formula for lasting peace and should be embraced as a solution. I have not tracked the papers that explain why this was not contained in the 1961 plebiscite when divesting from Southern Cameroons. The Minister could usefully shed light into the thinking of the day and as to why not. Are the Government satisfied that sufficient regard was paid to sensitivities, responsibilities and their consequences by our forebears? The Minister may wish to comment on the background of the 6 November 2018 ruling in favour of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding the legality of the original plebiscite. I wonder whether the right question was before the court. I will refer to the Cairo declaration and the subsequent Constitutive Act of the African Union. What was always, and still is, envisaged as an acceptable solution to the English language-speaking people of Cameroon was a choice of a federation made up of two states with equal status. I am not critical of London in isolation. The Quai d’Orsay possibly pressed what it considered to be an advantage by not containing this key option in restricting the alternatives to a choice between Nigeria and French Cameroun. Importantly, the 1964 Cairo declaration on African borders, reaffirmed in Article 4b of the Constitutive Act of the African Union and signed off by the President of Cameroun, makes it clear that demarcation of the territory of each African state is recognised as being such on the date of its independence. Do the United Kingdom Government accept this to be the case or not? Have there been subsequent declarations that nullify these issues on borders? If not, it would follow that French Cameroun and Ambazonia are both able to assert territorial integrity. At no time before or after its independence from France was the Southern Cameroons part of that country known by its French name and style as La République du Cameroun. A solution would be a close-knit federation made up of two entities, thus ensuring no parting of the ways. The question of the legitimacy of territorial integrity superseding that of self-determination would not be relevant in this instance. An international boundary separating French Cameroun from the Southern Cameroons existed and was affirmed in the Anglo-French boundary treaty of 1916 and confirmed in 1931. If that be the case, would it not follow that the territorial integrity of the Southern Cameroons should be recognised sitting alongside that of French Cameroun. An integral part of a peace formula lies with France. Given the David and Goliath nature of the situation in Cameroon, I ask the Minister on what occasions have a British Prime Minister or Foreign Secretary brought up this matter with a French President or the Quai d’Orsay? On the multilateral front we should not forget that Cameroon is a Commonwealth member. It was always envisaged by the secretariat that the Commonwealth would take the wind out of the sail of secession. Membership was pressed for by Ambazonians against the will of Paris, with France, unsurprisingly, mightily resisting Cameroon’s application for Commonwealth membership When the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Scotland, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, visited Yaoundé in December 2017, President Biya recalled all the measures taken by his Government to appease the situation in the north-west and south-west regions. He reiterated his willingness for dialogue, but also that he stood firm on his determination to “restore order”. The Commonwealth must surely now regain some of its focus, with the UK pressing the Commonwealth to serve more of a purpose in Cameroon than just monitoring elections. A practical and immediate imperative is to effect measures to end the atrocities by the military. What is being done to stem the refugee flows into Nigeria; the halting of the burning down of over 100 towns and villages; the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of women, children and the elderly into the forests, hills and bushes; and the dislocation of the livelihood of others? Let this debate, introduced by the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, be the catalyst for all sides to sit together before yet another series of continuing calamitous events befalls the world. Lord Judd (Lab) My Lords, I would like unreservedly to thank and congratulate my noble friend Lord Boateng on having taken up this cause. To have someone with his experience and insight leading on our concerns is magnificent. I also think that he introduced this subject to terrific effect and with considerable passion in the best sense. I have a personal affection for Cameroon because as a young man, the first time I went to Africa, as part of my journey, I visited Senegal and Cameroon. I remember being struck then by the immense difference in the character, tradition and life between the West Cameroonians and the French Cameroonians. I was bewildered as to how the administrators thought that these two communities made a natural combined entity; I just did not see it. This is an auspicious day in terms of our own domestic history here in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. There are lessons here. You cannot fix these things by imposing agreements, they have to