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GENERAL SALES, DELIVERY AND PAYMENT TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF COULISSE B.V.
Filed with the Chamber of Commerce for the Oost Nederland region under number 06067496
Article 1 Applicability
These General Terms and Conditions shall apply to all offers made, quotes issued, orders accepted and agreements concluded by Coulisse B.V. (hereinafter to be referred to as:“Coulisse), including: performing repair and maintenance work, furnishing advice and engaging auxiliary persons and third parties.
Insofar as not otherwise expressly agreed in writing by Coulisse and the Customer
(hereinafter to be referred to jointly as: the Parties), any general terms and conditions of the Customer shall not apply, not even in addition to these General Terms and Conditions. Deviations from Coulisse’s General Terms and Conditions may only occur in writing. Such a deviation shall only be valid with respect to the agreement in connection with which it has been agreed on.
Coulisse reserves the right to modify these General Terms and Conditions with immediate
effect. These modifications shall only apply to future offers, quotes, agreements and the like,
and written notice of them shall be provided to the Customer.
Article 2 Offer/Quote
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, all offers/quotes by Coulisse shall be without obligation, and the quality standards, designs, measurements, colours and other statements accompanying the offer/quote shall only be approximations.
Coulisse has three types of divisions through which its products are sold and/or services are provided: Parts, DIY and DTCH. Parts sells and provides services in relation to parts and fabrics for window decorations. DIY sells window decorations and fabrics in standard sizes. DTCH (own brand) supplies creative, accessible tailored interior concepts in the field of window decorations.
All information, such as prices and specifications, included in Coulisse’s documentation, printed materials and brochures shall be without obligation and subject to change. Subject to the provisions in the first sentence of this paragraph, Coulisse’s offer/quote shall be deemed to completely and correctly reflect the content of the agreement to be concluded.
Article 3 Agreement, order confirmation, and joint and several liability
An agreement shall be deemed to have been formed at the time Coulisse sends its order confirmation to the Customer. Coulisse shall not execute the order until it has received the agreed security referred to in Article 4.3 of these General Terms and Conditions and a copy of the order confirmation signed for approval sent back by the Customer.
Oral promises by and/or supplemental or other agreements with employees, auxiliary persons and/or third parties of Coulisse shall not be binding on Coulisse until and only to the extent that they have been accepted by Coulisse’s Managing Director(s) with representational authority in a manner described in the first paragraph of this Article.
If the agreement is entered into with at least two (2) or more Customers, each of them shall be jointly and severally liable for full performance. If another party guarantees performance, it must also co-sign the order confirmation for approval.
Article 4 Prices, security and credit Insurance
Unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Parties, all prices, rates and/or amounts mentioned by Coulisse shall be exclusive of turnover tax (VAT) and/ or other government- imposed levies, as well as exclusive of transport and/or shipment costs. All prices, rates and/or amounts mentioned by Coulisse shall be stated in euros (EUR) or American dollars (USD).
If, after the agreement is concluded but before it is executed in whole or in part, one or more factors determining the price increase, Coulisse – unless otherwise agreed in writing – shall be entitled to adjust the amount of the price stipulated for the agreement (hereinafter to be referred to as: “the Principal) accordingly.
Before executing the agreement or continuing to perform it, Coulisse shall always be entitled to demand security for the performance of the Customer’s payment and other obligations in the form of a deposit or bank guarantee which is adequate in Coulisse’s judgment, even if this means that delivery and/or other time periods are exceeded. If the Customer does not furnish the security demanded, Coulisse shall be entitled to rescind the agreement in whole or in part without a further notice of default and without judicial intervention, and without prejudice to Coulisse’s right to compensation for all resulting direct and/or indirect damage which it suffers. Coulisse shall not be liable for the damage which the Customer suffers or will suffer because of this.
Rescission based on the provisions in this Article shall not discharge the Customer from its obligations to pay for the work performed and/or objects and/or services provided up to the rescission date (hereinafter to be referred to as: “the Items”).
Article 5 Delivery period/Time of delivery
The delivery period stated by Coulisse or the time of delivery stated by Coulisse shall be approximations and shall not be a strict deadline. In the event of untimely delivery, Coulisse must receive a written notice of default from the Customer within five (5) working days after the agreed delivery date, after which Coulisse shall be given an opportunity by the Customer to still provide the Items to the Customer within a reasonable period after the notice of default, without Coulisse’s being obliged to pay the Customer compensation.
The delivery period shall not commence until receipt of the order confirmation and Coulisse is in possession of all objects, specifications, instructions, information and documents to be furnished by the Customer, as well as the time at which any agreed security referred to in Article 4.3 of these General Terms and Conditions is in Coulisse’s possession.
If a time period for taking possession has not been agreed on, Coulisse shall be entitled to invoice the Principal if and once the Items have not been taking possession of by the Customer within fourteen (14) days after Coulisse has requested this in writing.
Article 6 Applicability of Incoterms 2010
The provisions of the Incoterms 2010 shall apply to the Items, unless the Parties agree otherwise in writing. Prior to the agreement to be concluded or at the time it is concluded, the Parties shall record in writing which term and/or business condition of the Incoterms
2000 shall apply to the Items.
Insofar as the Parties, as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article:
- state that the provisions of the Incoterms 2010 shall not apply to the Items or
- have not agreed, prior to the agreement to be concluded or at the time it is concluded, which term and/or business condition of the Incoterms 2010 shall apply to the Items, the provisions of these General Terms and Conditions shall apply.
If Coulisse and/or the Customer do not have any obligation under the agreed term and/ or business condition of the Incoterms 2010, the provisions of these General Terms and Conditions shall supplement the agreed Incoterm.
Article 7 Providing the Items and transfer of risk
Unless agreed otherwise in writing, delivery shall occur ex works, at the time that the Items are ready for shipment at Coulisse’s business premises or at another agreed location and the Customer has been notified, or when the Items have been provided by Coulisse and/or auxiliary persons and/or third parties engaged by it.
With respect to the import and/or export of the Items to be provided, the Customer shall be responsible for acting in accordance with the insurance and import and/or export provisions applicable to provision of the Items. If import and export duties are levied on the Items, these shall be paid by the Customer, unless the Parties agree otherwise in writing.
If the Parties have agreed that Coulisse shall be responsible for transporting the Items, delivery shall occur at the time the Items are presented for delivery not unloaded and in actual fact at the agreed destination.
The Customer must ensure that Coulisse can reach the destination where the Items must be delivered through a well-paved, public road, without damage occurring to the transport vehicle of Coulisse or the auxiliary persons and/or third parties engaged by it.
The Customer must take possession of the Items at the agreed location and agreed time of delivery or within the stated delivery period. All additional or other costs arising for Coulisse as a result of the Customer’s not or not timely taking possession of the Items shall be paid by the Customer. Coulisse shall then be entitled, but not required, to store the Items at the Customer’s expense and risk.
The risk for the items delivered shall always pass to the Customer at the time of delivery referred to in paragraph 1 or 3 of this Article.
Coulisse may deliver the Items in consignments and invoice these deliveries separately.
Article 8 Packaging, shipment and internal or other transport
Coulisse shall determine the manner of packaging and shipment, with the costs and risk to be borne by the Customer, unless otherwise agreed. If the Customer desires a special manner of packaging and/or shipment, the related additional costs shall be paid by the Customer.
As a rule, Coulisse shall not take the packaging back.
Article 9 The Customer’s duty to inspect
The Customer shall inspect the Items delivered immediately after delivery as referred to in Article 7 of these General Terms and Conditions. The Customer shall check both the number and quality of the Items delivered. If the Customer discovers defects or flaws in and/or damage to the Items during this inspection/check, it shall report this in detail and in writing to Coulisse immediately, but in any event no later than five (5) working days after delivery as referred to in Article 7 of these General Terms and Conditions. In deviation from the foregoing, in the case of DIY products packed in outer boxes, the Customer is obliged to inspect/check the Item as soon as it is removed from the outer box. In such situations the Customer’s right to lodge complaints concerning both the number and quality of the supplied Items will in any case expire no later than six (6) months after delivery as referred to in Article 7 of these General Terms and Conditions.
In acknowledgement of receipt, the Customer shall sign the form intended for this purpose presented by or on behalf of Coulisse. The Customer shall mention on the aforementioned form all immediately visible damage, including damage to the packaging.
If the provisions in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article are not complied with, the Customer shall be deemed to have received the items delivered in perfect and sound condition, and any right of the Customer to claim that the Items are not fit for their purpose shall be extinguished.
Article 10 Return shipments
Return shipments shall only be accepted by Coulisse in consultation, in the condition received by the Customer, preferably in the original packaging, but in any case packaged properly and with a statement of reasons. Return shipments shall occur at the Customer’s risk. Receipt of the return shipments shall not in any event imply that Coulisse acknowledges the reason given by the Customer for the return shipments.
Article 11 Deviations
Minor deviations in quality, colour, finish, hardness, thickness, weight, measurements, state of the symmetrical watermark, quantities and the like shall not provide cause for the Customer to reject the Items.
In the determination whether the content of the Items delivered deviates beyond the permissible limits, an average must be taken from the entire content of the items delivered; the entire content of the items delivered cannot be rejected based on a few deviating samples.
Article 12 Retention of title/pledge
The title to the Items delivered by Coulisse to the Customer shall not pass to the Customer until everything owed by the Customer to Coulisse, under any agreement whatsoever, however termed and including interest and costs, has been paid to Coulisse in full.
The Customer may not re-deliver, sell, encumber or pledge Items which are still unpaid, create any restrictive right on these or otherwise dispose of these contrary to the retention of title.
If Coulisse’s right of ownership is lost through conversion, accession or merger, the Customer shall create a non-possessory pledge for Coulisse’s benefit on the newly created or newly arising object.
The costs related to Coulisse’s exercising its retention of title shall be charged by Coulisse to the Customer and shall be owed by the Customer.
The Customer shall acquire ownership of the Items delivered by Coulisse subject to a pledge for Coulisse’s benefit regarding everything which the Customer owes Coulisse or shall owe it in the future.
Article 13 Payment
Unless otherwise agreed by the Parties in writing, the Customer shall pay every invoice sent by Coulisse within thirty (30) calendar days after the invoice date, without any deduction or discount. The Customer shall expressly not have the right to set off any claims against Coulisse.
Payment of invoices sent by Coulisse shall be made to Coulisse in the bank account indicated by it. Payment, however termed, to Coulisse’s employees shall not be permissible, shall not result in a discharge vis-à-vis Coulisse and may never constitute a ground for payment or set-off of a debt.
The Customer shall be deemed to agree to the invoice, unless it reports this to Coulisse in detail and in writing within 10 (ten) working days. Any complaint shall not discharge the Customer from its payment obligation.
In the event of non-payment, non-timely payment or incomplete payment of the amount owed by it, the Customer shall be in default by operation of law as from the due date of the invoice concerned and shall owe interest of one percent (1%) per calendar month, with a portion of a month being considered a full month, on the outstanding gross debit or invoice amount. The interest shall be immediately due and payable without any further notice of default.
Coulisse’s entire claim, however arising, including that portion not collected yet or not invoiced yet, shall be immediately due and payable in full:
- if the Customer does not pay the amounts owed on time;
- if the Customer files a winding-up petition, a petition for the Customer’s liquidation is filed or if the Customer is put into liquidation, the Customer requests or obtains a suspension of payments, the statutory debt rescheduling scheme (Debt Rescheduling (Natural Persons) Act) is declared applicable to it or application thereof is requested;
- if the Customer loses its legal personality, or is dissolved or wound up;
- if and once any attachment is made against the Customer.
All costs arising because of or in relation to extrajudicial or court collection of Coulisse’s claim shall be paid by the Customer. These extrajudicial costs shall amount to fifteen percent (15%) of the gross or other amount to be collected, with a minimum of one hundred euros (EUR
100) per claim to be collected.
Payments made by the Customer shall always be applied first to all interest and costs owed as referred to in paragraphs 4 and 6 of this Article, and secondly to the due and payable claims which have been outstanding the longest, even if the Customer states that the payment relates to a claim of a later date.
Article 14 Warranty and repairs
Unless the Parties have agreed otherwise in writing, Coulisse will provide a one (1) year manufacturer’s warranty when the Items supplied are DIY products and a three (3) year manufacturer’s warranty when the Items supplied are parts. If the Item consists of motors or associated accessories (such as a remote control device) for the operation of window decorations (hereinafter: the Motors) then a manufacturer’s warranty of three (3) years will also apply, unless the Parties have agreed otherwise in writing. The warranty period will commence on the date of delivery within the meaning of Article 7 of these General Terms and Conditions, which means that the Item will be free of any defects during the period in question, given normal use.
Insofar as the Items or parts thereof have been procured by Coulisse from third parties, or if work has been performed by third parties, only the warranty from the third parties concerned shall apply.
If the Item consists of DTCH products, then in deviation from the period specified in paragraph
1 of this Article, Coulisse will provide a manufacturer’s warranty of five (5) years as of the date of delivery as referred to in Article 7 of these General Terms and Conditions.
Any complaints under the warranty must be submitted in writing by the Customer to Coulisse within fourteen (14) calendar days after the time the defect, flaw and/or damage is discovered or reasonably should have been discovered. The warranty shall only apply if the Customer has fulfilled all its obligations vis-à-vis Coulisse (both financial and otherwise, and under any agreement whatsoever). The warranty shall not cover minor defects in quality, colour, hardness, finish, measurements, workmanship or the like which are deemed permissible in the market or are technically unavoidable.
Within fourteen (14) calendar days after the written notification referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article, the Customer shall submit the Item in question to Coulisse for inspection by returning it (or parts thereof).
Coulisse’s warranty obligations shall remain, at the exclusive discretion of Coulisse, limited to repairing or replacing, within a reasonable period, the Items (or portion concerned) free of charge or refunding the Principal for the Items (or portion concerned), insofar as this has been paid to Coulisse, taking into account the period of use for the Items (or portion concerned) which has already lapsed. If the Item consists of motors, Coulisse will refund only the Principal.
The Item replaced by or on behalf of Coulisse shall be the property of the latter and shall, upon request, be returned by the Customer to Coulisse at the expense of the latter. The least expensive form of transportation shall always be selected, in consultation with Coulisse.
Work and costs on account of investigation or repair relating to or arising from improper use of the Items shall not be part of Coulisse’s obligations, shall fall outside the warranty and shall be charged to the Customer separately at the rates applicable at the time the work is performed by Coulisse or the auxiliary persons and/or third parties engaged by it.
Coulisse’s warranty obligations will be invalidated if the Customer has not used, applied or
fitted the Item in accordance with the supplied manual, or has used, applied, fitted or stored the Item in a manner that is incorrect or is otherwise at odds with normal usage. Coulisse’s warranty obligations will also be invalidated if the Item has been used, applied, fitted or stored in conditions that were excessively damp or under extreme temperatures. If the Item consists of motors, as referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article, the warranty obligations will also be invalidated if the warranty seal has been broken or the motors have been turned on.
If, following inspection, it transpires that this warranty has been invoked unjustly, the resulting transportation, inspection or repair costs incurred by Coulisse will be charged to the Customer.
Article 15 Liability of and indemnification by the Customer
If the Customer does not, does not timely or does not completely fulfil one or more of its obligations ensuing from the law, the agreement and/or these General Terms and Conditions, the Customer must always compensate Coulisse for all direct and indirect damage which Coulisse suffers as a result, without any notice of default being necessary. This provision shall not affect Coulisse’s right to institute other claims (for example, for specific performance) against the Customer and/or take other legal measures (for example, rescission). Indirect damage shall mean: lost profits and/or income, incurring production or other losses, the costs of or related to stoppages or delays, penalties/fines and losing discounts and/or payments from third parties, all of this in the broadest sense of the word.
The Customer shall be liable vis-à-vis Coulisse for all direct and indirect damage caused to Coulisse (or its employees) or to others besides the Parties, or the property of Coulisse or others besides the Parties (or their employees), which damage is caused by the Customer (or its employees), by others besides the Parties that are engaged by the Customer and/or materials used by it or relating to this, or which damage results from or relates to an unsafe situation in the Customer’s organisation.
The Customer shall indemnify Coulisse against all claims by others besides the Parties arising from: - the infringement of intellectual property rights, including: patent rights, trademark rights, design rights and copyrights to the Items, designs, licences, as well as knowhow and information; - the actions of the Customer or its subordinates, or other persons employed by or on behalf of the Customer.
Article 16 Coulisse’s liability
Coulisse shall only be liable for direct damage (to persons and/or property) suffered by the Customer, which direct damage (to persons and/or property) is directly and solely the result of a breach by Coulisse, on the understanding that only that direct damage (to persons and/ or property) for which Coulisse may claim a benefit under the insurance taken out by it shall be eligible for compensation. The following limitations shall also apply: - indirect damage, arising from any cause whatsoever, shall never be compensated; - direct and/or indirect damage arising through deliberate acts/omissions or gross negligence by the auxiliary persons or third parties engaged by Coulisse shall never be compensated; - the direct damage (to persons and/or property) to be compensated by Coulisse shall never exceed the amount of the Principal for the delivery concerned which has been invoiced and actually paid.
For any right to compensation to arise, the Customer must, after the defects, flaws and/or damage arise, always report this to Coulisse in detail by registered letter, insofar as possible, preceded by an email or a fax, as soon as reasonably possible, and in any event within fourteen (14) working days after the defect, flaw and/or damage occurs, and the Customer must do everything which may reasonably be expected of it to limit its damage.
Article 17 Force majeure and Coulisse’s right to suspend performance
“Force majeure” shall mean: a failure to perform on Coulisse’s part which is not its fault nor for which it should otherwise be held responsible and which results in performance of the agreement being impeded temporarily or permanently, as well as, insofar as not already included under this, measures, laws or decisions of international, national or regional government or other agencies, wars (or threats of war), embargoes, riots, employee strikes, employee lock-outs, manufacturing and transport problems, fires, lightning strikes, natural disasters, water damage, power breakdowns, breakdowns in telecommunication and other communication lines, and other serious disruptions in Coulisse’s or its suppliers’ businesses.
If it is clear that the force majeure situation at Coulisse or one of the third parties engaged by it will last three (3) months or longer, each of the Parties shall be entitled to terminate the agreement early, without observing any notice period. Termination within the meaning of this Article shall occur by registered letter with return with signature.
A situation of force majeure for Coulisse or one or more of the auxiliary persons, third parties or suppliers engaged by Coulisse shall suspend its obligations under the agreement for as long as the situation lasts. This force majeure situation shall not suspend the Customer’s obligations under the agreement.
Coulisse shall not accept any liability for and shall therefore not be obliged to compensate direct and/or indirect damage, costs and/or losses by or at the Customer and/or third parties, which direct and/or indirect damage is caused by or relates in any way to the force majeure situation for Coulisse or one of the auxiliary persons, third parties or suppliers engaged by it.
Article 18 Rescission of agreement
The Customer shall be in default by operation of law if it:
- breaches any obligation under the agreement and/or these General Terms and Conditions;
- is put into liquidation, files a winding-up petition or a petition for its liquidation is filed, requests or obtains a suspension of payments or a statutory debt rescheduling scheme (Debt Rescheduling (Natural Persons) Act), or the statutory debt rescheduling scheme (Debt Rescheduling (Natural Persons) Act) is declared applicable to it or application thereof is requested, or transfers its business operations or control of its business, loses its legal personality, or is dissolved or wound up.
In the situation referred to in paragraph 1, Coulisse shall be entitled to terminate the agreement in whole or in part unilaterally, without a notice of default or judicial intervention, and without Coulisse being obliged to pay any compensation and without prejudice to Coulisse’s other rights, including the right to full compensation of all its direct and/or indirect damage. Rescission of the agreement within the meaning of this Article shall occur by registered letter with return with signature, insofar as possible, preceded by a fax.
If the Customer has died, been placed under guardianship or has ceased to reside in the country where the Customer lives or is based, Coulisse shall also have the rights stated in the previous paragraph of this Article.
If, at the time of rescission referred to in this Article, the Customer has already received the Items as part of execution of the agreement, these Items and the related payment obligation(s) shall not be cancelled. Amounts which Coulisse has invoiced before rescission in connection with performance and/or deliveries already provided in execution of the agreement shall continue to be owed in full and shall be immediately due and payable at the time of rescission.
Article 19 Interpretation
Coulisse may invoke these General Terms and Conditions on any account whatsoever and regardless of by whomever it is held liable.
If one or more provisions of the agreement or these General Terms and Conditions turn out not to be or no longer to be legally valid, the other provisions of the agreement and these General Terms and Conditions shall remain in effect. The provisions which are not or no longer legally valid shall be replaced with provisions which are as consistent as possible with the tenor of the provisions to be replaced.
In the event of a conflict with non-mandatory provisions under statutes and/or treaties, the content of these General Terms and Conditions shall prevail.
These General Terms and Conditions have been translated into German, Spanish and English. If there is a conflict between the provisions or interpretation of the General Terms and Conditions written in Dutch and the General Terms and Conditions translated into German, Spanish and English, the Dutch text shall be the point of departure and as such shall prevail over the General Terms and Conditions translated into German, Spanish and English.
The fact that Coulisse does not demand strict compliance with these General Terms and Conditions in all circumstances shall not in any way imply that Coulisse is waiving the right to demand strict compliance in any case.
Article 20 Applicable law and disputes
These General Terms and Conditions and all offers/quotes, orders and agreements to which they apply shall be governed by Dutch law. The Vienna Sales Convention 1980 (CISG) and the Uniform Law on the International Sale of Goods (Act of 15 December 1971, Bulletin of Acts and Decrees 780) shall not apply between the Parties.
All disputes arising in connection with the offer/quote, order and/or agreement or a later agreement to which these General Terms and Conditions apply shall exclusively be settled by the competent court in the district where Coulisse’s registered office is located. In deviation from the provisions in the previous sentence, Coulisse shall be entitled to bring a dispute before the court with jurisdiction under the law or an applicable international treaty.
APPENDIX:
Article 21 Intellectual property rights
All intellectual property rights, including patent rights, trademark rights, design rights and copyrights, to the Items, designs, know-how, information and the like shall be held solely by Coulisse or its licensor(s). The Customer shall only obtain the rights of use and rights granted by these General Terms and Conditions or in the agreement. Insofar as the licences of Coulisse’s licensor(s) result in restrictions for the Customer, Coulisse shall inform the Customer.
If the Customer instructs Coulisse to copy or reproduce an object protected by any intellectual property right, the Customer hereby states that the aforementioned rights of others besides the Parties shall not be infringed. The Customer shall indemnify Coulisse in and out of court for all consequences, including claims of others besides the Parties, both financial and otherwise, ensuing from the copying or reproduction.
The Customer is aware that the know-how provided by Coulisse shall include confidential information and trade secrets of Coulisse or its licensor(s). Subject to the provisions in Article 22 of these General Terms and Conditions, the Customer hereby undertakes to keep this know-how secret, not to disclose or provide use of this to others besides the Parties and only to use this for the purpose for which it has been provided to the Customer. In this connection, “others besides the Parties” shall include all persons working in the Customer’s organisation who do not necessarily have to use the know-how.
The Customer may not remove or alter any intellectual property designation – in the broadest sense of the word – from the know-how, including designations concerning the know-how’s confidential nature and confidentiality.
If the Customer does not comply with the provisions in paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Article, the Customer shall forfeit an immediately due and payable penalty of at least ten thousand euros (EUR 10,000) per violation, without prejudice to Coulisse’s other rights, including the right to full compensation and/or specific performance.
If the Customer is faced with demands or claims based on the allegation that knowhow developed by Coulisse itself infringes an applicable intellectual property right of someone other than the Parties, the Customer must immediately inform Coulisse in detail and in writing about the existence and substance of the demand or claim, failing which any liability on Coulisse’s part vis-à-vis the Customer shall be extinguished in this regard. It shall be up to Coulisse alone whether it shall resolve the matter itself, including by entering into any settlement agreements, or whether it shall let the Customer do this. In the latter case, Coulisse shall provide support to the Customer where possible, in order to defend itself against the demand or claim. All costs which reasonably must be incurred to take care of the existing problem properly shall be paid by Coulisse if Coulisse decides to resolve the matter itself. If Coulisse lets the Customer resolve the matter, the aforementioned costs shall be paid by the Customer. If Coulisse decides to resolve the demand or claim itself, the Customer shall furnish Coulisse with the necessary authorisations and information in that regard, and the Customer shall otherwise fully cooperate as well, so that Coulisse can defend itself, if necessary, in the Customer’s name, against this/these demand(s) or claim(s).
If it has been irrevocably established at law that the know-how developed by Coulisse itself infringes any intellectual property right belonging to a third party, or, if, in Coulisse’s judgment, there is a good chance that such an infringement will occur, Coulisse shall take the Items delivered back from the Customer with a credit for the acquisition costs and deduction of a reasonable use payment, or Coulisse shall ensure that the Customer may continue to use the Items delivered or a functionally equivalent other object without interference, all of this at Coulisse’s discretion. The Customer must then give up the Items delivered, without Coulisse being obliged to compensate the ensuing damage for the Customer.
The provisions referred to in paragraphs 5 and 6 shall not apply if and insofar as the infringement concerned relates to changes which the Customer has made to the knowhow or has had others besides the Parties make to the know-how.
Any liability of Coulisse because of infringement of the intellectual property rights of others besides the Parties which deviates from the previous paragraphs shall be excluded. This shall include Coulisse’s liability for infringements caused:
a. by use of products not delivered by Coulisse;
b. in another manner than for which the products were developed or intended.
Article 22 Information carriers, designs, drawings and means of production
Know-how shall mean: all materials developed or furnished pursuant to the agreement, such as programs, documentation, analyses, designs, models, drawings, diagrams, work instructions, digital files, photographic shots, lithos, small-size and large-size montages, calculations, descriptions, drafts, reports, equipment and other materials, as well as preparatory materials for this, in whatever form, which have been developed by Coulisse in preparing for and/or executing the agreement and which have been provided to the Customer.
“Information carriers shall mean: means of production, such as forms, optical data carriers, magnetic tapes and discs, as well as other objects on which data has been or can be recorded.
Subject to the provisions in Article 21 of these General Terms and Conditions, Coulisse shall continue to own and/or hold the rights to the information carriers produced by, at the instruction of or on behalf of Coulisse, whether or not in cooperation with the Customer and/or third parties, which are furnished to the Customer or used solely in connection with execution of the agreement, including: written documents, sound, visual and/or other materials, videotapes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, know-how and information, such as, for example, but not limited to, specifications, data, instructions, inspection requirements, explanations, alterations, supplements and materials, including drafts, copies, reproductions and reject copy and the like, even if the Customer pays a fee for the development and/or acquisition of these.
Coulisse shall be entitled to use the goods referred to in paragraph 3 to execute other agreements besides those between the Parties.
Unless the Parties otherwise agree in writing, the goods referred to in paragraph 1 must be given or returned to Coulisse immediately after execution of the agreement.
The Customer hereby warrants that, except for purposes of execution of the agreement, the goods referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article shall only be copied, reproduced and displayed to others, disclosed or otherwise used, or modified and/or supplemented with Coulisse’s prior written permission.
The Customer may solely and only use the know-how and information referred to in this Article in connection with the agreement concluded with Coulisse.
The Customer may not assemble, disassemble, adjust or otherwise change the knowhow and information referred to in this Article for its own benefit without Coulisse’s prior written permission.
If the Customer does not comply with the provisions in paragraphs 5 through 8 of this Article, the Customer shall forfeit an immediately due and payable penalty of at least ten thousand euros (EUR 10,000) per violation, without prejudice to Coulisse’s other rights, including the right to full compensation and/or specific performance.
The Customer shall indemnify Coulisse against all claims by others besides the Parties ensuing from the know-how and information referred to in this Article.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Parties, Coulisse shall not be obliged to save the information carriers with know-how and information referred to in this Article for the Customer’s benefit. If the Parties agree that Coulisse shall save the information carriers, this shall occur for a period of at most one (1) year, without Coulisse guaranteeing suitability for repeated use and it being liable for the damage which the Customer suffers or will suffer if repeated use is not or no longer possible.
Article 23 The Customer’s licences
The Customer hereby warrants that all specifications, data, instructions, inspection requirements, explanations, alterations, supplements, directions and materials furnished by it to Coulisse to execute the agreement shall be correct and complete. If it has been agreed that the Customer shall furnish programs, software, materials or data on information carriers, these must comply with the specifications, data, instructions, inspection requirements, explanations, alterations, supplements, directions and materials necessary to perform the work.
The Customer hereby warrants that it owns, or at least temporarily or permanently possesses, all necessary licences and/or permits for all materials, data, programs and/or software furnished by the Customer to Coulisse.
If the Customer does not or does not fully comply with the provisions in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, Coulisse shall not be liable for the consequences this has for the performance of Coulisse’s obligations, insofar as those consequences were caused by a breach by the Customer of the provisions in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article.
Subject to the provisions in the previous paragraph, Coulisse reserves the right to terminate the agreement and demand the Items delivered with immediate effect and without prior notice, including the other rights which Coulisse has, such as the right to full compensation and/or rescission.
