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Global Warming Shrinking Plant Leaves
Warming temperatures are turning a native Australian shrub into a mini version of itself, revealing the effect climate change is already having on the globe.
Researchers from the University of Adelaide examined specimens of narrow-leaf hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa, subspecies angustissima), a woody shrub with papery red seed capsules that were used by early Australian colonists to brew beer. They found that between the 1880s and the present, leaves have narrowed by an average of 0.08 inches (2 millimeters).
"Climate change is often discussed in terms of future impacts, but changes in temperature over recent decades have already been ecologically significant," study researcher Greg Guerin, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Adelaide, said in a statement. "Climate change is driving adaptive shifts within plant species and leaf shape has demonstrated adaptive significance in relation to climate."
Plants from warmer latitudes typically have narrower leaves, Guerin said. Climate change also shrinks animal life, research has shown.
In the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, rainfall has stayed fairly constant while maximum temperatures have increased by 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) since 1950. Guerin and his colleagues looked at hopbush specimens dating back as far as the 1880s.
"Our results indicate that leaf width is closely linked to maximum temperatures," Guerin said. The results were detailed online July 3 in the in the journal Biology Letters.
Some Australian species are more likely to adapt to climate change than others, the researchers said.
"It's important to understand how plants cope with the changing climate, because species that are more adaptive to change may be good candidates for environmental restoration efforts," Guerin said.
Apollo 11: Astronaut Mike Massimino explains how the Moon landing inspired his NASA career
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Héctor Chagoya Becerril Coca & Becerril
Hector E Chagoya is a chemical engineer, graduated from La Salle University. He joined Becerril, Coca & Becerril in 1997, where he focused his activities as consultant for Mexican and foreign companies in aspects of analysis, drafting, prosecution, and use of patents in the polymers, biotechnology, pharmaceutics, chemical products, and electronics/communications sectors, including advisory in trade secrets protection.
Hector became a partner of the firm in 2010. As Director of Patents & Technology, he is responsible for all the patent work of our firm: from patent text drafting activities to patent prosecution in Mexico and foreign countries, and from patent litigation to technology transfer activities of the firm, including advisory in strategic use of patents.
Hector has been included since 2005 in the biannual Guide to the World's Leading Patent Law Practitioners (Euromoney, PLC). In 2011, he was included in the list of the Top 250 most outstanding professionals worldwide in the Patent and Licensing area, by the Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine (The IP Media Group), and from 2012 on in the IAM Patent 1000 publication, "The World's Leading Patent Practitioners".
He is co-author of the chapter for Mexico in the book Licensing Best Practices: Strategic, Territorial, and Technology Issues (Wiley, 2006). He also revises the Chapter for Mexico of the treatise Trade Secrets throughout the World (Thomson) annual edition since 2006. He acts as Qualified Expert in Economic Engineering for the CONIQQ (Association of Chemical Engineers and Chemists) and was an active member of the Technical Committee and of the Technology Transfer Commission of the ADIAT (Mexican Association of Leaders in Applied Research and Technological Development) from 2008 to 2012.
Hector is also the first individual in México to have achieved the CLP (Certified Licensing Professional) certification conferred by the Certified Licensing Professionals, Inc organization.
He is an active member of the Mexican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AMPPI) and of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI). He is Past-President of the LES (Licensing Executives Society) Mexican chapter (2012-2013) and former Vice President of LES International (2011-2013), amongst other leading positions in other organizations in the field of Intellectual Property, Technology Transfer and Chemical Engineering.
Leibnitz 117 PH1
Col. Anzurez, Deleg. Miguel Hidalgo
Email: hchagoya@bcb.com.mx
Web: www.bcb.com.mx
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Basic Needs Giving Partnership Implementation Grants
After reviewing this information, we encourage you to contact Amber Paluch to discuss any proposals.
Collaborative grants support projects and programs undertaken by multiple nonprofit organizations because the scope or complexity of the project will benefit from each organization’s particular expertise or provided services or because the collaboration will enable more effective and efficient delivery of the program or services than individual organizations working alone or separately.
Initial Applications must be submitted by February 1. Invitations to submit a full grant application will be offered to select applicants, with full proposals and budgets due approximately April 1. Interviews with grants team members would be held in April or May, and final decisions will be announced in mid-June.
Requests can be for up to $300,000 over three years. Requests for less than the maximum amount or for fewer than three years are encouraged.
An organization can be the lead organization in one grant application per year.
Complete the Cover Sheet. Do not write “see attached” for the project summary; provide it in the space available.
Provide a proposal of up to two typed pages that includes:
A description of the proposed project and objectives.
The role of each collaborative partner. See our definition of collaboration
An explanation of why there is a need for the project.
An explanation of how the project directly impacts an area of concern in the most recent Brown County LIFE Study and directly relates to one or more of the four impact areas of the Basic Needs Giving Partnership.
A description of who will benefit from the project and how.
Outcomes and measurements to be used.
An explanation of how the project will be sustained when the proposed funding ends.
Provide a preliminary project budget (including other committed or potential revenue sources)
Provide a complete list of each collaborative organization’s officers and directors and their community affiliations.
Optional: letters of support from collaborative organizations.
The Basic Needs Giving Partnership has a separate set of reporting requirements from the rest of our grants program. Please review the requirements here.
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Tours And Education
"An excellent presentation on the history of the Club, and a most informative look around the Stadium." - Mr. R., Southampton.
Stadium Tours Visites Scolaires Francaises Self-guided Tour School Visits
Glamorgan Cricket is delighted to also offer a pre-booked walk around Sophia Gardens Cardiff, using QR-coded information panels.
The walk around the stadium, developed in conjunction with Walk for Health, Outdoor Cardiff, the Cardiff Council Parks Department and Historypoints.org will allow visitors to undertake a leisurely stroll around the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club.
"An excellent presentation on the history of the Club, and a most informative look around the Stadium."
Mr. R., Southampton.
Discover a range of fascinating facts about the stadium, information about the game of cricket and the history of Wales’ only professional club, as well as learning about the long history of the Sophia Gardens area which in 1859 became the first public park in Wales as local landowner, the Marquess of Bute, addressed the need for healthy recreational facilities for residents and visitors in Cardiff.
"A very informative and entertaining day. First-class in every way."
Mr. F., Leicester.
You can make a booking for a group or individual visit on a non-match day, or to combine the walk with a full behind-the-scenes Stadium Tour (at £5 per person) by sending an email to museum@glamorgancricket.co.uk. Please note that you must book at least 72 hours in advance of your planned visit in order to check availability.
"I've learnt a lot about the history of Welsh cricket and Glamorgan CCC in general. A most enjoyable tour of a magnificent ground."
Mr. W., Poole
Got a tour enquiry?
museum@glamorgancricket.co.uk
@glamcricket
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Unleashing Airwaves for Innovation
Don’t make noise, #beheard.
For the United States to lead the world, we need the best communications networks in the world. We live, work and play on the internet—and we do more and more of it wirelessly. Our nation’s airwaves are the lifeblood of those activities, and how we manage these finite resources determines how fast our networks work, how much we pay and who gets to participate. Explaining how those airwaves work and why they are so important in a way that consumers, the media and even many policymakers can understand is no easy task. But it is a critical one.
The rules that govern how our airwaves (spectrum) are used are complicated and dense. We translated that into something everyone needs, knows and loves—Wi-Fi—and by doing that, we got people to pay attention. We then built a broad coalition of companies and organizations that could paint the picture of technologies in the everyday world so we could show, not just tell, policymakers and consumers that if the rules we make as a country don’t include more Wi-Fi spectrum, it will have very real consequences for our citizens and our global leadership.
We organized and recruited a diverse group of companies, trade associations and public interest groups—organizations that often have competing priorities—to advocate together for policies that free up access to unlicensed, or “Wi-Fi,” spectrum.
We built and launched the WifiForward coalition to be just like Wi-Fi—an onramp—to a complex set of policy discussions that needed to be informed by the importance of this spectrum and the need for more of it. We used a mix of economic studies, custom events and owned and earned media delivered consistently in digestible, compelling and creative format that allowed companies, innovators, consumer advocates and economists to clearly demonstrate the impact of unlicensed spectrum on our economy and society.
In just under 5 years, we've successfully raised the profile of Wi-Fi spectrum policy and the contribution of Wi-Fi to our national networks. No longer are spectrum decisions either/or between licensed spectrum and Wi-Fi spectrum—they are both. We’ve demonstrated the value of Wi-Fi and unlicensed spectrum to the U.S. economy—over $525 billion in 2017 alone—and ensured that policymakers and the press do not have a conversation about spectrum without mentioning “Wi-Fi.”
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Georgetown Academic Unaware Of Key Facts About Global Muslim Brotherhood
By GlobalMB on November 4, 2008 Daily
The Investigative Project has reported on significant gaps in knowledge about the global Muslim Brotherhood on the part of Georgetown academic John Esposito, perhaps the best known U.S. academic supporter of the Brotherhood. According to the report Esposito, testifying in the retrial of the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case, was unaware of the connections between the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Holy Land Foundations, and Hamas and was unable to recall his last meeting with CAIR even though it was only three months ago:
When officials at the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) spoke of jihad, or the need to support Palestinian mujahideen, they weren’t necessarily endorsing violence. And when they praised Hamas and brought in leaders of the designated terrorist group to speak at fundraisers, they weren’t necessarily providing support. That was the message John Esposito, a Georgetown University professor of Religion and International Affairs and director of the university’s Saudi-funded Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding told jurors in HLF’s terror support trial Monday. Esposito was called as an expert witness to explain that some of the strident language jurors have heard coming from Holy Land officials may have a different, more benign meaning. The men are accused of illegally providing millions of dollars to Hamas through a series of Palestinian charities. Donating to charity is sacred in Islam, one of the five pillars of the faith, Esposito said. But on cross examination, Esposito either didn’t remember or didn’t know about documented links between HLF and other groups he has worked with and Hamas. One of those groups is the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). When asked by defense attorney Nancy Hollander if he was familiar with CAIR, Esposito described it as a “religious-oriented mainstream group” that worked on issues of discrimination against Muslims. He confirmed he had over a period of time met with senior CAIR officials, including Nihad Awad, Ibrahim Hooper, and “another person based in California in the Bay area.” That person, he later said, turned out to be CAIR co-founder and chairman emeritus Omar Ahmad. CAIR is an unindicted co-conspirator in the HLF case. In his cross examination by federal prosecutor James Jacks, Esposito said that he had attended a handful of CAIR events in the past 15 years. But he struggled to identify the last time he attended a CAIR event. It was three months ago in Dallas, Jacks said. He’s also scheduled to speak at a CAIR fundraiser in Tampa later this month. Although Esposito was a featured speaker at the Dallas event in August, he said he was unaware that the funds raised at the event went to the Muslim Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit group set up to raise money to pay defense attorney’s fees in the HLF trial. That wasn’t his only appearance at a Dallas CAIR event. A year earlier, Esposito offered his wholehearted support for CAIR and its wishes to see the defendants set free in the HLF case, “Let me begin by saying that CAIR is a phenomenal organization….The main reason I decided to come was because of how I see the situation with regard to both the Holy Land Fund and the way government recently handled the situation and also to show solidarity not only with the Holy Land Fund, but also with CAIR.”
CAIR is an important part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood that had its origins in the Hamas infrastructure in the U.S.
The report goes on to note that Esposito, despite describing himself as a “Muslim Brotherhood expert” could not identify the Egyptian Brotherhood’s motto and appeared to deny that global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi was antisemitic. Also, despite Esposito’s position on the board of the publication of the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR), he claimed to be unaware of the connection between the UASR director and Hamas even though those connections had been raised by the media since at least August 1995.
The report goes on to note Esposito’s lack of knowledge concerning the recently released memo of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood calling for the destruction of Western civilization
Esposito and Jacks differed significantly on the structure of the Muslim Brotherhood. Jacks asked if the Islamist movement had a defined hierarchical structure, with spiritual guides. Esposito said that the Muslim Brotherhood exists in a number of countries but is “not a centrally organized, top down organization” as claimed by Jacks. In response to Jacks’ question whether the global Islamist movement sought to establish a worldwide Islamic state, Esposito said that the Muslim Brotherhood aspires to establish Islamic law in “only those places where you have Muslim populations.” Jacks showed Esposito an internal Palestine Committee memo from 1991 outlining “the General Strategic Goal for the Group in America” and asked Esposito whether he was familiar with the document. Esposito said he had “read the document but had not done an analysis of it or studied it.” Jacks then read out the section on page 21, describing the Muslim Brotherhood’s role in America as a “Civilization-Jihadist process… eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.” Esposito said he didn’t remember reading that section in the document. He then challenged the memo’s authenticity, saying “We do no know the source” but became silent when Jacks pointed out the author’s names appears on it. The author, Mohamed Akram was listed on the document and Akram was a member of UASR, Jacks said
Esposito, the head of Georgetown’s Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, has been a long-time supporter of the global Muslim Brotherhood and has espoused views consistent with Brotherhood doctrine. He has served on the advisory boards of Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas-linked organizations such as the Institute of Islamic Political Thought in the U.K, enjoyed a close relationship with the United Association for Studies and Research in the U.S,. and has defended global Muslim Brotherhood leaders such as Youssef Qaradawi. Saudi prince Alaweed bin Talal donated $20 million to the Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at Georgetown, headed by Dr. Esposito.
Georgetown Academic "Redefines" Jihad A campus newspaper is reporting that Muslim Brotherhood supporter John...
CAIR Charges Holy Land Prosecution Politically Motivated An individual associated with the Council on Islamic American relations...
U.S. Congressman Queries Georgetown University About Scrutiny of Saudi Grant The Investigative Project is reporting that a U.S. Congressman wrote...
U.S. Academic Symposium Features Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Leader The The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs reported on...
Judge Declares Mistrial In Holy Land Foundation Case The U.S. news media is now reporting that the judge...
RECOMMENDED READING: "Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World" - 07:59 PM
Bosnian Grand Mufti Leads Muslim Delegation To Vatican; Tariq Ramadan Included - 07:35 PM Tariq Ramdan Endorses Barack Obama - 07:58 PM
Jerusalem Conference Faces Contentious Issues - 06:26 PM Georgetown Academic Unaware Of Key Facts About Global Muslim Brotherhood - 06:52 PM
Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Says Israel, Europe and America Support Syrian Regime - 05:31 PM BREAKING NEWS: Global Muslim Brotherhood Reacts To Obama Victory - 05:50 PM
Global Muslim Brotherhood Continues To React To Obama Victory - 10:33 PM George Mason University Receives $1.5 Million Gift from IIIT - 10:53 PM
Youssef Nada On Terrorism - 08:03 PM Egyptian Brotherhood Student Group Launches Morality Campaign - 08:24 PM
U.K. Government Commissions Study With Muslim Brotherhood Student Group - 10:34 AM BREAKING NEWS: U.S. Treasury Designates Union Of Good; Fails To Mention Qaradawi Role - 07:43 PM
European Parliament Seminar Features Muslim Brotherhood Leaders - 03:33 PM CAIR Attends Interfaith Reception Hosted By Saudi King - 03:44 PM Egyptian Author Says Muslim Brotherhood Responsible For Deteriorating Position of Religious Minorities - 04:00 PM
Chicago Islamic Educational Organization Holds 25th Anniversary Dinner - 07:33 PM Scottish-Islamic Foundation Tries To Broker Gulf Bid For Scottish Bank - 07:56 PM
Muslim American Society Leader To Lead Interfaith Delegation In Visit To Iran - 07:35 PM Virginia Health Care Company Working With IIIT On Iraqi Programs - 07:48 PM
BREAKING NEWS: Important U.K. Palestinian/Hamas Charity Reports Facing Closure - 06:59 PM British Muslim Brotherhood Charges "Islamaphobia" Behind INTERPAL Troubles - 07:23 PM
Saudi Royal Backer of U.S. Muslim Brotherhood Ups Stake In Citigroup - 07:32 PM CAIR Tours Scotland - 07:45 PM
U.S. Senator Recommends DOJ Cease Relationships With U.S. Muslim Brotherhood Organizations - 05:56 PM Turkish Creationist Promoted By Muslim Brotherhood Blames "Atheist Zionists" For Middle East Troubles - 06:45 PM
CAIR Day In Tampa - 05:18 PM George Mason University Says Federal Investigation Of IIIT Is "Dormant" - 05:42 PM
BREAKING NEWS: Holy Land Foundation Leaders Found Guilty On All Charges - 06:11 PM RECOMMENDED READING: "Menino's mosque" - 06:28 PM
Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Reports Israeli Intelligence Agents Attacked Mumbai - 07:28 PM U.K. Muslim Brotherhood Group Condems Indian Attacks; Leader Earlier Called For Terrrorism - 07:47 PM
U.S. Muslim Brotherhood Reacts To Holy Land Convictions - 06:57 PM U.S. Muslim Brotherhood Reacts To Indian Terrorist Attacks - 07:11 PM
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Lack of transparency continues when the Canadian government makes a gift to a foreign charity
June 24, 2016 | By: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Mark Blumberg
Topics: News, What's New from the Charities Directorate of CRA, Canadian Charity Law, Global Giving
On the CRA website there is a list of foreign charities that received a gift from the Canadian government. CRA has just released a new Guidance CG - 023 Qualified donee: Foreign charities that have received a gift from Her Majesty in right of Canada which discusses how foreign charities are placed on the list.
Currently there are two organizations on the list:
Switzerland Aga Khan Foundation 2015-03-20 to 2017-03-20
United Kingdom The Rhodes Trust - Public Purposes Fund 2014-08-01 to 2016-08-01
Unless another gift is provided to The Rhodes Trust they will lose their status on August 1, 2016.
What I found most interesting and perturbing is that the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation was ostensibly qualified for this list from 2014-04-22 to 2016-04-22. Obviously as the end date was April 22, 2016 it no longer qualifies. However, what is perturbing is that on March 9, 2016 when I look at historical captures of the site the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation was not listed. Therefore either the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation was only listed sometime after March 9 and before April 22 or alternatively it was only listed on the CRA website after the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation was no longer considered a qualified donee and eligible for a donation.
Clearly there is something wrong with the system if Canadians don't even know who the foreign charities are until after they are no longer on the list and no longer qualified donees.
On a less important note the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation is now no longer on the list. They had been on the list since 2010.
This type of list could be very helpful in assisting Canadians with donations to certain foreign entities. However, the secrecy around which foreign charities are on the list and how they got on the list is unfortunate. I have written previously about my concern about lack of transparency around this category here, here, here and here.
Here are some additional links:
Information on Foreign charities that have received a gift from Her Majesty in right of Canada
Foreign charities that have received a gift from Her Majesty in right of Canada: Summary of recent legislative changes
Charity Directorate Web Statistics for 2008/2009
Senate releases report today on the non-profit and charitable sector
Determining the “Cost” of Life Insurance Policies as a Charitable Gift when transfer to charity
More from the T3010-13 on political activities
Which Canadian charities spent money on foreign activities and how much did they spend
MANGO to deliver training in Ottawa in October for international development finance trainers
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UK Rejects International Court of Justice Opinion on the Chagos Islands
By Craig Murray
Craig Murray 26 February 2019
https://www.globalresearch.ca/uk-rejects-international-court-of-justice-opinion-chagos-islands/5669869
In parliament, Alan Duncan for the government has just rejected yesterday’s stunning result at the International Court of Justice, where British occupation of the Chagos Islands was found unlawful by a majority of 13 to 1, with all the judges from EU countries amongst those finding against the UK.
This represents a serious escalation in the UK’s rejection of multilateralism and international law and a move towards joining the US model of exceptionalism, standing outside the rule of international law. As such, it is arguably the most significant foreign policy development for generations. In the Iraq war, while Britain launched war without UN Security Council authority, it did so on a tenuous argument that it had Security Council authority from earlier resolutions. The UK was therefore not outright rejecting the international system. On Chagos it is now simply denying the authority of the International Court of Justice; this is utterly unprecedented.
Duncan put forward two arguments. Firstly that the ICJ opinion was “only” advisory to the General Assembly. Secondly, he argued that the ICJ had no jurisdiction as the case was a bilateral dispute with Mauritius (and thus could only go before the ICJ with UK consent, which is not given).
But here Duncan is – against all British precedent and past policy – defying a ruling of the ICJ. The British government argued strenuously in the present case against ICJ jurisdiction, on just the grounds Duncan cited. The ICJ considered the UK’s arguments, together with arguments from 32 other states and from the African Union. The ICJ ruled that it did have jurisdiction, because this was not a bilateral dispute but part of the UN ordained process of decolonisation.
The International Court of Justice’s ruling on this point is given at length in paras 83 to 91 of its Opinion. This is perhaps the key section:
88. The Court therefore concludes that the opinion has been requested on the matter of decolonization which is of particular concern to the United Nations. The issues raised by the request are located in the broader frame of reference of decolonization, including the General Assembly’s role therein, from which those issues are inseparable (Western Sahara, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1975, p. 26, para. 38; Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 2004 (I), p. 159, para. 50).
89. Moreover, the Court observes that there may be differences of views on legal questions in advisory proceedings (Legal Consequences for States of the Continued Presence of South Africa in Namibia (South West Africa) notwithstanding Security Council Resolution 276 (1970), Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1971, p. 24, para. 34). However, the fact that the Court may have to pronounce on legal issues on which divergent views have been expressed by Mauritius and the United Kingdom does not mean that, by replying to the request, the Court is dealing with a bilateral dispute.
90. In these circumstances, the Court does not consider that to give the opinion requested would have the effect of circumventing the principle of consent by a State to the judicial settlement of its dispute with another State. The Court therefore cannot, in the exercise of its discretion, decline to give the opinion on that ground.
91. In light of the foregoing, the Court concludes that there are no compelling reasons for it to decline to give the opinion requested by the General Assembly.
As stated at para 183, that the court did have jurisdiction was agreed unanimously, with even the US judge (the sole dissenter on the main question) in accord. For the British government to reject the ICJ’s unanimous ruling on jurisdiction, and quote that in parliament as the reason for not following the ICJ Opinion, is an astonishing abrogation of international law by the UK. It really is unprecedented. The repudiation of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention over Julian Assange pointed the direction the UK is drifting, but that body does not have the prestige of the International Court of Justice.
The International Court of Justice represents the absolute pinnacle of, and embodies the principle of, international law. In 176 decisions, such as Nigeria vs Cameroon or Malaysia vs Indonesia, potentially disastrous conflicts have been averted by the states’ agreement to abide by the rule of law. The UK’s current attack on the ICJ is a truly disastrous new development.
I have taken it for granted that you know that the reason the UK refuses to decolonise the Chagos Islands is to provide an airbase for the US military on Diego Garcia. If Brexit goes ahead, the Chagos Islands will also lead to a major foreign policy disagreement between the UK and US on one side, and the EU on the other. The EU will be truly shocked by British repudiation of the ICJ.
I have studied the entire and lengthy ICJ Opinion on the Chagos Islands, together with its associated papers, and I will write further on this shortly.
Featured image is from Georgia Today
Copyright © Craig Murray, Global Research, 2019
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/ Insights / Grayling's Transatlantic Newsletter - The Cronut - April 2017
Grayling's Transatlantic Newsletter - The Cronut - April 2017
Similar to New Yorkers' favorite pastry the Cronut (half croissant-half doughnut), Grayling's bite-sized news articles meet halfway between America and Europe, to give you a taste of major policy developments spanning the Atlantic.
Yesterday, France bolstered the West's anti-establishment movement and eliminated candidates from the two leading parties from the second round of the Presidential elections in 2 weeks, which will see centrist Emmanuel Macron and extreme-right Marine Le Pen compete for the Presidency. Being French, I decided to write a last minute article on my three key learnings from the results - and encourage you to join the webinar we'll organize with our Grayling Paris colleagues the week of May 8th.
Another webinar that should already be in your agenda will take place tomorrow (Tuesday), with our D.C. colleagues from Dutko going over Trump's first 100 days and looking ahead to the future. Indeed, this edition of the Cronut focuses on the impact of Trump's proposed tax reform on transatlantic business as well as the controversy over the recent executive order rolling back on Obama's climate change policies.
On the EU side, we're bringing you up to speed on the new proposed rules on endocrine disruptors (of interest to the pesticides, biocides, cosmetics, toys and food industries) as well as the telecoms reform. You'll have noticed that we haven't included anything on Brexit: this is because everything you need to know is already in our weekly Brexit Bulletin - if you want to subscribe please let us know.
Delphine Millot
Head of International Public Affairs
Grayling Brussels, based in New York
3 Key Learnings From Last Night's Results
Yesterday, millions of French people cast their vote to choose who will govern France for the next five years. Initial results, announced at 8pm sharp last night, indicated that centrist Emmanuel Macron (23.9%) and extreme right Marine Le Pen (21.4%) will face each other in the run-off on May 7th. The results are historic: for the first time, both leading establishment parties have been eliminated in the first round and will not be represented in the final run-off. So what can we learn from the results?
1. Populism is not the only option
While Emmanuel Macron always wanted to represent an alternative to traditional political parties, he showed that nationalism and populism are not the only options. He managed to gather a large proportion of the French electorate behind his project, which focuses on skills, education and an ambitious labor market reform. No-one should ignore the fact that Marine Le Pen is still popular and that other smaller candidates like Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, scored higher than usual. Yet, the results in France show that people can channel their frustrations against the status quo by voting for a candidate who embraces the role and leadership of France in Europe and the rest of the world.
2. Never underestimate the power of communications
Emmanuel Macron is only 39 years old and was still largely unknown two years ago - so how did he become the favorite candidate to win the Presidential elections in a country that usually equates political capability with lengthy experience and grey hair? Macron's drive and ambition clearly played a role - but his campaign's game-changing PR and use of digital communications made the difference. Macron hired leading communications experts who helped him break away from traditional - and often outdated - political slogans to embrace a fresh, engaging, relaxed tone. Many of Macron's detractors blamed him for being a "marketing product" - but the truth is that he demonstrated that in today's age of communications, building your brand is as important - if not more - than building your political program in order to get elected.
3. Pollsters can actually get it right
Believe it or not, for the past few weeks, polls got it right and were placing Macron as the leading candidate, closely followed by Le Pen. They also predicted that candidates Jean-Luc Mélenchon and François Fillon would get close to 20%. With polls failing to predict the outcome of the Brexit and US Presidential votes, French voters were prepared for a surprise. The real test for pollsters, however, will be the run-off on May 7th. Polls currently indicate a clear victory for Macron by at least 20 points over Le Pen.
The two defeated candidates from the establishment parties, François Fillon and Benoît Hamon, have already backed Macron in the run-off. Extreme left leader Mélenchon has however refused to pledge allegiance either way, creating uncertainty as to which of the two candidates his voters (making up 20% of the electorate) should vote for. His anti-globalization, Euro-skeptic rhetoric and focus on workers' protection are actually more in line with Le Pen than Macron's free-trade agenda.
Regardless of the run-off result, the new President will need to build a coalition to govern properly and implement his or her agenda. In this context, the outcome of the French Parliamentary elections on June 11th and 18th are absolutely critical - leading us to the conclusion that this was just the 1st of 4 rounds that will decide the future of France - and Europe.
Please stay tuned for our upcoming webinar on the French election results, to be organised with our Grayling Paris colleagues during the week of May 8th!
Delphine.Millot@grayling.com
IN FOCUS: TRUMP'S FIRST 100 DAYS
Has the Time for Real Tax Reform Arrived?
Both House Republicans and President Trump have put forth plans to reform individual and business taxation.
While the plans differ in many respects, they are unified on one aspect—lowering tax rates for businesses, investors, and individuals. Despite this overarching agreement, the path to tax reform remains littered with obstacles.
The impact on Transatlantic businesses
The decision is between undertaking comprehensive, fundamental reform (preferred) or targeted, incremental reform. House Republicans have put forward a version of fundamental reform which includes large tax cuts but also significantly restructures the taxation of business income. Trump’s tax plan also includes large tax cuts but does not move as far in the direction of consumption-based taxation as the House blueprint.
For example, Trump’s proposals do not include a 20% border adjustment tax (BAT) on imports, as does the blueprint. On the other hand, he just recently raised the possibility of a “reciprocal import” tax, so it is possible Congress and the Administration could come up with a compromise proposal in this area.
Such a significant tax on imports would provide U.S. manufacturers and U.S. subsidiaries of foreign businesses with a large incentive to restructure supply chains to favor U.S. inputs. Existing supply chains and current manufacturing sites would likely face disruption.
There also seems to be general agreement, even among many Congressional Democrats, that the U.S. system of international taxation poses a competitive burden on U.S. multinationals and must be reformed. While there is bipartisan agreement on a corporate rate reduction, there is a push by many Republicans to replace the worldwide U.S. system of multinational taxation with a territorial system, which would mirror that of many of our trading partners.
Presumably, this would benefit U.S. multinationals, putting them on a level playing field with their transatlantic and international competitors with respect to taxes.
One very significant decision that tax-writers in Congress and the Administration must make is whether the legislation will be deficit-neutral. In other words, will the tax cuts and other reforms be offset by proposals to raise revenue? Subsumed in this issue are differences over how the deficit will be measured. The outcome of this decision will also affect how the legislation will be processed in the closely-divided U.S. Senate.
Political dynamics affecting the prospects for success
Tax reform has traditionally required the support of both parties to succeed because of the winners and losers that are typically generated by such massive changes. The prospects for fundamental tax reform have significantly improved with the outcome of the 2016 elections, but substantive design and political obstacles remain.
Jayne.Fitzgerald@grayling.com
Trump's Climate Executive Order: Politically Symbolic or Environmentally Meaningful?
President Trump has signed an Executive Order in an effort to prioritize American jobs above the need to address climate change.
The order will rescind the moratorium on coal mining on federal lands which the President believes will reinvigorate a struggling industry and bring back jobs in states like Wyoming, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The order also requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to initiate a review of the Clean Power Plan, something many blame for inflicting further economic harm on the fossil fuel industry.
While the order is intended to focus on domestic issues, many countries that are signatories to the Paris agreement have raised concerns about the potential impacts the order will have on the rest of the world. Many climate scholars speculate that the Administration's actions -- and those that may follow -- send signals that the US is undermining people's trust in scientific evidence that climate change is real and that failure to address the issues now will have greater consequences later, severely impacting innovation and economic stability both at home and abroad.
EU countries' greatest fear is that they have lost a much needed participant in the climate effort. If the US does decide to pull out of the Paris agreement, the looming question is who will step into the driver's seat? Canada? China?
President Trump's senior advisors are scheduled to huddle the week of April 24th to resolve long-simmering tensions over whether the United States should stay in the Paris agreement. As there appear to be strong differences of opinion on this issue among White House policy advisors and members of the President's cabinet, reaching a consensus may prove extremely difficult. I for one would like to be the proverbial "fly on the wall" for this meeting!
MJ.Marshall@grayling.com
Webinar on Trump's first 100 days:
Key takeaways and upcoming priorities
Tuesday 25 April
15:00 - 16:00 | Brussels time
9:00 - 10:00 US Eastern Time
It’s been an eventful first 100 days for US President Donald Trump – as many predicted.
But what will the other 1360 days bring?
Join us for the latest in Grayling’s Influencer webinar series with Jayne Fitzgerald and Rob Leonard, formerly senior staff to the House Ways and Means Committee with jurisdiction over tax and trade policy, now with Dutko in Washington D.C.
For more details on how to register for this webinar, please visit our website.
EU-US COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Better Safe than Sorry: EU tackles Endocrine Disruptors While the US Watches
The EU has for many years seen itself as a global leader when it comes to environment and health policies. In this vein, it is aiming to be the first jurisdiction in the world to set binding criteria for so-called “endocrine disruptors” – chemicals that affect humans’ hormonal balance, thought to be particularly harmful to babies and young children.
This might all sound rather niche, but these criteria have got a number of industries sitting up and taking notice including pesticides and biocides, cosmetics, toys, and food.
Why? Because once the criteria are agreed, they are likely to apply horizontally across a number of different EU laws affecting these industries, and many more. Depending on how strict the criteria are, companies may have to remove some substances from their products and reformulate the ingredients – resulting in huge costs and potential disruption to supply lines.
The age-old industry v NGO debate
After long delays, which even involved the the Commission being taken to court by Sweden for missing its own deadline for proposing the criteria, in the Summer of 2016 draft criteria were finally put on the table.
The criteria were largely based on the WHO definition of an endocrine disruptor, but did not include the concept of “potency” (which angered industry) and was limited to identifying those chemicals which are “known” to cause adverse effects (thereby angering NGOs who wanted the criteria to cover chemicals which are “presumed” to cause adverse effects as well).
NGOs have been extremely vociferous in Brussels and continue to argue that all EDCs – including those suspected of being EDCs - should be completely banned in the EU.
Industry is trying to take a more nuanced approach, for example by trying to ensure that potency is included within the criteria – but it is difficult to be nuanced when the arguments expressed in public are so highly charged.
The criteria must still be agreed by EU countries and approved by the European Parliament before they become law, but this issue illustrates how the “precautionary principle” still takes priority when it comes to lawmaking at the EU level. The precautionary principle means that if there is any doubt or unknowns around a particular chemical, then it should be banned or strictly regulated. Yet this can result in perfectly safe chemicals being taken off the market, and lead to huge costs for industry.
A divided Europe
If the EU is to be a genuine global leader in this area, it needs other jurisdictions to follow it, notably the US and China.
Yet even the EU remains hugely divided on the issue of both EDCs and the precautionary principle more generally. France and the Nordics (Sweden, Denmark, Finland) support a strict approach to EDCs, whilst other countries in Central & Eastern Europe and the UK (whilst it remains an EU member) tend to take a more business-friendly approach.
With such a divided Europe, third countries are likely to take a “wait and see” approach before committing themselves to following in the EU’s footsteps.
Robert.Francis@grayling.com
The View from the US - by MJ Marshall
It is readily apparent that the US is lagging behind the EU on the EDC issue. While the US Environmental Protection Agency initiated the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Programme (EDSP) some years ago, it is still only in the first phase of its endocrine screenings, which focused primarily on pesticides, but has taken several years to begin a second phase of screenings targeting chemicals. Further, the EDSP currently is in the crosshairs of the Trump administration for possible elimination, in part due to this glacial progress.
But EDSP or otherwise, and overt or not, the precautionary principle still is the approach of choice for many US federal and state regulatory agencies. This essentially empowers agencies to slap a classification on a substance by finding one study, of any level of quality and repeatability, that they can cite as claiming a concern — even if there are dozens of studies showing the contrary.
And while that might be an extreme scenario, many US agencies approach hazard and risk assessment more from a “guilty until proven innocent” approach, where the bar that industry needs to meet is variable at best, and more likely inclined to be steadily raised higher. All of which means that the public may find products being phased out that are in fact safe, and industry and the economy taxed by the absence of sound and transparent hazard assessment approaches.
Cartoon: ConservationBytes.com
THIS MONTH'S POLICY QUESTION
Sweeping EU telecoms reform: Is industry ready for a new era in regulation?
The European Commission published landmark reforms in September 2016 to shake up the telecoms industry and dramatically increase investment in high-speed networks and 5G connectivity. Most significantly for business, the Commission proposed a complete overhaul of the existing framework for Electronic Communications and controversial plans to boost the EU’s telecoms regulator BEREC’s powers.
A new European Electronic Communications Code (EECC): The cornerstone of the EU reform
The new Electronic Communications Code will consolidate existing telecoms legislation into one new Directive. Why? EU regulators consider the current Framework to be ill-equipped to deal with the mobile market as it has evolved until now and where it’s headed. An overall theme of the new Code is investment in the light of the relatively downcast projections about Europe’s trajectory towards 5G when benchmarked against the US, South Korea, Japan and China.
Zooming in on OTT players: Blanket regulation from the top-down?
Over-the-top (OTT) communications services such as WhatsApp and Skype are likely to fall under the scope of the new Code, much to their despair. Telecoms operators argue that this is necessary to level the playing field, since OTT services are not subject to restrictions regarding usage of customer data, emergency calls and customer contract rules. OTT players refute their arguments as a means to protect monopolies, highlighting the differences in their business. Leading Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are also divided over the question of scope.
11 May: European Parliament Industry (ITRE) Committee to consider over 1,000 amendments submitted to Rapporteur Pilar del Castillo’sreport on the European Electronic Communications Code
22 June or 11 July: Provisional dates for an ITRE vote in on the amendments
Late July / Early September: The entire European Parliament votes on the report (“plenary”) kicking off interinstitutional negotiations.
November: Expected date for agreement between EU Member States in the Council on their position. Large telco countries such as Germany, France, Spain and Italy are thought to be driving internal negotiations.
Before end of 2017: Vote in the European Parliament plenary
2018: Negotiations between Council & Parliament on final text
End 2018: Informal deadline for end of negotiations, setting in course an 18-month transposition period
2019/2020: Entry into force of new telecoms framework
The reforms will affect every business operating in the telecommunications space, regardless of size or business model. This EU’s mantras are “better regulation” and “less is more”, so this is likely to be the framework which governs the sector for the next decade. A heavy-handed approach to OTT providers that considers them legal equivalents to telecos would imply significantly more regulation, but could also offer legal certainty that is the case today. Vertically integrated players also face new rules that will impact compliance and relations with end-users, but are likely to benefit from new incentives and support to help them to improve connectivity.
Full a full download on what’s on the table and where the policy debate is at, visit our Insights page online. To better understand the impact of the Code and with whom and when to engage, contact Eleanor Flanagan, Director, New Technologies in our Brussels office.
Vivien.Zuzok@grayling.com
Jared Kushner:
Trump's Senior Advisor/Son in Law
Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump and husband of the President's eldest daughter Ivanka, was born in New Jersey to a prominent family of real estate developers. He attended Harvard College and received his JD and MBA from New York University before starting work for the Kushner Companies. Since becoming a principal in the company, Jared has increased its presence in the New York City market and established himself as an influential businessman.
In 2004, Jared's father, Charles Kushner, was arrested and eventually convicted of tax evasion and other charges and sentenced to federal prison. The U.S. Attorney who brought the charges was the current Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie. The Governor is a close ally of President Trump and despite Jared's initial resistance, he now works with Governor Christie in his capacity as a senior advisor to his father-in-law.
Interestingly enough, Jared had been a life-long Democrat and prior to Mr. Trump's presidential campaign, he had no previous involvement in politics or government. Yet from the outset of the campaign, Jared was the architect of all digital and social media activities and also assisted in speechwriting. Many observers of the campaign credit Kushner for bringing organizational structure to the team and helping get Mr. Trump across the finish line.
Since being elected President, Mr. Trump has appointed his son-in-law to be the head of the White House Office of Innovation, designed to rework the government with inspiration from the private sector. Among other things, this new office is tasked with addressing long-standing issues with the Veterans Affairs Department, workforce development, and opioid addiction.
The President also has a great deal of confidence in Kushner's diplomatic capabilities, sending him to Canada to discuss the US relations with the Prime Minister and asking Jared to be involved in brokering peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
These are significant assignments for anyone, particularly a 36-year old with no former governing experience. Time will tell if Mr. Kushner is up to the task.
Photo credit: Washington Post
Verhofstadt: The Remainer poster boy
Guy Verhofstadt – former Belgian Prime Minister, Liberal MEP, and now Head Negotiator for the European Parliament in the Brexit negotiations – may not immediately come to mind when one is asked to name a “famous Belgian” – yet he could be the star performer for the Remain side once negotiations begin. He has already built a solid social media following videos of his lively and outspoken speeches lambasting the likes of eurosceptic Nigel Farage and the UK political class more generally, nor is he afraid to criticize the European Commission or other countries’ national governments. A dyed-in-the-wool federalist, he has written books entitled “Europe's Last Chance: Why the European States Must Form a More Perfect Union” and “The Financial Crisis: How Europe Can Save the World”. We can certainly look forward to more compelling video coverage of his speeches in the next few months.
Photo credit: The European Magazine
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1920 murder mystery party
These murder mystery games are all set in the 1920s and are ideal for anyone wanting to recreate the era of the flappers, gangsters and prohibition.
The Final Curtain - a 1920s murder mystery party
The 1920s . . . flappers, gangers, Bright Young Things and more.
It was a great age for parties - and a great time to set a murder mystery party.
These twenties murder mystery parties are all set during the 1920s - in either England or the USA.
They are ideal for people who love dressing up in period costumes!
1920 idea - the final curtain
Actor Vincent Royle has died mysteriously on stage - and Scotland Yard believes it's murder. However, the show must go on and Littledown Theatre Company are called together to celebrate Vincent's life and also to answer questions posted by Inspector Blewitt.
As a member of the cast or crew, you will find yourself in the middle of treachery, blackmail and murder.
The Final Curtain is for 7 to 14 people and costs £24.99 from Murder Mystery Games Ltd.
Click here to learn more about The Final Curtain.
a speakeasy murder
Welcome to Fat Stan's Speakeasy - and there's been a murder!
Poor Scabface Martins has been gunned down by a masked hoodlum in a long black cloak.
As the owner, an employee or a customer - you will find yourself in the middle of a 1920s speakeasy murder!
A Speakeasy Murder is for 15 to 32 guests (plus one host) and costs $49.99 from Freeform Games.
Click here to learn more about A Speakeasy Murder.
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South Carolina's $34M from VW 'Dieselgate' settlement could buy school buses
The state is looking for input on a draft plan that targets diesel-burning engines -- upgrading or replacing them -- in order to cut air pollution.
South Carolina's $34M from VW 'Dieselgate' settlement could buy school buses The state is looking for input on a draft plan that targets diesel-burning engines -- upgrading or replacing them -- in order to cut air pollution. Check out this story on greenvilleonline.com: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2018/04/10/south-carolinas-34-m-cut-vws-dieselgate-settlement/504441002/
Anna B. Mitchell, amitchell@greenvillenews.com Published 6:52 p.m. ET April 10, 2018 | Updated 10:15 a.m. ET April 11, 2018
A look at South Carolina's aging school bus fleet and how state lawmakers have failed to uphold a law requiring buses to be replaced every 15 years. JOSH MORGAN and LAUREN PETRACCA/Staff
School buses pull into Liberty Middle School on the first day of school on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017.(Photo: JOSH MORGAN/Staff)Buy Photo
Volkswagen's loss could be a major gain for public transportation in South Carolina.
The state's Department of Insurance on Tuesday afternoon released a so-called "draft mitigation plan" for how it thinks the state should spend $34 million in Volkswagen "Dieselgate" settlement funds. The funds are the result of the discovery in 2015 that the German automaker was fooling air-pollution tests on diesel vehicles. Hundreds of thousands of passenger cars on American roads were dirtier than regulators were led to believe.
More: VW takes nearly $3B extra charge for fixing scandal-tainted U.S. diesel vehicles
Generally speaking, under terms of the settlement, South Carolina can spend the money to replace or repower diesel-burning vehicles with engines that are less polluting and more efficient.
"What we've done today is release the draft mitigation plan," said Ray Farmer, director of the state Department of Insurance. "It is that exactly. A draft."
At the top of South Carolina's draft plan — with as much as $29 million in play — is a recommendation to upgrade or replace diesel-burning buses that weigh more than 14,000 pounds. These can include step vans, school buses and city transit buses.
The plan does not go into any detail about how many buses might be replaced or where — that is a decision that will come when the Department of Insurance writes a final plan after a public comment period ends May 25. At that time, the department will take requests for applications for the money, Farmer said.
There will also be a public hearing May 1 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the South Carolina Bar Conference Center, 1501 Park St. in Columbia.
"So far we've received probably 30 fairly detailed proposals and 20 short emails making brief suggestions," Farmer said.
Among those proposals, Farmer said, was a letter from electric bus manufacturer Proterra, which has a plant in Greenville.
More: Proterra electric buses experience surge of interest as cities invest in clean transit
The state's draft plan also recommends spending about $5 million on electric-vehicle charging stations but leaves the door open to any other suggestions allowed under the Dieselgate settlement. Theoretically, all $34 million could be spent to upfit diesel-burning ferries, locomotives and freight trucks, which is allowed under the "Eligible Mitigation Actions and Mitigation Action Expenditures" in the Dieselgate settlement.
"This is just the first step," Farmer said.
The goal is to reduce the level of nitrogen oxides, which contribute to ground-level ozone and can cause health problems such as chest pain, throat irritation and congestion, according to the insurance department.
All 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia will receive a cut of Volkswagen's $2.9 billion settlement; South Carolina's portion is just over 1 percent of the total. Gov. Henry McMaster charged the state Department of Insurance with handling the settlement funds here and coming up the mitigation plan.
The agency's draft plan explains how most of the state's mobile nitrogen oxide pollution comes from diesel-burning cars and heavy-duty vehicles.
Volkswagen agreed to the settlement following investigations in 2015 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board.
Perhaps the most pressing need statewide is for school buses. The state has faced severe funding shortfalls for its state fleet for years despite a 2007 law that requires replacing buses after 15 years on the road. About 2,000 buses — about 35 percent of the school bus fleet — are 15 years old or older, according to the state Education Department.
More: South Carolina's school bus crisis: As lawmakers violate law, students are put at risk
These shortfalls were partially allayed by the General Assembly's mid-January vote to spend $20.5 million in surplus lottery money to buy more than 210 school buses.
Greenville County schools spokeswoman Beth Brotherton could not be reached for comment.
"We would expect anyone with interest will come to the hearing," Farmer said. "We are asking people to let us know."
Read or Share this story: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2018/04/10/south-carolinas-34-m-cut-vws-dieselgate-settlement/504441002/
Kala Brown, victim of serial killer Todd Kohlhepp, accused of assaulting boyfriend in Greenville
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Woman reports being sexually assaulted by a Greenville man giving her a ride home
A 31-year-old Greenville man is facing charges after a woman said he took her to his home and sexually assaulted her
Woman reports being sexually assaulted by a Greenville man giving her a ride home A 31-year-old Greenville man is facing charges after a woman said he took her to his home and sexually assaulted her Check out this story on greenvilleonline.com: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2018/04/30/woman-reports-being-sexually-assaulted-greenville-man-giving-her-ride-home/566191002/
Angelia L. Davis, davisal@greenvilleonline.com Published 4:07 p.m. ET April 30, 2018 | Updated 2:49 p.m. ET May 1, 2018
Cedric Martynaye Dawson(Photo: Provided)
A 31-year-old Greenville man is accused of sexually assaulting a woman seeking transportation home.
Cedric Martynaye Dawson, of Duncan Chapel Road, is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to a warrant.
He was arrested after a woman said a man was giving her a ride home Sunday. The man passed her house and took her to his home where he showed her a gun and sexually assaulted her several times, the warrant said.
The victim was eventually able to escape and call for help, according to Sgt. Ryan Flood, spokesman for the Greenville County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators were able to make contact with Dawson in the parking lot of Court Ridge Apartments on Duncan Chapel Road, Flood said.
Dawson was being held Monday at the Greenville County Detention Center on a temporary bond.
Read or Share this story: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2018/04/30/woman-reports-being-sexually-assaulted-greenville-man-giving-her-ride-home/566191002/
2 people die in building collapse in Pickens County near Lake Keowee
Clemson student deaths leave campus 'heartbroken'
Greenville woman killed in 2-vehicle wreck
Betsy DeVos, U.S. education secretary, promotes school choice in Taylors
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← Reboot of YouCan.FixCopyright.eu for Commission’s platform consultation
Doubling the size of the useable public domain →
Copyright Communication: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Copyright reform: the long struggle ahead
LicentieHet brood der toekomst wordt strijdend gewonnenPublic Domain Dedication CC ZEROWillem Arondeus
December 10, 2015 — Paul Keller Share this article:Deel op FacebookDeel op Twitter
Yesterday, the European Commission published its long awaited communication on copyright. The document titled ‘Towards a modern, more European copyright framework‘ doesn’t contain many surprises, which is both due to the fact that it is largely identical to a draft version that was leaked at the beginning of November, and that the Commission has opted for a safe approach that proposes minimal changes to the existing rules.
The latter is confirmed by the proposal for a regulation ‘on ensuring cross-border portability of online content services in the internal market’ that the Commission published alongside the Communication. In the light of the Commission’s earlier statements that it wants to create a digital single market, this proposal is a huge disappointment as it only covers access to online services while users are temporarily outside of their ‘Member State of residence’. It does nothing to address the much more important problem that copyright-protected works that are available to citizens of some member states are not available to users in other member states (the Commission promises to ‘address’ this issue in 2016 through a number of market led interventions, suggesting a slow policy crawl against geoblocking).
Ensuring that paid-for subscriptions to content continue to work once the paying customer travels to another member state is nice, but it does not constitute a digital single market. The proposed regulation on cross border portability will put an end to one of the most annoying consequences of a territorial copyright system. But by making the system a little more bearable the this move can also be expected to further entrench the reality of territorial markets.
The fact that enabling portability requires a legislative intervention on the EU level speaks as much to the growing imbalance of the copyright system as it does to the inability of the Commission to deliver on the digital single market promise. Even though this intervention seems to be rather minimal, rights holders are already complaining about the Commission’s proposal, and it will be interesting to see if the Commission will be able to make good on its intention to shepherd the proposal through Parliament and Council within the next year so that it can come into effect in 2017.
The rest the communication does not contain any concrete proposals, but rather identifies areas where the Commission is planning legislative (and non legislative) interventions in 2016. As mentioned above, the text of the communication is largely identical to the leaked draft which we have analysed here. In the following section we will highlight the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of what the Commission is planning for 2016.
The good elements of the communication are largely confined to the first two sections. The part on ‘Adapting Exceptions to Digital and Cross-border Environments’ contains a very welcome general objective:
… to increase the level of harmonisation, make relevant exceptions mandatory for Member States to implement and ensure that they function across borders within the EU.
We’ve argued that full harmonisation of the exceptions and limitation of the EU copyright framework is necessary, and the above objective sounds like a step into the right direction. Interestingly, the Commission has already backpedaled on this promise by downgrading its intentions for implementing the Marrakesh Treaty from ‘introducing a mandatory, harmonised EU exception’ (leaked draft of the communication) to proposing ‘the legislation required to implement the Marrakesh Treaty’ (text published yesterday). Clearly some important stakeholders do not like the idea of mandatory, harmonised EU exceptions very much.
With regard to exceptions and limitations, the communication contains two more welcome provisions. The communication says that the Commission ‘will consider legislative proposals’ to…
… provide clarity on the scope of the EU exception for ‘illustration for teaching’, and its application to digital uses and to online learning; [… and to] clarify the current EU exception permitting the use of works that were made to be permanently located in the public space (the ‘panorama exception’), to take into account new dissemination channels.
Even if we keep in mind that ‘clarifying’ can mean pretty much anything at this point (including limiting user rights), these announcements seem to provide room to ensure that the exception for illustration for teaching has a meaningful and harmonized scope across the EU and that freedom of panorama (including for commercial purposes) will become a reality across the EU. However, in the case of the panorama exception, several member states will surely try to make this a downward harmonisation by limiting the exception to noncommercial uses only.
Finally, the Commission has also taken note of the problems faced by cultural heritage institutions that attempt to make their collections available online, and it is considering legislative proposals to make it ‘easier to digitise out-of-commerce works and make them available, including across the EU’.
Unfortunately, the language related to cultural heritage institutions remains relatively vague. Cultural heritage institutions have been advocating for an update to the exceptions and limitations that apply to them so they can make out-of-commerce works that they have in their collections available online. Looking at the part of the communication dealing with exceptions, we find a provision that the Commission will indeed review those exceptions, but not in order to allow online uses of out-of-commerce material. Instead, the Commission will consider how to:
… support remote consultation, in closed electronic networks, of works held in research and academic libraries and other relevant institutions, for research and private study.
In essence, this would update the current exception by allowing remote viewing of content via closed electronic networks (instead of ‘via dedicated terminals on the premises of the institutions’). From the perspective of cultural heritage institutions ‘remote consultation’ is, at best, a secondary concern. The real issue is the need to make collections available online. Therefore, the announcement seems more like an attempt to get rid of the outdated reference to ‘dedicated terminals’ in the Copyright Directive and less like a genuinely useful update. Also, the fact that the announcement specifically singles out ‘research and academic libraries’ may point to an attempt to narrow the group of beneficiaries of the existing exception, which currently applies to ‘publicly accessible libraries, educational establishments or museums, [and] archives’.
Another curious omission in the text has to do with library e-lending. This issue has been one of the most hotly-contested aspects of the Reda report (with a rather positive outcome), so it’s puzzling why the Commission has chosen not to address the question in its communication (maybe it is waiting for the CJEU to settle the issue?).
There are a number of other things that the Commission should have addressed, but chose to leave untouched. This includes clarifying the rights of citizens when it comes to making citations of audiovisual works, and non-commercial remixes. It would also have been nice if the Commission would have been willing to clarify that digital reproductions of out-of-copyright works remain in the public domain, as this is an important issue where the approaches of member states differ quite widely.
The ugly
So far we’ve covered those parts of the communication that can be expected (or at least have the potential) to improve the EU copyright framework. But the Commission’s proposal also includes a number of items that could make things much worse.
The first of these concerns has to do with text and data mining (TDM). The Commission’s announcement says that it will consider a TDM exception to….
….allow public interest research organisations to carry out text and data mining of content they have lawful access to, with full legal certainty, for scientific research purposes.
This means that anyone who is not affiliated with a ‘public interest research institution’ will need to obtain a license in order to conduct text and data mining of material that they already have legal access to. By proposing an exception with such an extremely limited set of beneficiaries, the Commission is actually endorsing a licensing-based approach. This is problematic because it severely limits the potential of text and data mining in Europe. TDM can be expected to become an increasingly important way of accessing and obtaining knowledge from the scholarly record, and if its application will remain limited only to academic researchers is a failure to recognize and foster its future application as a useful research tool. The Commission’s TDM proposal would actually make the situation for European TDM practitioners worse than no regulation at all—the existing uncertainty allows practitioners to argue that they do not require permission from rights holders in order to text and data mine materials that they can legally access.
Another area where the communication contains proposals that will make things worse is the section that the Commission has dedicated to ‘a well-functioning marketplace for copyright’. In this section the Commission continues its obsession with value creation in the digital environment, and proposes (and hints at) a number of interventions to ensure that ‘the value generated by some of the new forms of online content distribution is fairly shared’. While the language we saw in the leaked draft was already worrying, our concerns are reinforced by small additions made to the final text (highlighted in bold):
The Commission will consider measures in this area by spring 2016. The objective will be to ensure that the players that contribute to generating such value have the ability to fully ascertain their rights, thus contributing to a fair allocation of this value and to the adequate remuneration of copyright-protected content for online uses.
In this context, the Commission will examine whether action is needed on the definition of the rights of ‘communication to the public’ and of ‘making available’. It will also consider whether any action specific to news aggregators is needed, including intervening on rights.
These last minute additions are clear indicators that press publishers and the Commission continue their attempts to introduce an ancillary copyright for press publishers (‘action specific to news aggregators’). We’ve argued that such measures are counterproductive, and the introduction of such a right is controversial even among press publishers. The reference to rights holders being able to ‘fully ascertain their rights’ is a bit more opaque, but could refer to making copyright apply to certain types of hyperlinking, or at an attempt to reduce the liability limitations for hosting providers. As we have argued before, both could have far reaching impacts on freedom of expression online.
Given the renewed stress on such measures in the communication it remains essential that users provide their views on these issues to the Commission. You can do so via http://youcan.fixcopyright.eu/ until the end of the month.
A long road towards real modernization
Ultimately, the title of the Communication is telling. Proposed reforms might lead us in the right direction, “towards” a modernisation of copyright. But the planned changes are not sufficient for the Commission to talk simply about a “modern copyright for Europe”. On some of the key issues – such as exceptions and limitations – we will have to wait until 2016 for a more precise proposal. On others, the communication leaves room for interventions that will lead us away from a copyright fit for the digital age. And if the approach proposed by the Commission to adress geoblocking, the flagship issue of this reform, is to be treated as a sign, this push for a modernisation of the copyright rules may very well be too slow, and too narrow for law to keep up with changing reality.
This entry was posted in EU policy and tagged analysis, ancillary copyright, copyright reform, digital single market, eu-policy, European Commission, text and data mining. Bookmark the permalink.
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Subscribe to Contract Administration
By David P. Hendel on December 10, 2018
Posted in Claims and Disputes, Contract Administration, Postal Service Contracting, Termination for Convenience
Every year or so, the U.S. Postal Service changes the standard Terms and Conditions that apply to its newly awarded Highway Contract Route (HCR) and Contract Delivery Service (CDS) contacts. When this occurs, the new terms only apply to newly awarded contracts–existing contracts are unaffected and retain the same terms as when awarded.
But this…
Iran sanctions update for US government contractors
By Husch Blackwell on November 5, 2018
Posted in Compliance, Contract Administration
Iran sanctions lifted as part of the Iran Nuclear Deal went back into effect today, November 5, 2018. Companies seeking or performing US government contracts should take this opportunity to confirm that none of their international vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors are on the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list.…
The 2017 edition of the AIA standard construction contracts. What changed?
By Husch Blackwell on December 7, 2017
Posted in Claims and Disputes, Compliance, Construction Contracting, Contract Administration
The standard form construction contract documents published by the American Institute of Architects are used widely throughout the construction industry. With assistance from federal agencies, the AIA created specific construction contract documents, such as the B-108-2009, to address the unique nature of federally-funded and insured projects. This year the AIA issued its once-a-decade revisions…
Good faith and fair dealing puts an end to the “gotcha” in submittal review
By Ken Slavens on June 26, 2017
Posted in Claims and Disputes, Construction Contracting, Contract Administration, State and Local Procurement Law
In Joe Tex’s song about unrequited love, the Southern Soul singer belts out, “I gotcha, never shoulda promised to me.” Joe Tex may have thought this approach is the right one for romantic disappointment, but parties to a contract have a different set of obligations.
A lawsuit by Washington State contractor Nova Contracting should serve as an alert to owners dealing with the assessment of a contractor’s performance. Nova’s lawsuit came about because of the owner’s termination of the contract. Nova claimed the owner was using a “gotcha” review process for its submittals that was designed to prevent performance. The trial court agreed with the owner.
Nova appealed and the court of appeals found sufficient questions of fact to send the dispute back to the trial court. The opinion offers insight into fair dealing and good faith in the performance of construction contracts. Nova Contracting, Inc. v. City of Olympia, No. 48644-0-II (Wash Ct. App. Apr. 18, 2017).…
Can the government contract around the duty of good faith and fair dealing?
By Steven A. Neeley on May 18, 2017
Posted in Claims and Disputes, Contract Administration, Litigation
Every government contract contains implied duties, such as the duty to cooperate and the duty of good faith and fair dealing. Such implied duties generally prohibit one party from interfering with the other’s performance or taking actions that undermine the other’s expected benefit of the bargain.
Implied duties offer important protections when an issue is not clearly addressed in the text of the agreement. But courts have been reluctant to apply them in a way that overrides express contract language. A party generally does not breach the duty of good faith and fair dealing, for example, simply by exercising a right that is expressly provided in the contract.
But the government does not have carte blanche. Even if there is express language that gives the government a certain right, the government cannot exercise that right unreasonably or in a way that interferes with the contractor’s performance. In Agility Public Warehousing Company KSCP v. Mattis, No. 2016-1265 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 4, 2017), for example, the Federal Circuit explained that the government can breach the duty of good faith and fair dealing even if its conduct is otherwise consistent with the express terms of a contract.
Source: DOD Image Library
The 2017 NDAA brings privatization and cost-savings incentives to TRICARE
By Brian Waagner & Michelle Caton on January 16, 2017
Posted in Contract Administration, Healthcare, Public-Private Partnerships
The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, Pub. L. No. 114-328 (Dec. 23, 2016), introduces major changes to the Defense Department healthcare program known as TRICARE. By this time next year, we’ll see a new program to contain the cost of prescription drugs at retail pharmacies, contractual incentives for improving the quality of healthcare and…
The Ninth Circuit sides with DOD on Sikorsky small business subcontract data
By Brian Waagner on January 11, 2017
Posted in Contract Administration, Freedom of Information Act, Small Business
Contractors interested in the application of FOIA Exemption 4 should take note of the Ninth Circuit’s decision in American Small Business League v. Dep’t of Defense, No. 15-15120 (9th Cir. Jan. 6, 2017). The issue in the case was whether a declaration submitted by a Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation employee was sufficient to show the competitive harm necessary to withhold small business subcontracting data obtained from Sikorsky. The Sikorsky declaration was short, but it identified Sikorsky’s competitors and asserted that its small business subcontracting data could be used to gain a competitive advantage.
Army photo by Sgt. Jon Heinrich
In a November 2014 order, the District Court found the declaration too vague. It lacked “reasonably specific detail” as to the likelihood of competitive injury. It did not show how information found in the subcontracting plan would be “likely to cause substantial competitive injury.” Proof of competitive harm was based only on the fact that a Sikorsky competitor “could” use Sikorsky’s data to cause harm. In the words of District Judge William Alsup, “[t]hat is not enough to grant summary judgment for the agency.” The District Court ordered the government to produce Sikorsky’s master subcontracting plan, subject only to appeal.
By Brian Waagner on April 21, 2016
Posted in Compliance, Contract Administration, False Claims Act, Qui tam litigation, Suspension and Debarment
[UPDATE: The Supreme Court resolved the Escobar case in a unanimous decision published on June 16, 2015. A link to our discussion of the Court’s opinion is available here.]
In some courts in the United States today, a government contractor or a healthcare provider seeking reimbursement from a federal program can violate the False Claims Act even when its work is satisfactory and its invoices are correct. Under the theory of “implied certification,” a minor instance of non-compliance with one of the thousands of applicable statutes, regulations, and contract provisions can be the basis for a federal investigation, years of litigation, as well as fines, penalties, suspension and debarment, even imprisonment of company personnel.
This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Escobar, Docket No. 15-7, a case involving the viability of the implied certification theory. Here, we look at the questions posed during oral argument to see if we can infer how the Court might resolve the case.
The Supreme Court agreed to consider two questions posed in Escobar. First, the Court agreed to address the current split in the circuits as to the viability of the implied certification theory. The First Circuit’s decision in United States ex rel. Escobar v. Universal Health Services, Inc., 780 F.3d 504 (1st Cir. 2015), broadly adopts implied certification. The Seventh Circuit’s decision in United States v. Sanford-Brown, Ltd., 788 F.3d 696 (7th Cir. 2015), firmly rejects it.
The 2015 amendments to the FAR rule on human trafficking
By Brian Waagner & Cynthia Cordes on March 22, 2015
Posted in Compliance, Contract Administration, False Claims Act, New FAR Rules
The 2015 amendments to the anti-trafficking provisions in the Federal Acquisition Regulation will apply to all federal contracts and subcontracts awarded after March 2, 2015. Existing IDIQ contracts for which additional orders are anticipated will be modified “on a bilateral basis” to include the new language in FAR 52.222-50. See 80 Fed. Reg. 4967 (Jan. 29, 2015). The changes implement the requirements outlined in Executive Order 13627 (Sept. 25, 2012) and the anti-trafficking provisions of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, Public Law No. 112-239 (Jan. 2, 2013), codified in 22 U.S.C. Chapter 78.
Here we present some of the background on the original FAR clause and a summary of the new requirements. A redline version of the 2015 amendments to FAR 52.222-50 is available here.
The original FAR language on human trafficking
A contract clause prohibiting severe forms of human trafficking, procurement of commercial sex acts, and the use of forced labor has appeared in federal service contracts since April 2006. See 71 Fed. Reg. 20301 (Apr. 19, 2006) [pdf]. The 2006 version of the anti-trafficking clause included a general prohibition applicable to federal service contractors and a requirement to establish policies and procedures to ensure employee compliance. It required contractors to notify employees of the policy and to establish an appropriate employee awareness program. It required contractors to notify the government of an alleged violation and specified penalties for human trafficking violations. The original interim version of FAR 52.222-50 was also a mandatory flowdown in all subcontracts for the acquisition of services.
FAR 52.222-50 was expanded in 2007 to cover all federal contracts and subcontracts, including those for supplies and for commercial items. See 72 Fed. Reg. 46335 (Aug. 7, 2007). The clause was revised again in January 2009. See 74 Fed. Reg. 2741 (Jan. 15, 2009). The main substantive addition at that time was the addition of language making it clear that a contracting officer could consider the adoption of a Trafficking in Persons awareness program as a mitigating factor in determining the appropriate remedy for a trafficking violation.
The 2015 FAR amendments
The 2015 amendments to FAR Subpart 22.17 and FAR 52.222-50 go well beyond the original requirements. They introduce a list of specific types of conduct that had not previously appeared in the clause. They add a requirement for many contractors to implement trafficking compliance plans and to certify the absence of any trafficking activities every year. They also modify the mandatory disclosure obligations and specify the minimum level of cooperation required of contractors responding to a trafficking investigation. Finally, the amendments to the FAR clause expand the list of contracting relationships subject to the anti-trafficking clause.…
Kiewit-Turner and the right to stop work
By Steven A. Neeley on March 1, 2015
Posted in Claims and Disputes, Construction Contracting, Contract Administration, Funding Shortfalls (Sequestration & Shutdown)
The contractor’s duty to proceed with performance pending the resolution of disputes is a basic concept in the law of government contracts. It is laid out explicitly in FAR 52.233-1(i), the mandatory disputes clause that appears in nearly all federal contracts: “The Contractor shall proceed diligently with performance of this contract, pending final resolution of any request for relief, claim, appeal, or action arising under the contract, and comply with any decision of the Contracting Officer.”