grow out of the commitment, will and understanding of the different parties to the situation. If I am allowed to continue with my digression for a moment, that is what is so desperately sad about the situation in Northern Ireland because within the context of the European Union, there was a sense of equivalence. The minority population had the reassurance of the European institutions in talks with their colleagues and fellow Northern Ireland citizens. A large number of people were working away at building a future and building the peace, and we have got to get that right. On this subject, I am particularly sad because I have just had news today of a recent ugly event in Bamenda. The Presbyterian secondary school there, Nkwen, has seen 79 schoolchildren abducted, while the headmaster and another key individual are missing, their whereabouts unknown. Also, an American missionary by the name of Charles Wesco has been killed. Bamenda was one of the key places I visited when I was in West Cameroon and I rather think that this is the school in which I received warm hospitality at the time. My noble friend Lord Boateng said that we have gone past the time for urging and talking about our concerns: we need action. In that context, he concentrated on some of the things that could be done. He mentioned the soon-to-occur Anglophone General Conference for Cameroon being organised by church and other religious leaders in the community. It is to be held on 21 and 22 November. We need an answer tonight as to what the British Government are doing—not what they think about it, but what they are actually doing to help that conference be a success. What support have they provided both directly and indirectly? If they have not done so, why have they not? All the professions of good will and concern become rather unpleasant in the context of nothing being done in terms of constructive and hopeful action. My noble friend also talked about people who are going into the forest and the implications of that. What are we doing about shelter and non-food items? What are we doing about food security? What are we doing about health? Vulnerable people are at risk in the forest. What are we doing about water, sanitation and hygiene? What are we doing about gender-based violence? What are we doing about education? This is the time for action and for us to see the evidence of action, it is not the time for being told yet again that we are concerned. What are we doing in the Commonwealth which professes to give priority to conflict resolution? What are we doing at the UN, and while we are still in the European Union, what we are doing with our EU partners? My Lords, we are all most appreciative of the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, for giving the House the opportunity to debate the plight of the English-speaking minority in Cameroon and for the passionate and eloquent way in which he set the scene. The roll-call of suffering is horrendous and a harbinger of even worse to come if, as the noble Lord, Lord Judd, has just reminded us, we fail to act. In Nigeria, nearly 27,000 refugees from Cameroon are registered with the UNHCR. Thousands more have been forced to flee their homes and dozens of villages have been ethnically cleansed. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and High Commissioner for Refugees, 437,000 people from the anglophone regions have been displaced, while the charity, Protection Approaches, says that 3.3 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. Amnesty reports that 450 to 500 civilians and 185 members of the security services have been killed. UNICEF estimates that 58 schools have been destroyed and 47 political leaders are being held without charge. A recent Amnesty report refers to, “arbitrary arrests, torture, unlawful killings and destruction of property”. The Catholic bishops’ conference has called it, “inhuman, blind, monstrous violence”. Of the October election, Archbishop Samuel Kleda, the president of the bishops’ conference, says: “One has the impression election results are decided before voting takes place”. We can all share such horrendous statistics, but I want to focus on what conclusions we can draw from the United Kingdom’s dismal approach to this situation. More than ever, with Britain’s potential departure from the European Union, we must seek to define our role in the world. It would be helpful to know from the Minister whether, for instance, human rights issues were assessed before the New Age natural gas deal was announced, what consideration has been given to targeted sanctions, and whether this crisis figures in the Foreign Secretary’s recent commitment on atrocity prevention. The Government must not suggest that this is a “level playing field” conflict in a civil war between two equal sides. Too often in the past, in Bosnia, in Rwanda and in Darfur, the UK chose the path of moral equivalence. Hinting that both sides are as bad as each other is the easy way out. In a previous generation, this was known as appeasement. Moral equivalence signals that we cannot be expected to pass judgment on which side is more to blame for the conflict. Instead, we issue the usual calls for a cessation of violence and a negotiated settlement, or we frame political conflicts as