Article 24 Confidentiality
The Parties hereby mutually warrant that all confidential information exchanged as part of the agreement (including when it was entered into) shall remain secret, in particular with regard to designs, know-how, documentation, photographs, drawings, visual and sound recordings, and the like. Information as referred to in the previous sentence of this paragraph shall in any event be considered confidential if it has been designated as such by one of the Parties.
The Customer may not, without Coulisse’s prior written permission, display, disclose, copy, reproduce or distribute texts and/or images, including, for example, but not limited to, drafts, know-how, documentation, photographs, drawings, and visual and sound recordings as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, to or for others besides the Parties, or cooperate in publications or otherwise utilise these.
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Sut Jhall:Image based culture: advertising and popular culture
An advertiser’s main goal is to make money by any means necessary. Therefore, it is no surprise that advertisements in the media today are preying upon young women’s insecurities and producing more and more advertisements that show how sex sells in the media. Throughout virtually any magazine or image in the media, a reader will find more women than men shown in the advertisements. Some of these advertisements include women interacting with men in a sexual manner, women wearing the slightest bit of clothing, if any, and women posing in provocative ways to sell a certain product.
Virtually all of these advertisements and media images portray women who are extremely thin, sexy, and seductive in order to sell the products to either male or female consumers. Interestingly, the male consumer products that are advertised include women either being promiscuous with other women, or with men, while female consumer products only sometimes include men, yet nevertheless portray women seductively, beautifully, and in a way that appeals to men.
The above collage helps showcase how advertisers use the idea that “sex sells” as a way to objectify women and hold them to the highest standards of beauty, thinness, and attractiveness to men, while simultaneously suggesting that in order for products to sell, women must sell the products in a sexual manner. Every image in the collage includes one or more women. This says something in itself considering that some of the products advertised are solely meant to be bought by men.
For instance, the image of the cologne strategically placed between the woman’s breasts is meant to appeal to the male consumer; however, in order for that product to be marketable, the advertisement must contain a topless woman. Similarly, the image of the three men surrounding the slender and attractive woman while another man gets on top of her, is an advertisement meant to attract men to shop at Dolce and Gabbana; however, in order to initially attract the men, a woman must appear in the advertisement.
In Sut Jhally’s essay entitled “Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture”, Jhally discusses gender identity and images in the media: “many commercial messages use images and representations of men and women as central components of their strategy to both get attention and persuade” (253). Jhally’s analysis can be applied to advertisements, as well, and it shows the ways in which the advertisers prey
upon their consumers and appeal to them through sexual images and thoughts. Women, in particular, are represented in a specific way: “in advertising, gender (especially for women) is defined almost exclusively along the lines of sexuality” (Jhally 253). Jhally’s depiction of women being represented based on their sexuality is supported throughout the collage.
One of the advertisements shown is meant to persuade people to neuter their pets; however, the image used to represent the advertisement shows a woman dressed in lingerie and heels while holding a cat. This advertisement is therefore an example of the ways in which women are portrayed solely based on their sex appeal and sexuality. Thus, women provocatively displayed in advertisements clearly help sell the product and show that sex really does sell.
Sut Jhall:Image based culture: advertising and popular culture. (2016, Jul 14). Retrieved July 12, 2019, from https://newyorkessays.com/essay-sut-jhallimage-based-culture-advertising-and-popular-culture/
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Spring Arts: The Theater List
By NJJN Staff March 21, 2017, 12:00 am 0 Edit
“Ghost Light Now & Then.” Barbara Kahn’s latest play centers on a contemporary lesbian couple who are transported back to 1920s Greenwich Village, to a theater that is haunted by ghosts of former productions like Mercedes De Acosta’s 1927 “Jacob Slovak” and Sholem Asch’s 1923 “God of Vengeance.” March 2-19. Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. $15, smarttix.com.
“Two by Tabori.” A double bill of the plays of Hungarian Jewish satirist George Tabori, who wrote about the horror of war and about the experience of refugees. Manfred Bormann directs “Mein Kampf” and “Jubilee” in repertory. March 4-21. Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. $18, smarttix.com.
“Through the Darkness.” Alan Breindel’s play, based on interviews with Holocaust survivors and set in the 1980s, about four late-middle-age American Jews looking back on their trauma at the hands of the Nazis. March 9-April 1. Workshop Theater, 312 W. 36th St. $25, workshoptheater.org.
“God of Vengeance.” New Yiddish Rep brings back the controversial Yiddish play about lesbian Jewish identity, which just closed at La MaMa, for an encore two-week run, with a new director, Aaron Beall. March 14-27. Theatre at St. Clement’s, 423 W. 46th St. $36-$65, newyiddishrep.org.
“Oslo.” J.T. Rogers’ play about the negotiation of the historic 1993 Israeli-Palestinian peace accords, which was a hit last year at Lincoln Center’s small Mitzi Newhouse, now reopens on Broadway at the larger Vivian Beaumont with the same cast. Begins previews on March 23 for an April 13 opening. Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, 150 W. 65th St. $77-$147. lct.org, telecharge.com.
“Benghazi/Bergen-Belsen.” Lahav Timor’s play about a young Jewish woman in the Libyan city of Benghazi who is taken away to Bergen-Belsen. March 23-April 9. La MaMa E.T.C., 66 E. Fourth St. $25, lamama.org.
“Ask Joseph.” Steps Theatre presents a play by Slava Stepnov and Roman Freud that interweaves Anton Chekhov’s “Cherry Orchard” with the works of Nobel Prize-winning Russian Jewish writer Joseph Brodsky. March 24-26. Goddard Riverside Community Center, 647 Columbus Ave. $25, stepstheatre.com.
“Indecent.” Paula Vogel’s play about the controversy surrounding S. Asch’s “God of Vengeance” comes to Broadway. Previews April 4 for an April 18 opening. Cort Theatre, 138 W. 48th St. $39-$129, telecharge.com.
“David Yazbek with The Band’s Visit Band.” The composer and lyricist of the recent Off-Broadway show, “The Band’s Visit” performs songs from the show along
with the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra. April 10. Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 W. 54th St. $55-$65, 54below.com.
“Der Nes in Getto.” (The Ghetto Miracle). Selections from H. Leivick’s 1944 Yiddish play will be read as part of the Folksbiene’s commemoration of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Wednesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place. $15, nytf.org.
“The Little Foxes.” The Roundabout presents a new production of Lillian Hellman’s semi-autobiographical play about greed and ambition, set in 1900 Alabama, starring Laura Linney and Cynthia Nixon, who alternate roles. Daniel Sullivan directs. Starts previews March 29 and opens April 19. Samuel J. Friedman Theater, 261 W. 47th St. $70-$150, telecharge.com.
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Fun is bottom line for Newcomb’s coach
Posted by Quentin Jodie | Jun 27, 2019 | Football |
A Newcomb player attempts to block the ball away from an Aztec play in the end zone on Saturday.
NEWCOMB, N.M.
As the tournament host, the Newcomb football team finished in a three-way tie for third place in pool play action.
The Skyhawks were one game away from making the bracket portion of the tournament but the fact that they competed against the likes of Miyamura, Kirtland Central, Holbrook, Window Rock and Aztec boded well for head coach Eric Stovall.
“I think it’s great for the kids and I think it’s great for the 10 other schools that came here,” he said. “It gives the coaches a chance to see their kids compete and have a good time. They get to do some reps, which is important, especially for the defensive coaches as far as defensive coverages.”
Not only that, Stovall, said the kids got to throw the ball.
“It was a lot of fun for them,” he said. “That’s the bottom line.”
Saturday’s competition was one of a handful of 7-on-7 events the Skyhawks have participated in. Earlier this month they finished in the top 4 at the Monument Valley’s 18-team tournament.
“I think it was great because it showed the kids that we can compete with some of the larger schools in the Four Corners,” Stovall said. “We can play with those larger programs.”
Previous‘Telling my own people’s stories’: Diné reporter tasked with covering Arizona’s Native nations
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Quentin Jodie
Quentin Jodie is the Sports Editor for the Navajo Times. He started working for the Navajo Times in February 2010 and was promoted to the Sports Editor position at the end of summer in 2012. Previously, he wrote for the Gallup Independent. Reach him at qjodie@navajotimes.com
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Beer, Bourbon, BBQ and Blues Festival — 13.07.2019
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The Paul Deslauriers Band
The Paul DesLauriers Band is made up of guitarist and singer Paul DesLauriers and the rhythm section of Greg Morency on bass and Sam Harrisson on drums. Having worked together on various projects for nearly 20 years, the band has become bound by friendship and an unshakable mutual respect. Based on this history and an uncanny musical chemistry, in 2013 they decided to focus all their energy and talents to develop their distinctive power trio.
These Montreal-based Canadian Blues veterans blend rock with straight-ahead blues in a way that echoes the vibe of the great power trios from the 60s and 70s, yet they take the music to another level via modern stylings and an attack that’s free of clichés. The aural texture of their music changes on a dime from guitar-driven pyrotechnic blazing to a much milder blues boogie with seamless ease. It's all wondrously peppered with pleasing funky bass lines and a swamp-blues backbeat.
Crowned Entertainer of the Year for the second year in a row at the 21st annual Maple Blues Awards held on January 15th 2018 in Toronto, Canada; in 2017 along with Entertainer of the Year, they also won the Maple Blues Awards for Electric Act of the Year, Bassist of the Year (Greg Morency) and Drummer of the Year (Sam Harrisson). In January 2016 the band took 2nd place at the 32nd International Blues Challenge (IBC), the world’s largest gathering of blues acts, organized by The Blues Foundation. Held in Memphis Tennessee, they rose to the top to take the runner-up title in the Band category in a worldwide competition that saw 119 bands competing for a spot on the podium.
Monkey Junk
The trio, whose career-best fifth album Time To Roll recently netted their second Juno Award, prepares to travel from east to west this spring and summer, visiting key venues and festivals in between.
By almost any ordinary metric, like a marriage or a job, 10 years is a respectable milestone. For a hard-touring and recording band, however, a decade is a sweat-soaked, anecdote-amassing feat. Appropriately, the corresponding anniversary gift is way better than something made of tin.
Ottawa’s ace swamp roots-rockers MonkeyJunk—fêting 10 triumphant years together in 2018—are preparing to lift lids from Saskatoon to Sault Ste Marie, Thunder Bay to Nanaimo, as they hit the highway supporting their scorching, career-best Time To Roll album. Audiences will be dazzled.
Winner of 2018’s Blues Album of the Year Juno Award (their second overall), the latest and fifth release from singer/guitarist and harp player Steve Marriner, drummer Matt Sobb, and guitarist Tony D is precisely the kind of corker you’d expect from a trio of musical veterans who, between them, have boosted luminaries from Fabulous Thunderbird Kim Wilson to Buddy Guy, the late Jeff Healey to the lamented Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Cécile Doo-Kingué
An exceptional stage presence, guitarist/singer-songwriter Cécile Doo-Kingué blends blues, afro-roots and soul to create a unique sound. Born and raised in New York City, first generation from Cameroon, she has lived in the USA, France, and is now an adopted Montrealer.
Considered one of Canada’s most electrifying and versatile guitarists, she has shared a stage and/or recorded with Montreal Jubilation Choir, Blind Boys of Alabama, James Blood Ulmer, Bernard Purdie, Jim Byrnes, Michael Jerome Brown, Tricia Foster, Scarlett Jane, United Steel Workers of Montreal, amongst many, and has opened for many icons including Canned Heat, John Prine, Eric Andersen, Angélique Kidjo, Youssou N’Dour and Manu Dibango. In 2008, Cecile and Gern f. of USWM started Chick Pickin’ Mondays, a night promoting women singer-songwriters.
Paolo Stante Band
Paolo Stante is a singer, songwriter and guitarist playing modern interpretations of the classic blues and rock sound. He is based in the city of Montreal, Quebec, and represented by the Vision Records & Publishing Ltd. independent record label. His most recent LP album, “At It Again,” continues to garner critical and fan acclaim since its global distribution in May 2018. He is joined by Mario Orsini on bass guitar and by David Paul Neil on drums and percussion.
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English Poll Play world cup Quiz Play Avengers Quiz Play IPL Quiz Play NGK Movie Quiz
Joseph Marcell
Home Movie-Actor English English Movie-Actor
Movie-Actor
Star sign: Virgo
Joseph Marcell is a British movie actor whose work is commendable ad highly appreciated by the audience and the critics. He was born on 18 August 1948 at Saint Lucia and became a British actor. He is well known for his incredible work by playing the role of Geoffrey who was an English butler that comes on NBC sitcom show called The Fresh Prince of Bel and started airing from September in the year 1990 till May 1996.
After being in Saint Lucia, he then went to the United Kingdom when he was nine years old. Then he moved to Peckham that is in South London and currently residing in Ealing located in West London. During his education, he learned theater and art of science at college, after that he took courses in dance and speech. He became the member of Royal Shakespeare and due to which he got into production of A Midsummer's Night's Dream and Othello. Not only that, he received a chance to appear on some fantastic British Television series and feature motion pictures. He also served in the Globe theater in London; there he got an opportunity where he features on the production of Shakespeare's show called Ado About Nothing.
He first obtained his graduation degree from the University of Sheffield and then learned acting from the College of Central School of Acting and Speech. Mr. Joseph Marcell later got married to Joyce Marcell, and together they have two children named Ben Marcell and Jessica Marcell. He started appearing in feature films and television series from the year 1974 and his latest work was in a Television Show where he played the role of Alexander Jackson in Death in Paradise and came on the episode of The Man with the Golden Gun. He appeared on Antony and Cleopatra and did the role of Eros in the year 1974.
He appeared in some of the great shows and motion pictures; some of them were The Professionals in the year 1980 in which he performed as Nero. He also appeared on The Doctor Who television series and played a role of John in the episode of Remembrance of the Daleks in the year 1988.
From 2003 to 2004, he was a part of a TV series called The Bold and the Beautiful as Hudson. In the year 2008, he did A Touch of Frost as a character of Joshua Ray. He was also a part of some stage shows like Gem of the Ocean and King Lear.
Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro took birth in the year 1971 on September 21 in New York City, United States. Currently, he stays in Los Angeles, California. He is an American show host, T.V. Director, actor and dancer by profession. He was born at the city of Bronx in the Riverdale section. His parents Joy Ribeiro (also known as nee De Leon) and Michael belonged to Trinidadian group. Ribeiro’s mother was the daughter of the Roaring Lion, Rafael De Leon, who was Calypsonian of Trinidadian group. When he was 30 years old, nearly around the year 2002, he married Robin Stapler and the couple got divorced in the year 2006. The reason of the divorce was various unsolved differences. They have a daughter, Sienna Ribeiro, of whom they share a joint custody. Then in July 2012, he got engaged to the famous writer Angela Unkrich and got married on October 13 and now the two live in Los Angeles along with their two son named Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro Jr. (2013) and Anders Reyn Ribeiro (2015). He is active in this field since the year 1971 which means he began his professional career at a very little age of 8. He became quite popular for the lead role in “The Tap Dance Kid” which was a “Broadway Musical”. His first ever nomination for any award was for this role only and the award was “Outer Critics Circle Award.” He had also worked with Michael Jackson in the year 1984 for the “Pepsi” commercial. While shooting for this commercial, a rumor was spread that he died as he snapped his neck. After this commercial he bagged a role in the T.V. series “Silver Spoons” as “Rickshrode’s” best friend. In the year 1985, he wrote a book named “Alfonso’s Breakin’ and Poppin’ Book” and advertised it himself on MTV. Then in the year 1986, he also launched “Timebomb” which was a 12” rap records with Prism Records. He also played the role of Cartlon Banks in the T.V. series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” broadcast on NBC from the year 1990 to 1996. Here also, his character loved to dance and got popular by the name “The Cartlon Dance”. In the year 2006, he also won a celebrity singing reality show, “Celebrity Duets”. In 2008, he posted a game show on GSN named “Catch 21”. As a director, he directed a few episodes of “Meet the Browns” and “Are Eve There Yet” T.V. series. On September 4th 2014, he was selected as one of the celebrities to compete in the show “Dancing With The Stars” where he was partnered by Witney Carson and then he also judged some episodes the same show but for season 21. He was the first African American to host “America’s funniest home videos” and was titled as successor of Tom Bergeron on May 19, 2015. He also made a cameo appearance for the pop rock band, R5’s music video “All Night.”
Bob Golding
Bob Golding also known as Robert John Bob Golding was born on 15th of August in the year 1970 in Cambridge in the United Kingdom is an actor in Hollywood. From the year 1986 to 1989, he has studied at North Hertfordshire College. Bob Golding is a well-known actor, popular for his movies like Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon which was released in the year 2003, Tweenies in the year 1999. He has also worked in Children TV series named “Tweenies” and given his voices to Max and Milo. This show also won BAFTA in the year 2000 in the category of Best pre-school live action. He has also worked in “The Beeps” which was telecast on the channel named “Five” in the year 2007 and 2008. He has also worked in “The Slammer” which was telecast on the channel named “CBBC” which is a BBC’s channel for children. Other than this, he has also appeared in Watson & Oliver, Diddy TV and Dick and Dom's Diddy Movies. He has also appeared in comedy show of Peter Kay. In the year 2013, he gave his voice to “Thomas and Friends.” When we come to the stage, Golding appeared at the UK premiere of Wasp by Steve Martin, Eight Miles High, Only the Lonely, West End, and much more. Golding played “Eric Morecambe” in “Morecambe” which is a one-man show. On 7th of December in the year 2009, he has appeared on Royal Variety Performance held at Opera House Theater. Bob has also acted in many movies. Some of these are Aladdin which was released in the year 2012, Cinderella in the year 2013, Jack and the Beanstalk in the year 2014, and much more. In August in the year 2010, Golding appeared as a guest presenter on Dave Gorman’s show named Absolute Radio for around five weeks because the regular presenter of the show named “Martin White” was busy in performing at “Edinburgh Festival Fringe.” Golding has his rhythm and blues band named “The Guild of Thieves.” Apart from all this, Bob Golding has also won many Awards in his career. He has won Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Along with this, he has also won “WhatsOnStage” Award in the category of Best Solo Performance. He has won Laurence Oliver Award in the year 2010 for the one man show named “Morecambe” in which he played the role of “Eric Morecambe.” This show has won the award for Best Entertainment.
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Mansfield, MA
REVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHS BY DOMINIQUE D’COSTA
Summer is the time music fans look forward to the most—it’s finally festival season! In the past years, there were endless amounts of shows to choose from. However, with the ending of Rockstar’s Mayhem Fest and the Vans Warped Tour coming to a close for its 25th anniversary, many were at a loss. In comes Rockstar’s Disrupt Festival to save the day. The festival mimicked the setup of past summer tours, including a festival stage and multiple vendors for fans to enjoy.
What makes this festival stand out from the rest is that there are no conflicting set times, which prevents fans from missing any of their favorite bands. This created a significantly more relaxed environment for concertgoers so that they could truly immerse themselves in the event. Despite the free-for-all that was Warped Tour, the Disrupt Festival had fans separated by section, from pit to lawn, during the main stage acts. This seemed to trouble many, as they were hoping for more interaction with the bands during their live performances, and many bands had to play to scarce audiences. Overall, each band made the best of the day and played with full energy, which brought true joy to their audiences.
The day began with June Divided, a band not typically on the festival lineup. This four piece indie rock ensemble included a strong female lead, Melissa Menago, who was not only the vocalist but keyboardist and guitarist as well. This woman of many talents brought a considerable amount of energy to the opening crowd. Fans walking into the festival bobbed their heads and prepared themselves for a day of excitement.
Following June Divided was none other than Hyro the Hero. This is a do not miss band on the tour. The lead, Hyro, flew around the stage singing about strength and ambition in a gangsta rock style, an alternative to many bands in the scene. The intensity of this performance is indescribable. Members of the band ran around the stage creating their own mosh pit. Hyro even hopped into the pit of fans and brought life to the crowd. The spontaneity of each member is what had fans falling in love with the music and the band.
The profound energy turned over to a feeling of female strength and power as Juliet Simms, previously of Automatic Loveletter, took the stage. Her beauty and confidence radiated through the crowd as fans swayed to the blues soul rock. This strong female lead played both the tambourine and guitar throughout different songs in her performance. Juliet made the stage her runway as she strut with fearlessness while singing with a tenacious yet melodic voice that left fans wanting more.
Trophy Eyes took the stage after Juliet Simms. Dedicated fans immediately hopped on their feet and did not stop moving or singing through their entire performance. The band, however, did not quite share this energy. Each member remained still and had a solemn, almost miserable look on their faces. The lead singer, John Floreani, remained behind the microphone, which took away the spirit behind the music. The talent and popular music of this band was lost behind their performance. Nonetheless, this did not stop fans from singing every word of their favorite songs, such as “You Can Count on Me.”
As the liveliness of the day began to die down, fan favorite Memphis May Fire took the stage and brought the spirit back to the festival. Once Matty Mullins announced they would be playing songs off their 2012 album Challenger, the crowd went wild and the pit finally broke out. Fans were clearly nostalgic hearing songs from their younger days and went harder than ever. Every person in the crowd was on their feet and singing their hearts out with the band. The festival came alive once again.
Immediately following came Sleeping with Sirens. The second Kellin Quinn stepped on stage, fans jumped on their feet and seemed to never come down. The band played new songs and old, and the crowd seemed to know every word by heart. They, of course, played “If I’m James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn” and people surfed to the front to sing with Kellin. This was yet another powerful performance from a band that never disappoints.
The main stage acts then began with Atreyu and out came the theatrics. There was lighting and smoke galore. The band took control of the full stage so that every member of the audience could enjoy the experience. Guitarist Dan Jacobs also played a set of neon green drums that riled up the crowd as he and Porter McKnight ran around the stage interacting with fans and making them part of their performance. There was not a single person sitting down during this set. The band even covered Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name,” which had every single member of the festival belting out the lyrics. The joy of the band and the fans was very apparent throughout the entire performance.
The Story So Far then took the stage, and fans were more than ready for this well known pop punk group. The lighting was soft and colorful to create a more relaxed environment to pair with the head bobbing music. Fans, however, were disappointed with the lack of interaction from lead Parker Cannon. He spent the entire performance behind the microphone, with his hands behind his back. Very few times did he walk up to the audience, only to immediately return to the mic. Though the song choices such as “All Wrong” made fans ecstatic, the lack of performance took away from what could have been a truly amazing set.
The time had finally come for Circa Survive. This was a very anticipated part of the night for fans and bands alike. This performance was one for the books. The heavy backlighting of purple and yellow set the mood as smoke leaked onto the stage. Lead Anthony Green immediately hopped onto the barricade and sang to and with each and every audience member he could reach. The absolute delight from Green and his fans was clearly evident. It was easy to see that performing is something the band is passionate about. Circa Survive is a group that everyone should have a chance to experience whether you are a fan of the genre or not. This band is a perfect example of showmanship and devotion.
It can be very difficult to follow the performance of Circa Survive. However, the band for the job is without question The Used. Celebrating their 20th anniversary of making music, they continue to put on a model live performance. The music began with a white screen displaying a cartoon visual of the development of their album cover from In Love and Death. The screen drops and the band immediately began playing as the crowd went wild. Narrow vertical screens that displayed visuals and lighting set to match their set list surrounded drummer Dan Whitesides. There was not a single fan without a smile on their face through the entire set. Bert McCracken made the stage his home. He had his cup of tea in hand, and even took the microphone stand and began doing squats while smiling at the audience. Midway into the set the same heart from In Love and Death was brought onto the stage hanging above the members and glowed through the venue. This band was made to perform and is another do not miss performance.
Closing out the night was iconic Thrice. The stage went dark with deep purple and red lights as they entered. The set was dark and deeply emotional, as if they were performing personally for each audience member. Quite a number of songs were played off of their new album Palms, including “Just Breathe.” As their set came to an end, fans slowly scattered their way out of the venue, and just like that, Disrupt Festival was over.
All in all for its first run, the Disrupt Festival had a solid lineup of performers that had audience members moving and singing their hearts out all day long. Though some minor adjustments could be made in the future, such as the exact lineup of bands throughout the day, the festival was a success to all of those in attendance. Once again, fans have their summer festival to look forward to.
Hyro The Hero
June Divided
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Doyle: 10.09.18 – The Webster Theater – Hartford, CT
Zeal and Ardor: 9.22.18 The Sinclair Cambridge, MA
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Are Sovereigns Entitled to the Benefit of the International Rule of Law?
NYU School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 09-01
36 Pages Posted: 8 Jan 2009 Last revised: 29 Jan 2009
See all articles by Jeremy Waldron
Jeremy Waldron
Date Written: January 5, 2009
The applicability of the ideal we call "the Rule of Law" (ROL) in international law (IL) is complicated by (1) the fact that there is no overarching world government from whom we need protection (of the sort that the ROL traditionally offers) and it is also complicated by (2) the fact that IL affects states, in the first instance, rather than individuals (for whose sake we usually insist on ROL requirements). The paper uses both these ideas as points of entry into a consideration of the applicability of the ROL in IL. It suggests that the the "true" subjects of IL are really human individuals (billions of them) and it queries whether the protections that they need are really best secured by giving national sovereigns the benefit of ROL requirements in IL. For example, a national sovereign's insistence that IL norms should not be enforced unless they are clear and determinate may mean that individuals have fewer protections against human rights violations. More radically, it may be approptriate to think of national sovereigns more as "officials" or "agencies" of the IL system than as its subjects. On this account, we should consider the analogous situation of officials and agencies in a municipal legal system: are officials and agencies in need of, or entitled to, the same ROL protections as private individuals? If not, then maybe it is inappropriate to think that sovereign states are entitled to the same ROL protections at the international level as inidviduals are entitled to at the municipal level.
Keywords: agencies, determinacy, human rights, international law, legality, Rule of Law, rules, sovereigns
Waldron, Jeremy, Are Sovereigns Entitled to the Benefit of the International Rule of Law? (January 5, 2009). NYU School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 09-01. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1323383 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1323383
Jeremy Waldron (Contact Author)
New York University School of Law ( email )
40 Washington Square South
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Tag: holy urbanism
Had Hoped to See this in Dallas while at General Assembly
Published on June 29, 2019 by D. G. HartLeave a comment
But Rain Bomb 2019 meant we could only circle First Park on its side streets. Here’s why it is intriguing:
The one constant about World’s Fairs and Expositions—from Chicago’s White City to the several Expositions Universelles in Paris to the New York World’s Fair of 1939—is that you cannot in any meaningful sense go to see them. It’s not merely that the midways are empty, Buffalo Bill dead, the dancing girls clothed, and “Forbidden Tibet” forbidden. The physical imprint of almost every single exposition of the golden age from the 1870s to the 1930s has been almost completely effaced, with remnants typically constituting one or two relics and some landscaping.
There are very few exceptions. But your best bet for immersion today is in Dallas’s Fair Park, a stunning time capsule from 1936 with 26 buildings remaining from the Texas Centennial Exhibition. Fair Park has been and remains the host of the Texas State Fair since 1886, so a spectacle persists every fall for three weeks. Many decades later, the difficult problem is what to do with these stellar grounds the other 11 months of the year. And the question is how Dallas can enliven this huge urban monument today—even as there is no question that the 1936 legacy of Texas should be both celebrated and preserved.
Though Fair Park’s landmark exhibition was not technically a “World” exposition, it drew on a very considerable range of national and international talent, and lived up to Texas’s reputation for gigantism in all of the best ways. As Jim Parsons and David Bush write in their book, Fair Park Deco: “In 1936, most of the United States knew little about Texas. If Americans thought of the state at all, they probably imagined it as a vast frontier filled with cowboys and oil wells. Centennial publicists, armed with a $500,000 allocation from Austin, were perfectly happy to use those misconceptions to their advantage, spinning them into decidedly sentimental symbols of the Lone Star State.”
But what if fairs were meant to exist only during the event itself (sort of like General Assembly)?
A majority of the great fairs of yesteryear were intrinsically evanescent, built to be destroyed, with many of the most seemingly opulent sharing a material foundation of staff, a compound containing some cement, but much larger amounts of plaster of Paris, often strengthened by fibers or literal sackcloth. It wouldn’t last, and was torn down before it would decay in Paris in 1878 and 1889, Chicago in 1893, Buffalo in 1901, St. Louis in 1904, and elsewhere. This was relative material luxury; later fairs such as Chicago’s Century of Progress were built largely out of plywood—possibly not much progress!
Fair Park was an exception, building structures out of more durable materials. Some were subsequently demolished and many decayed greatly. Much of the art adorning these buildings was painted over. Despite a number of much larger threats over time, the considerable majority survived and restoration efforts beginning in the early 1980s have restored many of their original 1936 features.
Part of the trouble is that, for all of the varied urban sobriquets applied to large expositions and fairs, from Chicago’s White City to Buffalo’s Rainbow City (a common nickname for The Pan-American Exposition of 1901) and onwards, they’ve more often been a vision of fantasy urbanism than the real thing, even beyond their temporary construction. Sometimes their sites are highly central, such as Paris’s Champ de Mars, but more often they are located in fairgrounds or used as schemes to improve or create parkland on the urban periphery. Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens is not exactly well connected to its surroundings. Balboa Park in San Diego, host of the California-Pacific International Exhibition (and the most substantial surviving complex in the U.S. beyond Fair Park), consisted of a simulacrum of a dense urban core in the middle of a park.