But the duty to proceed has important limits. A contractor is excused from its duty to proceed and may stop work if the government materially breaches its own obligations under the contract.
Breaches occur in many contexts. A cardinal change in the scope of work is a breach that excuses a contractor’s performance. Terminating a contract just to get a lower price is a breach. Refusing to pay for a contractor’s work without an adequate excuse is also a breach.
According to the decision in Kiewit-Turner v. Dep’t of Veteran Affairs, CBCA No. 3450 (Dec. 9, 2014) [pdf], the government breaches the contract by ordering a contractor to continue performance when it is clear that there will be no funds available to pay for the work. The Civilian Board of Contract Appeals recognized Kiewit-Turner‘s right to stop work when the Department of Veteran Affairs failed to provide a design that would have allowed construction to be completed within the budget established by the available appropriations. Despite the general duty to proceed, Kiewit-Turner was not required to continue performance because it was clear that the construction costs would exceed the available funds and the VA refused to seek additional funding or incorporate value engineering changes to reduce the overall construction cost.…
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Home > FEATURED-CONTENT > Take part in The Trial
Take part in The Trial
By Caroline King - February 26, 2013 Posted in : FEATURED-CONTENT, Theatre
When: From 5th March – 27th April 2013
Where: Part One takes place at Shoreditch Town Hall, EC1 and Part Two at The Mill Co. Project – Rose Lipman Community Centre, N1
£: 30 plus booking fee (tickets via www.barbican.org.uk or 020 7638 8891)
A cast of forty stage this one-on-one, immersive, site specific experience, following Joseph K’s journey over multiple venues, and performed in two parts.
This immersive, large-scale, interactive story sees audience members follow Joseph K through the nooks and crannies of atmospheric East London settings as he comes to terms with his mysterious arrest. Through one-on-one encounters the complex reality of Joseph’s situation emerges, culminating in a visit to the Department, a crumbling regime with a dark secret at its centre, provoking questions on the true value of identity, and how far we should go to defend it. At the end of Part One, audience members make an appointment to continue their experience in Part Two at The Trial itself, with an atmosphere inspired by Kafka’s short story In The Penal Colony.
Theatre Director and Co Founder of RETZ, Felix Mortimer, was awarded a £30,000 bursary to develop his work and The Trial is the culmination of this funding and support. This is not the first time RETZ has produced inventive quirky theatre. Last year RETZ serialised Shakespeare’s The Tempest in an East London shop over six months. Audience members returned each month to visit a different part of the magical island, eventually sailing away with Prospero back to his dukedom.
The production arrives as a controversial “Google for spies” is announced. Raytheon’s Riot program mines social network data to track and predict the movement, relationships and activities of individuals, analysing “trillions of entities” from cyberspace for Government and corporate use. Updating Kafka’s view that information is power, RETZ explore the value and preservation of identity in the internet era, when it can be easily bought, cloned or stolen.
Published in 1925, Franz Kafka’s The Trial tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed to neither him nor the reader.
RETZ Artistic Director Felix Mortimer said: ”Kafka’s work has a vital relevance in 2013. Combining The Trial and In the Penal Colony we want to question the faith we put in ourselves, others and the systems we create. Kafka’s world’s, as opposed to Orwell or Huxley, places the individual at their heart, therefore it was natural to us in our production to cast you as its protagonist.”
More info: www.retz.co.uk/savejoseph
Plans for a unique candlelit theatre are under way for Shakespeare fans
Will you survive a trip to the Dark Ages as you enter Wilfred Bagshaw’s Time Emporium?
Political satire at The Pleasance with Coalition
Dine Mile High style at a pop-up with a difference in London
Tagged With: London, London events, London theatre, Shoreditch Town Hall
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Interview: Guitarist Rob Balducci Discusses Teaching and His Instructional DVD, 'Innovative Guitar: Rock Beyond The Boundaries'
By Alison Richter 2012-06-25T20:17:49Z Feature
Guitarist Rob Balducci released his debut album, Balance, in 1995 and quickly gained national attention for his technique and compositional skills.
By the time of his second release, Mantra, he was signed to Steve Vai’s Favored Nations label. Since then, he has released two more albums, Color of Light and Violet Horizon.
Balducci stays busy in the studio and on the road, gigging with his band and as a clinician. He recently completed two weeks of clinics in Italy and is now working on a new release.
In this interview, he discusses his work as a performer and an instructor and offers some insight about the learning process.
GUITAR WORLD: You recently released your first instructional DVD through the Rock House Method. What made this the right time?
I teach a lot, and it’s cool to get something released and get it done the way I want it to be done. There are so many instructional DVDs out there that I wanted to be sure that this one covered things that I think are important.
Being a guitar player, I’m also a fan of guitar stuff, so I have all the DVDs and a lot of them are, “Here’s my riff to my song and here’s how you play it,” and then they play it fast and slow. I didn’t want my DVD to be run of the mill. Stuff that’s important to me is songwriting, inspiration about how to write songs, definitely some technique stuff, but I wanted to cover the other side as well — not only how you play fast, but also how to play with feeling and stuff like that.
You offer a Lick of the Week on your website. When you’re giving content away, how do you also promote a DVD?
The Lick of the Week concept came up a long time ago, and I’ve been doing it for a while, but it can be anything — me showing somebody how to play something, live performance footage; it says “Lick of the Week,” but it’s six or seven minutes. I’m recording my next CD now, and it shows me doing guitar tracks. I think it’s a good thing because it gives people something to look at and maybe builds a buzz, and people will then buy my CD and DVD. I’ve gotten good responses from it. Again, I always think about what I would love to see, and what I don’t see people showing, I try to do myself.
How far along are you with the new album?
I have basic tracks to five songs done with a band and I’m writing the next half of the record that I will do with a different rhythm section just to change things up.
Guitarist, musician, composer, producer, instructor — what does each one fulfill?
If you’re a composer and a songwriter, I think that being a producer falls into the same kind of bag, because if you’re a songwriter and you arrange your own songs, producers most of the time come in and give you ideas of what to do. I usually co-produce with someone so that I have an outside opinion, but most of the time an artist knows what they want to hear. I like going to the studio. It’s a cool part of the creative process, and what I get out of that is the excitement of performing and recording. I get excited when a song is done because a lot of labor goes into the writing of a piece, so it’s like a breath, like, “Ah, it’s finally done,” and then I have to do the next one!
So there is creative satisfaction in that. As far as being an instructor, I’m a big believer in teaching and taking lessons. You get a lot out of seeing someone get excited about playing, and also you learn from the students because no one looks at the guitar the same way. You show somebody something, and they take what you give them and say, “I see it like that.” You always learn from different perspectives and I find that satisfying as well.
What do students want to know?
I think that what people seem to initially get off on is always the technical ability. They’re fascinated with, “How can I get faster?” My thing as a teacher is to always try to turn them on to other things and let them know that’s one part of playing, but it’s not the most important part. I try to turn them on to my songwriting process, which is trying to get stuff from your own life. I’ll do an exercise and I’ll tell them, “What I want you to do is go home and come up with a chord that reminds you of your mom or dad or pet,” abstract stuff like that. The cool thing is that everyone has a different chord, so you get your personal stuff into your music. Once you start telling them that, they seem to like that type of aspect.
Has the Internet changed what students want to know?
I don’t think so. It’s the same issue: everyone wants it right away. After two weeks, they want to play a song. It’s the discipline factor of actually sitting down, practicing and learning, and I think that applies to everything. It’s always been an issue. People want fast results without putting in the work, and it just doesn’t happen that way.
A lot of times, people come in and want to learn the newest riff. Even when I started teaching, I would not teach them that, or teach them a song right away, because you don’t get a lot out of it. Now you can go on to the Internet and type in, “How do I play so-and-so,” and a guy is there showing you how to play it. So the need for that is down, and I think people are craving stuff that will help them more creatively.
Keep up with Balducci at his official website.
— Alison Richter
Alison Richter interviews artists, producers, engineers and other music industry professionals for print and online publications. Read more of her interviews right here.
Alison Richter
Rob Balducci
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Watch Paul Riario Demo the Dream Studio Alain Johannes Signature Baccara Guitar
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Educational Insight: Hinduism In a Nutshell
A Simple Overview of a Complex Faith
BY THE EDITORS, DRAWN FROM THE
TEACHINGS OF SATUGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI
A recent Google search on “What is Hinduism” yielded some 223,000 answers. Many are from outsiders offering their best take; many are from antagonists taking their best shot. Too few are knowledgeable; fewer still are authentic. Rare is the answer that goes beyond parochial sectarian understandings; scarcely any encompasses the huge gamut implied in the question. For these reasons alone, the book from which this article is taken was inevitable. Written by devout Hindus and drawn from the deepest wells of spiritual experience and cultural insight, it is a definition coming from deep inside the inner sanctum and depicting in words and amazing images the living, breathing entity that is Hinduism. The founder of HINDUISM TODAY magazine, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927–2001), well understood the challenges that all religions face in today’s world, whether from outside or within. He wrote that every religion consists of the spiritual precepts, practices and customs of a people or society, transmitted from generation to generation, that maintain the connection with higher realms of consciousness, thus connecting man to God and keeping alive the highest ideals of culture and tradition. Gurudeva, as he was affectionately known, observed that if this transmission misses even one generation, a religion can be lost for all time, left to decay in the dusty libraries of history, anthropology and archeology. He strove to protect the religion he loved so dearly. He would ask rhetorically, “Where are the once prominent religions of the Babylonians, Egyptians, Aztecs, Mayans, American Indians or Hawaiians?” Little remains of them. Not long ago it was feared by some and hoped by many that Hinduism—the religion of a billion people, one sixth of the human race, living mostly in India—would meet the same fate. That it survived a history of religious conquest and extermination that wiped out virtually every other ancient religion is exceptional.
© LUCA INVERNIZZI TETTONI/PHOTOBANK SIN
Touching Divinity: In mystical Bali, where Hindus are intensely sensitive to the inner worlds, devas and demons are known to walk beside men and women. Nature sees, hears, feels and responds. On a remote beach in that sacred land, devotees perform Kechak, the spectacular monkey dance.
Ironically, this noble faith, having withstood the ravages of invasion, plunder and brutal domination by foreign invaders for over a thousand years, stumbled into the 20th century to meet the subtler forces of secularism and the temptations of materialism. Christian propaganda, fabricated by 16th-century Jesuit missionaries, empowered by the 19th-century British Raj and carried forth today by the Western and Indian media, had dealt heavy blows over the centuries to the subjugated, prideless Hindu identity. A typical Christian tactic was to demean the indigenous faith, impeaching it as rife with superstition, idolatry, antiquated values, archaic customs and umpteen false Gods. India’s Communist/secular media stressed caste abuse and wretched social ills, branding as radical, communal and fundamentalist all efforts to stand strong for anything Hindu.
Most recently, safeguarding the anti-Hindu mind-set, Western professors of Asian studies brandished the tarnished term Hindutva to suppress pleadings by Indian parents to improve the pitiful portrayal of their faith in the textbooks their children must study in American schools—a portrayal that makes them ashamed of their heritage. More than a few Hindus, succumbing to the avalanche of ridicule, gave up their faith, changed their names to Western ones and stopped calling themselves Hindu, giving more credence to the notion that this is a faith of the past, not the future. Even those who were Hindus in their hearts would demur, “No, I’m not really a Hindu. I’m nonsectarian, universal, a friend and follower of all religions. Please don’t classify me in any particular way.” In a further dilution, many swamis and other leaders promulgated the false claim that Hinduism is not a religion at all, but a universalistic amalgam of Vedic, yogic wisdom and lifestyle that anyone of any religion can adopt and practice without conflict. Tens of thousands who love and follow Hindu Dharma avoid the H word at all costs. Rare it is to find a spiritual leader or an institution who stands courageously before the world as a Hindu, unabashed and unequivocal.
Despite these erosive influences, an unexpected resurgence has burst forth across the globe in the last twenty years, driven in part by the Hindu diaspora and in part by India’s newfound pride and influence. Hinduism entered the 21st century with fervent force as recent generations discovered its treasures and its relevance to their times. Temples are coming up across the Earth by the thousands. Communities are celebrating Hindu festivals, parading their Deities in the streets of Paris, Berlin, Toronto and Sydney in grand style without worrying that people might think them odd or “pagan.” Eloquent spokesmen are now representing Hinduism’s billion followers at international peace conferences, soft-power meetings, interfaith gatherings and discussions about Hindu rights. Hindu students in high schools and universities are going back to their traditions, turning to the Gods in the temples, not because their parents say they should, but to satisfy their own inner need, to improve their daily life, to fulfill their soul’s call.
Hinduism is going digital, working on its faults and bolstering its strengths. Leaders are stepping forth, and parents are striving for ways to convey to their children the best of their faith to help them do better in school and live a fruitful life. Swamis and lay missionaries are campaigning to counteract Christian conversion tactics. Hindus of all denominations are banding together to protect, preserve and promote their diverse spiritual heritage.
A devotee prays to a small image of Ganesha, who hovers nearby in His subtle body, blessing her life and guiding her karmas.
The Law of Karma Precept Number One
For Hindus and non-Hindus alike, one way to gain a simple (though admittedly simplistic) overview is to understand the four essential beliefs shared by the vast majority of Hindus: karma, reincarnation, all-pervasive Divinity and dharma. Gurudeva stated that living by these four concepts is what makes a person a Hindu.
Karma literally means “deed” or “act” and more broadly names the universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction which governs all life. Karma is a natural law of the mind, just as gravity is a law of matter. Karma is not fate, for man acts with free will, creating his own destiny. The Vedas tell us, if we sow goodness, we will reap goodness; if we sow evil, we will reap evil. Karma refers to the totality of our actions and their concomitant reactions in this and previous lives, all of which determines our future. It is the interplay between our experiences and how we respond to them that makes karma devastating or helpfully invigorating. The conquest of karma lies in intelligent action and dispassionate reaction. Not all karmas rebound immediately. Some accumulate and return unexpectedly in this or other births. The Vedas explain, “According as one acts, so does he become. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad by bad action” (Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.5).
Articulating Our Religion
Amajor reason why Hinduism seems difficult to understand is its diversity. Hinduism is not a monolithic tradition. There isn’t a one Hindu opinion on things. And there is no single spiritual authority to define matters for the faith. There are several different denominations, the four largest being Vaishnavism, Saivism, Shaktism and Smartism. Further, there are thousands of schools of thought, or sampradayas, expressed in tens of thousands of guru lineages, or paramparas. Each parampara is typically independent and self-contained in its authority. In a very real sense, this grand tradition can be defined and understood as ten thousand faiths gathered in harmony under a single umbrella called Hinduism, or Sanatana Dharma. The tendency to overlook this diversity is the common first step to a faulty perception of the religion. Most spiritual traditions are simpler, more unified and unambiguous.
All too often, despite its antiquity, its profound systems of thought, the beauty of its art and architecture and the grace of its people, Hinduism remains a mystery. Twisted stereotypes abound that would relegate this richly complex, sophisticated and spiritually rewarding tradition to little more than crude caricatures of snake-charmers, cow worshipers and yogis lying on beds of nails.
Temple of the Goddess: Meenakshi Sundareshwara Temple is at the center of the ancient temple city of Madurai, first mentioned in 6th-century texts. The complex, restored in the 14th century, houses 14 ornate gopurams (gateway towers), the tallest (shown in the foreground) rising 170 feet. Millions worship here each year and explore the numerous sculpted, pillared halls of extraordinary artistry. The temple is a major pilgrimage destination within the Saiva tradition, dedicated to Meenakshi Devi and Siva. Swami Avdeshanand, one of millions of holy men and women who guide and inspire the faithful.
While Hindus themselves do not hold these coarse stereotypes, they are often aware of just one small corner of the religion—their own village or family lineage—and oblivious to the vastness that lies outside it. Many Hindus from the North, for instance, are only aware of the Northern traditions, such as that of Adi Shankara, and remain unaware of the equally vigorous and more ancient Southern traditions, such as Saiva Siddhanta.
Unfamiliarity with the greater body of Sanatana Dharma may have been unavoidable in earlier centuries, but no longer. Anyone who is sufficiently determined can track down excellent resources on every facet of the faith. It has, after all, possibly the largest body of scriptural literature of any living religion on Earth. Mountains of scriptures exist in dozens of languages; but they are not all packaged conveniently in a single book or cohesive collection. To ferret out the full breadth of Sanatana Dharma, a seeker would need to read and analyze myriad scriptures and ancillary writings of the diverse philosophies of this pluralistic path. These days, few have the time or determination to face such a daunting task.
Fortunately, there is an easier, more natural way to approach the vastness of Hinduism. From the countless living gurus, teachers and pandits who offer clear guidance, most seekers choose a preceptor, study his teachings, embrace the sampradaya he propounds and adopt the precepts and disciplines of his tradition. That is how the faith is followed in actual practice. Holy men and women, counted in the hundreds of thousands, are the ministers, the defenders of the faith and the inspirers of the faithful.
Hinduism’s Unique Value Today
There are good reasons for today’s readers, Hindu and non-Hindu alike, to study and understand the nature of Hinduism. The vast geographical and cultural expanses that separate continents, peoples and religions are becoming increasingly bridged as our world grows closer together. Revolutions in communications, the Internet, business, travel and global migration are making formerly distant peoples neighbors, sometimes reluctantly.
It is crucial, if we are to get along in an increasingly pluralistic world, that Earth’s peoples learn about and appreciate the religions, cultures, viewpoints and concerns of their planetary neighbors. The Sanatana Dharma, with its sublime tolerance and belief in the all-pervasiveness of Divinity, has much to contribute in this regard. Nowhere on Earth have religions lived and thrived in such close and harmonious proximity as in India. For thousands of years India has been a home to followers of virtually every major world religion, the exemplar of tolerance toward all paths. It has offered a refuge to Jews, Zoroastrians, Sufis, Buddhists, Christians and nonbelievers. Today over one hundred million Indians are Muslim, magnanimously accepted by their majority Hindu neighbors. Such religious amity has occurred out of an abiding respect for all genuine religious pursuits. The oft-quoted axiom that conveys this attitude is Ekam sat anekah panthah, “Truth is one, paths are many.”
What can be learned from the Hindu land that has given birth to Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism and has been a generous protector of all other religions? India’s original faith offers a rare look at a peaceful, rational and practical path for making sense of our world, gaining personal spiritual insight and, potentially, grounding our society in a more spiritually rewarding worldview.
Hinduism boasts teachings and practices reaching back 8,000 years and more, its history dwarfing most other religions. In fact, there is no specific time in history when it began. It is said to have started with time itself. Raimon Panikkar, author of The Vedic Experience, emphasized the relative ages of the major religions, and the antiquity of Hinduism, by reducing them to proportionate human years. With each 100 years of history representing one year of human life, Sikhism, the youngest faith, is five years old. Islam, the only teenager, is fourteen. Christianity just turned twenty. Buddhism, Taoism, Jainism and Confucianism are twenty-five. Zoroastrianism is twenty-six. Shintoism is in its late twenties. Judaism is a mature thirty-seven. Hinduism, whose birthday remains unknown, is at least eighty years old—the white-bearded grandfather of living spirituality on this planet.
The followers of this extraordinary tradition often refer to it as Sanatana Dharma, the “Eternal Faith” or “Eternal Way of Conduct.” Rejoicing in adding on to itself the contributions of every one of its millions of adherents down through the ages, it brings to the world an extraordinarily rich cultural heritage that embraces religion, society, economy, literature, art and architecture. Unsurprisingly, it is seen by its followers as not merely another religious tradition, but as a way of life and the quintessential foundation of human culture and spirituality. It is, to Hindus, the most accurate possible description of the way things are—eternal truths and natural principles inherent in the universe, that form the basis of culture and prosperity. Understanding this venerable religion enables one to fathom the source and essence of human religiosity—to marvel at the oldest example of the Eternal Path that is reflected in all faiths.
While 960 million Hindus live in India, forming 80 percent of the population, tens of millions reside across the globe. These include followers from nearly every nationality, race and ethnic group in the world. The US alone is home to three million Hindus, roughly two-thirds of Indian, Sri Lankan or other South Asian descent and one-third of other backgrounds.
All major religions are based upon a specific set of teachings encoded in sacred scripture. Christianity has the Bible, for example, and Islam has the Koran. Hinduism proudly embraces an incredibly rich collection of scripture; in fact the largest body of sacred texts known to man. The holiest and most revered are the Vedas and Agamas, two massive compendia of shruti (that which is “heard”), revealed by God to illumined sages centuries and millennia ago. It is said the Vedas are general and the Agamas specific, as the Agamas speak directly to the details of worship, the yogas, mantra, tantra, temple building and such. The most widely known part of the Vedas are the Upanishads, which form the more general philosophical foundations of the faith.
The array of secondary scripture, known as smriti (that which is “remembered”), is equally vast. The most prominent and widely celebrated smriti are the Itihasas (epic dramas and history—specifically the Ramayana and Mahabharata) and the Puranas (sacred history and mythology). The ever-popular Bhagavad Gita is a small portion of the Mahabharata. The Vedic arts and sciences, including ayurveda, astrology, music, dance, architecture, statecraft, domestic duty and law, are reflected in an assembly of texts known as Vedangas and Upavedas. Moreover, through the ages God-Realized souls, sharing their experience, have poured forth volume upon volume that reveal the wonders of yoga and offer passionate hymns of devotion and illumination. The creation of Hindu scripture continues to this day, as contemporary masters reiterate the timeless truths to guide souls on the path to Divinity.
A clear sign that a person is a Hindu is that he embraces Hindu scripture as his guide and solace through life. While the Vedas are accepted by all denominations, each lineage defines which other scriptures are regarded as central and authoritative for its followers. Further, each devotee freely chooses and follows one or more favorite scriptures within his tradition, be it a selection of Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tirumantiram or the writings of his own guru. This free-flowing, diversified approach to scripture is unique to the Hindu faith. Scripture here, however, has a different place than in many other faiths. It guides one’s practice, which leads to the goal: personal experience of the Divine. For genuine spiritual progress to take place, the wisdom of scripture must not be merely studied and preached, but lived and experienced as one’s own.
BASIL SAGE
Holiness all around: Devotees in North York, Ontario, pull the chariot of Goddess Durga around their temple on July 21, 2004
Holiness all around: A typical arati lamp held by a temple priest, or pujari. At the height of the puja, he will pass it before the Deity image in adoration, then present it to gathered devotees so they may pass their hands through the flame and draw the God’s blessings to their eyes.
Holiness all around: Devotees at Tirupati reverently touch the sculpted stone feet representing their Lord, their supreme source of grace.
What is the nature of God in Hinduism is a question that defies a facile answer, for in the Hindu family of faiths each has its own perspective on the Supreme Being, and its own Deity or Deities. For this reason, Hinduism may, to an outsider, appear polytheistic—a term avidly employed as a criticism of choice, as if the idea of many Gods were primitive and false. For the Hindu the many Gods in no way impair the principle of the oneness of Reality. Further complexity and confusion have been introduced with the diaspora, that phenomenon of recent history that has, for the first time, spread Hindus throughout the globe. Outside their native soil, groups of mixed Hindu backgrounds have tended to bring the Deities of all traditions together under one roof in order to create a place of worship acceptable, and affordable, to all. This is something that does not happen in India. This all-Gods-under-one-roof phenomenon is confusing, even to many Hindus, and it tends to lend credence to the polytheistic indictment. Nevertheless, ask any Hindu, and he will tell you that he worships the One Supreme Being, just as do Christians, Jews, Muslims and those of nearly all major faiths. The Hindu will also tell you that, indeed, there is only one Supreme God. If he is a Saivite, he calls that God Siva. If a Shakta Hindu, he will adore Devi, the Goddess, as the ultimate Divinity. If a Vaishnava Hindu, he will revere Vishnu. If he is a Smarta Hindu, he will worship as supreme one chosen from a specific pantheon of Gods. Thus, contrary to prevailing misconceptions, Hindus all worship a one Supreme Being, though by different names. This is because the diverse peoples of India, with different languages and cultures, have, through the longest existing religious history, understood the one God in their own distinct ways. Analogously, India is the only nation with fourteen official languages on its paper currency. All those names don’t change the value of the note!
A crucial point that is often overlooked is that having one Supreme God does not repudiate the existence of lesser Divinities. Just as Christianity acknowledges great spiritual beings who dwell near God, such as the cherubim and seraphim, who have both human and animal features, so Hindus revere Mahadevas, or “great angels,” who were created by the Supreme Lord and who serve and adore Him. Each denomination worships the Supreme God and its own pantheon of divine beings. The elephant-faced Lord Ganesha is among the most popular, and is perhaps the only Deity worshiped by Hindus of all denominations. Other Deities include Gods and Goddesses of strength, yoga, learning, art, music, wealth and culture. There are also minor Divinities, village Gods and Goddesses, who are invoked for protection, health and such mundane matters as a fruitful harvest. Though these lesser Divinities are called Gods, they are not confused with God, the Supreme.
Each denomination identifies its primary Deity as synonymous with Brahman, the One Supreme Reality exalted in the lofty Upanishads. There, in the cream of Hinduism’s revealed scripture, the matter is crystal clear. God is unimaginably transcendent yet ubiquitously immanent in all things. He is Creator and He is the creation. He is not a remote God who rules from above, as in Abrahamic faiths, but an intimate Lord who abides within all as the essence of everything. There is no corner of creation in which God is not present. He is farther away than the farthest star and closer than our breath. Hinduism calls God “the Life of life.” If His presence were to be removed from any one thing, that thing would cease to exist.
In the center, we see a yogi. Behind him are depictions of how he looked and dressed in four earlier incarnations.
Reincarnation Precept Number Two
Reincarnation, punarjanma, is the natural process of birth, death and rebirth. At death we drop off the physical body and continue evolving in the inner worlds in our subtle bodies, until we again enter into birth. Through the ages, reincarnation has been the great consoling element within Hinduism, eliminating the fear of death. We are not the body in which we live but the immortal soul which inhabits many bodies in its evolutionary journey through samsara. After death, we continue to exist in unseen worlds, enjoying or suffering the harvest of our earthly deeds until it comes time for yet another physical birth. The actions set in motion in previous lives form the tendencies and conditions of the next. Reincarnation ceases when karma is resolved, God is realized and moksha, liberation, is attained; the soul then continues its evolution in more refined, non-physical worlds. The Vedas state, “After death, the soul goes to the next world, bearing in mind the subtle impressions of its deeds, and after reaping their harvest returns again to this world of action. Thus, he who has desires continues subject to rebirth” (Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.6).
If terms be required, we could characterize this family of faiths as both monotheistic and henotheistic. Hindus were never polytheistic in the sense of believing in many equal Gods. Henotheism (literally, “one God”) better defines the Hindu view. It means the worship of one Supreme God without denying the existence of other Gods. Another set of philosophical terms describe God’s relationship to the universe: panentheism, pantheism and theism. Hindus believe that God is an all-pervasive reality that animates the universe. We can see Him in the life shining out of the eyes of humans and all creatures. This view of God as existing in and giving life to all things is called panentheism. It differs from the similar-sounding view, pantheism, in which God is the natural universe and nothing more, immanent but not transcendent. It also differs from traditional theism, in which God is above the world, apart and transcendent but not immanent. Panentheism is an all-encompassing concept. It says that God is both in the world and beyond it, both immanent and transcendent. That is the highest Hindu view.
Yoga worldwide: Thousands of hatha yoga practitioners perform asanas together in Times Square on International Yoga Day
Unlike purely monotheistic religions, Hinduism tends to be tolerant and welcoming of religious diversity, embracing a multiplicity of paths, not asking for conformity to just one. So, it’s impossible to say all Hindus believe this or that. Some Hindus give credence only to the formless Absolute Reality as God; others accept God as personal Lord and Creator. Some venerate God as male, others as female, while still others hold that God is not limited by gender, which is an aspect of physical bodies. This freedom, we could say, makes for the richest understanding and perception of God in all of Earth’s existing faiths. Hindus accept all genuine spiritual paths—from pure monism, which concludes that “God alone exists,” to theistic dualism, which asks, “When shall I know His Grace?” Each soul is free to find his own way, whether by devotion, austerity, meditation, yoga or selfless service.
Yoga worldwide: A young man in Coimbatore, South India, finds a quiet place near a river to meditate.
The Nature of Self
The driving imperative to know oneself—to answer the questions “Who am I?” “Where did I come from?” and “Where am I going?”—has been the core of all great religions and schools of philosophy throughout human history. Hindu teachings on the nature of self are as philosophically profound as they are pragmatic. We are more than our physical body, our mind, emotions and intellect, with which we so intimately identify every moment of our life, but which are temporary, imperfect and limiting. Our true self is our immortal soul, or atma, the eternal, perfect and unlimited inner essence, unseen by the human eye—undetectable by any of the human senses, which are its tools for living in this physical world.
The Vedas teach that the Divine resides in all beings. Our true, spiritual essence is, like God, eternal, blissful, good, wise and beautiful by nature. The joining of Brahman, or God, and the atman, or soul, is known as yoga, a Sanskrit word that shares the same root as the English word yoke. We spend so much of our time pursuing beauty, knowledge and bliss in the world, not knowing that these objects of our desire are already within us as attributes of our own soul. If we turn our focus within through worship and meditation, identifying with our true spiritual self, we can discover an infinite inner treasure that easily rivals the greatest wealth of this world.
Personal spiritual development is enhanced through understanding the closely related processes of karma and reincarnation. The individual soul undergoes repeated cycles of birth, death and rebirth. This is known as the wheel of samsara. During each earthly manifestation, an individual’s karma (literally “work” or “actions”) determines his future psycho-physical state. Every ethically good act results, sooner or later, in happiness and spiritual development; whereas ethically wrong actions end in loss and sorrow. Thus, the principle of karma is an idea that celebrates freedom, since at every moment we are free to create our future states of existence through our present actions and states of consciousness. This philosophical worldview encourages followers of Hinduism to live happily, morally, consciously and humbly, following the Eternal Way.
Hinduism is a mystical religion, leading the devotee to personally experience the Truth within, finally reaching the pinnacle of consciousness where the realization is attained that man and God are one. As divine souls, we are evolving into union with God through the process of reincarnation. We are immortal souls living and growing in the great school of earthly experience in which we have lived many lives. Knowing this gives followers a great security, eliminating the fear and dread of death. The Hindu does not take death to be the end of existence, as does the atheist. Nor does he, like Western religionists, look upon life as a singular opportunity, to be followed by eternal heavenly existence for those souls who do well, and by unending hell for those who do not. Death for the Hindu is merely a moment of transition from this world to the next, simultaneously an end and a new beginning. The actions and reactions we set in motion in our last life form our tendencies in the next.
Despite the heartening glory of our true nature spoken of in scripture, most souls are unaware of their spiritual self. This ignorance or “veiling grace” is seen in Hinduism as God’s purposeful limiting of awareness, which allows us to evolve. It is this narrowing of our awareness, coupled with a sense of individualized ego, that allows us to look upon the world and our part in it from a practical, human point of view. Without the world, known as maya, the soul could not evolve through experience. The ultimate goal of life, in the Hindu view, is called moksha, liberation from rebirth. This comes when earthly karma has been resolved, dharma has been well performed and God is fully realized. All souls are destined to achieve the highest states of enlightenment, perfect spiritual maturity and liberation, but not necessarily in this life. Hindus understand this and do not delude themselves that this life is the last. While seeking and attaining profound realizations, they know there is much to be done in fulfilling life’s other three goals: dharma, righteousness; artha, wealth; and kama, pleasure.
God’s all-pervasive, immanent nature is portayed here. Siva is seated against a backdrop of swirling shakti. His body is made up of the elements, galaxies, mountains, rivers, animals and manifestations of all kinds, thus depicting Him as inherent in His creation.
All-Pervasive Divinity Precept Number Three
As a family of faiths, Hinduism upholds a wide array of perspectives on the Divine, yet all worship the one, all-pervasive Supreme Being hailed in the Upanishads. As Absolute Reality, God is unmanifest, unchanging and transcendent, the Self God, timeless, formless and spaceless. As Pure Consciousness, God is the manifest primal substance, pure love and light flowing through all form, existing everywhere in time and space as infinite intelligence and power. As Primal Soul, God is our personal Lord, source of all three worlds, our Father-Mother God who protects, nurtures and guides us. We beseech God’s grace in our lives while also knowing that He/She is the essence of our soul, the life of our life. Each denomination also venerates its own pantheon of Divinities, Mahadevas, or “great angels,” known as Gods, who were created by the Supreme Lord and who serve and adore Him. The Vedas proclaim, “He is the God of forms infinite in whose glory all things are—smaller than the smallest atom, and yet the Creator of all, ever living in the mystery of His creation. In the vision of this God of love there is everlasting peace. He is the Lord of all who, hidden in the heart of things, watches over the world of time” (Krishna Yajur Veda, Shvetashvatara Upanishad 4.14-15).
In some Hindu traditions, the destiny of the soul after liberation is perceived as eternal and blissful enjoyment of God’s presence in the heavenly realms, a form of salvation given by God through grace, similar to most Abrahamic faiths. In others, the soul’s destiny is perfect union in God, a state of undifferentiated oneness likened to a river returning to its source, the sea, and becoming one with it—either immediately upon death, or following further evolution of the soul in the inner worlds. For still others, the ultimate state has no relationship with a Godhead, but is understood as undifferentiated oneness without form or being, a return or merger in the infinite All, somewhat akin to the Buddhist’s nirvana.
Hinduism in Practice
Hinduism’s three pillars are temple worship, scripture and the guru-disciple tradition, around which all spiritual disciplines revolve. These include prayer, meditation and ritual worship in the home and temple, study of scripture, recitation of mantras, pilgrimage to holy places, austerity, selfless service, generous giving, the various yogas, and following good conduct. Festivals and singing of holy hymns are dynamic activities.
Hindu temples, whether they be small village sanctuaries or toering citadels, are esteemed as God’s consecrated abode. In the temple, Hindus draw close to the Divine and find a refuge from the world. God’s grace, permeating everywhere, is most easily known within these holy precincts. It is in this purified milieu that the three worlds—physical, astral and causal—commune most perfectly, that devotees can establish harmony with inner-plane spiritual beings. Traditional temples are specially sanctified, possessing a ray of spiritual energy connecting them to the celestial worlds.
Temple rituals, performed by Hindu priests, take the form of puja, a ceremony in which the ringing of bells, passing of flames, presenting of offerings and intoning of chants invoke the devas and Gods, who then come to bless and help the devotees. Personal worship during puja may be an expression of festive celebration of important events in life, of adoration and thanksgiving, penance and confession, prayerful supplication and requests, or contemplation and the deepest levels of superconsciousness. The stone or metal Deity images enshrined in the temple are not mere symbols of the Gods; they are the form through which their love, power and blessings flood forth into this world. Devout Hindus adore the image as the Deity’s physical body, knowing that the God or Goddess is actually present and conscious in it during puja, aware of devotee’s thoughts and feelings and even sensing the priest’s gentle touch on the metal or stone.
Hindus consider it most important to live near a temple, as it is the center of spiritual life. It is here, in God’s home, that the devotee nurtures his relationship with the Divine. Not wanting to stay away too long, he visits weekly and strives to attend each major festival, and to pilgrimage to a far-off temple annually for special blessings and a break from his daily concerns.
For the Hindu, the underlying emphasis of life is on making spiritual progress, while also pursuing one’s family and professional duties and goals. He is conscious that life is a precious, fleeting opportunity to advance, to bring about inner transformation, and he strives to remain ever conscious of this fact. For him work is worship, and his faith relates to every department of life.
Hinduism’s spiritual core is its holy men and women—millions of sadhus, yogis, swamis, vairagis, saints and satgurus who have dedicated their lives to full-time service, devotion and God Realization, and to proclaiming the eternal truths of Sanatana Dharma.
In day-to-day life, perhaps no facet of dharma is as crucial as the spiritual teacher, or satguru. These holy men and women are a living spiritual force for the faithful. They are the inspirers and interpreters, the personal guides who, knowing God themselves, can bring devotees into God consciousness. In all Hindu communities there are gurus who personally look after the spiritual practices and progress of devotees. Such preceptors are equally revered whether they are men or women. In few other religions are women allowed to occupy the highest seats of reverence and respect.
Joyous worship: Hinduism is a joyous, reverent, mystical faith, as evidenced in its fabulous festivals, such as the Kumbha Mela, pictured at left, being celebrated in Haridwar in 1998 on Mahasivaratri, Siva’s great night, where 25 million devotees gathered to honor and seek blessings of the Divine.
KAUAI’S HINDU MONASTERY
Joyous worship: At Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, a pilgrim pours milk over the Narmada Sivalingam in veneration of God.
Within the Hindu way is a deeply rooted desire to lead a productive, ethical life. Among the many virtues instilled in followers are truthfulness, fidelity, contentment and avoidance of greed, lust and anger. A cornerstone of dharma is ahimsa, noninjury toward all beings. Vedic rishis who revealed dharma proclaimed ahimsa as the way to achieve harmony with our environment, peace between people and compassion within ourselves. Devout followers tend to be vegetarians and seek to protect the environment. Selfless service, seva, to God and humanity is widely pursued as a way of softening the ego and drawing close to the Divine. Charity, dana, is expressed through myriad philanthropic activities.
Hindus wear sectarian marks, called tilaka, on their foreheads as sacred symbols, distinctive insignia of their heritage. They prefer cremation of the body upon death, rather than burial, knowing that the soul lives on and will inhabit a new body on Earth.
Dharma embraces one’s duties and obligations, and changes according to life’s four natural stages of life: student, householder, elder advisor and religious solitaire, as show in this illustration.
Dharma Precept Number Four
When God created the universe, He endowed it with order, with the laws to govern creation. Dharma is God’s divine law prevailing on every level of existence, from the sustaining cosmic order to religious and moral laws which bind us in harmony with that order. In relation to the soul, dharma is the mode of conduct most conducive to spiritual advancement, the right and righteous path. It is piety and ethical practice, duty and obligation. When we follow dharma, we are in conformity with the Truth that inheres and instructs the universe, and we naturally abide in closeness to God. Adharma is opposition to divine law. Dharma is to the individual what its normal development is to a seed—the orderly fulfillment of an inherent nature and destiny. The Tirukural (verses 31–32) reminds us, “Dharma yields Heaven’s honor and Earth’s wealth. What is there then that is more fruitful for a man? There is nothing more rewarding than dharma, nor anything more ruinous than its neglect.”
Perhaps one of this faith’s most refreshing characteristics is that it encourages free and open thought. Scriptures and gurus encourage followers to inquire and investigate into the nature of Truth, to explore worshipful, inner and meditative regimens to directly experience the Divine. This openness is at the root of Hinduism’s famed tolerance of other cultures, religions and points of view, capsulated in the adage, Ekam sat viprah bahuda vadanti, meaning “Truth is one, the wise describe it in different ways.” The Hindu is free to choose his path, his way of approaching the Divine, and he can change it in the course of his lifetime. There is no heresy or apostasy in Hinduism. This, coupled with Hinduism’s natural inclusiveness, gives little room for fanaticism, fundamentalism or closed-mindedness anywhere within the framework of Hinduism. It has been aptly called a threshold, not an enclosure.
There is a false concept, commonly found in academic texts, that Hinduism is world-negating. This depiction was foisted upon the world by 19th-century Western missionary Orientalists traveling in India for the first time and reporting back about its starkest and strangest aspects, not unlike what Western journalists tend to do today. The wild-looking, world-renouncing yogis, taking refuge in caves, denying the senses and thus the world, were of sensational interest, and their world-abandonment became, through the scholars’ eyes, characteristic of the entire religion. While Sanatana Dharma proudly upholds such severe ways of life for the few, it is very much a family-oriented faith. The vast majority of followers are engaged in family life, firmly grounded in responsibilities in the world. Hinduism’s essential, time-tested monastic tradition makes it no more world-negating than Christianity or Buddhism, which likewise have traditions of renunciate men and women living apart from the world in spiritual pursuits. Young Hindu adults are encouraged to marry; marriages are encouraged to yield an abundance of children; children are guided to live in virtue, fulfill duty and contribute to the community. The emphasis is not on self-fulfillment and freedom but on the welfare of the community, as expressed in the phrase, Bahujan hitaya, bahujan sukhaya, meaning “the welfare of the many and the happiness of the many.”
Definitions from Prominent Hindus
In this magazine and in our books we have offered this dictionary-style definition of our faith: India’s indigenous religious and cultural system, followed today by nearly one billion adherents, mostly in India, but with large populations in many other countries. Also called Sanatana Dharma, “eternal religion” and Vaidika Dharma, “religion of the Vedas.” Hinduism is the world’s most ancient religion and encompasses a broad spectrum of philosophies ranging from pluralistic theism to absolute monism. It is a family of myriad faiths with four primary denominations: Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. These four hold such divergent beliefs that each is a complete and independent religion. Yet they share a vast heritage of culture and belief—karma, dharma, reincarnation, all-pervasive Divinity, temple worship, sacraments, manifold Deities, the guru-shishya tradition and a reliance on the Vedas as scriptural authority. Great minds have tackled the thorny challenge of defining Sanatana Dharma, and we would like to share a few of their efforts here.
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, renowned philosopher and president of India from 1962 to 1967, states in The Hindu View of Life: “The Hindu recognizes one Supreme Spirit, though different names are given to it. God is in the world, though not as the world. He does not merely intervene to create life or consciousness, but is working continuously. There is no dualism of the natural and the supernatural. Evil, error and ugliness are not ultimate. No view is so utterly erroneous, no man is so absolutely evil as to deserve complete castigation. There is no Hell, for that means there is a place where God is not, and there are sins which exceed His love. The law of karma tells us that the individual life is not a term, but a series. Heaven and Hell are higher and lower stages in one continuous movement. Every type has its own nature which should be followed. We should do our duty in that state of life to which we happen to be called. Hinduism affirms that the theological expressions of religious experience are bound to be varied, accepts all forms of belief and guides each along his path to the common goal. These are some of the central principles of Hinduism. If Hinduism lives today, it is due to them.”
DINODIA
All of life as spiritual practice: Arriving guests are warmly greeted at the entryway by the home. In a well-adjusted, cohesive family, receiving visitors is a joyous event.
All of life as spiritual practice: Like millions of Hindus before them, these youth are learning precise recitation of liturgy from the Agamas and Vedas. They will spend years perfecting this training, enabling them to perform ritual worship, puja, in temples around the world. In their priest school in Tirupati, India, they will memorize hundreds of mantras.
All of life as spiritual practice: A devotee leafs through his holy text as he performs his morning sadhana.
Bal Ghangadhar Tilak, scholar, mathematician, philosopher and Indian nationalist, named “the father of the Indian Revolution” by Jawaharlal Nehru, summarized Hindu beliefs in his Gitarahasya. This oft-quoted statement, so compelling concise, is considered authoritative by Bharat’s courts of law: “Acceptance of the Vedas with reverence; recognition of the fact that the means or ways to salvation are diverse; and realization of the truth that the number of Gods to be worshiped is large, that indeed is the distinguishing feature of the Hindu religion.”
Sri K. Navaratnam, esteemed Sri Lankan religious scholar, enumerated a more extensive set of basic beliefs in his book, Studies in Hinduism, reflecting the Southern Saiva Agamic tradition. 1) A belief in the existence of God. 2) A belief in the existence of a soul separate from the body. 3) A belief in the existence of the finitizing principle known as avidya or mala. 4) A belief in the principle of matter—prakriti or maya. 5) A belief in the theory of karma and reincarnation. 6) A belief in the indispensable guidance of a guru to guide the spiritual aspirant towards God Realization. 7) A belief in moksha, or liberation, as the goal of human existence. 8) A belief in the indispensable necessity of temple worship in religious life. 9) A belief in graded forms of religious practices, both internal and external, until one realizes God. 10) A belief in ahimsa [nonviolence] as the greatest dharma or virtue. 11) A belief in mental and physical purity as indispensable factors for spiritual progress.
Five Practices
Here are the minimal practices (also known as pancha nitya karmas) to nurture future citizens who are strong, responsible, tolerant and traditional.
1. Worship, Upasana: The dear children are taught daily worship in the family shrine room—rituals, disciplines, chants, yogas and religious study. They learn to be secure through devotion in home and temple, wearing traditional dress, bringing forth love of the Divine and preparing the mind for serene meditation.
2. Holy Days, Utsava: The dear children are taught to participate in Hindu festivals and holy days in the home and temple. They learn to be happy through sweet communion with God at such auspicious celebrations. Utsava includes fasting and attending the temple on Monday or Friday and other holy days.
3. Virtuous Living, Dharma: The dear children are taught to live a life of duty and good conduct. They learn to be selfless by thinking of others first, being respectful of parents, elders and swamis, following divine law, especially ahimsa, mental, emotional and physical noninjury to all beings. Thus they resolve karmas.
4. Pilgrimage, Tirthayatra: The dear children are taught the value of pilgrimage and are taken at least once a year for darshan of holy persons, temples and places, near or far. They learn to be detached by setting aside worldly affairs and making God, Gods and gurus life’s singular focus during these journeys.
5. Rites of Passage, Samskara: The dear children are taught to observe the many sacraments which mark and sanctify their passages through life. They learn to be traditional by celebrating the rites of birth, name-giving, head-shaving, first feeding, ear-piercing, first learning, coming of age, marriage and death.
Mahatma Mohandas K. Gandhi: “I call myself a Sanatani Hindu because I believe in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas and all that goes by the name of Hindu scriptures, and therefore in avatars and rebirth. In a concrete manner he is a Hindu who believes in God, immortality of the soul, transmigration, the law of karma and moksha, and who tries to practice truth and ahimsa in daily life, and therefore practices cow protection in its widest sense and understands and tries to act according to the law of varnashrama.”
Sri Pramukh Swami Maharaj of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Sanstha (Swaminarayan Faith) propounds: 1) Parabrahman, one, supreme, all-powerful God: He is the Creator, has a divine form, is immanent, transcendent and the giver of moksha. 2) Avataravada, manifestation of God on Earth: God Himself incarnates on Earth in various forms to revive dharma and grant liberation. 3) Karmavada, law of action: the soul reaps fruits, good or bad, according to its past and present actions, which are experienced either in this life or future lives. 4) Punarjanma, reincarnation: the mortal soul is continuously born and reborn in one of the 8,400,000 species until it attains liberation. 5) Moksha, ultimate liberation: the goal of human life. It is the liberation of the soul from the cycle of births and deaths to remain eternally in the service of God. 6) Guru-shishya sambandha, master-disciple relationship: guidance and grace of a spiritually perfect master, revered as the embodiment of God, is essential for an aspirant seeking liberation. 7) Dharma, that which sustains the universe: an all-encompassing term representing divine law, law of being, path of righteousness, religion, duty, responsibility, virtue, justice, goodness and truth. 8) Vedapramana, scriptural authority of the Vedas: all Hindu faiths are based on the teachings of the Vedas. 9) Murti-puja, sacred image worship: consecrated images represent the presence of God which is worshiped. The sacred image is a medium to help devotees offer their devotion to God.
MIKE BRYGIDER
Powerful priesthoods: Traditional priests, 121 in all, pose at Sringeri Sadhana Center in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1997, during a break in the biggest Vedic worship ceremony performed on American soil
Powerful priesthoods: A father and daughter arrive at a temple in Sri Lanka.
Sri Swami Vivekananda, speaking in America, proclaimed: “All Vedantists believe in God. Vedantists also believe the Vedas to be the revealed word of God—an expression of the knowledge of God—and as God is eternal, so are the Vedas eternal. Another common ground of belief is that of creation in cycles, that the whole of creation appears and disappears. They postulate the existence of a material, which they call akasha, which is something like the ether of the scientists, and a power which they call prana.”
Sri Jayendra Saraswati, 69th Shankaracharya of the Kamakoti Peetham, Kanchipuram, defined in his writings the basic features of Hinduism as follows. 1) The concept of idol worship and the worship of God in His nirguna as well as saguna form. 2) The wearing of sacred marks on the forehead. 3) Belief in the theory of past and future births in accordance with the theory of karma. 4) Cremation of ordinary men and burial of great men.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad declared its definition in a Memorandum of Association, Rules and Regulations in 1966: “Hindu means a person believing in, following or respecting the eternal values of life, ethical and spiritual, which have sprung up in Bharatkhand [India] and includes any person calling himself a Hindu.”
The Indian Supreme Court, in 1966, formalized a judicial definition of Hindu beliefs to legally distinguish Hindu denominations from other religions in India. This list was affirmed by the Court as recently as 1995 in judging cases regarding religious identity. “1) Acceptance of the Vedas with reverence as the highest authority in religious and philosophic matters and acceptance with reverence of Vedas by Hindu thinkers and philosophers as the sole foundation of Hindu philosophy. 2) Spirit of tolerance and willingness to understand and appreciate the opponent’s point of view based on the realization that truth is many-sided. 3) Acceptance of great world rhythm—vast periods of creation, maintenance and dissolution follow each other in endless succession—by all six systems of Hindu philosophy. 4) Acceptance by all systems of Hindu philosophy of the belief in rebirth and pre-existence. 5) Recognition of the fact that the means or ways to salvation are many. 6) Realization of the truth that numbers of Gods to be worshiped may be large, yet there being Hindus who do not believe in the worshiping of idols. 7) Unlike other religions, or religious creeds, Hindu religion’s not being tied down to any definite set of philosophic concepts, as such.”
Nine Beliefs of Hinduism
1 Hindus believe in the divinity of the Vedas, the world’s most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God’s word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion which has neither beginning nor end.
2 Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality.
3 Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.
4 Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.
5 Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, spiritual knowledge and liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be eternally deprived of this destiny.
6 Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments as well as personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.
7 Hindus believe that a spiritually awakened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry and meditation.
8 Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, “noninjury.”
9 Hindus believe that no particular religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine religious paths are facets of God’s Pure Love and Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.
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Pickerington in Fairfield County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Carnegie Library
By William Fischer, Jr., March 15, 2009
1. The Carnegie Library Marker (Side A)
The Carnegie Library. . Side A:. This Carnegie Library was built in 1916 with funds from the Carnegie Corporation. It was constructed and furnished from a Carnegie Corporation grant of $10,000. Pickerington was one of the smallest of the 1,946 communities in the United States to receive a grant from Andrew Carnegie to build a public library. The building was dedicated September 4, 1916, as the Violet Township Public Library. At that time, Carnegie grants were not available to municipalities of fewer than 1,000 population and required local governing bodies to give their official support to the project. According to the 1910 census, Pickerington was a village of 310 people and Violet Township had a population of approximately 2,000. Thus, with the population requirement met, the Library Board of Trustees, the Pickerington Village Council, and the Violet Township Trustees passed a joint resolution in 1915 pledging financial support for the maintenance of a Carnegie Library. This site for the building was provided by the Village of Pickerington. E. S. Matheny was the architect, and J. D. Van Gundy was the contractor. The building was constructed of Flemish bond red brick with limestone trim. Its design was typical of many other Carnegie Libraries. Originally the building had gas lighting, gas heat, and running water supplied by a cistern. (Continued on other side) Side B:. (Continued from other side) In 1961, the library name was changed to Pickerington Public Library. This building has always been a source of community pride. For over 77 years the building served as Pickerington's public library. When it became apparent, in the late 1980s, that the Carnegie Library building would not be able to meet the needs of the growing community, a bond issue was passed by residents of the Pickerington Library District to construct and equip a new library building. In April 1993, all library services were transferred to the new library building at 201 Opportunity Way, and this building was closed as a library. In September 1993, the deed for the Carnegie Library building and land was turned over to the City of Pickerington with the stipulation that the city would lease the building to the Pickerington - Violet Township Historical Society to be used for educational and historical purposes. This building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior on September 2, 1993. . This historical marker was erected by City of Pickerington. It is in Pickerington in Fairfield County Ohio
Side A:
This Carnegie Library was built in 1916 with funds from the Carnegie Corporation. It was constructed and furnished from a Carnegie Corporation grant of $10,000. Pickerington was one of the smallest of the 1,946 communities in the United States to receive a grant from Andrew Carnegie to build a public library. The building was dedicated September 4, 1916, as the Violet Township Public Library.
At that time, Carnegie grants were not available to municipalities of fewer than 1,000 population and required local governing bodies to give their official support to the project. According to the 1910 census, Pickerington was a village of 310 people and Violet Township had a population of approximately 2,000. Thus, with the population requirement met, the Library Board of Trustees, the Pickerington Village Council, and the Violet Township Trustees passed a joint resolution in 1915 pledging financial support for the maintenance of a Carnegie Library.
This site for the building was provided by the Village of Pickerington. E. S. Matheny was the architect, and J. D. Van Gundy was the contractor. The building was constructed
2. The Carnegie Library Marker (Side B)
of Flemish bond red brick with limestone trim. Its design was typical of many other Carnegie Libraries. Originally the building had gas lighting, gas heat, and running water supplied by a cistern.
(Continued on other side)
Side B:
(Continued from other side)
In 1961, the library name was changed to Pickerington Public Library. This building has always been a source of community pride. For over 77 years the building served as Pickerington's public library.
When it became apparent, in the late 1980s, that the Carnegie Library building would not be able to meet the needs of the growing community, a bond issue was passed by residents of the Pickerington Library District to construct and equip a new library building. In April 1993, all library services were transferred to the new library building at 201 Opportunity Way, and this building was closed as a library.
In September 1993, the deed for the Carnegie Library building and land was turned over to the City of Pickerington with the stipulation that the city would lease the building to the Pickerington - Violet Township Historical Society to be used for educational and historical purposes. This building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior on September 2, 1993.
Erected by
3. The Carnegie Library and Marker
City of Pickerington.
Marker series. This marker is included in the Carnegie Libraries marker series.
Location. 39° 53.037′ N, 82° 45.212′ W. Marker is in Pickerington, Ohio, in Fairfield County. Marker is at the intersection of Columbus Street (Ohio Route 256) and Center Street / Lockville Road, on the right when traveling east on Columbus Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15. E. Columbus Street, Pickerington OH 43147, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Pickerington Veterans Memorial (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Union Veteran Legion Sherman Monument (approx. 2½ miles away); Francis H. Game Cemetery (approx. 2.8 miles away); Pvt. Alfred Cannon (approx. 3.8 miles away); Canal Winchester (approx. 3.9 miles away); Prentiss School No. 8 (approx. 3.9 miles away); Canal Winchester Veterans Memorial (approx. 3.9 miles away); Canal Winchester Vietnam Veterans Memorial (approx. 4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pickerington.
Also see . . . Pinkerington Historical Society website. (Submitted on April 1, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Categories. • 20th Century • Arts, Letters, Music • Charity & Public Work • Education • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings •
4. The Carnegie Library Dedication Marker
Dedicated to the Citizens of Pickerington. Olde Downtown Pickerington Village Revitalization. Dedicated this 19th Day of September, 1993.
More. Search the internet for The Carnegie Library.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on March 28, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 864 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 28, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
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India, Pak could be discussing de-escalation along LoC: Report
ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan could be discussing options of de-escalating tensions along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary, a Pakistani media report claimed on Tuesday.
Quoting official sources, ‘The Express Tribune’ newspaper reported that the channels of communication that were suspended following the Pulwama terrorist attack in February may have been restored.
Pakistan and India might be discussing the options of de-escalating tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary, the paper said.
Relations between India and Pakistan have been on the edge since the February 14 Pulwama attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group which killed 40 CRPF personnel.
India launched a counter-terror operation against a JeM training camp in Balakot on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured its pilot, who was handed over to India on March 1 in an effort to de-escalate the crisis.
According to the paper, on February 28, a day after Pakistan shot down the Indian fighter jet, intense exchange of fire took place between the two nuclear-armed neighbours along the LoC.
Citing sources, it claimed that the Indian Army has requested Pakistan to stop the use of artillery fire.
The Indian Army sources in New Delhi, however, rejected the claim, saying it is Pakistan which has been seeking de-escalation as the country is facing mounting international pressure.
Last week, Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria held an important meeting with Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood at the Foreign Office.
Details of that meeting were not shared with the media but the Indian request seeking end to the artillery use was believed to be one of the talking points, the paper said.
Neither the Foreign Office nor the Pakistan military’s media wing has commented on the Indian request, it said. PTI
Hu pitches for Asia’s rise; Calls for common security
Pak test fires nuclear capable short-range missile
Pak must bring 26/11 perpetrators to book: Indian Envoy
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Art work by Hasland Hall students from all year groups was on display at St Andrew’s Church, Newbold, as part of the Rotary Club’s Senior Schools’ Art Exhibition. The range of impressive pieces looked at home alongside the work of students from other local schools and sixth forms.
At the launch event, the Mayor of Chesterfield, Councillor Steve Brunt, presented certificates to a number of the students who were invited to attend. There were similar certificates for all students whose work was represented at the exhibition. Many present and former students visited with their families, relishing the opportunity to see paintings, drawings and prints displayed in the setting of the church hall. Following the success of last year’s inaugural exhibition, the display this year extended into the church itself.
Visiting students were able to see sketch books and approaches taken by teachers and students in other schools, to add to the excellent work they do with Mr Mann and Mr Sutcliffe. Particular thanks are offered to Mrs Potter who prepared the works for exhibition, and to Mr Mann for arranging and helping to curate the exhibition.
Mr Davey
Assistant Headteacher
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NEWS | --Helicopters UAV & Drones
ALEA Standards for Public Safety Drones Programs
The Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA) announce the adoption and release of the Standards for Public Safety Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) Programs
ALEA, October 17, 2017 - Frederick, MD – The Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA) is pleased to announce the adoption and release of the Standards for Public Safety Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) Programs.
These standards were developed by the Public Safety Aviation Accreditation Commission (PSAAC) under contract to ALEA for use by the public safety aviation community.
Public safety agencies considering sUAS operations are encouraged to use these standards as a guiding document, while public safety agencies already operating sUAS are encouraged to review these standards and perform an internal gap analysis to determine their compliance with industry best practices.
As the integration of sUAS technology into public safety operations continues to increase, the development of best practice standards that address the safe, efficient and ethical use of small unmanned aircraft for all public safety missions is vitally important.
The new sUAS standards contain five sections; Administration, Flight Operations, Safety, Training and Maintenance and provide guidance on the tactical, legal and ethical use of sUAS.
The standards provide a set of best practices for agencies already using, or considering the use of small unmanned aircraft. Adherence to these standards will provide assurance to the civilian community that its public safety agency is operating in accordance with well-established, safe, efficient and ethical practices. We invite ALEA members engaged in sUAS programs to download the Standards from our website (www.alea.org) and adopt them as best practice operational policy and procedures and incorporate them into the program’s Operations Manual for use in support of your respective agency’s sUAS mission.
About the Airborne Law Enforcement Association: The Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA) is a public benefit, 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation comprised of public safety air crew and air support personnel and others who support, promote, and advance the safe and effective use of aircraft by governmental agencies in support of public safety operations.
About the Public Safety Aviation Accreditation Commission: The Public Safety Aviation Accreditation Commission is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization founded to promote and advance safe, effective, and efficient aviation operations in public safety through voluntary compliance with best practice standards.
--Helicopters UAV & Drones
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10 Movie Cars No One Should Drive (And 10 Worth Their Weight In Gold)
by Michael Van Runkle
Every Hollywood film has the potential to change the world. The ability to reach audiences that number in the hundreds of millions gives film studios, writers, directors, and actors heart palpitations as they realize the inherent power of their chosen medium. The millions of man-hours that go into making even small, indie flicks—not to mention the thousands of CGI artists who work on blockbuster action films these days—are a testament to the power of film throughout history.
But as much as the entire world has turned actors and directors into demi-Gods with levels of love and admiration that rival and exceed even the most popular religious figures, the heroes behind the scenes deserve the praise and admiration of a grateful public, as well. These days, the credits on a comic-based studio film can last seemingly forever—ever wonder why Marvel is always throwing in extra scenes at the end? They want audiences to sit there and recognize the immense work that went into these productions.
From set designers to grips, stylists to food caterers, a whole world of support goes into creating the illusions that flit by at 24 frames per second. The entire goal is to create that magical suspension of disbelief, as the audience is transported into the story on the screen before them. Part of the work is maintaining the illusion through every minuscule detail—and that includes things like clothes, hair, shadows, and yes, cars.
But Hollywood's cars aren't just workhorses; sometimes, they're the stars of the films themselves. Not every car that stars in a big movie is worthy of adoration, however—much like the actors and actresses, there are greats and there are duds. Keep scrolling for 10 movie cars no one should ever drive, and 10 that are the stuff of dreams.
20 Don't: Ferrari GTC4Lusso - The Upside
via The Morning Call
The soon-to-be-released film The Upside features Kevin Hart in a dramatic role alongside Bryan Cranston—though as with any film that Hart stars in, there's bound to be plenty of comedy strewn throughout. Cranston plays an uber-wealthy paraplegic who hires Hart as his helper, and one of the benefits of the job is being able to drive any of Cranston's character's amazing cars.
And yet, picking a Ferrari GTC4Lusso is a terrible choice. The hatchback, front-engined, all-wheel-drive Ferrari is barely worthy of the brand's name, much less the prancing ponies on its badging, and its inclusion in The Upside is clearly some serious product placement.
19 Don't: Honda Del Sol - The Fast and the Furious
When The Fast and the Furious hit theaters with a vengeance in 2001, tuner and modder culture blew up in the United States. An entire generation became immediately inspired to go out and buy imports from Japan and shortly thereafter, every car suffered from bottomed-out suspension setups, huge spoilers, body kits, and ridiculous paint jobs.
But some imports are better than others—as the film showed thoroughly—and the production budget for the original film didn't take into account the future billions on the table. As such, the cars in the background weren't always up to snuff; case in point, the Honda Del Sol and its mediocre front-engined, front-wheel-drive layout.
18 Don't: Volkswagen Jetta - The Fast and the Furious
A character who is often forgotten from the first Fast and Furious film is Jesse, the nerdy tech who drove a tuned Volkswagen Jetta. Jesse lost a race to a highly-customized Honda s2000—and no wonder.
The front-wheel-drive, commuter-special VW Jetta is nothing like the S2000, one of the greatest cars that Honda has ever built even before getting thousands of dollars of work in performance modifications. Jesse ran off after the loss (and later paid with his life) but he should have known from the get-go that the VW Jetta is not a car for anyone who wants to drive fast to get behind the wheel.
17 Don't: Original Eleanor - 1974 Gone in 60 Seconds
Not everyone realizes that the Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie movie Gone in 60 Seconds was actually a remake of a 1974 film with the same name. At the time, the original featured the most elaborate car chase ever captured on film—and it even included an Eleanor of its own.
But the Eleanor in the newer version is approximately 1,000% better than the original, which was a 1974 Ford Mustang Sportsroof from the era when Mustangs were beginning to go down the tube. Just about everything that made the first-gen Mustang awesome had been lost by 1974, and it was wise of the newer movie's producers to use a prop version of the 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 Fastback instead.
16 Don't: DeLorean DMC-12 - Back to the Future
via Time
Arguably the most famous movie car of all time, the DeLorean DMC-12 that doubled as a time machine in the Back to the Future franchise sure looked futuristic in the 1980s. And to be fair, the stainless gullwing coupe still looks awesome to this day. But a driver's car it sure is not.
DeLorean hoped to create an incredible sports car but instead ended up with a heavy vehicle that employed an underpowered, Peugeot-Renault-Volvo-sourced engine that only put out 130 horsepower. Throw in a sloppy suspension setup that differed from early prototypes (which were said to handle nicely) and a three-speed slushbox as an 'upgrade' option, and the result is a car that can barely even get up to 88 miles per hour.
15 Don't: Mini Cooper - The Italian Job
The Mini Coopers steal the show in the star-studded 2003 remake of The Italian Job. With Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron, Mos Def, and Jason Statham each given plenty of screen time, that's quite a statement. But the highly-modified Minis that make the heist go exactly the right amount of wrong (it was all part of the plan, see) aren't exactly the spectacular vehicles depicted in the film.
Chalk it up to Hollywood magic and the suspension of disbelief, but it's hard to think a Mini Cooper's suspension would do well piloting down a huge flight of stairs or hopping over railroad tracks. BMW should have done the right thing and made the new Mini a rear-wheel-drive go-kart, which would also have allowed for more space in the engine bay for a beefier powerplant.
14 Don't: Pontiac Firebird Trans Am - Smokey and the Bandit
via Steam Community
Another of the most iconic film car and film actor duos of all time is Burt Reynolds and the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am he drove in Smokey and the Bandit. Now, Burt Reynolds can always be counted on for some tongue-in-cheek action and plenty of spectacular chase scenes, but even the audience of the day in 1977 must have known that the Pontiac wasn't really a car that Reynolds would be caught behind the wheel of in real life.
The movie bumped up Pontiac's sales, though, so maybe audiences were fooled—or maybe everyone just wanted a chance to feel like their mustachioed hero.
13 Don't: Ford Thunderbird - Die Another Day
Halle Berry made a serious splash with her turn as a Bond girl in the 2002 Pierce Brosman vehicle, Die Another Day. Her scene-stealing talents were on full display throughout the movie, alternately as Bond's partner-in-crime and foil, but there's no way James Bond would ever suffer through a ride in an early-2000s Ford Thunderbird.