if they were natural disasters requiring aid—we are very generous in sending aid—rather than political solutions. At its worst, in Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur, we have portrayed the persecution of unarmed civilians by repressive Governments as a result of “ancient ethnic hatreds”, thereby dehumanising the victims and denying the legitimacy of the protesters who yearn for the rights that we take for granted. By citing ancient ethnic hatreds, we absolve ourselves of the obligation under international law to stop the killing. It is also disingenuous to defend our tepid response by claiming that the circumstances present us with a simple binary choice between wringing our hands in dismay and putting British boots on the ground. This is to ignore the potential of soft power available to the international community, be it concerted and sustained diplomatic pressure, carefully targeted sanctions or international justice. The grievances fuelling the violence in Cameroon did not erupt overnight. We had plenty of warning, but we chose not to listen to Cameroon’s anglophone minority. Anglophones represent 20% of the population, but for years there was only one anglophone member of the 36-person Cabinet in Yaoundé—just one example of their systematic marginalisation. We should not underestimate the influence that we have, but it speaks volumes that we left it to the American ambassador to express his disapproval of the Cameroonian Government’s brutal response to peaceful protests. For decades, the francophone Government have ignored the pleas of moderate representatives of civil society such as church leaders. Calls for a federal solution were ignored by President Biya, 36 years in power, fuelling the calls for secession and thereby polarising opinion. Breaking point came when the francophone Government sought to impose French laws, in the French language, on anglophone courts and sent francophone teachers speaking French into English schools. They responded to peaceful protests with disproportionate force. The International Crisis Group reports that a government helicopter hovered outside a church, shooting anglophone worshippers as they emerged from Mass. Inevitably, disproportionate actions led to the current escalation. There is nothing admirable about being even-handed in the face of the suffering of the anglophone community. The United Kingdom should support the anglophone community’s peaceful civil society leaders in seeking genuine and inclusive talks. We need a targeted strategy for atrocity prevention and a commitment to bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations wherever they occur. My Lords, I, too, thank my noble friend Lord Boateng for initiating this debate and for his passionate introduction. I do not want to repeat his excellent background to the complex and contested decolonisation process, but, as my noble friend Lord McConnell highlighted, particularly since the federal arrangements were scrapped in 1972, English-speaking Cameroonians have complained bitterly that they are politically, economically and linguistically marginalised. The current period of escalating violence and displacement goes back to when lawyers protested that a piece of legislation had not been translated into English, despite the constitutional guarantees. As the noble Lord, Lord Alton, mentioned, it has been claimed by the UNHCR that because of the violence more than 26,000 refugees have fled into neighbouring Nigeria—and, as my noble friend Lord Boateng said, hundreds of thousands of others have been internally displaced. The plight of refugees in Nigeria is increasingly desperate, with insufficient provision of shelter, food, water and sanitation. What dialogue has taken place with Nigeria over the worsening refugee situation? Have the Government considered any plans to resettle English-speaking Cameroonian refugees in the United Kingdom? The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, stated: “The crimes committed by both parties need to be properly and independently investigated and the perpetrators need to be brought urgently to justice”. What assessment has the UK’s responsibility to protect focal point made of the situation in Cameroon? What action has been taken to respond to the rising risk of atrocities? In February of this year, the Africa Minister, Harriett Baldwin, visited Cameroon and urged, “restraint and a de-escalation of current tensions”. France has condemned separatist violence and urged dialogue. As the noble Viscount, Lord Waverley, asked, what direct exchanges have there been, if any, with the French Government to seek a common approach to the Cameroon authorities to achieve this end? If we are both saying the same thing, surely there are grounds for a common approach. As we have heard, Cameroon went to the polls on 7 October and, after a period of uncertainty, the Constitutional Council declared, not unsurprisingly, on 22 October that President Biya had won a seventh term, with nearly 72% of the vote. That could see him in power at least until he reaches the age of 92. This declaration, of course, was made despite claims from opposition candidates that the election was marred by fraud, including ballot stuffing and voter intimidation. In English-speaking