Even better connected events, such as the World’s Columbian Exhibition, share a highly anti-urban feature: ticket gates. Walkable and visually appealing urban landscapes behind gates, poorly connected to any street grid, is the story of, well, Disneyland: it’s no surprise that Walt’s father, Elias Disney, worked as a carpenter on the World’s Columbian Exposition. Walt visited others and constructed attractions for the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
Is this part of a by-gone era of urban life and recreation, or will thee Holy Urbanists have a plan to be in the city, for the city?
Other examples of this type of built environment are relatively rare. Balboa Park in San Diego has a more robust set of tenant institutions, including the city’s main art museum, natural history museum, and science center (with a total of 16 museums) but struggles with some similar issues. Exposition Park in Los Angeles, which is a somewhat smaller version of the same with stronger resident institutions, houses Los Angeles’s major league soccer team, their principal Natural History Museum and Science Center, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and will soon be host to George Lucas’s Museum of Narrative Art.
More recent exposition grounds suffer from fewer preservation burdens but similar difficulties just staying tenanted and busy. Hemisfair Park in San Antonio has a number of unused pavilions and has built a hotel and is adding apartments and commercial space. At the site of the 1962 World’s Fair of Space Needle fame, the Seattle Center grounds are relatively vibrant, but some spaces sit empty and unused.
Many of these spaces are of a scale that echoes Jane Jacobs’s criticism of another megaproject, Lincoln Center, as an unnatural isolation of culture from ordinary activity of the city—though the scale of these fairgrounds can make Lincoln Center look positively modest. In any case, when cultural facilities are spread across the urban fabric, they are obviously more easily integrated with their surroundings or repurposed. There is no arguing with a fundamentally unique treasure such as Fair Park, however, and we can only hope that it devises a formula for success.
Fair Park draws widespread plaudits as an institution not merely academically but personally important to the citizens of North Texas. As Willis Winters observes, the place is “so central to our city. My first college football game, my first professional football game, my first opera, my first symphony visit, my first fair—all were at Fair Park. It’s been so important to my life and so important to many residents of this city.”
(By the way, The American Conservative excels in its reporting on new urbanism, architecture, and localism.)
Categories Uncategorized•Tags Anthony Paletta, common urbanism, Dallas, expositions, Fair Park, holy urbanism, Texas, The American Conservative, world's fairs
Church as Start-Up or Farm?
Published on December 10, 2018 by D. G. Hart2 Comments
He who has eyes, let him see. She who has ears, let her hear.
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.[b] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds[c] among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants[d] of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
In contrast:
Because if you start a ministry at a university, for example, that group will need money forever. If you start a ministry to help the homeless, it too will need money annually as long as it exists. But if you start a church, it only needs start-up capital; then it becomes self-funding.
If it’s done right, the start-up period (in America) is only about two years. So, you’re putting money into the church for two years, and then it gets to the place where it is supporting itself. And as that church grows it will start giving money to other good works. There aren’t many philanthropy projects that multiply like that. It took about $200,000 to start Redeemer Church. Now it gives away millions of dollars outside of the congregation annually. It attracts many new followers who become important volunteers and workers for the rest of their lives. There was a man in the Midwest who gave $50,000 as part of starting Redeemer. How many times have his philanthropic dollars been multiplied?
In the U.K., it takes about three years for a new church to become self-funding. It’s about three to five years in northern and western Europe, and seven to ten years in eastern and southern Europe. If the church is in China, it can be very fast. You could start a church in a village in Thailand with a few hundred American dollars, while it might cost you $500,000 to start a church in Paris. You have to be careful about all of this, though. If you simply calculate bang for your buck, what you’re really saying is that a soul in Paris is too expensive, so I only want to win souls in a village in Thailand.
But neveh eveh be conformed to this modern world:
It is a mistake to think that faithful believers in our time are not profoundly shaped by the narratives of modernity. We certainly are, and so when you unveil these narratives and interact with them in the ordinary course of preaching the Word, you help them see where they themselves may be more influenced by their society than by the Scripture, and you give them important ways of communicating their faith to others.
Categories Because Someone Has to Provide Oversight, Being Human, Modern Church, New World Presbyterianism•Tags holy urbanism, Parable of the Mustard Seed, Parable of the Sower, Tim Keller
Transforming New York City Was Always Going to be a Slog
Published on May 25, 2018 by D. G. Hart1 Comment
Kyle B. Roberts explains:
Evangelical New Yorkers did nothing less than make the city between the American Revolution and the Civil War. Their systematic strategy of aggressively building in new opening neighborhoods put them on the forward edge of urban development. . . . Asylums, bethels, book concerns, missions, and orphanages supported by lay voluntary associations and denominations expanded that presence. In time, immigrant Roman Catholics and Jews proved more formidable opponents than High Church Protestant Episcopalians, but a community is more than its churches and societies; it is, fundamentally, it’s people. Fifteen percent of the city’s adult population identified as evangelical and joined a city church by the middle of the nineteenth century. That might not sound like much, but it was five times what it had been at the close of the American Revolution. Given the high bar evangelical churches set by making conversion a criteria for membership, the number of spouses, children, cousins, and neighbors still hopefully waiting for conversion was undoutedly much higher.
This massive emotional, financial, and spiritual investment in the city came at a cost. The principles at the core of evangelical belief and practice–individual conversion and community-focused social activism–exist in continual tension. They provided the rational for aggressive interventions in the city, hope to the hopeless, friends for the friendless, and homes for the homeless, but just as easily supplied an excuse for withdrawal, into meeting-houses, parlors, and even their own spiritual selves at moments when their presences was most needed. . . . every worshiper at the John Street church had to decide for her or himself whether to join the exodus of middle-class Protestants up the island or to stay put, even as nearly every other evangelical meeting-house shuttered. These choices were not limited to the antebellum period; Evangelical Gotham always had been and always would be a profoundly ambivalent place. (255-56)
Categories Adventures in Church History, New World Presbyterianism•Tags holy urbanism, Kyle Roberts, New York City
Transformationalize This
Published on September 27, 2017 by D. G. Hart1 Comment
Michael Oakeshott on culture (from Alan Jacobs):
A culture, particularly one such as ours, is a continuity of feelings, perceptions, ideas, engagements, attitudes and so forth, pulling in different directions, often critical of one another and contingently related to one another so as to compose not a doctrine, but what I shall call a conversational encounter. Ours, for example, accommodates not only the lyre of Apollo but also the pipes of Pan, the call of the wild; not only the poet but also the physicist; not only the majestic metropolis of Augustinian theology but also the “greenwood“ of Franciscan Christianity. A culture comprises unfinished intellectual and emotional journeyings, expeditions now abandoned but known to us in the tattered maps left behind by the explorers; it is composed of light-hearted adventures, of relationships invented and explored in exploit or in drama, of myths and stories and poems expressing fragments of human self-understanding, of gods worshipped, of responses to the mutability of the world and of encounters with death. And it reaches us, as it reached generations before ours, neither as long-ago terminated specimens of human adventure, nor as an accumulation of human achievements we are called upon to accept, but as a manifold of invitations to look, to listen and to reflect.
And the holy urbanists actually think they are up to taking every thought captive? They may have bought that bridge in Brooklyn.
Categories Being Human, Neo-Calvinism, Piety with Excitement•Tags holy urbanism, Michael Oakeshott
Odd What Big Cities Do To Church Life
Published on August 17, 2017 August 30, 2017 by D. G. Hart37 Comments
Is Tim Keller getting cold feet about “the city”? He bears his apparent burden to the other coolest guy in the Reformedish room, Jamie Smith:
JS: As a pastor, and now increasingly a theological educator, where do you most see a need for renewal and intentionality? If you could heal churches, what would you heal in them? What do you wish was stronger, deeper, healthier, more functional in local congregations?
TK: One challenge is pastoral care, primarily because of transience. There is an indication—though it’s hard to prove—that, say, thirty years ago, the average member probably came to church four out of five weeks or five out of six weeks. Now it’s like one out of two. People are travelling more; their attention is divided. Also costs are such that it’s very expensive to have a full-time staff. Frankly, it’s seductive to have a larger church with fewer pastors where people are basically consumers. They’re not really being watched or cared for. There’s pastoral triage, which means that when your life’s falling apart the good churches will be there. They’ll be at the hospital, they’ll be at the funeral parlour, they’ll be in the counselling office. They can do triage. But when it comes to the ordinary kind of positive, proactive pastoral care and intervention where you are actually examining people, only in a nice way—How are you doing? Where are you going? How much do you know about the Christianity? Where could you grow?—that’s just not happening at all.
Keller also seems to pine for a small church. But elders? Not so much:
JS: How much is that the weakening of the priesthood of all believers, do you think? Your point makes me think of a line from Klaas Schilder, a minor twentieth-century Dutch theologian who said something like, “Don’t underestimate the significance of the wise ward elder. He is a cultural force.” By attending to families, doing household visits, the elder is a culture-shaping force because he or she is forming people. I wonder how much what’s missing is not just a lack of pastoral staff but a failure to equip lay elders to do this care.
Several years ago, I was at Whitworth University, and they do a summer program for pastoral professional development—the Whitworth Institute of Ministry. But then alongside it, they do this elder leadership initiative where pastors bring some elders with them and they dive into theology and pastoral resources. I just thought, as go elders, so go the church. What are you seeing in terms of people’s capacity to be elders?
TK: I do think there’s a breakdown. In fact, I get where you’re going and I absolutely agree. The right thing to do is to have a layer of lay leaders; maybe there is an elite group that you can call your elders, but by and large you probably have more like 10 or 15 percent of your people who are mature enough and willing enough and maybe even have the time to be regularly trained by the pastors to do every-member ministry, every-member pastoral care—including evangelism, by the way. Those are the people who bring their friends to church and reach out. But there are also people who are out there just caring for people and then letting you know. They’re your radar system; they let the pastors know.
In a small church where you have maybe eighty people coming to church, then you need about eight or ten of those folks, and you should be meeting with them at least every month. So you’re catechizing them and you’re reading great books together and that makes them feel two things: (1) It makes them feel confident to pry a little bit into people’s lives and have conversations, otherwise they’d be afraid. Most of these folks are afraid to be asked a question they can’t answer. That’s the reason they don’t reach out both in evangelism and in instructing and caring.
So you have to give them (1); but then (2) they have to know that they can get right back to you. If I’m talking to somebody and they ask me a question I can’t answer, I need to be able to get right to you and know that you will get right back to me. So if you have eighty people in your church and you’re a full-time pastor and you have, say, eight or nine people like that and maybe two or three elders as part of that group—you’re going to be fine. Nobody’s going to fall through the cracks, people will lead probably proactively, the minister will visit people and see them, and they’ll also be getting other touches from the church, not just the minister.
So the priesthood of all believers is absolutely crucial. You know, by the way, in Geneva, what Calvin did—at least I’m pretty sure; you know the experts are going to tell me I’m wrong, but I’m almost sure I remember [laughter]. In Geneva the elders were responsible for wards, and when it looked like there was somebody that needed pastoral exhortation, they were brought before the consistory, which met every Thursday, and it was Calvin and the elders. Evidently, like ninety-five times out of one hundred, there was no real discipline. There was exhortation. So people were exhorted to come to church or to love their wife better and so on.
In a small church? If you have 80 people in your church? What is Keller talking about? Why not include observations about Redeemer?
The optics!
The reticence!
Categories Being Human, New World Presbyterianism•Tags holy urbanism, Tim Keller
When Did Philadelphia Turn into San Diego?
Published on July 7, 2017 by D. G. Hart4 Comments
I was in the nation’s original capital yesterday and saw this at 22nd and Walnut:
It replaces this:
Which makes me think this has a point:
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, a generous tax abatement program—combined with flawed preservation policies—changed the landscape of Center City and its surrounding neighborhoods. During the past decade, the city experienced a demolition bonanza. In neighborhoods of historic housing like Powelton Village, developers “have discovered they can make a tidy sum simply by replacing one of these old houses with a stucco-clad apartment building and then cramming it with students,” observed the Philadelphia Inquirer’s architecture critic, Inga Saffron.
Preservationists have protested how Philadelphia’s demolition permits are approved. In the past year, two historic structures were razed for projects that never materialized. Currently, the preservation fight is focused on Center City’s Jeweler’s Row, a charming set of commercial properties on a block laid out in 1799. The historic storefronts, slated for demolition, would be replaced by a massive condo tower. Ill-advised demolition projects continue throughout Philadelphia, its future depending on an influx, however temporary, of millennials and students.
Why does it take regulative-principle toting confessional Presbyterians, not urban hipster pastors, to notice?
Categories Being Human, Shameless Selves Promotion, Wilderness Wanderings•Tags architecture, cities, holy urbanism, New Urbanism, Philadelphia, San Diego
TKNY Even in UK
Published on May 18, 2017 by D. G. Hart225 Comments
Even while in Ireland, I could not evade Tim Keller. One morning while reading the magazine Standpoint, I read a column which contained this:
As well as being one of the great delaying mechanisms of modern times, YouTube is one of the great gifts of our age. It not only allows us to watch videos of cats and people falling over, but also serious discussions like the recent one between Tim Keller and the sociologist Jonathan Haidt at NYU. What a model discussion it was. Haidt (whose book The Righteous Mind is one of the best explanations of modern politics I know) is respectful towards religion while being an atheist. Keller is a deeply learned reader of philosophy and sociology, and a pastor. Perhaps most striking was the agreement from both speakers over not only what is broken in our culture but what might be done to fix it. Particularly interesting was the observation that our society’s rewarding of outrage (fuelled by social media) means that we are ever less-inclined to give people what we used to call “the benefit of the doubt”. Increasingly, we put the worst possible gloss on people’s words and intentions so that any discussion across boundaries (believers versus non-believers, Left versus Right) becomes almost impossible. Can the urge be resisted? Perhaps, but we would have to have the right role models. Haidt and Keller are certainly two such.
A deeply learned reader of philosophy and sociology? That does not sound like Machen’s “specialist in the Bible.” But how would the op-ed writers and journalists know whether a pastor was properly explaining God’s word?
In the same issue, though, I read a review of Rodney Stark’s book about anti-Catholic myths:
Few now believe in the teaching of Luther or Calvin on Justification, or sola scriptura, but, as we see in the case of Sir Simon Jenkins, the myths of Catholic iniquity are embedded in many a Briton’s sense of who they are. Just as the French do not like to admit that their philosophes paved the way for totalitarianism, or Americans that the founding fathers of their Land of the Free owned slaves, so no amount of historical research will persuade today’s sceptics and secularists that, from the fall of the Roman Empire to the rise of the nation state, the Catholic Church was the source of most that is best in our civilisation; and that death camps and gulags are only to be found when Christianity lost its hold on the conscience of Europeans.
Imagine if Tim Keller had spent as much time defending the imputed righteousness of Christ as making belief in God plausible. Would he be as popular as he is? One reason for asking is that all the hype about New York City has not put a dent in the Roman Catholic apologists’ argument that the future of western civilization hangs on the fortunes not of the Big Apple but The Eternal City.
In the hierarchy of cities, New York may have to get in line behind Rome. Doh!
Categories Adventures in Church History, Evangelicalism, Modern Church, New World Presbyterianism, Roman Catholicism•Tags holy urbanism, Irish Encounters, New York City, Rodney Stark, Rome, Standpoint magazine, Tim Keller
The World Is Turning Rod and Leaving Tim Behind
Published on May 1, 2017 by D. G. Hart25 Comments
The piece on Rod Dreher and the Benedict Option in the New Yorker was remarkable on several levels. It was generally positive, respectful, and long. This was the case despite Dreher’s tendency to sound a tad hysterical about sexual irregularities and deviance. This quote by Andrew Sullivan, a gay man who has gone head to head with Rod over the years, was telling:
Sullivan has a long-standing disagreement with Dreher over same-sex marriage, but he believes that the religiously devout should be permitted their dissent. “There is simply no way for an orthodox Catholic to embrace same-sex marriage,” he said. “The attempt to conflate that with homophobia is a sign of the unthinking nature of some liberal responses to religion. I really don’t think that florists who don’t want to contaminate themselves with a gay wedding should in any way be compelled to do so. I think any gay person that wants them to do that is being an asshole, to be honest—an intolerant asshole. Rod forces you to understand what real pluralism is: actually accepting people with completely different world views than your own.”
In “The Benedict Option,” Dreher writes that “the angry vehemence with which many gay activists condemn Christianity” is the understandable result of a history of “rejection and hatred by the church.” Orthodox Christians need to acknowledge this history, he continues, and “repent of it.” He has assured his children that, if they are gay, he will still love them; he is almost—but not quite—apologetic about his views, which he presents as a theological obligation. He sees orthodox Christians as powerless against the forces of liquidly modern progressivism; on his blog, he argues that “the question is not really ‘What are you conservative Christians prepared to tolerate?’ but actually ‘What are LGBTs and progressive allies prepared to tolerate?’ ” He wants them to be magnanimous in victory; to refrain from pressing their advantage. Essentially, he says to progressives: You’ve won. You wouldn’t sue Orthodox Jews or observant Muslims. Please don’t sue us, either.
“What I really love about Rod is that, even as he’s insisting upon certain truths, he’s obviously completely conflicted,” Sullivan said. “And he’s a mess! I don’t think he’d disagree with that. But he’s a mess in the best possible way, because he hasn’t anesthetized himself. He’s honest about a lot of the questions that many liberal and conservative Christians aren’t really addressing.”
Notice that Dreher, who is outspokenly anti-gay marriage, did not receive the chorus of criticism that Tim Keller did at Princeton Seminary even from such mainstream organs and figures as the New Yorker and Andrew Sullivan.
To be sure, the PCUSA is not the New Yorker, but at a time when the magazine has identified President Trump and his supporters as an alien force in national life, a fair piece about Dreher is not what readers would have expected.
So why does Dreher receive more acclaim than Keller? The reason could be that the former promotes a thick (as he understands it) Christian identity, complete with communitarian obligations, while Keller stands for a Christianity that is chiefly reasonable and appeals to the mind. In other words, Dreher is appealing to a larger conception of Christianity that encompasses more of one’s identity than intellect while Keller is largely about defending the Apostles’ Creed (as he explained a while back in an interview at First Things) — or a Christian minimum. Rod is maximalist where Tim is a minimalist.
Naomi Schaeffer Riley picked up on this difference when she contrasted Dreher and Keller:
Keller sees an integral part of the church’s mission as being present in the big cities — no matter how culturally degraded they may seem. “Christians ought to be present and engaged everywhere that there are people. But across the world people are flocking to cities at the rate of millions per year.
“Christians don’t all need to live in cities, but they should at least be moving there in the same proportions as the people whom they want to serve.”
His approach may be falling out of favor among some more orthodox believers. Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported on a small but growing number of Christians who, “feeling besieged by secular society . . . are taking refuge” in small, often isolated communities away from negative cultural influences and surrounded by other believers.
This “Benedict Option” was named in honor of St. Benedict, who fled the moral degradation of Rome. It’s also the title of a new book by Rod Dreher, who, writing in Christianity Today, calls it a “strategic withdrawal” by “serious Christian Conservatives [who] could no longer live business-as-usual lives in America.”
Though Dreher doesn’t say Christians should all flee to isolated enclaves, those are where such withdrawal would be easiest.
Keller believes Christians in New York cannot retreat into homogeneity. They’ll be regularly faced with people who fervently disagree with them. Keller’s church is a multi-ethnic one and even if the believers have a similar religious outlook, they hail from a variety of different backgrounds.
That fear of homogeneity and retreat also explains, by the way, while Keller is somewhat uncomfortable with going all in on Presbyterianism (from his interview at First Things):
I don’t believe you can reach New York with the gospel if you only plant Presbyterian churches. There are all kinds of people who’ll never be Presbyterians. It just doesn’t appeal to them. Some people are going to be Pentecostals, some people are going to be Catholics. I mean, I know that sounds¯I’m not talking about that certain cultures reach certain people. It’s much more complicated than that. Even though there’s something to that. We all know that certain cultures seem to have more of an affinity toward a certain kind of Christian tradition than others, but I wouldn’t want to reduce it to that at all. I would just say that I only know that God seems to use all these kinds of churches to reach the whole breadth of humanity, and so that’s why we give money to start churches of other denominations, and give free training to it. And we’ve done about a hundred in the New York area, where we’ve helped people. It’s very important to us.
For Keller, apparently, Christianity resists taking overly specific and particular forms (think ecclesiology, liturgy, even creed). His ministry can transcend different cultures and expressions of Christianity. That comes up short against those Christians that Schaeffer identifies as wanting a more than “business-as-usual” faith.
But the Allies at Gospel Coalition back Keller over Dreher when they say they want both a Christianity that is meaty and one that is mainstream:
The Benedict Option is named for Benedict of Nursia, a 4th century monk who launched a monastic movement that preserved Western civilization. Today, writers like Rod Dreher enjoin Christians to take similar steps to “develop communities based on a shared sense of orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right practice), for the sake of forming ourselves and the next generation in the Christian faith.”
The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat has called Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, where Tim Keller serves as senior pastor, an effective example of the Benedict Option for our twenty-first century, post-Christian context. Like other TGC-inspired communities, Redeemer aims to blend countercultural biblical faithfulness with a Christ-exalting, city-embracing vision.
That dual commitment to faithfulness and cultural affirmation did work for the post-World War II world. It was precisely the vision of the Neo-Evangelicals who formed the National Association of Evangelicals, founded Christianity Today, and cheered and prayed for Billy Graham. It was and is a faith that harmonizes well with a nationalism confident of its role in the world, and generally progressive in its estimate of where history is going or at least who the good guys are in that narrative.
But at a time when that post-war internationalist order is under serious strain (think Brexit, Scottish Independence, Trumpian nationalism), the appeal of a rational, enlightened Christianity may have hit a wall. What Christians seem to understand is that they need a faith little more “deep-down diving and mud upbringing,” that can withstand a social order that is not congenial to their religious convictions. It is a faith that bears more resemblance to the politics of identity than to United Statesist Christianity. This faith does not go along but separates. It makes more claims on adherents than a faith that primarily relies on mental exercises demanded by w-w. It recognizes that the world is more hostile than previous generations supposed and that Christians need to be more intentional about their convictions.
Why someone living in New York City, the place that cultivated the boorish Donald Trump, doesn’t see that cities (from culture to economics) may be a problem for the practice of demanding Christianity is a real mystery.
Categories Evangelicalism, Modern Church, New World Presbyterianism, Novus Ordo Seclorum, W-w•Tags Andrew Sullivan, apologetics, holy urbanism, Naomi Schaefer Riley, neo-evangelicalism, New Yorker, politics of identity, Rod Dreher, Tim Keller, United Statesist Christianity
Remember When Being Nice Would Win the Day?
How a little reminder of 1929 clears the cobwebs.
Once upon a time, the Gospel Allies scored points against Reformed confessionalists by claiming the high ground of nice. Remember when Jared Wilson wrote this?
Cold-hearted rigidity is not limited to those of the Reformed persuasion, of course. You can find it in Christian churches and traditions and cultures of all kinds. In fact, to be fair, I have found that those most enthralled with the idea of gospel-wakefulness, those who seem most prone to champion the centrality of the gospel for life and ministry, happen to be of the Reformed persuasion. So there’s that. But gracelessness is never as big a disappointment, to me anyway, as when it’s found among those who call themselves Calvinists, because it’s such a big waste of Calvinism.
Or how about when Justin Taylor chimed in?
Angry Calvinists are not like unicorns, dreamed up in some fantasy. They really do exist. And the stereotype exists for a reason. I remember (with shame) answering a question during college from a girl who was crying about the doctrine of election and what it might mean for a relative and my response was to ask everyone in the room turn to Romans 9. Right text, but it was the wrong time.
This raises an important qualifier. The “angry” adjective might apply to some folks, but it can also obscure the problem. In the example above, I wasn’t angry with that girl. I wasn’t trying to be a jerk. But I failed to recognize what is “fitting” or necessary (cf. Eph. 4:29) in the moment. This is the sort of thing that tends to be “caught” rather than “taught” and can be difficult to explain. But there’s a way to be uncompromising with truth and to be winsome, humble, meek, wise, sensitive, gracious. There’s a way of “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15) such that our doctrines are “adorned” (Titus 2:10) and our words are “seasoned” with salt and grace (Col. 4:6). To repeat, the category of “anger” is often too broad and can miss the mark. As Kevin DeYoung pointed out to me, “Some Calvinists are angry, proud, belligerent people who find Calvinism to be a very good way to be angry, proud, and belligerent. Other Calvinists are immature—they don’t understand other people’s struggles, they haven’t been mellowed by life in a good way, they can only see arguments and not people. The two groups can be the same, but not always.”
So when Tim Keller advocated women’s subordination, he did so in precisely the categories that elicit New Calvinist religious affections (thanks to our southern correspondent):
We feel that there is a deep inconsistency in the phrase “evangelical feminism”. The feminists who are consistent recognize the Bible as a sexist book throughout. They reject it. The feminists who try to hold to complete Biblical authority have, really, an impossible balancing act to conduct. . . .
We know from experience that our position on women-in-ministry dissatisfies many people. Many friends from the traditional evangelical church find it far too “liberal” and “permissive”, while many other friends on the other side still feel it is oppressive. Our position is not totally unique. See J. Hurley’s book, Man and Women in Biblical Perspective or Susan Foh’s book, Women and the Word of God. They come close to where we are.
The fact remains that nearly everyone we meet is more “conservative” or else more “liberal” than we are. Thus we appeal to our friends to work with us on this. We do not to make this issue a cause of division, as we said above. We see no reason why friends with the same view of the Bible cannot work together, all the while influencing each other and refining one another’s viewpoint in order to become truly Biblical. Please be partners with us.
Balance, moderation, partnership — these were the calling cards of the New Calvinists. And for them, it was the Old Schoolers and Truly Reformed who were poorly positioned to represent Calvinism to the contemporary urban and global world. Some of us tried to explain that disagreement was not anger, and that standing in a specific tradition might cut down on “partnership.” We even thought that the medium of the World Wide Interweb thrived better on provocation than moderation. But for almost fifteen years the New Calvinists thought they had squared the circle, and Keller was proof positive at ground zero of global urban life in the United States.
What went wrong? One problem may have been living in a Gospel Coalition bubble and not engaging the concerns of “angry Calvinists.” But even more harmful was forgetting the antithesis and misreading the culture. Keller’s “success” in New York suggested (and sometimes actually asserted) that a new day had dawned for conservative evangelicalism. Modern Americans were truly willing to hear a kinder, gentler Protestantism. How could you deny that if the most secular and most urban place in the United States had received Keller the way New York City did? You certainly had to think that modern America was much more hospitable to faith if Keller was a best-selling author and the darling of religion journalists? Keller himself told lots of Presbyterians how the direction of the modern world was heading in a faith-friendly direction. I still remember the Power Point presentations I witnessed while on the faculty at WTS about the church in the city’s future.
What if while considering those trends predicted by economists and futurologists, New Calvinists had pondered the Bible more?
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (2 Peter 3)
That may tilt more Rod Dreher than Jamie Smith. But if you’re going to minister the word and teach in a seminary, doesn’t the apostle Peter count more than Peter Drucker?
Categories Evangelicalism, Modern Church, New World Presbyterianism, Reformed Protestantism•Tags Gospel Coalition, holy urbanism, Jared Wilson, Justin Taylor, New Calvinism, New York City, Peter, Peter Drucker, Tim Keller
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Organization of Manual
Policy Approval
Home > Ch. 2 The University of Iowa > 2.8 Advisory Bodies
2.8(13) Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Charter
(Amended 6/24/05; 5/07; 6/09; 7/13; 5/1/19)
Effective May 1, 2019, this charter has been revised. For individual changes, see the redlined version.
Charge. The Charter Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion shall be governed by the terms of the General Charter with membership confirmed by the Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In addition, the Committee shall:
Advise on the formulation, review, and application of policies and guidelines that promote and support the full contributions of all of the University's diverse faculty, staff, and students.
Consider and recommend actions that will help support and fulfill diversity-, equity-, and inclusion-related commitments made by the University under the University of Iowa Strategic Plan and other University programs, plans, and policies.
Provide a forum to which faculty, staff, and students may refer questions and recommendations concerning University diversity-, equity-, and inclusion-related policies and procedures.
Membership.
Four members appointed by the governing body of the faculty, currently the Faculty Senate;
Four members appointed by the governing body of the staff, currently the Staff Council;
Four members (2 undergraduates, 1 graduate student, and 1 student from the professional colleges) appointed by the governing body of the students, currently for purposes of this committee, the joint nominations committee of the UISG and GPSG;
Administrative liaisons: one representative each from the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Vice President for Student Life, and Human Resources.
Committee is co-chaired by a faculty member and a staff member; chair selections are made by the president of the Faculty Senate and the president of Staff Council respectively.