It didn't even make a lick of sense—even for a Bond movie—for Berry's character to drive a Ford Thunderbird to a gigantic ice castle, but what made even less sense was Ford's decision to reboot the Thunderbird with such a dismal drivetrain and suspension setup, not to mention the bad exterior styling.
12 Don't: V8 Interceptor Pursuit Special - Mad Max
via Maxim
Mel Gibson catapulted to international stardom with the success of the original Mad Max films, as his baby face matched perfectly with the post-apocalyptic wasteland of a nuclear-torn world. Mad Max, The Road Warrior, and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderbird are all studies in classic late-70s and 1980s grunge—but this was an era of bad cars the world over.
Even the radical work done to build the V8 Interceptor that Max Rockatansky pilots across the desert can't hide the fact that beneath the skin of the Pursuit Special was a Ford Falcon (and the supercharged jutting out of the hood didn't even work for filming).
11 Don't: Pontiac LeMans - The French Connection
Gene Hackman stars as Popeye Doyle in the noir detective film The French Connection, which hit theaters in 1971. Sandwiched between Bullitt and the original Gone in 60 Seconds, the movie featured possibly the most epic car chase that didn't have Steve McQueen at the wheel by that time.
Hackman was no slouch, though, piloting a hilarious unfit Pontiac Le Mans through the crowded New York City streets—and he even tried his hands at car racing, making an appearance at the 1983 24 Hours of Daytona after driving an open-wheeled Formula Ford in competition during the late 1970s. Looking back, even though the Pontiac LeMans sparked a lifelong passion, Hackman would probably advise most drivers to stay away from the boat-like car.
10 Dream Drive: New Eleanor - 2000 Gone in 60 Seconds
via The Mustang Source
When Nicolas Cage's Gone in 60 Seconds character, Memphis Raines, almost trembles with love and excitement while approaching Eleanor in the 2000 remake, every gearhead in the audience was shaking just as feverishly. Just look at that car!
Sure, the actual one used in the film wasn't real, but get over it, this is Hollywood. And most car nuts would give their left thumb even for a chance to drive a replica 1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback, especially in Dupont Pepper Grey with some racing stripes on top. The chicken farmer from Texas truly hit it out of the park when he took on the project of building the bigger, better, badder Mustang—and the world is a better place because of his efforts.
9 Dream Drive: Honda S2000 -2 Fast 2 Furious & More
via WheelsAge
A Honda S2000 makes a brief appearance in The Fast and the Furious when Jesse loses to it in his VW Jetta, but Honda's epic sports car made a more serious appearance in the franchise's second installment, 2 Fast 2 Furious. Devon Aoki pilots the car in the opening race, and her custom pink paint job, huge rear spoiler, and enormous wheels are perfect for the tiny sports coupe.
As driver cars go, the S2000 sits near the top of the heap for smiles per gallon. These days, a used S2000 can be found for around $20,000 and comes with an inline-four engine capable of 250 horsepower, one of the world's greatest six-speed transmissions, and a factory limited slip differential.
8 Dream Drive: Nissan Skyline GT-R - 2 Fast 2 Furious & More
via Flickr
When Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner pulls up to the opening race in 2 Fast 2 Furious, the rest of the field should have bowed out then and there. His car of choice may not have been instantly recognizable for many average audience members but gearheads the world over, and especially in the United States, held their breath getting ready to see that Nissan Skyline GT-R do its thing.
Today's modern GT-R is a serious machine, but it's not nearly as potent compared to the rest of the world as the original Skylines were back in the 1990s. Now that the 25-year rule is allowing for importation, more Skylines are making it to these shores, and every driving fanatic ought to have a chance to try one out, even if they are all right-hand drive.
7 Dream Drive: Aston Martin DB5 - Goldfinger & More
via Digital Trends
Possibly coming in second on the list (first, if you ask any Englishman) of most famous movie cars of all time, the Aston Martin DB5 is also one of the two most valuable. When Sean Connery as James Bond got behind the wheel of his gadgeted-out DB5, little did he know he'd be sending values into the millions decades later.
But even without that Bond bump, the DB5 is still one of the most beautiful vehicular designs ever to grace the world's roads. The thought of driving one over a mountain pass on the way to apprehend the criminal known as Goldfinger is on every maniacal car enthusiast's bucket list.
6 Deam Drive: Ford Mustang Fastback - Bullitt
Steve McQueen forever cemented the Ford Mustang and the turtleneck sweater into history with his turn as famous San Francisco detective Frank Bullitt. In the titular role, his fashion choices made him seem like the unlikely candidate for Hollywood's greatest car chase up to that point (1968). And yet, behind the wheel of a beat-up Ford Mustang Fastback in Highland Green, McQueen unveiled some of his real-life driving chops.
He was a race car driver first and an actor second, and many of his films included stunts that only he could pull off—reportedly, on the set of The Great Escape, none of the stuntmen could keep up on a motorcycle charging across a field, so McQueen had to do the drive twice.
5 Dream Drive: Ford Gran Torino - Gran Torino
via Street Muscle Magazine
The Ford Gran Torino is a forgotten gem in Detroit's storied automotive history. Forgotten by everyone but the writers of the Clint Eastwood film, Gran Torino, that is. Rumor has it that writers Nick Schenk and Dave Johannson submitted the script to Eastwood, who immediately decided to both direct and star—all without changing a word.
The result is a stupendously offensive movie that only Clint could get away with, but the love affair with the Gran Torino car living in his garage is a through-line to help even the most morally outraged audiences hang tight until the end (an end which proved that Clint is still a bad, bad man, even speaking from the grave).
4 Dream Drive: Subaru WRX - Baby Driver
When the news went public that Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz writer and director Edgar Wright would be leading a serious action flick called Baby Driver, the cinema world as a whole collectively held their breath. Initial reviews were just about unanimously positive, though the public as a whole had more of a divided opinion.
At the very least, the decision to include a Subaru Impreza (regardless of the fact that it sacrificed its all-wheel-drive to enable more awesome burnouts) as a getaway car was a solid casting decision. Whether gearheads would have been able to sit through the rest of the sometimes musical, sometimes mushy, always extremely violent film without the Subie is a serious question.
3 Dream Drive: Jaguar XK-E - Austin Powers & More
via Serious Wheels
The Austin Powers films provide a wonderful spoof on the spy film genre, specifically all the James Bond movies. The Mike Myers flicks are fun, and manage to completely reveal the inane absurdity of every sticky situation that James Bond manages to get himself into—while simultaneously creating even more absurd and more sticky situations. (Yeah, baby, very yeah!)
In the sequences when Austin Powers has yet to cryogenically freeze himself in a desperate effort to pursue his nemesis, the evil Dr. Evil, through time, his car of choice is a Jaguar XK-E. Every single automotive enthusiast, if they don't already, should definitely want a chance to drive the car that Enzo Ferrari himself described as "the most beautiful car ever made."
2 Dream Drive: Koenigsegg CCXR - Fast Five
via Wallpaper Cave
Coming in as both the newest and most expensive car on this list, the Koenigsegg CCXR is undoubtedly the best performer, as well. The rare supercar made a cameo appearance at the end of Fast Five—or is that two cameo appearances, given that Ludacris had to spoil Tyrese's fun and buy one himself, as well.
Either way, the CCXR helped pave the way for the world-beating Ageras (in all their iterations) that currently sit at the top of the hypercar heap, and with values way over $1 million, the model comes the closest to being worth its actual weight in gold.
1 Dream Drive: The War Rig - Mad Max: Fury Road
Most of the most iconic cars in Hollywood's long history have been sports cars. And it only makes sense that audiences and gearheads would want to drive the world's ultimate performers. But every enthusiast also hides a secret dream in their heart, one that sparks up every time they take to the highway surrounded by enormous semi trucks. And if there was one semi that seems like the ultimate drive—in terms of fun, adventure, and downright insanity—it's the War Rig from Mad Max: Fury Road.
Insanity is the first word that comes to mind describing director George Romero's long-awaited return to the wasteland, and the highly customized Tatra T815, described as "2,000 horsepower of nitro-boosted war machine" both sets the tone and steals the show simultaneously.
Sources: IMDb, Wikipedia, and Mad Max Fandom.
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Home / Advanced Science Letters, Volume 23, Number 11
Brain Signal Analysis to Investigate Sound Effect on Memorization
$106.51 + tax (Refund Policy)
Authors: Daud, Syarifah Noor Syakiylla Sayed; Sudirman, Rubita
Source: Advanced Science Letters, Volume 23, Number 11, November 2017, pp. 11119-11123(5)
Publisher: American Scientific Publishers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2017.10233
Electroencephalography is an imaging of the electrical signal of the brain. It is widely use among the researcher compared to other techniques since it is affordable, non-invasive, able to record the signal in short time and painless to the subject. The brain signal can be divided into five specific frequency that known as alpha, beta, theta, delta and gamma band. These frequency bands will determine the characteristics of the brain signal. In this present study, the effect of sound stimuli in memorizing process is analyzed based on the relative power of the brain rhythm. Besides that, in this proposed study it is also aim to determine the effective sound stimuli for improving memorization. About 60 adults participated in this study. They are required to memorize the visual memory task at three different conditions, which are silence condition, listening to Mozart music, and listening to white noise, each for 2 minutes. The brain signal was recorded using Neurofax 9200 of EEG machine during the memorizing process. The wavelet approach was used for EEG data processing and the relative power was calculated for each of the frequency band except delta rhythm from the clean EEG signal. The result showed that listening to sound stimuli during memorizing gave significant influence on gamma and beta activity. Based on paired t-test analysis it revealed that the gamma and beta showed more significant different at white noise (gamma: p = 0.001 < 0.050; beta: p = 0.000 < 0.050) compared to Mozart music relative (gamma: p = 0.014 < 0.050; beta: p = 0.004 < 0.050) to silent condition. It indicates that the white noise is more effective to be listened during memorizing since it able to increase the alertness level of the subject and sensory processing of the input information.
Keywords: Brain Characteristic; Electroencephalography Relative Power; Stimuli Wavelet
Affiliations: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Malaysia
ADVANCED SCIENCE LETTERS is an international peer-reviewed journal with a very wide-ranging coverage, consolidates research activities in all areas of (1) Physical Sciences, (2) Biological Sciences, (3) Mathematical Sciences, (4) Engineering, (5) Computer and Information Sciences, and (6) Geosciences to publish original short communications, full research papers and timely brief (mini) reviews with authors photo and biography encompassing the basic and applied research and current developments in educational aspects of these scientific areas.
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Memories of a Friend
By Joseph Stephan
Car enthusiast and artist David Deal, best known for creating a line of model cars in the 1970s called "Deals Wheels" and then later for work on the movie, Cars, died after a battle with cancer Oct. 14 at his home in Vista, Ca
Needless to say, I'm devastated by the death of Dave Deal who was my long-time "amigo". Something seemed to click between us from the first time we met. Because of that I was privileged to be a part of his private life, something apparently not many were allowed into. I saw and experienced many things that his "public" fans may not have been aware of. My life was only the richer for it, and being the kind of person I am I would like to share some of it with you.
Like many, my first exposure to Dave Deal came via his "Deals Wheels" Revell model kits when I was a car crazy young teenager. I also started noticing his comical drawings in magazine ads which soon became a monthly treat. http://www.bigdealart.com/
In the early '70s I began a fledgling writing career and was fighting for entry and acceptance. About that time my folks moved to Escondido. When I discovered he lived not far away I asked to come over and visit him. Not only did I want to meet this obviously wacko character, but I reckoned that a business card with his artwork on it would definitely get notice.
That first visit turned into a life-long friendship. He was someone with a warped sense of humor worse than mine. Visits to the folks also meant going over to hang around with "Big Deal" as they called him when he served in the Marines. It was always fun to see what he was up to, let alone working on. It also meant laughing 'til I hurt. My favorite response to him was slamming my hand into my forehead and jokingly saying, "Big Deal".
On one summer-long racing "safari" I took a young lady and her two small kids along. Her five-year old boy wanted to do nothing but draw all day long. I would set up the table in my VW camper, give him a piece of paper and a pencil, and we'd never hear a peep out of him. We went by to see Dave and he got a kick out of the kid's scribblings. He said though crude it was the creativity that counted. He'd started out doing same when he was young, to the point both parents and teachers were chastising him to stop. Thankfully he didn't take their advice.
Dave taught his own son Travis how to draw and he was just as good. I got to see some of their work side-by-side and it's hard to tell them apart. I also had the chance to see some "normal", "straight" paintings by Dave that would be unknown to those familiar with his trademark caricatures. He was that talented.
Dave was what many people would consider eccentric. I called him "wonderfully mad" upstairs, which obviously came out thru the tip of his pen. Not many people know that when he was young he roomed for awhile with the legendary Von Dutch himself. That would have been worth the price of admission!
One of the most special memories I have of Dave is the day he finished up his one of a kind VW Kubelwagen kit car. It was a project of Meyers Manx that died when VW brought out their Thing. Dave ended up with it and since I was in town he wanted to take it out and do some pictures to try and get it into Hot VWs magazine. When I got to his house my jaw fell open. He'd gone all the way and painted it in Nazi Afrika Corps colors--complete with accurate markings! When I objected that he was going to get up both shot he pointed out what he was just finishing up: Speaking fluent Hebrew, he'd used a pin striper's brush to on the back in small Hebrew letters place the words "Strictly Kosher". In Dave’s warped mind that made it OK. I was too dumbfounded to speak.
I should have known better than to think that was the end of it. He said he was going in to wash his hands and change clothes, and then he suddenly reappeared wearing an Afrika Corps uniform--complete with short pants, sandals, and insignia-ed pith helmet. I was secretly saying my prayers while he spent the afternoon driving me around northern San Diego county. As long as I live I will never forget the look on the poor girl's face when we pulled up to a Del Taco drive thru window. One picture definitely was worth a thousand words!
But that was Dave to the max. It was like he sort of lived the characters he created as some kind of alter-ego. He was very much a "motor head" long before terms like "car guy", "car crazy", etc, became popular. He early on was involved in sports cars, owning Porsches (including a 550 Spyder like James Dean's) and Ferraris. He was also into sports car racing. He went to school with Hollywood director Bruce Kessler, who was one of only a couple of people to ever drive Lance Reventlow's legendary Scarab race cars.
Dave was involved in an early '60s company that built exotic, low-slung, extended-wheelbase custom trucks that hauled a race car on its back. This was at a time when most cars were still flat-towed or on flimsy single axle trailers. It was so sensational it was featured in all of the magazines of the time, on the cover of a number of them. The flowing lines were obviously a product of Dave's pen.
During this period his drawings began showing up in ads for MG Mitten, one of the original sports car accessory outlets. His funny little drawings in their multi-page ads were like a story within a story. That format was later repeated when ads for Meyers Manx and their new fangled dune buggies began showing up. Dave even owned one of the little known, limited edition Manx SR sports cars they built complete with gull wing-doored roof.
And he readily adapted to the new sport of off-road racing. Being a regular visitor to Baja, a country he loved, it was a natural. His comical drawings being included in a great little pocket-sized book on how to speak the language like a local were a great “ice breaker” to someone facing the daunting apprehension of communicating in a foreign country.
Dave drove in several of the early Mexican 1000s and is credited as builder of the first VW Baja Bug for the 1968 race. He told me the story of the time they were broken down alongside the course, awaiting rescue, when Bill Stroppe pulled up with a lame vehicle. What should pull up a few moments later but another of Stroppe's vehicles also having problems. With the clock ticking, instead of a bunch of frantic action, what took place was a bartering session: "No, I will trade you two quarts of oil for a hose clamp". Off-road racing was obviously a lot different back then.
Dave's last competitive drive came in January of 1973 when he and Don Ernst drove a “hopped-up”, not even full Baja Bug, VW sedan from Tijuana to La Paz in 19 hours and 58 minutes, a record that still stands today. As part of Baja's 40th anniversary he received a special pioneer of the sport award at a gala evening of celebration.
Dave also loved flying and was a pilot of many thousands of hours. He was a charter member of the Baja Bush Pilots, an early group of intrepid adventurers who risked all and began flying down the peninsula when almost nothing existed in the way of maps, charts, and information, let alone navigation. Thru their combined efforts they began publishing the first of such, adorned with his drawings as well as his doing their logo. Anyone flying down there today owes these guys a debt than can never be repaid.
On one trip he spotted a salt pan down along the coast he'd never before noticed. Since it wasn't on their existing map, circling overhead he quickly made a sketch which he took back to the group. When the next map came out the spot was identified as "Salina Deal".
I braved all when he invited me to chase the ‘79 Baja 1000 in his plane. Not only was it my first peninsula run, but the first under SCORE back to La Paz. One of the real thrills of my life was his dropping down to near ground level, and with my camera out the window, matching speeds with the big trucks as we chased them across Diablo Dry Lake. I was absolutely stoked after that first pass. When I wanted to go around and do it again, in typical fashion he insisted on showing me how world war one biplane pilots got out of trouble. After a couple of demonstrations of how they "gunned" the throttle and peeled-off up and over, he had to land so the photographer, now green about the gills, could get out and wobbly-kneed walk around for awhile.
We eventually flew into Alfonsina's beach strip where he said a friend had a cabin we could use for the night. However, when we got there the key was gone. We camped out under the wings only to be awakened in the middle of the night by a ferocious wind and resulting sand storm that had kicked up. I laughingly reminded that every time I let him take me somewhere he would put my life in jeopardy. What a guy!
On our way home the next day we landed in Ensenada to refuel the plane, while pilot and passenger refueled at Hussong's. With a Mariachi band in the house, Dave, who spoke fluent Spanish, in his usual irrepressible manner led the whole place in song.
As my motor racing reporting grew, to the point that I was sometimes working for a dozen publications world-wide and often doing over 50 races a year, and with my folks also having moved from that area, I saw him less and less. The last time I was at his house we "bombed" around San Diego in his late '30s Ford Sedan hot rod. No stranger to even doing a parody of himself, an image of that car, with two occupants strangely looking like us, suddenly appeared on the cover of CARTOONS.
I lost track of him during my way too many years of racing having become a 24/7/365 existence with no time for anything else in my life. I had become a professional gypsy to another race track, drive-thru, and laundromat down the road somewhere, which finally took its toll on me and I nearly died. After several years of recovery and reclusiveness, I got to thinking about him more and more. I was sitting around one day, playing with this new contraption called a computer, and decided to see if I could track him down. It didn't take long.
The friendship was quickly renewed and as I soon learned he was as wacko as ever. The e-mails were many and the regular phone conversations lengthy. He had to cut the one short when Jerry Seinfeld called about delivery of the artwork he'd ordered.
You could sense the excitement in his voice when he told me of being asked to draw the cars for the smash Disney/Pixar hit CARS. He told me that when he went there for the film completion cast party, since he had embraced the computer as an integral part of his artwork, he was asked to do a seminar for Pixar's staff artists. They responded with a standing ovation.
In addition to being one of the all-time great films, CARS has gone onto become a marketing phenomenon. Long after major movies usually run their course, there's still new CARS toys and trinkets coming out featuring Dave's colorful artwork. The Australian Post Office even put them on stamps. I told Dave I'd bought some CARS drawing pencils and wanted to know if they would make me draw like him. In typical fashion he responded, "Sure, why not?"
I was one of the recipients of his mass e-mail to which Dave attached the brand new Wikipedia page on the history of the Baja Bug in which he was included. I did a response to everyone in which I told Dave that I'd been at the food store that day where I'd seen his Lightning McQueen character on a can of Spaghetti-O's. I told him you know you've really made it when your name will forever be associated with Chef Boyardee's. I got a mass response back from someone saying that would make Dave "Chef Boyar-Deal". I was screaming in laughter so hard I went over backwards in my desk chair.
To show you what a fascinating person Dave was I only recently learned that he was also a student and explorer of ancient history. Thru the years he had made several trips into eastern Turkey, near the Iranian border, where they believed they had found the remains of Noah's Ark, in an area away from where everyone else has been looking. The evidence and a very good argument for it was going to be shown in a two-hour TV documentary they were putting together with "Indiana Jones" Harrison Ford scheduled to host. You can see what he was up to at: http://www.noahsark-naxuan.com/
I dearly wanted to see Dave again but it was not to be. These days dealing (no pun intended) with a number of health issues, traveling is out of the question. When I called him up he gave me the news he had gone to the post office on his way to the doctor to begin proceedings for removal of a cancerous kidney.
I last spoke to him about three weeks before his passing. I had been on top of the world when he gave me the news that he and his wife were planning a trip up to the wine trail of the central California coast where I now live. I was eagerly awaiting our reunion, but then he gave me the news he wasn't coming because he had new problems. I was going to call him a few days before the end but the call got lost in a crazy day.
Dave Deal was a unique individual who didn't see himself as anything out of the ordinary though he was a cultural icon, something very few people can claim. Motor sports took me half-way 'round the world where I had the opportunity to meet and know people from every spectrum of life, from a Crown Prince, a US Senator, a State Governor, and a dirt bike-riding name Evangelist; down to two different bikers now on death row. I've been on the inside of every kind of ground, water, and air racing there is and have known many of the world's top competitors on a first name basis. I've sipped champagne at the fanciest of affairs and guzzled cheap whisky in the gutter with the dregs of society. I've lived at the top as well as the bottom. I've seen and heard it all to the point nothing phases or surprises me anymore. Through all that, Dave Deal was one of only a handful of people I had a real appreciation for.
My thoughts and prayers are with him and also go out to his charming wife Vicky. She was the only woman of his entire life, a real rarity in this day and age, and someone he loved dearly. Having been around motorcycles since five and racing since I was ten, death and destruction have numbed and hardened my insides to the point tears quit coming out years ago. However, it doesn't stop this one from hurting badly. So I will simply close with the words: "Shalom Chaver"...Goodbye Old Friend.
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HPCwire Awards Highlight Supercomputing Achievements in the Sciences
By the Editorial Team
In November at SC18 in Dallas, HPCwire Readers’ and Editors’ Choice awards program commemorated its 15th year of honoring achievement in HPC, with categories ranging from Best Use of AI to the Workforce Diversity Leadership Award and recipients across a wide variety of industrial and research sectors. In this editorial, HPCwire highlights the awards that celebrated the biggest and brightest developments in HPC for the sciences in the past 12 months.
Recognizing HPC’s contributions to tackling global challenges
With the world rising to meet global challenges in energy production and climate change, 2018 became a banner year for HPC in the energy and climate sectors. A team from Northwestern University won the Readers’ Choice Award for Best Use of HPC in Physical Sciences, using the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center’s Bridges system (with Intel, Nvidia and HPE technologies) to discover more efficient compounds for use in lithium batteries and energy production – a potentially huge step toward drastically higher-capacity batteries for electric vehicles, among other applications.
The Readers’ Choice for Best Use of HPC in Energy celebrated another breakthrough achievement in energy science. Awarded jointly to the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and GENCI, the award recognized leaps toward the harvesting of “blue energy” – energy produced when seawater and freshwater meet and mix. These advances were made possible by advanced molecular simulations performed over nearly 30 million combined core hours on the MareNostrum and Curie supercomputers. “PRACE is pleased to receive this prestigious award from the readers of HPCwire,” said Serge Bogaerts, PRACE’s managing director. “It is a priority for PRACE to support excellent pioneering research which has a potentially significant impact to our society and strengthens European competitiveness.”
SciNet also used fluid dynamics to tackle global issues, winning the Editors’ Choice Award for Best Use of HPC in Physical Sciences in the process. As a part of stress testing the powerful new Niagara cluster, researchers used Lenovo and Mellanox technologies on it to create spatial resolution models of the Pacific Ocean. The models, led by Richard Peltier of the University of Toronto, seek to finally answer a theory of ocean dynamics proposed nearly 50 years ago. These more accurate models will help SciNet to improve the skill of its climate models, aiding projections of global climate change and assuring researchers that “when we do put an ocean model to work in the context of a global warming calculation … that we can feel secure that the physical process is properly represented,” Peltier said.
Recognizing HPC’s contributions to our grasp of the universe
The National Center for Supercomputing Applications won the Editors’ Choice Award for Best Use of AI for its use of deep learning for real-time gravitational wave discovery. This breakthrough allows astronomers to study gravitational waves more quickly while using less computational power. Furthermore, it allows for the detection of new classes of gravitational wave sources that may have gone undetected using other methods.
The Editors’ Choice Award for Top HPC-Enabled Scientific Achievement went to XSEDE, the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) and the Open Science Grid (OSG) — in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University — for simulations that helped the NSF pinpoint the origin of cosmic neutrinos. The simulations were performed on the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center’s Bridges supercomputer, SDSC’s Comet supercomputer and the OSG.
Recognizing HPC’s contributions to understanding health and the human body
Of course, massive calculations are not only for massive systems – a whopping five of HPCwire’s 2018 awards went to outstanding projects that used HPC to improve our understanding of health and the human body.
Two of those awards recognized efforts to understand the human brain. The Readers’ Choice Award for Best Use of HPC in Life Sciences went to the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center’s Brain Image Library. Funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) as part of the federal BRAIN initiative, the Brain Image Library allows researchers to “deposit, analyze, mine, share, and interact with large brain-image datasets” – affording them access to such high-resolution images that they can zoom in to the level of a single neuron or synapse.
The Editors’ Choice Award for Best Use of the HPC in Life Sciences, meanwhile, was awarded to an international team led by the San Diego Supercomputer Center and UC San Diego for research that may explain some of the genetic roots of neurodevelopmental disorders. The researchers used the Comet system, built by Dell EMC, to analyze the genomes of 9,274 subjects from 2,600 families and identify rare inherited variants in regions of non-coding DNA that may be linked to autism.
The Wellcome Sanger Institute also won an award – the Readers’ Choice Award for Best Use of HPC in the Cloud – for its work in genomic analysis. Using a private OpenStack cloud IT environment, the Sanger Institute enabled the sequencing and assembly of 100 complete human genomes per day. This work is part of the UK Biobank Vanguard project, which will sequence 50,000 genomes from volunteers.
“I’m delighted for the teams, who thoroughly deserve this award,” said Tim Cutts, head of scientific computing. “Their creativity and dedication to overcoming the unique challenges posed by storing and analysing genomic data means that we are not only able to cope with, but can also explore at scale, the vast volume of data being generated by our sequencing operation, and to deliver that capacity quickly. Winning the Readers’ Choice award is especially humbling as it means that our peers worldwide acknowledge the groundbreaking work of our scientific computing and informatics teams.”
Researchers from the NIH and the University of Delaware won the Readers’ Choice Award for Best HPC Collaboration (Academia/Government/Industry) for their research in the fight against HIV. Working with the Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center and using the D.E. Shaw Research Anton 2 supercomputer, the team discovered a “brake” that disrupts HIV’s development, preventing the protein shell that covers the virus from forming. “Science is moving away from the single scientist being able to peer at things at atomic resolution,” said Tatyana Polenova, professor at the University of Delaware. “It’s no longer the situation of doing one thing as a single investigator. Now, we all come together.”
NASA, meanwhile, examined somewhat more peculiar stressors on the human genome, with its Twin Study winning the Readers’ Choice Award for Best Use of HPC High Performance Data Analytics. Using Bridges’ large-memory nodes, NASA examined the genomic differences between twins Mark Kelly (earthbound) and Scott Kelly (an astronaut). The study represents the first application of genomics in evaluating risks that space can pose to the human body.
Recognizing revolutionary HPC systems in the sciences
NASA — in partnership with HPE — also won the Readers’ Choice Award for Top HPC-Enabled Scientific Achievement, having launched the first supercomputer into space and kept it fully functional for an entire year. The one-year mark is a crucial goal for the Spaceborne supercomputer, with a year being roughly the amount of time it will take a ship to travel to Mars.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, IBM, Nvidia and Mellanox won both the Readers’ and Editors’ Choice Awards for Top Supercomputing Achievement for the launch of the Summit and Sierra supercomputers — the world’s #1 and #2 fastest supercomputers, respectively. Summit has already been making its mark on science, with five of 2018’s six Gordon Bell Prize finalists using Summit in their work.
The project responsible for advancing the United States’ future leadership supercomputing capabilities — the Exascale Computing Project — was also recognized, receiving the Editors’ Choice Award for Best HPC Collaboration (Academia/Government/Industry). The Exascale Computing Project is a collaborative effort by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to accelerate delivery of a “capable” exascale system by working with other federal agencies and technology vendors in a “whole-of-nation” approach. Application development is a core thrust.
Recognizing leaps forward for scientific institutions
Not all leaps forward for HPC in science are purely scientific. The Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) South Africa in collaboration with TACC, Cambridge University, Dell EMC, and the Department of Science & Technology (South Africa) were recognized by HPCwire readers with the Workforce Diversity Leadership Award for leading the re-purposing and re-deployment of high-performance computing systems in Africa under the HPC Ecosystems Project. The project is responsible for re-deploying decommissioned HPC systems across the African continent as a means to facilitate computational science, human capital development, and in all cases to further HPC-awareness in Africa.
HPC Ecosystem Team with Tom Tabor, publisher of HPCwire, at SC18
Our Editors’ Choice Workplace Diversity Leadership Award went to the National Science Foundation for its INCLUDES program, which looks to enhance U.S. leadership in STEM fields by proactively seeking and developing talent from all sectors and groups. “NSF INCLUDES addresses populations largely missing in the current science and engineering enterprise,” said NSF director France Córdova. “Their inclusion is essential in helping the U.S. maintain its position as the world’s leader in innovation. Through NSF INCLUDES, we are funding researchers and others who have great proposals that would move the needle.”
The HPCwire Readers’ and Editors’ Choice Awards are a way for our community to recognize the best and brightest innovators within the global HPC community. To see the full list of the 2018 winners, click here.
AMD Joins Compute Express Link (CXL) Consortium
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How to find out if someone is ‘stalking’ you on Facebook
Published: 12:26 Wednesday 05 April 2017
Facebook has introduced a new feature which allows users to see who has been looking at their profile.
Many users will have scrolled through somebody’s posts and photos and making sure they don’t ‘like’ anything, just in case. Well, a new feature of Facebook might change things, The Mirror reports.
Facebook isn’t going to immediately switch to become similar to LinkedIn and reveal to its users who’s been on their profile.
They have always said they have no plans to reveal this data and, by and large, this remains the case as it would dissuade many of its 1.86 billion users from utilising the site as fully as Facebook would like.
However, the site has introduced a new feature which means you may need to exercise a little more caution.
Facebook recently rolled out its ‘Stories’ feature to all of its mobile users.
Similar to the same feature on Instagram, Facebook Stories are short user-generated photo and video collections which can be viewed twice and then disappear after 24 hours.
You can see how many people viewed your story AND who has specifically looked at each piece of content within your story.
So while you can resume perusing profiles in sweet anonymity, it’s no longer 100 per cent across all of the site’s features.
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VIDEO: Notts man jailed for manslaughter on the one punch that ruined his life
Jacob Dunne
Lucy Ball
A man who threw a punch, which resulted in a paramedic sustaining fatal head injuries, wants to use his experience to warn others of the impact ‘one punch’ can have.
Jacob Dunne, 24, was 19, when he struck paramedic James Hodgkinson, 28, who was visiting Nottingham to watch the cricket at Trent Bridge in August 2011.
An argument with Jacob’s friends over fancy dress, saw Jacob arrive at the scene and hit out, causing James to fall, striking his head on the floor. Nine days later, he died.
While in prison for manslaughter, Jacob struggled to come to terms with the impact his crime had had.
After Jacob was released, James’ parents, Joan Scourfield and David Hodgkinson, contacted him as part of charity Remedi’s restorative justice programme, where they talked through the devastation caused by Jacob’s actions. Over two and a half years they communicated, before they finally met up.
Jacob continues to turn his life around; he is studying Criminology at university, and plans to do workshops in schools and colleges to educate others about life skills, decision-making and the impact of ‘one punch.’
Jacob said: “I remember vaguely leaving my group of friends and being in another bar, and then receiving a call saying something had kicked off and where they were. So I went running off to where they were, and that is where I can vaguely remember there being an altercation, and I didn’t even know what it was for, but I threw a punch.
“When police officers told me I was arrested for James’ death, I sat there and thought what have I done? When David and Joan contacted me, I began to realise there were people who were more of a victim than me.
“I have the motivation, having met James’ parents, to know why I want to keep going and why I can’t give up on my dreams. Although I have experienced a lot of barriers and prejudice, David and Joan’s support has given me the resilience to keep raising awareness and getting the message out there. I am determined to be a better person and to stop others from making the same mistake I did.
“People don’t need to come across all macho, it is better for people to walk away than find themselves in a prison cell because they threw a punch which killed someone.”
Jacob featured on a Channel 5 documentary called ‘One-punch killers’ yesterday, Monday August 15.
Men arrested in connection with 'shooting' near Hucknall
Bus routes created to serve new homes in Hucknall
Does your profession struggle to survive in the UK rental sector?
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Greece:
Love in the Midst of Crisis
1: Heart of Hearts
2: To Share With Him
Who has None
3: A Voice for the Truth
4: Get Involved
At a refugee center in Greece, new Christians are stepping forward to bridge the communication gap and ensure that the good news is told in a language that refugees can understand.
by LISA SMORTO photography by GARY S. CHAPMAN
Makeshift housing shelters those who come to Greece seeking a safer life for themselves and their children. Many are fleeing unbearable brutality and violence in their home country—and also need to be introduced to the One who can keep them safe for eternity.
A MAN SITS HUNCHED IN A CORNER, WEEPING. With his coat pulled tightly around him, he listens intently to the sounds coming from the earbuds he’s wearing. The door has been opened to a whole new world, a world of grace, truth, and love.
Aarash Nabi (not his real name) has just been given an In Touch Messenger in his “heart language,” Dari. Dari is largely unheard of in the West, but it’s a widely spoken Persian language in Central Asia. There are over 20 million Dari speakers in Afghanistan.*
*Source: Operation World. http://www.operationworld.org/node/103
What's the Heart Got to Do With It?
MANY PEOPLE CAN SPEAK, or at least make themselves understood, in a foreign language. We can usually get by as we learn the most important words and phrases. But it’s never quite the same as speaking our “heart language”—the one we’re most comfortable in.
Our heart language, a concept popularized by Faith Comes By Hearing, is usually the one we learned as children. It’s the one that touches us deep in our souls. It’s the language we use when thinking privately to ourselves, expressing deep emotion, speaking to loved ones, or dreaming.
Because it’s used for our most intimate, natural conversations, the heart language is usually the one we pray in. And it’s often the language God uses when He wants to reach us in a personal and profound way.
That’s why it’s so important to provide the Bible to people all over the world in their own language. Here at the In Touch Messenger Lab, it’s our goal to share the gospel in whatever way will impact the hearer most deeply. The In Touch Messenger makes the Word of God, and dozens of discipleship messages, available in 100+ languages spoken around the globe, from Albanian to Zulu.
When it comes to hearing from the One who made us, nothing is as compelling as the language that forms the very core of our being. And this can make all the difference between merely listening to words, and truly being changed by them for all eternity.
The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130
When Aarash heard the gospel in Dari, he was hearing it for the very first time in the most personal language he has. And the truth broke through to him in a powerful way. “I’ve never heard these stories,” he said, “but I believe they’re true.”
This has happened over and over at a Christian-run refugee center in Athens, where the staff sees hundreds of visitors every day who speak little Greek or English. Aarash came to the center seeking help shortly after arriving in Greece from Afghanistan.
languages in the world*
- 3,312
have all or part of the Bible in translation
languages still have no translation of the Bible whatsoever—not even some Bible stories**
The Wycliffe Global Alliance estimates that about 1.5 billion people do not yet have the full Bible in their native language.
The In Touch Messenger shares the gospel in 106 languages and counting. We are constantly working to add new Bible translations to our family of Messenger Lab devices.
*Source: SIL. Worldwide: Languages of the World. https://www.sil.org/worldwide. Accessed on 5/10/18.
** Source: Wycliffe Global Alliance. Resources: Scripture Access Statistics. http://www.wycliffe.net/statistics. Accessed on 5/10/18.
“I’ve never heard these stories, but I believe they’re true.”
—Aarash, recipient of an In Touch Messenger
Language is a major factor in the ministry. The center offers meals, basic medical treatment, and opportunities for dental care. But in addition to providing for physical needs, the team wants, above all, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since visitors come from so many different countries, communication is a real challenge.
So the center’s team got creative. They know that when God wants to speak directly to our heart of hearts, He uses the language we know best. They enlisted the help of Christian friends—many of them new converts themselves—hailing from the same countries as the visitors. And then, in the center’s coffee shop atmosphere, these volunteers meet with visitors, talk with them, pray for them, and tell them about God’s great love and His plan for their salvation—all in their own language.
The In Touch Messenger is playing a big role in this outreach. The center, and the Christian volunteers who’ve joined its team, have handed out hundreds of the devices to those who come to the center for care, in languages such as Arabic, Farsi, and Dari. “When they hear the presentation of the gospel,” says William, a missionary associated with the center, “and they begin hearing Scripture in their heart language, it’s a pivotal thing for them.”
“When they hear the presentation of the gospel, and they begin hearing Scripture in their heart language, it’s a pivotal thing for them.”
—William, missionary in Greece
In fact, it’s one of four common steps for those from other religious traditions when making the journey to faith in Christ. William has noticed a distinct pattern in the way God is working in this area, especially with those of Muslim background. First, they will remember personal interactions they’ve had with Christians: conversations, assistance, a friendly hand. Then, they remember someone praying for them in the name of Jesus. Once they are open to considering the one true God through these experiences, they hear His Word in their heart language and are powerfully touched by the truth of Scripture. Finally, says William, these pilgrims on the road to salvation often receive dreams or visions of the Lord to completely solidify their faith.
The center’s staff, and the volunteers serving with them, are immensely grateful for the devices they’ve received from the In Touch Messenger Lab. Those devices are enabling the team to reach people in need with the greatest gift of all—the good news, in a language that’s dear to their hearts, intimately familiar, and deeply understandable.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Innovative solutions.
Global discipleship.
THE IN TOUCH MESSENGER LAB IS ABOUT MORE THAN TECHNOLOGY. It’s about real people solving real problems: men and women all over the world, working together, overcoming obstacles, and preaching the gospel with creativity and ingenuity.
And God continues to introduce us to more people every day. It’s our goal to provide them with the resources and content they need to make disciples.
The original solar-powered audio device featuring dozens of Dr. Stanley’s sermons, the New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs*
A tiny memory chip containing the Messenger’s content that can be inserted into a cellphone and downloaded
A solar-powered lantern filled with audio files of biblical content that can be broadcast through a speaker
A small memory drive containing the Messenger’s content, downloadable to nearly all computers
A hub for distributing discipleship content via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and micro SD card duplication
A portable library filled with biblical commentaries, sermons, notes, encyclopedia, and audio messages**
*Can include the entire Bible depending on availability of the requested translation
**Limited distribution as a pastoral resource
All devices have the capability to be dual-language.
“We [use] as many different variations as we possibly can to get those Scriptures into their hands.”
—William, missionary, on the many languages and different devices of the In Touch Messenger Lab
Even in poorer communities in Athens, many residents have a cell phone. In Touch provides micro SD cards from the Messenger Lab to make sure even those without a Bible can listen to the Word of God with a touch on their phone’s screen.
Your donations to the In Touch Messenger Lab help share the gospel of hope in Greece.
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52816f37-f477-4db2-8eeb-3432bd10a116
Invest NI Rewards Smart Ideas With £1 Million Award
Leslie Morrison, Chief Executive of Invest Northern Ireland today presented 21 local individuals and companies with almost £1 million to help them test the technical feasibility and commercial viability of innovative new products and services.
The projects recognised by Invest NI came from a diverse range of sectors including medical, energy, food, automotive and construction.
The support was provided as part of the SMART Awards, a UK-wide initiative which is delivered locally by Invest NI.
Now in its 18th year, SMART is recognised as one of the premier sources of funding for small firms and individuals in Northern Ireland, as it enables local innovation and creativity to be exploited for commercial gain in local and global markets.
Presenting the awards, Leslie Morrison, Chief Executive of Invest NI said: “The future wealth and strength of our economy depends upon those businesses which choose to focus on innovating for growth in global markets.
“Many of the necessary ingredients for business success can be found in the small firms that dominate our economy in Northern Ireland and crucially, these businesses are becoming more aware that in order to prosper they have to make innovation an integral part of their forward strategy.
“SMART provides targeted assistance for smaller firms and individuals, ensuring that these key contributors to our economic wealth and prosperity can not only take their ideas forward but that they can be commended for and supported in their endeavours.”
Invest NI is now seeking applications for the 2007 Smart Awards and the closing date is Friday 1st December 2006.
For further information or to apply, visit www.investni.com/smart or contact Paul Malcomson of Invest NI on 028 9069 8836.
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New Texts Out Now: Raymond Hinnebusch, The International Politics of the Middle East
Raymond Hinnebusch, The International Politics of the Middle East, revised second edition. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2015.
Jadaliyya (J): What made you write this book?
Raymond Hinnebusch (RH): Having taught international politics for many years, I became dissatisfied with the texts available for students. Some were purely historical and descriptive. Many were edited collections of chapters on individual countries, often uninformed by a common framework. There was a general failure to bring together levels of analysis such as state formation and international behavior. There was a disconnect between books surveying the Middle East region and the theoretical debates in international relations (IR). What was needed, I thought, was a text that would both be theoretically informed, with a narrative covering the big issues in IR, but which also provided a wealth of empirical information on the Middle East.
Of course such an ambitious aim requires tradeoffs. I approached this dilemma by organizing the book according to themes at different levels of analysis, each of which was typically best addressed by a particular theory or combination of theories, but illustrating each theme with case studies that provided empirical evidence for a theoretical argument or illustrated a particular approach. As such, I tried to make the book a model of how to use theory to elucidate the Middle East case and how to use Middle East evidence to throw light on theory. That said, my book is usefully paired either with a history of the region or a book with country cases. It is best assigned to students who have already done a bit of such encounter with the region AND with IR theory, since it employs and bridges both of these.
J: What particular topics, issues, and literatures does the book address?
RH: The book aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of Middle East international politics in the light of international relations theory. The book provides readers with theoretically-framed major topics, liberally illustrated with case study material on key dimensions of regional politics. It assesses the region’s international penetration, including the historic formation of the regional state system and its constitution as a periphery of the international system. The book also examines the region’s distinctive dialectic between trans-state identities, Arabism and Islam, and the sovereign states system. The consequences of state formation for the ability of state elites to manage their external and domestic arenas and the impact of the foreign policy process are also analyzed. Chapter six uses comparative analysis to elucidate how the interaction between the system level and particular state formation paths shapes similarities and differences in states’ international behaviour through a comparative foreign policy of pivotal country cases, including Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
The book goes on to examine the regional struggle for power and major regional wars. Chapter eight assesses the impact of the American world hegemon’s drive to establish a Pax Americana in the region in the 1990-2010 period. Chapter nine examines the impact of the Arab Uprising on regional politics: how it has both debilitated some key state actors and drawn others into a struggle to affect the outcome. The final chapter assesses the contributions of rival IR theories to understanding the Middle East and the implications of the Middle East region for IR theory. The conclusion reprises the arguments and evidence to adumbrate the lessons of the Middle East and North African case for IR theory
J: How does the new edition of this book differ from the edition that you originally published in 2003?
RH: This second edition of the text updates it to take account of the significant events since then, notably the second Iraq War and its regional consequences and the Arab Uprising—that is, two decades of events that have had a significant impact on the region. It also adds a conclusion on the implications of MENA for IR theory. The concluding chapter aims to show how theories are usefully combined to address issues at different levels of analysis.
J: How does this book connect to and/or depart from your previous work?
RH: It runs parallel with and is informed by the findings of articles I have published on such topics as hierarchy in international relations, looking at the place of the MENA region in the global system ("The Middle East in the World History Hierarchy: Imperialism and Resistance," 2011); on identity and regional politics, specifically the special role of supra-state identities such as Arabism and Islam ("The Politics of Identity in Middle East International Relations," 2013); on state formation and how it affects both the nature of the regional system and the foreign policies of individual states ("Contrary Siblings: Syria, Jordan, and the Iraq War," with Neil Quilliam, 2006); on regional norms ("Order and Change in the Middle East: A Neo-Gramscian Twist on the International Society Approach," 2009); on the regional balance of power ("Failed Regional Hegemons: The Case of the Middle East`s Regional Powers," 2013); and on regional organization ("Security Conceptions and Practices in the Middle East: The Case of the Arab League," 2013). The book is also usefully paired with the book I co-edited with Anoush Ehteshami on Foreign Policies of Middle East States that systematically compares case studies of pivotal MENA states using a common framework of analysis.
J: Who do you hope will read this book, and what sort of impact would you like it to have?
RH: While the book was written as a textbook for upper division undergraduate and graduate students, my aim was to also make it a coherent statement on the multi-dimensional character of the Middle East region’s international relations. Specifically, it aims to show how a synthesis of several theories best captures the complexity of the region. This is because individual theories such as structuralism, constructivism, and realism each tend to “specialize” in one aspect of regional politics to the neglect of others. The encounter of the Middle East with IR theory clearly exposes the virtues of eclecticism. Each theory surveyed, operating on a different level or focusing on a different aspect of IR, makes a contribution to understanding the region. The multiple and ever changing layers of the system and the great variance in the states cannot be captured without a synthetic multivariate approach that tries to maximize the compatibilities between rival theories.
While this means we must deal with many “moving parts,” ignoring any of them for the sake of parsimony only sacrifices explanatory power. The Middle East is not so exceptional that this approach cannot be transferred to the study of international politics elsewhere. It arguably lends weight to the arguments of those who, dismayed by the sectarianism of the discipline, call for synthetic and complex approaches to the study of international relations. Of course it is a major challenge to integrate rival theories into an overall framework; just “adding” them together doesn’t work—one has to show how they can be reinterpreted to be compatible. Whether I have succeeded in this or not is for readers to decide.
J: What other projects are you working on now?
RH: I am writing a book on alliances in MENA that will also try to deploy a multivariate approach bringing rival theories together. I also have plans to do the same with war in the region.
J: What has struck you about the reception of your book when it was first published, and has this affected your decisions in revising the book?
RH: The book was widely adopted in courses studying the international politics of the region. I was pleased to see that some of the big names in the field had highly regarded the book. Michael Barnett wrote this: “Distinguished in part by its careful attention to theory and alternative approaches to the region, Hinnebusch`s International Relations of the Middle East quickly became one of the most important statements on the Middle East when it was published in 2003. A lot has happened since then, and his thoroughly revised and updated text, once again, stands heads and shoulders above the rest. Indeed, one of the real contributions of the latest edition is that it carefully situates, historically and analytically, the region`s convulsions in broader perspective, allowing the readers to better understand the continuity and ruptures of the history of the region.” And Shibley Telhami had this to say: “This is a wonderful and updated study of the international relations of the Middle East. It’s at once thematic and historical, analytical and substantive. Hinnebusch combines theoretical strength with deep knowledge of a region in turmoil, as he persuasively places the era of the Arab uprisings in a much broader historical context. I highly recommend it.”
Excerpts from The International Politics of the Middle East, second edition
The book’s approach to understanding Middle East/North Africa (MENA) international politics might be called “complex realism.” It starts with realist basics since Middle Eastern policy-makers are quintessential realists, preoccupied with the threats that are so pervasive in MENA. The Middle East is arguably the epicenter of world crisis, chronically war-prone and the site of the world’s most protracted conflicts: it is the region where the anarchy and insecurity, seen by the realist school of international politics as the main feature of states systems, remains most in evidence. The book therefore accepts the realist claim that insecurity generates struggles for power and that state foreign policy seeks to counter security threats, first of all, to regime survival, but also to state interests such as sovereignty and territorial integrity. Because it specializes in explaining the central aspects of international politics—power, war, alliances, international order—realism offers unique insights into the dynamics of interstate relations in the region.
Yet, several realist assumptions are problematic in MENA. First, realism assumes the formation of cohesive Westphalian states pursuing agreed “national interests” but this can be misleading in MENA where many states are so fragmented and their sovereignty so compromised by dependency that their foreign policies might reflect regime interests but not “national” interests: and whether MENA states approximate realist “rational actors” is highly contingent on an process of state formation that is very much incomplete. Second, realism’s assumption that conflict is chiefly the by-product of a states system’s anarchy misses the main causes of the Middle East’s exceptional war and instability, namely the peculiar historical construction of the regional system under imperialism, which left behind a misfit between identity and territory that built irredentism into the system. Third, neo-realism’s assumption that states’ international behavior is chiefly determined by the inter-state system is inadequate to understand the Middle East; rather the “environment” in which MENA states operate is multi-layered, with realism’s inter-state system embedded in a global hierarchy and in regional trans-state identities. Finally, while the international system is, for realism, largely unchanging, except for the distribution of power among states, in MENA the ever-changing relative weight of these levels continually alters the dynamics of regional politics.
Thus, while realism gives important insights into the dynamics of the regional inter-state system, with its balance of (material) power among states, to understand the other dimensions of the regional system, we need to bring in other theories. Marxist-inspired “structuralism” identifies the place of the MENA system in the global hierarchy, namely in the economic periphery, dependent on the international capitalist core. It shows how the region’s penetrated client states behave quite differently from fully sovereign states. Constructivists help us understand the trans-state level where identity matters: in the Middle East, sub- and supra-state identities compete with state identity, inspire trans-state movements and constrain purely state-centric behavior. Constructivism’s insistence that systemic structures are not just material configurations of power and wealth and include the cultural norms that derive from identity helps to understand how the region`s powerful supra-state identities lead to a unique contestation of state sovereignty. The insights of historical sociology (HS) on state formation and particularly how states and state system are mutually constitutive, offer indispensible insights into change in the regional system: not just how the system shapes the nature of the states but also how the kind of states—their levels of state formation—that dominate a system shapes its dynamics. Finally, we need, with Foreign Policy Analysis, to open the black box of decision-making for, as realists themselves acknowledge, how states respond to environmental pressures is a product of internal leadership and policy processes.
Complex Realism in Action: Nesting Three Theoretical Traditions in the Case of Gulf International Relations
The extra explanatory power gained by combining approaches that this book advocates can be illustrated by a case study of Gulf international politics: “complex realism” most immediately explains the regional power struggle but must be “nested”—located within—a constructivist context, which, itself, must be nested in the broader context established by structuralism.
Structuralism explains the origins of the Gulf’s conflict prone condition. It was British imperialism’s drawing of arbitrary boundaries, its construction of artificial states suffering legitimacy deficits and the creation of super-rich oil mini-states alongside large dissatisfied regional powers that built insecurity into the structure of the system. As the same time, imperialism left behind client elites, with precarious domestic legitimacy, which naturally looked to Britain and later the US for protection in this environment. As long, however, as the main powers, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia were ruled by status quo pro-Western monarchies, British hegemony was sufficient to mute built-in regional instability (Alnasrawi 1991; Hinnebusch 2011); but this was not to last.
Constructivist analysis, exemplified in the work of Adib-Moghaddam (2009), explains the translation of systemic structural insecurity into perceived security threats. As against realists, constructivists argue that anarchy is what states make of it and in the Gulf anarchy moved from a “Lockean” form in which status quo states, accepting each others’ legitimacy, limited their rivalry, toward a “Hobbesian” one in which the power struggle was more unlimited. As built-in instability spawned revolutionary movements overthrowing the status quo monarchies in Iran and Iraq, nationalist and revolutionary regimes arose, promoting their legitimacy by constructing the “Other” as enemies. The Iraqi and Iranian regimes constructed radical Arab nationalist and revolutionary Islamic identities that not only denied the legitimacy of the monarchies but also posed the “Other” as enemy, leading to the Iran-Iraq war.
Realist analysis assumes rather than problematizes the state rivalries and insecurity which structuralism and constructivism explain; however, it provides a more thorough analysis of the behavioral consequences of this insecurity than they do. Gause (2010) provides a complex form of realist analysis of the Gulf regional sub-system. It is tri-polar, with rival powers, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, trapped in a security dilemma, exacerbated by the fact that seizure of contested territory could bring oil riches. While these powers, as conventional realists would expect, balanced against each others’ armies through alliances and arms races, Gause argues that the greater threat they faced from each other was internal subversion and that the main instruments used in the power struggle were ideational. Regimes manipulated transnational identities—Arab, Kurdish, Shi’i, Sunni—to mobilize support across state borders against each other. Further, the Gulf monarchies faced ideological threats from the appeals to their populations of both Ba’thist Arab nationalism and Iran’s revolutionary Islam. Fortunately for them, Iraq and Iran debilitated each other in the first Gulf War. Insecurity drove Saudi Arabia and the smaller Gulf states together in the Gulf Cooperation Council and, seeing the threat from Iranian ideological subversion as more immediate than that of Iraqi armies, supported Iraq against Iran. The monarchies also increasingly bandwagoned with the US to balance Iran and Iraq. With the enervation of Iraqi power in two US wars against Saddam Hussein’s regime, the US had to increasingly counter Iran by itself, deeply penetrating the region. Saudi Arabia and Iran balanced each other by exploiting the Sunni-Shia divide to construct sectarian animosities that spilled out over the whole region, with Iraq after 2003 a main site of their sectarian proxy war. Through their behavior, therefore, the states reproduced the insecure system they had inherited from imperialism.
Conflict in the Gulf can, thus, only be adequately understood by a multivariate analysis combining data from the domains of structuralism, constructivism and realism; indeed, to fully understand the behavior of a particular state at a particular time, one also would need to add in data on its unique state formation and decision-making process.
[Excerpted from Raymond Hinnebusch, The International Politics of the Middle East, revised second edition, by permission of the author. © 2015 Manchester University Press. For more information, or to purchase this book, click here.]
Wednesday, October 21, 2015 - 8:47:00 AM
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We are entering the most dangerous period up till this point. It will get much more dangerous, but right now is the most dangerous so far. That’s because it’s a twilight period. Dusk. Neither light nor dark. There are threats out there but they’re hard to make out.
We’re in that uncertain time of US history in which we know that the government is getting ready to arrest and wipe out all critics but some of us aren’t sure when to start shooting. Most of us aren’t sure who should be shot first. This essay is intended to remove that doubt and hesitancy.
Our gun-running, mass-murdering attorney general has just admitted to a senator that Americans will be killed in America by drones. Our degenerate puppet president and his presumptive CIA director have been assassinating heroes overseas for years using this and many other methods, including death by torture.
Obama’s year-old NDAA authorized the arrest and disappearance of Americans with no due process. Thousands of Americans, mostly veterans, have disappeared into mental hospitals and VA psych wards, as revealed last year in the case of the young Virginia ex-marine, Brandon Raub, who narrowly escaped a chemical lobotomy. According to the Rutherford Institute, an average of twenty thousand people per year, just in Virginia, are sent to psych wards and mental hospitals, which we must admit is a shocking statistic. This is the Soviet form of warfare being waged against us by that delicate Communist stooge, Barack Obama.
Military and CIA whistleblowers such as Bradley Manning and John Kiriakou are considered enemies of the state and are imprisoned and tortured to frighten others not to copy them. Technically, this in itself is a form of state terrorism.
The Jewish California senator, Feinstein, stated in the Senate, as this essay was being written, that virtually all American veterans are mentally disabled with post-traumatic stress disorder and should thus be prohibited from owning “assault weapons.” This may be the most shocking example of the Jewish mentality that I can come up with, an example that should lead to the rounding up of all Jews as the revolution gets underway. Has any Jew objected to this insane statement by Feinstein? How about our new “anti-Semitic” defense secretary? Could he possibly say a word in defense of the vets? No, not Hagel – he’s too busy kissing Netanyahu’s derriere and is desperate to avoid criticizing any Jew for any reason.
This website is an example of the crime of sedition. Since it is written rather than spoken, it is technically an example of what the government calls “seditious libel,” despite the fact that nothing in it is false, which is a requirement for libel. Legally, if it’s true, it’s not libel. That’s just what the government has always called it, which of course is self-serving.
Sedition is the crime of promoting in any way the overthrow of the government. This is something that this writer has been actively doing since forming the militia movement in January, 1989, the planning of which began in 1983. The FBI intended to arrest me in Medford, Oregon at a public speech on July 31, 1990 on the charge of sedition. A last-minute warning allowed me to cancel the speech and leave town for my home in California. The FBI apparently changed tactics and did not attempt to arrest me again, perhaps choosing instead to monitor me and my contacts to see how serious the militia threat was.
I always said back then that the militia’s official mandate was “to suppress combinations too powerful for the ordinary course of judicial proceedings.” This was the most significant definition that I found among several in the Militia Act of 1792 because it described exactly what I was trying to do: attack (suppress) the private Jewish combinations such as the Federal Reserve and the CFR rather than the federal government itself. Although I did not start out as a revolutionary it was soon apparent that I was one. If you mean to attack the invisible government, you will also be attacking the actual government.
Today I make no bones about being a revolutionary. This website is the most extreme example of “seditious libel” in the country, if not in the world. My goal is the violent overthrow of the US government and the killing of traitors in and above the government. If an overthrow could be done non-violently, that would be great. But we all know that this is not possible. The American government has always, since 1861, conducted itself in a combination of benevolent deception accompanied by overwhelming violence.
During my 1990 speaking tour I met Louis Beam. We quickly became and have remained very good friends for these twenty-three years. Louis was the proponent of “leaderless resistance” at the same time that I was forming the leaderless militia movement. He was at the top of the enemies list of the Jewish American government and had already paid heavily for his anti-federal activism and what back then we might have called “patriotism.” I was shocked to learn of his experience with sedition and how he and his wife had suffered at federal hands.
Louis and Sheila were married in Texas in April, ’87. Louis was concerned that he and others were going to be arrested by the feds in a program called Operation Clean Sweep. The feds made up a charge that there was a plan to overthrow the US government, or sedition. The charge was bogus and fabricated by federal lawyers and agents and their paid provocateurs. Louis Beam has never called for such a thing. This writer should know.
Louis thought that he and Sheila should move to Mexico. Sheila was a naïve young Sunday-school teacher who knew little of Louis’ activism, but accepted his instruction and others’ in the use of his 9mm pistol. He told her he might be indicted and that maybe this could be avoided by moving to Mexico. She thought “indicted” was similar to “subpoenaed.” They moved to the American colony at Chapala near Guadalajara.
A few months later they attended a meeting about some rapes and robberies of Americans and were warned to be on the lookout. When they got home that night, Sheila went in first with groceries while Louis got his young daughter out of the car. Sheila looked out the kitchen window to see a man bending Louis over the car’s hood with a gun to his head. This was an FBI agent named Steve Walker, accompanied by three Mexican federales. Assuming this was a robbery, she went to the dresser and picked up the pistol and went to the stairs.
Coming up the stairs were a couple of the Mexicans, holding shotguns. They ordered her to come down but in morbid fear she fired, hitting both of them, one fatally.
The Mexican army was also on the scene. Floodlights came on and they poured gunfire into the apartment building. It was made of concrete and Sheila was protected. Eventually she realized that this was not a robbery but something official and she surrendered to be beaten half to death by the Mexicans. She and Louis were taken to separate jails and Louis was handed over to the FBI for extradition to Ft. Smith, Arkansas for the Great Sedition Trial of 1988.
After months of beatings and torture at the hands of the FBI and Mexican federales, Sheila was released to an FBI informant named Dave Holloway, who took her back to Texas and then to Ft. Smith in time for the trial, after extensive medical care. Her pretty face remained distorted for months and she suffered from a number of serious internal injuries.
It is not clear how or why an American who shot and killed a federale could be released. The Mexicans had been told by the FBI that Louis was a dangerous drug dealer and when the Mexican judge learned the truth, perhaps he angrily and deliberately let her go. Dave Holloway was Sheila’s self-appointed agent with some mysterious authority to represent her interests to the Mexican officials. Neither Louis nor Sheila had known Holloway before this.
I’m pretty sure that Dave Holloway’s mission was to ingratiate himself and get close to Louis in the future. The release of an American killer of a Mexican cop, regardless of the reason, was and remains unprecedented. Holloway’s background includes Special Forces, which means CIA.
Louis allowed a rookie Houston attorney named Kirk Lyons to assist him in the sedition trial, but Louis did all the talking. He and Richard Butler and Bob Miles were bunched up with convicted members of The Order in the sedition trial. Thanks to Louis’ oratory during the trial, a sympathetic federal judge and a smart jury, all the defendants were totally acquitted of all charges. It was a crushing and surprising defeat for the lying federal tyrants who had hoped to use a victory to begin a general assault on American liberty.
It was during this time in ’88 that the German FBI operative, Andreas Strassmeir, came to America to infiltrate the Louis Beam circle of friends. Kirk Lyons told me that it was Dave Holloway who put Strassmeir at the Elohim City federal rest camp in Oklahoma, run by an FBI informant named “Pastor” Robert Millar. It was here that many of the personnel and much of the planning of the OKC massacre came from.
Despite this spectacular failure at Ft. Smith to prosecute sedition, it was decided to pursue me on this difficult charge about two years later, then abandoned probably due to my announced target of the invisible government.
Again, today, I make no such distinction between the federal government, the state government and the local government and the private government. The existence of roughly seventy-five “fusion centers” allegedly and mysteriously run by Homeland Security is a good reason. The existence of InfraGard, a merger of the FBI and private business, is another. But the main reason is that our government is controlled by Jews through AIPAC and the Council on Foreign Relations and hundreds of interlocking Jewish organizations and committees and through the vicious control of Christians by corrupt Christian fundamentalist Zionist leaders such as John Hagee and Pat Robertson, among many others.
So much for the short history of my previous experience with sedition. Although Louis for a few years had a newsletter he ironically called “The Seditionist,” he has not to my knowledge ever called for the violent overthrow of the US government. That is really my department.
It’s no doubt a frightening prospect for most Americans to contemplate a war with their own government. For the majority, it is probably unthinkable. Some, of course, are not only thinking about it but are preparing for it.
How do we overthrow the government? The easiest way is to attack the engine of the government, which is the Council on Foreign Relations in Manhattan. It’s also in DC and Chicago but the mothership is at 58 E. 68th Street, New York, NY. All three buildings will have to be destroyed and the approximately four thousand members executed. The members are in government, the military, industry, the media, education and especially in banking and finance. When these people are dead, the federal government will lose control of us and will run aground.
The same thing must happen to the so-called Federal Reserve System. The twelve “banks” around the country must be destroyed and the members executed. Debt-based currency (the FRN) will be withdrawn and we will explain to the Treasury Department that it will henceforth issue debt-free United States Notes to pay all legitimate debts, as was done during the last few months of the Kennedy administration. Any debt incurred to the Federal Reserve and financial institutions will be declared null and void. We will find that there is not much legitimate debt to pay off.
Debt-free currency will allow business to thrive as it did in pre-war Germany. The thousands of military personnel who will immediately be brought home and demobilized will be absorbed by our expanding industries, just as we saw in Germany.
People are tired of hearing and reading how diabolical the government is, what the Jews are up to now, how sadistic cops are killing us, that drones can be used to assassinate us. The worst offender is Alex Jones, who might as well be working for the army’s psychological warfare branch. All he does is scare people about what’s happening, what’s coming and what the “globalists” are doing to us. Never a word about how to defeat these cowardly, rich bastards. Never a simple suggestion to respond to deadly police aggression with overwhelming violence. Never a mention of the Jewish direction and control of the US government’s war against us. His first priority is to protect and grow his multi-million dollar propaganda enterprise, which is totally supported by Jewish sponsors, bankers and a legal team. He is naturally unable to discuss the Jewish Problem or to present a solution – so what good is he?
There’s nothing wrong with propaganda as long as it’s white or true propaganda. White propaganda is merely emphasizing facts that need to be known and acted upon. Black propaganda is telling lies about your enemy or yourself. Jones’ propaganda protects American Jews and Israeli Jews by failing to identify them as the directors of the New World Order and in neglecting to report the Jewish nature of financial and governmental crimes. Jones’ propaganda becomes black when he repeats Jewish lies about Adolf Hitler and German conduct during WWII. He also never describes the revolting war crimes of the American, British and Soviet allies against the German and Japanese people.
As long as we live in or near the swamp of Jewish lies, we’ll not be able to destroy the Jewish dictatorship. To do this, we must study the experience of Hitler and the formation of his political party because no one else ever cleansed a nation of Jewish domination. We must drain the swamp and wipe out the diseases caused by the poisonous bloodsuckers. Jews must be removed from all positions of power, influence and decision-making and prevented from ever emerging again.
We are currently in a state of decline and paralysis caused by government and banking treachery. We are in a comparable position as the Germans were following WWI, so we can use their experience as a guide since we are basically the same people.
I was on Clay Douglas’ radio show recently and he was discouraged by the lack of support he gets from those he thinks should be supporting his efforts. Virtually all of the anti-government personalities have this complaint, voiced or not.
My experience is that dedicated people, no matter how broke or dispirited, will come back to life and begin working hard again and contribute if they see or hear a real program for victory. Our situation is, today, that no one has presented such a program.
A program for victory must be simple, hard-hitting and realistic. It must make sense and satisfy the sense of justice and the need for revenge for the deliberate destruction of our way of life.