provinces, intimidation was widely reported and it has been claimed that the turnout was as low as 5%, although official figures say it was almost 16%. At least 18 petitions for a rerun of the election were laid before the Constitutional Council, but all have been rejected. Biya remains staunchly supported by the West, especially by France but also by the United States, which relies strongly on Cameroon in the fight against Boko Haram. The nature of the insurgency will make it difficult for state security forces to end the violence. As my noble friend highlighted, scorched-earth tactics on both sides serve only to further alienate the population. Bearing in mind his age, it is probable that Biya will appoint a successor before the next presidential election. As my noble friend said, there is a need for engagement. Surely this is the time to raise with the President what sort of legacy he will leave. Will it be one of further violence or one of peace? It is an opportunity the Government should not miss. In May Harriett Baldwin said that the Government were encouraging, “not only the Government there but all Cameroonians to participate in a process of inclusive dialogue”.—[Official Report, Commons, 15/5/18; col. 113.] But, as my noble friend and others have asked, how are the Government translating these words into practical steps? What concrete steps are Her Majesty’s Government taking in engaging with Cameroon to facilitate a national dialogue and avert the imminent risk of mass atrocities? What dialogue has there been with the African Union and the Commonwealth Secretariat to support initiatives such as the religious leaders’ conference that my noble friend mentioned? We have seen the report from the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and civil society organisations to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group. It is important that we see practical steps taken, but these cannot be left to just words. They have to be resourced, and that means backing the Commonwealth with the appropriate resources if we are to make those sorts of commitments. In a press release on 8 June, the International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox, hailed a new £1.5 billion natural gas trade deal with Cameroon, seemingly oblivious to the persecution and violence in the region. It is right that the UK should seek to expand into markets in the region, but in doing so we should consider our responsibility to ensure that trade is used to tackle injustices and eliminate poverty. I hope that the Minister can tell us, for example, whether before the agreement was signed any assessment was made by the trade department of the risks that such a deal could pose to human rights in Cameroon. Human rights are being violated. There needs to be strong action on an international basis. I hope that the Minister will be able to reassure noble Lords tonight on that point. Baroness Goldie (Con) My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, for tabling this debate and for what I thought was a very eloquent and powerful speech, and all other noble Lords for their thoughtful and perceptive contributions. I also pay tribute to the commendable charitable work done by the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, in Cameroon. Before I respond to the noble Lord’s Question, I emphasise that promoting and defending human rights is a fundamental part of the UK’s foreign policy. A number of your Lordships raised that question. We believe that everyone, everywhere, should enjoy equal rights and protections under the law. Standing up for human rights is not only the right thing to do but a wise thing to do, because human rights are the essential foundation for a fairer, more secure and more prosperous world. We promote respect for human rights in a variety of ways, from quiet diplomacy and discussions in private to leading campaigns with our international partners. Quite rightly, the noble Lords, Lord Boateng and Lord McConnell, focused on human rights. Individually and collectively, your Lordships have given a very good commentary on the current situation in Cameroon. There have been tensions between the majority francophone and minority anglophone regions since modern-day Cameroon was formed in 1961. Sadly, these deep-rooted tensions have intensified in recent years. Protests by teachers and lawyers against the imposition of francophone education curricula and legal systems in anglophone Cameroon in October 2016 led to violence. As your Lordships acknowledged, some anglophones are now demanding secession from Cameroon. To compound these problems, this violent dispute is taking place at the same time as Cameroon is also tackling the threat of Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa in the extreme north and Lake Chad basin, and supporting tens of thousands of refugees from the Central African Republic and Nigeria, who have themselves been displaced by violence. A number of your Lordships referred to that. The causes of the dispute are complex and, as in many conflict situations, it is not always easy to establish accurately what is happening on the ground. While it is clear that the anglophone community has legitimate concerns, terrible human rights violations and abuses have been