I. Governance
II. Community Policies
III. Human Resources
IV. Students
V. Administrative, Financial, and Facilities Policies
VI. Services
Appendix: Organizational Charts
View full contents
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Drug-resistant M.tuberculosis strains are studied at NLA
According to WHO data, every day about 4 500 people die from tuberculosis (TB) and 30 000 become sick with TB. Over the last decade, the medical community has faced difficulties in fighting tuberculosis due to the emergence of strains that are either extensively resistant to drugs or multidrug resistant.
Currently, Nazarbayev University scientists are conducting studies on tuberculosis, specifically examining how genetic level factors of tuberculosis may influence resistance to basic anti-tuberculosis drugs. After genotyping the clinical isolates to identify M. tuberculosis genetic families, scientists at the Center for Life Sciences, PI ‘National Laboratory Astana’, identified seven main genotypes of tuberculosis strains distributed in Kazakhstan.
W-Beijing family strains are the most commonly distributed kind in Asia and are associated with anti-tuberculosis drug resistance. We identified that this genotype prevails among cases of tuberculosis in Kazakhstan showing up in 60% of new cases and in 83% of recurrent cases. – reported Ulan Kozhamkulov, a leading researcher of the Laboratory of Genomic and Personalized Medicine, PI ‘National Laboratory Astana’.
Beijing family strains spread frequently in Asian countries, although today strains of this family can be found globally and prevail among young people. Strains of Beijing family were first identified during the 1990s in New York (USA) during an outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The strains in this family were named in 1995, when discovery of M. tuberculosis isolates with the same characteristics were found in ‘Beijing’ China, where 92% of all isolates belonged to this family. Among European countries, W-Beijing strains are mostly distributed in Eastern Europe and former USSR countries.
NLA researchers compared the genomes of clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis susceptible to anti-tuberculosis drugs with those of strains that are multidrug resistant and extensively drug-resistant. During the comparative bioinformatics analysis comparing the different strains, they found in the drug-resistant strains four common genetic loci (PE_PPE family genes) that were absent in the susceptible strains. Nazarbayev University scientists assume that these genes contribute to the extension of drug-resistant TB strains and may worsen disease symptoms of TB.
Now the scientists are planning to compare the results on drug-resistant Kazakhstani strains with data available in international databases. This analysis will help in understanding the mechanisms of tuberculosis resistance to anti-TB drugs and contribute to the development of improved tuberculosis diagnostics, vaccines and new anti-tuberculosis drugs.
Thermo Fisher Scientific Demo Day at NLA
National Laboratory Astana and ZALMA Ltd. company organized Thermo Fisher Scientific Demo Day, which took place at Nazarbayev University yesterday.
During the seminar Thermo Fisher Scientific company representatives from Moscow delivered reports about new instruments, equipment, software, services to solve for complex analytical challenges in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic research, as well as the clinical laboratory. Also in the framework of the Demo Day Equipment exhibition was hold. In the exhibition there was an opportunity to test samples on the Thermo Fisher Scientific equipment.
It is known that Thermo Fisher Scientific is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of more than $24 billion and approximately 70,000 employees globally. The company helps customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and increase laboratory productivity. Through their premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services – they offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive services.
International conference dedicated to 10th anniversary of Center for Life Sciences to be held in Nur-Sultan
On May 20, 2020 NLA will host the International Conference dedicated to 10th anniversary of Center for Life Sciences entitled "Modern challenges for biomedical sciences: from bench to bedside". The three-day conference will gather together researchers from leading universities of neighboring countries and far abroad from the United Kingdom, Russia, China, the U.S.A, South Korea, and Germany, senior management of research organizations, educational institutions, healthcare industry representatives, officials and representatives of government of Kazakhstan attend next year’s conference.
The purpose of the conference is to constitute a forum for many national and foreign research groups to integrate, dialogue, and discuss advanced achievements in gerontology, bioengineering and regenerative medicine, bioinformatics and systems biology, microbiome and metabolome.
Sudden cardiac death: New genetic mutations discovered
NLA researchers have discovered new genetic factors associated with heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Studying these genetic markers will help scientists to better understand heart disease, which could be used in the future to screen individuals for potential risks related to developing heart conditions. The results of this unique genetic research are published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Plos One.
According to US cardiologists, sudden cardiac death is the cause of every fourth natural death worldwide. Sudden cardiac death is often due to the heart having problems pumping blood (ventricular fibrillation), or to sudden spikes in pulse with over 150-300 heart beats per minute (paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia of the heart)[1].
Analysis of electrocardiograms from patients who died of sudden cardiac death shows that in 83.5% of cases the deceased had either ventricular arrhythmias, or less frequently bradycardia resulting in a cardiac asystole. In about 5 to 12% of cases, sudden cardiac death occurred in previously asymptomatic and seemingly healthy people. Based on these data, scientists are convinced that ventricular arrhythmias are associated with a high probability of developing fatal arrhythmias or the so-called “sudden arrhythmic death” – where the reason for heart failure is not always apparent.
“Genetically determined diseases or channelopathies are associated with impaired flow of potassium or calcium ions in the muscle cells of the heart. They are also a major cause of heart failure and sudden cardiac death worldwide,” - says Ainur Akilzhanova, MD, PhD, Head of the Laboratory of Genomic and Personalized Medicine at National Laboratory Astana.
How do genetic factors and non-genetic factors such as environment and lifestyle affect the likelihood of developing heart disease? Might certain genetic mutations predispose people to sudden cardiac death? NLA genetic scientists attempted to answer these questions in a recent study of mutations of the ryanodine receptor-2 gene (RYR2). The RYR2 gene is one of the key players tightly regulating calcium ions (Ca2 +) efflux from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (a part of cardiac myocyte where calcium ions are stored) to the cytosol. Maintaining correct amounts of calcium ions throughout the body is important for heart muscle health and normal heart beating, and people with certain RYR2 mutations might have issues with proper calcium ion regulation. Mutations in this gene have been linked to an inherited disorder that could result in life-threatening irregular heartbeats called catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia type 1 (CPVT1).
In the framework of the project, scientists studied the DNA of 70 Kazakhstanis looking for genetic mutations of the RYR2 gene. Specifically, they examined the genes of 35 patients who had been diagnosed with different types of ventricular tachycardia and their family members. Nazarbayev University scientists have discovered two novel and previously unknown genetic variants that can influence the development of ventricular tachycardia. In addition we identified a known variant previously associated with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia type2 (ARVD2).
Moreover, researchers evaluated the clinical significance of novel and rare genetic variants in the development of arrhythmias in Kazakhstani patients with diagnosed ventricular tachycardia and their healthy family members. These results will assess the risks of developing cardiac disease and sudden cardiac death in Kazakhstan and help doctors to develop measures for their prevention.
Dr. Akilzhanova noted that using genetic information to help treat CPVT is a fairly new approach that was not widely used until 2000. In 2001, the role of mutations of the RYR2 gene in the development of CPVT1 was first proved. Heart Rhythm Society and the European Heart Rhythm Association recommend early genetic testing of family members because CPVT may present as SCD or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome as the first manifestation. Nazarbayev University researchers emphasize that the clinical observation of patients carrying genetic factors will contribute to the understanding of further risk factors and their impact on the development of heart disease.
[1] The human heart consists of four separate chambers – the heart has a right and a left side, with upper (atria) and lower (ventricle) chambers. All four chambers play an important role in pumping blood.
From garbage to alternative fuels: how to organize waste recycling in Astana?
Scientists at NLA say that 30% of municipal solid waste in Astana could be recyclable, and another 10% of municipal solid waste potentially could be sorted to derived solid fuel for the city’s energy needs. These figures were obtained by a research group studying landfills in Astana for opportunities to obtain energy fuel from solid domestic waste.
“A lot of solid waste is disposed of on a daily basis, we wanted to explore if some of this waste could be processed as fuel to meet the municipal needs of the city, specifically, we were interested in the production of heat during the winter season,”- said the senior project manager, PhD Yerbol Sarbassov.
In the course of the experimental process, samples of the treated fuel were co-fired in a fluidized bed unit to study the combustion parameters with and without coal.
The researchers of the Laboratory of Green Energy and the Environment, National Laboratory Astana and the School of Engineering, NU concluded that the dry combustible residue from solid waste can be disposed of in two ways: by pyrolysis to produce syngas or co-firing in fluidized beds. The second option would be more effective for use in the small district boiler houses of Astana.
Scientists said that the composition of garbage varies, depending on the area of export. Thus they are extremely optimistic, emphasizing that the disposal of solid waste in Astana will have a positive impact on the ecological situation in the city, as well it will help to increase the service life of sanitary landfills for the disposal of solid waste.
NLA researchers are investigating the influence of the quality of the human microbiome on the development of age-related dementia
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive memory loss, drastic changes in personality and behavior, and in the latter stages the patients are unable to carry even simple daily activities. There is evidence that AD might be associated with bacteria residing in our intestine. In this regards, researchers from Nazarbayev University have begun studying the composition of the intestinal microbiome of patients diagnosed with AD. Similar studies are being conducted in the United States and in China.
As part of our study, samples of intestinal flora were collected from elderly people diagnosed with AD and mentally healthy individuals. ‘We are looking for a correlation between the composition of intestinal microflora and AD, as a potential marker for early diagnosis of this disease’ – reports Sholpan Askarova, a Leading researcher and the Head of the Laboratory of Bioengineering and Regenerative Medicine, National Laboratory Astana.
Until recently, it was believed that intestinal microbiome is involved in processes such as fermentation of carbohydrates, synthesis of vitamins, xenobiotic metabolism occurring exclusively in the intestines, and acts as a barrier to pathological bacteria. However, over the past 15 years, the functions of the intestinal microbiome have been revised. A direct relationship has been established between density and the composition of intestinal microflora with the development of a number of pathologies such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, which, in turn, are known risk factors for the development of AD.
It has been established that age, lifestyle, diet as well as place of residence play a big role in intestinal microfloral composition – comments Almagul Kushugulova, Leading researcher and the Head of the Laboratory of Human Microbiome and Longevity, National Laboratory Astana.
Data obtained from the study of laboratory animals suggest that bacteria that colonize the intestine can negatively impact the function of nerve cells and contribute to the development of AD. Clinical studies conducted at Chongqing Medical University (China) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (Wisconsin Alzheimer’s disease Research Center, USA) confirm these findings.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the incidence of age-related dementia worsens every year and projects that by the year 2050 there will be a three-fold increase in the number of AD patients. AD affects approximately 10% of people aged between 65-75 years and 32% of the elderly aged 80 years and above. There is currently no accurate data in Kazakhstan on the number of elderly people suffering from dementia. However, based on the world statistical data and considering the population of Kazakhstan, it can be stipulated that not less than 200 000 elderly people could suffer from age-related dementia.
NLA launched a new system for genomic research and bioinformatics problem solving
Scientists of NLA launched the first high-performance bioinformatics computing platform in Kazakhstan for dealing with “big genomic data” and solving problems in the field of bioinformatics.
– This platform uses “Qazaq symphony of bioinformatics” or Q-Symphony and other optimized bioinformatics methods to analyze large-scale human genomics data, to detect specific structural genomic variants, and to conduct complex comparative and population analysis. Previously it took up to two months to process one computational task, but now with Q-Symphony, it takes about seven days to complete this process! – commented Ulykbek Kairov, Leading researcher, Head of the Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Center for Life Sciences, National Laboratory Astana.
For scientists and the research community of Kazakhstan, the data obtained using Q-Symphony will serve as the foundation for creating a reference database of genomic variants of Kazakh individuals and will have further applications in analyses of comparative population genomic variants described in the scientific literature. This computing platform makes it possible to more effectively apply the reference database of genomic variants in biomedical practice in order to evaluate new genetic variants in healthy individuals and patients with different pathologies within the Kazakh population.
In addition, this data can be used in medicine to improve the identification of diseases and select appropriate treatments. It is essential for medical professionals to understand all that they can about the genomic characteristics of the population because the presentation of diseases and the efficacy of different drugs can be related to genetics. This work can clarify the diagnosis of a patient with unclear etiology associated with human genetics, and can also be used in personalized medicine to identify genetic predispositions and prevent possible risks of developing pathologies, as well as to assess the effectiveness of different drugs depending on the patient’s genetic features.
The Q-Symphony system consists of four main nodes: an input or control node, a memory node, a network of computing nodes combined into one, and a storage node. All nodes are connected by a high-speed data exchange network Infiniband with a capacity of 100 Gb/s. The total capacity of computational nodes is 172 cores, 3072 GB of RAM and 198 TB of data storage.
Q-Symphony uses a special data caching system, with a volume of 3.2TB, which increases the computational speed of input-output data for individual tasks. The data is automatically transferred to regular disk drives. Moreover, the monitoring system provides convenient transparent display of resource loading and task execution in 3D visualization mode.
Metabiotic based on Saumal to put into production
Today, the factory for the production of metabiotic based on Saumal will be opened in Karaganda region. The project is a unique development of scientists of National Laboratory Astana and is implemented in partnership with private business.
The metabiotic is made on the basis of the unique Kazakhstani strain of lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus CLS 17. The complex metabiotic product corrects the microflora by stimulating the growth of its own beneficial symbiotic flora, the inclusion in the product of mare's milk (saumal) expands the range of its use, which provides products with a competitive advantage in comparison with analogues. Metabiotic will be an effective product for the treatment of metabolic disorders.
The project is being implemented in partnership between scientists from the Center for Life Sciences, National Laboratory Astana and the private company "Trading House SAUMAL" LLP. The project is implemented at the expense of the grant of "Science Foundation" JSC.
The project opening will be attended by Samat Kozhakhmetov, project manager, NLA senior researcher , Galymzhan Meirambekov, Director of Saumal BioTech LLP , Anuarbek Sultangazin, Chairman of the board of "Science Foundation," Aliya Kaziyeva, Executive Director of National Laboratory Astana and Almagul Kushugulova, Director of the Center for Life Sciences, NLA.
“University Medical Center” to hold the international conference on formation of an academic medical center
More than 200 leading domestic and foreign experts in the field of oncology, surgery, urology, radiology, nuclear medicine attended this year’s conference.
Olzhas Abishev, Vice-Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Bruno Gridelli, Medical and Scientific Director of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC International), U.S.A, Ilesanmi Adesida, Provost, Nazarbayev University, Massimo Pignatelli, Vice President for Medicine - Dean of the School of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, Zhaxybay Zhumadilov, Chairman of the Board of UMC corporate fund and Director General, NLA, Zhaksylyk Doskaliev, Head of the Republican Coordination Center on Transplantation and others were among the invited speakers of the conference.
During the conference, the large group of medical workers of UMC corporate fund were conferred breastplates “Денсаулық сақтау ісінің үздігі” and “Денсаулық сақтау ісіне қосқан үлесі үшін” for their merits and significant contribution to the medical development of the country, as well as honorary diplomas and letters of thanks from Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and President of NU.
The conference was moderated by renowned experts. Highlights included sections on topical issues of surgery and organ transplantation, modern technologies in nuclear medicine, anesthesiology, intensive care and onco-hematology. Participants also exchanged views on the achievements in the diagnosis and treatment of severe allergic syndromes.
Following the results of the international conference, a resolution was adopted, which outlined the prospects for the development of UMC as an advanced academic medical center where high-level medical care will be provided, taking into account the synergy of research, educational and clinical activities.
NU and NLA to launch the high-current pulsed ion accelerator INURA
The novel ion accelerator facility INURA (Innovative Nazarbayev University’s Research Accelerator) was recently installed at the 1st floor of S4 building at Nazarbayev University and produced the first ion beam. It was built as a result of 5 years effort, funded through the state target program “NU-Berkeley strategic initiative in warm-dense matter, advanced materials and energy sources”, funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The accelerator was designed and fabricated in collaboration with a LBNL (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) and TPU (Tomsk Polytechnic University). At NU side, the project was envisioned and generally directed by Dr. Kanat Baigarin, and executed by a team guided by SST Physics assistant professor Alexander Tikhonov and NLA Senior Researcher Dr. Marat Kaikanov.
Accelerator INURA is a pulsed high current ion accelerator. It provides a 10 000 Amperes ion current in 80 nanoseconds, with the ion energy of 400 keV. INURA is a multi-purpose ion accelerator, developed both for fundamental and applied research. It will be used to modify and fabricate new advanced materials, from the solid bulk to nano materials, as a high-current ion beam is able to modify materials structure and properties. It will be also used for plasma and charged particles beams studies. Future uses of INURA include developing of commercialized technologies, such as materials hardening/wear resistance improvement, fabricating nanopowders, bio-agricultural applications.
The INURA capabilities has already attracted large interest and collaboration activities from several research groups at NU, Kazakhstan and international research centers. Several research projects has already been started, among them: fabrication of transparent conductive coatings; ion beam transport and focusing in plasma; fabrication of nano-powders and modification of nano-structures.
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Human Biodiversity, IQ, Evolutionary Psychology, Epigenetics and Evolution
Home » Race Realism » Your brain on poverty.
Your brain on poverty.
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By Afrosapiens, 1163 words.
Poverty has long been associated with educational under-achievement and various behavioral issues. Although the underlying causes of these differences have been at the center of a nature vs.. Nurture debate for decades, it’s only recently that insights from neuroscience have allowed better understanding of how poverty affects the brain. Observations from MRI scans show slower brain growth in children growing up in low SES households (poor and near-poor) which results in reduced volume and grey matter thickness in the frontal and parietal cortices as well as lower amygdala and hippocampus size. All those affected brain areas are crucial to learning and social functioning as they govern cognitive and executive functions such as language, working and long-term memory, attention, impulse control, emotional management and information processing.
Although research using animal experiments indicate that the relationship between poverty and altered brain development is causal, it is yet not clear which aspect of poverty impacts which function the most. The most cited factors are stress, trauma, low stimulation, poor child-parent relationship, poor nutrition and poor health. Although it is also possible that genetics play a role in individual susceptibility to these factors, the idea that genetic background cause people to be poor in the first place and then have their brains damaged by environmental factors is not supported by science and belongs to pseudo-Darwinian creationism, especially since such deficits appear to be reversible to a substantial degree due to brain plasticity.
Various interventions to improve or prevent decrease in cognitive and executive function have shown good and lasting results in reducing behavioral issues and increasing school performance and job market participation. Interventions can take various forms, first of all, since poverty is lack of financial resources, income supports to families with children are an obvious means of limiting children’s exposure to poverty-related adversity. Although this is absolute common sense, conservative ideologues have managed to convince a large part of the public that pro-poor policies would in fact be harmful to the needy whereas pro-rich ones would mysteriously benefit them.
Besides redistribution, executive function coaching in the form of computer or non-computer games, aerobic exercise and sports, music, martial arts and mindfulness practices as well as improvements in school curricula and teaching methods have been shown to improve social and educational outcomes. One last type of intervention that yielded good results is nurse home visits to low-income mothers of young children which had the effect of improving developmental outcomes of children by teaching mothers parenting skills and healthy practices.
These interventions aren’t to be confused with efforts at increasing IQ that caused little improvement beyond temporarily increasing IQ scores, which has no relevance in terms of life outcomes. IQ can probably benefit from increased language skills and executive function but it doesn’t seem to be the target of remedial intervention on those underlying abilities of which IQ test performance would only be a byproduct.
Now you might wonder how big a problem child poverty and its neurological consequences are in contemporary societies. Although the most extreme and widespread child poverty is seen in developing countries, industrialized countries like the USA, Israel, Turkey, Chile and Spain have rates of prevalence above 20%, whereas countries in Western Europe tend to maintain rates around or below 10%.
While informative, reported child poverty rates only include those who live below an arbitrarily defined poverty threshold in a given year, but the effects on poverty likely affect those living only slightly above poverty line and do not meet their developmental needs and those who have experienced poverty in the past but were living above the threshold when the figures were reported.
Within the United States, significant differences in the prevalence and the nature of child poverty exist between ethnic groups with 34% of Native Americans, 13% of Asians/Pacific Islanders, 36% of African-Americans, 31% of Hispanics and 12% of European Americans living under poverty line in 2015.
Comparing African-Americans and European Americans, the nature of poverty differed markedly with 77% of African Americans experiencing poverty at least once in their childhood and 37% living in poverty for more than 9 years.In comparison, only 30% of European American children experienced poverty while growing up, including 5% for more than 9 years. 40% of black children and 8% of white children were poor at birth. Among those born poor, 60% of African Americans and 25% of European Americans were still poor at age 17, among those not born in poverty, 20% of black children and 5% of whites were poor at age 17.
With the effects of poverty worse felt at a younger age and during long periods of time, such interracial differences in prevalence and persistence of child poverty are one plausible large contributor to the observed gaps in educational and behavioral outcomes between the two groups.
Association of Child Poverty, Brain Development, and Academic Achievement
The Effects of Poverty on Childhood Brain Development: The Mediating Effect of
Caregiving and Stressful Life Events
Family Poverty Affects the Rate of Human Infant Brain GrowthThe impact of poverty on the development of brain networks
Effects of childhood poverty and chronic stress on emotion regulatory brain function in adulthood
Poverty’s Most Insidious Damage: The Developing Brain
Socioeconomic status and the brain: mechanistic insights from human and animal research
Childhood Poverty, Chronic Stress, Self-Regulation, and Coping
Socioeconomic status and structural brain developmentChildhood Poverty: Specific
Associations with Neurocognitive Development
POVERTY, PRIVILEGE, AND BRAIN DEVELOPMENT: EMPIRICAL FINDINGS AND ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS
Neural correlates of socioeconomic status in the developing human brain
Poverty, cultural disadvantage and brain development: a study of pre-school children in Mexico.
Rethinking the Brain: New Insights into Early Development.Malnutrition, poverty and intellectual development
State of the Art Review: Poverty and the Developing Brain
Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function
Brain Drain: A Child’s Brain on Poverty
Poverty, Stress, and Brain Development: New Directions for Prevention and Intervention
Effects of Socioeconomic Status on Brain Development, and How Cognitive Neuroscience May Contribute to Levelling the Playing Field
Family income, parental education and brain structure in children and adolescents
Neglected infections of poverty in the United States and their effects on the brain
Brain on stress: How the social environment gets under the skin
How Poverty Affects the Brain: An unprecedented study in Bangladesh could reveal how malnutrition, poor sanitation and other challenges make their mark on child development
Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4 to 12 years old.
Short-Term Music Training Enhances Verbal Intelligence and Executive Function
The development of inhibitory control in preschool children: Effects of “executive skills” training
Relating Effortful Control, Executive Function, and False Belief Understanding to Emerging Math and Literacy Ability in Kindergarten
Competitive Versus Cooperative Exergame Play for African American Adolescents’ Executive Function Skills: Short-Term Effects in a Long-Term Training Intervention
Training and transfer effects of executive functions in preschool children
Effects of physical activity on children’s executive function: Contributions of experimental research on aerobic exercise
Reflection training improves executive function in preschool-age children: Behavioral and neural effects
Hot and Cool Executive Function in Childhood and Adolescence: Development and Plasticity
Childhood Poverty Persistence: Facts and Consequences
Child poverty OECD
By Afrosapiens 🇫🇷🇪🇺 in Race Realism on July 25, 2017 .
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RaceRealist says:
This is a good piece. Great summation of the literature. It’s hilarious seeing the grandstanding on peepees blog. What is there to disagree with that certain environmental factors decrease brain size? It’s incredible. This “genetic determinism” that peepee pushes is retarded. I’ll leave more thoughts later with refs but those people on peepees blog are clueless and let “genetic determinism” cloud rational views on an subject.
Bindleton says:
“Although it is also possible that genetics play a role in individual susceptibility to these factors, the idea that genetic background cause people to be poor in the first place and then have their brains damaged by environmental factors is not supported by science and belongs to pseudo-Darwinian creationism, especially since such deficits appear to be reversible to a substantial degree due to brain plasticity.”
If some organisms are more likely than others to be influenced by poverty (i.e. variation in ‘vulnerability’), then the explanation isn’t dismissed if you, in the prior sentence, gave credence to the explanation, in part, by “genetics”. It seems like a smidgen of self-awareness, followed by a self-refuting point. How can it be ‘insert pejorative here’ while you simultaneously allow for the possibility to be predisposed/more likely than others? Now, to the point of ‘poverty’, that doesn’t make sense, but extending to other examples, it does. One can be at a disadvantage simply because of the way they were born: if all Asians decided to flock the market in the NBA, then they would find themselves at a natural disadvantage compared to Bosnians, for example (adjusting for the Bosnian population). If you are unintelligent, you will not succeed in life. This can be due (obviously), in part, to poverty.
“such interracial differences in prevalence and persistence of child poverty are one plausible large contributor to the observed gaps in educational and behavioral outcomes between the two groups.”
Sure, they must contribute, it doesn’t seem very likely that they would be inconsequential. But to what degree? It doesn’t logically follow that because one is poor, one is “unintelligent” and only because one is poor. This applies to any other factor. For example, another factor that can obviously play alongside (i.e. not negate any/all other factors) poverty/’x’ is consanguineous marriage (which has already been touched on in this blog). It all boils down to what you mean by ‘large’ and the relationship the ‘large’ effect has on other factors, environmental or genetic.
Afrosapiens 🇫🇷🇪🇺 says:
It seems like a smidgen of self-awareness, followed by a self-refuting point. How can it be ‘insert pejorative here’ while you simultaneously allow for the possibility to be predisposed/more likely than others?
The point is: although differences between SES groups are unlikely to be caused by genetics, variation within groups may be caused in part by genetics, with some people being genetically less vulnerable to the effects of poverty than others.
These are average differences, some people growing up poor manage to get better developed brains than others living in priviledged conditions.
One can be at a disadvantage simply because of the way they were born: if all Asians decided to flock the market in the NBA, then they would find themselves at a natural disadvantage compared to Bosnians, for example (adjusting for the Bosnian population).
A swedish study says the heritability of income during a given year is 0.41 for males and 0.27 for women. The heritability over 20 years is 0.63 for males and 0.48 for females. That’s in Sweden, don’t know about other countries.
So it tells you that if genetics are responsible for SES differences, the contribution can only be low to moderate.
Except individuals who are unintelligent do not succeed in attaining high status or positions in life. If you are less intelligent, then you are not as likely to succeed in life (and maintain/invest wealth/high status). It, again, relies on a self-refuting concept. If “variation within groups may be caused in part by genetics”, then there is a degree of variation attributable to genetics in group A that causes them to excel in avoiding negative outcomes (in regards to SES); this not not observed in group B, as they are, like I hinted to above, more ‘susceptible’ to the negative factor. Avoiding the negative factor is highlighted by the differences between groups A and B in that one group is more susceptible to the negative factor and that the “variation within groups may be caused in part by genetics”.
If one group of rabbits cannot hide itself in the grass as well as another group of rabbits, and if it is known that a degree of the variation of fur (which is the most relevant factor in staying hidden) is caused by genetics, then one group of rabbits has an ‘edge’ over the other (caused, in part, by genetic differences).
Of course, variation is just that: variation. It isn’t absolute, there will be outliers. But I would expect poor people to be at a disadvantage, and it seems that we agree that a proportion of this variation that causes this ‘susceptibility to poverty’ is, as you say, “caused in part by genetics (related to variation within groups)”.
” swedish study says the heritability of income during a given year is 0.41 for males and 0.27 for women. The heritability over 20 years is 0.63 for males and 0.48 for females. That’s in Sweden, don’t know about other countries.”
So it would be accurate the state that there are obvious differences in regards to the proportion of variation that can be attributed to genetics between males and females in Sweden. Income, over 20 years, is more heritable in males than it is in females.
Who defines what low to moderate is? Chunking it up into fifths, 0-.19 can be low, .20-.39 can be moderate-low, .40-.59 can be moderate, .60-.79 can be moderate-high, and .80-1.00 can be high. Therefore, .41 is moderate and .27 is moderate-low; .63 is moderate-high and .48 is moderate. Seems more aligned with the reasonable result we expect of most human traits: that a proportion of the variance is heritable and a proportion of the variance is caused by the environment.
Except individuals who are unintelligent do not succeed in attaining high status or positions in life.
Not necesarily, plus the brain development/poverty relationship is not linear. Smaller increases in income cause larger improvements among the most disadvantaged.
If you are less intelligent, then you are not as likely to succeed in life (and maintain/invest wealth/high status)
Except the low or moderate heritability of income makes it unlikely that differences in SES are largely driven by genetic differences, and nothing indicates that the genetic component of the variance in income is tied to the genetic component of intelligence, it might just as well be tied to the genetics of obesity or beauty as we know obese people are discriminated against whereas good looking ones are more kindly treated.
then there is a degree of variation attributable to genetics in group A that causes them to excel in avoiding negative outcomes (in regards to SES); this not not observed in group B, as they are, like I hinted to above, more ‘susceptible’ to the negative factor.
No, the reasoning is group A and B have the same degree of vulnability to factor C but group B is worse affected by factor C than group A is.