Fortunately, virtually all of our disastrous experiences since World War II can be tied to policies sponsored by the Jewish owners of the Federal Reserve System and formulated at the Council on Foreign Relations. Most of us have only been alive about that long and of course the subversion pre-dates WWII by a couple of decades. The Federal Reserve was given control of our currency and we were indebted to it in 1913 and the CFR began making foreign and domestic policy eight years later. In between these dates came WWI and the Jewish takeover of Russia.
Today, the Jews have become quite bold and even reckless, revealing their direction of American war policy against the Moslems. They called themselves “neo-conservatives” and reveled in their control of the Bush administration. They became quiet again when their rosy predictions of easy victories started to decay.
Never responsible for their disasters, they pretend that their demands to destroy Iran are totally different from their brilliant plans to defeat Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria.
The unreliable charge of “sedition” probably won’t be used anymore. Rather, our murderous, deceptive and androgynous president and his equally murderous attorney general will accuse us of being “engaged in combat” and of being “associates of associates of al-Qaeda.” No matter. Same result. We are subject to assassination by any method currently being used overseas.
Regardless of these ploys and developments, we must offer a simple program, such as (in no particular order):
Tough, fearless speakers who can articulate a revolutionary program of overthrowing the government. Speakers must impart a firm and determined attitude towards treason and cowardice but be careless of their own safety. Courage is almost as contagious as fear. Speakers should be in the upper age range at first with life insurance paid up. Speakers must be trained, knowledgeable and confident in their abilities to persuade people and deal with hecklers and other aggressive cowards. Speakers must have tough and armed security around them who are ready to fight or shoot at the drop of a hat, regardless of the type of clothing worn and weapons carried by the aggressors. Always remember that terrorists want to kill us but they don’t want to fight us.
We must develop contacts in the military in the junior officer and enlisted ranks. These men and women will in turn deal with the higher-ranking sell-outs and traitors in the military. Lieutenants, captains and majors must be brought into the revolution against Jewish Rule, along with senior non-commissioned officers. We have been given a priceless gift by Senator Dianne Feinstein, who revealed her official senatorial Jewish opinion that American military veterans are all mentally ill and must be prohibited from owning “assault weapons.”
The US military must be taken over by our colleagues and all genocidal weapons of aggression must be rendered harmless. All sell-outs must be executed. The new American military will order Israel to surrender or be attacked in the manner we attacked Iraq and Afghanistan and Libya. Israeli weapons of mass destruction will be rendered harmless. Israeli war lords will be executed.
All Jews in America serving Israel will be arrested and executed, regardless of their country of origin.
We have been maneuvered by the Obama gangsters into an uncertain but defensive position with hinted and suggested threats to assassinate or disappear us at the whim of the gangsters. As we have seen with the case of Brandon Raub, a combination of federal agents and local police arrested him – while assuring him that he was not under arrest – and transported him to the Richmond VA psych ward for a hurried “evaluation.” The evaluator ordered him held for a further thirty day “evaluation.” On his fifth day of imprisonment a government psychiatrist informed him that he would be “brainwashed – forcibly medicated.” This can only mean a chemical lobotomy. I reiterate this case constantly to remind us of the very dangerous position we are in vis-à-vis the police, who are now nothing more than mini-feds and just as dangerous. This sort of thing happens to twenty thousand people a year just in the state of Virginia. This happened to Brandon Raub because he is an ex-marine who was playing hypothetical games on a supposedly “private” version of Facebook. As we see in the insane statement of Dianne Feinstein, veterans are considered the most dangerous enemies of the Jews.
All cops and feds have the license to kill us for any reason or for no reason at all. “The Law” always sides with the uniformed, licensed killer. This in turn has licensed us to kill them for cause, the cause being the slightest indication that they intend to arrest us or home-invade us for a political reason. This will be a split-second, life or death, kill-or-get-killed decision to be made under a great deal of stress. Much psychological preparation must be practiced, along with immediate action drills, so that an overwhelming, violent response is ready at any hour of the day.
We must take control of our communities by running Neighborhood Watch patrols as a routine. This will discourage both common criminals and official criminals and prevent them from staging surprise after-dark raids in convenient locations near their intended targets.
We must have instant communications other than cell phones and land lines. Instant communications allow immediate action to defend neighbors from police and federal aggression.
Pickup trucks with armed men in back are very good tactical vehicles. The shooters are able to fire in all directions and overhead.
A program for victory is at least two-pronged: it is both offensive in the plan to destroy the policymakers behind the US government and it is defensive, to provide for defense against the federal and private gangsters and assassins and their assistants in the police. The program does not require a bureaucratic field manual or ponderous rules of engagement. It only requires common sense and courage.
Most members of the resistance will be in the support departments – providing intelligence, money, equipment, food, temporary lodging and perhaps just moral support. Many members will be in the propaganda section, which should be kept separate from the action section. There must be coordination between the action and propaganda sections but for security reasons, as little contact as possible will be required.
The action section will carry out operations against both the government and the associated traitors in the private sector.
All sections will require security, trained gunfighters who will protect members as they go about their jobs and duties. Security members will be charged with executing spies and federal and police agents.
All members must be armed and ready to defend themselves in the immediate absence of the security section.
The program also requires the acknowledgment that our lives are not worth a plugged nickel without the readiness to fight federal aggression. Cowards and sell-outs deserve to die.
Regardless of what we thought of them, we owe a great debt to those courageous people in Waco, Texas known as the Branch Davidians. They revealed the actual sadistic nature of the federal government. They made a hasty decision to defend themselves when the merciless gun grabbers began killing them for no apparent reason after a vicious, unprovoked home invasion.
The FBI’s cruel method of murdering them has shown us that we can show such homicidal maniacs (who are of course paid by us) no mercy in any encounter with them. They will show no mercy to us.
It is natural to wonder why this writer is still at large after years of deliberately provoking the feds to try something. Someone wrote me a few months ago wondering the same thing, but in a way that suggested that I was an agent provocateur. He said, How is it that an ex-marine such as Brandon Raub gets picked up for some minor thing, and you are allowed to send out the explosive material that you do?
Now I suspect that the FBI has several reasons for not trying to arrest me and prosecute me for whatever. No doubt it wants some sort of gauge of the sort of resistance it can expect to its plans and operations. We are in a war of terror by the federal government, which mixes murder, imprisonment and psychological operations. All of this and more are being used against us and this will get worse and worse.
The feds have to be very careful in the way they attack us. Uppermost in their minds is what happened at Waco when the ATF had to surrender and beg the Davidians to let them take out their dead and wounded. That was a total disaster for the feds and they desperately want to avoid such a thing in the future. This was the reason for the massacre at the end, to try to wipe out the stain of cowardly failure during the first attack.
What the feds want is Unconditional Surrender, just as they did in 1945. They want Hands Up, Pants Down! They want fear and they want terror. What they don’t want and can’t afford is someone who will shoot back again, maybe even worse than Waco. Maybe even worse than Gordon Kahl.
And remember, when it comes to Unconditional Surrender to the US government, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been trying to surrender for a couple of years – you may well have a couple of nuclear bombs dropped on you just to see how good they work.
So I said to this guy, the main difference is that the feds knew that Brandon Raub didn’t own a gun. They knew he was harmless and that he wouldn’t fight back. The feds know that that’s not the case with this writer. They’ve got my dossier and they don’t consider it good reading.
I cannot overemphasize the invaluable case of Brandon Raub. Everything we need to know about what the feds are doing today, how to conduct ourselves, what to do and what not to do, is in his story.
Let us create a mini-program for victory in a Brandon Raub scenario…
I’m not going to criticize him for horsing around on Facebook, but there is something totally evil about this Jewish/CIA intel operation in which you reveal every possible facet of your private life and personality to your deadly enemies. The Socialist Network!
So a young and naïve ex-marine engineer – not really a hard-core killer – has a private FB deal with his brother and sister and maybe his mother, delving into 9/11 and government treachery. Now we know what a deadly mistake that was.
Brandon Raub could not have survived the federal/police visit because he didn’t own a gun. We pretty much have to leave Brandon now because he thought life in Richmond, Virginia could be fun. He thought you could rock and roll and say trash about Bush and Cheney and play your music and barbeque in the back yard. He thought life in America could not be as dangerous as life in Iraq. What the hell was he fighting for over there, anyway? Rock ‘n’ roll and Facebook!
So here we diverge from Brandon. No matter where we live, no matter what “the law” is on guns, you have what you need in terms of a rifle and a lot of ready rounds in twenty- or thirty-round mags. Hundreds of rounds. Your rifle is fully loaded with one up the spout and only requires taking it off Safe and squeezing the trigger. You have an auto or pump shotgun with lots of ready buckshot rounds in a bandolier. Your shotgun is fully loaded with one up the spout and on Safe. You have a fully-loaded pistol or revolver that only needs to have the trigger pulled if it’s a revolver and if it’s a pistol, one up the spout and safety about to come off.
You are ready for any eventuality.
The eventuality appears in the form of four or five official-looking cars coming up the driveway or parking below your apartment. That’s what Brandon saw. But what the hell could he do about it, with no gun?
You’re different. You might even slip out the back way and circle around behind them as they’re getting ready to go to your front door. If it’s dark – so much the better. They’ll have some kind of a door breaker which they’ll start hammering against your doorknob just as they announce themselves:
“Police! FBI! Warrant!”
This is when you open up on them from behind and kill every one you can before they realize what happened. Your one standard mag should have enough for everybody.
But let’s say they sneak up to your door and come crashing in but not before your wide-awake dog has warned you. They’re really not expecting any shooting so when you empty your pistol down the hall to put them on notice, you’re grabbing your shotgun and taking it off Safe and, from prone on the floor by the bed or from behind a couch, you give them all five or six rounds of buckshot, aiming as carefully as possible to make every shot count. You will have wounded or killed most of them because they were very bunched up as they invaded your home. You reload both your pistol and your shotgun as quickly as possible and kill any survivors. Such murderous and treacherous bastards cannot be allowed to live. Reload again and get dressed and leave the house. You can then decide if you want to set up an ambush on the eventual reinforcements or split. If you split, you’ll want to head for the federal building or the fusion center where you suspect this operation was hatched. Communications with friends will determine your immediate action response, which would probably be to attack the HQ of the attackers. The war would definitely be on and this would likely trigger similar actions around the country. This is what the Obama gangsters are planning for us, once they get the nerve to start it up.
The main thing you must do is shoot back. Hit first and hit hard. Once you know that an attack is planned against you, life as you have known it is over. Now you’re in the New America. It’s either this or surrender and get sent to a camp or mental prison or psych ward. The NDAA for 2012 says you can disappear and be tortured to death. No phone call, no lawyer, no charges, no trial, no trace. There is no legal method to resist. Therefore we must fight to the death – preferably to the death of the son of a bitch who sent them after you.
A Dangerous Life
A Dangerous Life (Part 2)
American Communism
American Violence
Jewish Damage
Jewish Policy
Kill The Killers
Law Of The Gun
Let's Fight!
Police Terrorism
Preventing Jewish Rule
Standard Procedure
The Best Defense
Time To Destroy The Cfr
J. B. Campbell
JB Campbell was born in Chicago in 1946, grew up in Oakbrook, Illinois, then the polo capital of the world. Graduated from Carmel HS in California. Raced cars in Australia and England for two years. Three years of college, mostly at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Operated the School of Slide Control to train racing drivers and others the technique of slide control.
Commercial (oilfield) diver in Texas and Louisiana for two years.
Campbell was in the British South Africa Police in Rhodesia in the early '70s and was a Section Officer in Support Unit, the anti-terrorist group. He was the first American in the BSAP since 1923.
Campbell started the modern militia movement in 1989 with his book, The New American Man - A Call to Arms. The militia movement lasted until '95 with the state-sponsored destruction of the OKC federal building. The State Department considers him a "mercenary." The FBI considers him a problem. The Secret Service considers him a terrorist. Campbell couldn't care less.
Campbell makes his living as a drilling supervisor, mainly in southern California.
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Market Pulse: Toronto Airport Strip, ON, Canada
The YYZ hotel market has been capitalizing on growth in airport traffic. Hotel revenue growth is expected to shift from occupancy gains to rate increases as occupancy levels remain high and capital improvements to lodging facilities are completed.
By Jingjianxiong 'Charlie' Shi , Monique Rosszell , Cedric Oberlin
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is the primary airport for the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration including and surrounding Toronto that is home to approximately 25% of Canada's population. Toronto Pearson is the largest and busiest airport in Canada and North America’s second-busiest airport in terms of international passengers. YYZ is well on its way to reaching “mega-hub” status—airports that handle more than 50 million passengers, including 20 million international passengers, and connect to 80% of the global economy.
YYZ has seen an increase in air capacity lately. A number of airlines are offering new routes or have added more flights to existing routes. So far in 2017, Air Canada has launched new international service between Toronto and Mumbai, Berlin, Memphis, San Antonio, and Savannah. In the summer of 2017, WestJet increased the frequency of flights on its routes from Toronto to Orlando, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Montreal, and Moncton, respectively.
YYZ Passenger Traffic Expected to Set New Record Again in 2017
Source: Toronto Pearson International Airport
For the past 12 years, the three-terminal airport has been undergoing a $4.4-billion CAD redevelopment program in order to help the airport meet the future air-transportation needs of the Greater Toronto Area. The airport will be capable of accommodating up to 65 million passengers a year by 2033. The Terminal 3 Enhancement Project, which involves improved retail, energy-efficiency initiatives, and new security screening in advance of United States Customs and Immigration Processing, is underway and scheduled for completion this year. In 2016, the capital spending on airport infrastructure amounted to more than $128 million.
In early 2016, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) announced plans to develop an $11.2-billion regional transit hub to connect the airport area with key employment and residential areas throughout the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The proposed transit centre is to be located on 68 hectares of GTAA land across Airport Road from Terminals 1 and 3. A number of transit lines, such as trains, light-rail cars, and bus lines, would all circulate through the hub. A new mixed-use commercial area that will include office, retail, hotel, and other commercial space will be included in the development. In August 2017, the GTAA launched a Request For Proposal to procure design consulting services for the concept development of the regional transit centre. The target completion date for the project is 2027.
The new Union Pearson (UP) Express LRT line was launched in June 2015 and is a key infrastructure enhancement that better integrates the airport with Downtown Toronto. As traffic between Downtown Toronto and the airport is expected to double over the next ten years, the rail service will become essential to the efficiency of Toronto’s transportation infrastructure. In addition, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is expected to connect to the UP Express line upon completion in 2021, enhancing the accessibility between the airport and the northern Toronto area. The impact of the UP Express LRT on the YYZ hotel market has been generally positive, especially since the increasing rates at downtown hotels have been encouraging customers to stay in the airport area. Hotels that are farther away from the UP Express train station have yet to see any direct benefit aside from a small amount of overflow demand from hotels that are close to the train station, such as the Sheraton Gateway Toronto Airport and the Alt Hotel Toronto Airport, during periods of compression.
In April 2017, Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) unveiled the completed master plan for the Woodbine Racetrack lands. Woodbine’s privately owned 684-acre site will be transformed in the years to come into “a city within a within a city,” creating a new urban heart for northwest Toronto. The vision would have Woodbine remain the ultimate destination for horse racing and gaming while adding new and expanded entertainment and cultural offerings, including dining, hotel, shopping, office space, post-secondary education, recreation, and health and wellness amenities, along with options for urban residential living. A new concert venue with the ability to accommodate as many as 5,000 spectators could also be built next to the racetrack. The first phase of development includes an expanded gaming district complete with integrated entertainment, hospitality, and related amenities. The first phase will attract approximately 12 to 15 million people per year, more than double the current number of visitors. In August 2017, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced the chosen operator for the new full-fledged casino, a consortium formed by the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation and Brookfield Business Partners. Woodbine is hoping to break ground on the project by next fall. At the end of September 2017, the City of Toronto still had the applications for rezoning and subdivision under review.
Hotel Market Supply
According to STR, there are more than 10,000 hotel rooms in the Toronto Airport/West region. The area thus has more hotel rooms than some major Canadian cities, including Calgary, Ottawa, Quebec City, Halifax, Winnipeg, and St. John’s. The market has seen strong growth in the past three years. In the discussion of the factors affecting the near-term vitality of the Toronto Airport hotel market that follows, the focus is on the 23 hotels that are located along the Airport Strip, defined as the portion of Airport and Dixon Road between Derry Road East and Martin Grove Road. Together, these hotels have more than 6,000 rooms. These lodging facilities generally perform better than the hotels that are more distant from the Airport Strip. Since 2015, HVS has completed more than 15 engagements on the Airport Strip.
Hotels on the Toronto Airport Strip
Source: HVS
Largest Portion of Branded Rooms on the Toronto Airport Strip = Upper-Upscale Class
Largest Portion of Branded Rooms in the Country = Upper-Midscale Class
Source: STR
Supply Changes
There has been no new hotel development on the Toronto Airport Strip since the opening of the Alt Hotel Toronto Pearson in 2012. Given the ongoing improvement in overall market fundamentals, however, the market has seen numerous changes in hotel ownership during the past three years. With these sales have come a number of major hotel renovation, repositioning, and rebranding initiatives.
The hotels that have gone through extensive renovations without a change in brand include the Westin Toronto Airport, the Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport, the Radisson Suites Hotel Toronto Airport, the Hilton Toronto Airport, and the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre. Several hotel development projects are now in the pipeline for the Airport Strip.
Hotel Market Performance and Forecast
With the recession and the resulting slowdown in international travel, the market-wide occupancy hit a historical low point of approximately 60% in 2009. Lodging demand for hotels on the Airport Strip has grown rapidly since 2010, spurred by the recovery in the North American economy; however, the average daily rate (ADR) remained on a downward trend, in part because hoteliers relied heavily on low-rated demand, such as airline crew contracts, to fill rooms. These contracts, which typically cover a period of one to two years, heavily favour airlines in the form of low rates, minimal year-over-year rate increases, short booking windows, and light cancellation penalties.
The market-wide occupancy reached 73% in 2014, the highest it had been since 2005, which created the conditions to support ADR growth. The high level of competition had been keeping hotel managers from negotiating better rates, but this pressure eased with the further strengthening of demand. The Airport Strip market set new records for both occupancy and ADR again in 2015 and 2016. Local hoteliers have become more selective in the demand that they take on since the market-wide occupancy reached 75% in 2015. As most of the hotels on the strip have undergone or are undergoing some form of renovation, owners and managers have shifted their focus away from low-rated leisure and airline-crew demand in favour of corporate accounts that show less rate resistance. Given the high level of occupancy in the market area, most airport hotels have finally been able to negotiate better rates with airlines or are turning away airline business altogether.
Direct Correlation between Passenger Traffic and Hotel Demand
Source: Toronto Pearson International Airport, STR, HVS
The correlation between the amount of passenger traffic and the demand for airport hotels is apparent. With the growth in passenger traffic at YYZ, demand for the hotels on the Airport Strip has likewise increased. The Hotel Demand to Passenger Traffic Ratio (calculated by Number of Hotel Room Nights/Passenger Count) can be used to evaluate the trend at airport lodging markets as it measures the percentage of airport pessengers that are captured by the airport hotels. For the 10-year period from 2005 to 2014, the Hotel Demand to Passenger Traffic Ratio for the Toronto Airport Strip hovered between 4.0% to 4.4%. The ratio dropped below 4.0% in 2016, and it is expected to decrease further by the end of 2017. The decrease can be partly attributed to the fact that hotels on the strip are not able to fully accommodate the surge in demand, resulting in unaccomodated demand which must be displaced to neighbouring hotel markets. Unaccommodated demand in the Toronto Airport market is high on weekdays, as a result of strong commercial demand, and on weekends in the summer, given the high leisure demand. The decrease in the Hotel Demand to Passenger Traffic Ratio is also a result of the hotels on the strip taking the initiative to turn away some low-rated business, which prevented additional demand growth. This strategy aims to increase hotel ADR and thus bottom-line performance.
Passenger Traffic to Occupied Room Nights Decreases as Hotels Become More Selective
The robust rate growth in Downtown Toronto has also supported rate growth in the airport market. The rate disparity between the two markets has widened greatly. From 2005 to 2013, the Downtown Toronto market commanded a rate premium between $40 and $60 over the Airport Strip lodging market, but this gap has increased considerably in recent years and is projected to reach nearly $100 in 2017. This rate difference, coupled with the availability of the UP Express since 2015, has encouraged visitors to stay in the airport area. The widened rate disparity also indicates that the airport market has the potential for greater rate growth in the near term.
The Rate Disparity between the Airport Strip and Downtown Toronto has Increased Steadily since 2009 and will Reach Nearly $100 in 2017
The Outlook for the Toronto Airport Strip Lodging Market is Strong
Occupancy ADR
Source: STR, HVS
Hotel Transactions
The following table details the confirmed hotel transactions that have taken place on the Toronto Airport Strip since 2014.
Source: HVS & Colliers
The Toronto Airport Strip is experiencing a period of economic expansion, driven primarily by increasing passenger traffic at YYZ. After many years of price competition, hotels on the strip are now capitalizing on the demand growth by shifting their market segmentation towards higher-rated patrons. As the annual passenger count at YYZ is expected to reach 65 million by 2033, the outlook for the Toronto Airport Strip lodging market is positive. The capital investments that have been put towards improving the existing lodging supply in the past few years are expected to help hoteliers further push up rates. The growth in airport traffic, the weak Canadian dollar, the improved hotel facilities, the UP Express bringing downtown much closer, and the strengthened local economy are all contributing to a healthy operating environment for the hotels on the Toronto Airport Strip.
About Jingjianxiong 'Charlie' Shi
Jingjianxiong (Charlie) Shi, an HVS Senior Associate, joined HVS Toronto’s Consulting & Valuation team upon completion of a Master of Business Administration degree from Ryerson University and a Master of Science Degree from University of Houston. Prior to joining HVS, he worked in various operational roles in the hospitality industry. Charlie works on various consulting and valuation assignments across Eastern Canada related to existing and proposed hotels and resorts. He speaks both English and Chinese (Mandarin). Contact Jingjianxiong (Charlie) Shi at (416) 686-2260 ext. 22 or [email protected]
About Monique Rosszell
Monique Rosszell is a Senior Managing Partner of the Toronto and Montreal offices of HVS. Upon attaining a bachelor's degree in economics from Queen's University, she subsequently enrolled in the Master's program in Hotel and Restaurant Management at the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne and then attained both her AACI and her MRICS appraisal designations in Canada. She also offers litigation and expert witness support, speaks at numerous conferences, and is a trusted advisor within the lodging industry. Contact information for Monique Rosszell: Phone (416) 686-2260 ext 23 Email: [email protected]
Canada North America Toronto, ON, Canada Ontario, Canada
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Band of Giants: The Amateur Soldiers Who Won America's Independence by Jack Kelly
The fighting men who turned the ideas of the Founders into reality were a diverse and surprising group of American. In this concise, riveting narrative of the Revolutionary War, Jack Kelly paints a moving portrait of its principal soldiers: merchants and mechanics, farmers and fishermen, paragons and drunkards. Most were ardent amateurs. Even George Washington, who was assigned to take over the brand-new Continental Army in 1775, consulted books on military tactics. Henry Knox, the burly Boston bookseller who took over the American artillery at the age of 25, had never been in combat. Nathanael Greene -- brilliant, but insecure -- was a pacifist Quaker who became the youngest of the American generals. Hulking Virginia backwoodsman Daniel Morgan relied on his deeply democratic instincts and his skill as a bare-knuckle fighter.
Focusing on a series of pivotal battles, Band of Giants vividly captures the fraught conditions of the war -- the divided populace, the lack of supplies, the setbacks on the battlefield, and the appalling physical hardships. In one of the most remarkable feats in world history, a group of inexperienced warriors confronted and defeated the superpower of the day, an accomplishment that turned them into a band of historical giants.
Palgrave/MacMillan, Hardcover, 2014
This is a BRAND NEW book. There is a black "closeout/remainder" mark on the top page edges.
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Visa Sanctions Against Two Countries Pursuant to Section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act
Repatriation of Aliens Subject to Final Orders of Removal
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) works to timely remove illegal aliens from the United States once they are subject to a final order of removal. The removal of aliens subject to final orders of removal is a national security priority for the United States, highlighted by Presidential Executive Order No. 13,768, Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States, issued on January 25, 2017.
The U.S. Government requests that foreign governments take appropriate steps to confirm the citizenship of aliens suspected to be their nationals, including by conducting interviews where necessary; the timely issuance of travel documents, where appropriate; and accepting the physical return of their nationals by scheduled commercial flights or, where necessary, special charter flights. Any lack of cooperation from the nation of origin delays, and in many cases, inhibits the removal process. Such uncooperative countries are also known as recalcitrant.
Recalcitrant Countries
Factors that could lead to a country being classified as recalcitrant include: hindering ICE’s removal efforts by refusing to allow charter removal flights into the country, and denials or delays in issuing travel documents, such as passports.
Zadvydas v. Davis
The failure of foreign governments to accept the return of their nationals has resulted in unnecessary detention costs and has required the release of dangerous criminal aliens into the general population. Uncooperative countries significantly exacerbate the challenges presented to ICE by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678 (2001):
After Zadvydas, with narrow exceptions, aliens with final orders of removal, including aliens determined to pose a threat to the community or considered a flight risk, may not be detained beyond a presumptively reasonable period of 6 months if there is no “significant likelihood of removal in the reasonably foreseeable future.”
Due to delays in travel document issuance or refusals by foreign governments to issue travel documents for the repatriation of their nationals, ICE has been legally required to release thousands of aliens, including those with serious criminal convictions.
Visa Sanctions
Pursuant to her authority under Section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen notified Secretary of State Michael Pompeo that the governments of Burma and Laos have denied or unreasonably delayed accepting their nationals ordered removed from the United States. As a result, Secretary of State Pompeo has ordered consular officers in these countries to discontinue granting visas. These sanctions will remain in place on each of these respective countries until the Secretary of Homeland Security notifies Secretary Pompeo that cooperation on removals has improved to an acceptable level.
Visa sanctions have been used three times before: Guyana in 2001, The Gambia in 2016, and Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone in 2017.
DHS Announces Implementation of Visa Sanctions on Four Countries
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About ICSF
Waiting for Chandrika Sharma
SAMUDRA Report
Download this Article in PDF
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Issue No:79
ISBN/ISSN :0973–1121
Month :August
Year :2018
From Rhetoric to Reality
As the implementation of the SSF Guidelines gets under way, it is imperative to lobby for policies and processes that will empower small-scale fishing communities
The Thirty-third Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), held in Rome in July 2018, proved to be a watershed for small-scale fisheries. This COFI discussed, among other things, several exciting initiatives for the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) (see article, page 39).
These initiatives, focusing on men and women from small-scale artisanal fishing communities and indigenous peoples, were reported by delegates from both developed and developing countries, including Small-Island Developing States (SIDS). It was gratifying to note that some countries that had not been so enthusiastic during the negotiation stage, are now actively promoting the SSF Guidelines at various levels.
While some of these initiatives focused on integrating the SSF Guidelines into national donor policy, national plans of action on small-scale fisheries, and national legislation on small-scale fisheries, others aimed at realizing regional strategies to ensure the sustainability of fishery resources as well as improving data on small-scale fisheries at the global level. Most, if not all, of these initiatives upheld the guiding principles of the SSF Guidelines, such as participation in decision-making processes and the need to stand up for human-rights principles and standards.
Considerable support was expressed for the civil society-initiated SSF Guidelines Global Strategic Framework (SSF GSF) to facilitate interaction between COFI Members and interested State and non-State actors to promote the implementation of the SSF Guidelines at all levels. Significant enthusiasm was shown in celebrating 2022 as the “International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture”, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, and in developing a road map towards it. There was eagerness to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 14.b to provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets. In addition, delegates solidly backed the proposal to establish a new sub-committee on fisheries management under COFI, also with a focus on small-scale fisheries.
We hope these initiatives to strengthen small-scale fisheries will transform into policies and processes that will empower small-scale fishing communities and indigenous peoples who are dependent on small-scale fisheries for their life, livelihood and cultural wellbeing, at both the local and, particularly, the national level. The stories of displacement and loss of adjacency rights of indigenous peoples dependent on coastal, riverine and other inland water fisheries, as well as denial of their legal rights to territory, are many (see article on page 4, for example). Disruption of the land-sea interface by reclamation projects, which negatively impact the livelihood of local small-scale fishing communities through pollution and destruction of coastal biodiversity as well as the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons and minerals, are all real threats that hang over small-scale artisanal fishing communities.
We at ICSF have been following COFI meetings since 1995, and are pleased to note that, for the first time, COFI has swung the spotlight onto small-scale fisheries. The SSF Guidelines have suddenly woken up the global community to the potential of small-scale fisheries in eradicating poverty, in enhancing food security and in securing sustainable fisheries.
Evidently, now is the time to move from rhetoric to reality. We hope there will be global support to assist small-scale fishing communities and indigenous peoples to address, in a coherent and consistent manner, local and national threats challenging their existence. In this connection we do need to be cautious that the economic, social, cultural and environmental conditions essential for the wellbeing of small-scale fishing communities and indigenous peoples are not forgotten. Prudence is required to ensure that small-scale fishing communities are understood to be integral to small-scale artisanal fisheries, and that the SSF Guidelines implementation process protects their interests in all time frames across the world.
Shoved Out
Towards Healthy Work...
Wellbeing Aspiration...
Don't Jump Ship
Building Back Better...
The Spirit of Divers...
A Fishbowl Approach
Reclaiming Rights
Not a Small Focus
A Fishers’ Forecas...
Cinema and Resistanc...
Endquote
Shoved out ......... 4
The indigenous Guaranis of Morro dos Cavalos, Brazil, are being displaced from their lands
Towards healthy work ......... 7
On occupational safety and health policies,practices, standards, problems and challenges in aquaculture
Wellbeing aspirations ......... 12
Fisheries co-operatives in Sri Lanka need to be restructured into true co-management platforms
Don't jump ship ......... 17
The Seafood Slavery Risk Tool tracks abuses of labour and human rights in seafood supply chains
Building back better ......... 20
A look back at a workshop on Cyclone Ockhi, which swept through parts of south India
Connecting the dots ......... 26
After nine years, the largest conference on occupational safety and health in the fishing industry returns
The spirit of diversity ......... 30
A review of a book on the global implementation of the SSF Guidelines
A fishbowl approach ......... 33
Report on the Danish Institute for Human Rights’ meeting on the contribution of human rights to the sustainable development of fisheries
Reclaiming rights ......... 36
On the causes for the poor nutritional intake in Indonesia's coastal communities
Not a small focus ......... 39
The 33rd Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) integrated small-scale fisheries issues into almost all agenda items
A fishers’ forecaster ......... 43
On how fishermen and scientists are being brought together to track wind and waves, and save lives
Cinema and resistance ......... 46
Report on the Pêcheurs du Monde film festival, which turns 10 this year
COMMENT ......... 3
ROUNDUP ......... 50
CDs/Videos
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ICSF Documentation Centre
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Women in Fisheries Bibliography
Other Websites Links
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Junior Sailing Program
SE Dinghy Championship
Round the Island Race
Cardboard Boat Regatta
KBYC Sailing Voyages
Visiting the KBYC Marina
Clean Marina Designation
The Ship's Store
Dining & Menus
KBYC in the News
Home Waterfront Activities Amenities The Marina Clubhouse Summer Program About
The Key Biscayne Yacht Club was founded on January 14, 1955 from very humble beginnings and big dreams. As the story goes, according to the first Commodore Buddy Austin, it all began with some vacant land, a tent, a boat ramp and a mound of dirt.
Key Biscayne has a long and rich history, including a coconut plantation owned by the Mathesons in the early 1900’s. Beginning in 1950’s, the area showed signs of early growth – the Mackle Construction Company offered new homes on the island, the Post Office was opened and the Key Biscayne Elementary School was established in 1952.
Surrounded by water and connected to the Miami mainland by the Rickenbacker Causeway, the Key started to attract new homebuyers who were interested in boating, fishing and water sports. As the island attracted more and more development, coastal areas suitable to launch boats soon became scarce. So the plan was to collect $5 per person to fund construction of a portable hoist. Enthusiastic development meetings at the Community Church soon followed. Eventually, the purchase of a five-acre tract of land resulted in the formal launch of the Yacht Club. Membership Certificates cost $100 and were limited to 250. Today the Club has more than 800 members.
Many of the Club’s early traditions have survived and continue today – the Bimini Rendezvous, the waterfront chowder parties, fishing tournaments, swimming, sailing, and youth activities. One of the best things about the Key Biscayne Yacht Club is the friendships that are built among its members. Early newspaper interviews with founding members report that they were determined to create a friendly, cooperative and constructive attitude among all members. They wanted to have a year round Club that would bring “water minded” residents together in “good sport and good fellowship.” The Club’s beginnings were founded on the basic spirit of friendship and fun and this spirit lives on today.
Key Biscayne Yacht Club is a Private, member-owned and controlled club. We have five categories of membership:
1) Regular 2) Associate 3) Non-Resident 4) Junior Associate 5) Honorary
Applicants for membership must be sponsored by at least 3 members (2 sponsors must be Regular members) who have personally known a candidate for at least one year; screened and recommended by the Membership Committee; and approved by the Board of Governors.
* Junior – Offered to Individuals between the ages of 21-35 .
* Non-Resident – Available to non-residents only. Eligibility requires that part-time residents of Dade County not reside in Dade County more than 120 days during the year.
* Associate – A non-equity membership. Associate members and their dependents enjoy all social club privileges afforded members.
* Regular – Holds a financial equity interest in the Club’s real estate, property, facilities and assets. Must be an Associate member for at least 2 years. Privileges include the right to vote, hold office, and priority for wet/dry boat storage. (On occasion equity Regular Memberships are available).
* Honorary – Individuals selected for contributions to the furtherance of boating and the betterment of the Club, limited or life-time status.
Please complete the following for additional information
( ) - First three digits Second three digits Last four digits
How did you hear about us?:*
Have you visited the Club?:*
Do you know a current member?:*
Key Biscayne Yacht Club
180 Harbor Drive - Key Biscayne, FL 33149 - Phone: (305) 361-9171 - Fax: (305) 361-9209
Latitude 25 degrees 42 minutes North - Longitude 080 degrees 10 minutes West
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ATTENTION DISH SUBSCRIBERS // DISH has dropped KCTV 5 and KSMO-TV from its lineup. Click here for more information
Trevor Savage has played poker professionally for 15 years, winning millions of dollars in the process. While he typically takes on humans, he faced a daunting new opponent in June: a powerful bot developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Facebook AI Research to trounce the world's top players.
Rawpixel/Shutterstock.com
A bot can now beat poker pros at six-player Texas Hold 'Em
By Rachel Metz, CNN Business
(CNN) -- Trevor Savage has played poker professionally for 15 years, winning millions of dollars in the process.
While he typically takes on humans, he faced a daunting new opponent in June: a powerful bot developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Facebook AI Research to trounce the world's top players.
Savage and a dozen other professional poker players — all male, all playing remotely online — spent hours per day over 12 days last month, hunched over their computer screens, trying their best to beat an artificial intelligence system dubbed Pluribus. The humans were paid for their work: $50,000 divided among them, depending on how well they fared.
They were playing the most popular form of poker: no limit Texas Hold 'Em. There were six players per game (sometimes five humans would play against Pluribus; sometimes five versions of the bot would play against one human). Over the course of 10,000 hands of poker, the AI system was a fierce competitor, winning in both types of play by a decisive margin, according to co-creator Noam Brown, a research scientist at Facebook AI Research.
Savage, who plays from his home office in West Deptford, New Jersey, didn't do so hot, but he was impressed by Pluribus' style.
"It was clear the bot was a fundamentally sound, winning player," he told CNN Business. "It mixed in strategies that most of the high stakes winning players would mix in."
The feat represents the first time AI has beaten top human players in a poker game with this many players. Brown believes Pluribus provides a benchmark for the broader question of how we can get AI to deal with imperfect information in complicated environments — whether those environments are games or in the real world. A research paper about Pluribus was published Thursday in the journal Science.
AI has been beating human players at games ranging from chess to Go to video games like Starcraft for years. Yet AI is typically attempting to dominate two-player games, and many of them (chess and Go in particular) are what are known as "complete information" games, since all the players have the same amount of information.
In poker, however, you can't know all the information that your opponent knows, so it's more difficult to anticipate what moves they may make — and it only gets more difficult the more players you have. These factors make poker a lot harder of a game for computers to master.
Brown created Pluribus, which is Latin for "many," with Tuomas Sandholm, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University who also founded several companies to commercialize his work in AI. The system was trained by having the AI play the game against copies of itself, without knowing how to play the game and improving as it went. The researchers previously unveiled a bot called Libratus (meaning "balanced" in Latin) in 2017 that beat four leading players at no-limit Texas Hold 'Em, but that was in a two-player version of the game, making Pluribus' success a clear advancement in game-playing AI.
Brown thinks the technology behind Pluribus could eventually be used for applications that can involve multiple people and hidden information: think anything from fraud detection to self-driving cars.
Michael Wellman, a professor at the University of Michigan who focuses on game theory, said Pluribus's success against human players is a pretty big deal.
"It's an impressive technical achievement," he said, adding that the AI underpinning Pluribus could be used for negotiations, cyber security or military strategy.
In fact, one of Sandholm's companies, a startup called Strategy Robot that aims to come up with government applications for his AI game-playing work, already has a contract worth as much as $10 million with the US military. Brown said Pluribus would not be used for that particular application. (He says his employer is interested in this kind of research chiefly to drive forward our understanding of AI.)
Though real-world applications for Pluribus may be a ways out, there are some poker-related tips that humans can take from it today, Brown said. For instance, it would, in some situations, bet much higher amounts of money than humans tend to — a move that pros indicated could be smart in some cases. And it went against conventional poker wisdom by determining that a strategy known as "donk betting," where a player begins a round by betting after ending the previous round with a call, could be a good play.
"I've obviously gotten better, that's for sure," Brown said.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
Texas Hold 'em
Ai System
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black and white negative(5)
West Wratting
West Wratting, Cambridgeshire, England
Black and white negative and print made from it of a smock mill in West Wratting, Cambridgeshire, showing side 3/4 rear view, taken on 11th April 1936.
Black and white negative and print made from it of a smock mill in West Wratting, Cambridgeshire, showing side view, taken on 11th April 1936.
Black and white negative and print made from it of a smock mill in West Wratting, Cambridgeshire, showing 3/4 front view, taken on 16th April 1933.
Black and white negative and print made from it of a smock mill in West Wratting, Cambridgeshire, showing side view, taken on 29th June 1954.
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Special Counsel vCard EMAIL Share This
< Back to All Attorneys Print
Professional, Trade and Philanthropic Affiliations
Selected Publications and Lectures
Related News & Press
JoAnne Eichelberger is an attorney at Jimerson Birr. Ms. Eichelberger joined the firm in 2018 and currently focuses her practice on business litigation and appellate law.
Ms. Eichelberger served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the United States District Court in Jacksonville for over 24 years. For 23 of those years, she was the law clerk to the Honorable Howell W. Melton, Senior United States District Judge. In addition to traditional law clerk responsibilities with regard to civil and criminal hearings, trials, research, and drafting, she managed Judge Melton’s caseload. During her tenure with the federal court, Ms. Eichelberger had the opportunity to work with many judges on a wide variety of federal cases. In the civil arena, she has experience with Bankruptcy Appeals, Civil Rights, Consumer Law, Employment, Law, ERISA, Patents, and Social Security, as well as state contract and tort law in diversity cases. In the criminal arena, she has worked on sentencing issues and habeas proceedings. Her experience includes assisting Judge Melton with preparation and drafting opinions for sittings with United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Ms. Eichelberger earned her law degree with High Honors from the University of Florida. While in law school, she served as Senior Articles Editor for the Florida Law Review and earned a Fellowship with the Center for Governmental Responsibility.
Ms. Eichelberger has been admitted to The Florida Bar and the Middle District of Florida Bar since 1990. She is a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and a Past President of the Catholic Lawyers Guild. She has served as an Associate Editor or the Jacksonville Bar Association Bulletin. She also was an Adjunct Professor at the Florida Coastal School of Law for four semesters, where she taught a seminar on Law and Religion and Florida Constitutional Law.
Bar and Court Admissions
The Florida Bar
The Jacksonville Bar Association
Federal Bar Association, Jacksonville Chapter
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
University of Florida, College of Law, Juris Doctor
Loyola University, New Orleans, Master of Religious Education in 2000
High Honors
University of Florida, Bachelor of Sociology
The Florida Bar Journal, April 2017: “Bank Customers Beware: Recovery of Unauthorized Electronic Funds Transfers Isn’t So Easy” (co-author with Michael G. Tanner, Esq.)
An announcement about Jimerson Birr hiring JoAnne Eichelberger is published by the Jacksonville Chamber in Member News.
An announcement of Special Counsel JoAnne Eichelberger joining Jimerson Birr is published in the Jacksonville Business Journal’s “People On The Move.”
Jimerson Birr Adds Experienced Female Litigator To The Firm, JoAnne Eichelberger
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LQVE
JF Books on Amazon
I’m not really sure what to put here. It’s kind of a weird placeholder the website guys put in this particular website template. SO, I’d just say, don’t worry about reading any of this. Move on to the blogs or the books. Or social media.
Dec 31 Last Conversation of the Old Year
Jonathan Foster
"The reason you don't deserve God's love has nothing to do with you. And it's not because you're unworthy or because you're in some state of fallenness. No, love isn't concerned with those things. Good grief, love doesn't even see those things. The reason you don't deserve God's love is because love can't be earned, therefore… love can't be deserved."
I loved the way this sounded. The wild and beautiful logic of love. But when my friend responded I saw he was in a different place. "I knew it," he said. "I knew I deserved God's wrath." (I instantly recognized he was a religious person. Who else in our society uses the word, "wrath?")
"Wrath? No. What...? Why do you default to this position so quickly?"
"Well, if I don't deserve love, then I must deserve the opposite: God's punishment."
"No, you don't deserve punishment. Who told you that?"
"The preacher."
I took a big breath, and let it out slowly. He was right. That is what the preacher said.
"Look," he said, "what else is there? If it's not love then it's pain. What do I deserve?"
I thought about this. It was a good question. What do we deserve? Where do we stand? I looked out at the window, closed my eyes, and immediately imagined standing in an open field. There were two formless entities at my left and right: punishment and love. And then with only a thought, I simply dismissed them. Just like that. They were gone with the breeze. It was just me and the open field. In the feel of that spaciousness, I said, "Maybe you deserve what everyone deserves, which is the freedom to decide how you're going to live." I opened my eyes, and looked back at him, "You deserve the chance to choose."
His shoulders relaxed for a bit, "It sounds good, but I'm not sure I deserve that kind of freedom." He looked away, squinting. Then the truth came out, "I don't deserve anything good to happen to me."
"Why would you say that?"
"I don't know. I guess it feels arrogant to assume anything other than punishment."
"Maybe it's arrogant to assume punishment? Why is punishment the humble approach? Is it really humility, or is it just an unhealthy sense of self-worth?" I thought some more. "You know, if you heard your child say, 'I don't deserve good,' you would come to his defense, wouldn't you?" I knew he wouldn't hesitate in his response.
He nodded yes.
"Yes. Yes, you would. I know you. You wouldn't let your child go down that path. Why do assume it to be different between you and God? Why would you assign a lesser love to God? God doesn't think you're worthless. He doesn't need you to think you're unlovable, or deserve anything less than something really good."
Then the whole thing took a turn. He said slowly, blandly, almost as quoting a nursery rhyme, "I know, I know, Jesus died for me so God can love me."
I stood up a bit straighter, "Wait, do you think the death of Jesus is the reason God loves you?"
His head nodded yes, but his face said, "I don't know. What do I think?"
I said, "Oh, I understand this now. This is where this is all coming from." I leaned over and lowered my voice. I knew what I was about to say was going to deconstruct a lot of years of thinking so I wanted to be as gentle as possible. "Look, Jesus didn't have to die to get God to love you. God has always loved you."
He thought a while. The question again, "But why did he have to die then?"
"Cuz we killed him."
I really didn't want to say anything else. I always felt like that kind of summed the whole thing up as neatly and as absurdly as possible. But, I couldn't help myself. I went on, "You're probably confusing the fact that we killed him, with God killing him. God didn't kill him. God didn't need for him to die to forgive us. How would that work anyhow? Are you saying there was something hanging over the head of God? Something forcing him to kill his son? Are you suggesting that something like justice was bigger than God and demanded God punish Jesus?"
I waited for his thinking to catch up.
"If that were the case that would make justice stronger than love. That would make love report to punishment. That's not right."
I noticed a look of relief, then fear ripple across his face, his countenance wrestling with implications. Before the fear could gain a foothold again I said softly, smiling, "No, no, no. God is love. Love drives out fear."
He leaned back dumbfounded, for the first time open to a new thought. I felt like I was on holy ground. "You have a choice to make, bud. You can religion out of fear, or love. It's your choice. I think that's what you deserve. You don't deserve love, because then you could earn it. And you don't deserve punishment, because, well, then life would be hell now wouldn't it? I think you deserve the space to choose, and since you have it, you should just choose love."
I put the mirror down softly. For some reason, I placed it straight, and parallel with the toothbrush. Both sat neatly perpendicular to the hand towel. The counter looked like it made sense. I flipped the lights off, peeled back the sheets, resting down into my bed, into my theology, into my new year.
love, sacrifice, death, theology
Jan 10 Bankrupt without Love
Dec 21 Christmas Story
I write, and speak, super proud to be the lead-follower at Mission Church, and the curator of LQVE. I'm the husband of one, father of three, and I live in Kansas City.
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Wisconsin Family
Ideas Lab
Same old playbook for Walker: To shore up base, rip Madison
Demonizing “Madistan" has become a favorite pastime of conservative pundits and politicians alike. It’s that whole “politics of resentment” thing.
Same old playbook for Walker: To shore up base, rip Madison Demonizing “Madistan" has become a favorite pastime of conservative pundits and politicians alike. It’s that whole “politics of resentment” thing. Check out this story on jsonline.com: https://jsonl.in/2mo83Ii
Emily Mills Published 2:46 p.m. CT Jan. 12, 2018 | Updated 2:56 p.m. CT Jan. 12, 2018
The panel talks about the kind of year politicians like Scott Walker, Brad Schimel and Scott Fitzgerald had.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks about the Foxconn deal at the Chippewa Valley Technical College Energy Education Center in Eau Claire.(Photo: Marisa Wojcik/The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram via AP)
It’s gubernatorial campaign season, and the barbs are already flying.
Madison mayor and mustache aficionado Paul Soglin officially threw his Hawaiian shirt into the race earlier this week, and Gov. Scott Walker promptly clapped back, tweeting:
The last thing we need is more Madison in our lives. @Paulsoglin is the latest extreme liberal who wants to take our state backward -- just like he did in Madison, where businesses have left and murders have gone up. We want to go forward.
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) January 10, 2018
Walker has since gone on a (for him) Twitter tirade against Soglin and Wisconsin Democrats, claiming, among other things, that Madison’s unemployment rate is somehow bad, when it is, in fact, better than the state average (just 2.1% compared to 3.2%).
Walker’s claim that we’re losing businesses? Also not true: Between 2010 and 2016 (approximately the latest term for Soglin as mayor, and for Walker as governor), private sector employment in Dane County rose by 15.7%, whereas statewide it grew by just 9%. As I’ve written about before, Madison is one of the state’s economic engines.
It's curious that this social media rant comes from the same man whose administration just sunk a big chunk of money into a campaign to persuade young workers in other states to relocate to Wisconsin. Walker had originally wanted the state to spend nearly $7 million on the campaign, which ultimately features all kinds of beautiful footage of Madison and Milwaukee attractions.
A strange change of tone, indeed, but now there’s a campaign to win.
And that murder rate thing? A boogeyman. There were, sadly, 11 murders in Madison in 2017, which is up over 2016’s total of just eight. But those numbers don’t tell a story of rampant lawlessness and danger.
According to crime data expert Jeff Fischer of fivethirtyeight.com, who spoke with Wisconsin Public Radio, “It's dangerous to read too much into a one-year increase in Madison's murder rate.”
"You're talking about a crime that has a really low base rate, and you can have one or two incidents that make the difference between 'Hey, everything is normal' and 'Hey, murder is down,’ and 'Hey, we're seeing a 33% rise in murders," Fischer said. "It's not inherently indicative of a rise in crime. It may just be pure luck. It may just be pure randomness."
By comparison, FBI data shows the number of murders statewide grew from 155 in 2010 to 229 in 2016, a 48% increase. I’m sure Walker will address that statistic right away.
All of this is to say, Walker can’t have it both ways, though I’ve no doubt he’ll continue to try. Demonizing “Madistan,” after all, has become a favorite pastime of conservative pundits and politicians alike. It’s that whole “politics of resentment” thing.
Walker has given it a new twist. Usually the resentment line stems from an angle of “Madison has it too good” compared to the rest of the state.
As friend and writer Scott Gordon succinctly noted in response, though, “It's intriguing that Walker wants to both portray the state as prosperous under his leadership AND portray its most economically robust region as an abandoned pit.”
There are very real criticisms to be made of Madison: For all of its economic success and thriving cultural scene, there are swaths of the population who have been left out. There are very real racial disparities in education, housing and employment. Soglin should be rightly taken to task for his antagonistic attitude toward the city’s homeless, as well as his habit of picking the most tone-deaf of battles.
But don't fall for Walker’s false attacks. Candidates are not immediately suspect because of where they live.
Emily Mills is a freelance writer who lives in Madison. Twitter: @millbot; Email: emily.mills@outlook.com
Read or Share this story: https://jsonl.in/2mo83Ii
Milwaukee's front door reopens with the new Harbor District
March 1, 2019, 11:10 a.m.
Lincoln: The Great Emancipator also was a great innovator
Opinion: Realtors had a right to withdraw Hagedorn support
Feb. 26, 2019, 10:23 a.m.
Unpack the midterms Nov. 7 at Colectivo
Editorial: It's time for citizens to let politicians know who's in charge
Dec. 4, 2018, 5 p.m.
Bobby Kennedy: A promise unfulfilled
June 5, 2018, 6:54 a.m.
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Excellence in lifesaving for S-92 helicopter
Sikorsky has recognised Bristow Helicopters and the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency for excellence in lifesaving achievement with the S-92 helicopter. The company currently operates 14 S-92 helicopters on behalf of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency for the critical mission of search and rescue (SAR), following the award of the 10-year UK SAR contract by the Department for Transport in March 2013. In the first year of UK SAR operations, beginning in April 2015, Bristow successfully completed 1,149 missions utilising S-92 helicopters.
http://helicopterinvestor.com/articles/sikorsky-recognises-bristow-helicopters-for-lifesaving-457/
Lithium batteries for A350 jetliners
The Liberty Cup Drone Competition
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Womens History
by: Tim Reid
Posted: Mar 8, 2019 / 09:09 AM CST / Updated: Mar 11, 2019 / 06:12 PM CDT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — During the month of March CBS 42 is celebrating Women’s History Month by spotlighting women across Alabama who have or are making a major impact. Tuscaloosa Police officer Lillie Leatherwood is making a difference in her community.
Leatherwood works with kids and is the director of the Tuscaloosa Police departments athletic league. Its a program designed to help keep kids stay postive to keep them engaged and out of trouble. The 25-year police veteran is also a two time Olympic medal winner.
“I grew up wanting to be a police officer, and I also wanted to work with children. Thats why I went to the University to get my degree in social work. So when I started this job and realized they had this program, so now I feel like I am living the dream working with children and being a police officer” Leatherwood said.
Thirty-five years ago officer Leatherwood won a gold medal during the Olympic games in 1984 in
Los Angeles. Four years later, she won a silver medal in 1988 in the Seoul, South Korea Olympic games.
Leatherwood graduated from the University of Alabama and was only 19 years old when she quailified for her first Olympics.
“Winning it and being able to get on that podium and hearing our national anthem being played
obviously was the great experience and feeling that a person could have”.
Leatherwood says nowadays her biggest thrill isn’t the fame or winning medals, but its being a role
model to her kids who visit her gym.
More Womens History Stories
June Bacon-Bercey: Pioneer for women in meteorology from Kansas
by Lisa Teachman / Mar 26, 2019
June Bacon-Bercey was focused and passionate about the weather and sharing it with the public.
It's a dream that has become a legacy all stirred up from the Kansas wind. June is a mother and a woman of many firsts. Plus, she's from Wichita!
‘I choose to live fully’: Victory in the Valley gives hope to cancer survivors
by Tiffany Lane / Mar 19, 2019
Many of us have felt the impact of cancer in our lives, whether first-hand, or through friends and loved ones.
One local non-profit helps turn what can be a challenging fight, into a more positive experience here in the community.
Celebrating Women: Dolly Parton marks 60 years in music
by Kristin Farley, Austin Kellerman, Jack Lail, Josh Smith / Mar 20, 2019
Dolly Parton went from one of twelve children born to a sharecropper in the mountains of Tennessee to one of music's most celebrated acts.
It's hard to find anything more impressive than her trophy case. Inside you'll find more than two dozen best-selling albums, dozens of People's Choice and Country Music Association awards, and eight Grammys.
Kansas / 1 hour ago
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The Abduction from the Seraglio Overture
Composed: 1782
Length: c. 6 minutes
Orchestration: flute (= piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, triangle), and strings
First performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic: December 1, 1932, Artur Rodzinski conducting
The Abduction from the Seraglio is a rescue opera in which the heroics of the rescuers are thwarted by the magnanimity of the chief villain. If the edge was thus taken off the dénouement of one of 18th-century Europe’s favorite play and opera subjects — the deliverance of Christians, particularly Christian women, from Turkish captivity, especially in Turkish harems — audiences still took Seraglio to their collective heart when the work was first performed in Vienna in 1782.
Mozart badly needed the success, for he had turned his hand to the task of writing the opera at a crucial time in his life. In the years 1781 and 1782 he was severing two important relationships — one with his repressive employer, the Archbishop of Salzburg, whom he loathed, the other with his dominating father Leopold, whom he loved unequivocally — and instituting another with his marriage to Constanze (coincidentally the name of Seraglio’s heroine) Weber.
Mozart’s imperturbable creativity barely faltered in the midst of these emotional involvements. He produced a work that, though not without faults, has some delicious and splendid music, and further, proved to be an important springboard for the operas yet to come.
With its quasi-exotic orchestration (piccolo, triangle, big drum, and cymbals are added to the standard combination), the Overture is in the old Italian style, notwithstanding that Mozart wrote Seraglio for the anti-Italian, German form of musical theater, the Singspiel. There is a busy main section that, after a decided close, is followed by a slow episode in minor. A return to the initial material rounds off this eminently pleasant, jolly but unremarkable bit of Mozart fluff.
— Orrin Howard
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Critique de How Saints Die de Carmen Marcus
A novel about 10-year old Ellie whose father is a superstitious, grizzled, old fisherman and mother is in a mental institution for seemingly attempted suicide. She grows up mostly with her father and misses a lot of school doing things with him. She makes fishing nets (a big theme in the book) and goes crabbing and sea collecting. Her friend is the social worker’s son, Fletch who defends her against bullying at school when she does go. They do a gruesome skit about dying saints for the school Christmas recital. It’s also a game they play called Best Man Dying (or something like that!—I can’t remember exactly).
The author uses little punctuation and since I am a punctuation lover, I find it an unpleasant task to figure out the prose without it. For me, it’s hard to know sometimes who is talking. I don’t like the stream-of-consciousness parts because I find reading stream-of-consciousness boring. To me it is beneficial to the writer (a kind of therapy for anyone who writes like that) but I find it a boring read mostly.
I’m also not a fan of onomatopoeia when it is used too frequently. The author uses it on nearly every page. It was amusing in the beginning but became annoying after a while.
Reading Ellie’s school assignment at the end of the book pretty well sums up the novel, so for a quick read, go to the last chapter and you’ve got the gist.
What I did like about the book is the character development. The author leaves no doubt about who is who and what their roles are. I also like the imagination used to tell the story. Unless there are autobiographical elements in it, it would have taken a lot of creativity to tell this sad, nearly tragic tale. There’s little joy or humour in it as far as I could find.
I didn’t enjoy the book mostly because when I read a novel, I like to be entertained. This novel did not entertain me. But that doesn’t take away the merits of writing it.
Les LVH rendent hommage aux femmes remarquables
19 juillet 2019 |Blog
Un auteur en résidence de 24h dans un service de santé
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Articles, Crime & Punishment, Law, Media, Politics, Trump Administration
Steele Dossier Just a Way for Hillary to Challenge Trump’s Win
Christopher Steele reveals the purpose behind his work. Surprised? We weren’t.
By: James Fite December 19, 2018 Articles, Crime & Punishment, Law, Media, Politics, Trump Administration1
by James Fite
The co-founders of the largest private bank in Russia are suing Christopher Steele, the former British spy behind the notorious Steele dossier, for defamation. This isn’t the first time his creation has come back to bite him – or his patrons in the FBI and Clinton campaign – in the rear, but something is different this time: He officially revealed that the purpose was always to give Hillary Clinton a way to challenge the 2016 election results should Donald Trump win.
Pounding Steele
The Alfa Bank case isn’t the first time Christopher Steele has been sued for defamation. He and his company, Orbis Business Intelligence, faced a similar suit in the U.K. in the spring of 2017. Aleksej Gubarev claimed that his companies were defamed by the once-spy and Buzzfeed, the outlet that first published the dossier. The court filings for this case showed the connection to late Senator John McCain (R-AZ). Gubarev also sued Steele in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida.
…late-stage Trump Derangement Syndrome…
Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, and German Khan of Alfa Bank filed suit against Steele and Orbis in the D.C. Superior Court for defamation, but it was dismissed on Anti-SLAPP grounds, as the judge ruled that the plaintiffs didn’t adequately show the defendants “knew any of this information was false or acted with reckless disregard of its falsity.”
Lawyers for the Russian trio have filed an appeal in the U.S. District Court, where D.C.’s Anti-SLAPP statute doesn’t necessarily apply. It is in Steele’s statements attached to this case that the purpose of the dossier is confirmed.
Anyone not already blind due to late-stage Trump Derangement Syndrome likely had a notion that this opposition research was commissioned either to derail Donald’s chances of getting elected or to give Hillary a way to challenge it if he did – but a confession never hurts.
A “part 18 request” is an order made by a U.K. court demanding that some party “clarify any matter which is in dispute in the proceedings” or “give additional information in relation to any such matter, whether or not the matter is contained or referred to in a statement of case.” In their U.K. suit, Steele complied with such a request, and it is in his answer to the fourth question that he explains the purpose of his work:
“Is it Orbis’ case that Fusion’s client needed the information contained in Memorandum 112:
For the purpose of prospective legal proceedings?
For the purpose of obtaining legal advice?
For the purpose of establishing, exercising, or defending legal rights.
Response: (b) and (c). Fusion’s immediate client was law firm Perkins Coie LLP. It engaged Fusion to obtain information necessary for Perkins Coie LLP to provide legal advice on the potential impact of Russian involvement on the legal validity of the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential election. Based on that advice, parties such as the Democratic National Committee and HFACC Inc. (also known as “Hillary for America”) could consider steps they would legally take to challenge the validity of the outcome of that election. In turn, that may have resulted in legal proceedings within the meaning of limb (a) above, but the immediate needs of Fusion’s clients fell within limbs (b) and (c).”
The Tangled Web
In the man’s own words, the purpose of Orbis’ research into Trump and Russia was to give Hillary a way to challenge the election, should she lose. Steele claimed both that he consulted the media because he felt it was of public interest to the American people and that he never intended for the full dossier to be made public. He later admitted that at least some of his information was unverified, and now the very reporter to break the story says that the ex-spy’s claims are “likely false.”
We know from court filings that the Brit sent copies of the dossier to McCain, and public testimony combined with memos turned over to Congress show that at least three different versions were sent to the FBI. When questioned about what he meant by his claim that “we’ll stop it,” former FBI agent Peter Strzok tried to play it off as meaning that the American people would stop Trump from being elected by not voting or him. But as Liberty Nation’s Jeff Charles reported in September, we now know that he was involved in a media leak strategy, quite likely for some version of the dossier itself.
So we had a former British spy compiling – some might say concocting – “evidence” of Donald Trump’s collusion with Russia to steal the election. He was paid by a Republican senator who hated Trump, an FBI full of agents who felt the same, and even Hillary’s own campaign. The information he “dug up” seems to be false, yet was enough – despite not being verified by the bureau – to justify a FISA warrant to spy on presidential campaign staff. Oh, and let us not forget that it sparked investigations by Congress, the FBI, and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, which have so far turned up bupkis despite a seemingly unlimited scope and budget.
Who was it that colluded to subvert democracy again?
Tags: Christopher Steeleclinton campaignHillary ClintonRobert MuellerSteele dossier
Crooked bought and paid for Judges put in office by Obama are going to rule in favor of the destruction of America on behalf of the DEMS, no matter the evidence. Steele admits he wrote this entire piece of garbage for Hillary to use to depose a legally elected President and the judge still refuses to do anything about it.
James Fite
Editor-at-Large. James is our wordsmith extraordinaire, a legislation hound and lover of all things self-reliant and free. An author of politics and fiction (often one and the same) he homesteads in the Arkansas wilderness.
LATEST ARTICLES BY James Fite (SEE ALL)
The Illegal Immigrant Story You Wouldn’t Believe - July 19, 2019
Amy McGrath: Trump’s Friend or Foe? - July 11, 2019
More Hostility from Iran in the Gulf? - July 11, 2019
TRUTH TV FULL EPISODE 12.18.18: Benghazi, Impeachment, Yellow Vests and Welfare – WATCH NOW
A Looming Recession on the Cards?
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Cannabis use 'can speed up psychosis'
Cannabis and other illegal drugs could help speed up the onset of psychotic illnesses in young people.
This is according to research published in the latest edition of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, which found that those at risk of schizophrenia could suffer from the condition a year earlier for every illicit drug they take.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that heavy users of cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines experienced their first psychotic symptoms at a younger age than those who abstained or took one of these.
This is the first evidence that taking additional drugs could further accelerate the development of such illnesses.
The mean age of onset of schizophrenia for non-drug using males was 23.3, compared to 22.5 for those who had smoked cannabis and 19.6 years old if they had used cannabis, amphetamines and cocaine.
With such startling findings, many people are calling for greater health campaigns to warn those who are using or addicted to drugs to be more aware of the risks to their physical and mental health.
Professor Jon Currie, head of addiction medicine at Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital, told the newspaper that early use of drugs was a risk for all young people, as the brain is still developing until the early 20s.
"The drugs can derail that normal development, which also means derailing the normal protective mechanisms, which stop you getting these mental health problems," he explained.
They can affect the brain's neurochemical systems, Professor Currie said, before adding that "they may actually alter the plasticity of the brain and the wiring and connections and have physical effects, which can be long-standing".
He was firm in his beliefs that reality-based education campaigns should be run, warning of the risks of drug use and addiction.
"The message we give is simple, it's your brain, you need it, later in life you'll really need it, don't damage it now," he urged.
The US May Legalize Cannabis
Inspiring Pictures of the Week
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Beefs
Every Song
Hot Boys
Sqad Up
Dedication 6: Reloaded
Free Weezy Album
I Am Not A Human Being
I Am Not A Human Being II
In Tune We Trust
No Ceilings
Sorry 4 The Wait 2
Tha Carter III
Tha Carter IV
The Leak
Baby E
Cory Gunz
Gudda Gudda
HoodyBaby
Reginae Carter
Shanell
Stephanie Acevedo
T-Streets
Tag Archives: drop the world
Lil Wayne Performs “A Milli” Twice & Shouts Out James Harden In A Hilarious Way At His Show In Houston, Texas [Video]
May 31, 2017 in Latest News, Young Money Ent
On April 30th, Lil Wayne performed live at the Revention Music Center in Houston, Texas for a stop on his “Kloser 2 U Tour“.
Weezy performed “Mr. Carter“, “A Milli“, “I’m Goin’ In“, “John“, “Believe Me“, “Bitches Love Me“, “Rich As Fuck“, “Go DJ“, “HYFR“, “Lollipop“, “Mrs. Officer“, “Every Girl” with Mack Maine, “The Motto“, “Back That Azz Up“, “Traphouse Blues” with HoodyBaby, “Nerve” with Lil Twist and Fooly Faime, “Swag Surfin’“, “Rollin’“, “Ride For My Niggas“, “Wasted“, “I’m Me“, “Drop The World“, “Steady Mobbin’“, “No Frauds“, “A Milli” again, “No Problem“, and “No Worries” live.
You can watch Tunechi‘s full set at the concert in a video after the jump below. Tune also shouted out James Harden: “Shout out my nigga James Harden, that’s my brother, soo woo. I’m still not sure how he eats with that fuckin’ beard, I’m sorry I don’t know how it goes, I eat a lot of pussy… that would be fucked up”. Haha!
Watch Lil Wayne’s Full Set At The 2017 Rolling Loud Music Festival, Performs “No Frauds” & More Songs Live
Lil Wayne and Birdman’s son Brian Williams.
Lil Wayne headlined the 3rd annual Rolling Loud music festival at Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida on May 5th.
For his full set, Weezy performed “Mr. Carter“, “Got Money“, “I’m Goin’ In“, “John“, “Believe Me“, “Bitches Love Me“, “Rich As Fuck“, “Go DJ“, “HYFR“, “Lollipop“, “Mrs. Officer“, “Every Girl” with Mack Maine, “The Motto“, “Back That Azz Up“, “I’m Me“, “Drop The World“, “Steady Mobbin“, “No Frauds“, “A Milli“, “No Problem“, and “No Worries” live.