carried out by both sides. The noble Lord, Lord Boateng, acknowledged that, as did the noble Lord, Lord Chidgey. In the past year we have witnessed a heavy-handed state response as well as a campaign of intimidation and violence by armed separatists. The noble Lord, Lord Alton, raised a number of important points which I feel I must try to deal with. He used the phrase “ethnic cleansing”. I know that he feels passionately about these matters and is exceedingly well informed but I suggest to him that while human rights violations have undoubtedly been committed, the British Government do not consider the Government of Cameroon to be engaged in ethnic cleansing. I do not wish to diminish the severity of the situation, because there is evidence of forced displacement as a result of government security force operations, as well as attempts by armed separatists to create so-called ghost towns. However, Cameroon is a deeply heterogeneous country with over 200 ethnic groups and I understand that the linguistic divide does not always align with ethnic identities. Some ethnic groups span the anglophone/francophone boundary. The noble Lord, Lord Alton, also claimed that the United Kingdom was resorting to the phrase “a level playing field”. We do not claim this to be a level playing field. We believe that the causes of the conflict are clear: decades of the marginalisation of anglophones, a deep sense that English-language usage is being squeezed from public life and a heavy-handed security response to legitimate protests. As the noble Lord notes, Amnesty International has reported that 185 members of the security services have been killed by anglophone separatists, so we do not claim moral equivalence but neither can we neglect the role that armed separatists are playing in worsening the situation. I suggest to him that we do not claim there is a binary choice; we think that a range of options are available to the international community, with sustained diplomatic pressure being the starting point. Now that the presidential elections are over, we and our international partners are calling on President Biya to commit urgently to a process that resolves this crisis. The noble Lord, Lord McConnell, rightly raised the question of protecting human rights and promoting our values globally. Let me reassure him that we will continue to encourage all states to uphold international human rights obligations. We are committed to upholding the UK’s high standards, particularly to full implementation of the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. I think that the noble Lords, Lord Collins and Lord Alton, inquired about the New Age natural gas deal. We do not see that there has to be a choice between securing growth and investment for the UK, and raising human rights. Our experience is that political freedom, dialogue between groups and the rule of law are vital underpinnings for both prosperity and stability, and that by having a strong relationship with Cameroon we are able to have open discussions on a range of admittedly difficult issues, including human rights. A number of your Lordships referred to the distressing incident in the school in Bamenda last week. I was pleased to see that the students were apparently quickly released. The UK Government are urging those responsible to release the teachers, who I understand are still being held. The humanitarian impact of this conflict on the lives of ordinary people is of course deeply troubling. As many of your Lordships indicated, the consequences are disruptive and destabilising. High levels of violence are causing many people in the English-speaking areas to flee their homes while across Cameroon, more than 3.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. That is an awesome figure. To put it in context, I think it is more than three times the population of Birmingham. That puts into perspective the enormity of the problem. The escalating violence is severely damaging the economy. The long-term consequences for the country could be catastrophic. All noble Lords raised the very legitimate question of what the United Kingdom is doing. They said they did not want platitudes or warm words. We are deeply concerned, and it would be ridiculous to say otherwise. We are providing £6.5 million of support to Cameroon for the Lake Chad basin crisis and the refugees from the Central African Republic. In terms of specific support for the anglophone crisis, we have provided funding for a humanitarian adviser based in Yaoundé, who will be advising on the humanitarian response as a whole, including food security efforts, nutrition and shelter, and for a protection adviser in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Cameroon, who will be focusing on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. We are closely monitoring the situation and will reassess what further support we may be able to provide as the crisis evolves. We are clear that the divisions that are causing the violence and displacement can be resolved only through constructive dialogue. The noble Lord, Lord Boateng, is right to emphasise that. I may be able to provide some comfort. I think he raised the forthcoming conference. Our High Commissioner has met Cardinal Tumi. We encourage his efforts and