But I would expect poor people to be at a disadvantage, and it seems that we agree that a proportion of this variation that causes this ‘susceptibility to poverty’ is, as you say
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t talk about susceptibility to poverty, I talk about susceptibility to the adverse consequences of poverty which explains why individuals of low SES backgrounds will outperform better off one although on average, lower income people fare worse.
Who defines what low to moderate is? Chunking it up into fifths,
I slice the cake in three 0.00-0.33 = low 0.34-0.66 = moderate 0.67-1.00 = high.
that a proportion of the variance is heritable and a proportion of the variance is caused by the environment.
I said low to moderate, not null or negligible.
Since I know where you’re coming from, implying that the Black and White achievement gaps are at least due in part to ancestral genetics, you need to prove that the blacks of West Virginia tend to come first in life outcomes and those of South Carolina left. If no such patterns emerge, you can still argue for dysgenic trends unrelated to African Ancestry, but thats adding ad hoc over ad hoc explanations and it’s definitely not serious.
“Not necesarily.”
Yes, I said: Except individuals who are unintelligent do not succeed in attaining high status or positions in life. I didn’t say that “individuals who are unintelligent will never succeed in attaining high status or positions in life”. The two are different.
“plus the brain development/poverty relationship is not linear. Smaller increases in income cause larger improvements among the most disadvantaged.”
This leads me to my second point, responding to both the quote above and what you stated above (“Although this is absolute common sense, conservative ideologues have managed to convince a large part of the public that pro-poor policies would in fact be harmful to the needy whereas pro-rich ones would mysteriously benefit them.”).
This is parroting the age-old “trickle down economics” canard not based in any grounded viewpoint purported by economists/projected results. As if the never-ending glazier’s fallacy of US economy is better, by any metric.
“Smaller increases in income”.
By who? By the government? Why rely on theft to fuel a never-ending cycle of dependency on the state? If you are familiar with the welfare cliff, you will take full advantage of it, considering that the impoverished are relatively adept at realizing their situation.
I quote: The aim of socialism is to bring the lower classes into the middle class and dissolve the upper classes; what is not realized here is the existence of a centralized bureaucracy would only set up a new upper class of ‘bureaucratic elites’, privileging themselves with the primary hold in capital and resources as they monopolize distribution; this solution to ‘class warfare’ defeats itself. While some individuals are truly disadvantaged and in need of help, automatically labelling the poor as ‘in need’ is a sure way to keep them so. Not only is the welfare system flawed in acting as a ‘free lunch’ to the unwilling, but it is also a trap, waiting to backfire as soon as an individual’s standard of living raises to a point where they no longer qualify for aid, but will not maintain a good standard of living for some time until they are independent. The services provided by bureaucracy are poor and make for a tax more expensive than any bill or pricetag on the market; they are poor for the same reason a diabetic has more incentive to exercise than a perfectly fit individual: there’s always the threat of health, metaphorically job security. Also, they are more expensive due to added-on bureaucratic costs (paperwork, wages, etc.) and the cost for the actual services themselves, even more so for high-end service. By putting the tax burden on the rich and business, one is sure to hamper industry; every cent of a profit taxed is a cent lost to being able to provide more jobs, better goods and services, and a better working facility. This is to assume that the bureaucracy won’t own and manage the workplaces, in which the threat of failure and profit loss would not factor in decision-making for the company’s (worker’s) best interests.
“Except the low or moderate heritability of income makes it unlikely that differences in SES are largely driven by genetic differences”
You’re right, it makes it low-moderately so that the variation is attributable to genetics. I’m going off of your own numbers and I never said it was ‘largely driven by genetic factors’. I said: a proportion of the variance is heritable and a proportion of the variance is caused by the environment. I’ll ask that you not put words in my mouth, as my comment is right there. Quote my statement in full.
“and nothing indicates that the genetic component of the variance in income is tied to the genetic component of intelligence”
Well, given how career paths in STEM require some cognitive capacity above the standard/average, I’d say that in that respect, this is untrue. If you are simply ‘not intelligent’, then you aren’t as likely to get a career in jobs that are very demanding, like STEM careers, to name an example. Looking at some positions in government, the reverse is true. 🙂
“it might just as well be tied to the genetics of obesity or beauty as we know obese people are discriminated against whereas good looking ones are more kindly treated.”
This presupposes some massive conspiracy against obese people. It is true, people who are not obese make less than the non-obese. The same is true of taller people, too. Korean-Americans make less than Japanese-Americans, too. But jumping the gun to ‘discrimination’ dismisses necessary context. There is not an ‘obese bias’ or a ‘racial bias’ in employment. In the US, at least, there are affirmative action programs benefitting females and minority groups, if that’s the race-based discrimination you mean.
A self-refuting statement. Then group B is more vulnerable to the factor if the factor affects the two groups the same way. If they have the same vulnerability, then, rephrasing the point, you are stating that both groups possess, in similar degrees, “the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed”. It just means the statement about vulnerability is not correct.
To the image, it follows the same faulty logic. You’re just describing the environmentability and proving the heritability estimate inaccurate (obviously, as it isn’t 100%, or 1.0, for anything). Like I said above, organisms are just genes described in an environment. If the lighting is the same and it is the same crop and ‘100%’ of the variation in height can be attributed to genetic factors, then changing the environment (in our case, from uniform soil to deficient soil) will have no impact on the variation as it is 100% attributed to the genetics. All you’re stating is that the ‘100% heritability’ at the top is incorrect, because the variation does not rely entirely on genetic variation, but environmental causes, too. Which is something I agree with, because extending the assertions to the absurd is preposterous. If all the variation in height was caused by genes, then this assumes some creationism that the organisms were all created without actually stemming off of some recent common ancestor: the trait was, in no way, shape, or form, influenced by any shifts in the environment. This simply isn’t true. If all the variation was caused by the environment, then it assumes that gradualism doesn’t exist and all variation is a sudden burst in one generation. That just flies right into the face of natural selection/mutations causing differences in organisms and the niches they inhabit.
Put another way, if I change the soil for those flowers and observe changes in the variation of height, I can conclude that, to some degree, the environment plays a role in the variation of height. It doesn’t tell me anything about the role of genetics in the variation, just that the organism’s genes are affected by the aforementioned change in the environment. It tells you about the environmentability, not the heritability.
I realize that you weren’t just talking about not having enough money, but all the ramifications of not having enough. It’s also important to consider the purchasing power of the currency in the region, as well as the inflation rate. It isn’t as simple as “I don’t have ‘x’ dollars”. It is “I don’t have ‘x’ dollars compared to ‘…’ in [conditions of the economy]”. Also, I’d ask that you revise your statement, you just refuted yourself. You said: which explains why individuals of low SES backgrounds will outperform better off one although on average, lower income people fare worse. Not only is this a grammatically incorrect sentence (not being nit-picky, I genuinely cannot understand what you’re trying to say, as it refutes what you said earlier), as it makes a difference if you meant “will outperform better-off ones” or “will outperform better-off one”, but it can be rephrased as: which explains why individuals of low SES backgrounds will outperform better off one[s] (as in, individuals of lower SES will OUTperform individuals of higher SES backgrounds, the reverse of what you mentioned) although on average, lower income people fare worse (which is a non-sequitur given how you claim the exact opposite above).
Then low-moderate applies.
And I never said “largely driven by genetic differences”. I never claimed you meant null or negligible, either. If that was implied, I suggest you re-read the post. I retract any ‘implications’, if so.
You implied that the returns on intelligence were equal all across the SES spectrum as though society was perfectly meritocratic. The fact is that a smart poor black has fewer opportunities to succeed than a less smart rich white. He’s more likely to attend a failing school, to face job discrimination, to deal with his relative’s issues, to live in a single-parent household… And ultimately wind up with much poorer career prospects.
No paroting at all, this is the libertarian/small government crowd’s leitmotiv.
Taxes aren’t theft, they’re the price of civilization. Welfare can be dumb, like the US system, with means-tested programs that do not really improve quality of life or it can be smart. It can take the form of subsidized jobs for at risk populations, minimum wage can be made higher so that work is correctly awarded… There are lots of cost-effective ways to bring meaningful change in people’s life. It has been proven multiple times that inequality hampers economic growth.
You can assume anything you want to. heritability only shows within-group variation, however, you can’t prove that genetics cause group differences without empirically demonstrating causality. It’s only with actual genetic analysis that you can tell the magnitude and the direction of group differences that are caused by genetics.
The only twin studies that could work are those that compare second generation multiracial DZ twins and explore the relationship between traits and ancestry.
Well, given how career paths in STEM require some cognitive capacity above the standard/average, I’d say that in that respect, this is untrue. If you are simply ‘not intelligent’, then you aren’t as likely to get a career in jobs that are very demanding, like STEM careers, to name an example. Looking at some positions in government, the reverse is true.
It’s not the whole story, intelligence alone does not explain school grades, motivation and self-discipline outdo IQ when it comes to school achievment and therefore, career prospects.
http://www.dlc-ubc.ca/wordpress_dlc_mu/genevieve/files/2012/11/Self-discipline-and-academic-success.pdf
There is huge racial discrimination in the US, affirmative action only applies in college application and the civil service. But in the unskilled private sector jobs that the poor need the most, racial discrimination is huge.
One instance of discrimination:
No, it seems like you don’t get it. Individuals in group A and B are equally genetically vulnerable to the effects of poverty, but group B is poorer, so the individuals of groub B end up with worse outcomes in spite of equal genetic fitness. That’s called norms of reaction.
Not only is this a grammatically incorrect sentence (not being nit-picky, I genuinely cannot understand what you’re trying to say, as it refutes what you said earlier), as it makes a difference if you meant “will outperform better-off ones” or “will outperform better-off one”, but it can be rephrased as: which explains why individuals of low SES backgrounds will outperform better off one[s] (as in, individuals of lower SES will OUTperform individuals of higher SES backgrounds, the reverse of what you mentioned) although on average, lower income people fare worse (which is a non-sequitur given how you claim the exact opposite above).
????? Confusion is in your head and only there. Fact: some poor people are smarter than richer ones even though rich people tend to be smarter than poor ones on average. But the SES returns on intelligence vary between social category. And we both know that black poverty has deep historical roots.
No, your claim is that heritability prevents from dismissing genetic causes for group differences. It does not.
Why examine states that are multi-racial? To get a better picture, examine areas that have exclusively black populations. I’m also having a difficult time finding GDP (PPP) per capita broken down by race AND state. I found the following, though:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_in_the_United_States_by_per_capita_income, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_GDP_per_capita.
By race, per capita income adjusted for inflation was 20,277 for blacks/African Americans. For whites, it was 32,910. By state in 2016, West Virginia was 36,315 (from the source in the wiki, “chained 2009 dollars). For South Carolina was 37,063. This has changed currently, as South Carolina is now 42,272, whereas West Virginia is 40,071. Can’t find anything breaking it down by race within the states, though, so extrapolating from the GDP per capita (inflation adjusted), blacks earn about 12k less.
It’s also worthwhile to note that your chart, unsourced as it is, relies on self-reporting and, for some reason, doesn’t have info on lots of states that certainly have a black population. Pair it with subsequent analysis to corroborate said ancestry and you’ll have an argument.
There is also an interesting sleight of hand committed here: show me that blacks in WV come first in ‘life outcomes’, above blacks in SC, otherwise the heritability of IQ and racial creationism in terms of cognitive ability is fulfilled! Well, it’s a multi-faceted answer revolving around personal choice, too. If by life outcomes, you mean GDP (PPP) per capita, then to that I state: Onus probandi incumbit ei qui dicit, non ei qui negat. I’ve yet to find any evidence of GDP per capita broken down by race and state, only by race and by state, but the issue here is that, in 2010, West Virginia was 3.4% black, whereas in 2015, South Carolina was 27.6% black. Cannot extrapolate the raw GDP per capita to all citizens because the racial composition isn’t the same. I shouldn’t be presenting this information for you, though.
For example, from http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/cdewp/98-07.pdf (figure 12, considering males ’92-’94), there is an observable trend which is intuitive and demonstrated. If you are not as ‘intelligent’, it is not as likely that you will succeed in fields that are very demanding (of a high intelligence). You cannot expect a lot of PhD’s if you are don’t have high intelligence. That is part of the explanation why Ashkenazi Jews have excelled in many fields: a high IQ and an education-based culture.
By the way, an ‘ad hoc’ explanation (read: fallacy) is concerned with moving the goalposts, so to speak. In the face of new information, instead of revising the hypothesis, a convenient catchall is utilized to ‘explain away’ the internal inconsistencies, even though it isn’t really justified or defendable. An example: “The Earth is flat!” “Well, satellite images show that the Earth is actually not flat, but spheroid.” “Well, it could always just be some massive photographic conspiracy…”
The relationship between African ancestry and IQ isn’t referenced as a response to fallacious explain away a refutation: it is the central premise. The heritability of IQ has already been demonstrated and the appeal to special pleading of natural selection affecting an organism, save for ‘insert special case here’ is fallacious.
I don’t get your logic: what I tell you is that if group differences exist and the cause is in part genetic then blacks with more European ancestry should have better life outcomes. GDP is meaningless, I’m talking of things like education, health, crime, occupation, personal income and wealth…
The map comes from this site:
The states with no data are states where the black poplation is too small for statistical relevance. Also, race is always self reported.
Self-reported race is a solid metric.
We have analyzed genetic data for 326 microsatellite markers that were typed uniformly in a large multiethnic population-based sample of individuals as part of a study of the genetics of hypertension (Family Blood Pressure Program). Subjects identified themselves as belonging to one of four major racial/ethnic groups (white, African American, East Asian, and Hispanic) and were recruited from 15 different geographic locales within the United States and Taiwan. Genetic cluster analysis of the microsatellite markers produced four major clusters, which showed near-perfect correspondence with the four self-reported race/ethnicity categories. Of 3,636 subjects of varying race/ethnicity, only 5 (0.14%) showed genetic cluster membership different from their self-identified race/ethnicity. On the other hand, we detected only modest genetic differentiation between different current geographic locales within each race/ethnicity group. Thus, ancient geographic ancestry, which is highly correlated with self-identified race/ethnicity—as opposed to current residence—is the major determinant of genetic structure in the U.S. population.
Genetic Structure, Self-Identified Race/Ethnicity, and Confounding in Case-Control Association Studies
The identical diagram has since been derived by others, using a similar or greater number of microsatellite markers and individuals. More recently, a survey of 3,899 SNPs in 313 genes based on US populations (Caucasians, African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics) once again provided distinct and non-overlapping clustering of the Caucasian, African-American and Asian samples: “The results confirmed the integrity of the self-described ancestry of these individuals”. Hispanics, who represent a recently admixed group between Native American, Caucasian and African, did not form a distinct subgroup, but clustered variously with the other groups. A previous cluster analysis based on a much smaller number of SNPs led to a similar conclusion: “A tree relating 144 individuals from 12 human groups of Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania, inferred from an average of 75 DNA polymorphisms/individual, is remarkable in that most individuals cluster with other members of their regional group”.
Categorization of humans in biomedical research: genes, race and disease
Never implied otherwise. Bindleton did criticize the fact that race is self-reported.
Bindleton should know better, especially if he knows of the two studies above. Self-reported race is a fine metric, as you can see.
Yes. It’s a good metrics in terms of ancestral clustering, but it’s weaker when it comes to genetic similarity between two individuals.
I agree there. Fact of the matter is, Bindleton’s statement that the chart “relies on self-reporting” is useless because as seen above its a great predictor of geographic ancestry/race.
To what degree, though? You’re missing my point: it isn’t as if every mixed person has the same degree of admixture, you’re really cutting corners in order to get a truly representative sample, both of white ancestors and of black ancestors.
I am aware, but a self-report tells us nothing of the degree of admixture. The average mixed person doesn’t have knowledge of their genetic lineage, they won’t be able to tell you to what degree they are mixed, and conflating an equivalence between one mixed person and another is not intellectually honest. Essentially, the mixed people in one state are not necessarily the same as the mixed people in another state.
To RaceRealist:
I’m quite aware that you can, very easily, ascribe a racial identity to a person just as easily as they can, but when discussing the proportion of admixture, not all mixed people are created equal, so to speak. For example, a mixed person whose African ancestors came from Kongo and were mixed with the Portuguese is not equivalent to mixed person with Angolan African ancestry and British European ancestry. Self-reports don’t tell us anything about the origin or degrees of differentiation. I think you’re misunderstanding my point, I accept the validity of a self-report and that it is virtually always accurate, but when discussing degrees of admixture, the assumption that mixed people are linear and from the same stock isn’t accurate.
Genetic analysis can tell admixture easily, hence the map showing that the degree of European ancestry among self-reported blacks varies across states.
Genetic analysis can, which is what I’ve been asking for to examine the degrees of admixture instead of fallaciously assuming mixed people=x% group A, y% group B, etc.
The map you linked was without source and only mentioned self-reports instead of genetic analyses. How can a self-report analyze the genetics of the individual to determine the degree of admixture? All it does is accurately examine the mixed heritage, but in questions of precision, that isn’t enough. You’re still missing the point, and now you’ve conflated what you linked to initially (without source for me to even examine if they did pair the self-reports to get a general estimate of the degree of admixture, because they might have done that for all I know) to a separate issue.
Just examining an individual and concluding that they are mixed race doesn’t tell you to what degree the population you examined is mixed race. Mixed people in one location can vary in separate locations, so when you ask me about mixed people in South Carolina and West Virginia, it is fallacious to assume they are carbon copies from the same regions. White nations also vary in terms of IQ, too, as do black nations.
This is exactly what the map does.
The map you linked was without source and only mentioned self-reports instead of genetic analyses.
I gave you the source. You don’t understand that it is a genetic analysis study of the degree of European/African/Native admixture of self-reported blacks.
Just examining an individual and concluding that they are mixed race doesn’t tell you to what degree the population you examined is mixed race.
This is not the point of the study.
For example, on the topic of the old discrimination canard: https://twitter.com/RaceRealist88.
On the author’s twitter, he has retweeted an worthwhile piece of information here: https://twitter.com/sentientist/status/893139435633729538.
I’m interested as to any input the author of this blog has on the topic, as it seems both from the entries on this blog and on his twitter, our conclusions are aligned.
For example, on the topic of the old discrimination canard:
Study based on individual feelings. You can’t tell when you’re being discriminated against unless you can read people’s mind. When you don’t get a job, or get arrested by the police you just think “I didn’t get this job” or “I got arrested”, you don’t think about discrimination although it’s possible that things would have been different if you were of an other race.
No, that’s what RaceRealist’s sources do, not yours. You just attached an image with no source, he followed up with a proper citation (“Of 3,636 subjects of varying race/ethnicity, only 5 (0.14%) showed genetic cluster membership different from their self-identified race/ethnicity.”).
You cannot determine the degree to which an individual has Caucasian ancestry just because they identify as black. If you have ‘x’ Caucasian and African ancestors, you are different than somebody who has ‘y’ Caucasian and African ancestors. They can still both identify has black, both still have “European admixture”, but if you are interested in the degree to which the European ancestry affects the IQ, proportions are relevant.
You actually didn’t source anything. The post where you attached the image has no source for the image. If it is as you describe, then, as expected, blacks across the US have different degrees of European admixture, and if you’re asking for ‘life outcomes’, then I suggest trying to find GDP (PPP) per capita broken down by race AND state, because, as I said above, I could not find anything of the sort.
You’ll have to link it first.
“Ad Hoc Rationalization
In this fallacy, an explanatory factor, condition, or reason is set forth without validity to counter a specific objection or argument in order to defend one’s original assertion, hypothesis, findings, or conclusion.”
I sense a hint of projection with your initial accusation of ad hoc rationalization. This is a perfect example of what you accused me of: people don’t feel discriminated against, but that is only because it is the result of a deeper racist conspiracy theory.
How else would they examine the perception of discrimination, by looking at the weather? They have to ask if the individuals who are alleged victims actually perceive such injustice.
Here is your own logic extended to another framework.
From: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-Ad-Hoc-fallacy.
“Freudian analyst: You are clearly suffering from an Oedipal complex.
Analysand: I don’t feel like I’m in love with my mother and hate my father.
Freudian analyst: That is because you are in denial.
Marxist: The proletariat are clearly oppressed by the bourgeoisie.
Proletariat: I don’t feel oppressed.
Marxist: That is because you suffer from false consciousness.
Here the analysand and the proletariat provide counterevidence to the claims made by the Freudian and the Marxist, who must sustain their arguments by dismissing the basis for the counterarguments. Thus they have rather craftily in the moment — ad hoc — come up with bulwarks, as it were, to preserve their theoretical claims.
In addition to being ad hoc, both these rebuttals have the convenient advantage of being unfalsifiable. There is no way to prove one is not in denial or one does not have a false consciousness. This ploy thus also seems to tacitly rely upon the Appeal to Ignorance—i.e., you cannot prove you’re not in denial/suffering from false consciousness; therefore, you are. A tangled web is thus woven.”
You are also still appealing to a conspiratorial tone of “any disparity is due to racism”. You completely discount the fact that blacks are disproportionately involved in criminal activity. Police aren’t shooting blacks because they are racist against them, this age-old canard was actually debunked: by a black man! http://www.nber.org/papers/w22399.
It’s a false assumption and no such investigation into police precincts has actually proven some underground police racism against blacks or Hispanics. It’s also presuming an all-white police department.
And again, on the employment racist conspiracy, simply because a disparity exists does not mean you can arbitrarily assign nefarious motivation, it’s intellectually dishonest. Women are paid more than men, employers want to hire males more than females. This doesn’t make employers sexist.
And another thing, the assumption that every African-American who is mixed descends from the same stock of individual isn’t a reasonable position. Slaves didn’t just come from the “black part of Africa”, Africa has variation (also ironic to conveniently assume no variation within a category when it is beneficial to your worldview, but berate others when they make the same assumptions as you do), just as Europe does. It is an argument from ignorance to claim: “Prove to me that white ancestry doesn’t improve IQ in mixed African-Americans! Can’t do it, therefore it is not true.”
The whole point is to remain agnostic regarding the issue instead of resorting to absolute environmental dependence/determinism (read: sociologist’s fallacy). Again, to reiterate: the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
This also relies on the fact that only direct examination is the only way to prove the claim. You do not have to directly examine a specific phenomenon in order to ascertain its existence, you can simply examine its influence. To make an astronomical analogy, it would be as if claiming black holes don’t exist just because we cannot directly observe them: we can ascertain the existence because of observing how it interacts with its environment and its effects upon said environment, which is what the whole heritability estimates do.
Ok, let’s make it short because you write a lot but don’t say much and get everything confused. You mention the “sociologist’s fallacy” which is at the core of the argument. It was invented by Jensen who criticized the fact that controlling for SES factors resulted in matching for genotype. Ironically, this agrument is even more fallacious: it’s called reification fallacy or fallacy of misplaced concreteness.
Reification (also known as concretism, hypostatization, or the fallacy of misplaced concreteness) is a fallacy of ambiguity, when an abstraction (abstract belief or hypothetical construct) is treated as if it were a concrete real event or physical entity.[1][2] In other words, it is the error of treating something that is not concrete, such as an idea, as a concrete thing. A common case of reification is the confusion of a model with reality: “the map is not the territory”.
With this fallacious logic, I can replace “matching for genotype” by “matching for Santa Claus/Holy Spirit/Big Foot” just pick your favorite, they’re all equally undemonstrated abstractions.
Controlling for SES variables is a normal procedure in research, if you claim that this results in matching for genotype, then simply prove it.
For instance, the correlation between IQ and income is 0.4. So IQ may explain 16% of the variance in income or the other way around. So if I control for income and notice that it attenuates or erases the gap between two groups, I can safely assume that income, or something related to income has a causal role in IQ differences.
Is it genotype? It’s unlikely judging from the low-moderate heritability of income and the well demonstrated social and historical factors that quite evidently play a role in the black/white income gap. So until someone finds genes that make blacks less likely to become rich that whites, Occam’s razor tells me: due to a variety of demonstrated historical and social factors, blacks are less likely to earn high incomes than whites, which exposes them to more IQ-depressing factors. This statement is falsifiable, but it has to be empirically falsified, not by abstract ad hoc hypotheses. Got it?
Apart from that: as for the maps, I provided the source link, all the authors of this blog have seen it, other users have clicked it so it’s here for your eyes to see. As I told you a hundred time, it describes the average degree of African, Native and European ancestry of African-Americans in each state with a statistically meaningful African American population. Not the share of African-Americans who identify as mixed-race as you imply for no reason.
Some other points you raise will be addressed in upcoming posts. For the time being, I’ll ask you more humility in your arguments, better formatting effort and shorter comment length. You write too much a say to little.
Here is a whole piece on race and reification in science http://science.sciencemag.org/content/307/5712/1050.full?ijkey=CrQywbf6JKCIs&keytype=ref&siteid=sci
“Ok, let’s make it short because you write a lot but don’t say much and get everything confused”
That’s not really an argument, it’s just a cop-out to not discuss the criticisms I’ve raised with your faulty reasoning.
“You mention the “sociologist’s fallacy” which is at the core of the argument. It was invented by Jensen who criticized the fact that controlling for SES factors resulted in matching for genotype. Ironically, this agrument is even more fallacious: it’s called reification fallacy or fallacy of misplaced concreteness.”
Again, a basic misunderstanding of what the fallacy is actually explaining. It isn’t related to the dismissal of controlling for SES, it’s that it is fallacious to control for SES and commit a cum hoc fallacy. Simply because being poor lowers your IQ doesn’t mean that one can only have a low IQ because one is poor., or (the most common one I’ve heard) that a lower income correlates with higher criminal activity, therefore being poor is why people are more criminal (without regard for other causes). On the poverty–>crime bit: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12552-016-9164-y. Also, your sentence is poorly strung together. “…Who criticized the fact that controlling for SES factors resulted in matching for genotype”, do you mean to say that, when controlling for environmental factors, the results matched that of controlling for ‘genotype’? Yes, genetics and the environment do contribute to the variation in many traits, from IQ to height. This is already known, you’re just repeating the conclusion of the sources I’ve cited.
It will actually only be conflating the concrete with the abstract (i.e. fallacious) provided that the other causes are actually ‘abstract’ and only ‘conceptual’, which they are not:
http://www.uam.es/personal_pdi/psicologia/pei/download/Rowe1999.pdf
“who criticized the fact that controlling for SES factors resulted in matching for genotype”
Right above, you argued for a similar proportion of influence in terms of variation. That might just be because the sentence wasn’t really structured properly, but the ‘low-moderate’ heritability you cited yourself flies in the face of this. Again, simply because you cannot locate a ‘gay gene(s)/gene interaction’ doesn’t mean homosexuality as a natural cause is non-existent.
Again, I’m not claiming that it is “matching” (that is, equivalent) to the impact genes have on the variation: it could vary from .4-.6, it doesn’t have to be ‘matching’ or equivalent (as in 50/50). The argument is that a proportion of the variation is explained by environmental causes and another proportion to genetic causes. You’ve already demonstrated that you are not willing to actually read what I’ve written, but if you decide to be honest in debate and actually read what I’ve stated, I never made a statement on behalf of the specific degree to which the variation can be attributable. This assumes that the heritability is static for all people, which it is not.
I’d like to see such information where controlling for race and income diminishes all IQ differences. Examining SAT scores doesn’t actually show that lower-income families, either white or black, necessarily score lower: http://www.jbhe.com/features/53_SAT.html.
Simply because one is poor, it does not follow that one is poor only because they are not intelligent, just as one may not be less intelligent only because one is poor.
None of that diminishes the fact that intelligence is a relevant predictor, but not the only relevant predictor. Which is what I’m claiming here.
http://www.emilkirkegaard.dk/en/wp-content/uploads/Intelligence-and-socioeconomic-success-A-meta-analytic-review-of-longitudinal-research.pdf
“The second aim of the meta-analysis was to
compare the predictive power of intelligence to the
predictive power of other prominent predictors of
success, parental SES and academic performance.
Such comparisons are informative because different
predictors represent different paths to a successful
career: intelligence represents one’s general ability,
parental SES represents the social advantages or
disadvantages experienced by a person, and academic
performance represents school-related learning and
motivation. Meta-analysis demonstrated that parental
SES and academic performance are indeed positively
related to career success but the predictive power of
these variables is not stronger than that of
intelligence (see Table 1). In fact, intelligence
exhibited several correlations with the measures of
success that were larger than the respective correlations
for other predictors suggesting that intelligence is, after all, a better predictor of success.”
“Is it genotype? It’s unlikely judging from the low-moderate heritability of income and the well demonstrated social and historical factors that quite evidently play a role in the black/white income gap.”
It cannot be ‘low-moderate’ while simultaneously not being attributable to genes. In fact, that ‘low-moderate’ pinpoint is exactly in-line with the viewpoint I’m talking about.
From the same source above:
“These results demonstrate that intelligence,
when it is measured before most individuals
have finished their schooling, is a powerful predictor
of career success 12 or more years later when most
individuals have already entered stable careers. Two
of the correlations – with education and occupation –
are of substantial magnitude according to the usual
standards of social science (Cohen, 1988); the
correlation with education even surpasses the well-established
correlation of .51 between intelligence and
job performance (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998). The correlation with income is considerably lower,
perhaps even disappointingly low, being about the
average of the previous meta-analytic estimates (.15
by Bowles et al., 2001; and .27 by Ng et al., 2005).