This is also the concert when a guy ran on stage during Tunechi‘s set and the “Goon Squad” got him quickly. You can watch Tune‘s full set in a clip after the jump below. Wayne also shares a letter his 7-year-old son Cameron Carter wrote to Donald Trump before performing “A Milli“!
Lil Wayne Performs “Mr. Carter”, “Believe Me”, “Drop The World” & More Live At The University of Rhode Island [Video]
April 17, 2017 in Latest News, Young Money Ent
Earlier this month on April 9th, Lil Wayne performed live at the University of Rhode Island in South Kingstown for a stop on his “Kampus Krash Tour“.
You can check out a recap of the concert in a video below, courtesy of Felipe Barbosa. Weezy also brought out his Young Money artists Mack Maine, HoodyBaby, Gudda Gudda, and Euro during the show.
Some of the songs that Tunechi performed live included: “Mr. Carter“, “Got Money“, “Believe Me“, “Go DJ“, “Mrs. Officer“, “Every Girl“, “Traphouse Blues“, “I’m Me“, “Drop The World“, “A Milli“, “No Worries“, and more!
Lil Wayne Performs Live On The Final Stop Of His “The Dedication Tour” In Nebraska [Video]
March 23, 2016 in Latest News, Young Money Ent
The final stop of Lil Wayne‘s “The Dedication Tour” took place earlier this month at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska on March 6th.
You can watch some footage that was filmed from the 3rd row at the concert, courtesy of Jeremy Inhoff, after the jump below. Tunechi comes out at around the 10:00 mark of the clip after Rae Sremmurd‘s live performance.
In the video, Weezy can be seen talking to the crowd, as well as performing “Mr. Carter“, “Coco“, “Blunt Blowin’“, “Rich As Fuck“, “I’m Me“, “She Will“, “London Roads“, “Pop Bottles“, “I’m On One“, “Only“, “The Motto“, “Single“, “How To Love“, “Bitches Love Me“, “Every Girl” with Mack Maine, “Go DJ“, “Leather So Soft“, “Right Above It“, “Lollipop“, “Rollin’“, “Pussy, Money, Weed“, “Where Ya At“, “Finessin’” with Baby E, “Live From The Gutter” with HoodyBaby, “One Time” with Lil Twist, “I Don’t Like The Look Of It” with Gudda Gudda, “Drop The World“, “Mirror“, “Truffle Butter“, “Steady Mobbin’“, and “No Worries” live!
Lil Wayne Performs “London Roads” & More Live In Sioux Falls On His “The Dedication Tour” [Videos]
March 6, 2016 in Latest News, Young Money Ent
On March 1st, Lil Wayne performed live at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a stop on his “The Dedication Tour“.
You can watch most of Tune‘s set in the clips below that show him performing “Mr. Carter“, “Coco“, “I’m Goin’ In“, “Blunt Blowin’“, “6 Foot, 7 Foot“, “Rich As Fuck“, “Believe Me“, “I’m Me“, “She Will“, “London Roads“, “Nightmares Of The Bottom“, “Every Girl” with Mack Maine, “Go DJ“, “Hustler Musik“, “Leather So Soft“, “Right Above It“, “Mrs. Officer“, “Lollipop“, “Got Money“, “Rollin’“, “Jumpman“, “Wasted“, “Pussy, Money, Weed“, “Where Ya At“, “Ride For My Niggas“, “One Time” with Lil Twist, “I Don’t Like The Look Of It” with Gudda Gudda, “Dick Pleaser” with Jae Millz, “Drop The World“, “Mirror“, “A Milli“, “John“, “Truffle Butter“, and “Steady Mobbin’” live.
Weezy will next be performing live on his “The Dedication Tour” tonight (March 6th) at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, which is also the very last stop of the tour!
Lil Wayne Kicks Off “The Dedication Tour” In El Paso, Watch His Full Set & See A Setlist [Videos]
January 24, 2016 in Latest News
On January 21st, Lil Wayne kicked off his “The Dedication Tour” by performing live at the El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas.
I’ve been asked a few times by people in e-mail how long Tunechi‘s set is and what the full setlist is, so that them and their friends can rap along to all of the lyrics. Well Tune‘s set lasts around 1 hour and 30 minutes and the full setlist in order is as follows:
“Mr. Carter”, “Coco”, “I’m Goin’ In”, “Blunt Blowin'”, “6 Foot, 7 Foot”, “Rich As Fuck”, “Believe Me”, “I’m Me”, “She Will”, “London Roads”, “Nightmares Of The Bottom”, “Pop That”, “Loyal”, “Pop Bottles”, “I’m On One”, “Karate Chop (Remix)”, “Only”, “Hell Ya Fuckin’ Right (HYFR)”, “The Motto”, “I’m Single”, “How To Love”, “Bitches Love Me”, “Every Girl” with Mack Maine, “Go DJ”, “Hustler Musik”, “Leather So Soft”, “Right Above It”, “Comfortable”, “Mrs. Officer”, “Lollipop”, “Got Money”, “Rollin'”, “Jumpman”, “Wasted”, “Pussy Money Weed”, “Where Ya At”, “Ride For My Niggas”, “Cross Me”, “Finessin'” with Baby E, “Live From The Gutter” with HoodyBaby, “Drop The World”, “Mirror”, “A Milli”, “John”, “Truffle Butter”, “Steady Mobbin'”, and “No Worries”.
You can watch Weezy performing all of these songs live in the videos after the jump below. Wayne will next be performing live at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas for a stop on his “The Dedication Tour” later tonight!
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LISA XING
Chinese Visa Students
Sex Assault on Campus
Santa Letters
Photographers Without Borders
Lisa Xing is a journalist with CBC in Toronto. She was previously host of CBC Windsor News at Six.
Lisa files to all platforms, including digital, radio, TV news and current affairs. She has read morning and afternoon radio news. She also has experience hosting the morning radio show and filling in on the assignment desk. In Toronto, Lisa has covered municipal and provincial politics, and original and investigative stories and series, including human rights complaints against universities' lack of sex assault policies and gaps in the system that brings international students to Canada.
Lisa has filed from Canada and abroad, including South Korea, the UK, and Canadian cities like Edmonton, Halifax, Ottawa, Windsor and London.
Her photography has been published in the Wall Street Journal, This Magazine, The Fateful History of Fanny Mae and 10 Magazine in Korea. She has also spent time in an Indian village in the Himalayas documenting a local NGO's efforts in bringing digital literacy to women with Photographers Without Borders.
Lisa is a creative writer. Her poetry has appeared in publications including Quills, Room Magazine and Feathertale Review.
She has mentored young journalists at Fanshawe College in London, and radio journalists across Africa with Farm Radio International.
Lisa specialised in journalism, psychology and French at Carleton University, and went on to pursue a M.Sc. in the history of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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Splatalot Casting
How to Apply to Be a Contestant on Splatalot
by Carrie Grosvenor
Carrie Grosvenor is the author of "So You Want to Be on Wheel of Fortune." A freelance entertainment writer, Grosvenor has contributed to CNN, MSNBC, and the Game Show Network.
Splatalot is a game show for the younger crowd, and currently only available to those who live in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Game shows like this one have one thing in common: All of them inspire those who aren't yet old enough to try their hands at something like Wipeout to apply to be a contestant.
Eligibility and Casting Calls
If you live in Canada and are between the ages of 13 and 15 years old, you can apply to be a contestant on the show. Casting is not a perpetual process, however. While some long-standing game shows conduct their casting throughout the year, those with shorter seasons only open up casting calls when they're ready to start planning a new season.
Shows like Splatalot have to wait between seasons to see if they'll be renewed. For this reason, casting calls are only posted when the next season is greenlit and production is underway. The most frustrating part for potential contestants is that you never know when the casting call will open up.
For this reason, the best way to learn about casting calls for Splatalot is to keep an eye on the network's website. In Canada, the show airs on YTV. The pages you want to bookmark and check in on regularly are:
The main Splatalot page
The Be on YTV page, which posts all shows that are currently casting
The main show page will usually have a highlighted section that announces a new season. What you're looking for is a notice with a call to action, like "apply now" or "be on the show." If you see an announcement with a premiere date that invites you to tune in, you're too late - the season has already been cast and filmed.
The "Be on YTV" casting page is a more reliable section of the site for casting notices. There you'll find a list of shows that are currently casting with direct links to instructions and an application form. This is the page that you want to check often.
Frequently Asked Questions About Splatalot
Since Splatalot began in March 2011 in Canada, kids across the nation have been asking loads of questions about the casting process. Here are some of the most common questions, along with their answers.
Q: I'm 10 years old but very mature for my age. Can I still be on Splatalot?
This is by far the most popular question I've seen. Kids outside the 13-15 age range really want to find a loophole that will allow them to play. Many have even offered to get their parents to vouch for them. Unfortunately, the age range for contestants is quite strict - admittedly though it isn't a very inclusive one. There's really no way around this rule.
Q: I live in the U.S. - can I be on the show?
The Canadian version if Splatalot only casts Canadian kids. Sorry!
Q: Do I need any special skills or do I have to be athletic to get on the show?
The only physical requirement for Splatalot is that you are able to swim. Otherwise, they look for contestants of all shapes, sizes, and skills.
Splatalot in Australia and the United Kingdom
In Australia, Splatalot airs on ABC3. In the U.K. you'll find it on the kids' BBC channel CBBC. While we don't have specific casting information to share for these versions of the show, watching the website is still a good idea to keep up with new casting calls.
It's very important to note that general game show or television sites, like this one, that post links and information about casting are not official network sites, and therefore have no control over the actual selection process. When you come across a blog post announcing a casting call, never post a comment with your age and contact information, such as e-mail address or telephone number. There are always predators online who can access this information and contact you.
Only apply for game shows with your parents' permission and through reputable websites such as official network sites or those operated by the game's production company.
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Apodaca: Alzheimer’s research: a race against time
By Patrice Apodaca
More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, including 75,000 in Orange County. By mid-century, those numbers could nearly triple, according to current projections.
That’s a frightening prospect. Most of us know someone who has suffered from this cruel, heart-wrenching disease, and have witnessed firsthand how it robs its victims of their memories and reasoning capacity, erasing the very essence of self as brains literally waste away.
But the scary projections are also motivating some medical researchers to work furiously to find ways to stop the disease, or at least delay its progress. Prominent among them is Dr. Frank LaFerla, director of UC Irvine’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders — UCI MIND for short — a leading center of Alzheimer’s research.
I previously wrote about LaFerla and UCI MIND more than a year-and-a-half ago, explaining that the institute was conducting promising research into stem cell therapy to treat Alzheimer’s.
Now, as September is recognized as World Alzheimer’s Month, some recent developments have added another note of urgency to LaFerla’s work.
Sadly, those developments include some stunning failures in the world of Alzheimer’s research, a series of disappointing results and contested findings that threatened to cast a depressing shadow on the field.
But when it comes to the scientific process, failures can often lead to tantalizing clues that can in turn improve our knowledge and help fine-tune methods of attack. And so amid the setbacks, a groundswell of opinion seems to be emerging that Alzheimer’s research should focus on earlier intervention, innovative ideas and a commitment to understanding the disease’s unique complexities.
Currently, Alzheimer’s isn’t diagnosed until symptoms like memory loss and confusion are already plainly visible. But evidence is increasingly leading scientists to believe that by that point patients might be too far gone to be helped.
“It could be we’re intervening way too late,” LaFerla said. By the time the brain lesions known as plaques and tangles have appeared, “it’s like trying to put out a large fire with one bucket of water.”
So researchers are searching for a diagnostic tool to be used long before symptoms manifest. It’s the same concept employed to preemptively treat other major health issues: High cholesterol levels and blood pressure, for instance, are known precursors of heart disease that can be medically managed.
“That’s the goal, to diagnose it before actual mental impairment comes into play,” LaFerla said. “We need to find a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease that would be evidence well before the disease develops.”
An obvious place to look is in cerebral spinal fluid. But the only way to extract the fluid is through a spinal tap, hardly a practical means of widespread testing. The hope is that once a predictive biomarker for Alzheimer’s is detected, scientists could devise a relatively simple test to identify its presence in other bodily fluids such as saliva.
Meanwhile, LaFerla’s groundbreaking tests have involved implanting neural stem cells into the brains of mice with advanced-stage Alzheimer’s disease. He was shocked to find that the mice showed improved cognitive function, even though no new neurons were formed and their brain lesions remained.
LaFerla believes that the improvement resulted from new connections formed among the remaining neurons.
Now he’s embarking on the next phase of research: injecting human stem cells into mice brains, a four-year project complicated by the need to mitigate interspecies rejection. The bill for rejection-fighting antibodies alone runs $30,000 a month, LaFerla said. “It’s very expensive.”
UCI MIND is also part of an ambitious effort to create a national Alzheimer’s cell bank, a centralized repository where brain tissue, cell lines, DNA samples and a patient history database will be housed and readily available for researchers to share.
Despite these efforts, a huge obstacle remains: a dearth of funding. Today the annual funding for Alzheimer’s research is just under $500 million. By contrast, cancer receives $6 billion a year, while HIV/AIDS receives $3 billion a year.
In addition, big pharmaceutical companies have been drastically cutting back their own efforts toward finding Alzheimer’s drugs after a series of disappointments.
One positive development occurred in 2011 with the passage of federal legislation leading to the creation last year of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. President Obama’s fiscal 2013 budget proposal includes $100 million in additional funding for the plan, which has the stated goal of ending the Alzheimer’s “crisis” by 2025.
That’s a laudable goal, but the simple truth is that a whole lot more money will be needed to give us a shot at reaching it. The important research being done at centers like UCI MIND — its $10.5-million budget is funded primarily through national and state grants, and to a much lesser degree private donations — won’t come cheap.
“We’re going to need a lot more resources,” LaFerla said.
Currently, 5% of the population older than 65 has Alzheimer’s, and that figure is expected to double every five years. The year 2025 is just 12 years away, a heartbeat in the painstaking, deliberate world of medical research.
If scientists like LaFerla appear desperate to find a cure, it’s because they don’t have a moment to waste.
PATRICE APODACA is a former Newport-Mesa public school parent and former Los Angeles Times staff writer. She lives in Newport Beach.
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Chapter 40. INTERNATIONAL LENDING SUPERVISION
Section 3907. Capital adequacy
12 U.S. Code § 3907. Capital adequacy
Each appropriate Federal banking agency shall cause banking institutions to achieve and maintain adequate capital by establishing minimum levels of capital for such banking institutions and by using such other methods as the appropriate Federal banking agency deems appropriate. Each appropriate Federal banking agency shall seek to make the capital standards required under this section or other provisions of Federal law for insured depository institutions countercyclical so that the amount of capital required to be maintained by an insured depository institution increases in times of economic expansion and decreases in times of economic contraction, consistent with the safety and soundness of the insured depository institution.
Each appropriate Federal banking agency shall have the authority to establish such minimum level of capital for a banking institution as the appropriate Federal banking agency, in its discretion, deems to be necessary or appropriate in light of the particular circumstances of the banking institution.
Failure of a banking institution to maintain capital at or above its minimum level as established pursuant to subsection (a) may be deemed by the appropriate Federal banking agency, in its discretion, to constitute an unsafe and unsound practice within the meaning of section 1818 of this title.
In addition to, or in lieu of, any other action authorized by law, including paragraph (1), the appropriate Federal banking agency may issue a directive to a banking institution that fails to maintain captial [1] at or above its required level as established pursuant to subsection (a).
Such directive may require the banking institution to submit and adhere to a plan acceptable to the appropriate Federal banking agency describing the means and timing by which the banking institution shall achieve its required capital level.
Any such directive issued pursuant to this paragraph, including plans submitted pursuant thereto, shall be enforceable under the provisions of section 1818(i) of this title to the same extent as an effective and outstanding order issued pursuant to section 1818(b) of this title which has become final.
Each appropriate Federal banking agency may consider such banking institution’s progress in adhering to any plan required under this subsection whenever such banking institution, or an affiliate thereof, or the holding company which controls such banking institution, seeks the requisite approval of such appropriate Federal banking agency for any proposal which would divert earnings, diminish capital, or otherwise impede such banking institution’s progress in achieving its minimum capital level.
Such appropriate Federal banking agency may deny such approval where it determines that such proposal would adversely affect the ability of the banking institution to comply with such plan.
The Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury shall encourage governments, central banks, and regulatory authorities of other major banking countries to work toward maintaining and, where appropriate, strengthening the capital bases of banking institutions involved in international lending.
(Pub. L. 98–181, title I [title IX, § 908], Nov. 30, 1983, 97 Stat. 1280; Pub. L. 111–203, title VI, § 616(c), July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 1615.)
2010—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 111–203 inserted at end “Each appropriate Federal banking agency shall seek to make the capital standards required under this section or other provisions of Federal law for insured depository institutions countercyclical so that the amount of capital required to be maintained by an insured depository institution increases in times of economic expansion and decreases in times of economic contraction, consistent with the safety and soundness of the insured depository institution.”
Amendment by Pub. L. 111–203 effective on the transfer date, see section 616(e) of Pub. L. 111–203, set out as a note under section 1467a of this title.
[1] So in original. Probably should be .
Title 12: Banks and Banking
12 CFR PART 45 - MARGIN AND CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS FOR COVERED SWAP ENTITIES
12 CFR PART 225 - BANK HOLDING COMPANIES AND CHANGE IN BANK CONTROL (REGULATION Y)
12 CFR PART 263 - RULES OF PRACTICE FOR HEARINGS
12 CFR PART 324 - CAPITAL ADEQUACY OF FDIC-SUPERVISED INSTITUTIONS
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PeopleImages/iStock
Baristas with BAs: The result of central planning for schools
Central planning doesn’t work for education either.
Howard Baetjer
In Kentucky, says scholar Caleb Brown, it’s easy to find a barista who has a bachelor’s degree, but manufacturing companies can’t find the machinists they desperately need — whose pay would start at $60,000–$80,000 a year.
That slice of modern economic life comes from Brown’s Cato podcast conversation with Jim Stergios of Massachusetts’s Pioneer Institute. Listening to it, I realized a problem with government schooling that I had never zeroed in on before. In criticizing government schooling, I have always focused on the failure of government schools to provide as high quality instruction as they would if they had to compete for students in a free market for education. But Brown and Stergios opened my eyes to another problem: government school systems fail to provide different kinds of instruction as appropriate to different kinds of students in different places and times.
Mr. Stergios’s main concern is the insufficiency of technical and vocational education in America. He states that in Springfield, Massachusetts, for example, there are tens of thousands of jobs available, yet the unemployment rate there is high as compared to the rest of the state. “The mismatch between jobs available and people who are seeking work, in terms of their skills, is enormous.”
Why? Why doesn’t our education system provide quality vocational and technical training that both businesses and underemployed people could benefit from?
I blame it on central planning.
Central Planning
The failure of the American education system to provide instruction in skills needed in various businesses is just another case of central planning’s failure where free markets would succeed. In America today, schooling for the 88% of students who attend government schools is planned centrally by state departments of education or district boards of education, and central planners, whether of the whole Soviet economy or American “public” education, have neither the knowledge nor the incentives they need to plan well.
Central planners … have neither the knowledge nor the incentives they need to plan well.
Let’s start with the knowledge. How would state education officials find out what quantities of what kinds of vocational and technical training are appropriate in all the various different regions of a state such as Massachusetts? The podcast mentions “applied engineering” skills such as machining, along with skilled nursing, the knowledge of how to run a restaurant, and basic computer skills.
We could also mention carpentry, plumbing, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), bookkeeping, inventory management, auto maintenance, and dozens of other trades and skills. How would state education officials decide what kinds of training to offer, where, in what quantities, and at what depth?
They could conceivably poll the businesses in different locales, repeatedly, to try to collect this information and keep it up to date. It would be very difficult for the limited staff of the state department of education assigned to this task to gather and manage the mass of information about dozens of trades and skills, the need for which changes constantly with technology, the business cycle, demographic changes and other factors.
Even with the best will in the world they could only do a poor job of this. They would face “the knowledge problem of central planning,” the inability of central planners to collect all the information they need to plan well.
Free Market Education
But think how it would work in a free market for education. Vocational/technical schools in an area, established by entrepreneurs who perceive, or think they perceive, a demand for such schools, would constantly try to discern the changing demand for different skills and know-how, and try to provide such skills and know-how to students they would recruit for their programs.
Schools that satisfied a real need, and kept up with necessary changes, would flourish. Those that did not would fail.
Perhaps a chain of such schools might emerge, adapting the offerings of each particular school in the chain to the needs of the area. Perhaps certain skilled craftsman would set up work-study relationships with high schools in the area, essentially paying students in on-the-job training for the students’ help with their work. Such relationships could also be formal apprenticeships.
Even now, according to Jim Stergios, businesses come to established vocational and technical schools and offer to invest in the schools in return for the schools’ offering training in the skills they need. Think how much more of that there might be if students (and their parents) could choose what schools they would pay for what instruction.
Why would high schools in the area agree to such work-study programs? To attract students.
In a free market for education, no school would be guaranteed a chunk of the taxpayers’ money by the school district, as now. Instead, the parents would get to decide what schools their children attend, and therefore where their tuition money goes. Schools would have to win their customers by offering valuable instruction, and work-study instruction would surely be seen as valuable in areas where businesses need employees with those skills.
In a free market for education, no school would be guaranteed a chunk of the taxpayers’ money
As business conditions in a region changed, the vocational and technical schools and programs would have to change with it or lose money. Those innovators quickest to respond to a new need would be rewarded.
Think what a world of difference there is between the knowledge that goes into central planning by a government bureaucracy and the knowledge that goes into decentralized planning in a free market. In the one, a few bureaucrats plan based on general, summary knowledge of circumstances in a region as a whole. In the other, many different people plan based on their own detailed knowledge of the particular circumstances of their own time and place.
In the one, the government apparatus must approve any changes; in the other, the entrepreneurs just act. In the one, mistakes can go uncorrected and opportunities can go unperceived for a long, long time. In the other, mistakes are promptly punished with financial losses while getting it right is rewarded with profits.
Good Intentions and Good Incentives
Now what about incentives?
Surely there are many government education officials who conscientiously wish to do what’s best for the students. But the fact remains that their incentive to do so is weakened by the fact that if they don’t do what is best for the students, they will get paid anyway.
In government schooling, the tax money flows into the school system almost regardless of how well the school system satisfies actual social wants and needs. So why go to the effort of figuring out what curriculum changes might be valuable in different areas, testing them, rolling them out where parents and students value them (again, how would the bureaucrats really know that when the parents are not paying?), and shutting them down where they don’t really satisfy a public need? A public school system with funding guaranteed by the tax man just does not have to make that effort.
In practice, according to Jim Stergios, this situation is actually much worse than what I have just described, in which the system makes no effort to discover and implement needed changes. According to Stergios, the system actively resists improvements in vocational and technical education they know — or have good reason to believe — would be valuable. Why? Because if they allowed the changes, the conventional schools would lose funding to the vocational schools, and the conventional schools are powerful enough to resist that.
Stergios says of Massachusetts that
Our district school system, the traditional public school system, believes that they own the children and they do not want to share the resources. [They consider it] their money, and so giving further options outside of their current network of schools, the district, is not something they are open to.…
It’s hard to expand the number of choices in the Vo/Tech area simply because of that sense that the districts own the money. (emphasis added)
Again, think how different things would be in a free market for education, where the parents own their own tuition money and decide where their children go to school. Then schools would have a strong incentive to find out and offer the kinds of instruction that would attract parents, students, and tuition dollars. And if more vocational and technical instruction would be valuable to society, as I believe it would, it would be offered, because educational entrepreneurs would have a strong personal incentive to offer it.
Knowledge problems and incentive problems beset central planning of education as of every other sort of good or service. Markets — human freedom to exchange — solve those problems. We should free the market for education.
Howard Baetjer Jr. is a Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Towson University in Towson, Maryland, where he teaches courses in microeconomics, money and banking, comparative economic systems, and… read more
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Engineers developed flow batteries decades ago, but they have typically used metals like vanadium, which are expensive in large volumes.
With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the team at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences used computer programs to screen thousands of organic molecules called quinones, which can be found in plants and crude oil. They settled on a quinone similar to one found in rhubarb, and dissolved it in water for the anode side of the battery. [Efficiency is the Energy of the Future, and the Present (Op-Ed ) ]
"The Achilles heel of this particular battery," team leader Michael Aziz said, is the bromine and hydrobromic acid used on the cathode side. Because these substances are corrosive, they could pose an environmental threat. Aziz said he hopes to find a replacement for bromine in the future.
His laboratory is partnering with a company called Sustainable Innovations to demonstrate the organic flow battery on a larger scale within the next few years.
"So far, we've seen no sign of degradation after more than 100 cycles, but commercial applications require thousands of cycles," Aziz said.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science.
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Nathaniel May looking to steal the show on Horn-Corcoran undercard
Sub Lead05-Dec-17
By Anthony Cocks
Nathaniel May
World ranked featherweight Nathaniel “Cheeky” May 18-1 (10) is looking to steal the show when he faces undefeated Brazilian wrecking ball Aelio Mesquita 16-0 (14) for the IBF International title in the main support bout to Jeff Horn’s WBO welterweight world title defence against Britain’s Gary Corcoran at the Convention & Exhibition Centre in Brisbane, Queensland on 13 December.
The Duco Events promoted card will be shown locally on Main Event Pay-Per-View and carried internationally on ESPN in the USA and BoxNation in the UK.
The 22-year-old boxer-puncher from Bunbury, Western Australia has largely flown under the radar domestically with the local press ignoring him and the east coast media focusing more on own their homegrown talent. A breakout performance against the rugged Mesquita will force people to sit up and take notice on both sides of the continent.
“We’ve watched a bit of Mesquita, but we don’t know how long ago that bout was so he is still a bit of a mystery,” admitted May, who is ranked IBF #7. “But we have that confidence in our fight plan and the way we’ve trained and everything, so for the first two rounds we will suss him out, then go to work.”
May’s trainer Peter Stokes, who serves dual roles as boxing trainer and qualified strength and conditioning coach, isn’t expecting an easy night against the little known South American bruiser but believes that the class of his young charge will end up being the story of the fight.
“I think it’s a tough fight,” Stokes acknowledged. “We’ve just got to stay away from this dude’s power hand, but he’s also got a good left hook to the body and head. He’s got a bit of leverage on us, so we’ll be going in and out, taking our angles and trying to avoid him as much as possible, then set him up for it, you know.
“He’ll make one mistake and Cheeky will be onto it. He’s like that. He’ll let them take their swings and move and duck if he has to, then all of a sudden – bang! He’ll know all about it then.”
The tyranny of distance is always an issue for west coast-based boxers with 4,000-odd kilometres separating them from the more populous east coast cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane where the bulk of the fistic action in this country occurs.
Last week May and Stokes flew to Sydney to put the finishing touches on their preparation by sparring WBA #11 junior welterweight Darragh Foley and some of the other talent fighting out of the Bondi Boxing Club. It makes for a refreshing change of pace from WA where the amount of top class sparring, particularly in the lighter weight classes, can be limited.
Stokes also arranges regular trips to the United States for May were they set up camp at the world famous Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California. It is not cheap, but Stokes views it as a vital investment in May’s future.
“It was great, I can’t ask for anything better,” said May of the most recent trip to the States. “We had great sparring with guys like Ray Beltran and Scott Quigg. We had some wicked rounds with them and it was just great to see how they train, when the train, everything. It was a privilege for us to be there in their camp to work and to watch.”
In April this year May faced the hardest test of his four year pro career when he took on Filipino tough guy Randy Braga over 12 rounds for the vacant IBF Pan Pacific featherweight title. Fighting in front of his home crowd in Bunbury, May had to dig deep to defeat the rugged 29-year-old southpaw, who had only lost twice in 23 bouts coming in to the fight.
“Braga was just… unreal,” said May, whose style has been compared to Nonito Donaire. “I’ve hit people with those shots before and they’ve gone down, so I was in a position I hadn’t been in before. After the fourth or fifth round in the corner Stokesy said ‘he’s not going anywhere, so we’re going to have to stick and move’. We went back on the back foot, walked him into punches and just cut the angles. It worked on our behalf, but it was a tough fight.”
It was also May’s first 12 round bout, an experience that will stay with him for better or for worse.
“It was good experience, my first time going twelve. But I’m not going to lie, I’m not a fan of it,” he laughed. “Waking up the next morning, taking a look at your face in the mirror and wondering if you won the fight or not!”
Boxing wasn’t the first choice sport for May, whose family background is largely in Australian Rules football. As a pup May played with Swan Districts and was part of their development squad as a 13-year-old when his father, a former boxer in his own right, suggested a trip to the boxing gym to help him maintain his fitness in the off-season.
The young May gave it a shot and, in his own words, “hasn’t left the gym since”.
Stokes recalls a quick-footed kid with a good work ethic, a thirst to learn and a desire to spar almost as soon as he walked into the gym.
“He showed a bit of promised with his movement,” said Stokes of those early days. “Not so much his technique, but his footwork he really picked up quite fast. He had been pestering me from the second night he had been at the gym to start sparring, but I was like ‘nah mate, that won’t happen for a few months yet’.
“He kept pestering me, pestering me and pestering me and after about six weeks I gave in. He jumped in with a kid who had been to about six different gyms in six years—one of those sorts, you know—and I’d only just got this kid so I thought I’d test him and Nathaniel just destroyed him, gave the kid a bit of a touch up. So I thought ‘this kid has definitely got promise’.
“I think within a year-and-a-half I had him an Australian title, a Golden Gloves title and it was off to the World Championships.”
The hunger that May showed in those early days in the gym hasn’t left him. If he can get past Mesquita unscathed, he is looking forward to testing himself against some of the big guns in the always-competitive 126-pound division in 2018.
With four of the IBF’s top five ranked featherweights hailing from the United Kingdom—plus reigning world champion Lee Selby—it looks likely that a trip to Old Blighty will be in May’s immediate future.
“I’m hoping to get a world eliminator, one of the guys in the top five,” May said. “I would be happy to fight one of those guys, just get closer to that world title shot. Like you said, the ultimate goal is a “I’m world title shot, but if it doesn’t happen next year, then hopefully the year after. It would be a dream come true.
“They’re great fighters and I’m blessed to be in the top ten with them. But it’s my time to move forward and get the bigger fights.”
If May had his choice, they would go straight for former super bantamweight and featherweight world champion Carl “The Jackal” Frampton 24-1 (14).
“I’d love to fight Carl Frampton, he’s a two division world champ, who wouldn’t want to?” said May. “But we’ll see what happens. I’ll talk to my manager and my coach and if the fight happens, the fight happens.”
Stokes agrees. He sees Frampton as the weak link in the very deep 126-pound division and says IBF featherweight champion Lee Selby wouldn’t be able to match it with May either.
“I honestly believe Selby won’t be able to handle it and Frampton won’t either,” said Stokes. “Frampton is sort of on that comedown period now where he’s hit the peak and he’s coming down now, you know. A lot of people are saying he should be back at super bantamweight. He’s a tough boy, we’ve got nothing but respect for those boys, they’ve earnt their spot. But we just think we deserve to have a crack at them now. They’re working hard but we think we’re working harder now and outsmarting them, doing the hard yards and we’re ready to have a crack.”
Recently there was a rumour floating around the internet that Selby’s team were considering May as an opponent for their next title defence. The fight didn’t eventuate, but it presented a unique dilemma for Stokes.
“There was a rumour floating around from the UK that we were going to get a phone call and an offer from Selby,” said Stokes. “To be honest, I was in two minds about it. I had worked so hard to get him on the Duco show with Stuart Duncan [Duco’s matchmaker] and they’ve been fantastic to deal with and to be honest, we would love to be working with Duco in the future. That’s where we want to be at, but we want to fight the big names and I think Dean [Lonergan] is probably the guy who can help us do it.”
If May can fulfil his dream of winning a world championship at 126-pounds, he would like to eventually move up and have a crack at the 130-pound title in the future too.
“I’ll give it another year or two, a good shot,” said May. “I want to fight for that world title. Next year I might get that shot against Selby, but otherwise I’ll keep making featherweight until my body can’t make it anymore and I’ll end up moving up then.
“I am one of the bigger bodies in the featherweight division. I’m average height but my body is thick. That’s the only reason we’ve come down from super feather, but we’ll see what happens when I get older.”
There will be a lot of featherweights hoping that happens sooner rather than later.
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Moncrief Photograph Collection
item: 159
1963 Gubernatorial Election: "Stand Tall with Paul"
Item # 117-179
This photograph is identified by Moncrief as "Johnson, Paul 1964." Although not identified as such it appears to be associated with Johnson's successful bid for Mississippi Governor in 1963, which was covered extensively by the Hattiesburg American.
In the hotly contested 1963 gubernatorial race, Lieutenant Governor Paul B. Johnson Jr. made his fourth bid for governor. In August, the Democratic Primary pitted the Hattiesburg native against former governor J. P. Coleman (1956-1960), Clarksdale attorney Charles Sullivan, Robert Mason of Magee, and welder Robert F. "Blowtorch" Morgan. Johnson next faced Coleman in a "bitter" run-off, in which Johnson styled himself as a "militant anti-Kennedy segregationist," branding Coleman a "Kennedy satellite candidate." Johnson's ploy worked, and having beaten Coleman, he continued his racially charged theme against opponents Republican Rubel Phillips, a former district-three Public Service Commissioner, and Independent Ed Bishop. Johnson urged the public to "Stand tall with Paul," evoking his defiant stance against James Meredith in the September 1962 Ole Miss integration debacle. Battling for lieutenant governor were Republican Stanford Morse and Democrat Carroll Gartin, who was no stranger to the office, having held that post for two successive terms in 1951 and 1955. Describing the campaign on the eve of the election, the American commented that the "first true political brawl between a Democrat and a Republican in Mississippi's history today neared it's windup with fur flying." On November 5, Johnson and Gartin won landslide victories against their Republican opponents. Speaking at Johnson's victory party, Governor Ross Barnett focused on the main rallying cry of the campaign and recounted how he and Johnson had initially barred Meredith from entering the University of Mississippi. Barnett underscored why he supported Johnson as his successor, stating "when Johnson stood in the face of bayonets and guns…I said in my heart and mind there is a man I'm going to help." The American concluded that the voting returns showed Barnett "expressed the mood of the Mississippi voters."4
4 Hattiesburg American, August 5-7, 26-28, Nov 2-6.
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Lewy body dementia: unrecognized and misdiagnosed
Published Friday 6 November 2015 Published Fri 6 Nov 2015
By Honor Whiteman
August last year saw the passing of much-loved actor and comedian Robin Williams. At the time, friends and colleagues of the star claimed that depression led him to take his own life. But earlier this week, his widow Susan said this was not the case; his death was the result of a debilitating brain disease known as Lewy body dementia.
It was recently revealed that late actor Robin Williams had Lewy body dementia, which his widow believes was responsible for his death.
"Lewy body dementia is what killed Robin," Susan told ABC News. "It's what took his life and that's what I spent the last year trying to get to the bottom of, what took my husband's life."
Susan explained that it was during Williams' autopsy that a coroner found signs of Lewy body dementia (LBD), and doctors who analyzed the autopsy report told her it was one of the most severe cases they had ever seen.
But why was his condition not spotted earlier? After all, LBD is the second most common form of progressive dementia, affecting around 1.3 million Americans, mostly those aged 65 and older.
Despite its prevalence, however, the disease is also the most misdiagnosed form of dementia.
According to the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA), its takes an average of three doctors and more than 18 months to correctly diagnose LBD. Most doctors fail to recognize the signs of LBD; the symptoms are very similar to Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease.
In this Spotlight, we take a look at what LBD is, the signs and symptoms of the disease, the treatment options, why the condition is so frequently misdiagnosed, and what is being done to raise awareness of this potentially devastating condition.
What is LBD?
LBD was first discovered in the early 1900s by German-born neurologist Dr. Freiderich H. Lewy. While studying Parkinson's disease, Dr. Lewy identified tiny deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in brain cells, which were later named Lewy bodies.
Lewy bodies are found in both Parkinson's and LBD, but for each condition, they are located in different regions of the brain. In Parkinson's, Lewy bodies are primarily found in the substantia nigra region, while they are mainly found spread throughout the cerebral cortex in people with LBD.
While it is unclear exactly how Lewy bodies develop, their build-up in the brain has been linked to reduced levels of neurotransmitters - particularly acetylcholine and dopamine - nerve cell damage and loss of brain tissue.
As mentioned previously, the symptoms of LBD overlap with those of Parkinson's; many people with Parkinson's experience memory and thinking problems associated with dementia, while many individuals with LBD will experience movement problems associated with Parkinson's.
This overlap has led some researchers to believe LBD and Parkinson's is triggered by the same abnormalities in the way the brain processes the protein alpha-synuclein.
Some individuals with LBD and Parkinson's with dementia may also have beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles in their brain, which are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.
The signs and symptoms of LBD
Problems with attention and alertness are very common among people with LBD, and the severity of these symptoms fluctuate frequently throughout the day.
Similar to individuals with Alzheimer's, people with LBD may experience cognitive impairment - particularly memory loss - though this is likely to be less prominent than with Alzheimer's.
Behavioral and mood symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, may occur with LBD.
Most people with LBD experience visual hallucinations - seeing things that are not there - while a smaller proportion may experience auditory hallucinations.
Around two thirds of people with LBD experience movement disorders similar to those seen in Parkinson's - including slowed movement, tremors, rigid muscles and shuffling movements when walking - and this worsens as the disease progresses.
Sleep disorders are another common symptom of LBD, as are changes in autonomic body functions, such as blood pressure, temperature and bowel function.
Depression, anxiety, agitation and other behavioral and mood symptoms may also occur in people with LBD.
Susan Williams explained how her husband displayed a mix of different symptoms - including hallucinations, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and impaired movement - which rapidly worsened in the months before his death.
"They present themselves like a pinball machine," she told People magazine. "You don't know exactly what you're looking at." And this is one of the many reasons why it is so difficult to diagnose LBD.
Diagnosing LBD
There is no single test for LBD. As with other forms of dementia, diagnosis of LBD relies on clinical evaluation, in which a health care professional will assess a patient's physical and neurological symptoms and make a professional judgment as to whether they may have the condition.
Many medical professionals are unfamiliar with LBD, which means a patient may see several doctors before being diagnosed with the condition.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) recommend seeking out a neurologist for an LBD diagnosis, as they are more likely to be skilled in that area. If this is not possible, then a geriatric psychiatrist, a neuropsychologist or a geriatrician may also have experience with diagnosing LBD.
To reach a diagnosis of LBD, a medical professional will typically conduct a series of tests to rule out other conditions. They may conduct a neurological examination, which may involve tests of reflexes, eye movements, balance and sense of touch.
They may also assess a patient's mental abilities and conduct a series of blood tests - to rule out vitamin deficiency associated with poor brain function, for example - and brain scans, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), which can rule out brain tumors and check for signs of Alzheimer's.
However, doctors are unable to reach a definitive diagnosis using these tests. At present, only a brain autopsy after death can diagnose LBD with certainty.
80% of LBD patients are misdiagnosed
Lack of a diagnostic test and the fact that LBD presents so many symptoms that are associated with other conditions means the disease is very difficult to spot.
A recent survey from the LBDA of almost 1,000 LBD caregivers revealed that nearly 80% of people with LBD were initially diagnosed with a different neurological condition, with more than 50% of these being mistakingly diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
A recent survey found patients had to see an average of three doctors before being correctly diagnosed with LBD.
What is more, the survey revealed that patients had to see an average of three doctors before receiving the correct LBD diagnosis, and 15% of patients saw at least five doctors before being accurately diagnosed.
Only 27% of LBD patients were correctly diagnosed within 3 months of symptom onset, according to the survey, and 23% were accurately diagnosed within a year.
However, the results revealed that it took longer than 1 year for a correct diagnosis for 50% of LBD patients, with 20% of these only receiving an accurate diagnosis after 3 years.
The LBDA put the delayed diagnosis of LBD down to a number of factors, including lack of LBD awareness among physicians - particularly primary care physicians and other general health care providers. "Despite the complexity of LBD diagnostic criteria, the four most common causes of dementia - Alzheimer's disease, LBD, stroke and frontotemporal dementia - should become core knowledge for all general physicians," they note.
The LBDA also point out that mild symptoms of the condition - such as poor sleep - may go unreported by the LBD patient or their caregiver, as they may consider them unrelated.
"Caregiver observations are valuable to the LBD diagnostic process, and the creation of caregiver questionnaires may lead to earlier LBD diagnosis," they explain.
A comprehensive treatment approach for LBD
As with other forms of dementia, the earlier an LBD diagnosis is made, the greater the likelihood of successful disease management.
"Recognizing LBD at its earliest stage is critical not only for an accurate diagnosis by the appropriate specialist, but also because it is important for a patient with LBD to be managed by an expert familiar with dementia in general and LBD in particular," says Dr. Howard I. Hurtig, of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
A correct LBD diagnosis is crucial in order for medical professionals to determine how the patient's condition can be managed, as treatment is dependent on the type of symptoms shown.
For example, LBD patients with movement symptoms may be treated with medications normally used to treat Parkinson's, while cognitive symptoms may be treated with drugs such as cholinesterase inhibitors, which are used to treat Alzheimer's.
However, the LBDA stress that patients with LBD are very sensitive to certain medications, and some drugs prescribed to treat some symptoms may exacerbate others or cause severe side effects. Antipsychotic drugs to treat hallucinations, for example, can worsen movement disorders.
As such, LBD treatment normally involves a comprehensive approach in which a number of health specialists collaborate to decide the best therapeutic options for a patient.
Some patients with may also benefit from non-medical therapies, such as physical therapy for movement problems or psychotherapy for behavioral problems.
While there is currently no universal treatment for LBD, researchers are gradually stepping closer to finding one. Medical News Today recently reported on a study published in Stem Cell Reports in which scientists improved motor and cognitive impairments in mice with LBD through stem cell transplantation.
Increasing LBD awareness
It is clear that lack of LBD awareness is contributing to delayed diagnosis of the condition, meaning many people with the condition are going untreated.
Organizations around the globe are working hard to raise awareness of the condition among the general public and health care professionals.
The LBDA, for example, have launched The LBD Awareness Movement, in which the organization provides ongoing advice and awareness materials to physicians and the general community.
October has also been designated as LBD Awareness Month, where the LBDA encourage the public to take part in fundraising activities to raise money for LBD research and support for patients with LBD and their families.
There is no doubt that the current media coverage surrounding Robin Williams' LBD has also helped to raise awareness of the condition, with the LBDA website crashing shortly after Susan Williams spoke to Good Morning America about his illness.
Susan hopes talking about her late husband's struggle with LBD will continue to raise awareness. She told People:
"Robin was very aware that he was losing his mind and there was nothing he could do about it. This was a very unique case and I pray to God that it will shed some light on Lewy bodies for the millions of people and their loved ones who are suffering with it. Because we didn't know. He didn't know."
Visit the LBDA website to learn more about LBD.
What to know about Parkinson's dementia Parkinson's disease affects the nervous system and movement, but it can also affect thought. Symptoms include difficulty speaking, sleeping problems, memory changes, and anxiety. It often leads to dementia. The exact causes are unknown. Treatment can help relieve symptoms. Find out more about Parkinson's dementia. Read now
Contact sports increase Parkinson's disease risk Contact sports can lead to brain injury, which is why they are associated with dementia. New research explains why they may also increase Parkinson's risk. Read now
What's to know about maladaptive daydreaming? Daydreaming can keep many people motivated and forms a part of the personality for many people. However, some people daydream to a disruptive extent. This is known as maladaptive daydreaming. This MNT Knowledge Center feature is about the diagnosis for maladaptive daydreaming, how it is treated, and how it is managed. Read now
Dementia: Unprecedented detail of brain damage revealed Scientists use cutting-edge technology to show how Lewy body dementia affects more than 1 million synapses, the tiny connections between neurons. Read now
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Neurology / Neuroscience Parkinson's Disease Primary Care / General Practice
LBDA, Is it LBD or something else?, accessed 6 November 2015.
LBDA, Most misdiagnosed form of dementia leaves patients, doctors unprepared, accessed 6 November 2015.
LBDA, Caregiver burden in Lewy body dementias, accessed 6 November 2015.
Alzheimer's Association, Dementia with Lewy bodies, accessed 6 November 2015.
Alzheimer's Society, What is dementia with Lewy bodies? (DLB), accessed 6 November 2015.
Lewy Body Society, Lewy body disease science, accessed 6 November 2015.
Mayo Clinic, Lewy body dementia, accessed 6 November 2015.
NIA, Lewy body dementia: Treatment and management, accessed 6 November 2015.
People, 'It was not depression that killed Robin': Susan Williams opens up to PEOPLE about husband's battle with Lewy body dementia, accessed 6 November 2015.
ABC News, Robin Williams' widow talks devastating effects of Lewy body dementia
Visit our Alzheimer's / Dementia category page for the latest news on this subject, or sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest updates on Alzheimer's / Dementia.
Whiteman, Honor. "Lewy body dementia: unrecognized and misdiagnosed." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 6 Nov. 2015. Web.
Whiteman, H. (2015, November 6). "Lewy body dementia: unrecognized and misdiagnosed." Medical News Today. Retrieved from
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Suzanne Rich Folsom
sfolsom@manatt.com
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., cum laude
Duke University, B.A., Political Science
A recognized corporate governance and compliance leader with broad domestic and international experience, Suzanne Folsom understands the many challenges at the intersection of business and law. With a proven track record of driving strategic business transformation and leading successful compliance programs, Suzanne guides private and public companies through the issues that arise under periods of heightened scrutiny, helping enterprises, board members and C-suite executives identify opportunities for transformation and tackle difficult organizational decisions. Her deep, broad-based practice spans several industry sectors, including manufacturing, transportation, insurance, banking, international development, government contracting, cybersecurity and real estate.
Suzanne comes to Manatt as the former general counsel and chief compliance officer for a major international Fortune 200 manufacturing company, where she served as lead strategic advisor to the CEO and company board on a wide range of compliance and regulatory matters, including business transformation, governance, trade, privacy, government affairs, and crisis and risk management. Her leadership led to significant operational improvement in the company’s real estate division, while also driving key business decisions as one of the primary architects of a successful international trade campaign. Suzanne’s corporate governance experience includes restructuring a private paramilitary security firm post-crisis by establishing an effective legal, regulatory and compliance program, and stabilizing a major Fortune 100 insurance institution after the 2008 financial crisis, where she helped establish an enterprise-wide global governance system as vice president, chief regulatory and compliance officer, and deputy general counsel.
Additionally, Suzanne previously served as counselor to the president and director of the Department of Institutional Integrity at the World Bank for three separate presidential terms, where she led the multilateral organization’s anticorruption program during periods of unprecedented examination.
Suzanne is widely recognized for her frequent lectures and thought leadership on corporate governance, compliance, and cyber and diversity issues. She has been acknowledged by The National Law Journal as a cyber/privacy trailblazer for her strategic leadership in the aftermath of a cyber breach and her partnership with the U.S. government to combat the ongoing cyber threat. She brings a uniquely global perspective with the support of an extensive international business and political network, having worked directly alongside business and government leaders in numerous countries across six continents.
2013–2017 Attorneys Who Matter – Top General Counsel Recognition, Ethisphere Institute
2016 Top 50 General Counsels, The National Law Journal, May 2016
2015 GC Powerlist: U.S. Teams, U.S. Steel Legal, The Legal 500, November 2015
2015 Cyber Security and Data Privacy Trailblazer, The National Law Journal, November 2015
2015 Pennsylvania’s Best In-house Legal Department – Diversity, U.S. Steel Legal, The Legal Intelligencer, April 2015
2015 Pennsylvania’s Best In-house Legal Department – General Excellence, U.S. Steel Legal, The Legal Intelligencer, April 2015
2015 Anastasia D. Kelly Transformative Leadership Award, Inside Counsel Magazine
2015 Aiming High Award, Legal Momentum, May 2015
2014 Leader of the Year Award, Women in Compliance (London), March 2014
2013 Corporate Governance Professional of the Year, Corporate Secretary Magazine, November 2013
2013 Outstanding Law Department, ACADEMI LLC, Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association, October 2013
2013 Inside Counsel Magazine Recognizes In-House Counsel Who Are the “Next Generation General Counsel,” Inside Counsel Magazine, August 2013
2013 Washington Legal Department of the Year Award for Corporate Compliance, ACADEMI LLC, The National Law Journal and Legal Times, February 2013
Admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York
Senior Advisor, EqualFuture Corporation
Advisory Board Member, ClearForce LLC
Advisory Board Member, Global Leaders in the Law
Board of Directors, Advanced Metallurgical Group (2017–2018)
Board of Directors, VELUXE LLC (2014–2018)
Board of Visitors Member, Duke University, Sanford Institute of Public Policy (1995–2003)
Senior Advisor, U.S. Presidential Delegation, United Nations Decade for Women Conference (1985)
Special Advisor, United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (1984–1988)
Co-author, “Managing Insider Cyber Threats: How to Handle This Newly Appreciated Risk,” Bloomberg BNA, June 2019.
Co-author, “INSIGHT: Transforming Your Legal Department Into a High-Performing Organization,” Bloomberg BNA, June 4, 2019.
Co-author, “Just checking the box won’t result in true board diversity,” Chief Executive Officer, 2018.
Co-author, “Harnessing Technology for Legal Compliance,” Today’s General Counsel, September 2017.
Co-author, “Corporate Compliance: Practice Tools for Your Program,” Corporate Practice Portfolio Series 103A, Bloomberg BNA, August 2017.
Co-author, “Chief Compliance Officers and Cyber Security: A Match Made in the Boardroom,” CIOReview, January 4, 2017.
Co-author, “Corporate Practice Center Practical Guidance,” Bloomberg BNA, 2017.
Co-author, “The First 100 Days as the New CCO: Shaping Your Core Message,” Corporate Counsel, July 20, 2016.
Co-author, “The First 100 Days as a New CCO: How to Set the Path for Success,” Corporate Counsel, July 19, 2016.
Co-author, “We Must Curb Unfair and Unlawful Practices in Import Trade,” Law360, June 17, 2016.
Co-author, “Principles and Practices of High-Quality Ethics & Compliance Programs,” Report of ECI’s Blue Ribbon Panel, Ethics & Compliance Initiative, December 2, 2015.
Author, “The New Global GC,” Ethisphere Magazine, December 2015.
Co-author, “The Ethics and Compliance Risk Assessment Checklist,” Corporate Counsel, April 23, 2015.
Author, “Strategic motivating terms: encouraging boardroom change,” Corporate Secretary, October 23, 2014.
Co-author, “Corporate Compliance: Building a World-Class Borderless Ethics Compliance Program,” Corporate Practice Portfolio Series 103, Bloomberg BNA, 2014.
Co-author, “Corporate America, Police Yourself,” TheStreet, June 27, 2013.
Co-author, “The Case for a Combined Code of Business Ethics and Conduct,” Corporate Counsel, January 16, 2013.
Co-author, “Preparing for a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Investigation Before You Are Under Investigation,” American Bar Association International Law News, January 2013.
Co-author, “The FCPA Report: Gifts and Entertainment: How to Build an Anti-Corruption Policy that Allows for Appropriate Business Gifts,” Consero, September 19, 2012.
Co-author, “Rules of Engagement for Confronting Corruption in Emerging Markets,” Pages 16-17, Stability Operations, September 5, 2012.
Co-author, “Reducing Corruption Risk By Disrupting Moral Hazard,” Law360, May 7, 2012.
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Suzanne in the News
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Former business oversight commissioner brings unparalleled financial technology and regulatory experience to the firm’s financial services ...
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Manatt’s Jack Quinn, leader of the federal regulatory and government group; Robert Garretson, managing director of the government and ...
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Suzanne Rich Folsom brings unrivaled business transformation and compliance experience to the firm’s government and regulatory group ...
Suzanne's Articles
Managing Insider Cyber Threats: How to Handle This Newly Appreciated ...
“The practice—and, some would say, art—of risk mitigation is a critical skill and a top priority for general counsels and ...
Transforming Your Legal Department Into a High-Performing Organization
Manatt’s Suzanne Rich Folsom and Robert Garretson lend decades of executive experience in strategic leadership, corporate governance and ...
Suzanne's Newsletters
Retail and Consumer Products Law Roundup June 2019
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When Democrats retook the majority in the House of Representatives last fall, Washington and much of the country braced for clashes between the White ...
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Undefeated Boxing Champ Andre Ward's Reason For Retiring Is Powerful — And Necessary
The 33-year-old fighter is leaving the sport because his body can no longer handle it
By Gavin Evans
Lachlan Cunningham / Getty
On Thursday morning undefeated light heavyweight world title holder and pound-for-pound champ Andre Ward made the surprise announcement that he was retiring from the sport of boxing.. Ward made this declaration on his website and included a statement that made it clear that he was wrapping up his 13-year-long professional career because his 33-year-old body could no longer hold up to the pounding the sport inflicted upon it.
“I want to be clear -- I am leaving because my body can no longer put up with the rigors of the sport and therefore my desire to fight is no longer there,” he said. “If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting.” You can read his entire statement here .
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ✌https://t.co/FTBBwubLsd pic.twitter.com/dtQppu8pAZ
— Andre S.O.G. Ward (@andreward) September 21, 2017
Ward appeared on ESPN’s First Take via phone to elaborate upon his sudden decision and shine a light on the side of boxing that fans don't see and often don't want to hear. While the show's hosts were incredulous about Ward's shock decision, he stayed firm, chuckling even as Max Kellerman reminded him that he was walking away from status and millions of dollars.
“People see what I do fight night. They see under the lights, but they don't see the toil, they don't see the grind, they don't see just the pain, the physical pain that you go through, not just in the fights, but to prepare and to get ready for those battles,” he said.
The Speed and Power Boxing Circuit:
"I felt the physicality of the sport, not just in the ring stuff, but the training and the preparation, start to take its toll on me for the last two or three years, and I bit down and continued to push through, and at this point, it's time, and I know it's time.”
"I've been boxing for 23 years and obviously this sport takes a toll on you. Just the cumulative effect of all the training and all the fights, it just starts to wear on you. And when your physical body starts to wear on you then it starts to take your desire. And when you don't have the desire and you don't have the ability, physically, to go out there and prepare the way you need to, you shouldn't be in a boxing ring," Ward explained. "My goal was was always to retire from this sport and not let the sport retire me."
Ward wrapped up his pro career with a perfect 32-0 record, with 16 of those wins coming by way of knockout. During his run as a paid fighter he won both the super middleweight title, as well as the light heavyweight title (the latter of which he held when he retired). He also became the first American to win a gold at the Olympics in eight years when he took home that particular medal for the Light Heavyweight division at the 2004 games in Athens.
Ward's retirement will come as a disappointment to many, but his decision — made after talking to other boxers, he said — is both sound and necessary. While Ward will always love boxing, he's not wrong about the sport's many dangers, from fractures and concussions to CTE. We hope he continues speaking out.
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Box Palm Lift
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The ME Trust Opens Out-Patient Clinic
By The M.E. Trust on July 16, 2018 in News
On 20th July 2018, The ME Trust will open its first clinic for people affected by ME/CFS. The Trust is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the clinic, which will be based at the Outpatients department of Crowborough Hospital, provides a desperately needed opportunity for people with ME to have a face-to-face appointment with an experienced doctor and/or physiotherapist able to provide individually-tailored help in managing their illness.
The clinic will take place on the 3rd Friday of every month. Dates for the remainder of 2018 are: 17th August, 21st September, 19th October, 16th November, 21st December.
Appointments at the clinic are available with a doctor, or physiotherapist, or both. For more details see ‘How We Help’.
Download the full Press Release (pdf 95kb)
Article by Dr Paul Worthley in InterAction Magazine
Vision into Action – Our Three Year Strategy
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• Miami needed help at shooting guard, with Dion Waiters out for the season and Tyler Johnson struggling.
• The price to get him was modest — a second round pick. He’s making only the $2.3 million league minimum, less than $1.1 million prorated for the remainder of the season.
• According to a source, the Heat wanted to end things the right way with Wade after he left the franchise in a contract dispute in the summer of 2016.
Wade, 36, is still effective; he is averaging 11.2 points on 45.5 percent shooting.
STORY: The five stages of realizing Dwyane Wade is coming back to the Miami Heat
Heat players were stunned to learn of the trade after practice.
“Are you joking or are you for real?” Hassan Whiteside asked.
Dwyane Wade landed in Opa-Locka Airport on Thursday, January 8, 2018, after the Heat reacquired their long time star in a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
“D-Waaaaaaaaaaade! I definitely got more lobs when D-Wade was around. His IQ is amazing. I don’t know what we traded for him but come on back D-Wade. Great news for me. Great news in my eyes.”
Johnson said: “I couldn’t imagine us getting him back like this, but I’ll take a Hall of Famer. You know Wade County and all that. I think it’s going to help UD [Udonis Haslem] the most. He finally has another voice with someone who has won and played at the highest level.This is his franchise. Bringing him back is going to rejuvinate a lot of things. I think it’s an uplifting thing.”
Dwyane Wade's actress girlfriend Gabrielle Union reacts to his return to the Miami Heat on Feb. 8, 2018.
Before last Wednesday’s Heat-Cavaliers game, Wade said he wanted to finish his career in a Heat uniform.
“I have thought about it of course,” Wade said when asked by the Miami Herald if he wanted to finish his career here either on the court or with a one-day contract. “I wouldn’t lie and say I haven’t. When that opportunity comes, that day comes, hopefully, I can go out in a Miami Heat jersey. I don’t know how it will be but I would love it.”
Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade talks about to returning to Miami to face the Heat on Thurs., Nov. 10, 2016. The Bulls won 98-95.
Wade said last week that “this team plays hard. They’re consistent with their game for the most part. That’s going to get them a lot of wins. I’m impressed with the guys, J-Rich [Josh Richardson] and taking that step to the next level. Tyler [Johnson], playing amazing. I’m happy for those guys. But I expect it. I expect those guys to play the way they are.”
On coach Erik Spoelstra, Wade said: “He never gets the credit. I’m not saying he’s looking for it. He didn’t get credit when we were winning championships and going to Finals. It’s not easy to have success in this league. Last year, everyone thought he should have been Coach of the Year for what he was able to do. For what they’re doing this year, he’s right back up there in that conversation. He’s a great coach. He’s one of the best in our game. Those players who play their whole career there one day will be happy to know they were coached by a great coach.”
The Heat drafted Wade with the fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft and he spent his first 13 seasons with the team, winning three NBA championships with the Heat before playing the 2016-17 season with Chicago and the first part of this season with Cleveland.
Earlier in the day, the Heat traded injured forward Okaro White to Atlanta for Luke Babbitt, whose 44 percent three-point shooting ranks fifth among all NBA players who have made at least 40 three-pointers. Miami was 31-24 with Babbitt as a starter last season.
Several Heat fans out the AmericanAirlines Arena talk about seeing Dwyane Wade playing for the Chicago Bulls on Thurs., Nov. 10, 2016.
greg-cote
Things are finally how they’re supposed to be. Welcome back to Wade County, Dwyane
Wade says he’s thought about a return to Heat and would ‘love’ to finish his career in Miami
miami-heat
We broke the news of Dwyane Wade coming home to Heat players. Watch how they reacted
Some telling numbers on how Dwyane Wade was playing this season, including something that might surprise you
James ‘truly happy’ for Dwyane Wade’s return to Miami and more social media reaction
Photo gallery: Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat | Thurs., Nov. 10, 2016
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dwyane Wade is coming back to Miami. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted Thursday afternoon that the Cleveland Cavaliers are trading Wade to the Heat. Phelan M. Ebenhack AP
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What Happens When Your Partner Controls Your Wallet — And Your Life
By Shawn Binder
Sandra*, 29, was standing in line at Target the first time she truly began to understand that she was in trouble. Piled in front of her were diapers for her four-month old daughter, a can of soup, and various cleaning products. She had decided to spend the day in the mall, having just finished eating a quick lunch at the food court.
When the cashier slid her card through, she apologized. "I'm sorry, ma'am, this card is declined," the woman told her.
Sandra was confused. After all, she had just been paid 3 days ago. But when the cashier ran her card again, the result was the same. It wasn't until Sandra called her bank that she found out what had happened: her husband had transferred her funds from her checking account to a savings account only he had access to. They had just had an argument about his spending habits.
"He [said] that if he didn't monitor my money, then I wouldn't be able to handle it myself," she later told Mic.
Source: Mic/Getty Images
Financial abuse is often defined as what happens when one partner uses money as a weapon or a tool to control the other. It isn't often discussed because unlike domestic violence, its effects are largely invisible to the naked eye. It can manifest itself in a wide range of ways, varying from a partner moving money to checking accounts someone else has access to, to threatening to turn someone out on the street for not being able to pay rent. Often, it's comorbid with other forms of abuse: According to The National Network for Ending Domestic Violence, 98% of domestic violence cases also included financial and economic abuse.
When this type of abuse occurs, it is often bubble-wrapped in what appears like a normal relationship. A card being declined at Target may not leave a bruise or a black eye or an obvious sign that something sinister is happening, but it represents the exact type of power dynamic that leaves someone who is financially unstable trapped in an abusive relationship.
Becky*, 34, said she began to realize she was in a financially abusive relationship when her husband kept pushing her to have more children. "As soon as I was sending one off to preschool, he was ready for another one," she told Mic. The longer she was required to stay at home and provide care for her children, the less opportunities she had to be economically self-sufficient.
Eventually, Becky eventually gave up her job as a receptionist at a dental office. Every time she took a trip to Walmart for clothing or food, she would get a call from her husband the moment the card was run through the register. "He would sit at work and check the bank account statements. When I would buy something from anywhere he would call me up furious, demanding to know what I had purchased," Becky said.
Becky continued to stay in the marriage, because it was the only way she knew her children would be clothed and fed. Her own home started to feel like a prison. Eventually, she left her husband and moved in with her mother, taking her four children along with her.
"When you're being abused in that way, it definitely breaks down your self-confidence. Everything felt like his. Even my own children felt more like his than mine, because he reminded me constantly how I needed him and his job," Becky told Mic.
According to a 2004 paper from Bowling Green State University, men who financially abuse their partners often do so to make their partners appreciate them more by isolating them from the rest of the world, making them unable to financially contribute to their households. Often, it can be part of a "wider picture of domestic violence," according to LeavingAbuse.
The feeling of isolation manifests itself in various ways: If a partner has control of your finances, for instance, that means you're unable to put gas in their car to escape, or unable to visit friends for lunch without the charge showing up on your bill. Essentially, this leaves the abused party with no hope of planning a safe route of escape. Of women who were surveyed after leaving financially abusive situations, 88% reported staying longer because they had nowhere else to go, according to LeavingAbuse.com.
Because money is a taboo topic for people to openly discuss, regardless of their financial situations, it's often difficult to correctly identify and help those who are being financially abused. Laura*, 23, for instance, was living in New York City with her girlfriend when she was laid off from her job at a PR firm. Instead of being able to call a friend and ask for help making ends meet, Laura's former girlfriend promised to help pay her rent. Six months later, Laura was unable to find work and felt trapped in an abusive relationship with someone she was financially dependent on.
"I don't think I'm ready to leave just yet...but I'm getting there."
"At this point I feel like i'm her live-in maid, and she reminds me of this constantly," Laura told Mic of life with her former partner. "If I were to be honest with myself, I feel like a gross freeloader. Which I know deep down I'm not, I just don't have many other options at this point."
Laura has since broken up with her girlfriend and switched her cell phone number so she can no longer contact her. While looking for a full-time job, she's started taking temp jobs and staying on her friends' couches.
For her part, Sandra is still with her husband, though she says she's taking baby steps toward the day she finally walks out the door. She's started couponing more and asking her husband for cash directly in order to squirrel away enough funds for a lawyer when the time comes.
"For so long it just felt like he was being really careful with money, but I'm so looking forward to the day I can treat myself to a pair of shoes without someone screaming at me on the phone," Sandra told Mic.
*First names have been changed to allow subjects to speak freely about private matters.
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4 Facts to Know About Gisele Bündchen, the Face of the 2016 Olympics’ Opening Ceremony
By Jeff Smith
While Gisele Bündchen is well-known worldwide, there's no single reason why her name is so popular. To many, she's Gisele Bündchen, international fashion model from Brazil. However, the common sports fan may know her as the wife of a popular NFL player.
Bündchen has the high honor of hosting the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics. Unfortunately, not many details of the opening ceremony have been released.
Ahead of the 2016 Olympics opening ceremony, here are a few facts to know about Bündchen.
She's married to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. If you're a sports fan, then you likely know the connection between Bündchen and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Bündchen and Brady were married back in 2009, and have since had two children, son Benjamin Rein and daughter Vivian Lake.
Bündchen has a modest singing and acting career. Not only has Bündchen done her fair share of modeling, she's also done some singing and acting. According to Vogue.co.uk, she's done two songs, as well as two music videos. The first song, in 2013, was called "All Day and All of the Night," while the second was made in 2014 and called "Heart of Glass," featuring Bob Sinclar.