we call for all sides to enter into dialogue. This opportunity should be seized, but the Government of Cameroon must approve the conference. The noble Lord also raised the issue of resource. The Foreign Secretary has announced 1,000 new diplomatic jobs. We are currently recruiting across Africa, including in Cameroon. I think it was the noble Lords, Lord Chidgey and Lord Collins, who asked about the Commonwealth. The noble and learned Baroness, Lady Scotland, engaged with President Biya in December 2017 and pressed for dialogue. The former Foreign Secretary engaged with the Government of Cameroon in April of this year and with Prime Minister Yang at CHOGM to remind them of the values and expectations of Cameroon as a Commonwealth member and called for an end to violence and for dialogue. I think that it was the noble Lord, Lord Collins, and the noble Viscount, Lord Waverly, who asked about dialogue with France. The Minister for Africa raised this with Minister Lemoyne earlier this year and President Macron wrote to President Biya post the election to encourage action and offer support for dialogue. This is an interesting step-up in pressure. So there has been an international exchange in that respect. A number of your Lordships referred to the visit by my honourable friend the Minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin. She used the opportunity to call on the Government of Cameroon to take urgent action to address the crisis. She has urged all parties to commit to a peaceful and structured process that addresses the underlying constitutional issues of this dispute. We believe that anything less will simply store up issues for the future rather than solve the current problems. A number of your Lordships touched on that aspect. At the end of the day, Cameroon is an independent sovereign state and these issues must be determined by Cameroon. I reassure the noble Lord, Lord McConnell, that when my honourable friend Harriett Baldwin visited in February this year she used the opportunity to reiterate the Government’s commitment to defending human rights, and she pressed Government Ministers to grant humanitarian access to the 47 anglophone leaders who were then in detention. I am pleased to say that following her intervention the International Committee of the Red Cross was granted access. The UK Government are deeply concerned about the situation in Cameroon. We commend our fellow Commonwealth nation, which is what Cameroon is, for giving shelter to so many refugees from neighbouring countries and for its efforts to tackle the threat of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa in the Lake Chad basin—but the Government of Cameroon must now step up and deliver real progress on the ongoing crisis within their borders for the benefit of all their citizens. The noble Lord, Lord Collins, asked a penetrating and pertinent question when he asked, “What is the President’s legacy to be?” I am absolutely sure that the President will reflect on that very question. I very much hope, as we all do, that the President’s legacy will focus on peace, constructive dialogue and seeking a way to end the turbulence that has so dogged and negatively affected Cameroon. House adjourned at 9.09 pm.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line778
__label__wiki	0.976193	0.976193	Twitter Weighs In- Cover Songs That Are Better Than The Original The Twitterverse always have an opinion on various things and this time they're looking at which cover songs are actually better than the original. Do you agree? There are tons of amazing songs out there with many talented artists showing their vocal chops off. But then while some songs are iconic, they can be taken to an entirely new level when another artist decides to put their own unique spin on it. Some songs are simply nice the first time, but the second version can leave you awestruck. While some of these answers we wholeheartedly agree with, others the morning show would fight you to the death over. Here are some of the covers people really wanted to discuss: Israel Kamakawiwoʻole- "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" While Judy Garland made the song famous when she sang this song in "The Wizard of Oz" back in 1938 but when this artist took the song and added the melody of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World" was added on a ukelele the song haunts you. Definitely one of my favorite covers ever. The Sundays- "Wild Horses" I've loved this song since the first time I heard it, way back when on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The cover is haunting and gives it a great vibe. Even if no one in the morning show agrees with me. Jimi Hendrix Experience- "All Along The Watchtower" The song was originally performed by Bob Dylan but most know the track from its Electric Ladyland album version. One person on the Twitter discussion even said "Unpopular opinion: literally any cover of a Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen song is better than the original." The Fugees- "Killing Me Softly" This song many don't even realize is a cover! It was originally written in 1971 and recorded by Lori Lieberman. Several artists have recorded the song before the Fugees and it was a hit for Roberta Flack in 1973 