But it should be noted that other predictors, studied in
this paper, are not doing any better in predicting
income, which demonstrates that financial success is
difficult to predict by any variable. This claim is
further corroborated by the meta-analysis of Ng et al.
(2005) where the best predictor of salary was
educational level with a correlation of only .29. It
should also be noted that the correlation of .23 is
about the size of the average meta-analytic result in
psychology (Hemphill, 2003) and cannot, therefore,
be treated as insignificant.”
I’m also not quite sure what ‘social/historical’ factors you describe and how they can be assessed. If it’s anything like the ‘racist conspiracy theory’, then it’s unfalsifiable (save for ad hoc rationalizations like “you’re so oppressed you don’t even know it!”). What about Ashkenazi Jews, who have suffered pogroms and discrimination far more severe than anything Africans have experienced. Jews are, by any metric, much more ‘oppressed’ than blacks are, and if ‘racism’ exists on a wide-scale in our modern society, anti-Semitism does, as well. Yet Jews have no issue with succeeding (excelling) in our societies. Again, that is because it isn’t as simple as discrimination, ergo unintelligence. The role of Jewish familial structure and educational attainment is certainly not inconsequential, as well as a cohesive tribal identity that has preserved itself for thousands of years. Meanwhile, single motherhood is devastating the black familial structure. Perhaps accepting agency in your own actions, as opposed to resorting to a racist conspiracy, would be a better place to start. Some unsubstantiated superstructure of racism isn’t keeping black men from staying with the women they impregnate.
“So until someone finds genes that make blacks less likely to become rich that whites, Occam’s razor tells me: due to a variety of demonstrated historical and social factors, blacks are less likely to earn high incomes than whites, which exposes them to more IQ-depressing factors.”
So until someone finds genes that make homosexuals less likely to become heterosexual, Occam’s razor tells me: due to a variety of “insert unfalsifiable references to conspiracy theories”, homosexuals are less likely be heterosexual, which exposes them to more homosexual-inducing factors.
Again, classic misunderstanding of Occam’s razor. The razor is to be used for theories that are “equally well-supported by evidence”. You’re arguing for human biological diversity if slavery or Jim Crow has had some magnified effect on subsequent generations (i.e. genetic diversity caused by negative historical circumstances not impacting other groups… like Ashkenazi Jews or Russian serfs…). Like you said, you can just as easily attribute it to “Santa Claus/Holy Spirit/Big Foot” if the aforementioned circumstances are to have relevancy today. There are no “demonstrated factors”, you just linked to a disparity among callbacks for “white/black-sounding names” and applied a nefarious moral judgement made by the employers, that the minorities are being discriminated against (even though affirmative action programs, as I cited in posts above, prove the opposite to be true). I linked to an article, which you did not respond to. Then I linked to another retweeted post showing how people don’t actually feel they are discriminated against, which led you to make an ad hoc rationalization.
“This statement is falsifiable, but it has to be empirically falsified”
You’ll have to empirically prove it first.
“by abstract ad hoc hypotheses.”
Again, an ad hoc rationalization is a fallacious and weak counter-“proposal” (emphasis on proposal) in response to a counter-argument proposed in the face of a hypothesis. So if person A says the Earth is flat, person B showing them evidence that it is not flat is the counter-argument. The counter-proposal and ad hoc rationalization would be to suggest that the images could be a part of some huge conspiracy. The ad hoc rationalization isn’t invoked in my example: it is the central premise, not a counter-proposal offering no evidence.
“I provided the source link”
No, you didn’t. For me, it is, quite literally, only showing up as an image with four maps of the US, shaded in different colours (purple, yellow, red, and green in clockwise direction). In the text below the image, there are no sources.
“For instance, the correlation between IQ and income is 0.4. So IQ may explain 16% of the variance in income or the other way around”
And just to add on the denialism and misrepresentation of the sociologist’s fallacy.
https://z139.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/the-sociologists-fallacy/
“Firstly, knowing that we are working with a deviational model is informative. For one, it means that a genetic explanation is tenable; for another, it means that an environmental explanation needs to account for why no or few Blacks have realized their hypothetical genetic potential relative to Whites. Our environmental hypothesis pictures Whites as balloons that have risen near to the ceiling and Blacks as balloons that are tethered to the floor. While having the same mean amount of helium and potential to rise, Blacks, it is argued, float nearer to the ground because they are held down. But by what factors? Elsewhere, we saw that the explanation is not motivation, peer effects, market discrimination, or racist attitudes. And we saw that Blacks underperform despite extensive institutional discrimination for them. Inevitably it will be argued that the IQ gap is caused by the various outcome gaps such as the income gaps. But such explanations seem queer because it’s now usually conceded that Black IQ is antecedent to Black outcomes. This is why matched for IQ Blacks frequently have a better outcome profile than Whites. For example, matched for IQ, Blacks are more educated than Whites: https://z139.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/education-by-iq-by-race.jpg
Quote: “The bachelor’s degree gap between White and Black adults was overwhelmingly due to a higher share of Black adults scoring in the lower deciles of the test score distribution. Black adults in the top two deciles were nearly 30 times as likely to obtain a Bachelor’s degree as their peers in the bottom decile….
Reducing the large academic achievement test gap between Black and White males is critical to all future efforts to close the Black-White college degree attainment gap.”
Source: The educational attainment of the nation’s young black men and their recent labor market experiences: what can be done to improve their future labor market and educational prospects
IQ is driving the education and SES gap, not education and SES the IQ gap.”
Afrosapiens says:
I’ll reply shortly because I’m currently on vaction overseas.
On the sociologist’s fallacy:
Wrong, because the effects of deprivation, chronic stress, abuse and neglect are well documented in animal research. So the overwhelming empirical evidence shows that the causal direction is that adversity lowers intellectual functioning. Jensen’s “sociologist’s fallacy” rests on reification fallacy and is actually not accepted in mainstream science.
On IQ/SES:
The predictive power of IQ is overblown by hereditarians, IQ is not the best predictor of educational or job success by any means.
On discrimination:
Racism is nothing like a “conspiracy”, it is a well documented social attitude that does affect people’s lives.
1/5 to 1/3 admits some degree of anti-Black bias
Perceptions of race-based unfair treatment are widespread among blacks.
When matched for education, blacks still earn less than whites and are more likely to be unemployed.
On Jews and blacks:
Nice fallacy of false analogy. Jews and blacks are absolutely not comparabe, blacks were slaves, then landless peasants, and were denied social mobility opportunities by law until the civil rights act of 1964. And this was true in the South and in the North, though more subtly in the North. For your information, 1964 is just 53 years ago. All black adults have parents or grand parents who were alive during this period, and it represents a lot in terms of lost inherited financial and educational capital, especially since post-civil rights era coincides with a time when it became more difficult for unskilled people to find jobs. How many American Jews know a pogrom victim? Jews were never economically or educationally oppressed, on the contrary, they were a literate urban population active in high income trades that were forbidden to christians, banking for instance was a jewish monopoly since christians were forbidden to lend money for interest. In America, blacks were slaves whereas a substantial number of Jews were slave-owners or slave traders. No need to say more.
On blacks not making progress:
Blacks have done substantial progress in many SES variables in spite of the very humble background of the older generation. There is good evidence the the black/white IQ gap is narrowing too.
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01802.x
On the maps:
For the last time, the source is provided here: https://notpoliticallycorrect.me/2017/07/25/your-brain-on-poverty/comment-page-1/#comment-3340
On your attitude:
Yes you definitely write too much to say too little, you’re extremely presumptuous and dogmatic, and your formatting is disastrous. And no, I’m not an immigrant. I’m a French citizen who lives in France.
“For the time being, I’ll ask you more humility in your arguments, better formatting effort and shorter comment length. You write too much a say to little.”
On what basis do you determine my flamboyant behavior? I’ve done no such thing to brag about, you are just making things up.
I have been formatting my posts by quoting your statements in full context, followed by my response, followed by a double space. Just find the quotation mark which marks the end of my quote, it really isn’t that difficult. If you want to dismiss an argument based on its formatting, I could have used the same arbitrary framework to dismiss your posts because you cannot actually express your thoughts in English (after all, you are an immigrant). In the same post that you dismiss my posts for their formatting, you literally state “You write too much a say to little”. Not only is this a non-argument/one-liner quip, it is not grammatically correct. You meant to state “you write too much AND say TOO little”. “And” is the coordinating conjunction you should use, because I think you might have meant to type “as”, but your finger slipped (that would be a correlative conjunction).
“To” is a preposition whereas “too” is an adverb. It might also be a typo, seeing as how you used it correctly the first time, but not the second. Again, if you want to be nitpicky and dismiss points based on formatting, you are just as guilty (kind of like how you don’t want to accuse others of fallacies, yet you’re more than willing to use them when it’s convenient).
As for the shorter comment length, I see no need to confine myself to your own subjective interpretation of what is long and short. You can either choose to read my posts/links, or not. It’s not up to me, it’s up to you. I’m not going to self-censor.
You have yet to respond to the point regarding the duality of welfare as a contradictory institution, by the way. Which seems odd seeing as how you are more than willing to berate conservative ideologues, but aren’t willing to debate them. Do you want to defend your ‘taxation is the price of civilization’ statement at all, because you just buried it once I responded. I’d like to hear how you justify an involuntary institution as being beneficial. Public spending isn’t the only way to fund programs: just because you want to lower welfare spending doesn’t mean you hate poor people, as it is shown that the state isn’t as effective with the dollars they “voluntarily receive” as charities are. For more, see: http://www.economicsjunkie.com/is-government-needed-to-fight-poverty/, https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa761_2.pdf.
On pure speculation, I’d posit that the bureaucrats don’t exactly have an incentive to stretch the dollars they receive because they have no reason to economize or seek the highest value (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsRk9RThGt0). Charities, on the other hand, are assessed on the basis of how effective they actually are because you can choose which charity you wish to donate to, unlike the state. Individuals will seek out those charities which actually fulfil the stated goals, as that’s the entire reason why they’re donating.
Tested if my comments would post properly, so I’ve shortened them.
Again, I repeat the point, as you didn’t address it:
It goes on:
“Of course, it will be argued by some that the IQ gap is due to differences in rearing environments. Accordingly, the adult IQ gap of generation #1 is antecedent to the social outcome gap of generation #1; this social outcome gap is antecedent to the childhood rearing environment gap of generation #2; and this childhood rearing environment gap is antecedent to the adult IQ gap of generation #2.
Ok, the first problem with this model is that the math doesn’t add up. The shared environmentality of IQ in childhood is about 0.4. In adulthood it’s about 0.15. If the Black-White adult IQ gap of generation #1 was 1.1 SD and if the correlation between adult IQ and cognitively relevant childhood rearing environment was the empirically found average of about 0.8, then, assuming that all of the association between parental IQ and childhood environment represented an environmental effect (i.e., no covGE, conditioned on the child’s genotype), the rearing environment gap could be no more than 1.1 SD x 0.8. And the gap in childhood and adulthood would be, respectively 0.8 x 1.1 x SQRT (0.4) and 0.8 x 1.1 x SQRT(0.15). Or 0.6 and 0.3 SD. Parental IQ differences of generation #1 can’t possibly account for more than one third of the adult differences of generation #2.
More relevant ….this still doesn’t explain why a noticeable number of Blacks have not realized their genetic potential to the same extent as Whites. A noticeable number of Blacks are capable of realizing there genetic potential relative to other Blacks. Hence the heritability of IQ, by adolescence, is three times the shared environmentality within the Black population (60% to 20%). Blacks sibling balloons with more helium rise above those with less, despite sharing the same family environment. So why are not some Blacks capable of realizing their genetic potential relative to Whites? One can’t explain this curiosity simply by pointing to mean shared family differences between populations, since these mean differences with populations don’t create the same uniform effect within racial populations. One needs a casual mechanism to account for the uniformity in addition to one or a set of them to account for the mean difference. That is, that the difference is deviational and not distributional is non-trivially interesting. It needs some explaining.
Second, knowing that the effect of controlling for outcomes is a genetic and not an environmental effect means that we must face the constraints placed on environmental explanations by the low shared environmentality of IQ. This constraint has been lucidly articulated by Jensen 1973; 1998. To causally environmentally account for a one standard deviation difference, given a shred environmentality of no more than 15%, one needs to posit 2.5 standardized units of environmental effect (1/ (square root 0.15)). This is the same as saying that one needs to maintain that Blacks live in a cognitive affecting environment characteristic of that experienced by the most deprived 1% of Whites.
(This is actually an underestimate of the “environmental differences” needed, since the external factors typically labeled “environment”, are extensively genetically conditioned. The magnitude of the “environmental differences” needed would be:
= d /(SQRT c^2 of IQ)/ (SQRT c^2 of “environment”)
Now, previous attempts to escape this logic have failed; for example, James Flynn has made a reduction ad absurdum by comparing the Black-White difference to the secular difference; but the secular differences has largely turned out to be a function of psychometric bias (Must, & van Vianen, 2009; Wicherts et al., 2004; Beaujean, & Osterlind, 2008, etc.) and the residual magnitude of the difference that actually represents true latent ability differences is utterly compatible with the massive amount environmental differences between generations. The generational differences stand in stark contrast to the Black-White differences both in IQ and in environment. Indeed, a generous appraisal might put the latent ability Flynn effect (as opposed to the manifest score Flynn effect) at 0.1 SD per decade. In Flynn effect metrics, then, the Black-White latent ability difference is equivalent to a century of environmental differences. One century!! Few would honestly maintain that the actual Black-White environmental difference is that tremendous. Now, most sociologists have simply ignored this point, feeling it sufficient to point to the results of correlational studies. Since the IQ difference could be statistically explained, it has been argued, the magnitude of the cognitively conditioning outcome differences must be at least 2.5+ SD. But, as we have seen, this does not follow because the effect of controlling is primarily a genetic, not environmental one.
To summarize: when matching Blacks and Whites for environmental factors, we are matching them for genes. We know this because the within population heritabilities are about the same and because the phenomena of differential regression is no less at the far left end of the bell curve than at the far right end. This means that Black individuals are uniformly depressed – no Black balloons are reaching the ceiling — which, we said, is curious given the dearth of environmental accounts for this curiosity. This also means that showing that the difference can be statistically explained does not shown that the environmental difference between Blacks and Whites is sufficiently large enough to causally explain the differential. It is estimates that in the metrics of the Flynn effect, the B/W difference amounts to an incredible environmental difference of one century.”
This makes no sense whatsoever and it’s based on nothing close to empirical nor any understanding of the neurodevelopmental processes that are affected by poverty.
So why are not some Blacks capable of realizing their genetic potential relative to Whites? One can’t explain this curiosity simply by pointing to mean shared family differences between populations, since these mean differences with populations don’t create the same uniform effect within racial populations. One needs a casual mechanism to account for the uniformity in addition to one or a set of them to account for the mean difference.
This rests on a false permise which pretends that there is no factor that affects blacks uniformly enough to cause such disparities. In fact, blacks and whites virtually live in two different coutries. First when it comes to the risks of experiencing poverty, blacks and whites are like night and day. While 70% of whites have never experienced poverty while growing up, 77% of blacks did.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/cc52/d81b232aa7dd89e146f48612976e9b1a5058.pdf
High income black families live in neighborhoods that resemble that of poor whites, so the “sociologist’s fallacy” doesn’t even match blacks and whites for quality of life, let alone genotype.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/24/poor-whites-live-in-richer-neighborhoods-than-middle-class-blacks-and-latinos/?utm_term=.a5576c90400f
Blacks are 11 times more likely to grow up in poor neighborhoods than whites
https://www.vox.com/2016/6/6/11852640/cartoon-poor-neighborhoods
Neighborhood poverty affect outcomes independently of household characteristics
http://www.gxe2010.org/Speakers/pubs/Brooks-Gunn_2000a.pdf
Montgomery County, Maryland, operates one of the most acclaimed large public school systems in the United States. Although an increasing share of the population of this suburban school district just outside Washington, District of Columbia, is low income, and the majority of its students belongs to racial minority groups, the county graduates 9 in 10 of its students. Montgomery County’s reputation as both an affluent area with good schools and a district that serves low-income students relatively well is firmly established. Much less known is the fact that it operates the nation’s oldest and largest inclusionary zoning program–a policy that requires real estate developers to set aside a portion of the homes they build to be rented or sold at below-market prices. Building on the strength of the random assignment of children to schools, the author examines the longitudinal school performance from 2001 to 2007 of approximately 850 students in public housing who attended elementary schools and lived in neighborhoods that fell along a spectrum of very-low-poverty to moderate-poverty rates. In brief, the author finds that over a period of five to seven years, children in public housing who attended the school district’s most-advantaged schools (as measured by either subsidized lunch status or the district’s own criteria) far outperformed in math and reading those children in public housing who attended the district’s least-advantaged elementary schools. In this report, the author describes the study, the findings, and their ramifications.
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ918882
This study examines how the neighborhood environments experienced over multiple generations of a family influence children’s cognitive ability. Building on recent research showing strong continuity in neighborhood environments across generations of family members, we argue for a revised perspective on “neighborhood effects” that considers the ways in which the neighborhood environment in one generation may have a lingering impact on the next generation. To specify such multigenerational effects is not simply a theoretical problem, but poses considerable methodological challenges. Instead of traditional regression techniques that may obscure multigenerational effects of neighborhood disadvantage, we utilize newly developed methods designed to generate unbiased treatment effects when treatments and confounders vary over time. The results confirm a powerful link between neighborhoods and cognitive ability that extends across generations. Being raised in a high-poverty neighborhood in one generation has a substantial negative effect on child cognitive ability in the next generation. A family’s exposure to neighborhood poverty across two consecutive generations reduces child cognitive ability by more than half a standard deviation. A formal sensitivity analysis suggests that results are robust to unobserved selection bias.*
*Dismissing genetic confounds.
Although it is clear that racial segregation is linked to academic achievement gaps, the mechanisms underlying
this link have been debated since James Coleman published his eponymous 1966 report. In this paper, I
examine sixteen distinct measures of segregation to determine which is most strongly associated with academic
achievement gaps. I find clear evidence that one aspect of segregation in particular—the disparity in
average school poverty rates between white and black students’ schools—is consistently the single most
powerful correlate of achievement gaps, a pattern that holds in both bivariate and multivariate analyses.
This implies that high-poverty schools are, on average, much less effective than lower-poverty schools and
suggests that strategies that reduce the differential exposure of black, Hispanic, and white students to poor
schoolmates may lead to meaningful reductions in academic achievement gaps.
http://www.rsfjournal.org/doi/pdf/10.7758/RSF.2016.2.5.03
There is abundant evidence that blacks and whites differ in environmental characteristics that aren’t even related to their individual characteristics. Now you can invent genes for segregation, genes for attending a poor school in spite of coming from a rich household, genes of being poor but scoring better because you attend a wealthy school… And so on, but it is meaningless and disconected from anything real.
It is estimates that in the metrics of the Flynn effect, the B/W difference amounts to an incredible environmental difference of one century.
Not true, the Flynn effect added 3 IQ points per decade, the BW/IQ gap is somewhere between 15 and 8 points, which means 26 to 50 years of Flynn effect, which is entirely plausible.
The attached image is pointing to the cum hoc fallacy, in that it is “premature” to arrive at a conclusion in that manner without actually demonstrating the existence of said gaps, showing that they act in the manner they are known to do so. For example, I’ve already shown that the iron deficiency in black/white toddlers has been significantly reduced right around the turn of the century. It is certainly plausible that children born with such deficiencies would have significant defects. The issue is that it doesn’t exist in reality anymore and that all these factors are supposedly only affecting cognitive ability, and not also depressing the weight of the infant, for example. Like I mentioned above, there are internal inconsistencies with many of the claims. From one of the links above:
“The exposure to the influences decreases with SES and yet the differences are larger, or at least not smaller, at higher SES levels (Jensen, 1998). (For an important class of environmental-biological influences (e.g., Lead pain exposure, malnutrition, etc.), the rate of exposure is conditioned on SES. These types of influences, then, are poor candidates for explaining the gap at the higher SES levels; and obviously, if, in aggregate, they explained a substantial portion of the gap, then in proportion, the gap should be smaller at higher SES levels, which it is not.)”
The issue is that it relies fundamentally on racial creationism; in that, it is assumed that the people examined are racial balloons of equal calibre, inflated with the same amount of helium, like the analogy above mentioned. Therefore, any assumption on said false premise, given the demonstrated heritability of IQ, is not logical.
Not an argument.
It is comical to observe the same criticism (read: ad hoc rationalization) you levy against a debunking of the racist conspiracy theory can just as easily be extended to your own assessments of the canard.
If you allow yourself to fallaciously hand-wave away information because it’s based on “individual feelings”, then the “individual feelings” of potential Trump/Clinton voters can be dismissed on the same grounds. After all, it’s just their feelings. If you want to deny the capability of blacks who hold the opinion that they are not discriminated against on the grounds that their feelings can be dismissed, then you must also deny the capability of Clinton/Trump supporters who hold that blacks are more criminal/lazy/rude/violent and less intelligent.
On the latter point, it’s actually demonstrably true that blacks are more ‘violent/criminal’ than other groups. A minority committing a disproportionate majority of criminal activity would qualify the minority as being more criminal and violent. Only because I was recently discussing the state of Missouri, here is the data regarding crime in Missouri: http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/SAC/CIM/CrimeInMissouri.html#
I don’t know how you can quantify how ‘rude’ a person is, seems like a weird question. It seems rooted in… anecdotal information. Hence the conspiratorial undertone and the unfalsifiable nature: there is no way you can debunk an anecdote, which is why the whole appeal to “I feel discriminated against” is nonsense. If the individual feelings of respondents claiming they aren’t discriminated against is simply feelings/anecdotes, then the reverse is dismissed on the same grounds. I’ve already linked to an ’empirical analysis’ of alleged police bias in fatal shootings: it doesn’t exist.
On the perception of suspicion: without actually asking the people who felt suspicious, it can just as easily be attributed to a victim complex gone awry.
On people thinking you weren’t smart: see above.
On unfair hiring/pay/promotion: without actually asking the employer why they didn’t promote the black employee, you have no justified excuse to assign the cause to some nefarious moral judgement.
On stopped by the police: without actually asking the officers why they pulled over the black suspect, you have no justified excuse to assign the cause to some nefarious moral judgement.
On white men making the most: This completely bypasses the specific of said education. Were they all graduates of Yale? Did they have the same internships or prior work experience and, if so, with what group? All these factors may be relevant/irrelevant depending on the employee. Various schools rank better and some internships speak louder when they appear on a resume. Why the assumption that it must necessarily be equal?
On unemployment: Vietnamese-Americans make more than Korean-Americans, despite the fact that of those 25 or older, Korean-Americans are half as likely to have a college degree or higher (http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/06/19/the-rise-of-asian-americans/2/). This doesn’t mean they are discriminated against.
“Nice fallacy of false analogy. Jews and blacks are absolutely not comparabe, blacks were slaves, then landless peasants, and were denied social mobility opportunities by law until the civil rights act of 1964.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_antisemitism
Every excuse blacks have for underperformance, Jews have one ten-times as worse. The history of the slave trade is peanuts compared to the horrors of the Holocaust (which is within recent memory, unlike the slave trade). Jews were not only subject to slave labour, but they were systematically exterminated. Not to mention the anti-Semitic issues trace back to the death of Christ. Jews have been victims of longer than blacks, and they have faced more hardships. Feudal serfs in Russian lands were also treated as essentially slaves, for many centuries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom_in_Russia.
“For your information, 1964 is just 53 years ago.”
Ignoring modern anti-Semitic attacks.
https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2015/topic-pages/victims_final
“Among single-bias hate crime incidents in 2015, there were 4,216 victims of race/ethnicity/ancestry motivated hate crime.
52.2 percent were victims of crimes motivated by their offenders’ anti-Black or African American bias.
18.7 percent were victims of anti-White bias.”
Doesn’t mean there is a conspiracy against whites.
“Of the 1,402 victims of anti-religious hate crimes:
52.1 percent were victims of crimes motivated by their offenders’ anti-Jewish bias.
21.9 percent were victims of anti-Islamic (Muslim) bias.”
Doesn’t mean there is a conspiracy against Jews or Muslims. None of this means there is some implicit superstructure of racist beliefs that permeate into society.
“All black adults have parents or grand parents who were alive during this period, and it represents a lot in terms of lost financial and educational capital, especially since post-civil rights era coincides with a time when it became more difficult for unskilled people to find jobs.”
So do Jews in terms of the Holocaust. You want to talk about lost labour, what about all the Jewish assets that were seized during WW2. It is incomparable, to the tune of billions.
“How many American Jews know a pogrom victim?”
Further reinforcing the anecdote-driven mentality.
“Jews were never economically or educationally oppressed”
In Poland, sure. Jews flourished in the Pale of Settlement. After the partitioning of Poland… well, the Russians had a different story about equal rights.
“banking for instance was a jewish monopoly since christians were forbidden to lend money for interest. In America, blacks were slaves whereas a substantial number of Jews were slave-owners or slave traders.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitic_canard#Accusations_of_usury_and_profiteering
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitic_canard#Accusations_of_playing_a_major_role_in_the_slave_trade
Lol, “but muh racism against blacks”
You just demonstrated an example of anti-Semitism. Not that my anecdote can be used to equate a massive conspiracy against Jews: it’s just your opinion.
“There is good evidence the the black/white IQ gap is narrowing too.”
Yes, because IQ does also rely on the environment: a proportion is traced back to its environmentability. It is only logical, but this tells you nothing about its heritability.
This is the first time I’m seeing the link appear on my end. I only see the image with no subsequent link sourcing the image. Like I said, now it makes sense, but my point still stands: not all mixed ancestry is equal. A mixed person with ancestors from Ireland and Kongo is not equivalent to a mixed person with ancestors from Portugal and Angola.
“Yes you definitely write too much to say too little, you’re extremely presumptuous and dogmatic, and your formatting is disastrous”
Seems like you’ve gotten your grammar fixed up.
Another hypocrisy I’ve noticed: I admit to my bias openly, but you should allow he who is without sin to cast the first stone. Dogmatic, while also berating conservative ideologues? Pot calling the kettle black…
“I’m a French citizen who lives in France.”
That’s not what I said. I said you were an immigrant. You have immigrated to France, at some point (through your grandparents or parents). You are not ‘French’, simply a Frenchman legally. There is a pretty big difference between an actual French person with, say, Celtic ancestry. You are about as French as Brits conquering Canada were indigenous Americans: simply because you settle in an area does not make you of the same stock of the native inhabitants. The Swede who can trace his ancestry back to the very first monarchies is not equivalent to an Afghani immigrant, just as a Swede culturally assimilating/adopting the Islamic faith/speaking Farsi doesn’t make him an Afghani native, it makes him an Afghani immigrant. His children will be immigrants, too. French people aren’t French because they were just born there and have a birth certificate, or because they can speak French.
Culturally, sure you are French. But the France of 400 years ago doesn’t include African immigrants or their children: it includes legitimate French natives, ethnic French people. Your ethnicity is from Africa, most likely, not France. You meant to say that your nationality (birthplace) is in France. The two are not equivalent.
Haha! Because you believe that if asked why they treated someone unfairly, respondents will reply “because you’re black”. Please… What the data says is that a black college graduate has the same unemployment risk as a white who only completed high school, that a black without a criminal record has the same callback rate as a white with a criminal record. You can try to rationalize it as much as you want to make things appear in line with your illusions of a colorblind society, the plain data highlights that the returns of education and law abidingness in the job market are lower for blacks, it’s a fact.
I told you I have no time. And at the same time, you comment here like you haven’t clicked any of the studies I linked to in my post. So I’ll just copy and paste:
Disentangling cause and effect
The association between SES and human
brain functioning could indicate that the
experiences that are typical of different levels
of SES affect brain development (‘social causation’).
Alternatively, it could indicate that
differences in brain functioning predispose
people to a particular level of socioeconomic
success and, therefore, to a particular SES
(‘social selection’). The two possibilities
are not mutually exclusive and may operate
at different times across development
such that, for example, social causation may
explain SES-related effects on neurocognitive
development in childhood and adolescence,
which over time may inhibit socioeconomic
achievement and thus, SES in adulthood. In
addition, it is possible that genomic variation
in concert with environmental context may
influence both family SES and child development,
and that genetic variation may interact
with SES to influence neurodevelopmental
outcomes. Nevertheless, the current evidence
indicates that SES-related differences in
neural development, at least in part, reflect
social causes.
In the realm of mental health, evidence
for the social causation hypothesis of SESrelated
differences in the prevalence of
depression and anxiety is strong (although
social selection may also operate in
schizophrenia, as the SES of people
with schizophrenia is likely to decline as
a consequence of their illness and illness related
impairments)18,20,60,61. Moreover, a
natural ‘experiment’ in which one subset
of a population received a sudden income
supplement revealed that even small changes
in income for impoverished families leads to
decreased rates of childhood mental health
problems, particularly for clinically significant
externalizing behaviours62. This not
only supports the ‘social causation’ hypothesis
but also indicates that the excess mental
health burden of low-SES families may be at
least partly reversible by changes in income.