On the acting side, IMDb shows that Bündchen played Vanessa in "Taxi" back in 2004. She was also in "The Devil Wears Prada" in 2006. Lastly, she was the executive producer for a TV show in 2010 to 2011 called "Gisele & the Green Team."
Bündchen has been the highest-paid model in the world since 2004. According to International Business Times, Bündchen was the highest-paid model in 2015, making $44 million from June 2014 to June 2015. That's only the start though, as Bündchen has a net worth of $345 million, according to TheRichest.com, and is the highest-paid model in the world since 2004, which really shouldn't be all that shocking.
She supports multiple charities and has been named the Goodwill Ambassador for the Environment by UNEP.
While Bündchen's big into charity, her and her family have also put together their own project called the Clean Water Project, according to her personal website. In turn, she was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the Environment by UNEP. Other charities that she supports, according to Wikipedia, include Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and Save the Children.
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Art Stage Singapore to present "Indonesian Pavilion"
In a bid to differentiate itself from the highly successful ArtHK, Art Stage Singapore is putting the spotlight on Indonesian art with the launch of the 'Indonesian Pavilion" in its upcoming 2013 edition, taking place from 24-27 January.
There will be a dedicated show space of over 1000 sqm with its own entrance within the main Art Stage fair, which will display key Indonesian galleries as well as features a curated exhibition of Indonesia’s leading contemporary artists, with most of the works unveiled for the first time outside Indonesia, and many created exclusively for Art Stage.
After China and India, Indonesia has become one of the region's biggest and most prolific markets for contemporary art. In 2012, the participation of Indonesian galleries in major art fairs dropped by up to 50% compared to the previous year. The resulting limited access to international collectors and limited market access for emerging artists in Indonesia is a growing concern for the arts world, a concern Art Stage Singapore hopes to address with the Indonesian Pavilion.
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Interview: XamVolo
Posted 12 April 2018
Neo-soul newcomer XamVolo hasn’t got many releases behind him just yet, but according to tastemakers on both sides of the pond, he clearly belongs in the same genepool as Frank Ocean and Anderson .Paak.
Xam tackles music-making like a puzzle, bending instruments, vocals and beats to his will. Taking cues from J Dilla, Erykah Badu and Janelle Monae, he’s a big thinker, wrapping ambitious concepts around chilled vibes.
As a self-taught musical polymath, it follows that his production is on a whole other level too, with analogue samples of Thelonious Monk and vinyl glitch underpinning his stark studio wizardry.
In little over a year, the Liverpool-based, London-born artist has won plaudits from Annie Mac, Mistajam and Gilles Peterson, has racked up hundreds of thousands of streams, and supported Paloma Faith on her recent arena tour.
Not bad for a tenderfoot, who’s only just releasing his debut EP, A Damn Fine Spectacle, this Friday.
We had a chinwag with him before the big day to get the inside track on his one-off approach to sound…
How did you find your way into music-making?
When I was about 14 one of my friends gave me some studio software and I was really fascinated by it. I spent most of my time on in, making instrumentals and things for other people. That was in about 2007, then in 2012 I started trying to write songs for myself and put them out there.
Have you ever had any formal music training?
No, none at school or anything. Due to this lack of training I never had any personal, public or professional aspirations, I just found music a great way to spend my free time and I really wanted to see how deep I could get into it.
When did things get more serious?
I moved to uni to study architecture and met a lot of people who helped me turn this into a more legitimate operation. I really like the production side, I like writing songs, I like crafting things – I see it as a problem-solving exercise instead of an expression. I want to sculpt sound in a certain way – how do I do that? How do I go about conveying a certain idea or executing a concept? That’s what I’m interested in.
How did you first find your voice?
When it comes to singing, I started mainly because people around me were doing it, and I wanted to be involved in all of that. But I never took it seriously. In 2004 and 2005 I was really into early grime and I thought that’s the music I wanted to make. Then I listened to more rap, early RnB, and soul. I discovered people like Erykah Badu and found all that really interesting.
I knew nothing about chords but I found the progressions really interesting – and eventually I found jazz. I realised that a lot of the standout pop, RnB and soul tracks of the early 2000s had a big jazz influence, so I started to research the genre and decided that was the direction I wanted to take things in.
Which particular elements of jazz resonate with you the most?
The swing and the chord progressions – they are the main things I take from jazz. It’s actually what jazz takes from blues. It’s that soulful presentation with added mad chords. I don’t get obsessed with trying to find the dissonance though, I’m not immersed in music theory.
How does your sound come together?
I treat most instruments as the same thing essentially. So, if I use a guitar in a track, it’s not to make it sound like rock music – or even a guitar necessarily – it’s just that I feel its presence or texture is necessary. There’s a certain energy which can only be achieved by using that sound. I feel the same about my vocals – my voice is just one part of the wider instrumental picture. Sometimes I sink it right underneath other things that may need more attention.
Everything is on an equal plane, except the drums, which I think define the genre. You can take instrumentation from any genre or style, but if you change the drums, you change the genre. I feel that the drums are the most important thing.
Other than that, it’s interesting to mish-mash a bunch of genres and techniques…
You use a lot of great old samples in your music – what draws you to those textures?
I’ve always wanted to use samples, but since I’ve had the chance to legitimately do so, I’ve found it’s not always the easiest thing to do. I honestly don’t know how people like Kanye West use samples in every track because it’s such a hassle! They’re really expensive to clear. But I grew up around hip-hop, J Dilla, and all that sampling/rearranging/mosaic approach to music-making – using what’s around for your own sound.
What’s the thinking behind your new EP?
It’s part of a wider arc – the EP will be followed by a bigger project. It’s the first foray into that world. I think the first time I got into an artist who does really elaborate things with their concepts was Janelle Monae’s The ArchAndroid. The futurism concept based on Metropolis was so interesting – and since then I knew I had to build my music around concepts.
The theme throughout this one and the next is desire. I’ve used the symbol of a hive containing a black honey, and it grants whatever you want, eventually. It’s through the eyes of a girl who could build a better life if she dives into the hive.
I’ve started writing more stuff already, just to keep me sharp. I had to stop producing and songwriting for a while and I learned that you have to keep it up. I’m working on some remixes and also loads of live shows. It’s a completely different thing to the studio.
http://www.xamvolo.com/
annie mac
gilles peterson
mistajam
xamvolo
Interview: Dan Hawkins, The Darkness
‘The freedom is amazing!’ The Darkness frontman Dan Hawkins on swapping leopard print leotards and stadium stages for a composing gig on kids’ TV…
Interview: Poppy Ajudha
‘To me everything is political, and if you say it’s not political that’s a privileged choice to not have to interact with politics,’ says East-London’s Poppy Ajudha.
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Payam Akhavan on the sacrifices needed to make the world safer
From 2017: A call to action from the UN’s youngest-ever war crimes prosecutor
by Brian Bethune
Payam Akhavan, law professor at McGill University at Yazidi refugee camp Khanke outside of Duhok, Iraq, July 26, 2016. (Photograph by Peter Bregg, C.M.)
Payam Akhavan arrived in Canada at the age of nine in 1975, one of a Baha’i family who had presciently emigrated from Iran before the fall of the Shah. After the 1979 revolution he watched helplessly from Toronto as family and friends perished during the ayatollahs’ murderous religious persecution, an experience that profoundly shaped his life and career. By 26, Akhavan was the youngest war crimes prosecutor in United Nations history, and has since served with the UN in conflict zones around the world. Currently a professor of international law at McGill, Akhavan’s 2017 Massey Lectures are collected in In Search of a Better World: A Human Rights Odyssey. He describes his lectures as “part memoir, part history and part call to action.”
Q: In your last lecture you come to a sharp point: if we are really going to stand for the truth and support human rights, we are going to have to pay a price. What price do you mean?
A: The price is sacrifice. We need to sacrifice something. And this is what I find lacking. We want to construct an image of ourselves as virtuous but we don’t want to suffer for our beliefs. We want to change the world with a Facebook like. That’s not how the world works.
Q: The price then is more personal than institutional, something akin to what you advocate for: a UN force dedicated to stopping horrible things before they start?
A: I think it is both. It operates at all levels from UN reform to grassroots activism. Helping survivors of residential schools in Canada is not the same as the UN sending in peacekeepers to prevent the genocide in Rwanda. But both are a reflection of our culture and of our priorities. Where there is empathy there is always a solution, where there is apathy there is always an excuse. The price to be paid could be something as simple as the story that I tell of the immigrant couple who, after the residential schools inquiry, showed up at the door of a Native leader with muffins to show their sympathy. Or it could be sending a message to our political leaders that they will lose votes for failing to prevent far-away genocide. Paying the price can mean many different things: emotional, psychological or material. But we must sacrifice something in order to make the world better.
Q: You say the basis of any progress is “felt experience.” That’s where the empathy originates and that’s why you tell a lot of individual stories, because that is how humans respond to one another. Those stories come from throughout your career in conflict zones. And so too do the stories you convey from those we would call the villains: a mass murderer from Bosnia, a would-be suicide bomber you met in Iraq, a Rwandan genocidaire. Stories from both sides. Why?
A: Storytelling is very important. It is through context and relations that we understand the importance of human dignity. The concept means nothing as an abstraction. It’s important for us to understand why people do the things they do, including the monsters—the suicide bomber and the war criminal. Understanding is not acceptance. Understanding is exploring the human psyche. If we want to put an end to violence, we need to have the sort of conversation I had with the teenage suicide bomber.
Q: You are arguing there is nothing natural about mass murder. It arises from rational choices made by cynical and ruthless politicians.
A: I hate the tribal hatred thesis—in Yugoslavia and Rwanda and places like that they kill each other because that’s just what people do there. I think it’s profoundly ignorant. I was astonished when Samuel Huntington wrote his famous clash of civilizations essay in response to the Yugoslavian war. I was on the streets in Sarajevo and every other person I met came from a mixed marriage. And here is Professor Huntington from Harvard writing this is a clash of civilizations. That was absurd.
Q: We may be no more prone to slaughter than to succor each other but we are certainly prone to both. We cannot forget how easily we can and do go off the rails.
A: Yes, but go one step further and consider that in many instances violence—which obviously inflicts tremendous trauma on victims—also inflicts trauma on the perpetrator. Radical evil takes a lot of preparation, not just from an organizational point of view, but from brainwashing, psychological preparation and the legitimization of violence.
Q: For all your achievements, yours has been a career of emotional ups and downs as well. So much of what you find dispiriting about human rights law and procedures is how they amount to putting a bandage on a gaping wound after the fact. Okay, we’ve had a trial and sentenced a war criminal. But there are still thousands of bodies in a mass grave. Do you often feel the futility of international efforts?
A: Yes. When I joined the UN War Crimes Tribunal, it was a realization of the dream of justice, that finally after Nuremberg, the UN is going to put the accused on trial again! And I still believe that accountability that eradicates impunity is very, very important for transforming the sordid culture of politics and power that we see in the world. But we need to be humble about the fact that justice will not bring back the dead. That’s what made me explore the anatomy of genocide. When we deconstruct how radical evil occurs we realize that it is anything but spontaneous combustion. You need pyromaniacs. And underlying problems: in Rwanda in the 1980s because of the plummeting price of coffee, the commodity markets, and World Bank and IMF restructuring, basically the wealth of the country was halved. That certainly had something to do with the rise of extremism.
Q: You’re also dismissive of the realism versus justice argument: the one in which realists ask human rights activists, “How can we get the killers to put down their guns if they know they’re going straight to the Hague for trial afterwards?”
A: There are realities that one needs to deal with, but very often what we are told is political reality is merely cynicism. One could equally say that slavery is a reality, and misogyny too. In Yugoslavia we were told we were not only naive idealists in wanting war criminals to be prosecuted but that we were actually standing in the way of a ceasefire which would save more lives. The idea was that, by giving amnesty to these ruthless warmongers, you would give them an incentive to stop killing. I found that incredibly naive, never mind cynical. Having been on the ground and having met with these ruthless killers, I knew the only thing they understood was the language of force. The reason why the war ended in Bosnia was not because of amnesty but because a combined Croat-Bosnian offensive defeated the Serbs on the battlefield. Sometimes naïveté belongs not to the human rights activists but to the politicians.
Q: You make a compelling case that imposed amnesia—let’s just forget about the past in the name of present peace—is no solution. Of the two main ways of responding—trials, and truth and reconciliation commissions—do you like the latter as much as the former?
A: There’s not a single solution that works in every situation. The commissions have different functions, which I mention in relation to my current efforts in Iraq regarding ISIS crimes committed especially against the Kurdish Yazidi minority, from trials. Criminal trials are fundamentally about individual accountability whereas truth commissions are less about the guilt of the perpetrator and more about the suffering of the victim. A criminal trial is only incidentally a therapeutic or cathartic process for victims. But truth commissions, as we saw in South Africa, have the advantage of giving tens of thousands of people the opportunity to tell their stories, and not only does that contribute to healing but it also contributes to reconciliation, especially when perpetrators also come and express contrition. Wounds simply won’t heal if they are swept under the carpet.
Q: To return to “felt experience,” you raise the example of Raphael Lemkin, who lost 49 relatives in the Holocaust and coined the word “genocide” in his pioneering legal work. Was he a role model for you?
A: Yes, he was. When I wrote a book a few years ago about genocide, I was fascinated about how the word emerged. I read the works of Lemkin, which brought me to what I said about the personal and the professional, the disconnect that we have between emotion and reason. I realized that Raphael Lemkin was a profoundly traumatized individual. He had a very close relationship with his mother, who cultivated his academic interests. In his unpublished autobiography he writes that his proposed treaty criminalizing genocide was an “epitaph on my mother’s grave.” So all of a sudden we begin to understand how human suffering is also the engine of human betterment, and that the people who suffered the most are often most willing to engage in the struggle.
Q: It’s not easy for anyone to step aside from this integrated world, is it? Your family was in New York on 9/11 and heading for the World Trade Center. So thank God for cranky toddlers.
A: I just wanted to share that story, about how my two-year-old’s tantrum about his clothes prevented my family from catching their train to the WTC, because the irony of it. After a decade at the UN, I was thinking depression would destroy my life. And when my son was born—you know how you hold your child in your hands and you think?—I’d had enough of mass graves. Screw this, I’m going to go to New York and make lots of money and have a really good life. And then for several hours, I didn’t know if my family were dead or alive. It changes everything because all of a sudden it’s your child, it’s your wife, it’s your parents. It put things back in perspective.
An excerpt from the 2017 CBC Massey Lectures, In Search of a Better World, can be found here.
In Search of a Better World
Massey Lectures
Payam Akhavan
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The nays have it! it's 253 vs 218
Published: Dec 06, 2012, 06:58 IST | Agencies
Opposition's motion asking government to withdraw its decision to allow 51% FDI was defeated after the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samajwadi Party and the Mulayam Singh-led Samajwadi Party abstained from voting
The Manmohan Singh-led government saved itself some possible embarrassment on Wednesday when it comfortably won the vote in the Lok Sabha on foreign investment in multi-brand retail that is seen as important step in its reform process. It also won another motion on amendments to the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to facilitate its initiative.
BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and Ravi Shankar Prasad look dejected after they lost the vote owing to the SP and BSP backing out. Pics/AFP
Both the motions had been moved by the Opposition. The first, main, motion on the government’s decision to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail that would allow global supermarket chains to set up shop in India was moved by the BJP and the CPI-M.
The second one opposing amendments to FEMA was moved by the Trinamool Congress. With the rival Uttar Pradesh parties, Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which prop the ruling UPA from outside, strategically walking out of the house before the vote, the government sailed through the challenges.
Wholesale victory: Minister of Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal and Minister for Civil Aviation Ajit Singh are all smiles after the Congress-led government won the FDI vote.
The halfway mark needed to win the votes was reduced with the SP’s 22 MPs and the BSP’s 21 abstaining. Propelled by the unlikely Mulayam Singh Yadav-Mayawati combination, the government won the FDI motion with a 35 vote margin — 218 votes for the opposition motion, 253 against in a house with 471 members.
The FEMA motion was won by 30 votes — in a house with 478 members, the opposition got 224 votes and the government 254. “We are very happy. We have the support of the house,” said a beaming Communications Minister Kapil Sibal while lauding the country’s ‘vibrant democracy’.
A defeated Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj slammed Mulayam Singh for walking out of the house and condemned the UPA’s ‘arrogance of power’.
The SP, which had said earlier in the morning that it was against FDI but would not do anything to “trouble the government”, said the move was “anti-farmer”.
“Five crore people in retail trade will be destroyed. This decision has ignored the interests of 20 crore farmers and their families. The decision on FDI was taken under pressure of foreign companies. This is the reason the party boycotted it,” Mulayam Singh said.
“This is not about helping or harming the government. The whole party and MPs had decided to stage a walkout. This was decided by the party and the SP will continue to oppose every wrong decision of the government,” he said.
The decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail is expected to open the doors for major global names such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco.
The vote is expected in the Rajya Sabha, upper house, tomorrow where the government does not have the numbers.
Lalu’s ‘Jamhoora’ jibe angers BJP
The Lok Sabha was on Wednesday adjourned briefly following verbal clashes between Lalu Prasad and BJP members. As soon as Lalu Prasad stood up to participate in the debate on FDI in multi-brand retail, BJP members created a ruckus. An agitated Lalu Prasad addressed BJP members as jamhoore (side-kicks), which led to protests by BJP members.
governmentFDIBahujan Samajwadi PartyBSPMayawatiMulayam Singh
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Cabinet approves proposal to carry out 7 amendments to Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016
Government ramping up infrastructure along border with China says Rajnath
Hrithik Roshan's film Super 30 is now tax free in Bihar
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HomeLatest NewsGulfIraq Latest NewsIraqi lawmakers criticize Trump visit as blow to Iraqi sovereignty
Iraqi lawmakers criticize Trump visit as blow to Iraqi sovereignty
December 27, 2018 Ahmed Rashed Iraq Latest News
Iraqi political and militia leaders condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s surprise visit to U.S. troops in Iraq on Wednesday as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, and lawmakers said a meeting between Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi was canceled due to a disagreement over venue. According to REUTERS
Sabah al Saadi, the leader of the Islah parliamentary bloc, called for an emergency session of parliament “to discuss this blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and to stop these aggressive actions by Trump who should know his limits: The U.S. occupation of Iraq is over.”
The Bina bloc, Islah’s rival in parliament and led by Iran-backed militia leader Hadi al-Amiri, also objected to Trump’s trip to Iraq.
“Trump’s visit is a flagrant and clear violation of diplomatic norms and shows his disdain and hostility in his dealings with the Iraqi government,” said a statement from Bina.
Abdul Mahdi’s office said in a statement that U.S. authorities had informed Iraq’s leadership of the president’s visit ahead of time. The statement said the Iraqi prime minister and U.S. president talked by telephone due to a “disagreement over how to conduct the meeting.”
Iraqi lawmakers told Reuters that the pair had disagreed over where their planned meeting should take place: Trump had asked to meet at the Ain al-Asad military base, an offer which Abdul Mahdi declined.
Trump’s visit comes amid a backdrop of escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, as Washington seeks to counter Iran’s sway in the Middle East. The formation of Iraq’s government has stalled as well amid intensifying discord between the Islah and Bina blocs.
Falih Khazali, a former militia leader turned politician allied with Bina, accused the United States of wanting to increase its presence in Iraq. “The American leadership was defeated in Iraq and wants to return again under any pretext, and this is what we will never allow,” he said.
Bina said Trump’s visit “places many question marks on the nature of the U.S. military presence and its real objectives, and what these objectives could pose to the security of Iraq.”
While there has been no full-scale violence in Iraq since Islamic State suffered a series of defeats last year, some 5,200 U.S. troops train and advise Iraqi forces still waging a campaign against the militant group.
Islah is headed by populist Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Sadr has long opposed the U.S. presence in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. He led two uprisings against U.S. forces in Iraq and is one of the few Shi’ite leaders to also distance himself from Iran.
Iraq’s Shi’ite militias, also known as the PMF, many of which are supported by Iran, oppose the presence of U.S. troops in the region. The PMF was made formally part of the security forces this year after helping the military defeat Islamic State in Iraq in 2017.
Qais al-Khazali, the leader of the powerful Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia said on Twitter, “Iraqis will respond with a parliamentary decision to oust your (U.S.) military forces. And if they do not leave, we have the experience and the ability to remove them by other means that your forces are familiar with.”
Some Iraqis, however, were less concerned with the U.S. president’s visit.
“We won’t get anything from America,” said Baghdad resident Mohammad Abdullah. “They’ve been in Iraq 16 years, and they haven’t given anything to the country except destruction and devastation.”
Iraq crisis
US policy in Middle East
US-Iran tension
Clashes in Tunisia as protests spread over journalist who set himself on fire
Mubarak testifies against the January 25 historical revolution, in Egyptian court
Turkey, The Dance of the Dollar, What are the Real Reasons?
August 10, 2018 Ahmed Rashed Analysis, Column
The rise in the exchange rate of the dollar, which has rallied in recent days, is ongoing. It is known that political reasons remain in the background of this rise. The last apparent reason is [ More … ]
Iran Latest News
Zarif: Iran doesn’t seek new problems with the US
September 25, 2016 Mahmoud Eskaf Iran Latest News
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Islamic Republic is not interested in “any provocation” with the United States, despite having nearly four decades of difficulty with the country. The Iranian minister made the [ More … ]
Column: Will US policy towards Iran change as elections became close?
April 5, 2017 Mahmoud Eskaf Column, Iran Latest News
US lawmakers voted to delay newly imposed sanctions on Iran as the Iranian elections, which may witness a significant change in Iran’s foreign policy, became closer. Iran made a historic nuclear deal with P5+1 powers [ More … ]
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HomeGCCSAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia is home to Islam’s two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king’s official title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
King Salman bin Abd al-Aziz ascended the throne in 2015 and placed the first next-generation prince, Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abd al-Aziz, in the line of succession as Crown Prince.
Following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after the liberation of Kuwait became a source of tension between the royal family and the public until all operational US troops left the country in 2003. Major terrorist attacks in May and November 2003 spurred a strong on-going campaign against domestic terrorism and extremism.
King Abdullah modernized the Kingdom through a series of social and economic initiatives, including expanding employment and social opportunities for women, attracting foreign investment, increasing the role of the private sector in the economy, and discouraging businesses from hiring foreign workers.
The Arab Spring inspired protests – increasing in number since 2011 but usually small in size – over primarily domestic issues among Saudi Arabia’s majority Sunni population.
Riyadh has taken a cautious but firm approach by arresting some protesters but releasing most of them quickly, and by using its state-sponsored clerics to counter political and Islamist activism. In addition, Saudi Arabia has seen protests among Shias in the Eastern Province, who have protested primarily against the detention of political prisoners, endemic discrimination, and Bahraini and Saudi Government actions in Bahrain. Protests are met by a strong police presence, with some arrests, but not the level of bloodshed seen in protests elsewhere in the region.
The country remains a leading producer of oil and natural gas and holds about 16% of the world’s proven oil reserves. The government continues to pursue economic reform and diversification, particularly since Saudi Arabia’s accession to the WTO in 2005, and promotes foreign investment in the kingdom. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are ongoing concerns.
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Another brazen attack in central Mali leaves dozens of civilians dead
By Jay Jackson, Mid East News
BAMAKO, Mali - 134 civilians, including women and children, are now confirmed dead in Saturday morning's deadly attack in the village of Ogossou-Peulh in the central Mopti region of Mali.
Described by an African diplomat as "unspeakable barbarity," the brazen attack which saw masses of people shot or hacked to death by machetes, also resulted in fifty five people being wounded.
"We condemn in the strongest terms this unspeakable attack," François Delattre, France's UN Ambassador speaking as President of the UN Security Council at a press conference Saturday evening in the Malian capital, Bamako.
A Council delegation has been in the country since late last week as part of a mission to Africa's troubled Sahel region. The trip will wrap up tomorrow in Burkina Faso.
The attack on Saturday was carried out by armed men dressed as traditional hunters.
The government responded by removing a number of top miliutary officials from their posts and the dissolving of a militia.
Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga confirmed on Sunday that the Dan Nan Ambassagou association, comprising Dogon hunters, largely credited with Saturday's attack, had been dissolved.
"The protection of the population will remain the monopoly of the state," Maiga told a press conference on Sunday.
Later on Sunday, Reuters news agency said army chief of staff General M'Bemba Moussa Keita was sackedand replaced by General Abdoulaye Coulibaly, while chief of land forces General Abdrahamane Baby was similarly removed, and replaced by Brigadier-General Keba Sangare.
Calling the attack an act of "unspeakable barbarity," Kakou Houadja Leon Adom, the Ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire to the UN and co-organizer with France and Germany of the Council's Mali visit, expressed condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and the government.
Meanwhile, a UN spokesperson said Secretary-General António Guterres was "shocked and outraged," at the attack.
"The Secretary-General condemns this act and calls on the Malian authorities to swiftly investigate it and bring the perpetrators to justice," according to a statement.
The Secretary-General called on the Malian authorities to "redouble their efforts to bring back peace and stability to central Mali."
In a separate statement condemning the attack, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the Head of UN integrated mission, MINUSMA, called for an end to the spiral of violence in Mali and reported that as part of the mission's civilian protection mandate, a rapid response force had been deployed to the scene. The mission was also working to ensure the wounded were evacuated to the nearby town of Sévaré, he added.
"This unspeakable tragedy…unfortunately reminds us that the challenges [in central Mali] are many," he said, calling on the Malian authorities to launch an investigation "so that justice is done and the perpetrators of this atrocity answer for their actions."
The Mopti region has been the scene of deadly violence since the beginning of the year.
Last Sunday, the camp of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMAs) in the village of Dioura suffered an attack in which several of its soldiers were killed. On 26 February, ten people from the Dogon community were killed in an attack on the village of Gondogourou. Further, on 1 January, thirty-seven people were executed in the Fulani village of Kulogon by unidentified armed elements.
At the press conference, Ambassador Delattre recalled, in the context of a recent Security Council resolution extending MINUSMA until the end of June, that the question of central Mali was an integral part of the mandate of the UN peace operation.
"MINUSMA is to support the Malian State through the protection of civilians," he said in response to a question from a journalist.
The situation in central Mali was at the heart of the various meetings that members of the Security Council had in Bamako. "The unanimous message [we received] is that it is essential to break this negative dynamic between the different communities, and to do everything to try and recreate a virtuous circle," said Ambassador Delattre.
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Disgraced US Air Force Officers Were Set Up, Uncovered Stasi Documents Reveal
FILE - This May 6, 2009 file photo shows a cyclist passes over the Glienicke Bridge between Potsdam and Berlin. The Glienicke Bridge, also known as the 'Bridge of Spies', was the setting for several of the Cold War’s most spectacular spy swaps. (AP Photo/Sven Kaestner, File)
Stars and Stripes | By Matthew M. Burke and Marcus Kloeckner
For nearly 40 years, Bill Burhans has steadfastly maintained he wasn't drunk when, as an Air Force lieutenant colonel driving fellow U.S. military liaisons home from a holiday party with their Soviet counterparts in East Germany, he lost control of the car, careened up an embankment and slammed into a bus.
When the car came to a stop on Dec. 29, 1979, Air Force Lt. Col. James Tonge, his passenger, called to him to move the car to the shoulder. But Burhans sat frozen, except for his trembling hands.
It was as if he'd been "hit in the head with an ax at the slaughterhouse," Tonge would later tell U.S. investigators in a sworn statement.
"He didn't respond at all," Tonge said of Burhans, who at the time was set to replace him as deputy of the U.S. Military Liaison Mission.
Based in Potsdam, near Berlin, the USMLM's official mission was to serve as a liaison between the U.S. military command and its Soviet counterpart in post-war Germany, but its personnel also gathered intelligence, monitored Soviet forces and reported on readiness throughout the Cold War era. French, British and Soviet liaison missions did similar work.
After helping Burhans into the back seat, Tonge moved the car himself.
Police arrived in minutes. The two men would say the Soviet officers, including some they suspected of being members of the Soviet's Main Intelligence Directorate, had drugged them -- a story that has remained unchanged in interviews for almost four decades. But the U.S. government did not believe them, treating it as a drunken-driving incident. Tonge and Burhans were fired and sent packing in disgrace.
Now, recently discovered documents from the archives of the former East German state security service -- the Stasi -- prove Burhans' and Tonge's version of events.
According to 250 pages of Stasi files obtained by Stars and Stripes from the German government, the Soviets plotted to target and discredit the men, then considered "high-value targets," culminating on the night of the crash.
Documents reveal a cat-and-mouse game between the Cold War superpowers' "military liaisons," who were effectively spying on each other in the open.
Both men, now in their 80s, and their supporters say they feel vindicated.
"I was thunderstruck to see that Stasi report," Burhans said after receiving a copy from Stars and Stripes. The incident "heavily impacted my marriage and returned me to civilian life."
The documents might not convince everyone of their innocence, he said, but he was glad the information was finally coming to light.
'The friends'
For 40 years, from its founding in 1950 until months after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the Stasi built an extensive network of 189,000 informants, or one in 20 members of the East German Communist Party, according to estimates in a 2008 study by historian Helmut Mueller-Enberg.
After Germany was reunified in 1990, detailed Stasi records -- enough paperwork to stretch 69 miles end-to-end, according to a government website -- were made available to the public. Burhans and Tonge didn't know about the release of the records at the time.
The dossiers on the two men include mundane details of their daily lives, but also reveal the extent to which the two were monitored by code-named informants -- likely including East German cooks, cleaning women and handymen who worked in the U.S. mission house in Potsdam. The informants eavesdropped on the Americans' conversations, followed their movements and read their private mail.
The Stasi started a dossier on Burhans when he first served as an MLM reconnaissance officer in July 1971, until June 1975. They painted him as a bold officer with a knack for shaking his East German minders or turning the tables on them.
On one occasion, when he was on a reconnaissance tour -- the term used for MLM missions -- Burhans shook a tail between Cottbus and Hornow and managed to "not be under control for several hours," one report states.
Another time, he reportedly chased down the people tailing him and photographed them.
"The only thing in our way was the crowd of soldiers," Burhans later wrote of one incident involving an altercation with Soviet troops. The driver "simply plowed on through them in reverse" and the pair got away, escaping almost certain detention.
The Soviets monitored Burhans even after he returned to the U.S. in 1975, intercepting his letters and learning that he hoped to return to the mission. At one point, an informant reported that he might soon be promoted to lieutenant colonel and brought back.
He did return in July 1979. By then, a Stasi plan was well underway to discredit Tonge, who had first served in Frankfurt in 1970 but didn't join the USMLM until May 1976.
A veneer of goodwill
The U.S. and Soviet military missions were founded in 1947 as a two-way channel between the military commands in determining the fate of post-war Germany.
The 14 officers on each side were officially accredited as liaisons and often held social functions meant to build relationships and open dialogue.
"We celebrated New Year's, Christmas, Thanksgiving there was a big dinner and [we] invited people, there was a 4th of July," said Stephen Hoyt, current president of the USMLM Association and an instructor at the University of Maryland University College in Germany.
But as relations soured, the missions began focusing on gathering intelligence on their adversaries.
"For the longest time the thought was the major function of the missions was to see whether or not there was going to be any kind of an invasion," Hoyt said. "We would be able to see whether or not there were any indications of hostility."
They were essentially licensed spies, according to a 2013 U.S. Army history. Uniformed and unarmed, they roamed each other's territory in pairs, driving vehicles with distinctive license plates.
As the only legally sanctioned U.S. representatives in East Germany, the American liaisons specialized in identifying and photographing new Soviet military equipment, Hoyt said. But some areas, detailed on maps they carried, were specifically off-limits.
Actions toward liaisons grew aggressive and continued that way well after Burhans and Tonge left. In 1984, the East Germans rammed a vehicle, killing French mission soldier Philippe Mariotti. A year later, the Soviets shot and killed U.S. Army Maj. Arthur Nicholson Jr., who was taking pictures of a remote Soviet tank shed.
Tonge's Stasi minders found that he consistently ignored signs marking restricted areas. GDR authorities were convinced he was a spy.
The first known "action plan" against him is dated Jan. 10, 1979, nearly a year before the fateful holiday party.
"What to do against Tonge," it states, above a list of tasks, such as collecting damaging material to use against him. It also instructs agents to work Tonge's contacts and use every opportunity to talk to him or his spouse for reconnaissance purposes.
The ultimate goal: "Block his active spy activity and secure spy material and technology."
The measures were not good enough in their initial stages and the East Germans stepped up their drive to discredit the American, the Stasi files show. A document dated Oct. 20, 1980, notes that a "targeted measure" by the Soviets had, by the end of 1979, sidelined him and Burhans.
"Action against him was planned and executed," the document states in German. "During a consultation with the Soviet friends concerning high value targets among USMLM members, it was disclosed that toward the end of 1979 (on Dec. 29, 1979, precisely), the friends had successfully carried out a targeted measure to discredit Tonge as well as his intended successor, Lt. Col. Burhans."
The document was signed by "Lt. Col. Klebow." No further information is included on the "action" taken in the files.
An unreal world
For the American and Soviet liaisons, Dec. 29, 1979, had been a festive day, just days before the dawn of a new decade. Gifts were exchanged, food was eaten, several toasts were raised and vodka shots downed.
After the merriment, Tonge and Army Maj. John Goff piled into a car with Burhans at the wheel and headed back toward West Berlin. After driving three blocks, Burhans "expertly" threaded the serpentine barriers of the Glienicke Bridge -- dubbed the "bridge of spies" -- connecting Potsdam and Berlin, pausing so guards could examine their credentials, Tonge told investigators after the crash.
"The corners are quite tight and require perfect timing," Tonge said in a sworn statement, after describing the border crossing's slalom of thick tank barriers. "Lt. Col. Burhans navigated the course through the barriers with no problem."
Just past the checkpoint, Burhans lost control. Several bottles of vodka -- gifts from their Soviet friends -- were smashed in the accident, making the car and its occupants reek of alcohol, Tonge said in a statement at the time of the crash. There was no sign that Burhans had been drunk before the crash, Tonge said: "All my observations were to the contrary."
Goff, the second passenger, said in a sworn statement right after the accident that Burhans' driving had been "faultless" before he'd swerved off the road. Goff died in 1985.
Burhans wasn't taken to the hospital for a drug test until days later, on Jan. 2. Results showed the presence of a drug that can cause drowsiness, memory loss, lack of coordination and dizziness.
Bromazepam, "containing benzodiazepine derivative, e.g. Lexotanil, was ingested," a U.S. military toxicology report states, referring to an anti-anxiety drug with side effects similar to Valium.
A drug test administered to Tonge five days after the accident found traces of a medication used to control an irregular heartbeat.
Neither Burhans nor Tonge were prescribed any such medications at the time, they said.
Burhans "may have been slipped a mickey," Tonge wrote in his sworn statement after the crash.
Still, the test results, adamant denials and sworn statements were not enough to convince U.S. officials that the Americans were telling the truth and had been set up.
"The commander of the U.S. Army Hospital in West Berlin commented that he was unable to help me clear my name," Burhans wrote in a personal memoir for his children that he shared with Stars and Stripes. "He could not verify that I had not drugged myself to escape responsibility."
Burhans' mental state deteriorated, leaving him so agitated that, when he took a polygraph test, the results were inconclusive, he said.
Officials found him at fault for the crash and ordered him to pay damages, he wrote. They offered him the choice of court-martial or the lesser nonjudicial punishment. He took the latter. He was reassigned to his previous posting as deputy in the USAF Soviet Awareness Program at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.
"To my knowledge, there was no standard operating procedure in place" to respond to being drugged, he said. "In my case, no one bothered to do any investigation other than to implement the [U.S. Command Berlin's] directions" to pursue it as a drunken-driving case.
The incident all but killed the career of a man whose friends described him as a rising star. Burhans' nonjudicial punishment was later thrown out and purged from his record by an Air Force official assigned to review the case, Burhans would later write. The lieutenant general had worked with Burhans in Potsdam and trusted his version of events, but the damage had been done.
"I remained depressed, shut myself off from my wife and children and began to live in an unreal world," Burhans, now 84 and living in Lake Kiowa, Texas, wrote to Stars and Stripes. He told ColdWarSpies.com in 2007 that he became a "hopeless throwaway drunk." After a stint in the hospital for mental health issues, he retired in 1985.
Tonge was also accused of drunken driving, he wrote in handwritten notes following the incident. U.S. Command Berlin ordered nonjudicial punishment, but an officer has to accept it. Tonge refused. They did not have enough evidence to pursue a court-martial.
Though Tonge was promoted to colonel, said he was forced into a dead-end assignment in Wiesbaden where he evaluated foreign scientific and technical information until June 1983. He retired from the military in 1985.
"I was humiliated and singled out," Tonge told Stars and Stripes in December. "They relieved all three of us. Burhans suffered more than I did. There's a bit of shame associated when the government says, 'You're bad.'"
Burhans and Tonge did not remain close, yet they remain forever linked. They agree that the discovery of their Stasi dossiers has helped to set the record straight and exonerate them.
"For me, the most unusual part of the story is finding written evidence that the Soviets drugged us," said Tonge, now 85 and living in Charleston, S.C. "It would have been good to have had that information when Berlin authorities were treating it as an 'alcohol-related incident.'"
In retrospect, Burhans said, despite the personal and professional price he paid following the 1979 incident, "I take it as a compliment that the Soviets considered me that much of a threat."
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© Copyright 2019 Stars and Stripes. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The investigation began after the woman brought her babies to the hospital because one of them had a swollen right leg.
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The Devil's Cave (Hardcover)
Mystery, food, and wine in the French province of Dordogne—the latest offering from Martin Walker, featuring Benoît “Bruno” Courrèges.
It’s spring in St. Denis. The village choir is preparing for its Easter concert, the wildflowers are blooming, and among the lazy whorls of the river a dead woman is found floating in a boat. It’s another case for Bruno, the town’s cherished chief of police. With the discovery of sinister markings and black candles near the body, it seems to him that the occult might be involved. And as questions mount—regarding a troubling real estate proposal in the region; a suspicious, violent death made to look accidental; and the sudden reappearance of a politically controversial elderly countess—Bruno and his colleagues and friends are drawn ever closer to a climactic showdown in the Gouffre de Colombac: the place locals call the Devil’s Cave.
With the enchanting backdrop of France’s pastoral heartland, a cast of local characters as vibrant as their surroundings, enough sumptuous repasts to satisfy any literary gourmand, and a hero winningly capable of balancing the good life with a dogged dedication to solving the crimes that threaten it, The Devil’s Cave invites readers to raise a glass and turn the page.
MARTIN WALKER is senior director of the Global Business Policy Council, a private think tank for CEOs of major corporations, based in Washington, D.C. He is also editor-in-chief emeritus and international affairs columnist at United Press International. His four previous novels in the Bruno series are"Bruno, Chief of Police; The Dark Vineyard; Black Diamond;"and"The Crowded Grave, "all international best sellers. He lives in Washington, D.C., and the Dordogne."
“A sumptuous French mystery filled with wine, cheese, and a lush Dordogne countryside.”
“An enchanting new entry in this solid series.”
“Charming…Bruno, an affable gourmet and dogged investigator, is a winning lead, and Walker perfectly balances developments in his private life with the homicide inquiry.”
“The Devil’s Cave brings to life a pastoral setting where the gourmet menu is as spicy as the sex, and where readers can share in the timeless beauty of the French countryside, laced with a little murder.”
“If you’re looking for an affordable way to have an adventure in the French countryside this summer, try Martin Walker’s latest novel, The Devil’s Cave…This leisurely whodunit strikes a captivating balance between suspense and delight.”
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Publication Date: July 9th, 2013
Thrillers - Suspense
Paperback (April 8th, 2014): $16.00
Compact Disc (February 2014): $123.75
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Partial Truth
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Nauman is perhaps best known for his neon signs, which employ a mixture of vibrant colour and wordplay. In contrast to these, his recent artworks often employ a more sombre style. Comprised of a black granite slab carved with the words ‘partial truth’, this sculpture appears rather like a memorial plaque, and is reminiscent of 1960s minimalist artworks. Nauman here inscribes an abstract concept on to a physical object, perhaps questioning the ability of art to reveal hidden truths. Situated within a gallery space, language nevertheless becomes a tangible entity that demands the interaction between viewer and object.
Bruce NaumanAmerican
In Storage
ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008
© Bruce Nauman / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York and DACS, London 2018.
More about this artwork
Partial Truth comprises a rectangular slab of polished black granite into which have been carved the words ‘PARTIAL TRUTH’ over two lines in the Roman-style lettering scriptura monumentalis. While the word ‘PARTIAL’ is centrally aligned on the upper register, the word ‘TRUTH’ below is indented slightly to the right of centre. The inscribed letters are a lighter colour than the polished surface of the slab so that they stand out against the black. The artist has specified that the sculpture may be displayed directly on the floor, propped up against a wall, or placed on a gilded shelf. When installed on the floor the slab is placed on a shallow wooden plinth, with the letters pointing up to the ceiling, so that a shadow is cast underneath the slab making it appear as though it is floating just above the floor. On the reverse side, ‘Bruce Nauman’ has been inscribed into the stone using a machine, accompanied by the stone-maker’s mark ‘Gemini GEL’ and a symbol comprising the letter U within a small circle. The reverse left corner has been inscribed BN97-2181 5/25, indicating that this work is number five of an edition of twenty-five.
As is the case with many of Nauman’s works, including his neon pieces, the actual fabrication of the work was done by someone else, in this case a stone craftsman. Nauman’s specific plans, in the form of drawings, were followed in the process of constructing the final piece. In addition to this series of granite works Nauman produced fifty prints with the same phrase, ‘PARTIAL TRUTH’, rendered in the same scriptura monumentalis font, for the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art on the occasion of their 1997 exhibition Bruce Nauman: 1985–1996: Drawings, Prints, and Related Works. Prior to making Partial Truth Nauman executed a series of seven black granite slabs titled Seven Virtues/Seven Vices (private collection) in 1983–4, which were his first works in carved black granite. He had previously used blocks of granite for a 1976 work, Enforced Perspective: Allegory and Symbolism (Ace Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles), although this did not include text. In 1989 the artist also used granite slabs for Elliott’s Stones (Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago), a work made for the contemporary art collector Gerald S. Elliott.
In a 2001 interview with the curator Joan Simon, in response to the question of whether he was thinking of working in neon again, Nauman explained where the idea for Partial Truth came from:
No. The last one that almost came up was the piece I did, Partial Truth, when Konrad [the art dealer Konrad Fischer] was dying. It was the year that Susan [Rothenberg] and I had sublet a loft in New York. Konrad had heard about that. He called and said, ‘Bruce, I hear you’re moving to New York.’ I said. ‘No, well maybe partly. This is partly true.’ And he said, ‘This is a piece. We’ll make this piece.’ So I didn’t really think about it very much, but I did make a drawing. By the time I’d made a drawing, he’d already made plans to have it made in neon. Then he died before anything got done. I didn’t really want to do it in neon; it seemed appropriate to do it in stone. That was the last tiny thing that almost got done in neon.
(Cited in Kraynak 2003, pp.392–3.)
Nauman specifically chose granite for Partial Truth to honour his friendship with Fischer. The choice of material and font in which the words are inscribed evoke those used for gravestones, imbuing the work with quiet pathos. Curator Eugen Blume views Partial Truth as ‘characteristic’ of a broader tendency in art of the 1990s that sought ‘to turn over a new leaf, to contest the whole mechanical, routine, unresisting code of affirmativity’ (Blume 2010, p.46). While the use of granite and the scriptura monumentalis font speak of memorialisation, the change of artistic direction that it signaled, from the glow of neon to the more antiquated format of a stone carving, highlights a shift in artistic practice. Moreover, the words ‘PARTIAL TRUTH’ resist confirming completeness, implying that not all is what it seems.
Jill Snyder and Ingrid Schaffner, Bruce Nauman: 1985–1996: Drawings, Prints and Related Works, exhibition catalogue, Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield 1997.
Joan Simon, ‘Bruce Nauman: Vices and Virtues: Interview’, 2001, in Janet Kraynak (ed.), Please Pay Attention Please: Bruce Nauman’s Words, Cambridge, Massachusetts 2003, pp.384–95.
Eugen Blume, ‘Bruce Nauman: Live or Die – or: The Measuring of Being’, in Friedrich Christian Flick Collection (ed.), Bruce Nauman: Live or Die, exhibition catalogue, Hamburger Bahnhof-Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin 2010, pp.8–53.
Ariana Musiol
The University of Edinburgh is a research partner of ARTIST ROOMS.
ARTIST ROOMS: Bruce Nauman - Tate Modern
Ended Sun 1 Jul 2018
View exhibition details
Bruce Nauman is considered one of the most influential artists working today. He was born in Indiana and initially studied Maths and Physics in Wisconsin, then Art in California. In 1965 he abandoned purely painting in favour of working in a variety of media. His work combines bodily consciousness, physical…
Read more about this artist
Related group
Other artworks by Bruce Nauman
ARTIST ROOMS Projects
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Sacramento teacher strike is a warning to #RedForEd Movement everywhere
Much like other teacher actions that have occurred across the nation, Sacramento teachers are demanding changes to their salaries, reduced class sizes, and increases in school support staff including more nurses, psychologists, librarians, and program specialists.
Jeff Bryant
SOURCEIndependent Media Institute
Image Credit: Dougal Brownlie/The Gazette via AP, File
To learn more about school privatization, check out Who Controls Our Schools? The Privatization of American Public Education, a free ebook published by the Independent Media Institute.
Click here to read a selection of Who Controls Our Schools? published on AlterNet, or here to access the complete text.
This article was produced by Our Schools, a project of the Independent Media Institute.
The enduring RedForEd movement that has spurred teachers to walk out of schools, organize massive labor actions, and stage protests in streets and state capitols has resulted in big victories for teachers in terms of new labor-friendly contracts, increased teacher pay, and improved conditions in schools. But there’s a danger these victories could be undone. That’s the warning coming from teachers in Sacramento who are threatening to walk off the job over alleged violations of their collective bargaining agreement with the district.
Much like other teacher actions that have occurred across the nation, Sacramento teachers are demanding changes to their salaries, reduced class sizes, and increases in school support staff including more nurses, psychologists, librarians, and program specialists. But unlike other teacher walkouts, what’s happening in Sacramento is a replay of what they thought they had already won.
“We thought we had an agreement when we threatened to strike last year,” David Fisher tells me in a phone conversation. Fisher is the president of the Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA), which threatened a walkout in November 2017 of the previous school year.
“We were motivated by what was happening in RedForEd movements elsewhere,” he recalls. “We had everything lined up [in preparation for the strike] including having parents organized and having meals ready for the kids” who were going to miss school lunches.
The strike was averted when the union and district administration came to an agreement and signed a new contract in December 2017. Specifically, the three-year contract included an across-the-board pay increase for teachers. Salaries for the district’s teachers are below state averages and rank fourth from the bottom when compared to 14 other comparable districts in the state, according the Sacramento Bee.
Also, teachers won an adjustment to salary schedules that would result in an additional 3.5 percent increase to teachers in the middle stages of their careers. Fisher maintains the pay lag for those teachers had resulted in significant attrition as teachers left the district and went to work in adjacent districts to increase their salaries.
Another significant win for the teachers was to get the district’s reassurance it would hire additional teachers to lower class sizes, especially in the later elementary and middle school grades, and add more school support personnel. In order to fund those new positions, the district pledged to “work with the teachers union,” according to local news reports, to find savings in the employee health care program.
Now the district is refusing to implement the salary rescheduling, Fisher says, and the administration claims the savings from the health care benefits aren’t there, so there’s no money for the class size reduction and additional support staff.
As the district has dug in its heels, teachers went to court to force the district into arbitration – something else the contract required—to implement the salary schedule restructuring. And teachers are demanding the district confirm what kinds of savings it has and hasn’t been able to wring from the health care plan in order to pay for class size reductions and increased support staff, according to Fisher.
In its defense, the district points to an estimated budget deficit of nearly $30 million, which could push the district into insolvency sometime this year and risk a takeover by the state.
Teachers point to data showing that when the district signed the contract with the union, the school system was in its best financial condition ever, with a balance of $56 million in its unreserved fund, double-digit revenue increases, and spending falling short of projections. At the end of the 2017–2018 school year, district income came in over 5 percent above budget.
What happened to the money?
While some local analysts point to the 2017 labor contract as the cause of financial woes, it’s not hard to find other drains on the district’s budget that can be solely attributed to questionable administrative decisions.
First, the district, a regional unified system made up of multiple smaller districts, poured huge amounts of money into salaries and bonuses for all the various superintendents, increasing administrator pay at a clip much faster than the rate of teacher pay boosts. The number of administrators also grew, the union contends, from 251 to 269.8, adding an additional 3.5 million to salaried positions. Fisher told me the average total compensation for district administrators is over $150,000. According to the union’s calculations, the district would save $16.6 million by reducing administrative staff levels to those in 2014–2015 when student enrollment was actually higher.
Also, the district instituted a “use it or lose it” vacation policy that instantly led to a $6 million payout in stored vacation time to administrative employees. The district maintained there would be financial benefits long term, but teachers argue the district didn’t have to release the money all at once.
Teachers also want the state to investigate a recent contract the district signed with the University of California – Merced that drained another at least $1.75 million from the budget. District Superintendent Jorge Aguilar, who helped lead the contract agreement, also happens to retain a paid position at UC – Merced at the same time he serves as superintendent, which seems like a huge conflict of interest. The contract is for establishing a new system to collect and share data on students transitioning from high school to college to “reduce barriers” to college and reduce placement in college remediation classes. Worthy goals for sure, but it’s so far not specified what this new “system” entails and what could be long-term costs to the district.
If you can do the math, spending corrections teachers want to see corrected in the budget may or may not close the deficit gap. But their arguments certainly refute the administration’s claim that outlays resulting from the new contract are solely to blame for budget shortfalls. And the district’s stonewalling on negotiations further undermines its legitimacy in the negotiation.
Fisher says their action is a measured response to the district’s failure to live up to its part of the bargain. Schools will close for one day only and teachers will be mindful of how their actions could be perceived should the district proceed toward insolvency and state takeover.
Nevertheless, he contends the stakes are high if Sacramento teachers don’t walk out. Based on recent conversations he has had with teachers in Los Angeles and Oakland, who both won big concessions from districts after their strikes, he believes that should the district succeed in steamrolling teachers and reneging on its obligations to a signed contract, it will give districts elsewhere a green light to do the same. He is probably right.
#RedForEd
Teachers' Strike
Previous articleThe War Within Initiative helps pay off $5 million in medical bills for veterans
Next articleUnderfunding labor & delivery: A national disgrace that discriminates against women’s & babies’ rights
Jeff Bryant is an Associate Fellow at Campaign for America’s Future and the editor of the Education Opportunity Network website. Prior to joining OurFuture.org he was one of the principal writers for Open Left. He owns a marketing and communications consultancy in Chapel Hill, N.C. He has written extensively about public education policy.
Seeking continued support for 9/11 victims
No charges filed against NYPD officer who killed Eric Garner on video
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Tracing Olive Oil History Through Ancient Cuisines
In her new book, Joan Nathan documents the global migration of olive oil and Jewish food since the biblical era.
By Andrea Adleman on November 30, 2017
Filed in What's Cooking
Considered the preeminent Jewish food historian, author Joan Nathan has incorporated more than 40 years of study into her most recent book, King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World.
We went through the time in the 1950s and ’60s of processed foods, including oils. Now we’ve returned to appreciate the ways olive oil is good for our food and our health. - Joan Nathan
Nathan begins her critically acclaimed book with an overview of Jewish food history, introducing readers to King Solomon, whose existence is subject to debate. Solomon is considered to have led Israel for four decades beginning in 970 B.C.E.
As Nathan writes, Solomon’s legacy “offers an image of a ruler presiding over a diversity of cultures, an abundance of food, and reaching beyond his borders to feed his kingdom.”
Joan Nathan
Solomon exported wheat and olive oil, Nathan writes here in her 11th book. In an earlier book, Nathan writes that olive oil was accepted as a form of payment for taxes in Solomon’s era.
Noting its historic use for cooking, light, and heat, Nathan said, “I’ve always been interested in olives and olive oil because they are bridges between the past and present. They are integral to the ancient food we’re now making in modern ways.”
Nathan cites the chickpea pancake as an example. Placing the recipe in its historical context, Nathan notes that Mesopotamians used chickpea flour since at least 2500 B.C.E. and that migrants brought it to southern Europe centuries later.
Originating in Nice, Nathan’s socca are chickpea pancakes with fennel, onion, and rosemary. The vegetables are sautéed in olive oil. Naturally vegan and gluten-free, the chickpea pancake assumes various names in the many countries that serve it today.
In her recipe for what she colloquially terms “eggplant bits,” the award-winning author embeds a metaphor. The recipe itself is Jewish-style eggplant with Italian and Georgian influences. To Nathan, the “wandering eggplant” represents her nomadic profession.
“I feel as if eggplant has been the leitmotif of my culinary career,” Nathan writes. “Throughout my life of eating in homes and restaurants around the world and writing about ethnic foods, eggplant has always been there, calling me to order it from the menu, begging me to request the recipe from the cook.”
Where there’s eggplant, there’s olive oil. “The pairing is so natural it’s almost hard to imagine an eggplant dish without olive oil,” said Nathan, a frequent contributor to The New York Times and Tablet magazine.
Nathan has been studying the link between olive oil and Hanukkah for at least 20 years, arguing in 1996 that Hanukkah is “as much a celebration of the olive as it is of the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days.”
Nathan’s chocolate and olive oil mousse is neutral under Jewish dietary laws, making it a versatile dessert for Hanukkah and other holiday meals.
Scourtins
Her scourtins are dairy biscuits rooted in history. “A scourtin, an ancient press to mash cured olives, is also the name of a very old biscuit, now served as an appetizer with drinks, a specialty of Nyons, in the south of France, a town that had a Jewish population from at least the 13th century and where many Jews fleeing south during World War II took refuge,” writes Nathan.
The recipe is shortbread cookies with olive oil, chopped black olives, and fennel.
“The purity of olive oil brings us back full circle to its popularity through the millennia,” said Nathan. “We know it’s one of the earliest oils, next to coconut and sesame. We went through the time in the 1950s and ’60s of processed foods, including oils. Now we’ve returned to appreciate the ways olive oil is good for our food and our health.”
More articles on: cooking with olive oil, olive oil culture
Guía Oliva 2019 will rate and describe extra virgin olive oils sold in Chile. The authors intend to educate consumers about what is going on in the Chilean olive oil world.
Filed in Guides
Olive Oil World:
Ali Gürbüz Wins 658th Kirkpinar Before Record-Breaking Crowds
The two-time former champion defeated Orhan Okulu, last year's winner, to claim the honor of head wrestler at Kırkpınar. This is Gürbüz's first title since his disqualification in the 2013 semi-final.
By Daniel Dawson on July 7, 2019
Filed in Olive Oil World
UNESCO Board Endorses 'World Olive Tree Day'
UNESCO Board Endorses ‘World Olive Tree Day’
Following a proposal by Lebanon and Tunisia, UNESCO's executive board has recommended support for "all efforts leading to the proclamation of the World Olive Tree Day"
By Isabel Putinja on April 30, 2019
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WATCH ALL OF SEASON 4
Maggie Lockwood
Played by Marlyne Barrett
Marlyne Barrett stars as Maggie Lockwood, the charge nurse who knows the heart of the staff as well as everyone passing through the emergency department's doors, on the NBC drama "Chicago Med."
Barrett is well known to audiences for her portrayal of City Council President Nerese Campbell on the critically acclaimed HBO series "The Wire." She was also Ian McShane's trustworthy attaché Thomasina on NBC's "Kings" and appeared on the popular FX series "Damages," opposite Glenn Close and Rose Byrne. Additionally, she was seen on John Ridley's ABC series "American Crime."
Barrett starred in the short film "Night Call," which earned more than 28 nominations on the film festival circuit, including seven best short film awards (including at Cannes Film Festival), four best of fest/audience awards and two best lead actress awards. Her feature credits include the 2005 Will Smith comedy "Hitch," the indie film "Quest," directed by Santiago Rizzo, and, most recently, "Shotgun," starring Marisa Tomei.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, to Haitian parents and raised in Montreal with her sisters and brother, she is fiercely proud of her heritage and faith in God. She is married to Gavin W. Barrett, and after making a promise to her parents to get a degree in nursing prior to fulfilling her acting career, she now has the honor of playing a nurse on television.
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With Amazon's Arrival, A New York Community Pushes To Be Included Many residents of the Queensbridge public housing complex feel they have not benefited much from the area's booming development. With Amazon, activists are trying to change that story.
With Amazon's Arrival, A New York Community Pushes To Be Included
With Amazon's Arrival, A New York Community Pushes To Be Included 4:15
January 22, 20195:34 AM ET
Jasmine Garsd
The Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing complex in the country, near the spot where Amazon plans to put a new headquarters. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption
Mark Lennihan/AP
The Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing complex in the country, near the spot where Amazon plans to put a new headquarters.
Amazon's announcement, last year, that it is building a new headquarters in Queens, received mixed reactions.
Some were excited about the tens of thousands of jobs the tech juggernaut is promising to bring to the New York City borough. Others wonder if they will even get access to those jobs, and if the area's already overburdened infrastructure can handle the influx of population.
Chris Hanway says he noticed another, less impassioned response: apathy. Hanway is the executive director of the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement, a nonprofit based in the Queensbridge Houses — the largest public housing complex in North America. It's just a few blocks from where Amazon is building the new headquarters.
"People literally shrugged their shoulders and said, 'Well, we've been down this road before. It's not really going to affect us in any way,' " Hanway says. "Because they've lived this experience."
Some New Yorkers Are Wondering What They'll Get Out Of Amazon HQ Deal
Amazon is not the first major company to move to the area, but activists and nonprofits are trying to ensure that this time, the way the company interacts with the community is different.
In Queensbridge, hope often falls flat
It has experienced significant progress recently, but for decades Queensbridge was marred by violence.
"Queensbridge has always been literally and psychologically isolated," Hanway explains. "It's got the river on one side, the bridge on another and sort of light manufacturing buildings around it."
But it's only a few subway stops away from bustling Manhattan, and in recent years, big companies took note of that. Ralph Lauren opened an office nearby, and so did JetBlue. These days, many neighborhood streets are lined with posh restaurants and cute boutiques.
How Amazon's New Headquarters Could Change Communities In New York And Virginia
And yet, activists say Queensbridge residents haven't reaped the benefits. Hanway says, unemployment is high. He knows this community well, and he can't think of one person employed by the recently arrived major companies. "A lot of hopes and expectations were raised about JetBlue coming into the community, and those hopes ultimately fell flat. Very few, if any jobs came to the residents of Queensbridge."
Officials at Amazon — which is an NPR sponsor — were not available for an interview. They have, however, promised to allocate millions dollars for workforce development, and host job training sessions and fairs at the Queensbridge Houses.
Amazon's Grand Search For 2nd Headquarters Ends With Split: NYC And D.C. Suburb
Hanway has met with Amazon officials, and made it clear, he wants more concrete promises. "What are our goals? How many local residents are we going to hire? Into what kind of jobs? How will we get those residents ready for these jobs? And there have to be benchmarks, and Amazon has to be held accountable for that."
Trying to build a local talent pipeline
On a chilly week night, I head over to an area near the Queensbridge Houses with a lot of warehouses and storage units. Inside one building, a coding class is underway.
Ivy Strickland studies coding at Pursuit, which trains low-income adults for tech jobs. Jasmine Garsd/NPR hide caption
Jasmine Garsd/NPR
Ivy Strickland studies coding at Pursuit, which trains low-income adults for tech jobs.
The student body is what many tech activists wish Silicon Valley looked more like: diverse. Latinos, African-Americans and women.
This is part of the nonprofit Pursuit, which trains low-income adults for tech jobs.
"I think we have a unique opportunity here and for New York to be a place where the technology community can thrive but also be inclusive," CEO and founder Jukay Hsu says.
Hsu, who was once a Harvard classmate of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, says he saw how his school friends revolutionized technology. But then he'd come home to his native Queens and wonder about those left behind.
Hsu is also a co-developer of Amazon's new headquarters. His goal is to make sure the company relies heavily on local talent. "Amazon, when it's here, can be embedded in Queens. Amazon's coming to Queens, but we want to bring Queens to Amazon," he says.
Opinion: Amazon Deal In New York Creates Some Unlikely Allies
In a lounging area outside the Pursuit lecture room, I meet a 26-year-old coding student, Ivy Strickland. She says she's excited about Amazon coming to town.
"I'm the youngest of three children. My mom had us when she was a teenager," she says. "Imagine me, someone who now makes like, under $20,000 a year, able to get a job that could pay me enough that I would be able to do certain things, like pay my mom's mortgage or help her out."
In addition to studying at Pursuit, Strickland works in retail. She says she sees coding as a metaphor of how piece by piece, you can build something amazing.
"To see the way that you can take something so small and grow ... I guess for me, personally, to know where I've come from, it's like the same thing: I can see myself growing," Strickland says.
Whether this city, and this neighborhood, will be able to build something good with Amazon remains to be seen. For now, there is hope, a good measure of distrust and plenty of that legendary Queens strength.
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S. 941 and H.R. 2296: The “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009”
Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) have introduced S. 941, the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009.” Reps. Steve King (R-Iowa) and Zack Space (D-Ohio) have introduced a companion bill in the House. The bills would roll back unnecessary restrictions, correct errors, and codify longstanding congressional policies in the firearms arena. These bipartisan bills are a vital step to modernize and improve BATFE operations.
Of highest importance, S. 941 and H.R. 2296 totally rewrites the system of administrative penalties for licensed dealers, manufacturers and importers of firearms. Today, for most violations, BATFE can only give a federal firearms license (FFL) holder a warning, or totally revoke his license.
S. 941 and H.R. 2296 would allow fines or license suspensions for less serious violations, while still allowing license revocation for the kind of serious violations that would block an investigation or put guns in the hands of criminals. This prevents the all-too-common situations where BATFE has revoked licenses for insignificant technical violations—such as improper use of abbreviations, or filing records in the wrong order.
Among its other provisions, S. 941 and H.R. 2296 would:
Clarify the standard for “willful” violations—allowing penalties for intentional, purposeful violations of the law, but not for simple paperwork mistakes.
Improve the process for imposing penalties, notably by allowing FFLs to appeal BATFE penalties to a neutral administrative law judge, rather than to an employee of BATFE itself.
Allow a licensee a period of time to liquidate inventory when he goes out of business. During this period, all firearms sold would be subject to a background check by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
Allow a grace period for people taking over an existing firearms business to correct problems in the business’s records—so if a person inherited a family gun store (for example), the new owner couldn’t be punished for the previous owner’s recordkeeping violations.
Reform the procedures for consideration of federal firearms license applications. Under S. 941, denial of an application would require notification to the applicant, complete with reasons for the denial. Additionally, an applicant would be allowed to provide supplemental information and to have a hearing on the application.
Require BATFE to establish clear investigative guidelines.
Clarify the licensing requirement for gunsmiths, distinguishing between repair and other gunsmith work and manufacture of a firearm. This would stop BATFE from arguing that minor gunsmithing or refinishing activities require a manufacturers’ license.
Eliminate a provision of the Youth Handgun Safety Act that requires those under 18 to have written permission to use a handgun for lawful purposes (such as competitive shooting or safety training)—even when the parent or guardian is present.
Permanently ban creation of a centralized electronic index of out of business dealers’ records—a threat to gun owners’ privacy that Congress has barred through appropriations riders for more than a decade.
Allow importation and transfer of new machineguns by firearm and ammunition manufacturers for use in developing or testing firearms and ammunition, and training customers. In particular, ammunition manufacturers fulfilling government contracts need to ensure that their ammunition works reliably. S. 941 and H.R. 2296 would also provide for the transfer and possession of new machineguns by professional film and theatrical organizations.
Repeal the Brady Act’s “interim” waiting period provisions, which expired in 1998.
Give BATFE sole responsibility for receiving reports of multiple handgun sales. (Currently, dealers also have to report multiple sales to state or local agencies, a requirement that has shown little or no law enforcement value.) State and local agencies could receive these reports upon request to BATFE, but would have to comply strictly with current requirements to destroy these records after 20 days, unless the person buying the guns turns out to be prohibited from receiving firearms.
Restore a policy that allowed importation of barrels, frames and receivers for non-importable firearms, when they can be used as repair or replacement parts.
S. 941 and H.R. 2296 represents the first time such BATFE reform legislation has been introduced in the Senate. However, the House passed similar legislation (H.R. 5092) in the 109th Congress, by a 277-131 vote. Supporters included 63 Democrats. A majority of the House -- 224 congressmen, including 52 Democrats --cosponsored H.R. 4900 in the 110th Congress.
This bipartisan reform legislation is the culmination of BATFE abuses and problems that were highlighted in several congressional
oversight hearings in 2006.
For more information go to:
BATFE Hearings Lead To Reform Bills
Time To Stop BATFE Abuses: Congress Pursues Firearm Law Reforms
BATFE Raids Wallingford Mobile Home
Courts Clarify Standards for Dealer Violations
H.R. 4900: The “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2007”
H.R. 2324: Worse than S. 843?