but The Fugees won a Grammy for their version of this song in the 90s. Johnny Cash- "Hurt" Who knew that this song could be made into an even more incredible version all thanks to the man in black? Johnny Cash gave us a stripped down version of this song that bled emotion. An absolute classic was made. Amy Winehouse- "Valerie" This song came out in 2006 by The Zutons by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse took it all the way to number 2 on the charts the next year with their version of the song. Whitney Houston- "I Will Always Love You" Everyone knows the Whitney version of this song, but many aren't familiar with the fact that it was written and performed originally by Dolly Parton. But yes I agree, White absolutely smashed this version out of the park! Lenny Kravitz "American Woman" While the original had its own great sound, Lenny Kravitz took it to a whole new level of sexy hard rock with his version of the song. Disturbed- "The Song Of Silence" Many love this version of Simon and Garfunkle's classic song and it seems to be polarizing. While some out there love this version of the song, others can't stand listening to it. The song has been an obvious success for the Chicago metallers so great if you love the track! Check out some of the other songs that made the list on Twitter. Categories: Buzz Adams Morning Show, Music, Music (Local)	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line780
__label__wiki	0.636725	0.636725	Why did Samuel Rely So Heavily on the Words of Past Prophets? Composite He aqui soy Jesucristo and Samuel en la muralla by Jorge Cocco "And also that ye might know of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning." Helaman 14:1 After delivering the important prophecy concerning the signs which would herald Christ’s birth,1 Samuel the Lamanite explained that he was preaching among the Nephites that they might “know of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and that ye might know of the signs of his coming, to the intent that ye might believe on his name” (Helaman 14:12, emphasis added). The lengthy name-title of Christ contained in this verse is a verbatim quote from King Benjamin‘s prophecy concerning Christ’s birth. John W. Welch has noted, “The twenty-one words in italics appear to be standard Nephite religious terminology derived from the words given to Benjamin by an angel from God: ‘He shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning’” (Mosiah 3:8).2 Moreover, this quotation is not the only reference to an earlier prophet found in Samuel’s prophecies. Contributions from several scholars demonstrate that Samuel’s prophecies—when looked at in their entirety—significantly relied on a variety of prior prophetic teachings, biblical phrases, and prophetic speech patterns. S. Kent Brown, for example, found that Samuel’s prophecies contain poetic laments which noticeably “mirror traits found in Hebrew poetry.”3 Donald W. Parry has noted, “Six prophetic speech forms” are “present in Samuel’s speech.”4 Quinten Barney has argued that Samuel’s prophecy drew “heavily upon the words of Zenos as he prophesied concerning the death of Christ.”5 And according to Shon Hopkin and John Hilton III, Samuel’s use of selected biblical phrases—“saith the Lord,” “Lord of Hosts,” “signs and wonders,” and “anger of the Lord” being “kindled”—in his discourse is consistently found at a higher frequency than for any other speaker in the Book of Mormon (besides biblical authors quoted in the Book of Mormon).6 Although previous Lamanite missionaries had success preaching in Zarahemla a few years earlier (see Helaman 6:4–5), the Nephites were not as humble and teachable when Samuel, as an excluded visitor, spoke to them from the walls of that very city. Recognizing that they viewed him as an outsider, Samuel declared, “And now, because I am a Lamanite, and have spoken unto you the words which the Lord hath commanded me … ye are angry with me and do seek to destroy me” (Helaman 14:10). Thus, in explaining Samuel’s significant use of biblical language, Hopkin and Hilton suggested, “It may be that as an ‘outsider’ Samuel sought to bolster his authority by using language similar to that found on the brass plates.”7 Along a similar line of thought, Samuel’s use of various traditional prophetic speech forms is evidence of his conscious desire to speak in a voice that, according to Parry, was “indicative of prophetic authority and prerogative.”8 These modes of expression gave his words a ring of power and truth. It is also likely that Samuel’s reliance on scriptural language and concepts was intended to evoke certain themes or ideas which were immediately relevant to his own prophecies. For example, Samuel’s quotation of the lengthy name-title of Christ in Mosiah 3:8 could have helped his Nephite listeners recall that Christ’s coming had been prophesied by King Benjamin over a century earlier (see Mosiah 3:5–10). They would also have remembered that this particular formulaic name had been given to their predecessors as part of an enduring covenant, in order to distinguish them from all other people (see Mosiah 1:11; 5:7–10). Samuel’s utterance of that holy covenantal name may well have surprised and even enraged his hostile listeners. After having identified seven