In addition, findings from a study of twins
indicate that the heritability of internalizing
problems can be modified by SES. Here, the
environment accounted for a greater percentage
of the variation in internalization at
low-SES levels63.
In the realm of cognitive functioning
there is considerable evidence that environmental
contexts exert causal influence64.
Cross-fostering studies that compared children
who were adopted within or between
SES levels also found a strong environmental
component to SES-related differences in
IQ, again supporting the social causation
hypothesis65. This approach may in fact have
underestimated environmental effects, as the
implicit assumption is that prenatal
environmental factors are genetic rather
than environmental. In addition, the impact
of poverty is greater if poverty is experienced
in early rather than late childhood3,12 and
this is difficult to explain in terms of heritability
alone. Studies comparing mono- and
di-zygotic twins also indicate that the magnitude
of genetic effects on IQ depends on
SES, such that cognitive ability is almost
entirely predicted by environmental factors
at lower-SES levels66. Thus, in addition to the
known effects of genomic variation on executive
function67, it is likely that the development
of executive function is influenced by
the environment, especially at lower SES
levels. It is also worth noting that estimates
of environmental effects in studies of twins
depend on the variance in environment
across the sample, so if there is insufficient
variation in SES then overall environmental
effects are likely to be underestimated.
Moreover, the effects of SES and of genotype
interact to produce phenotypes such as
serotonin responsivity to fenfluramine and
attention ability68,69. Lastly, some aspects
of neural development that are influenced
by SES, such as executive function, are also
responsive to intervention. This is consistent
with the ‘social causation’ hypothesis and
demonstrates that differences may be at least
partly reversible59,70,71.
No single environmental factor is likely
to explain all SES effects, and it is probable
that specific factors mediate specific aspects
of neurodevelopment. Two environmental
factors that could mediate SES-related differences
in neurocognitive development are
healthcare access and education, both of
which are better for children in higher levels
of SES. Yet, they cannot entirely explain SES
effects. For example, gradients of SES effects
on health persist in countries with universal
, and SES effects on cognition
and neurodevelopment emerge early in
childhood, before children have extensive,
formal education13,14,19,26,31,33,35–39,47.
Candidate mechanisms of SES effects
SES influences the quality of the physical
and psychosocial environment throughout
development5.
Factors in the environment,
such as exposure to cognitive stimulation in
the home, toxins, nutrition, prenatal drug
exposure and stress — including parental
stress and its associated effects on parenting
practices and parent–child interactions
— might mediate the effects of SES on the
brain (BOX 2). Consequently, the challenge is
to identify the underlying mechanisms by
which SES influences brain development.
Hypotheses concerning these mechanisms
can be formed and tested by integrating
data from studies in humans and from animal
models, each of which have different
and complementary strengths and weaknesses
(BOX 3). We focus on the three
potential mechanisms underlying the
effects of SES on neurocognitive development
that have the broadest empirical
support: prenatal factors, parental care and
cognitive stimulation.
Prenatal influences. Low SES in pregnant
women increases the likelihood of premature
birth and impaired fetal growth72, both
of which are predictive of increased rates of
childhood mental illness and poor school
performance73–77. Low SES is also associated
with higher levels of stress, higher infection
rates and poor nutrition during pregnancy.
All of these increase plasma levels of
corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and
glucocorticoids in both the mother and
the fetus75,78–80 and can thereby restrain
fetal growth75,78 and trigger prematurity79.
Glucocorticoid administration during
pregnancy is associated with increased
externalizing behaviour, shyness, distractibility
and inattention, as well as lower IQ
in children81. Moreover, even modestly low
birthweight is linked to smaller hippocampal
volume in adults82. These findings suggest
that conditions that are associated with low
SES compromise fetal growth and neurodevelopment,
with subsequent effects on
neural function that persist into adulthood.
In rodents, pre- or peri-natal glucocorticoid
administration to pregnant females
reduces brain weight at birth, inhibits
neurogenesis and delays neuronal maturation,
myelination, gliogenesis and synapse
formation78. Moreover, maternal stress
during pregnancy decreases spine density
in multiple brain areas that are related to
emotion regulation, including the hippocampus,
anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal
cortex83, and increases behavioural and
hormonal responses to stress in the offspring
in adulthood75,78,84–86. The effects on stress
responsiveness in adulthood are abolished
by normalization of glucocorticoid levels
during pregnancy87. In Rhesus monkeys,
fetal exposure to elevated glucocorticoid
levels reduces hippocampal volume in
adulthood88. The offspring of female
Rhesus monkeys that were stressed during
pregnancy exhibit decreased birthweight,
impaired neuromotor development, attention
deficits and emotional dysregulation
across the lifespan89. Moreover, there is evidence
in rodents that prenatal influences on
hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis
activity can be transmitted across generations
in an epigenetic manner90 (see below).
Together, these findings suggest that in
pregnant women, stressors that are associated
with low SES predict birth outcomes
that mimic the effects of increased fetal glucocorticoid
exposure on neurodevelopment
and that may persist across generations.
Consequently, it is likely that SES effects
might emerge during fetal development.
Parental care. Prenatal factors are unlikely
to explain all of the effects of SES on neurodevelopment,
particularly as SES effects are
often still apparent even after controlling
for birthweight91. Postnatal parental stress
influences child development by decreasing
parental involvement and care, as described
by the family stress model4
. In humans, low
SES is associated with greater irritability and
depressed and anxious moods in parents,
which compromise parent–child
interactions92,93. Parental stress leads to harsh
and inconsistent discipline, less sensitivity to
the needs of the child, reduced verbal
communication and, in the children,
insecure attachment to the primary caregiver6,31,92–95.
Familial conflict and problematic
parental behaviour — including (but not
limited to) harsh and inconsistent discipline,
neglect and abuse — are associated across all
levels of SES with emotional and behavioural
problems in children. These problems are
not only observed when measured concurrently,
such that parenting quality correlates
with emotional and behavioural patterns in
the child, but also when measured prospectively,
as the quality of earlier parenting predicts
children’s emotional and behavioural
patterns years later93,94,96–98.
Parental care, and in particular parental
discipline, parent–child verbal communication
and sensitivity to the emotional needs
of the child, at least partially mediates the
effects of SES on emotional and cognitive
function in children6,19,91,99. High-quality
parent–child interactions are associated with
resilience among children who live in stressful,
impoverished environments100. Moreover,
clinical programmes that aim to improve
parenting practices in poor, high-risk
families improve behavioural and cognitive
outcomes in children101–103, providing experimental
evidence that is consistent with the
role of parenting as a mediator for the effects
of SES. The quality of parental care in early
childhood predicts, in a longitudinal study of
a low-SES sample, better declarative memory
and smaller hippocampal volume in low-SES
adolescents, and these associations are independent
of cognitive stimulation (see below)
and maternal intelligence104,105.
Studies in rodents and non-human
primates have revealed evidence for direct
effects of stress on the quality of mother–
infant interactions and on gene expression
and neurodevelopment. In bonnet
macaques, restricted access to food is a
stressor that greatly impairs mother–infant
interactions, which in turn increases stress
reactivity in the adolescent offspring,
reflecting an enduring effect of parental
care106. Likewise, in rodents, the frequency
of licking and grooming of pups by the
mother is diminished by chronic stress
imposed during pregnancy107,108. Variations
in the frequency of licking and grooming
of rat pups are associated with changes in
the neural systems that regulate behavioural
and HPA responses to stress in
adulthood (FiG. 1). The HPA response to
stress in mammals is largely mediated by
the release of CRF from the hypothalamus,
which is under negative feedback control
from glucocorticoids, in part through the
activation of glucocorticoid receptors in the
hippocampus. The adult offspring of dams
that exhibit high licking and grooming of
pups show increased hippocampal glucocorticoid
receptor expression, decreased
hypothalamic CRF levels and more modest
HPA responses to stress compared with
the offspring of dams that exhibit low licking
and grooming109–113. Adult offspring
of mothers that exhibit high licking and
grooming also have enhanced expression
of genes for GAbAA (γ-aminobutyric acid
type A) receptor subunits in the amygdala
that regulate inhibitory influences over
stress responses, rendering the animals
less fearful109,110. Cross-fostering studies
in rats have revealed direct effects of postnatal
maternal care (that is, independent
of genomic influences) on hippocampal
physiology and on the response to stress
in the adult offspring110,112. Importantly, in
rats, chronic stress during pregnancy alters
the quality of mother–infant interactions108,
reducing the frequency of pup-licking in the
dam and increasing stress reactivity in the
offspring112, and these effects can be transmitted
across generations114. These findings
recapitulate the theme that is apparent
in studies of SES and human parenting,
namely that stressful environments alter
the quality of parenting and thus,
developmental outcomes.
Studies in rats have suggested that epigenetic
mechanisms mediate the effect of
maternal care on hippocampal glucocorticoid
receptor expression. This mechanism
involves DNA methylation, which affects
chromatin structure and thereby regulates
transcription factor binding and subsequently,
gene transcription115. As adults, the
offspring of mothers that exhibit high licking
and grooming show decreased cytosine
methylation of the binding site for the
transcription factor nerve growth factorinducible
A (NGFIA, also known as EGR1)
that lies within the exon 17
promoter of
N1r3c1 (the gene that encodes the glucocorticoid
receptor in the hippocampus); this
results in increased NGFIA binding to this
promoter, increased hippocampal glucocorticoid
receptor expression and more modest
HPA responses to stress113,116,117. In humans,
child abuse is associated with increased methylation
of the exon 1F
gene promoter (the homologue of exon 17
rats) in the hippocampus118. These findings
suggest that the effects of parental care may be
mediated through a similar epigenetic mechanism
in humans, although it remains to be
investigated whether differences in childhood
SES are associated with differences in DNA
methylation and gene expression.
Variations in maternal care in rats also
influence synaptic development in brain
regions that regulate cognitive function.
Licking and grooming of pups increases
NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) receptor
levels in the hippocampus and hippocampal
expression of growth factors (brain-derived
neurotrophic factor and basic fibroblast
growth factor), which promote neuronal activation
and synaptogenesis, respectively119,120.
The adult offspring of mothers that exhibit
high licking and grooming show increased
synaptic density119,121 and a greater capacity
for synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus
and prefrontal cortex (in vivo122 or
in vitro121), and improved performance in
hippocampal and prefrontal
cortex-dependent forms of learning and
memory119,122. The effects on synaptic development
and cognitive performance are
reversed with cross-fostering119, indicating
that parental care has direct effects on neuronal
development that are consistent with
those reported in studies of cognitive
development in children.
It should be noted that although the
majority of the research described above
focuses on maternal care, particularly in animal
models, it is not necessarily the case that
in humans only mother–child interactions
influence the cognitive and emotional development
of offspring. It is likely that nurturing
and supportive care-giving by parents
of either gender or by other members of the
community is important for child development123.
The important point is that broader
social and economic context can influence
the quality of parental care, which then
influences the activity of the neural systems
that regulate stress reactivity and cognition
in offspring through the epigenetic
regulation of gene expression.
The home environment: cognitive stimulation.
SES influences the level of cognitive stimulation
in the home, as described by the family
investment model4,6. The quality of cognitive
stimulation in the home includes, but is not
limited to, factors such as the availability
of books (and other literacy resources),
computers, trips and parental communication.
Together, these factors can explain the
effects of SES on cognitive ability in children
(for example, on reading and mathematics
skills12,19,21,23,91,124,125) even when maternal IQ
has been controlled for. The effect may be
fairly specific as, in a longitudinal study, the
level of cognitive stimulation in early childhood
predicts language-related skills in
low-SES adolescents independently of
the quality of parental care and maternal
intelligence104.
Additional evidence for these effects
emerges from studies of intervention programmes
that enhance cognitive stimulation.
Such programmes buffer the effects of
low SES on cognitive development6
, boost
school readiness126 and promote academic
achievement127, even in studies in which
baseline cognitive functioning and maternal
education have been controlled for128. Such
interventions also increase self-esteem
and social competence128, and reduce
aggression129, particularly among the most
deprived children130. The key point is that
the effects of poverty on specific cognitive
outcomes can be reversed, in part, through
enhanced cognitive stimulation. Long-term
follow-up observations of the effects of early
intervention, including randomized
controlled trials, come from programmes
such as the Perry Preschool Program
(Michigan, USA), the Abecedarian Project
(North Carolina, USA) and the Chicago
Child–Parent Centers, USA. These include
increased cognitive stimulation as part of
more comprehensive intervention programmes.
Intervention programmes caused
higher scores on achievement tests, higher
levels of education and income, and lower
rates of incarceration decades after the completion
of the programmes, despite the fact
that in some studies the initial gains in IQ
disappeared131–134. Such effects suggest that
although experience at any age affects later
outcomes, early cognitive stimulation is a
particularly important determinant of later
psychological functioning.
Animal models also provide a strong
rationale for cognitive stimulation as a mediator
of SES effects on neural development.
Hebb observed that environmental complexity
during development alters a wide range of
neural functions135. Studies of environmental
enrichment in which animals are housed
under conditions that provide increased
sensory, cognitive and motor stimulation
(usually accompanied by increased social
complexity) show that enrichment upregulates
the expression of cellular signals that
are involved in activity-dependent synapse
formation. This includes factors that are
involved in glutamatergic signalling136, neurotrophins
(including insulin-like growth
factor 1, nerve growth factor, brain-derived
neurotrophic factor and glial-derived neurotrophic
factor), and synaptic proteins that
are involved in synaptic proliferation and
function137. Enrichment therefore increases
dendritic branching, gliogenesis and synaptic
density in the hippocampus and cortex, and
promotes hippocampal neurogenesis and
the integration of newly generated neurons
into functional circuits137–139. These enrichment
effects are associated with improved
performance in tests of spatial learning and
memory137. Rodents that were exposed to
adversity in early life are more sensitive
to environmental enrichment in adolescence119,136,139.
Thus, basic neuroscience
research shows how neurodevelopment
is affected by variations in cognitive
stimulation, a characteristic that often
relates to SES.
https://neuroethics.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/HackmanFarahMeaney2010NRN.pdf
On the balloon metaphore: it’s worthless, it’s impossible to tell whether either blacks or whites reach their genetic potential. Blacks seemingly reach less of it but in absence of any direct genetic evidence, we may just as well speculates that blacks actually do have better genetic potential for intelligence. That’s what happened with the Dutch and their height, they were among the shortest Europeans in the past, now they are the tallest and there is evidence that genes play a role in their average height.
On antisemitism:
You can’t be serious, first very few American Jews are descended from holocaust survivors, holocaust survivors migrated to Israel or stayed in Europe for the larger part. And long before the massive arrival of Jews from the Russian empire, American Jews had been wealthy migrants from Western Europe. Jews in America were far from being economically and educationally oppressed in the way blacks were until the 1960s. If it was so terrible to live as a Jew in Europe or America, Jews would have converted to christianity en masse. But they didn’t. Blacks can’t convert to whiteness.
Btw, you’ll need to check out this page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_the_United_States
On Admixture: According to Lynn and other pioneer fund “scholars”, ethnic ancestry make little difference, black Africans have genetic IQs of 70 and Whites have IQs of 100, invariably. That’s what they say. And by this logic, blacks in South Carolina are almost pure black Africans whereas those in West Viriginia are near-mulattoes, it must have consequences in term of achievement if the hereditarian position holds water.
But the France of 400 years ago doesn’t include African immigrants or their children: it includes legitimate French natives, ethnic French people. Your ethnicity is from Africa, most likely, not France. You meant to say that your nationality (birthplace) is in France. The two are not equivalent.
The France of 400 years ago was a country with a hundred of dialects and where people’s only common identity was being subjected to the Kings of France and followers of the Catholic Church. A 1600s Frenchman who’d immigrate in 2017’s would appear as equally foreign as an immigrant from Africa. And by the way, I’m not From Africa. You don’t know me so don’t try to teach me who I am. Thank you.
You just demonstrated an example of anti-Semitism.
My fiancée is Jewish, so please… The history of the Jews in banking is true, your own link says so.
“In the Middle Ages, Jews were ostracized from most professions by the Christian Church and the guilds and were pushed into marginal occupations considered socially inferior, such as tax and rent collecting and moneylending. At the same time, Church law and rulings prohibited Christians from charging interest. For instance, the Third Council of the Lateran of 1179 threatened excommunication for any Christian lending money at interest. People who wanted or needed to borrow money thus often turned to Jews. This was said to show Jews were insolent, greedy usurers. Natural tensions between creditors and debtors were added to social, political, religious, and economic strains.”
This is why matched for IQ Blacks frequently have a better outcome profile than Whites. For example, matched for IQ, Blacks are more educated than Whites
No, it just tells that IQ doesn’t assesses the actual potential of blacks as accurately as it assesses that of whites.
On the trump/clinton voters poll:
It’s completely different, this poll asks people about their own feelings about their own beliefs, which only requires basic self-awareness. Whereas the poll you brought up asks people’s feelings on other’s beliefs which leaves room for a lot of subjective interpretation.
Charles Murray has a 2006 paper I believe in which he agrees with Flynn and Dickens that the gap has narrowed. But Rushton and Jensen (2010) disagree and show that no dent has been made in the 1-1.2 SD gap in IQ between blacks and whites. I’ll link the papers later.
Don’t need to, I read Rushton’s paper and it doesn’t add up. The narrowing of the black/white IQ gap is also in line with the narrowing of the academic achievement gap.
Brazilian says:
So, try to reverse the findings: People with genetics for small volume and low grey matter thickness tend to be the ones living under poverty.
See how tendencious it is to give a cause & consequence relationship to a correlation?
This is just intelextually dishonest.
Are you saying that environmental factors, such as food insecurity, have nothing to do with brain size? Nutrition has a huge effect on brain growth and behavior outcomes in children (Liu and Raine, 2016).
Malnutrition also leads to lower IQ and antisocial behavior. 1) the highest rates of obesity are found in populations with the lowest incomes and education; 2) an inverse relationship between energy density and energy cost; 3) sweets and fats have higher energy density and are more palatable; and 4) poverty and food insecurity are associated with lower food expenditures, lower fruit and vegetable intake, and lower-quality diet (Drewnowski and Specter, 2004).
Low SES populations are more likely to have an n6/n3 imbalance which decreases cognitive ability.
N3 intake has numerous benefits.
I’m not saying that all groups are equal but it’s ignorant to deny how environmental factors influence development. It’s intellectually dishonest to deny the effects of deleterious environments on brain growth and social behavior and how the two interact with each other.
People with genetics for small volume and low grey matter thickness tend to be the ones living under poverty.
Except your genetic hypothesis is an ad hoc explanation that relies on no empirical finding. On the contrary, the causal role of poverty has been empirically demonstrated by animal research and intervention programs.
RaceRealist and Afrosapiens.
Show me a study where someone who was born in a non-poverty environment grows in a poverty one and vice-versa, then you can find Causation effects.
Until then, every single example you posted is about Correlation, and again, you guys (or the researchers, for that matter) trying to input Causation on them IS intelectually dishonest.
I’m not even saying things are all genetics, or that the environment will change nothing, but that you guys really don’t have the right to spin things like you want.
1) people who are food insecure are deficient in certain nutrients that aid in brain growth. 2) the same lack of nutrients cause antisocial behavior. 3) ameliorating the effect should reduce antisocial behavior and some negative brain size/IQ gains. Therefore, it is causal.
I’ll get papers for you this afternoon. However you don’t need studies for everything. You only need to know basic logic and how to deduce conclusions logically from available data which is what I did.
Also re correlations: think about that in regards to IQ. Mostly all correlations, hardly anything causal. Psychologists love correlations, especially for the g factor and things of that nature. It there isn’t even a theory of individual intelligence differences, nor is there a theory of the physiological basis of g. Even then if physiologists were to study it they wouldn’t rank it. Rankings traits is what psychologists do. Psychologists should stay in their lane with their psychological construct and not attempt to make something a physiological reality without a theory or an actual basis for g in physiology. Psychologists love venturing in to fields where they have no business.
So yea… Speaking about correlations, apply that same logic to IQ tests.
The present study demonstrated neuroanatomical correlates of the income-achievement gap. Adolescents from higher-income backgrounds, who had higher standardized test scores than adolescents from lower-income backgrounds, exhibited greater cortical thickness in all lobes of the brain. Although the income groups differed in cortical thickness, they did not differ in cortical surface area, cortical white-matter volume, or patterns of cortical thickness. Better performance on academic-achievement tests was associated with greater thickness throughout posterior cortices. Differences in cortical thickness could account for almost half of the income-achievement gap in this sample. Relationships between cortical thickness and test scores were driven in part by differences in family income. The lower-income group had a larger proportion of racial and ethnic minorities, as characterizes lower-SES groups in the United States, but neither race nor ethnicity explained significant variance in cortical thickness in the regions that differed significantly between income groups
“Are you saying that environmental factors, such as food insecurity, have nothing to do with brain size?”
I don’t think that is what is being claimed, but I don’t speak on his behalf: that’s just my interpretation. I think the point is that a blank slate of equivalence, when it comes to genetic variation, is an untenable position. A proportion of the variance of some trait ‘x’ can be attributed to both the environment and the genes, because organisms are just that: genes expressed in environments. Obviously, environments vary and this has its effects. Genes also vary and this, too, has its effects. Jews, for example, are susceptible to diseases like Tay-Sachs, which I, as a non-Ashkenazi person, am not (generally speaking, considering a sample of Ashkenazi Jews and my group).
Just concerned with iron deficiencies, it has been extensively documented. Here is a comprehensive analysis of its effects on cognitive capability in children (if it already hasn’t been cited): http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/2/649S.full.pdf+html.
However, around the mid-80’s, there was a dip in the prevalence of iron deficiency in blacks toddlers in the US. Even considering this, it is not accurate to claim that iron deficiencies and other environmental causes fully explain the entirety of any differences regarding a trait because this presupposes a blank slate argument: that humans, as organisms, are only products of their immediate environment with no capability to pass down any unique genetic information (and that environmental effects on the generations prior are, essentially, irrelevant).
Jews, for example, are susceptible to diseases like Tay-Sachs, which I, as a non-Ashkenazi person, am not (generally speaking, considering a sample of Ashkenazi Jews and my group).
It’s completely different, Tay-sachs is caused by Mendelian inheritance, it will only affect Jews who carry the harmful alleles and this independently of any environmental factor.
However, around the mid-80’s, there was a dip in the prevalence of iron deficiency in blacks toddlers in the US.
Blacks still suffer much more iron deficiency and anemia than whites, especially during pregnancy.
Even considering this, it is not accurate to claim that iron deficiencies and other environmental causes fully explain the entirety of any differences
It depends on which differences, environment can explain the entirety of between group variation and none of the within group variation. See the infographics above.
In the real world, we know that 1) No trait is uniquely under genetic influence and 2) Different groups are exposed to different environmental factors. I could also add 3) Genetic differences between groups are too small to result in high differences on highly polygenic traits under strong environmental influence
So going by Occam’s Razor, genetic causes of group differences can safely be dismissed unless we empirically prove the underlying genetic process.
That’s why, prior to the statement, I said: Genes also vary and this, too, has its effects. If both the mother and father are carriers and unaffected, then there is a 50% chance the children will be just as they are (unaffected, carriers), a 25% chance they won’t carry it or be affected, and a 25% chance they will both carry it and be affected (i.e. an autosomal recessive pattern). It will vary, so to speak. I wasn’t making an assertion on behalf of environmental influences if you’d included the sentence before, concerned with genes.
I’ve already demonstrated that the gap, as of the turn of the century, has been significantly reduced in toddlers who are black. It wasn’t as pronounced in the 70’s, and there are still blacks who are alive from that time period. The position does not have any impact today. If what you mean ‘during pregnancy’ is to reference the fetus, then I’m not sure. It doesn’t carry over once the child is birthed, otherwise a load of other defects follow. If you mean to reference the mother who IS pregnant, then it’s obviously true (if you are included anemia, which blacks are more prone to). It is also true for Mexican-American women, too (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5140a1.htm): “The prevalence of iron deficiency was approximately two times higher among non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American females (19%–22%) than among non-Hispanic white females (10%).”
The flower image relating to heritability simply shows that there is a degree to which the environment (i.e. poor soil) affects the variation in height. This tells you nothing of the genetic causes in height variation. It just shows that the “100%” heritability is inaccurate. It is demonstrably untrue that the environment explains all the variation, such a proposition requires an assumption that all niches are created equal for organisms with no differences.
“In the real world, we know that 1) No trait is uniquely under genetic influence”
If by unique, you mean entirely, then that is true, as I’ve stated above.
“2) Different groups are exposed to different environmental factors.”
Yes. It is fallacious to presuppose that any and all variation is solely dependent on said factors and only those factors, as, like I’ve said above, cases for special pleading are dismissed and the heritability of IQ has already been demonstrated.
“3) Genetic differences between groups are too small to result in high differences on highly polygenic traits under strong environmental influence”
I actually believe there are blog entries on this very blog that address this old canard. Just a quick search: https://notpoliticallycorrect.me/2016/03/08/just-a-rant-on-gould-lewontin-iq-gap-and-rushton/.
“So, with that being said, the so-called ‘small genetic distance between races’ DOES STILL MATTER, because it’s HOW THOSE DIFFERENCES IN GENES ARE EXPRESSED, and NOT the differences between them.”
https://notpoliticallycorrect.me/2016/11/28/race-is-a-social-construct-of-a-biological-reality/
“Only a small admixture of extra variation distinguishes races from each other. That is all correct. What is not correct is the [inference] that race is therefore a meaningless concept.”
The ‘too small’ is either put in a deliberately narrow context, or the original context is denied altogether.
For example, it is already clear that these ‘small differences’ have some quantifiable effect on the brain, even in terms of mapping it: http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822%2815%2900671-5.
It is the same small differences in genes, like substitutions, which lead to results like Tay-Sachs. From the wiki:
“A four base pair insertion in exon 11 (1278insTATC) results in an altered reading frame for the HEXA gene. This mutation is the most prevalent mutation in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, and leads to the infantile form of Tay–Sachs disease.”
Differences in genes being ‘too small’ isn’t really an argument, as racial creationism isn’t a tenable position and ‘small changes’ often lead to large conclusions. In a very generalized sense, we are all basically the same. There isn’t really a difference between me and an Ashkenazi Jew. It’s discounting nuance and specifics.
For example, from: http://emilkirkegaard.dk/en/wp-content/uploads/PifferIntelligence2015.pdf.
Only from examining 9 IQ-related gene variants. Of course, gene-interaction is also a possibility, although it is exceptionally difficult to examine properly. Then again, the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
That’s why, prior to the statement, I said: Genes also vary and this, too, has its effects.
You seemed to use Tay-Sachs as an example of how race could cause genetic differences in disease. I explained that Tay-Sachs is not due to being jews, it’s due to carrying a specific mutation that happens to be more common among jews. And Tay-Sachs is not a polygenic trait, there is no normal variation on a “Tay-Sachs spectrum”, you have it or you don’t: it’s black or white.
I’ve already demonstrated that the gap, as of the turn of the century, has been significantly reduced in toddlers who are black…
1) You demonstrated nothing.
2) You said a gap in iron defficiency narrowed in the 80s. Fine, so did the the math achievement gap:
The gap was reduced by about one third, 2004 blacks perform at the level of 1982 whites and blacks increased their scores by 20% between 1973 and 2004.
It doesn’t carry over once the child is birthed, otherwise a load of other defects follow.
Prenatal conditions have huge effects on later development, and blacks still have much higher infant mortality and stillbirth and birth defects rates than whites. We have 80% of our brain at birth, prenatal conditions have a large impact on brain development. The baby of an iron-deficient woman is iron deficient too.
The flower image relating to heritability simply shows that there is a degree to which the environment (i.e. poor soil) affects the variation in height.
Poor soil explains the variation in height between groups, whereas genetics entirely explain the variation within. What’s hard to understand?
the heritability of IQ has already been demonstrated.
It tells absolutely nothing about group differences.
I actually believe there are blog entries on this very blog that address this old canard. Just a quick search
It is not an “old canard”. When a trait is highly polygenic and when we know ancestry accounts for a small share of genetic variance, it leaves little room for genetic differences on such traits. Race is tied to natural selection which acts on few genes of large effect that reach fixation in a population, and whose effects are mostly independent from environment, complex traits like IQ or height follow a completely inverse pattern. By Occam’s Razor, we can safely assume that the two are unrelated as they evolved differently.
For example, it is already clear that these ‘small differences’ have some quantifiable effect on the brain, even in terms of mapping it:
Now you’d need to demonstrate how this ancestry-related differences affect cognition and behavior.
This is not a small difference!
Only from examining 9 IQ-related gene variants.
1) these variants were related to years of education, which I told you was more dependent on self-discipline than IQ. So these genes may just as well cause self-discipline.
2)It’s absolutely impossible to extrapolate a phenotype from 9 genes of negligible effect.