NRA Statement on Bump Fire Stock Rule
Ruling: Kansas gun law no defense to federal firearm charges
No, It’s Not Harder to Buy Allergy Medicine than a Gun
New Jersey: Quick release of gun data called trailblazing and troubling
Gun crackdowns have already led to too many federal abuses
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Difference Between HIV and AIDS
After know clean definition and explanation of HIV and AIDS, as well as the relationship between these two here, it’s also important to know how they are different because some of you might still be confused about it.
What’s the Difference Between HIV and AIDS?
Generally speaking, HIV is a virus while AIDS is a sexual disease caused by this virus, although it does not mean that anyone who has HIV in body will develop AIDS. Here is a summary of the differences between HIV and AIDS:
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, as upon infection, human find that their immune system slowly starts to become ineffective.
AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and is the condition that develops after long-term HIV infection. Patients with AIDS have severely impaired immune systems, and are susceptible to infections, such as tuberculosis and pneumonia, as well as particular kinds of cancer.
Are HIV and AIDS always found together?
Today, because of ART therapy, most people with HIV infection live for many years before progressing to AIDS, or never develop AIDS at all.
Any individual who gets AIDS will already be infected with HIV.
How is it transmitted?
HIV is transmitted between people through the exchange of bodily fluids, such as blood, semen, and breast milk. This allows the spread of infection.
You cannot directly catch AIDS from someone; however you can contract HIV, which may progress to AIDS.
Are there any symptoms?
Around 2-4 weeks after initial infection, patients commonly experience flu-like symptoms, which disappear after a while. This is followed by a latent, asymptomatic phase.
When someone has progressed from HIV infection to AIDS, they will usually suffer from several different symptoms of AIDS [listed below].
A simple blood or saliva test can detect anti-HIV antibodies, indicating HIV infection. However, as there is a delay in the body’s production of these antibodies, the test may not be accurate until a few weeks following infection. Fortunately, a new HIV antigen test can diagnose HIV only days after infection.
To analyze whether HIV has developed into AIDS, the patient’s CD4+ T-cell count is measured. If it is below a particular level, AIDS is diagnosed. Patients may also be considered to have AIDS if they have an AIDS-associated opportunistic infection.
What’s the prognosis?
Thanks to advanced HIV treatment, patients can live for many years without progressing to AIDS, and live relatively normally and healthily.
When someone has developed AIDS, their immune system has severely deteriorated, and will be hard to repair. Other infections are frequent, can cause death, and drastically reduce the patient’s life expectancy.
How to Know If You Are HIV-Positive?
The only way to determine for sure whether you are infected with HIV or not is to take a test. HIV tests are widely available and you can get one from your doctor, community or veterans’ health center, Title X family planning clinic, or other healthcare provider. If you prefer, you can use an FDA-approved home test kit.
How to Know If You Have AIDS--Symptoms of AIDS
The list of difference between HIV and AIDS is not complete without knowing the symptoms in different stages.
Stage One occurs 2-6 weeks after HIV exposure. Symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle aches, sore throat, fever, and red non-itchy rash, last 1-2 weeks, and are due to the immune system’s initial defense against HIV.
Stage Two begins after the first symptoms have disappeared and the immune system stops fighting the infection. This phase can last over a decade and not produce any symptoms. However, the HIV is gradually destroying CD4+ T-cells, increasing the risk of other infections.
Stage Three or AIDS is diagnosed if there are under 200 CD4+ cells/mm3 of blood, or if the patient has an “AIDS-defining illness”, e.g. Pneumocystis pneumonia or Kaposi’s sarcoma. Other AIDS symptoms include night sweats, long-term fever, breathlessness, chronic diarrhea, lymph node swelling, weight loss, purple skin patches, bleeding, bruising, and yeast infections.
How Is HIV/ AIDS Transmitted?
Another difference between hiv and aids is their transmission mode. It’s not the AIDS that is transmitted, rather the HIV infection, which can then progress to AIDS. You can catch HIV infection from any other person who has the infection, even if they haven’t tested positive for the virus yet and appear healthy. HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids, including the blood, semen, vaginal fluid, and breast milk, all of which contain enough virus particles to allow another person to become infected.
The most common ways of acquiring HIV are through:
Sexual intercourse (either vaginal or anal) with an HIV-positive person
Needle-sharing (for intravenous drugs) with infected individuals
Transmission from mother to baby in pregnancy or labor, or when breastfeeding
A few years ago, blood transfusion was a common way of contracting HIV infection, but nowadays, donated blood is very thoroughly screened for infections, so the HIV risk from transfusion is miniscule. No cases of HIV transmission through saliva or tears have been documented. However, you may become infected through oral sex or, very rarely, by deep kissing, particularly if your gums are bleeding or you have open mouth sores.
Is There a Cure for HIV?
What Is the Meaning of Sexually Active?
Effects of Masturbation
How Much Sex Is Normal?
Where Can I Get Tested for STDs?
Why Can't I Get Hard?
What Does AIDS Stand For?
Why Are You Always So Horny?
Chances of Getting HIV
Hastmaithun Is Good for Health in Hindi
Can You Have Sex 3 Weeks After C-Section?
What Causes Headache After Orgasm?
Does Mountain Dew Kill Sperm?
Pictures of Hermaphrodites and Famous Examples in History
My Wife Has No Sex Drive
Why Do Orgasms Feel Good?
Essential Oils to Avoid During Pregnancy
How to Spice Up Your Sex Life
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https://www.newmilfordspectrum.com/news/article/Children-invited-to-library-author-talk-13648681.php
Children invited to library author talk
Published 9:09 am EST, Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Author/illustrator Michael Garland will present a children’s talk and book signing at Sherman Library March 13 at 1:30 p.m. He will sign copies of his “Birds Make Nests” book.
Photo: Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo
Sherman Library will present a special children’s talk and book signing with Michael Garland March 13 at 1:30 p.m.
The New York Times best-selling author and illustrator will discuss and sign copies of his book “Birds Make Nests” at the Sherman Center library.
Garland has written and illustrated 39 children’s picture books and illustrated more than 40 books by other authors, many of which have received awards.
His paintings and books are on display at the library through March 13.
Garland’s work has received many honors and is frequently included in the Society of Illustrators and the Original Art of Children's book show as well as annuals from print, graphics and communications arts magazines.
Recently, Garland was included on the list of the top 100 Irish Americans by Irish American Magazine.
In addition to his books, his illustrations have been featured on the cover of Forbes, Fortune and Newsweek magazines as well as bestselling novels.
Garland has illustrated bestselling picture books by celebrity authors, including James Patterson and Gloria Estefan.
His illustrations for Patterson’s “SantaKid” were the inspiration for Sak’s Fifth’s Avenue’s Christmas holiday window display in New York City.
His Christmas Magic has become a season classic and is in development as an animated Christmas special.
Garland resides in Patterson, N.Y., with his wife Peggy and is frequently asked to speak at schools, literary conferences and festivals across the country.
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Book marries ethical and economic aspects of AIDS
Interface: Prof Nicoli Nattrass has won the 2005 UCT Book Award for her work The Moral Economy of AIDS in South Africa.
HIV Positive is the message on Professor Nicoli Nattrass's T-shirt. There are signs pointing to AIDS activism everywhere in her office. And she is gratified that her endeavours in this area have been recognised along with her academic work on AIDS by the 2005 UCT Book Award, presented for her work The Moral Economy of AIDS in South Africa.
Published last year, the book has won wide acclaim from many circles, presenting as it does the interface between the moral and economic facets of AIDS in this country.
In his citation, nominator Professor Anthony Black, director of the School of Economics, writes: "As we know only too well, the struggle against AIDS in South Africa has been hindered by obfuscation and political wrangling, to the detriment of those affected by the disease. So it has been particularly timely to have a book which powerfully makes the ethical and economic case for expanded AIDS prevention and treatment measures. It does this in a manner that is both rigorous and engaging."
Black praises Nattrass's meticulous research and good writing on a topic that addresses one of the country's most pressing issues. "It is indeed a classic example of the kind of work that engaged intellectuals at UCT ought to be doing."
One reviewer was struck by the combination of the book's moral argument and economic theory.
"This is in my view a profoundly impressive work, one written with appropriate passion and argued with intellectual command. Prof Nattrass has strikingly mastered not only the economic theory that is necessary to her argument, more tellingly, she has mastered current debates in medical ethics and distributive justice, and the complexities of AIDS epidemiology and physiology, and has marshalled her material into a compellingly readable, thought-provoking, and at times, moving whole.
"It reflects enormous credit not only on the institution with which Prof Nattrass happens to be associated, but on all who are committed to intellectual and academic endeavour on our continent."
Nattrass, who heads the AIDS and Society Research Unit (commerce faculty) in the Centre for Social Science Research, is hopeful that the award will boost this kind of academic output in her resident faculty.
Tips for teaching business ethics 19 Jul 2019
Keelboat win for UCT 19 Jul 2019
UCT’s ‘Young Mandelas’ 18 Jul 2019
Ensuring students know they are seen and heard 18 Jul 2019 Republished
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Carbon seen bonding with six other atoms for the first time
Earth 11 January 2017
Moritz Malischewski & Konrad Seppelt
TEAR up that old textbook. A pyramid-shaped carbon molecule that contradicts one of the most basic chemistry lessons we learn at school has been studied for the first time. It contains a carbon atom that bonds to six other atoms instead of the four we have been told carbon is limited to.
Atoms form molecules by sharing electrons. Carbon has four electrons that it can share with other atoms. But in certain conditions, carbon can be stretched beyond this limit, says Moritz Malischewski, a chemist at the Free University of Berlin who synthesised and studied the molecule, called hexamethylbenzene.
Typically, this compound resembles a ship’s wheel, consisting of six carbon atoms arrayed in a hexagonal ring, with extra carbon-atom arms protruding from the ring’s outer edge. In an experiment in 1973, German chemists took away two of the compound’s electrons, and evidence suggested that the positively charged version then collapsed in on itself and formed a pyramid. In this arrangement, there are six electrons available to connect the top of the pyramid to the five carbons in the rest of the ring and the extra arm, Malischewski says. But no one double-checked the molecule’s shape, until now.
It is an unusual, unstable arrangement that exists only at low temperatures inside extremely acidic liquids. So Malischewski spent six months tinkering with a potent acid to produce the compound and derive a few milligrams of crystals that could then be viewed using X-rays.
The X-ray diffraction pattern showed the unmistakeable five-sided pyramidal shape (Angewandte Chemie, dx.doi.org/f3s9kw).
Quantum calculations and other experiments suggested a six-bond carbon atom was possible, but the crystal structure serves as photographic proof, says Dean Tantillo at the University of California, Davis. “It sheds light on the nature of bonding and the limits of our understanding of organic chemical structures,” he says.
“It is all about the challenge and the possibility to astonish chemists about what can be possible”
In normal temperature and humidity, the molecule would break down immediately, so it is unlikely to have any practical applications, such as producing new types of carbon nanotubes.
But Malischewski says he was just intrigued by the question of whether the molecule could even exist. “It is all about the challenge and the possibility to astonish chemists about what can be possible,” he says.
This article appeared in print under the headline “Carbon rips up chemistry textbooks”
Magazine issue 3108 , published 14 January 2017
Zapping the brain really does seem to improve depression
Attack of the household products: Hygiene’s hidden risks
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Israel Shows Off 'Very Destructive Power' in Massive Military Drills as U.S. and Iran Face Crisis
By Tom O'Connor On 6/19/19 at 12:17 PM EDT
World International Affairs Middle East
Israel has conducted a massive multi-branch military exercise simulating attacks from foes across its tense, disputed borders as tensions between its top ally, the United States, and arch foe, Iran, approached crisis levels.
The exercise, which was focused on the country's north—not far from contested borders with Lebanon and Syria, two countries which Israel has accused Iran's allies of firing rockets from—was attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The leader, who also serves as defense minister, spoke with participating troops of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and issued a warning to those threatening his country.
"I am concluding a major, multi-corps IDF exercise in several areas. I am very impressed by the improvement in readiness, by the fighting spirit of the soldiers and commanders, and mainly by the destructive power of the IDF," Netanyahu said.
"I hear our neighbors from the north, south and east threatening our destruction. I say to our enemies: The IDF has very great destructive power. Don't test us," he added.
Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (fourth from left) walks past a CH-53 heavy-lift transport helicopter an Israeli military drill in the country's north, June 19. The Israeli leader issued a thinly-veiled threat to Iran, which has threatened to fire missiles at Tel Aviv should a regional war erupt. Ben Gershom/Israeli Government Press Office
In a report posted Tuesday to the Israeli military's official website, the exercise was described as "unique" because it "involved full cooperation between the air force and the ground forces," which "have reached the highest level of cooperation in the last decade." No name was given to the imagined adversary, but the report described "a thinking, challenging and responsive enemy with technologies and capabilities beyond today's arena."
Last month, Israel and Gaza-based, Palestinian Sunni Islamist groups such as Hamas managed to avoid a full-scale conflict last month after the former conducted multiple airstrikes and the latter fired barrages of rockets.
Israel's only other immediate neighbor aside from Lebanon and Syria is Jordan, which was the second and last Arab country to make peace with the world's only majority-Jewish state. The first to do so was Egypt, located on the other side of Gaza.
Today, Israel considers its primary challengers to be Iran-aligned Shiite Muslim groups such as the Lebanese Hezbollah movement. Israel has fought two wars with Hezbollah, both of which involved Israeli invasions of Lebanon and ultimately ended with Israeli withdrawals following vicious bouts. Israel's most recent flare-ups with the group and other Iran supporters have taken place in Syria.
Iran and its regional partners have backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against a 2011 rebel and jihadi uprising that for years received assistance from the U.S. and Middle Eastern allies such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Israel backed Syrian opposition forces until they were largely defeated last summer by the government, which was supported by both Iran and Russia. Israel has, however, continued to conduct airstrikes semi-regularly against targets suspected of being associated with Iran in Syria. While Moscow opposed this campaign, Russian officials are set to meet Monday with Israeli and U.S. counterparts in Jerusalem to discuss potential joint security initiatives.
The U.S., which had troops in both Syria and Iraq, also views Iran's regional presence as a threat. President Donald Trump's administration has accused Tehran of seeking to target Washington's interests in the region as part of a policy mostly communicated by White House national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The situation grew especially dire Thursday as two foreign tankers were damaged in the Gulf of Oman, the second such series of attacks in as many months against commercial oil vessels in the waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the Strait of Hormuz—through which over a third of the world's maritime oil traffic passes.
While U.S. and Iranian personnel both assembled rescue teams in response to the incident, the Pentagon has officially blamed Tehran for the attacks—along with recent rocket attacks against Iraqi bases with U.S. military presence—charges Iranian leaders have vehemently denied and even Washington's allies expressed skepticism.
A picture taken during a guided tour by the U.S. Navy shows damage in the hull of the Japanese oil tanker Kokuka Courageous off the port of the U.A.E. emirate of Fujairah on June 19. The U.S. has accused Iran of planting limpet mines on the vessel, causing an explosion that occurred just as Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo met with Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in hopes of securing stability in the Middle East. MUMEN KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images
U.S. Central Command—designated a terrorist organization by Iran after the Trump administration labeled the Revolutionary Guards with a similar title—first released grainy footage Friday purported to show the elite Iranian force removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the attacked ships. The Pentagon then released a second series of clearer photos that it claimed further proved Iran was linked to the incident.
Iran has counterclaimed that the U.S. is behind destabilizing moves in the region, especially since Trump pulled his country last year out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal by which Tehran agreed to curb nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Israel and Saudi Arabia were among the few international voices that supported the U.S. exit, but the deal's other signatories—China, the European Union, France, Germany, Russia and the U.K.—have continued to back it.
Tehran too continued to back the deal, but recently announced that it would soon exceed uranium enrichment levels stipulated by the accords as European powers have failed to live up to their own commitments in normalizing trade ties with the Islamic Republic under threat of U.S. sanctions. While Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons and the International Atomic Energy Agency had repeatedly verified the country's compliance with the nuclear deal, Israel has disputed this.
For its part, Israel was widely believed to have nuclear weapons of its own, though it has officially neither confirmed nor denied its possession of such weapons.
Israel Shows Off 'Very Destructive Power' in Massive Military Drills as U.S. and Iran Face Crisis | World
Syria thanks Russia, Iran, China for War Help; Wants Turkey, U.S to Leave
Russia Says It Has No Data on Gulf Attacks, Doesn't Believe U.S. on Iran
Iran Warns It's 'Heading Towards a Confrontation' with the U.S.
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Donald Trump, Who Avoided Serving in Vietnam Through Multiple Deferments, Urges Youths to Join Military: 'You Should Do It'
By Shane Croucher On 7/5/19 at 3:42 AM EDT
Politics Donald Trump Vietnam War Fourth of July U.S. military
President Donald Trump urged young Americans to sign up to the military and "make a truly great statement in life" during his Fourth of July address, despite avoiding the Vietnam War draft himself multiple times, and once under dubious circumstances.
Trump spoke of "warriors from a hallowed roll call of American patriots running all the way back to the first souls who fought [for] and won American independence," adding that "the future of American freedom rests on the shoulders of men and women willing to defend it."
"They and thousands before us served with immense distinction, and they loved every minute of that service," Trump said of America's decorated veterans during his speech at Washington, D.C.'s "Salute to America" celebration. "To young Americans across our country, now is your chance to join our military and make a truly great statement in life. And you should do it."
But, in Trump's own record, it was never a good time to do the same, even as his nation called on him to serve alongside many others in Vietnam, and despite spending his high school years at the New York Military Academy, where he excelled as a student athlete.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive to the "Salute to America" ceremony in front of the Lincoln Memorial, on July 4, 2019 in Washington, DC. The presentation features armored vehicles on display, a flyover by Air Force One, and several flyovers by other military aircraft. Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images
In all, Trump secured five deferments from the Vietnam War draft, four of which were because he was still studying at college. The fifth and final deferment was granted on medical grounds after a doctor signed Trump off as having bone spurs in his heels.
The daughters of the late podiatrist in question, Dr. Larry Braunstein, told The New York Times that their father did it as a favor to Fred Trump, the president's father, who owned the building in which the doctor had an office.
They said the suggestion from their father in his oft-told story was that Trump did not have a foot problem that should have disqualified him from the Vietnam troop drafts, and it was not clear if the podiatrist had ever examined him.
"What he got was access to Fred Trump," Dr. Elysa Braunstein, one of the daughters, told The Times. "If there was anything wrong in the building, my dad would call and Trump would take care of it immediately. That was the small favor that he got."
Instead of entering the draft, 22-year-old Trump, who had just graduated from Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, went to work for his father's real estate business, setting him on a path that would, almost 50 years later, lead to the White House.
Donald Trump, Who Avoided Serving in Vietnam Through Multiple Deferments, Urges Youths to Join Military: 'You Should Do It' | Politics
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Be Informed December 29, 2017
LAPD Transforms Lives of Sex Workers in Los Angeles
Serena Wong
Russian Domestic Violence Law Forces Victims to Pay Fines
Factors that Might Explain the Decreasing Presence of Women in Retail
Los Angeles can boast of countless different things: prestigious schools such as UCLA and Loyola Marymount University, celebrities galore, and a food scene that would make any food Instagrammer instantly jealous. However, it also boasts of a statistic that other cities wouldn’t be quite as quick to pick up: prostitution statistics.
With over 10 million residents, Los Angeles is known as the nation’s largest county, also unfortunately boasting one of the largest areas of prostitution. Most of the women who are part of the prostitute community are lured into the lifestyle by men promising them money and lavish living, the women themselves having come from a rough home life.
“Their whole life is usually one of neglect and abuse leading up to this point and by us just arresting them they are back out the next day and doing the same thing,” says Captain Chris Marks, commander of Los Angeles’ Regional Human Trafficking Force. “We’re not looking to prosecute these girls as sex workers. We want them off the street.”
The force was founded earlier in the year by L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell and is comprised of 80 different members from organizations such as Homeland Security, Social Services, and the FBI. Funded with a $1.5 million dollar grant from the Justice Department, the force aims to not only change how the justice system looks at prostitution, but also to end the trade as a whole.
Over the course of the year, the Los Angeles County Police has banded together with the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) to carry out sting operations so that they may arrest the men who are prostituting women for money.
“We go to get the girls who are being exploited, go after the guys who are exploiting them and try to impact the demand,” says Lieutenant Sheriff Barry Hall. “If there’s no one out there buying them there’ll be no one selling and that’s why we want to get as many guys in custody as we can.”
The women and girls caught in the crossfire of sweeps and arrests are offered resources and help from CAST – whether they take the help or not is up to them. “Sometimes they want services and sometimes they just tell us to go away,” says Sarah Leddy, one of CAST’s attorneys.
Sometimes, the sting operations can be as small as arresting a man who propositions an undercover cop in broad daylight. Other times, the arrests can contain swaths of people – such as in November, when 39 people were arrested in Compton during a human trafficking sweep. Out of the 39 people, 17 men were arrested for soliciting undercover deputies and 8 women were identified as victims of human trafficking, one of which was a 13-year-old girl.
It’s easy to see why the task force would be essential to women all across the county; it is even more to those who have spent time in the human trafficking system.
“I came to this country in 1997, believing that I would work as a nanny in Los Angeles,” says Ima Matul, an advocate at CAST who helps train other survivors to be advocates of the group. “Instead, I was trafficked and enslaved in a home by a wealthy family in West L.A.”
She believes that the task force can and will help those trapped in the system to escape it. “I’m only one story, one survivor. But there are so many more in Los Angeles County that have a similar experience of being trafficked: in a home, in a farm, a restaurant, hotel and the healthcare industry, and on the street.”
Featured Image by Matt Popovich on Unsplash
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Academic & Professional Books Environmental & Social Studies Climate Change
At War with the Weather Managing Large-Scale Risks in a New Era of Catastrophes
By: Howard C Kunreuther(Author), Erwann O Michel-Kerjan(Author)
464 pages, 82 illustrations, 47 tables
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262516549 Paperback Sep 2011 Usually dispatched within 4 days
ISBN: 9780262012829 Hardback Jul 2009 Out of Print #179908
The United States and other nations are facing large-scale risks at an accelerating rhythm. In 2005, three major hurricanes – Katrina, Rita, and Wilma – made landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast within a six-week period. The damage caused by these storms led to insurance reimbursements and federal disaster relief of more than #180 billion--a record sum. Today we are more vulnerable to catastrophic losses because of the increasing concentration of population and activities in high-risk coastal regions of the country. The question is not whether but when, and how frequently, future catastrophes will strike and the extent of damages they will cause. Who should pay the costs associated with catastrophic losses suffered by homeowners in hazard-prone areas? In At War with the Weather, Howard Kunreuther and Erwann Michel-Kerjan with their colleagues deliver a groundbreaking analysis of how we currently mitigate, insure against, and finance recovery from natural disasters in the United States. They offer innovative, long-term solutions for reducing losses and providing financial support for disaster victims that define a coherent strategy to assure sustainable recovery from future large-scale disasters. The amount of data collected and analyzed and innovations proposed make this the most comprehensive book written on these critical issues in the past thirty years.
Howard C. Kunreuther is Cecilia Yen Koo Professor of Decision Sciences and Public Policy at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and Codirector of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center. He is Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Innovation and Leadership in Reducing Risks from Natural Disasters. Erwann O. Michel-Kerjan is Managing Director of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center and teaches in the Wharton School MBA program. He is Chairman of the OECD's Secretary-General High Level Advisory Board on Financial Management of Large-Scale Catastrophes.
"The authors have provided the ultimate institutional and theoretical analysis, and empirical reference source, for hurricane and flood risk insurance and mitigation. At War with the Weather will surely become a sine qua non of every researcher, corporate analyst, and state or federal policymaker, and will be extensively cited. A spectacular work."
- Mark J. Machina, Department of Economics, University of California, San Diego
"At War with the Weather provides a comprehensive introduction to, and analysis of, US homeowners' insurance against hurricane risk. This excellent study of disaster insurance will be valuable to readers interested in insurance of hurricanes and other catastrophic risks."
- James K. Hammitt, Professor of Economics and Decision Sciences, Harvard University, and Director, Center for Risk Analysis
"This book will prove to be a very important contribution to this field for a long time to come."
- Robert E. Litan, Vice President for Research and Policy, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
"At War with the Weather offers more than just a detailed plan for managing weather risks. It outlines a long-overdue comprehensive, disciplined theory of risk management that applies to all manner of catastrophes."
- Michael Chertoff , former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
"In At War with the Weather, Professors Howard Kunreuther and Erwann Michel-Kerjan and their colleagues present leading thinking in a data-driven analysis of the problem society faces in managing the risk of natural disasters. They analyze the dynamics of the market, including the significance of insurer regulation, and propose innovative solutions. This book is essential reading for anyone searching for solutions to the problem of financing large-scale catastrophes."
- Terri M. Vaughan , CEO, National Association of Insurance Commissioners
- Robert E. Litan , Vice President for Research and Policy, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
"This is a book you are going to want to read. The subject is important and the authors know what they are doing."
- Joseph B. Treaster , Knight Chair in Cross Cultural Communication at the University of Miami, former New York Times reporter
"This wide-ranging and incisive volume provides telling answers to a compelling question: How should we control the risks and pay for the losses from weather catastrophes? The analysis, with extensive data and new insights, examines the roles of homeowners and regulators, of public and private insurance, and of financial markets in protecting the nation's trillions of dollars of assets at risk."
- Richard Zeckhauser , Frank P. Ramsey Professor of Political Economy, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
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Audley Harrison MBE
Former British Heavyweight Boxing Champion and Olympic gold medalist
After Dinner Speaking
Celebrity Personal Appearance
A graduate from Brunel University in Sports Studies, Audley Harrison boxed at Repton Amateur Boxing Club in Bethnal Green and went on to become British Super Heavyweight champion in 1997. He retained the title in 1998 and won Gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. In 2000, Audley captured the hearts of the nation when he became the first British Heavyweight Olympic Champion, winning Gold at the Sydney Olympics.
Six days after returning home, Audley announced his intention to turn professional, and to do so on home ground, which he did in 2001. Embarking on a highly successful career as a full-time boxer, he became European Champion in 2010, fought for the World Heavyweight title in 2011, and won the Prize-fighter tournament twice, in 2009 and 2013.
Also in 2001, Audley set up his own promotions company to self-manage his boxing career and released his autobiography “Realising the Dream”, the story of a true British Champion, who presents a very real challenge to the world of international boxing. Audley Harrison only took up boxing at the age of 19. Even before his gold medal-winning success in Sydney, Audley was receiving offers in excess of £100,000 to turn professional. But he was determined to make his mark at the Olympics. He also wanted to complete his education.
In 2011 Audley Harrison took part in the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, partnering with dancer Natalie Lowe. Together they made it to the seventh round before being voted out. In 2000, Audley Harrison was awarded an MBE by HM The Queen for services to sport.
Outside of the ring, Audley Harrison successfully self-managed his professional boxing career through his own promotions company. Serving as CEO, he carved an impressive resume of business successes in the boardroom; negotiating with major stake holders, securing agreements and partnerships that continued until he left England and relocated to America. Some of these included spearheading a ground-breaking 17-fight television broadcast license deal with the BBC. He secured a 17-fight Title Sponsorship deal with Cantor Fitzgerald and negotiated a 3-fight television licensing deal with ESPN. He also secured several high profile sponsorships deals — becoming the first boxer in Britain to sign a direct broadcast deal.
Audley devised and implemented an event management timeline template, working with multidisciplinary teams in broadcast production, logistics, and event planning; promoting boxing events throughout the UK and USA. Through the self-management of his boxing career, Audley Harrison gained extensive experience in contract negotiation, event planning, business management, strategic planning, marketing, public relations and publishing on a global scale.
Audley Harrison is highly experienced in conceptualising, and leading teams in event planning, negotiations, devising heads of agreements points for contracts, and implementing strategies that allowed his company to increase revenues for each flight promotion. He has extensive experience in planning and organising training camps, that require meticulous attention to detail, and excellent project management skills in budgeting, and timeline management.
Supremely confident, full of self-belief and dedication, Audley Harrison is an Olympic hero and an inspiration to sports fans everywhere. In his captivating motivational speeches Audley reveals the motivation behind his decision to follow his Olympic dream and he talks openly about the family support that has backed his campaign.
Audley Harrison is also an adept and sought-after keynote speaker, and through his vast experience running his own Promotion company to manage his professional boxing career, he speaks on the following topics:
• Contract Negotiation
• Event & Strategic Planning
• Marketing & Public Relations
• Conceptualisation & Implementation Strategies
• Planning and Organising Training Camp
• Attention-to-Detail with Project Management Skills — including Budgeting and Timeline Management.
Octagon have worked with Audley for over 10 years. Audley is a fantastic role model to all young people. His journey in sport and business is inspiring. His 'never give up' attitude and strong values serve him well and have always been key in reaching his goals. He's personable, entertaining and eloquent.
Octagon.
Clients often ask about purchasing books for giveaways and delegate packs. Below you’ll find a selection of products by Audley Harrison MBE. Click the images to view on Amazon's website. For bulk orders, please speak with your Booking Agent.
To book Audley Harrison MBE, please submit an online enquiry, send us an email or speak with one of our friendly booking agents on +44 (0)1372 361 004.
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Bazaar: Zanzibar Shopping Guide
Zanzibar is known for its distinct colonial buildings, natural beauty and bustling markets. It is particularly known for its spice industry, which draws flocks of locals and tourists to the street markets every day.
An island chain in the Indian Ocean just off the coast of Tanzania, Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region which very much has its own singular identity. Zanzibar is known for its distinct colonial buildings, natural beauty and bustling markets. It is particularly known for its spice industry, which draws flocks of locals and tourists to the street markets every day. A historical hub of the spice and slave trade, its market heritage remains very much intact in modern times.
Main Shopping Areas/Markets
Stone Town
The most iconic area of Zanzibar’s capital Zanzibar City is Stone Town, a historic district and a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stone Town was Zanzibar’s historical capital and was the pulse of the thriving spice trade as well as its brutal slave trade. It is known for its distinct and versatile architecture, which blends European, Arab and Persian styles. Its wealth of historical buildings are a major draw for tourists, but so are its abundance of shops and markets. Stone Town is home to a wealth of boutiques specialising in local goods such as clothing, jewellery, textiles and antiques. Kenyatta Road is particularly well-known for its specialty stores. There is something to cater to the interest of all kinds of travellers in Stone Town and it is without a doubt the most essential shopping district in the region.
Forodhani Gardens
Brianna Barnes wearing a kanga
While it is technically a part of Stone Town itself, the Forodhani Gardens are worth singling out for special mention. Located outside Stone Town’s historic fort along the coastline, it is walking distance from the area’s most famous landmarks. While it is worth a visit during the daytime to appreciate the history and natural beauty, it is at night when the gardens really come alive. A major draw for both tourists and locals, it is known for its bustling night market. The market is one of the best places in the whole of Zanzibar to sample the local cuisine and more broadly, the local culture.
Darajani Bazaar
Zanzibar’s main bazaar is one of the most buzzing parts of the region. A hotbed of activity, the bazaar is the go-to place for local produce and goods. Its food is particularly great, with its seafood and spices being a notably important part of its identity. In addition to food, Darajani Market is a top destination for clothes, local arts and crafts and even household items such as phones and other electronic products.
Memories of Zanzibar
One of the best shops on the bustling Kenyata Road, Memories of Zanzibar is one of Stone Town’s most popular stores for local goods. It is known for its immense wealth of local goods, which range from touristy souvenirs to local clothing, jewellery and textiles. The self-described emporium offers a break from the at-times exhausting haggling of the major markets.
Surti & Sons
One of the more unique specialty stores in Zanzibar, Surti & Sons notably specialises in leather sandals. An artisanal boutique with a singular specialisation, Surti & Sons is known for its painstaking attention to detail. The sandals are made from leather and come in a number of different styles, each unique from the last and handcrafted by the store’s owner Parvin Surti or one of his family members. A truly singular shopping experience in Zanzibar.
Cultural Arts Centre Zanzibar
Wooden boxes at local curio shop
Stone Town’s artistic centre, the Cultural Arts Centre Zanzibar provides a change from the other local craftsmanship found in the majority of the region’s markets. The arts centre displays a wide range of artistic works, ranging from local craftsmanship to paintings both contemporary and traditional as well as jewellery. The centre also provides a number of workshops in various acts of craftsmanship including soap-making, both for locals and tourists alike.
Mwanzo Mpya
Zanzibar and its many markets are full of great sweet vendors selling local goods, but Mwanzo Mpya is especially worth singling out. While Mwanzo Mpya sells a number of different items, it specialises in local fabrics such as the manga and the kitenge, all available in a wide range of striking colours which evoke the region’s unique and exotic identity.
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Back In My Day...
Chris Parsons
THIS weekend, Argyle manager Carl Fletcher and his team will spend over ten hours on the road as they make the 340-mile trip to Morecambe.
A long time, you might think, but coach travel is, of course, part and parcel of life as a professional footballer and Fletch, with more than 14 years experience in the game, is not going to start complain now.
Carl said: “Being from Bournemouth, I was brought up on it. We had a lot of long trips.
“I remember, many a time, going up the M25, down through the Dartford Tunnel - which was probably the worst way to go in the world.
“I think, for the young lads, it's a good grounding. You can’t expect to be flown everywhere and have those luxuries.”
So how do Fletch and lads pass the time?
“I think it goes in stages really,” explains Fletch
“We get on and then everyone does their own little bit for a couple of hours or so.
“They have a sleep, some people play cards, some people watch films.
“Then, after two of three hours, we have a stop, which we have to do because of the driver, and get a bit of food and stretch our legs a bit.
“Then we get back on and we have a quiz.
“We have a staff team, an older team, and a younger team and everyone seems to join in. which is good.
“So that whittles away a good couple of hours and then, fingers crossed, we're usually there by then.
“Everyone's got their own bits and bobs but when we break it up into small little bits like that, it seems to go a bit quicker.”
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Politics|Republicans Seize on Nominees’ Tax Problems
Politics | On the White House
Republicans Seize on Nominees’ Tax Problems
By PETER BAKER FEB. 5, 2009
WASHINGTON — Long after President Obama finds a new secretary of health and human services, presumably one who has paid his or her taxes, the damage from this week’s failed nomination may still plague him and his party.
For years, the Democrats have struggled to shed the image of a high-tax party, and Mr. Obama made significant progress last year, according to opinion polls. But the succession of Obama nominees who failed to pay all of their taxes handed the Republicans a simple, powerful and possibly enduring argument in future tax debates.
“It is easy for the other side to advocate for higher taxes,” Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House Republican whip, told a party retreat last weekend, “because you know what? They don’t pay them.”
That’s become a common refrain in conservative circles in recent days:
¶Senator Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday: “I can see now why liberals don’t mind if the tax rate goes up, because they’re not going to pay it anyway.”
¶Roger Hedgecock, a California radio talk show host, on “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on CNN: “It came down to a situation where the American public realized the Democrats who always want to raise taxes on people didn’t want to particularly pay the taxes on people.”
¶Sean Hannity on his Fox News Channel talk show: “I guess the reason Democrats want to raise taxes, use class warfare, attack corporations is because they take everyone else’s money and redistribute it. But they themselves don’t pay taxes, so there’s no reason for them to worry about tax increases, right?”
The chorus underscores the reversal of fortunes for Mr. Obama and the Democrats on the tax issue. Mr. Obama spent much of last year’s campaign promoting his plan to cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans, promising to raise them only on those Americans who make more than $250,000 a year. Surveys during his general-election contest with Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee, suggested that Mr. Obama had erased some of the traditional Republican edge on taxes.
A CNN survey a few weeks before the election showed that more Americans trusted Mr. Obama on tax policy than trusted Mr. McCain, by a margin of 50 percent to 44 percent. Exit polls on Election Day found that 71 percent of voters thought their taxes would go up under Mr. Obama — but that was not much more than the 61 percent who thought they would go up under Mr. McCain.
After his victory, Mr. Obama moved quickly to reinforce his intention to be a tax-cutter, not a tax-raiser. The economic recovery plan he put forward originally devoted 40 percent of the money to tax breaks, although that proportion has since fallen to one-third or less in the version later passed by the House. Republicans are pushing for deeper tax cuts in the package, but no one is pushing for tax increases at the moment.
Even so, the series of nominees with tax problems could redefine the political dynamics. First there was Timothy F. Geithner, who as treasury secretary now oversees the collection of taxes, but failed to pay $34,000 he owed until the offer of a cabinet job materialized. Then there was Tom Daschle, nominated for secretary of health and human services, even though he neglected to pay $128,000 in taxes until he was selected. And then there was Nancy Killefer, chosen to be the White House chief performance officer, who once had a $900 lien placed on her house for failing to pay unemployment taxes on household help.
Mr. Geithner managed to win confirmation anyway; Ms. Killefer and then Mr. Daschle withdrew their nominations this week. Either way, the three cases, on top of the tax troubles of Representative Charlie B. Rangel of New York, the chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, provide ammunition for the opposition.
“The challenge for Democrats is that Obama did a good job during the general of convincing voters that his party wasn’t just about raising taxes and spending more money,” said Sara M. Taylor, who was White House political director under President George W. Bush. “Between the stimulus and now the Daschle-Geithner tax problem, all that ground is gone.”
Glen Bolger, a Republican pollster, said Mr. Geithner’s confirmation ensures that the issue will be lasting, because his past will come up whenever the issue of tax increases comes up. “It doesn’t help for the late-night comedians to have a ready target on Dems and taxes,” he said. “If they are laughing at you instead of with you, that has a corrosive effect.”
Some Democrats argued that this, too, shall pass, and that the imbroglio will not affect the more fundamental shift in the politics of taxes. “That line would work better if Obama weren’t about to enact one of the largest middle-class tax cuts in history,” said Bruce Reed, president of the Democratic Leadership Council and a former domestic policy adviser to President Bill Clinton. “Republicans found out in the 2008 campaign that it’s hard to tar Democrats as a high-tax party when Democrats aren’t for raising taxes.”
But in a way they will be for raising taxes next year, at least on the wealthiest Americans, when Mr. Bush’s tax cuts are due to expire. Mr. Obama and leading Democrats want to make those tax cuts permanent for most Americans, but repeal them or let them lapse for the rich. Republicans are already arguing that Democrats will not stop there, and it is not hard to imagine television ads featuring the faces of Mr. Geithner and Mr. Daschle.
Given the fiscal strain the government will face by then — Mr. Bush left a deficit topping $1 trillion, the largest in proportion to the economy since World War II, and Mr. Obama and Congress are on the verge of adding hundreds of billions of dollars more to it — the pressure to consider broader tax increases may change the debate. And Mr. Obama’s policy goals of expanding health care and curbing climate change could lead to more pressure for tax increases to pay the costs.
Joe Andrew, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said that the nominees’ tax problems, along with questions about Mr. Obama’s vetting process and his decision to nominate a Republican senator for secretary of commerce, have all combined to undermine the Democrats’ reputation.
“The reason that these are all related is that it is the pro-growth Democrats who have spent decades trying to change the image of the Democratic Party as high-tax and unfriendly to business,” said Mr. Andrew. “So to look like we don’t pay our taxes and don’t have a Democratic C.E.O. to be America’s business and commerce representative is a double whammy to the image.”
The consolation, as he sees it, was Mr. Obama’s decision to take the blame and admit a mistake in the handling of the Daschle nomination. “What is positive about it,” Mr. Andrew said, “is we have a president who gets it, took responsibility for half the problem and moved on.”
Now the question is whether the country will move on as well.
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‘Our Demand Is Simple: Stop Killing Us’
Johnetta Elzie (left) and DeRay Mckesson at MoKaBe’s Coffeehouse in St. Louis.CreditCreditChristaan Felber for The New York Times
How a group of black social media activists built the nation’s first 21st-century civil rights movement.
By Jay Caspian Kang
On the evening of April 25 at the corner of Pratt and Light Streets, in Baltimore’s revitalized downtown district, more than 100 police officers in riot gear stood shoulder to shoulder, shields up. Six officers on horseback fidgeted behind them, staring down at a crowd of about 40, an odd mixture of protesters, journalists and protester-journalists. Earlier in the afternoon, well over a thousand people marched from the Western District police station to City Hall to protest the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose spinal cord was severely injured while he was in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department. Only a handful of live-streamers, an older man in a kente-cloth kufi, five or six teenagers with bandannas drawn across their faces and two young women in cocktail attire who had just been kicked out of a wedding were left. Each person was filming the police.
In the coming days, riots would convulse the city, with young people running through the streets, looting stores and setting fires, and the National Guard descending on their neighborhoods. But this protest looked much like the ones that have characterized the growing movement against police violence. Bodies moved in the dark, but the faces — protesters and police officers alike — were lit up by the thin, lunar glow of cellphone screens.
One protester was DeRay Mckesson, a 29-year-old former school administrator who has spent much of the past nine months attending and catalyzing such protests, from Ferguson, Mo., last summer and fall, to New York City and Milwaukee in December, to North Charleston, S.C., in April. Mckesson, who is from Baltimore, had returned to his hometown not long after Gray’s death to join the protests. Now he stood in his usual pose — his slender back straight as a ramrod, phone held in front of angular face, camera lens pointed directly ahead.
The phalanx of police officers began tapping their riot shields with their batons and shouting, “Move back!” Then, in a sloppy, seemingly unrehearsed lock step, they advanced on the protesters.
Tap —
Moooove back.
Mckesson crouched down and angled his phone. On its screen, I could see the dramatic shot he had composed: the faces of police officers, flat and impassive. As the police marched their way up the street, Mckesson posted a Vine, a photo and a 30-second video to his 85,000 Twitter followers. “What in the world is going on?” he asked. “There’s, like, how many hundred cops for 40 of us? This is wild.” He walked backward at a slow pace, eyes on his screen.
“It’s strange to come home after all that time in St. Louis,” he said, calmly. “I know it’s a cliché, but it’s really driven home the saying: ‘There’s a Mike Brown in every town.’ ”
Since Aug. 9, 2014, when Officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department shot and killed Michael Brown, Mckesson and a core group of other activists have built the most formidable American protest movement of the 21st century to date. Their innovation has been to marry the strengths of social media — the swift, morally blunt consensus that can be created by hashtags; the personal connection that a charismatic online persona can make with followers; the broad networks that allow for the easy distribution of documentary photos and videos — with an effort to quickly mobilize protests in each new city where a police shooting occurs.
We often think of online activism as a shallow bid for fleeting attention, but the movement that Mckesson is helping to lead has been able to sustain the country’s focus and reach millions of people. Among many black Americans, long accustomed to mistreatment or worse at the hands of the police, the past year has brought on an incalculable sense of anger and despair. For the nation as a whole, we have come to learn the names of the victims — Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Tony Robinson, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray — because the activists have linked their fates together in our minds, despite their separation by many weeks and thousands of miles.
In the process, the movement has managed to activate a sense of red alert around a chronic problem that, until now, has remained mostly invisible outside the communities that suffer from it. Statistics on the subject are notoriously poor, but evidence does not suggest that shootings of black men by police officers have been significantly on the rise. Nevertheless, police killings have become front-page news and a political flash point, entirely because of the sense of emergency that the movement has sustained.
The movement began with a single image: Michael Brown, lying facedown on the asphalt, a stream of blood running from his head. That picture, combined with the testimony of witnesses who claimed to see the teenager surrender before being shot several times, brought hundreds of people from St. Louis out to the scene of his death the same evening. The following day, Aug. 10, protests began on West Florissant Avenue nearby, as well as outside the Ferguson Police Department; the crowds demanded justice for Brown and that the name of the officer who shot him be released, prompting the police to come out in force. That night, the QuikTrip gas station on West Florissant burned, which in turn brought out the mainstream media and an even more militarized police response. By Aug. 13, images from the Ferguson protests — plumes of tear gas, armored vehicles in the streets, packs of heavily armed police officers wearing military fatigues — were leading the news.
Mckesson watched all this from Minneapolis, where he was working in the public-school system. He was struck by the distance between the sensational accounts of rioting he saw on television and the reports he was reading on Twitter from people in Ferguson, who claimed that the cops had been firing tear gas and rubber bullets into crowds of peaceful protesters. Mckesson decided to go see the protests for himself.
On the morning of Aug. 16, Mckesson drove to St. Louis. Inspired, in part, by the Twitter accounts he had been following — at the time, Mckesson had fewer than 900 followers and tweeted inconsistently — he decided to live-tweet the trip. Setting out, he tweeted: “En route.” A couple hours later, he tweeted: “So, this stretch through Iowa has trucks that aren’t very good drivers.” And when he finally arrived in St. Louis, Mckesson noted: “I should’ve gotten gas in Iowa. Much more expensive in St. Louis.”
Mckesson arrived in Ferguson, and the next day he headed over to West Florissant, where he was tear-gassed. His terse, matter-of-fact updates, which had seemed almost comical when describing the banalities of everyday life, took on a forceful lucidity in the context of the protests, especially when they were accompanied by raw photographs from the scene.
“Y’all, tons of police,” he tweeted that night. “Tear gas. It has begun #Ferguson.” He added: “Also, the noise sirens are out. Tear gas feels like extreme peppermint tingling. F.Y.I. #Ferguson.” Then, about an hour and 30 tweets later: “Phone is dying. I am nowhere near my car. I am lost in #Ferguson. Really bad car accident. Looting across from it. Pray for me. #Ferguson.”
Mckesson was radicalized that night. “I just couldn’t believe that the police would fire tear gas into what had been a peaceful protest,” he told me. “I was running around, face burning, and nothing I saw looked like America to me.” He also noticed that his account of that night’s tear-gassings, along with a photo he took of the rapper J. Cole, had brought him quite a bit of attention on Twitter. Previously, Mckesson used the social-media platform to post random news articles that interested him, but now he was realizing its documentary power. He quickly grasped that a protester’s effectiveness came mostly from his ability to be present in as many places as possible: He had to be on West Florissant when the police rolled up in armored vehicles; inside the St. Louis coffee shop MoKaBe’s, a safe haven for the protesters in the city’s Shaw neighborhood, when tear gas started to seep in through the front door; in front of the Ferguson Police Department when shots rang out. He had to keep up a steady stream of tweets and carry around a charger so his phone wouldn’t die.
Mckesson eventually returned to Minneapolis, but by then he had committed himself to the protests. He started traveling down to St. Louis every weekend. On one of those trips, Mckesson met Johnetta Elzie, a fellow protester who goes by Netta. They became fast friends.
Elzie is “Day 1,” the term given to Ferguson protesters who showed up on Aug. 9. She grew up all around St. Louis, spending much of her childhood in the beauty salons where her mother worked. The day Michael Brown was killed, Elzie, who had been mourning the death of her mother, went down to Canfield Green, a housing complex near where Brown was shot, to pay her respects.
The first thing Elzie did was tweet: “It’s still blood on the ground where Mike Brown Jr was murdered. A cone in place where his body laid for hours today. #STL #Ferguson.” She experimented with other networks to see if they could do a better job of spreading what she was seeing. “I took an Instagram photo — there was one teddy bear; maybe three, four candles on the ground,” she told me. “I even tried Tumblr, a social-media platform that I never use. Those videos got hundreds of thousands of reposts.”
Over the next few weeks, Elzie, who studied journalism in college, emerged as one of the most reliable real-time observers of the confrontations between the protesters and the police. She took photos of the protest organizers, of the sandwiches she and her friends made to feed other protesters, of the Buddhist monks who showed up at the burned QuikTrip. Mckesson, too, was live-tweeting when he was back in Ferguson, integrating video and referring to protesters and police officers alike by name. Mckesson’s tweets were usually sober and detailed, whereas Elzie’s were cheerfully sarcastic, mock-heroic and forthright: a running account of events that felt intimate.
CreditChristaan Felber for The New York Times
Other voices came to the fore as well. There was Bassem Masri, perhaps Ferguson’s most famous live-streamer, who attracted tens of thousands of viewers to nightly feeds that showed what the protests looked like beyond the media barricades. Another local activist, Ashley Yates, created T-shirts and hoodies that read “ASSATA TAUGHT ME” — a reference to the former Black Panther Party member Assata Shakur — and that became part of the protest iconography. Clifton Kinnie, a senior in high school, organized other students throughout St. Louis. By the fall, these activists and a handful of others had gone from lone Internet figures to recognized faces of the movement.
Mckesson and Elzie focused much of their attention on criticizing the mainstream media, who devoted too much airtime, they felt, to violence and discord among the protest community. As a corrective, in mid-September, they teamed up with Brittany Packnett, the executive director of St. Louis’s Teach for America program, and Justin Hansford, a law professor at St. Louis University, to publish the This Is the Movement newsletter, which scrutinized and curated the daily news out of Ferguson. A wide range of readers, from reporters to protesters to officials within the Department of Justice, subscribed. Pretty soon, Mckesson and Elzie were appearing regularly on TV and radio. The two cultivated appealing personas, becoming easily recognizable to their many followers. Mckesson had begun wearing red shoes and a red shirt to protests. Later, he replaced this outfit with a bright blue Patagonia vest, which he now wears everywhere he goes. (Someone created a DeRay’s vest Twitter account.) Elzie often wore dark lipstick, a pair of oversize sunglasses and a leather jacket: the beautician’s daughter channeling a Black Panther.
Mckesson and Elzie have always insisted that the movement is leaderless, that it is a communal expression of pent-up anguish spilling onto the streets, but over the fall, they were frequently called upon to serve as its spokespeople. Elzie was invited to conferences and panels, and talked with established social-justice activists around the country about the actions in Ferguson. Mckesson, who was dutifully putting out the newsletter during this time while still working at his job in Minneapolis, began using Twitter to announce actions throughout St. Louis. He and Elzie would tweet a time and location and then wait for the people to show up. By October, they were also being followed by the police, who would sometimes arrive at the scene of the action before the protesters themselves.
Together, Mckesson and Elzie were developing a model of the modern protester: part organizer, part citizen journalist who marches through American cities while texting, as charging cords and battery packs fall out of his pockets. By Nov. 24, when Robert McCulloch, the St. Louis County prosecutor, announced that Darren Wilson would not be indicted on murder charges, a network of hundreds of organizers was already in place, ready to bring thousands of people into the streets with a tweet.
I first met Mckesson on Dec. 7, the 121st day of continuous protests in Ferguson. Three days before, a grand jury in Staten Island decided not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo, of the New York Police Department, on charges of killing Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, by choking him. Demonstrations broke out across the city, with major bridges and tunnels shut down every night by protesters, and Mckesson traveled to New York to join them. In Grand Central Terminal, I ran into a group of 30 protesters who had just performed a “die-in,” lying quietly on the ground for four and a half minutes — the duration symbolizing the four and a half hours Michael Brown’s body was left in the street. A handful of police officers stood by, looking bored and stern.
The crowd headed outside into a cold rain and started up the chants: “Black lives matter!” “I can’t breathe!” “We need freedom from these racist-ass cops!” Three young white protesters in front of me — all dressed alike in thick, fur-fringed coats covered with see-through, formless rain ponchos — marched in a straight line with their phones set to video mode, holding them solemnly in the air like processional candles. At 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, near the New York Public Library’s main branch, I saw Mckesson, recognizing him by his blue Patagonia vest. He was walking at the edge of the crowd, head buried in his phone.
THE MOVEMENT ON TWITTER | Johnetta Elzie (top row, left to right). St. Louis: ‘‘STL City got me with the teargas twice last night! Not tonight!’’ New York: ‘‘I can’t breathe.” Selma, Ala.: ‘‘The Edmund Pettus Bridge.’’ Baltimore: ‘‘Baltimore.’’
DeRay Mckesson (bottom row, left to right). St. Louis: ‘‘#ferguson today.’’ New York: ‘‘Protesters. Chokehold. Moment of silence. Protest. NYC. Grand Central.’’ Selma, Ala.: ‘‘Masons.’’ Baltimore: ‘‘Horses. Baltimore.’’CreditTop row: Johnetta Elzie. Bottom: DeRay Mckesson.
We walked with the group until it came to a halt in Times Square. Mckesson stood under a bank awning, shivering. When I asked why he didn’t wear something warmer than a vest, he smiled and said, “I feel bulletproof in this.”
An elderly man in an orange rain parka walked up to us and said he had been inspired by Mckesson’s Twitter account and wanted to thank him for the work he did in Ferguson. “You just keep it up and stay safe,” the man said. Mckesson, who speaks in a high-pitched, singsong voice, thanked the man for his kindness before turning his attention back to his phone.
After the protest, Mckesson and I retired to a nearby cafe in a Japanese bookstore. Mckesson took out a large charging device, roughly the size of a deck of cards, and plugged in his white iPhone 6 Plus. Then, reaching into a vest pocket, he pulled out another white iPhone and plugged that in as well. Dozens of Twitter notifications piled up on his screen, and Mckesson shared them with me. Earlier that day, he asked if any of his followers knew the address of William Bratton, New York’s police commissioner, thinking that he might organize a protest.
In response, one person called Mckesson a “Mongoloid,” while others asked if he was threatening Bratton’s life. Some tweets were obliquely menacing: “I look forward to seeing your ass rightfully beaten” or “I hope one of his Rottweilers takes a bite out of your ass.” The tone of these replies went beyond standard trolling — an odd familiarity ran through them. The Twitter users, especially the more vicious ones, seemed to actually know Mckesson and some of his fellow protesters.
“This is, like, every day,” Mckesson told me. “The trolls are wild. They know where I am at all times.”
Mckesson had come to New York to attend workshops and to spread the word about actions in the city. He wanted to see if the wave of dissent that had gathered in the streets of Ferguson and radiated out across the Internet could become something substantial and organized. Two weeks later, after a series of actions involving tens of thousands of people, the murder of two New York police officers had a chilling effect on the street protests. For now, though, Mckesson was in his element, using his phone to create a connection between the outrage on social media and the actions in the streets.
In the cafe, surrounded by shrink-wrapped pastries and a gathering of lucky cat figurines, he answered WhatsApp messages from fellow organizers and text messages from friends, and tried to fact-check a future tweet. When he wasn’t sending out data, he was swiping down on Twitter to refresh his timeline with such frequency that it looked as if he were petting his phone.
“When I tweet, I’m mostly preaching to the choir,” he said. “But the heart of the movement is in the actions. It’s in shutting down streets, shutting down Walmarts, shutting down any place where people feel comfortable. We want to make people feel as uncomfortable as we feel when we hear about Mike, about Eric Garner, about Tamir Rice. We want them to experience what we go through on a daily basis.”
Mckesson is a restless man. In the time we spent together, the only occasion I can recall him sitting in one spot for more than 15 minutes was in an Applebee’s in St. Louis, where, after a long day of protests and TV interviews, he laid his head down next to a plate of salmon — he almost always orders salmon — and fell asleep. But his habit of seeing every minute of relaxation as a minute lost serves his activism well. In the rare quiet moments between police shootings and actions, Mckesson tweets and retweets stats, trivia, inspirational messages and the names of the dead.
NYC TV stations report crimes committed by blacks more frequently than they even occur.
Love is the Why.
Justice is not an abstract concept. Justice is a living Mike Brown. Justice is Tamir playing outside again. Justice is Darren Wilson in jail.
I once watched Mckesson spend a good five minutes trying to edit down a tweet that ran long before calling one of his closest friends. They talked through the tweet together. Ultimately they landed on this: “Blackness in America is never a question of afraid or unafraid; it’s a matter of varying degrees of fear, as we are victims of state terror.” This obsessive focus is evident in every part of Mckesson’s life. He makes a point to never curse in public. He is too busy to watch movies or television. He does not have a boyfriend (some in the movement have objected to having a gay man in a prominent position). And although fellow protesters sometimes call him “the storyteller,” his tweets gain their force from their concision and relentlessness rather than from narrative flair.
Mckesson grew up in Baltimore, the son of drug addicts; his mother left the family when he was 3, so his father and great-grandmother raised him and his sister. Starting in sixth grade, Mckesson was elected to the student government every year all the way through college. He went to Bowdoin, the small, elite liberal-arts college in Maine, paying part of his own way through a work-study job in the mailroom. During lulls, he would study the rows of mailboxes in the student union, trying to learn the name of every student on campus, hoping it would give him an edge in the coming campaigns. He also worked as a campus tour guide and diligently honed his patter. When he found that he was stumbling through the list of languages Bowdoin offered, he practiced reciting them. When he saw that prospective students weren’t reacting to his presentation as enthusiastically as he hoped, he tweaked his delivery until he got it right. There is a touching earnestness to Mckesson that makes you want to believe everything he says.
“There was a whole generation of Bowdoin students who came to the college because of the campus tours DeRay would do,” said Barry Mills, the president of Bowdoin, who considers Mckesson a close friend. “He’s always known how to inspire a group of people, so it doesn’t surprise me that he’s become a thought leader for what’s going on out in Ferguson.”
After graduating in 2007, Mckesson joined Teach for America and taught middle school for two years in East New York, Brooklyn, before moving back home to Baltimore to work in H.R. for the city’s schools. He developed a reputation as a ruthless administrator — every hiring and firing was justified, in his own mind, by what was best for the kids in the district.
His career, both academic and professional, was built on an unusual faith in effecting change from within a bureaucratic organization, whether a student government or the city public-school system. But when he saw Michael Brown lying dead in the street, he felt as if he had come up against the edge of that belief. “I kept thinking, Kids can’t learn if they’re dead,” he told me.
There is an indelible picture of Mckesson taken on his first full day in Ferguson. He is standing by the side of the road, right fist raised defiantly in the air; in his left hand, he holds a cardboard sign that reads: “My Blackness Is Not a Weapon. #handsup #dontshoot.” Behind him are the dull greenery of St. Louis in August and hints of the one-story, uniform brick houses off West Florissant. After a night of photographing and documenting everyone else at the protest, Mckesson, the education executive with a six-figure salary, finally turned the camera around on himself, revealing the awkward resolve of a student-body president who had lost confidence in all those systems and was trying something new.
In March, Mckesson and Elzie traveled to Selma, Ala., for the 50th-anniversary commemoration of Bloody Sunday, the pivotal moment in the civil rights era when protesters marching on the Edmund Pettus Bridge were brutally attacked on national television by Alabama state troopers. I stood with Mckesson on the bridge. “We’re really up high,” he said, staring down at the brown waters of the Alabama River. “Can you imagine having all those troopers on horseback riding toward you, trying to beat you down? Where do you run? You definitely can’t jump over the side here.” All day, hundreds of tourists had been walking over the bridge, solemnly touching its supports and snapping selfies in front of its historical markers. If Mckesson was feeling the sway of the 50th anniversary, he betrayed no emotion. Instead, he asked me how far I thought the drop was down to the river, and started searching Google for answers.
Mckesson and Elzie have each expressed ambivalence over whether the youth movement should try to draw from the popular image of the civil rights movement. They worry that the constant comparisons with something that happened 50 years ago will dilute the immediacy of today’s protests. Much as they admire the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — each is well versed in his writings — they feel his legacy has been distorted. He is held up as an avatar of genteel protest, invoked by conservative politicians and leaders in the black community as a way to discredit their movement. Mckesson and Elzie frequently point out that King was in fact a revolutionary who believed in the power of confrontation, and that it’s a crime against American history to confuse the real King with an appealingly passive one. To make their point, they participated in an action called #ReclaimMLK, which sought to counter “efforts to reduce a long history marred with the blood of countless women and men into iconic images of men in suits behind pulpits.”
“Also,” Elzie often says whenever someone brings up King as a way of questioning their work, “they killed him too.”
If you ask Mckesson and Elzie why there is no central figure in today’s movement, they will again insist on the advantages of leaderlessness. If you bring up legislative reform, they will point out that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been all but rolled back and that their aims go well beyond small changes to the criminal-justice system. If you bring up nonviolence as the only civilized way to effect change, they will recite King’s words: “A riot is the language of the unheard,” or they will say they don’t condone rioting, but they understand it. Their resistance to confining the civil rights movement to a museum made Mckesson and Elzie an awkward fit for Selma, which was filled with people doing just that.
At dinner that night in Montgomery, Mckesson and Elzie received the news that a 19-year-old unarmed black man, Tony Robinson, had been shot and killed in Madison, Wis. They spent the meal with their heads bent over their phones, compiling and tweeting out all the information they could confirm through their sources in the Madison protest community. Piece by piece, a digital portrait of Robinson emerged: a photo of him in a graduation gown, his arm around a female friend; a few tweets he sent out in the days before his death. Then, around midnight, dinner long gone by, Mckesson sighed and held up his phone to show Elzie a photo of the front steps of Robinson’s home, which were streaked with blood. “That’s where they dragged him out of his house,” Mckesson said.
The next morning, in the lobby of the education center at Selma’s George C. Wallace State Community College, Mckesson and Elzie took selfies with Diane Nash and her son Douglass Bevel. In the early ’60s, Nash, along with Bernard Lafayette Jr., John Lewis and others, founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (S.N.C.C.). She also helped organize the Freedom Riders, helped lead the march from Selma to Montgomery and played a key role in the push to integrate lunch counters throughout the South. Between photos, Nash talked to another admirer about a call she had received from one of Bobby Kennedy’s aides, who pleaded with her to cancel an action because Kennedy thought there was a good chance people would be killed.
Mckesson and Elzie seemed almost star-struck, peppering Nash with questions about the civil rights movement and then posting her answers on Twitter. Mckesson told Nash she needed to get on Twitter to share her wisdom.
“Twitter?” Nash asked. “I just figured out how to have a Facebook.”
“Twitter is the revolution, Ms. Nash,” Mckesson said.
For him, the social network seemed to have become not just the site of revolution but the conduit for his ideas. Two days later, on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Mckesson was scheduled to speak at a rally before a ceremonial crossing of the bridge. As we drove from Montgomery to Selma, Mckesson wrote drafts of tweets on his phone.
“I do this to make sure what I say can be tweetable,” he explained. “And it helps me be precise in what I say.”
He muttered lines to himself. “We must always confront,” he said, but something about the phrase displeased him. He deleted the words and started from the top.
Mckesson and Elzie arrived in Selma and walked to the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, the starting point for the original march across the bridge. Inside, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. was addressing the congregation. The crowd outside was made up largely of union members carrying placards for their local chapters. Mckesson, Elzie and Packnett, who arrived the night before, tried to find a contact who would take them to the foot of the bridge, where Mckesson would speak. After 20 minutes of confusion, they walked back through the crowd to a small auditorium off Broad Street, where Bernard Lafayette Jr. was holding a book signing. When they walked in, an elderly woman said, loudly enough for all to hear, “Social media just showed up.”
In the end, Mckesson did not get to deliver his speech. The Rev. Al Sharpton, who followed Holder, went long, and there was no time left.
In an interview with People magazine to promote the release of the film “Selma,” Oprah Winfrey voiced some of the questions skeptics have had about the modern protest movement. “I think it’s wonderful to march and to protest, and it’s wonderful to see, all across the country, people doing it,” she said. “But what I’m looking for is some kind of leadership to come out of this to say: ‘This is what we want. This is what has to change, and these are the steps that we need to take to make these changes, and this is what we’re willing to do to get it.’ ”
Certain factions of the movement have made explicit demands. During the Eric Garner protests in New York, a group called the Justice League NYC, which is affiliated with Harry Belafonte, came out with a list that included the immediate firing of Officer Pantaleo and the appointment of a special prosecutor. In the wake of the Department of Justice’s report on Ferguson, some people within the St. Louis protest community demanded the recall of Mayor James Knowles III. But on the whole, the movement does shy away from specific policy prescriptions. Instead, the work seems to be aimed at an abrupt, wide-scale change in consciousness, channeling the grief and anger that these police killings engender around the country. The pipelines for that energy are still under construction, but asking the leaders of the youth movement what they plan on doing with it is akin to barging into a funeral and asking the mourners why they haven’t donated their inheritance to charity yet.
Soon after I met them, Mckesson and Elzie took me on a tour of some of the sites around St. Louis where black men have been killed by the police. Many of the buildings that burned during the protests were standing in ruin. “They want to leave them all up,” Elzie said, referring to the St. Louis city government. “They want this to be a museum of black rage.” As we drove from the Six Stars Market, where Kajieme Powell, 25, was shot in August, to the gas station where Antonio Martin, 18, was killed in December, Elzie talked about the emotion behind the movement and how, for many people in St. Louis, the Ferguson protests represented the first time they were able to collectively voice their frustrations with the police. “Our demand is simple,” Elzie said. “Stop killing us.”
The starkness of that demand has been enough to create some measure of change, purely by creating an atmosphere of awareness and constant urgency around an issue that was previously ignored. Although Ferguson’s mayor was not recalled, the Department of Justice report did lead to the resignation of the police chief, the city manager and a handful of city employees who sent racist emails. The swiftness with which the movement now acts, and the volume of people it can bring out to every protest, have turned every police killing into a national referendum on the value of black lives in America.
In April, after cellphone video footage showed a North Charleston police officer firing eight times at the back of a 50-year-old black man named Walter Scott as he was running away, the officer was arrested and booked on murder charges the same day, and nearly every prospective candidate in the coming presidential election subsequently released a statement, expressing horror at Scott’s death and promising to address criminal-justice-system reform. Later that month, after riots broke out in Baltimore, Hillary Clinton gave a speech at Columbia University in which she explicitly allied herself with the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement, and implicitly rejected some policies that her husband put in place during his presidency. Her proposals were hardly specific or new: widespread adoption of body cameras by police officers, “a renewed focus on working with communities to prevent crime” and a call for a “true national debate” on how to end the “era of mass incarceration,” but the fact that Clinton chose to address these issues at such length suggests that police reform will be an unavoidable subject during the campaign season. “What we’ve seen in Baltimore should, indeed does, tear at our soul,” Clinton said. “And from Ferguson to Staten Island to Baltimore, the patterns have become unmistakable and undeniable.” She listed the names of Walter Scott, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner and Freddie Gray, and called for “real reforms that can be felt on our streets, in our courthouses and our jails and prisons, in communities too long neglected.”