distinct literary sections in King Benjamin’s famous speech, John W. Welch noted, “The all-important sacred name is given at the very center of section 3 (see Mosiah 3:8), and the crucial terms on which the efficacy of the atonement depend are stated at the precise center of section 4 (Mosiah 3:18–19).”9 Thus the central importance of this sacred name-title likely held deep religious significance to the Nephites in Zarahemla, whose ancestors unitedly centered their lives on Jesus Christ and covenanted to become His sons and daughters through His atoning sacrifice. Echoing Benjamin’s rhetorical placement of this name at the center of his coronation speech, Samuel placed Christ’s special name-title near the midpoint of his own prophetic judgment speech. Like Samuel, modern readers of the Book of Mormon can greatly benefit from studying, memorizing, and using the sacred language contained in the canon of LDS scripture.10 Quoting prophetic language readily lends authority and power to applicable teachings of central importance. Elder Richard G. Scott has taught, The scriptures provide the strength of authority to our declarations when they are cited correctly. They can become stalwart friends that are not limited by geography or calendar. They are always available when needed. Their use provides a foundation of truth that can be awakened by the Holy Ghost. Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world.11 Shon Hopkin and John Hilton III, “Samuel’s Reliance on Biblical Language,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 24 (2015): 31–52. S. Kent Brown, “The Prophetic Laments of Samuel the Lamanite,” in From Jerusalem to Zarahemla: Literary and Historical Studies of the Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, 1998), 163–180. John W. Welch, “Textual Consistency,” in Reexploring the Book of Mormon: A Decade of New Research, ed. John W. Welch (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1992), 21–23. Donald W. Parry, “‘Thus Saith the Lord’: Prophetic Language in Samuel’s Speech,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 1, no. 1 (1992): 181–183. 1. See Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did Samuel Make Such Chronologically Precise Prophecies? (Helaman 13:5),” KnoWhy 184 (September 8, 2016). 2. John W. Welch, “Textual Consistency,” in Reexploring the Book of Mormon: A Decade of New Research, ed. John W. Welch (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1992), 22. See also, John W. Welch and J. Gregory Welch, Charting the Book of Mormon: Visual Aids for Personal Study and Teaching, (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999), chart 105; John W. Welch and Stephen D. Ricks, eds. “Appendix: Complete Text of Benjamin's Speech with Notes and Comments,” in King Benjamin’s Speech: “That Ye May Learn Widsom” (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 549 Although there is a small discrepancy between these verses in the current (2013) LDS edition of the Book of Mormon, evidence from the Printer’s Manuscript indicates that they were precisely identical in the original text. See Royal Skousen, Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part Two: 2 Nephi 11 – Mosiah 16, The Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, Volume 4 (Provo, UT: FARMS and Brigham Young University, 2014), 1167–1168. See also Royal Skousen, “Restoring the Original Text of the Book of Mormon,” a presentation given at the 2010 FairMormon conference, online at fairmormon.org: “Interestingly, in Mosiah 3:8, the 1830 typesetter accidentally deleted the preposition of before the noun earth, giving ‘the Father of heaven and earth’ rather than the correct ‘the Father of heaven and of earth.’” 3. S. Kent Brown, “The Prophetic Laments of Samuel the Lamanite,” in From Jerusalem to Zarahemla: Literary and Historical Studies of the Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1998), 141. 4. Donald W. Parry, “‘Thus Saith the Lord’: Prophetic Language in Samuel’s Speech,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 1, no. 1 (1992): 183. Parry labeled the six prophetic forms as (1) the messenger formula, (2) the proclamation formula, (3) the oath formula, (4) the woe oracle, (5) the announcement formula, and (6) the revelation formula. (pp. 181–183). 5. Quinten Barney, “Samuel the Lamanite, Christ, and Zenos: A Study of Intertextuality,” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 18 (2016): 168. 6. Shon Hopkin and John Hilton III, “Samuel’s Reliance on Biblical Language,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 24 (2015): 50. 7. Hopkin and Hilton, “Samuel’s Biblical Language,” 51. 8. Parry, “Thus Saith the Lord,” 183. 9. John W. Welch, “Benjamin's Speech: A Masterful Oration,” in King Benjamin’s Speech, 69. 10. Modern prophets also frequently use prophetic language. See Book of Mormon Central, “Why do Certain ‘Treasured Words’ Appear So Repeatedly in General Conference Talks? (2 Nephi 25:26),” KnoWhy 69 (April 2, 2016). 11. Richard G. Scott, “The Power of Scripture,” Ensign, November 2011, 6, online at lds.org. Samuel the Lamanite Nephites King Benjamin Lamanites Zarahemla What Does It Mean to Love God with “All Thy Mind”?	cc/2019-30/en_head_0023.json.gz/line782

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