Perhaps the most telling evidence of change was the charges filed on May 1 against six Baltimore police officers related to the death of Freddie Gray, which ranged from misconduct in office to second-degree depraved heart murder. While making the announcement, Marilyn Mosby, the Baltimore state’s attorney, said: “To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for ‘no justice, no peace.’ Your peace is sincerely needed as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man.”
The attention that political figures are paying to the movement points to real anxiety that African-American voters who supported President Obama won’t turn out again. “This issue is at the forefront of people in the black community,” Quentin James, co-founder of the public-affairs firm Vestige Strategies, which specializes in engaging communities of color, told me. “Not voting is a choice, and many may choose to stay home. If you look at a pivotal state like Ohio, African-Americans ended up overvoting in 2012. If they undervote in 2016, the election becomes a little bit shakier.”
In talking about the problem of police violence at all, these national political figures are reversing a three-decade presumption within the Democratic Party, one established by Bill Clinton himself in 1994, that there is zero incentive to advocate for the rights of criminal suspects. “The narrative used to be: ‘We support the police and whatever police unions say,’ ” James said. “That has changed. Technology, having a video camera anywhere, has changed the game.”
Most of the activists are deeply skeptical that the candidates will follow through on their promises. Rachel Gilmer, the associate director for the African American Policy Forum, pointed to the long history of Democratic candidates who have “embraced rhetoric that implies their willingness and readiness to produce systemic change. However, once they’ve solidified our support and are elected into office, we’ve seen that they aren’t willing to confront or align themselves with the powers, systems and interests that continue to exploit black lives.” Gilmer went on to say that, absent a candidate who would be willing to address white supremacy directly, many within the movement would be content to opt out of voting for “the lesser of two evils.”
But perhaps the question of political follow-through is misplaced. “Black lives matter” is a vital statement, especially when people are confronted with all the footage that shows police officers who may not agree. But it is more a provocation than a platform, a phrase that might be more appropriate for a rally than a sustained political movement. Jim Crow was an evil that could be addressed by Congress and argued against before the Supreme Court. But how do you legislate the worth of black lives? Could a law force a police officer to cut out the possible prejudice and fear he feels when he sees a young black man, however seemingly unarmed, reach for his waistband?
For now, the victories of the movement are difficult to quantify — the paradox, perhaps, of a movement that exists to raise awareness of death. Shortly after Tony Robinson was shot and killed in Madison, Mike Koval, the city’s police chief, released the name of the officer involved and visited Robinson’s mother. In an interview with CNN, Koval said: “We have a person of color cut down in his prime — he was unarmed — by a police officer. So whether I like it or not, I am inextricably tied to the Ferguson phenomenon.”
“Do I think that was influenced by the protests in Ferguson?” Mckesson said. “Yes. But Tony’s still dead, so how do you call that a win?”
On April 26, a bright, warm Sunday in Baltimore, Mckesson attended Freddie Gray’s wake. Across the street from the funeral home, a group of demonstrators held up signs that read: “We are ONE Baltimore,” “Our hearts are with you” and “We grieve with you.” Television crews had set up nearby. A cable-news anchor grabbed Mckesson and said, “It’s the esteemed DeRay.” The two had met back in St. Louis. Mckesson agreed to come back later that afternoon to record a short interview.
Inside, Gray’s body was laid out behind a gauzy shroud. His head, swollen and shiny, was covered by a white baseball cap. A pair of spotless white sneakers had been placed on his feet.
Looking at the body, I couldn’t help thinking that in the coming months, more incidents would arise in more American cities. Nobody can predict where and when these killings may happen, only that they will happen, and that the movement will continue to draw attention to them, and that the sense of grief within black America and of constant siege at the hands of the police will not abate.
“They never look like they do in life,” Mckesson said. “Being back here, it reminds me of how many funerals we attend.”
We walked back to Mckesson’s rental car. A big man in a tank top stood in the center of the road, holding up a sign that asked passing drivers to honk for Freddie Gray. “We come in peace!” he screamed. “We come in peace!”
I asked Mckesson what his thoughts were after seeing Gray’s body.
“I just tweeted my thoughts,” Mckesson said. Over the five months I had been following him and Elzie around, from Ferguson to New York to Selma and now to Baltimore, I found that Mckesson often tweeted the answers to my questions before I could think to ask them. I took out my phone to check Twitter, but this time Mckesson saved me the effort.
“I’m not desensitized to death,” he said. “I just expect trauma now and am trying to steel myself for what’s coming next.” For the first time since I met him, Mckesson seemed overcome by emotion. He turned his head away and covered the bridge of his nose with his hand.
“It’s going to be a long summer,” he said.
Jay Caspian Kang is a contributing writer for the magazine and the author of the novel “The Dead Do Not Improve.”
A version of this article appears in print on , Page 34 of the Sunday Magazine with the headline: The Witnesses. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
Freddie Gray’s Injury and the Police ‘Rough Ride’
What Started as a Local Protest in Missouri Grows Into a Center of National Activism
The Online Avengers
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Middle East|Militants Kill 305 at Sufi Mosque in Egypt’s Deadliest Terrorist Attack
Militants Kill 305 at Sufi Mosque in Egypt’s Deadliest Terrorist Attack
At least 235 people were killed when militants detonated explosives and sprayed gunfire at a crowded Sufi mosque near Egypt’s Sinai coast.CreditCreditEuropean Pressphoto Agency
By Declan Walsh and Nour Youssef
Leer en español
CAIRO — Militants detonated a bomb inside a crowded mosque in the Sinai Peninsula on Friday and then sprayed gunfire on panicked worshipers as they fled, killing at least 305 people and wounding at least 128 others. Officials called it the deadliest terrorist attack in Egypt’s modern history.
The scale and ruthlessness of the assault, in an area racked by an Islamist insurgency, sent shock waves across the nation — not just for the number of deaths but also for the choice of target. Attacks on mosques are rare in Egypt, where the Islamic State has targeted Coptic Christian churches and pilgrims but avoided Muslim places of worship.
The attack injected a new element into Egypt’s struggle with militants because most of the victims were Sufi Muslims, who practice a mystical form of Islam that the Islamic State and other Sunni extremist groups deem heretical. And it underscored the failure of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has justified his harsh crackdown on political freedom in the name of crushing Islamic militancy, to deliver on his promises of security.
“The scene was horrific,” said Ibrahim Sheteewi, a resident of Bir al-Abed, the small north Sinai town where the attack took place. “The bodies were scattered on the ground outside the mosque. I hope God punishes them for this.”
Hours later, the Egyptian military carried out several airstrikes near Bir al-Abed targeting militants fleeing in four-wheel-drive vehicles, an Egyptian military official said.
On Saturday, Egypt’s top prosecutor, Nabil Sadek, said in a statement that the death toll had risen and included at least 27 children. A witness said he had helped gather the bodies of 25 of them.
Between 25 and 30 militants carried out the attack, the statement said. They barged in carrying automatic weapons and the Islamic State flag.
“The perpetrators of the terrorist attack posted themselves in front of the door of the mosque and its 12 windows,” the statement said.
World leaders condemned the mosque attack, with President Trump denouncing it as “horrible and cowardly.” He said later that it explained why the United States needed a border wall with Mexico and restrictions on immigration, which he referred to as “the ban.”
Mr. Sisi has struggled to impose his authority over Sinai since he came to power in a military takeover in 2013. Islamist militants who had found a safe haven in Sinai for attacks on Israel then turned their guns on the Egyptian armed forces.
But even by recent standards in Egypt, where militants have blown up Christian worshipers as they knelt at church pews and gunned down pilgrims in buses, the attack on Friday was unusually ruthless.
“I can’t believe they attacked a mosque,” a Muslim cleric in Bir al-Abed said by phone, requesting anonymity for fear he could also be attacked.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but in the past year a local affiliate of the Islamic State has killed a number of Sufis in the area and singled out the district where the attack took place as a potential target.
The attack started midday during Friday Prayers when a bomb — probably set off by a suicide bomber, security officials said — ripped through Al Rawda mosque in Bir al-Abed, 125 miles northeast of Cairo. As worshipers fled, they were confronted by masked gunmen who, witnesses said, had pulled up outside in five four-wheel-drive vehicles.
The gunmen set fire to cars parked outside the mosque to hinder escape, and opened fire on ambulances as they arrived on the scene, a government official said on state television.
Mayna Nasser, 40, who was shot twice in the shoulder, drifted in and out of consciousness as he was rushed to a hospital. “My children were there; my children were there,” he said, according to Samy, a volunteer emergency worker who drove him there and who declined to give his last name.
Local emergency services were so overwhelmed that some of the wounded had to be transported to the hospital in the back of a cattle truck, he said.
Many were taken to the general hospital in the main northern Sinai town of El Arish, where medics described chaotic scenes as staff struggled to deal with a flood of dead and wounded, many with extensive burns or severed limbs.
“We are swamped,” said one medical official, speaking by phone on condition of anonymity. “We don’t know what to say. This is insane.”
Other victims, like Mohammed Abdel Salam, a 22-year-old construction worker, ended up in a hospital in the nearby city of Ismailia. “I wish I never stopped to pray,” he said. “I’m not even a Sufi. I was just there by accident.”
Most worshipers at the mosque were Sufi Muslims, who practice a mystical form of Islam that some extremists consider heretical.CreditEuropean Pressphoto Agency
Mr. Sisi convened an emergency meeting of top security officials, including the interior minister, spy chief and defense minister. “The military and the police will take revenge,” he said in a televised speech.
Until a spate of attacks on Christian churches this year, Egyptian militants had avoided large-scale assaults on Egyptian civilians, perhaps because such attacks tend to backfire. After a massacre in Luxor that killed 62 people, mostly tourists, in 1997, President Hosni Mubarak began a sweeping crackdown that crushed an Islamist insurgency centered in southern Egypt.
When a new insurgency flared in north Sinai after the military takeover in 2013, its leaders were careful to focus their attacks on uniformed security forces. But as those militants embraced the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, they have gradually set aside that lesson.
An Islamist militia in Sinai, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2014 and has since proved to be one of its most effective local affiliates. The group’s deadliest attack targeted a Russian jetliner that crashed shortly after takeoff from Sharm el Sheikh in 2015, killing all 224 people on board.
In an interview published in an Islamic State magazine last January, a commander in Sinai outlined the group’s hatred for Sufis and their practices, including the veneration of tombs, the sacrificial slaughter of animals and what he termed “sorcery and soothsaying.”
The interview, in English, identifies Rawda, the district where Friday’s attack occurred, as one of three areas where Sufis live in Sinai that the group intended to “eradicate.”
It featured a photograph of a black hooded figure brandishing a sword over the kneeling figure of an elderly Sufi cleric, Sulayman Abu Hiraz, who was executed in Sinai in late 2016. The Islamic State said the cleric, said to be 100 years old, had been killed for practicing witchcraft.
Abdallah Abdel Nasser, 14, being treated at a hospital in Ismailia for wounds suffered in the attack.CreditAmr Nabil/Associated Press
Many residents of Bir al-Abed, on the main road through northern Sinai, are Bedouins from the Abu Greir tribe, which is predominantly Sufi. Residents said that despite recent Islamic State threats, the town had been largely peaceful.
The Islamic State, a Sunni movement, has long considered Sufis, along with Shiite Muslims, apostates, and has a history of attacking their mosques in other countries. Sufis may be Sunni or Shiite but most are Sunni.
Since 2016, when the militant group released a video describing Sufism as a “disease,” it has claimed attacks that have killed at least 130 worshipers at Sufi shrines, most of them in Pakistan. Elsewhere, the Islamic State has made a spectacle of bulldozing Sufi shrines, describing their removal as a form of purifying the faith.
Egyptian security forces have closely monitored Islamic State fighters returning from Syria and Iraq, amid worries that an influx of battle-hardened jihadis could insert a volatile new element into Egypt’s militant mix.
In October, Mr. Sisi ordered a major reshuffle of his security team after an ambush in the desert left at least 16 Egyptian security officials dead. That attack was later claimed by a previously unknown group called Ansar al-Islam, which is believed to have links to Al Qaeda.
Friday’s attack was a blow to Egypt’s hopes that it could stem the tide of Islamist violence in Sinai through the government’s sponsorship of a Palestinian peace initiative involving Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza.
Islamic State militants have previously used tunnels into Gaza to obtain weapons and get medical treatment for wounded fighters. One benefit for Egypt of the peace initiative, which Egypt’s General Intelligence Directorate has mediated, is greater control over those tunnels.
In a statement, Hamas denounced the attack as a “criminal explosion” that “violates all heavenly commandments and human values” because it attacked a mosque. “It is a grave challenge to Muslims worldwide,” the group said.
Follow Declan Walsh on Twitter: @declanwalsh.
Declan Walsh reported from Cairo, and Nour Youssef from Ismailia, Egypt. David D. Kirkpatrick contributed reporting from London, Rukmini Callimachi from New York, and David M. Halbfinger from Jerusalem.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Militants Attack Mosque in Egypt, Leaving 235 Dead. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
Who Are Sufi Muslims and Why Do Some Extremists Hate Them?
Egypt Declares State of Emergency, as Attacks Undercut Promise of Security
Targeted by ISIS, Egyptian Christians Flee Violence
After Church Bombings, Egyptian Christians Are Resigned but Resolute
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The Synthesis of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) with Thiosemicarbazides as Potential Antimalarial Agents
Home /Natural Sciences /Chemisty / The Synthesis of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) with Thiosemicarbazides as Potential Antimalarial Agents
Written by Alexis
I would like to thank the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry for providing me with the necessary instruments that were needed for my study. I would like to thank Dr. Alvin A. Holder for allowing me to participate in his research lab and for working diligently alongside me. I would also like to thank the students of the Holder Research Lab for their involvement in the lab and for helping to ease along the progression of our spring semester together. In addition, I would like to acknowledge the NSF-REU grant that allowed me to participate in this prestigious research opportunity.
Malaria is a fatal, infectious disease which is caused by the transmission of the parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, via mosquitoes into the blood stream of mammalian hosts, especially humans. As a result of developing malaria, due to infection by the parasite, the host may experience neurocognitive impairment, anemia, or even death. Unfortunately, the rate of infection with malaria amongst humans has been steadily increasing each year. According to several studies, the contraction of malaria is most common in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2010, approximately 655,000 people died of malaria, most of which were young children of sub- Saharan Africa. Yet, malaria also affects the United States; there are approximately 1,500 cases of malaria diagnosed each year.
Figure 1. Trends in global malaria deaths by age and geographical region, 1980-2010 (Murray et. al)1
The severity of malaria and its increasing death rate have caused worldwide attention and the initiation of efforts to inhibit the disease. As a result of the widespread epidemic of malaria, several studies have been done on the disease and medicines have been developed. Currently, the most commonly used drugs to treat malaria are chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. Though studies have shown that these drugs have been effective in the treatment of malaria, recently, P. falciparum has become resistant to both chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. 2-3 Therefore, scientists have been working to produce new and improved compounds in order to potentially suppress or inhibit the transmission of the disease.
Thiosemicarbazones are essentially Schiff bases that are the result of the condensation of an aldehyde or a ketone with a thiosemicarbazide. 4 Currently, thiosemicarbazones are used in a variety of medical practices such as pharmacology and nuclear medicine. 5 Studies have shown that thiosemicarbazones, in combination with metal complexes, may be the solution to the issue of the epidemic of malaria considering that this class contains characteristics of anti-viral, anti-HIV, and tuberculostatic activity. 6 Yet, only a few these ligands have been reported to have antimalarial qualities due to their metal complexes. 7
Past studies have shown that thiosemicarbazones in combination with metals, such as gallium, have been used as therapeutic drugs. Since gallium possesses characteristics that resemble iron, it is able to be used to interact with the cellular processes of the body without being rejected by the body. As a result, gallium has been used to effectively treat a number of disorders including some cancers and infectious diseases. Notably, gallium has not been found to be immunosuppressive; this increases the potential for gallium to be used as a successful agent in the development of more therapeutic drugs.
Gallium-based complexes such as gallium nitrate (Ga[(NO3)3]) have been used to therapeutically treat hyperkalemia. Additionally, gallium nitrate has been found to effectively eliminate pain and inflammation. Clinical trials reported that when 14% aqueous solution of gallium nitrate was administered to a patient whose hands suffered from arthritis, the patient’s pain and inflammation was discontinued. The use of 40% gallium nitrate to treat frozen shoulder resulted in nearly complete elimination of pain along with complete restoration of motion.
The effective use of gallium within the body requires bioactivation. In order to bioactivate gallium, thiosemicarbazones, which contain antimicrobial properties, have been reacted with gallium complexes to form one compound.
Recently, a study on gallium and its affects when combined with thiosemicarbazones was conducted by Lessa et al. Several compounds were developed using 2-acetylpyridine, 2- formylpyridine, and 2-benzylpyridine-derived thiosemicarbazones in combination with gallium complexes. These compounds were analyzed in regard to potential antimalarial, antitumor, and antimicrobial activity. Specifically, GalliumprotoporphyrinIX (GaPPIX), a compound, was developed and assessed. GaPPIX presented in vitro growth-inhibitory activity against several gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria pathogenic bacteria. Notably, GaPPIX presented growth-inhibitory activity against the malarial parasite, P. falciparum. 8
Due to the results of previous studies gallium in combination with thiosemicarbazones and the implication of the effectiveness of gallium nitrate, we decided to use this compound to conduct one of our syntheses. Though the product of our synthesis has yet to be biologically assessed, it is plausible to predict that the use of gallium nitrate will aid in the effectiveness of the therapeutic aspects of the product.
Within the past two years, it has been reported that Copper(II) thiosemicarbazone complexes have been assessed for effectiveness as a metallodrug in a variety of medical applications. In an effort to produce metallodrugs that will effectively aid in eliminating illnesses such as cancer, Beckford et al. conducted a study on the effectiveness of Copper(II) complexes in combination with thiosemicarbazones. As a result of the work pioneered by Beckford et al., several copper(II) complexes were synthesized from benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5- carbaldehyde (piperonal) thiosemicarbazones. Elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopy was used to evaluate the complexes. The geometries of the complexes were based on the nature of the thiosemicarbazone that was used during each reaction. The products of these reactions including a dinuclear complex [Cu(HpTSC)Cl]2, a mononuclear complex [Cu(RHpTSC)2Cl2] (R=CH3 or C2H5) and another mononuclear complex [Cu(PhHpTSC)(PhpTSC)Cl]. These complexes presented the ability to strongly bind to human serum albumin (HSA), a protein that is significant to the transport of drugs through the body.
According to studies, copper(II) complexes in combination with thiosemicarbazones possess excellent chelating ability to HSA and have been found to be acceptable aids in inhibiting some cancer lines. 9 In order to assess the properties of copper(II) in regards to antimalarial treatment, we decided to develop a copper(II) complex using (E)-2- ((Diethylamino)(m-tolyl)methylene)-N-ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide (4-ethyl-3- thiosemicarbazideDEETTSC).
DEET or N,N-diethyl-m-methylbenzamide has been a primary component of our synthesis . DEET is a topical insect repellent that is widely used to combat mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, flies, and other biting insects in an effort to help prevent the transmission of arthropod-borne illnesses such as malaria and West Nile virus. DEET has been used in numerous commercial repellents, such as S.C. Johnson Off! Botanicals, which is a spray. Other commercial DEET formulations include lotions, sticks, soaps, gels, and impregnated towlettes. Insect repellents, containing either low or high concentrations of DEET are applied to the skin of humans and animals to help protect them from being bitten. DEET has been used for decades and has shown to be highly effective in controlling the biting rates of insects; also, it is generally safe for use. Since DEET has been effective in decreasing the risk for contracting malaria and other arthropod-borne illnesses, it is plausible to conclude that the combination of metals, thiosemicarbazones, and DEET will result in a successful agent against the spread of malaria. 10- 11
Though malaria is a severe disease that leads to death if untreated, there are scientists that are working diligently to aid in the prevention of malaria. 3 Due to our passion to aid saving the lives of people who have contracted malaria or are at risk of infection via the malarial parasite, P. falciparum, we have strived to synthesize compounds that will potentially not only suppress, but inhibit the progression of malaria.
2.0 Experimental
Reagents that were obtained from Sigma Aldrich were utilized for the preparation of several compounds. All of the chemicals that were used were provided in the lab by Dr. Holder. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Southern Mississippi provided necessary instrumentation so that the compounds produced could be thoroughly analyzed.
2.2 Instrumentation
The Nicolet Nexus 410 FT-IR was used to collect IR spectra in order to analyze the compounds that were produced. 1H NMR and 13C NMR were acquired on a 400 MHz NMR Spectrometer. TLCs were conducted in order to evaluate the separation of the fractions of DEET and the reaction mixtures of DEET with TSCs when placed in silica gel.
2.3 Synthesis of DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide
DEET (2.39g, 2.395 ml, 12.495 mmol) was placed in 100 ml RB flask followed by anhydrous methanol (150 ml) and 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide (1.49g, 12.495 mmol) and five drops of hydrochloric acid. The reaction mixture was refluxed for 24 hours and then dried using rotary evaporation. After drying, a yield of 3.23g (93%) product was collected.
A TLC was conducted on the liquid DEET and the reaction mixture. A ratio of ethyl acetate (160 ml) and methanol (40 ml) was used for the solvent. The liquid DEET was labeled “R” and the reaction mixture was labeled “RM”.
The reaction mixture was kept at room temperature for approximately 16 hours.
A silica gel column was formed first using a 2:1 mixture of chloroform: ethyl acetate (400 ml chloroform, 200 ml ethyl acetate). A small amount of solvent mixture was used to dissolve the DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide and added to the column using a Pasteur pipette and added along the sides of the column. Silica gel (Sigma-Aldrich #288624-1KG) was used to make the column. The silica gel residue on the sides of the column was washed down using the solvent mixture. Fractions were collected from the column ~25 ml at a time (20 fractions were collected). It was predicted that the silica gel column should run off the impurities in the DEET 97% first.
A TLC was conducted on each of the fractions.
After fraction #75 was collected, methanol (100%) was added to the silica gel column.
2.4 Synthesis of DEET with 4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide
DEET (2, 395 ul) was placed in a 100 ml RB flask followed by anhydrous methanol (50 ml) and 4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide (12.495 mmol, 2.09 g) and five drops of hydrochloric acid. The reaction mixture was refluxed for 24 hours and filtered. Additionally, the reaction mixture was dried using rotary evaporation.
The reaction mixture was refrigerated for ~24 hours at -20C.
DEET (4.81 g, 4.822 ml, 25.152 mmol) was placed in a 250 ml RB flask followed by anhydrous methanol (100 ml) and 4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide (3.00 g, 25.152 mmol) and five drops of concentrated hydrochloric acid. The reaction mixture was refluxed for 24 hours and then dried using rotary evaporation. The product was a thick, brown oil.
A TLC was conducted on DEET with 4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide with a 2:1 mixture of chloroform: ethyl acetate and placed in chloroform solvent (100%) and then placed in methanol solvent (100%).
2.5 Comparison of TLCs of DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide and DEET with 4- phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide
A TLC was conducted on both DEET with 4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide and DEET with 4- ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide and DEET as a control. The solvent used for the TLC was a 2:1 mixture of chloroform: ethyl acetate.
A second TLC was conducted on DEET (“R”) and DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide (“RM”) using a 4:1 mixture of ethyl acetate: methanol and then using a 2:1 mixture of chloroform: ethyl acetate. The Rf values of DEET and DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide were calculated and recorded.
2.6 Analysis of DEET, 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide, and DEET with 4-ethyl-3- thiosemicarbazide using 1H-NMR/ FT-IR spectroscopy
A 1H NMR spectra of DEET in DMSO-d6 was acquired as well as a 1H NMR spectra of 4-ethyl- 3-thiosemicarbazide in DMSO-d6 solvent.
A 1H NMR and FT-IR of 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide with DEET was obtained. DMSO-d6 was the solvent used to acquire the 1H NMR spectrum.
An FT-IR spectrum of DEET was also obtained.
2.7 Synthesis of [Ga(DEET TSC)2](NO3)3
(E)-2-((Diethylamino)(m-tolyl)methylene)-N-ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide (4-ethyl-3- thiosemicarbazideDEETTSC) (0.225g, 0.771mmol) and Ga(NO3)3x(H2O (0.092g, 0.355mmol) were mixed in a 100ml RB flask, followed by methanol (30ml). The reaction mixture was refluxed for 22 hours.
Rotary evaporation was used to dry the reaction mixture, resulting in yellow oil. A TLC was then done on the reaction mixture and 4-ethyl-3- thiosemicarbazide with DEET using the 2:1 mixture of chloroform: ethyl acetate as the solvent. Also, DEET was added to the TLC to compare the DEET to the 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide with DEET and the [Ga(DEET TSC)2] (NO3)3.
2.8 Synthesis of (E)-2-((Diethylamino)(m-tolyl)methylene)-N- ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide with Copper(II)Chloride
The synthesis of (E)-2-((Diethylamino)(m-tolyl)methylene)-N-ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide with Copper(II)Chloride was adapted from a procedure described by Beckford et al. 9
4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazideDEETTSC (0.298g, 1.02mmol) was added to a 100ml RB flask, followed by ethanol (20ml). Copper(II)Chloride (0.069g, 0.51mmol) dissolved in ethanol (10ml) was added slowly. The reaction mixture was refluxed for approximately 4 hours.
The reaction mixture was cooled after being refluxed and then filtered. A solid precipitate was formed and was collected. The solid was washed with ethanol and then with ether. Afterward, the solid was filtered on a vacuum and then air dried.
Copper(II) complex was added into three separate tubes. Three different solvents were added amongst the tubes. A sonicator was used to sonicate each of the mixtures that were developed to determine which solvent the copper(II) complex would be most soluble in. Each of the tubes was observed after sonication.
3.0 Results and Discussion
2.3.1. Synthesis of DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide
Scheme 1.
The synthesis of DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide required for the C=O on DEET to be reduced. The use of methanol caused the C=O to be reduced. The reduction of the C=O allowed for the DEET and the 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide to react in order to produce the product, formally named (E)-2-((diethylamino) (m-tolyl)methylene)-N-ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide. Also, used in the reaction was hydrochloric acid; this was used as a catalyst to drive the reaction forward into completion.
After the reaction mixture was dried, it was observed that the reaction mixture had produced a thick, yellow oil as the product.
After being kept at room temperature for approximately 16 hours, the reaction mixture was found to have formed a white solid. The appearance of oil could not be seen; yet the product looked similar to petroleum jelly.
Compound A. DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide
As the product was being further assessed using a silica gel column, it was noticed that the methanol (100%) was added to the column too soon resulting in the appearance of DEET on the TLC columns that were conducted.
An FT-IR spectrum of (E)-2-((diethylamino) (m-tolyl)methylene)-N- ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide was obtained and compared to the FT-IR peaks of spectra described by Lewis et al. 5 This comparison is outlined in Table 1.
2.4.1. Synthesis of DEET with 4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide
As with the synthesis of DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide, the synthesis of DEET with 4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide required for the C=O bond on DEET to be reduced. The reduction of C=O was due to the use of methanol. The reduction of the C=O bond allowed the DEET and 4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide to react and form the product, formally named (Z)-2-((diethylamino)(m-tolyl)methylene)-N- phenylhydrazinecarbothioamide. Hydrochloric acid was used to catalyze the reaction and drive it towards completion.
At the completion of the reaction, a white, solid precipitate was filtered. Rotary evaporation resulted in a colorless, sticky product. During refrigeration, the reaction mixture formed a cluster of white crystals; yet, the mixture still contained some oil. The synthesis was conducted a second time using more DEET and 4-phenyl-3- thiosemicarbazide under the same conditions as the first synthesis. The product of this synthesis was a thick, brown oil.
Larger amounts of DEET and 4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide were used for the second synthesis, but five drops of hydrochloric acid was used to catalyze each reaction. Though it was not observed, it is plausible to conclude that the first synthesis occurred faster than the second synthesis due to the ratio of reactants to reagents.
2.5.1. Comparison of TLCs of DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide and DEET with 4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide
The Rf value of DEET (“R”) was 0.545 cm and the Rf value of DEET with 4-ethyl-3- thiosemicarbazide was 0.473 cm.
2.6.1. Analysis of DEET and DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide using 1H NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy
The analysis of the FT-IR spectra of DEET and DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide that were obtained provided information on the functional groups that are present within each of the structures.
Relevant DEET peaks were at 2971.06 cm-1 and 1625.32 cm-1. Relevant peaks for 4- ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide with DEET were 3244.50 cm-1, 2971.06 cm-1, 1533.44 cm-1, and 1636.39 cm-1.
It seems that there was a distinct peak that represents DEET at 2971.06 cm-1.
The analysis of the 1H NMR spectra of DEET, 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide, and DEET with 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide revealed that each contained a specific peak at 2.50 ppm. In the 1H NMR spectra of DEET and 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide, the peak at 2.50 ppm was weak. Yet, when the DEET and 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide were combined to form the product, (E)-2-((diethylamino) (m-tolyl)methylene)-N- ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide, the peak at 2.50 ppm was strong. Therefore, it is plausible to conclude that the peak at 2.50 ppm may be important to the structure of the product and perhaps its potency if used as an antimalarial drug.
2.7.1. Synthesis of [Ga(DEET TSC)2](NO3)3
[Ga(DEET TSC)2] (NO3)3 decomposed on the TLC whereas the DEET made one consistent spot (not decomposing). This would be the same result as if this were done on a silica gel column. The product would decompose on the column. This was evident during the experiment where a silica gel column was done on the DEET with 4-ethyl-3- thiosemicarbazide.
2.8.1. Synthesis of (E)-2-((Diethylamino)(m-tolyl)methylene)-N- ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide with Copper(II)Chloride
Observations of the progression of the reaction were recorded. It was noticed that during the reaction mixture turned from brown to yellow in color during refluxing.
Due to air drying, the product of the reaction mixture resulted in a yellow powder-like substance as the product.
Compound B. Copper(II) complex
The tubes of solvent with copper(II) complex were assessed in order to compare the solubility of copper(II) complex in certain solvents.
The tube with the mixture of Copper(II) complex with 1 ml of DMSO was observed; the sonication resulted in a mixture. The same results were observed after the sonication of the copper(II) complex with 1ml of EtOH and copper(II) complex with 1 ml of H2O.
In order to determine the specific product of the synthesis of (E)-2-((Diethylamino)(m- tolyl)methylene)-N-ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide with copper(II)Chloride, we used the procedure and schemes described by Beckford et al.9 as a template. The schemes provided for the copper(II) complex that was produced by Beckford et al.9 allowed us to conclude that our scheme for the production of our copper(II) complex would be very similar.
Scheme 3. Proposed structures of the complexes described by Beckford et al. 9
In comparison to the schemes provided by Beckford et al. 9, the product that we produced simply replaced the phenyl-substituted amino nitrogen of their complex with 4- ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide. Additionally, the schemes helped us to conclude which of the structures provide by Beckford et al. 9 was most similar to the structure of the copper(II) complex that we produced.
Scheme 3.1. Proposed structures for the synthesis of (E)-2-((Diethylamino)(m- tolyl)methylene)-N-ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide with copper(II)Chloride
Due to the comparison of the FT-IR peaks (shown in Table 1.) presented by Beckford et al. 9 with the peaks of the FT-IR spectrum of our copper(II)complex, we concluded that the product of the synthesis of (E)-2-((Diethylamino)(m-tolyl)methylene)-N- ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide with copper(II)Chloride mostly resembled the structure of (4) which was provided by Beckford et al. 9
3.1. Tables and Graphs
The FT-IR of the ligands and complexes that were produced were observed and compared to similar FT-IR described by Beckford et. al 9 and Lewis et. al. 5 Compound C was analyzed in comparison to the FT-IR of the several Cu(II) complexes of Beckford et al. to decipher which of these complexes most resembled the product of our synthesis. Additionally, FT-IR described by Lewis et al. was used for the analysis of Compound A.
Table 1. IR data for products in cm-1.
A (ligand)
C (complex)
C=S
841.16 (m), 1259.94 (m), 1295.86 (w)
849.27 (w), 1253.09 (m) , 1347.15 (w)
C=N
1637.87 (w)
1556.90 (s)
N-H
3245.10 (b), 3353.44 (b)
b= broad, m= medium, s= strong, w= weak
Due to the comparison of the FT-IR peaks presented by Beckford et al. 9 with the peaks of the FT-IR spectrum of our copper(II)complex, we concluded that (E)-2-((Diethylamino)(m- tolyl)methylene)-N-ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide with copper(II)Chloride mostly resembled the structure of (4) which was provided by Beckford et al. 9
Future Work:
Malaria has claimed many lives and has infected numerous people around the world. Though there are treatments, malarial strains are continuing to develop, making it difficult for scientists to provide a truly effective drug to at least suppress the symptoms of malaria. As scientists, we feel an obligation to use our skills and resources to aid in the effort to eradicate malaria. Using the compounds that we have produced, especially (E)-2-((diethylamino) (m- tolyl)methylene)-N-ethylhydrazinecarbothioamide and our copper(II) complex, we hope to establish an effective drug that will inhibit the transmission of malaria and ultimately control the disease.
The compounds that have been described in this study will be tested in biological laboratories in order to assess their effectiveness against malaria-infected cells and the malarial parasite, P. falciparum. Additionally, these compounds will be assessed for usefulness in the potential inhibition of some cancer and Third World diseases such as Chagas disease.
[1] Murray, C.; Rosenfield, L.C.; Lim, S.S.; Andrews, K.G.; Foreman, K.J.; Haring, D.; Fullman, N.; Naghavi, M.; Lozano, R.; Lopez, A.D. Global malaria mortality between 1980 and 2010: a systematic analysis. The Lancet, 2012, 379, 413-431.
[2] Bjorkman, A.; Bhattarai, A. Public health impact of drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Acta Tropica. 2005, 94, 163-169.
[3] cdc. gov Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Malaria. http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/index.html ( accessed April 26, 2013).
[4] Lobana, T.S.; Sharma, R.; Bawa, G.; Khanna, S. Bonding and structure trends of thiosemicarbazone derivatives of metals-An overview. Coord. Chem. Reviews. 2009, 253, 978.
[5] Lewis, N.A.; Liu, F.; Seymour, L.; Magnusen, A.; Erves, T.R.; Arca, J.F.; Beckford, F.A.; Venkatraman, R.; González-Sarrías, A.; Fronczek, F.R.; VanDerveer, D.G.; Seeram, N.P.; Liu, A.; Jarrett, W.L.; Holder, A .A. Synthesis Characterisation, and Preliminary In Vitro Studies of Vanadium(IV) Complexes with a Schiff Base and Thiosemicarbazones as Mixed Ligands. Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2012, 664.
[6] Silva, M.J.; Alves, A.J.; Do Nascimento, S.C. Synthesis and cytotoxic activity of N- substituted thiosemicarbazones of 3-(3,4-methylenedioxy) phenylpropanal. Il Farmaco. 1998, 53, 241-243.
[7] Khayne, S.D.; Smith, G.S.; Lategan, C.; Smith, P.J.; Gut, J.; Rosenthal, P.J.; Chibale, K. Synthesis and in vitro evaluation of gold (I) thiosemicarbazone complexes for antimalarial activity. J. of Inorg. Biochem., 2010, 104, 1079-1083.
[8] Lessa, J.A.; Parrilha, G.L.; Beraldo, H. Gallium complexes as new promising metallodrug candidates. Inorganica Chimica Acta, 2012, 393, 53-63.
[9] Beckford, F.A.; Thessing, J.; Stott, A.; Holder, A. A.; Poluektov O.G.; Li, L.; Seeram, N.P. Anticancer activity and biophysical reactivity of copper complexes of 2-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5- ylmethylene)-N-alkylhydrazinecarbothioamides. Inorg. Chem. Comm., 2012, 15, 225- 229.
[10] Qiu, H.; McCall, J.W.; Won Jun, H. Formulation of topical insect repellent N,N-diethyl-m- toluamide (DEET): vehicle effects on DEET in vitro skin permeation. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 1998, 163, 167-176.
[11] Carroll, S.P.; Loye, J. PMD, a registered botanical mosquito repellent with DEET-like efficacy. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 2006, 22, 507-514.
Chemisty / Natural Sciences 6:08 pm , November 18, 2013 0
Antimalarial N-diethyl-m-toluamide Thiosemicarbazides
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Member Spotlight: First State Bank
Meet Joyce Gamble with First State Bank...
Joyce is the Branch Manager and Business Development Officer of the O’Fallon and Lake St. Louis offices of First State Bank. She grew up in Belleville, Illinois, and attended Southwestern Illinois College and Canon Trust School at the University of Notre Dame. Joyce has more than 30 years of experience in the banking industry. She joined First State Bank almost two years ago with the goal of providing superior customer service while growing the O’Fallon and Lake St. Louis branch locations.
Joyce lives in the community she serves. As a resident of Lake Saint Louis for more than 16 years, Joyce and her husband, Steve, and daughter, Hannah, enjoy caring for their three dogs, two cats, and two thoroughbred horses.
Like First State Bank, Joyce is committed to growing our community. She is involved with several local nonprofit organizations, including Rebuilding Together-St. Louis (an organization that helps to improve the lives of low-income homeowners) and Unlimited Play (a nonprofit that builds playgrounds to promote health and wellness for all children). She also currently serves as the Secretary for the O’Fallon Lions Club and has held leadership roles in the O’Fallon Business Builders BNI group in the recent past.
Joyce is proud to be a part of the O’Fallon Chamber of Commerce. The connections and friends that she has met through the organization are invaluable.
Joyce joined First State Bank in 2015. She is dedicated to providing an exceptional level of customer service by helping clients find the financial products and services that best meet their unique needs. In the next five years she aspires to continue exceeding customer expectations while growing First State Bank’s O’Fallon and Lake Saint Louis branches with the areas they serve.
First State Bank is a full-service, independent community bank that has served the financial needs of St. Charles for nearly 150 years with a full portfolio of personal and business checking products, mortgage loan options, and commercial lending programs. The bank builds the community through beneficial relationships, valuable products and services, and an expertise and stability on which customers can rely.
The bank serves customers through five branch locations in St. Charles, O’Fallon, Lake Saint Louis, and Chesterfield as well as mortgage offices in St. Charles, Chesterfield, Lake of the Ozarks, Kansas City, and Scottsdale, AZ.
First State Bank has been voted the Best Bank, Best Mortgage Company, Best Loan Company, and Best Financial Planners by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch-Suburban Journals for 2016 and several years in the past. For more information about First State Bank, visit www.fsbfinancial.com.
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Florian Hoffmann
Are you this artist ?
Nationalities : Germany
Representation : Julia lukjanova Artist Management
"Mir ist so wunderbar" (Quartet) - Fidelio - Beethoven
SPOLETTA Tosca Staatsoper Unter den Linden May 2019
AUGUSTIN MOSER Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg Staatsoper Unter den Linden Apr 2019
A PRIEST BABYLON Staatsoper Unter den Linden Mar 2019
MONOSTATOS DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE Staatsoper Unter den Linden Feb-Mar 2019
EIN JUNGER DIENER Elektra Staatsoper Unter den Linden Jan-Feb 2019
JAQUINO Fidelio Staatsoper Unter den Linden Dec 2018
SECOND SOLDIER L'incoronazione Di Poppea Staatsoper Unter den Linden Nov-Dec 2018
MALCOLM MACBETH Staatsoper Unter den Linden Jun-Jul 2018
SPOLETTA TOSCA Staatsoper Unter den Linden Jun 2018
KNAPPEN PARSIFAL Staatsoper Unter den Linden Mar-Apr 2018
Young Prisoner From The House Of The Dead Royal Opera House Mar 2018
MONOSTATOS DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE Staatsoper Unter den Linden Dec 2017 - Apr 2018
SOLI ZUM AUGENBLICKE SAGEN: VERWEILE DOCH! Staatsoper Unter den Linden Oct-Dec 2017
KUDRJASCH KATJA KABANOWA Staatsoper Unter den Linden Jun 2017
BASILIO LE NOZZE DI FIGARO Staatsoper Unter den Linden Apr-May 2017
Young servant Elektra Gran Teatre del Liceu Dec 2016
MONOSTATOS DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE Staatsoper Unter den Linden Nov 2016 - Apr 2017
EIN JUNGER DIENER ELEKTRA Staatsoper Unter den Linden Oct-Nov 2016
JAQUINO FIDELIO Staatsoper Unter den Linden Oct 2016
SPOLETTA TOSCA Staatsoper Unter den Linden Sep 2016 - Feb 2017
Tenor Museumskonzert III Staatskapelle Berlin Jan 2018
Tenor LIEDRECITAL VOKALQUARTETT Staatsoper Unter den Linden Oct 2016
Born in Berlin, the young tenor Florian Hoffmann got his singing and piano education at the Peter Cornelius-Konservatorium in Mainz, Germany, and won an award (Förderpreis) of the Kultusministerium Rheinland-Pfalz in 1995. Subsequently he studied at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin with Prof. Renate Faltin and Kammersänger Reiner Goldberg, where he sang roles including Albert Herring in Benjamin Britten’s opera of the same title and Florville in Rossini’s one-act play IL SIGNOR BRUSCHINO in Hochschul-productions.
After he participated in the first Ruhrtriennale in Essen in „Deutschland, deine Lieder“ in summer 2002, he sang Iwanow in Lortzing’s ZAR UND ZIMMERMANN in the Fürstentum Liechtenstein as well as Alberto in Rossini’s L’OCCASIONE FA IL LADRO in Berlin.
In addition, Florian Hoffmann has an extensive concert- and opera repertoire. He sang amongst others Beethoven’s C Major Messe, Rossini’s Stabat Mater as well as Bach’s Johannes-Passion. Furthermore he closely collaborates with the Konzerthaus Berlin, where he sang in Paul Hindemith’s HIN UND ZURÜCK and Ernst Krenek’s VERTRAUENSSACHE in January 2004 as well as regularly in „Papageno spielt auf der Zauberflöte“.
Since 2005/2006 Florian Hoffmann is a member of the Staatsoper Berlin, where he already performed within a coproduction as Aret in Haydn’s PHILEMON UND BAUCIS in spring 2003 and as 1. Tourist in the world premiere of Hans Zender’s CHIEF JOSEPH directed by Peter Mussbach in June 2005. 2005/2006 he gave his debut as Pong in TURANDOT, as Steuermann in Wagner’s DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER and as Hirt in TRISTAN UND ISOLDE, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, as Raoul de St. Brioche in Lehár’s Operette DIE LUSTIGE WITWE and as Basilio in Mozart’s LE NOZZE DI FIGARO.
During the Festtage 2008 at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden he made his successful debut as David/MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG under Daniel Barenboim.
In June 2009 he made his acclaimed role debut as Pedrillo in the new production of ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL at the Berliner Staatsoper under Philippe Jordan, directed by Michael Thalheimer highly praised by press and audience alike.
In August 2009 he made his successful debut at the Bayreuther Festspiele as Augustin Moser in Katharina Wagners “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” and as Erik by Richard Wagner for Children – The Flying Dutchman (Musical director: Christoph Ulrich Meier, Producer: Alvaro Schoeck). 2010 he made very successful concerts with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin under Lothar Zagrosek and take part as Dr. Blind in the new production DIE FLEDERMAUS at the Berliner Staatsoper under Zubin Metha and Tapioca in the new production of L’ETOILE under Sir Simon Rattle.
In December 2010 Florian Hoffmann made his very successful debut as Tom Rakewell in a new production of THE RAKE’S PROGRESS under Ingo Metzmacher.
2011 he made his debut as Andres in a new production of WOZZECK under Daniel Barenboim at the Staatsoper Berlin.
2012 Florian Hoffmann made very successful house debut at as well as role debut as Ramon in world premiere of Christian Jost RUMOR debut at Vlaamse Oper Antwerpen.
2013/2014 he sang Steuermann in a new production of The Flying Dutchman at the Staatsoper Berlin (D.: Philip Stölzl; M.: Daniel Harding) as well as Kudrjasch in a new production of KATJA KABANOVA at the Staatsoper Berlin, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle (D.: Andrea Breth). In 2014 he made very successful debut in a new production of ELEKTRA (D.: Patrice Chéreau) by Festival Aix en Provence as well.
The season 2014/2015 included a house debut at Teatro alla Scala in Milano in a new production of FIDELIO (D.: Deborah Warner, M.: Daniel Barenboim) as well as the roles of Tanzmeister in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Andres in WOZZECK (D.: Andrea Breth, M.: Daniel Barenboim), Malcolm in MACBETH(D.: Peter Mussbach, M.: Daniel Barenboim), Jack O’Brien/Tobby Higgins in AUFSTIEG UND FALL DER STADT MAHAGONNY (D.: Vincent Boussard, M.: Wayne Marshall) and a role in the new production of EMMA UND EGINHARD (D.: Eva-Maria Höckmayr, M.: René Jacobs) at Staatsoper Berlin.
24 July 18 10:57
with : Angela Denoke , Florian Hoffmann , Irene Theorin , Peter SEIFFERT , Daniel Barenboim , BOAZ DANIEL , KWANGCHUL YOUN , Gustavo Lopez Manzitti , Harry Kupfer , Adam Kutny , Teatro Colón
Buenos Aires, Tristan und Isolde, 18/07/2018
di Gustavo Gabriel Otero A lungo atteso, il ritorno di Daniel Barenboim per un'opera a Buenos Aires si concretizza finalmente in un'eccellente produzione di Tristan und Isolde. Buenos Aires, 18/07/2018 - Per molto tempo si è accarezzato il progetto - ora
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Baritone, Artist of the past
Representation :
Carlo Bergonzi & Piero Cappuccilli - Dio che nell'alma...
Cappuccilli sings Ah! per sempre io ti perdei plus...
Piero Cappuccilli 《Ｉ Pagliacci》 Si,puo! Prologo
Cappuccilli: Felice ancor io son...Per me giunto...O...
"Nemico della Patria" Andrea Chenier - Cappuccilli
Piero Cappuccilli; "Visione Veneziana"; Renato Brogi
TOP 10 BARITONES (LIVE) 6 - Piero Cappuccilli
The great Piero Cappuccilli - "Di Provenza" - Live
Un ballo in maschera - Cappuccilli - Pavarotti - Abbado...
Il balen del suo sorriso... Qual suono! (Il Trovatore)...
Piero Cappuccilli (November 9, 1926 – July 11, 2005) was an Italian operatic baritone. Best known for his interpretations of Verdi roles, he was widely regarded as one of the finest Italian baritones of the second half of the 20th century. He was enormously admired within the field of opera for his rich and abundant voice, fine vocal technique and exceptional breath control. In the great Italian tradition he fused words and music into elegant phrases. He focused on Italian repertory, particularly the operas of Verdi, singing 17 major roles.
Born in Trieste, Cappuccilli originally intended to become an architect. He auditioned at a local opera house in 1949, where Luciano Donaggio (a retired singer beginning a second career as a teacher) heard him and urged him to study. Cappuccilli was still reluctant, believing he had a better potential career as an architect, and even briefly discontinued his lessons, until Donnaggio's urging and the offer of free lessons persuaded him to resume studies in 1950. He studied with Luciano Donaggio in his native city. After encouragement from relatives decided to pursue a career in opera and made his stage debut there in 1951, singing small parts.
In 1955, Cappuccilli auditioned for La Scala in Milan, where the auditioners, deeply impressed, encouraged him to enter the Viotti competition. After his first place award, he made his official operatic debut in 1957 at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan, singing Tonio in Pagliacci. In 1960, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, singing Giorgio Germont in La traviata, which was to be his only performance at the Met.[1]
Cappuccilli spent most of his career singing in Europe, with only infrequent travels to North and South America. He made his debut at the Teatro alla Scala in 1964, as Enrico, at the Royal Opera House in London as Germont in 1967, and his Opéra de Paris debut took place in 1978, as Amonasro. He also appeared at the Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival. He worked with the greatest European conductors of his time (Karajan, Gavazzeni, Abbado, Kleiber) and became one of the finest interpreters of the Italian repertoire.
Cappuccilli was highly respected as a "Verdi baritone", where his beautiful voice, fine vocal technique, musical elegance and dignified stage presence were shown to their best advantage.
He left an impressive discography, he recorded Lucia di Lammermoor twice, first with Maria Callas in 1959, and with Beverly Sills in 1970. Other notable recordings include; Rigoletto, opposite Ileana Cotrubas and Plácido Domingo, under Carlo Maria Giulini, Macbeth, opposite Shirley Verrett, and Simon Boccanegra, opposite Mirella Freni and Nicolai Ghiaurov, both under Claudio Abbado. He also recorded Don Carlo, Il trovatore and Aida under Herbert von Karajan
Cappuccilli sang until his mid-sixties; an automobile accident in 1992 ended his stage career. He died in his native Trieste, at the age of 78
He is survived by his wife, Graziella; three children, Patrizia, Giovanni and Pier Paolo; and two grandchildren, according to the Trieste newspaper.
Parterre Box
26 October 18 12:39
with : Ruggero Raimondi , Renata SCOTTO , Raina Kabaivanska , Eve Queler , Mirella Freni , JosÉ Carreras , Placido Domingo , Paul Plishka , Luciano Pavarotti , Carlo Bergonzi , Piero Cappuccilli , Ghena Dimitrova , Gabriela Beňačková
Double cross
Double cross The Met had planned to include this season its first performances of I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata since 1994; however, that revival was scrapped and its stars Angela Meade and Michael Fabiano are now instead doing Boito's Mefistofele beginn
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Does the Government Keep Track of the Worst Semi-Truck Drivers?
On behalf of Patrick G. Johnston
Semi-trucks and passenger vehicles share the road every day. So it is no surprise that tractor-trailer trucks and passenger vehicles are occasionally involved in accidents with each other. Given the size differential, semis usually come out on the better end of the accident, injuring many of the drivers and passengers of the other vehicles involved.
Being that 18-wheelers pose a safety concern to other vehicles, it is of the utmost importance that semi drivers are professionals and safe. Unfortunately there are unsafe semi drivers on the road. From speeding to being medically unqualified to drive for extended periods of time to being fatigued and exceeding hours of service (HOS) limitations, unsafe semi-truck drivers put everyone on the road at risk.
Red List?
Rumor has it that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) keeps a list of the drivers who are guilty of serious offenses. The so-called "red list" is used by the FMCSA to keep track of bad drivers and to "monitor" the trucking companies that those drivers work for, according to Annette Sandberg, a former FMCSA Administrator.
Discussing the FMCSA Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010 system, Sandberg noted that the red list is "woven into" the new system. By having the red list, the FMCSA is able to keep closer tabs on the drivers that are considered to be the worst drivers on the road and to ensure that those drivers are not continuing to commit serious violations that put other drivers at risk. The FMCSA denies the list exists.
According to the FMCSA, the CSA 2010 is an "initiative to improve large truck and bus safety" in an effort to reduce "crashes, injuries and fatalities." The CSA 2010 system is used by the FMSCA and state authorities to identify possible safety issues, through an enforcement and compliance model, before accidents occur. The FMCSA notes that the CSA 2010 system "red flags" violations, but only to bring these violations to an investigator's attention when conducting a review so that the investigator can look into these violations.
Employer Liability
If you have been injured in an accident with a semi-truck, the driver and the driver's employer may be liable for your injuries - especially if the employer was aware of dangerous practices by the driver. An attorney experienced in handling trucking accidents can help you determine who can all be held liable for your injuries. Contact an experienced attorney to help you protect your rights and to seek compensation for your injuries.
10.0Patrick Gerard Johnston
© 2019 by Johnston Law Offices P.C. All rights reserved. Disclaimer | Site Map
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Closing in ...
Despair can’t be allowed to win
Home > Sports > More Sports > Year in Review
PlayersVoice Contributors
Domestic violence, long-distance relationships, chronic injury and serious illness are just a few of the issues covered by athletes on PlayersVoice in 2018. Here is a selection.
2059 days and counting…
Alex Johnson – Contributor
The rehab dungeon. We make jokes about the dungeon a fair bit. It’s a rehab room at the club that’s recently been redone when they did the SCG change rooms up a bit. But it used to be four walls with no natural light, right down in the depths of pretty much nowhere.
The dungeon was a pretty small room with a few bikes, cross-trainers and grinders which I’ve spent a lot of time on. There was nothing on the wall except a TV. I’d like to do the sums on it and see how many hours I’ve spent down there, and count the litres of sweat that I’ve let out.
Anyway they’ve redone it now. There’s glass on two sides which is nice. You can actually see out. You’re not looking at much. You’re pretty much just looking at the warm-up area, so it’s not exactly a harbour view. But at least it’s a bit of a change to the dungeon.
It’s more than 2,000 days now since I played in that AFL grand final. I’m not sure if anyone over the history of the game has ever spent longer out of the game than me and come back and played.
Geelong’s Daniel Menzel spent over 1400 days out of the game and had four knee reconstructions. He reached out to me, and we’ve caught up a few times when I’ve been in Melbourne.
He’s been a sounding board for me and a huge source of support. The first time I met him we sat down and had a coffee and just talked about the feelings I’d had at various points in my rehab and he’s always been like, ‘Yeah, I remember when I felt like that’. We just sort of bounce off each other and it gives you a huge amount of support when you’re speaking to someone who’s been through exactly the same thing as you.
Escaping my domestic violence hell
Bec Rawlings – Contributor
There comes a breaking point in abusive relationships. Mine was when he pulled a knife on me and said he was going to kill me and my children.
Finally, I said, ‘We have to get out of here, we have to leave’. I packed our bags, grabbed the kids and we took off in the middle of the night while my husband was sleeping. It was Mother’s Day, 2013.
I always think that if I didn’t have the boys, I probably would have stayed and probably would have been murdered by now.
He was a fighter, too. He could inflict pain on me easily. Yet the only reason that registered in my brain to leave him was, ‘He’s going to hurt the kids’.
My eldest son – Zake, who’s just about to turn 10 – has some PTSD, as I did. He was at an age where he still remembers a lot of it, so it messed him up for a while. My partner wasn’t very nice to him at all. Zake wasn’t his biological son; I had him with an ex at 19. He resented Zake, and me, for that.
His little brother, Enson, has no idea. He doesn’t really know who his father is, or where he is. He’s seven now and starts to ask questions but I don’t know how to answer. What do you say? ‘Your dad beat up mummy and now he’s in jail?’ I don’t know if it’s better or worse for him to know.
The offer I couldn’t refuse
Danny Vukovic – Contributor
Probably the biggest question mark in my mind before I came to play overseas was whether my family was going to be OK and be looked after properly.
My two-and-a-half-year-old son Harley has a serious liver condition and has had a transplant. In Australia, we’re very lucky to have some of the best medical professionals in the world. The last thing we wanted to do was take my son out of that situation where he’s being looked after – and possibly not get the best care available.
After going through everything we went through with my son, I thought that my dream of playing overseas was dead and buried, that we’d never go.
My fears were quickly alleviated by the first email from Genk, the Belgian club where I’ve just played my first full season in Europe. When the club first contacted me by email, they mentioned my son and said they’d found a specialist for him here in Belgium.
That was the first time I’d heard from them, and for them to already know about my situation and to understand the things I was worried about left me with a really good feeling, and pretty much showed me how keen they were on me.
Two careers, one long-distance relationship
Verity Charles – Contributor
After four months apart, I had my husband home for a night. One night. Then I left at 7am on the Saturday for our game in Adelaide against the Thunderbirds, and he left for Melbourne on the Sunday to join the Rebels.
We both know that this is definitely not normal. But, with both of us being athletes, we said before we got married, ‘We’re going to put sport first while we’re young and then be a married couple later’.
We love each other and want to be together for the rest of our lives, so getting married for us was really important. And because we trust each other so much, we’re able to have that distance between us and it still just works.
There’s definitely good and bad days, though. As soon as I get to training I have to leave everything at the door, but there are times where we miss each other terribly, and you think, ‘Enough is enough, I want to see my husband’. I’m sure he’s in the same boat.
But, no matter what, if I have a bad training session or a bad game I’ve always got Nath to go and call and debrief with, and I know that I’ve got the love of my life waiting for me whenever we’ll see each other again. And now that he’s back in Australia, he’s only a flight away – and a two-hour time difference is pretty beautiful.
The hardest part is if you’re watching on TV and he gets injured. That’s the worst time to be away from each other and it’s the same for him. It’s a horrible feeling that you can’t be there for them, you just don’t know what’s going on, and you’re hours and miles away. That’s what I struggle with the most.
And if he’s having a bad day or he’s sick – and he has cystic fibrosis, so he gets really sick – then being apart really kills me. But I’ve just got to look at the big picture perspective and know that we’re both chasing goals and dreams at the moment, so we’ve just got to keep on keeping on, don’t we?
Escaping the noose
Anthony Mundine – Contributor
I won’t mention the guy’s name here.
I’ll just say that he’s a white fella and he was in with Michael Dickie and Timmy Ellis and a few of the others in the Team Mundine inner sanctum. I didn’t know him until he came up to me after a fight not long ago and introduced himself.
This is what he told me.
He had decided to end his life. He had grabbed some rope, made a noose and placed it around his neck. The depression was too much for him to take any longer. He was ready to step off and leave this world.
Then his daughter walked in on him. She wasn’t very old. Maybe 11.
She was very upset. Who wouldn’t be? No one that age should have to see something like that.
Through the shock and the tears she said to him, ‘You can’t do this, dad. You can’t go. You promised me you’d take me to meet Anthony Mundine.’
He fought it for a moment. But then he stopped and thought.
‘You’re right,’ he said.
He removed the noose from around his neck and stepped down. She had saved his life.
When they both came to one of my fights and told me that story, man, I just broke down. I cry when I think about it now. There is so much struggle, so much pain, in the world. To think that I played some small part in keeping that fella from taking his own life is more important to me than any world title or famous win.
He stole my heart, not my dream
Corban McGregor – Contributor
I became pregnant with Carter when I was in Year 11.
I finished up school then. Said goodbye to Woolooware High, no Year 12.
Finding out that I was going to be a mum at age 16 was crazy. It was a major life change for someone whose main focus had always been sport. It wasn’t easy to take.
That first year raising my son was a reality check: so, this is what it’s really like to be a mother. It was hectic. I’ve got four brothers, I was the only girl growing up. I can now see myself as being pretty spoilt, taking things for granted when I was a kid.
Parenting a child is not easy. But I love being a mum. It was all worth it. It still is. And with help, I kept chasing my dreams.
I was lucky to have the support of amazing parents, who Carter and I still live with. They were able to open my eyes and help me to see that becoming a mum was just a new beginning; not the end of the world but a great new step in my life. They knew that I had too much talent to give up, just because I’d had a child.
Carter is now seven. In the past two years, he’s watched his mum break a 17-year drought for NSW against Queensland and win a Rugby League World Cup. On Friday, he’ll watch our Blues team try to make it three in a row against the Maroons, in the first women’s game officially called ‘State of Origin’. Later this year, he’ll watch me play in the first-ever women’s NRL competition.
That will be a pinch-me moment. I’m lucky that there’s been plenty of those in rugby league. But they don’t come easy.
Laura Scherian – Contributor
To all those coaches I stalked for six years, I apologise.
I’m sorry for bombarding you with my resume and clips of me playing, for all the phone calls and emails during the national league contract periods.
But I hadn’t received any offers in the six years since my one season with the Queensland Firebirds in 2010, so I just thought I’d leave no stone unturned. I thought I’d rather go through the awkwardness than be left wondering: if I’d done this or that, just done something more, would it have made a difference?
It was really hard. In 2016, I remember saying to my mum, ‘Oh Mum, I don’t know if I can do this again. It’s just getting a bit ridiculous, sending emails, calling all these coaches. Maybe it’s time I realised that ship has sailed?’
I was pretty emotional talking to her about it and Mum just said, ‘You’ll do it’. I was like, ‘What?’. She said, ‘You wouldn’t be this upset about something if it didn’t still mean that much to you’. So Mum was right, as usual. Mums always are.
Mum also reminded me there were more Australian teams in Suncorp Super Netball than in the old ANZ Champs, so more opportunities, and told me I’d be silly not to put myself out there. And it was good timing, because I’d got the passion and enjoyment back in my netball again.
So sure enough, I did it. I tried again. And then three months later, I got a call from Noeline Taurua offering me a contract with the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Four reconstructions, still kicking
Alex Woodward – Contributor
My passion for footy was reignited wearing fluro pink.
It was in that guernsey – the one I wore as a runner for Collingwood, communicating messages back-and-forth between Nathan Buckley and his players – that I realised I wasn’t ready to give this game away.
The game I love. The game I grew up wanting to play.
The game that has been cruel to me … but kind, too.
The thought of quitting had crossed my mind more than once. As a footballer freshly delisted by Hawthorn, I was playing VFL last year when I suffered my fourth ACL injury. I’d previously done it in a pre-season game against GWS in 2012 (out 10 months), a pre-season match simulation in 2013 (out 12 months) and a VFL match against Coburg in 2015 (out 12 months).
I knew all too well what was in front of me. The road to recovery is one I’m well acquainted with.
I’d lost my passion for the game by the start of 2018. Physically, I knew I could do the rehab – I’d had some practice! – but it’s the mental side of it that was proving most daunting.
And yet here I am, putting this story together after playing my first game back for Collingwood’s VFL team against Williamstown at the weekend.
A fourth comeback from serious injury.
Here’s how it happened.
More about: Collingwood | Injuries | Mental health | MMA | NRL Women's Premiership | Religion | Resilience | Sunshine Coast Lightning | Super Netball | Sydney Swans | Women's Sport
Laura Geitz - Contributor
When she was 12, Laura Geitz was nicknamed ‘Little Giraffe’ due to her height. She just wanted to blend in with the other girls her age.
Tayla Vlaeminck - Contributor
'Bowling fast is what drives me ... You become addicted to it.'
Liz Ellis - Contributor
From the 75-year-old who'd love to be out there playing to the scientist desperate for revenge. Little separates the top five ranked nations at the Netball World Cup. But off the court there are big differences.
Willie Tonga
Former Queensland and Australia star Willie Tonga says he’s only just started to be comfortable acknowledging his battle with depression.
Thomas Deng - Contributor
Jeff Horn
Maty Ryan
Kyah Simon
Cameron Smith
Andrew McCullough
Luke Keary
Sally Fitzgibbons
Paul Roos
Luke Hodge
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BUSINESS LAW: Prevailing Parties and Attorney's Fees
In civil litigation, each party to a lawsuit ordinarily pays its own attorney’s fees. However, the parties to a contract may include a provision to award attorney’s fees to the prevailing party in a contractual dispute. In a recent case, the court determined that there could be more than one prevailing party in a lawsuit and offered the caution that a contractual plaintiff should be wary of naming multiple defendants.
In Burkhalter Kessler Clement & George LLP (“BKCG”) v. Jennifer Hamilton (“Hamilton”), Court of Appeal of the State of California, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three, Case No. G054337, filed January 8, 2018, BKCG subleased office space to Eclipse Group LLP (“Eclipse”). The sublease was signed for Eclipse by its managing partner (Hamilton) and included a provision for an award of reasonable attorney’s fees to the prevailing party in the event of a lawsuit.
BKCG filed a complaint against Eclipse alleging breach of contract and named Hamilton as an alter ego defendant. Eclipse and Hamilton were represented in the matter by the same attorney (“Avyno”). BKCG prevailed over Eclipse in a summary judgment motion; however, Hamilton bested BKCG on the alter ego theory and was dismissed with prejudice. BKCG moved for, and the trial court granted, its attorney’s fees against Eclipse; however, the trial court awarded only costs to Hamilton and denied her motion for attorney’s fees. On appeal, the appellate court noted that BKCG’s success against Eclipse on the breach of contract claim did not prevent Hamilton from recovering her attorney’s fees on the alter ego claim, and that BKCG’s alter ego claim against Hamilton had to be separately examined to determine the “prevailing party” as between those two litigants. Viewing that claim in isolation, Hamilton had secured a judgment of dismissal with prejudice and was clearly the prevailing party. The appellate court reversed the trial court and remanded the case with the instruction for the trial court to award Hamilton reasonable attorney’s fees incurred by Avyno solely in her defense.
Lessons to be learned here?
1. Civil Code section 1717 provides a remedy for a non-signatory defendant (as Hamilton) on a contract claim to recover under the contract’s prevailing party attorney’s fee provision.
2. A contractual plaintiff should not frivolously name individual alter ego defendants for it may win against the primary defendant, only to be liable for the attorney’s fees of the individuals.
3. A contractual plaintiff should consider holding off on an early alter ego claim and later seek to amend a prevailing judgment to include alter ego parties (as the failure to allege alter ego does not preclude a motion to amend the judgment. Misik v. D’Arco (2011) 197 Cal.App.4th 1065, 1074).
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