Could you please separate your text into paragraphs so that I don’t have to edit your comments? Also, I’d like that you write shorter comments and avoid accusations of fallacy when the main issue is your misunderstanding of the things we’re talking about.
No: I used Tay-Sachs as an example of different rates of suffering. Race doesn’t ’cause’ it, you don’t automatically get Tay-Sachs because you’re Jewish. Putting words in my mouth won’t help your argument. I’m stating that there is a different degree of acquisition. Hereditary diseases, like haemophilia, affect anybody who carries it. It is also possible for a mutation to occur, which would also cause it. Pointing out how Jews are more at-risk for certain hereditary disease doesn’t mean they get those diseases because they are just Jews: it’s because they inherited it. By the way, it isn’t black or white. You can carry the mutation without having it be expressed. In that way, you can have it and not have it, too.
“You demonstrated nothing.”
“In 2002, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an iron deficiency prevalence of 7% for children 1 to 2 years old from all income levels, whereas the prevalence of iron deficiency was 17% for 1- to 2-year-old Mexican American children and 12% for 1- to 2-year-old children in low-income households. In the United States, the prevalence of iron deficiency was found to be 6% among white toddlers, 8% among black toddlers, and 17% among Mexican American toddlers in another study. An iron deficiency prevalence of 20% has been found among overweight children 1 to 3 years old in the United States.”
“In Hispanic and white children 1 to 3 years old, there was no significant change in iron deficiency prevalence between NHANES II and IV, but the prevalence decreased among black toddlers from 16% to 6% (P = .006) (Figure 3). In each NHANES wave, racial/ethnic disparities in iron deficiency prevalence persisted between Hispanic and white toddlers, with a disparity ratio of about 2 during all 26 years (P < .03) (Figure 3). In contrast, black toddlers experienced a sharp decline in iron deficiency prevalence over time.”
“You said a gap in iron defficiency narrowed in the 80s. Fine, so did the the math achievement gap:”
The difference was roughly equalized by the turn of the century in toddlers, 1-3. Your chart is examining children aged 9 years of age from ’73 to ’04. Toddlers 1-3 in 1999-2002 would be, at the oldest, 6 years old in 2004 (if a toddler was born in 1998 to be 1 year old in 1999, when the black iron deficiency dip in toddlers was studied). It isn’t really applicable because the 9 year olds would be born prior to the examined iron deficiency equalization, while the gap was still great even though the math scale scores were narrowing.
“Prenatal conditions have huge effects on later development, and blacks still have much higher infant mortality and stillbirth and birth defects rates than whites.”
This is a self-refuting point: if prenatal defects, which, in turn, lead to lower achievement in the offspring, exist in greater rates leading to fetal death and ‘stillbirths’, then this will “prune the physically and mentally weak [and] can, in principle, raise a population’s IQ”.
Also, you’ll have to demonstrate that this disparity is on a large enough scale to explain the observed gaps. To my knowledge, these studies aren’t only going after Rhodes scholars who are white and blacks who suffer from FAS.
“We have 80% of our brain at birth, prenatal conditions have a large impact on brain development”
I’m sure they do. Blacks aren’t the only ones who suffer from these defects.
From: https://z139.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/the-facts-that-need-to-be-explained/, section F., subsection f): “Differences are g-selective. Blacks are depressed in neither weight nor height; Nor in rote memory; nor in psychomotor ability (e.g., reactivity to sensory stimulation and coordination; see: Haiback et al., 2011). And yet, it is empirically established that many of these influences (e.g., lead poisoning, mercury poisoning, malnutrition, etc.) affect memory and psychomotor ability.”
“The baby of an iron-deficient woman is iron deficient too.”
From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4277007/.
Those kids would also die, too, if they had low enough iron levels.
“This systematic review provides up-to-date coverage of published studies examining the relation between anemia during childhood and subsequent death, incorporating information on nearly 12,000 children from six African countries. Our pooled finding revealed that, for each unit increase in Hb, the risk of child death falls by 24% (95% CI 7%–38%). This finding has far-reaching implications regarding the prevention of child mortality. In 2012, there were 48 deaths per 1000 live births among children under five (both anemic and non-anemic), with 44 percent of these occurring in the first 28 days of life.”
Yeah, duh. If I’m examining the heritability of height in an Asian population, what does that tell me about the causes of variation in height attributable to genes for an Amerindian population? The two groups aren’t equivalent to one another. Ironically, extending your own ‘small enough’ differences, it actually should be extendable.
“When a trait is highly polygenic and when we know ancestry accounts for a small share of genetic variance, it leaves little room for genetic differences on such traits”
Why did you leave out the response, you cut off my quotation right as I linked to the counter-argument. You are just repeating yourself, making a circular talking point. Actually respond to the points I quoted from this very blog directly instead of talking around them.
“Race is tied to natural selection which acts on few genes of large effect that reach fixation in a population, and whose effects are mostly independent from environment, complex traits like IQ or height follow a completely inverse pattern. ”
Assuming the conclusion in order to explain the cause: because ‘complex traits like IQ or height’ are dependent on the environment, then the cause for this is because they are dependent on the environment. It’s a circular argument. It is true that IQ and height are dependent on environmental causes, but assigning the entirety of the variation to the environment is neither supported by the evidence, applicable to populations who do not have the defects to a degree of relevance, nor logically sound (considering it is inferring evidence of absence from absence of evidence).
“By Occam’s Razor”
Do you even know what Occam’s razor is? It is a suggestion, not an absolute rule. Utilizing Occam’s razor invalidates our entire existence and survival. It assumes an infinite amount of futures to be fulfilled. But we exist, in the midst of all other variables and the probability of our non-existence (for your ancestor to breed successfully, and so on, for many generations).
That wasn’t the point, it was to reference that the assertion that these differences follow the special pleading case in regards to the brain is not true.
It absolutely is a small difference if the ‘small differences’ between races are to be considered inconsequential. What is a tiny difference of base pairs, it isn’t like a difference can be catastrophic or yield vastly different results? This is sarcasm, if you didn’t notice. From the wiki: By 2000, more than 100 different mutations had been identified in the human HEXA gene.[12] These mutations have included single base insertions and deletions, splice phase mutations, missense mutations, and other more complex patterns. Each of these mutations alters the gene’s protein product (i.e., the enzyme), sometimes severely inhibiting its function.
It isn’t just a substitution, I should have also included the insertions/deletions, too.
“These variants were related to years of education, which I told you was more dependent on self-discipline than IQ. So these genes may just as well cause self-discipline.”
“It’s absolutely impossible to extrapolate a phenotype from 9 genes of negligible effect.”
So, if I understand this self-refuting statement you’ve just made, the same genes that ‘may just as well cause self-discipline’ which you, in previous comments, argued were, and I quote, “motivation and self-discipline outdo IQ when it comes to school achievment and therefore, career prospects” are, at the same time, a ‘negligible effect’? Then why cite a study examining ‘self-discipline and motivation’ if the same metrics are simultaneously amount to increasing a negligible metric?
“Could you please separate your text into paragraphs so that I don’t have to edit your comments?”
What do you mean, I’ve been doing that all along. I put your comment in quotations, then type my response, then separate with a double-space.
You can carry the mutation without having it be expressed. In that way, you can have it and not have it, too.
No, being a healthy carrier is different from being sick. Hence it’s black or white.
Nothing self-refuting, a high mortality rate in newborns and infants indicates poorer health among surviving children too. It’s nothing like a purifying process by which the death of the sick results in the survival of exceptionally fit individuals.
The difference was roughly equalized by the turn of the century in toddlers, 1-3. Your chart is examining children aged 9 years of age from ’73 to ’04.
My point was not to say that the iron deficiency gap caused a decrease in the math ability gap, the prevalence among blacks was too low to account for a meaningful amount of the difference. However, in the aggregate, the improvement of many environmental variables between the 70s and the 2000s is associated to a reduction in the cognitive ability gap. Contrary to HBD’s allegation that the gaps are stable in spite of environmental change.
Ironically, extending your own ‘small enough’ differences, it actually should be extendable.
Actually respond to the points I quoted from this very blog directly instead of talking around them.
Tone it down. I responded directly. Ancestry can have large consequences when it comes to alleles with high effect size, much less with complex polygenic traits. Nothing to add.
Assuming the conclusion in order to explain the cause: because ‘complex traits like IQ or height’ are dependent on the environment, then the cause for this is because they are dependent on the environment.
I didn’t only talk about environment, I talked about a different genetic architecture indicating different evolution.
applicable to populations who do not have the defects to a degree of relevance
What do you know about the degree of relevance of defects?
Do you even know what Occam’s razor is?
It is a suggestion, not an absolute rule.
Yes, and it prevents from engaging in fallacious reasoning. For instance when we see an association between trait X and environment Y, Occam’s razor says environment Y causes trait X. Thinking genotype Z causes people with trait X to find themselves in environment Y is a fallacious baseless ad hoc explanation unless we have demonstrated the reality of genotype Z. As long as genotype Z is just speculative, you may just as well replace it by God, Vishnu or Santa Claus, and this is creationism in pseudo-Darwinian clothes.
It absolutely is a small difference if the ‘small differences’ between races are to be considered inconsequential.
By small differences between, I’m talking about small differences in allele frequency which are indeed small between races. When it comes to specific traits, the relevance of any variant depends on the mechanism of inheritance of a given trait and the effect size of the alleles. Tay-Sachs related genotypes have large consequences and are not a small difference.
So, if I understand this self-refuting statement you’ve just made, the same genes that ‘may just as well cause self-discipline’ which you, in previous comments, argued were, and I quote, “motivation and self-discipline outdo IQ when it comes to school achievment and therefore, career prospects” are, at the same time, a ‘negligible effect’?
Nothing self-refuting again. The only empirically proven association found with these alleles is with education, which is better predicted by self discipline than by IQ so there is no reason to say these alleles are IQ alleles. Moreover, these alleles do have negligible effect size and 9 alleles do not allow to predict how many years of education an individual will complete.
What do you mean, I’ve been doing that all along.
No, I had to edit your comments yesterday, no time to do it today.
“and avoid accusations of fallacy”
So stop committing fallacies. Your entire premise rests on a sociologist’s fallacy when you state: complex traits like IQ or height follow a completely inverse pattern (of environmental dependence while discounting genetic variation, which has been demonstrated, whereas massive epidemics of infant mortality due to iron deficiency in black populations has not and, conversely, could, in principle, increase the IQ).
It is also hypocritical of you to dismiss my usage of terminology when it comes to philosophical analyses while you can misrepresent Occam’s razor. Again, using Occam’s razor, the only conclusion is a likelihood, not a certainty. Arguing that the improbable is not as likely, therefore it can be dismissed (which is exactly what you state: can safely be dismissed unless we empirically prove the underlying genetic process) is an argument from personal incredulity. Simply because you deem something improbable does not mean it is non-existent, and presupposing the absence of evidence as evidence of absence (in terms of the ‘underlying genetic process’) is also a non-argument.
We haven’t properly examined the causes of homosexuality in that we have yet to find the gene-gene interaction/relevant gene(s) in question which affect, say, hormonal production. It does not follow that you can logically claim homosexuality as completely outside of genetic causes simply because you have not found them: the position to maintain is an agnostic one.
So stop committing fallacies. Your entire premise rests on a sociologist’s fallacy
There is no such thing.
Arguing that the improbable is not as likely, therefore it can be dismissed (which is exactly what you state: can safely be dismissed unless we empirically prove the underlying genetic process) is an argument from personal incredulity.
No, it simply means it’s not a good direction for research and that more obvious causal relationships have to be investigated first, that’s why I bring up Occam’s razor which favors the simplest explanation.
I never said it was equivalent to being sick. My statement is right there, I said: By the way, it isn’t black or white. You can carry the mutation without having it be expressed. In that way, you can have it and not have it, too.
The value of a mate drops significantly if they are carriers. I never said it is the equivalent of being affected, but that their status impacts their potential offspring, so potential mates will be aware of this fact.
“Nothing self-refuting”
It actually is, if such unsubstantiated epidemics exist, then they also cull the population. At least, if it is as widespread as you purport (even though Mexican-Americans also suffer from iron deficiencies…).
“My point was not to say that the iron deficiency gap caused a decrease in the math ability gap”
Your own words: You said a gap in iron defficiency narrowed in the 80s. Fine, so did the the math achievement gap.
That is exactly what you meant. What else were you implying, if you meant to state that other variables were also accounted for, why not mention them to begin with instead of alluding to an impossibility?
“However, in the aggregate, the improvement of many environmental variables between the 70s and the 2000s is associated to a reduction in the cognitive ability gap. Contrary to HBD’s allegation that the gaps are stable in spite of environmental change.”
Another self-refuting point. Many ‘environmental variables’ have simultaneously been improved and disproved while blacks can still appeal to a racist conspiracy theory to arbitrarily assign moral judgement in the face of literally any disparity. Don’t get a mortgage loan, it’s because they were racist. Nothing to do with default rates, it has to do with an unfalsifiable conspiracy. Be more specific, what variables are you referencing.
Again, this does rely on the conflation of environmentability and heritability. It is actually expected that changing an environment will have an effect.
Yes, actually. I said “If I’m examining the heritability of height in an Asian population, what does that tell me about the causes of variation in height attributable to genes for an Amerindian population? The two groups aren’t equivalent to one another.”
However, if such group differences are, as you state, “Genetic differences between groups are too small”, then there will be no issue seeing as how the groups don’t vary as much as thought.
“I responded directly”
You really didn’t. I said “Why did you leave out the response, you cut off my quotation right as I linked to the counter-argument.” when you only quoted my statement in part. My full statement: I actually believe there are blog entries on this very blog that address this old canard. Just a quick search: https://notpoliticallycorrect.me/2016/03/08/just-a-rant-on-gould-lewontin-iq-gap-and-rushton/.
You did not respond to the points raised by the entries. Dismissing any group differences because of the existence polygenetic interactions determining traits presupposes that such interactions within and between groups must be equivalent.
“I talked about a different genetic architecture indicating different evolution.”
Yeah, and that will have impact how genes interact with one another. Groups aren’t carbon copies. Again, if you included the quote from this very blog: because it’s HOW THOSE DIFFERENCES IN GENES ARE EXPRESSED, and NOT the differences between them.
Onus probandi incumbit ei qui dicit, non ei qui negat. You’re the one appealing to its significance, alluding to some massive epidemic being expressed in such a way, not me.
We will see why this is not the case.
“For instance when we see an association between trait X and environment Y, Occam’s razor says environment Y causes trait X. ”
This is a very old misunderstanding of how the ‘environment’ or ‘genes’ affect a certain trait. Because the environment can impact the VARIATION a certain trait has does not mean the environment causes such a trait. A heritability or environmentability doesn’t mean that “height is 50/50 genetic/environmental”. This is referencing how an individual can have “trait ‘x’ be caused by environment ‘y'”, which is not how the concept works. The environment can cause a variation in some trait, but that does not necessarily mean that it is attributable to said environment, as a cause. Just because height is heritable does not mean it is ‘80% caused by genes’, it means the variation is.
“Thinking genotype Z causes people with trait X to find themselves in environment Y is a fallacious baseless ad hoc explanation unless we have demonstrated the reality of genotype Z.”
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Again, an ad hoc rationalization is brought up in response to a counter-argument: the assertion that the variation in IQ is, to a degree, caused by genes is the central premise, not the rationalization. That’s not what an ad hoc fallacy means.
“As long as genotype Z is just speculative, you may just as well replace it by God, Vishnu or Santa Claus, and this is creationism in pseudo-Darwinian clothes.”
As long as environment Z is just speculative, you may just as well replace it by God, Vishnu or Santa Claus, and this is creationism in pseudo-Darwinian clothes.
Without actually demonstrating how said depressions and defects occur on a wide-enough scale and are present in today’s population, you cannot extrapolate its potentiality and apply it to a reality. Yes, iron deficiency can depress IQ, this is true. But does it? I’ve already linked you to a study showing the decrease of iron deficiency in toddlers, and how Mexican-Americans and black women are at-risk for being anemic.
“I’m talking about small differences in allele frequency which are indeed small between races. ”
https://notpoliticallycorrect.me/2016/03/08/just-a-rant-on-gould-lewontin-iq-gap-and-rushton/.
Missing the point, which is why I originally linked to the entry.
“When it comes to specific traits, the relevance of any variant depends on the mechanism of inheritance of a given trait and the effect size of the alleles. Tay-Sachs related genotypes have large consequences and are not a small difference.”
Similar to examining only 9 gene variants, which did also have large impacts. “Piffer used data on all nine of these gene variants to assign people a “polygenic score”. This polygenic score had an astoundingly high correlation of .93 with a nation’s mean IQ in a sample of 23 countries.”
“The only empirically proven association found with these alleles is with education, which is better predicted by self discipline than by IQ so there is no reason to say these alleles are IQ alleles”
But that’s not what was examined, it was with the mean IQ, not education. IQ is not equivalent to education, but you can IQ as a proxy. You can also use the attendance rates, but that is not really relevant. It’s like stating that if you don’t eat, you will die of starvation. Of course if you don’t bother to show up to class, your IQ is irrelevant. The point of contention is in regards to the ability once the people are in the classroom.
“Moreover, these alleles do have negligible effect size and 9 alleles”
They obviously didn’t, and this was just 9. Below are some examinations on the topic, as well as admixture.
“do not allow to predict how many years of education an individual will complete.”
Yes, if the individual doesn’t choose to pursue secondary education, then it’s all for naught. But people who are more intelligent tend to be better-educated.
http://emilkirkegaard.dk/en/?p=3821
http://web.archive.org/web/20131228222215/http://menghusblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/educability-and-group-differences-jensen-1973/
http://humanvarieties.org/2013/03/29/cryptic-admixture-mixed-race-siblings-social-outcomes/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298214364_Admixture_in_the_Americas_Regional_and_National_Differences
Once again: http://emilkirkegaard.dk/en/wp-content/uploads/PifferIntelligence2015.pdf
https://osf.io/ydc3f/
https://abc102.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/the-sociologists-fallacy/
“The sociologist’s fallacy is the tendency to interpret a correlation between a social variable and a phenotype as causal, without considering that genetics could mediate the relationship.”
It does also touch into the racist conspiracy canard, too.
“No, it simply means it’s not a good direction for research”
Subjective statement. Many things were thought to be ‘settled’, but a consensus doesn’t actually determine truth in matters of science.
“and that more obvious causal relationships have to be investigated first”
Well, all the environmental impacts must explain the entirety of the gap, first. Otherwise, it’s irrelevant. Iron deficiency can depress IQ significantly. People can be born with severe mental disabilities. Is this applicable in such a way to as to explain the observed gaps? Recommend reading section F. of the ’12 blog entry I cited above regarding prenatal effects, it examines untenability of such sweeping generalizations (hence the sociologist’s fallacy, assuming absence of evidence=evidence of absence).
Autumn Cote says:
Would it be OK if I cross-posted this article to WriterBeat.com? There is no fee; I’m simply trying to add more content diversity for our comvmunity and I enjoyed reading your work. I’ll be sure to give you complete credit as the author. If “OK” please let me know via email.
AutumnCote@WriterBeat.com
You’re more than welcome to link to any articles on my blog.
http://www.unz.com/jman/the-five-laws-of-behavioral-genetics/
And your arguments are laid to the ground. Let me quote this passage:
“This essentially strikes at the heart of modern social science (and for that matter, medical science), which assumes, wrongly, that association between social and/or behavioral factors is an indication that one causes the other. In reality, genetic forces cause both. Indeed, we see this with health and lifestyle: people who exercise more have fewer/later health problems and live longer, so naturally conventional wisdom interprets this to mean that exercise leads to health and longer life, when in reality healthy people are driven to exercise and have better health due to their genes.”
I discovered your blog just today but it seems I’ll just leave it.
That passage is a joke. Did you not see my discussion with JayMan? I laid his garbage argumentation to rest (if you even want to call it that). Read these two articles and get back to me.
Diet and Exercise: Don’t Do It?
Diet and Exercise: Don’t Do It? Part II
All JayMan can say is that “people are driven by their genes to do X” yet he can’t point to specific genes, nor can he point to a study that says gene X drives people to do Y, both obese and lean. Hes a joke. He says diet and exercise is useless. Review my articles. JayMan is clueless here. He can appeal to genes all he wants, but lifestyle changes can and do work.
You don’t have to stay and read my blog. I tell the truth here, I don’t put up with bullshit. You can go read JayMan’s appeal to genes if you’d like. But just know he’s wrong on diet and exercise.
Read about behavioral therapy in the second article. People can change their behavior. But people like JayMan don’t want to admit that because it goes against their narrative.
I deal with people’s health every day of my life. I know what it’s like to deal with people’s health. I do more than read papers, experience is worth much more than reading a paper and drawing conclusions that you have no business drawing because you’ve never had someone’s health in your hands.
“All JayMan can say is that “people are driven by their genes to do X” yet he can’t point to specific genes, nor can he point to a study that says gene X drives people to do Y, both obese and lean”
Well, the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Simply because the specific gene(s)/gene-gene interaction hasn’t been found does not discount the fact that genes do determine a proportion of an individual’s physical capabilities. You have articles on this very blog discussing the role of genes in terms of Eastern-European strongmen/weightlifters, the differences in grip strength, and muscle composition (varying between races).
That doesn’t mean anything if the person doesn’t eat at all or exercise the muscles, obviously.
Again, I don’t think the argument is actually stating that “you can do just as well simply because of your genes, full stop”, the argument is related to the role genetic differences have when expressed in an environment. Said environment is one that is physically demanding. I can exercise and work out for the rest of my life, but I will never be able to deadlift what Brian Shaw can.
Also, I think there is an issue with my commenting, my comments aren’t actually showing up. Is this because of censorship, or is this because my email account isn’t working? I can change my email to see if it will work.
If it is because of the former reason, then I find it odd how a politically incorrect blog page actively suppresses opinions contrary to the flow.
Leaving my comment here, responding to the point above.
Comments are posting properly, seems that there was a glitch. Disregard the last two comments (the longer of which is awaiting moderation), they were a little bit of an experiment to test and see if my comments are working properly or not.
Well, the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Simply because the specific gene(s)/gene-gene interaction hasn’t been found does not discount the fact that genes do determine a proportion of an individual’s physical capabilities
I get that. But to assert that due to genes you’ll get X due to Y is wrong, my examples being even light exercise from no exercise lowering all-cause mortality. That’s what I’m on about; there are no genes that cause going from no activity to light activity that lower all-cause mortality. JayMan is pushing very dangerous information here. I don’t disagree that genes determine physical capabilities, but when you’re talking about all-cause mortality and asserting that it doesn’t matter if you don’t sit for too long or don’t exercise, then you’re clearly wrong and letting your gene-centered ideology get the best of you in the face of logic and facts.
You have articles on this very blog discussing the role of genes in terms of Eastern-European strongmen/weightlifters, the differences in grip strength, and muscle composition (varying between races).
Correct. And the cause is muscle fibers. Muscle. Fibers are set in the second trimester and there is no change from age 6 on. You’re right that genetic differences don’t matter if one doesn’t exercise or eat right, and if people are eating wrong they a) need nutritional counseling and b) need behavioral therapy to change their habits. It works. I’ve used it.
The differences between whites and blacks in strength competitions comes down to somatype and muscle fibers.
I don’t disagree with your last sentence. He’s a freak of nature. Look at his somatype, he’s the perfect example of an endomorph just like Mark Henry. Different somas have differing amounts of power. JayMan seemed to be arguing that diet and exercise doesn’t work, which even was said in that video he linked on Twitter. That’s clearly wrong. He linked to a video saying that it doesn’t matter if you diet or exercise, it’s genetic. That’s bullshit. It clearly does matter whether you diet and exercise.
He also has misconceptions about the Look AHEAD trial. I knew that was the large RCT he was talking about and it, clearly, doesn’t mean that type II diabetics shouldn’t diet or exercise (see Annuzzi et al, 2014), this a recipe for disaster. That’s why I’m so against what he’s saying here. It does matter. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’m well read on this literature. He cherry picks things to make his points while the whole literature says otherwise. I’ve never heard any obesity expert push what he’s pushing, because it’s bullshit. That’s not an appeal to authority its a fact.
And in my opinion him referring to these “laws” when someone challenges him is a huge copout. “See Law One” is a bullshit answer because he has no answer. Sure every trait is under genetic control partly, no one denies that. But to refer to it all the time, as if that’s the only answer you have when someone challenges it is intellectually dishonest.
Going from no exercise to light exercise definitely has natural effect on all-cause mortality. This is not up for debate.
Comments don’t get censored here. WordPress acts up sometimes so if it tells you that something went wrong just hit the back button on your browser and your comment will. Still be in the box.
iffen says:
Does Afrosapiens have any idea of the thousands of millions of dollars that have been spent, the millions of hours of work by trained individuals that have been spent, the hundreds, if not thousands, of programs and agencies created by NGOs and government at all levels specifically to bring American blacks up to snuff?
No, and you? What I know is that blacks have made substantial improvements since the 60s. I also know that white women have been the first beneficiaries of affirmative action. Now enlighten me, show me the data on those trillion dollars spent in vain to address the issues of the black community.
Or just be honest and admit that you don’t care, that you hate the idea of closing the gaps and that one dollar spent for this purpose is always one dollar too much.
No, and you?
No, but it’s there.
What I know is that blacks have made substantial improvements since the 60s.
True, and 90-99% of it because of the ending of de jure segregation.
You want to see real improvement, compare American blacks in 1865 to American black in 1965.
I also know that white women have been the first beneficiaries of affirmative action.
Affirmative action should never have been applied beyond the 1st generation, beyond the actual individual that was treated unjustly.
Or just be honest and admit that you don’t care, that you hate the idea of closing the gaps
Wrong! I would support spending twice, ten times the amount spent if would work.
and that one dollar spent for this purpose is always one dollar too much
Yes, one dollar is too much because it will not work and creates resentment that will never be reconciled.
So let’s try ending de facto segregation.
No, if I want to see real improvement, I’d compare American whites across this period.
No, the effects of injustice are multi-generational. Black Americans came from generations of missed economic and educational opportunities. White women should never had been included in affirmative action as they greatly benefitted from white male priviledge.
Fine, my article and its references deal with things that work and directions for research on things that work. You must have enjoyed it.
Yes, one dollar is too much because it will not work
creates resentment that will never be reconciled.
Sounds like a personal issue.
You can choose to be part of them
And carry on the burden of white guilt to the next generations
Or you can be part of a constructive effort of mutual understanding.
Not possible.
You choose what you want to see. The progress made by white Americans between 1865 and 1965 cannot compare to the progress made by black Americans during the same time period.
No, the effects of injustice are multi-generational.
Probably, but there is no way to separate it out. Chinese railroad laborers and laundry operators seemed to have figured out something.
white male priviledge.
Will exist as long as there is an identifiable group “white.”
I did not read all of it in detail, you stated your conclusion in the first comment.
The point is: although differences between SES groups are unlikely to be caused by genetics
Reality grounded.
What other form can resentment take?
Not now, back then, probably.
It is technically possible, but people like you make it much harder.
Indeed, white American’s quality of life improved dramatically. It sounds like you are arguing that 100 years of indignities, extra-judicial executions and de jure white supremacy were the golden age of black Americans. Is it your own way to tell me this:
Probably, but there is no way to separate it out.
There is nothing to separate, race is a disadvantage per se in American society.
Chinese railroad laborers and laundry operators seemed to have figured out something.
False analogy 1) they were mostly males, in progressive western states that let them free to organize their communities, most of them went back to China. 2) Present day Chinese Americans are recent immigrants with a background in the merchant class and the upper class of Taiwan and the PRC. 3) In Hawaii, where Asians are actually the descendents of coolies, the achievement is not that impressive.
Whites can choose to be just human, or American and reject the legacy of pas injustice.
Criticizing things that you con’t read is extremely perilous. Yes, those differences are unlikely to be caused by genetics since substantial empirical evidence suggests a causal effect of poverty without a confounding underlying genetic factor and positive response to intervention.
Very subjective, not in line with empirical evidence
There is no need for resentment. You can just get over your feeling and try to figure out who has it harder and who suffers more injustice.
Take the legacy, take the guilt.
Now let me repeat myself: or you can be part of a constructive effort of mutual understanding.
Not interested?
Afro are you equating people who lynched blacks to people who say that blue lives matter?
Yes. They both have no issue with getting away with murder.
Lynch mobs disregard the rule of law.
Blue lives matter supports the rule of law.
Blacks who riot when the rule of law is applied, but does not produce the “correct” verdict are the equivalent of the lynch mob.
Except the law, or the application of it, tells you that some people are more equal than others.
They don’t murder, they protest.
Five police officers were killed and seven others wounded in the ambush. It was the deadliest single incident for U.S. law enforcement since September 11, 2001. Two civilians were also hurt, the Dallas mayor’s office said.
As officials condemned the attack, details emerged about the man who died after a lengthy standoff with police in a parking garage.
Johnson told police negotiators that he was upset about recent police shootings, that he wanted to kill white people — especially white officers — and that he acted alone, the police chief said.
You’re talking about an isolated event, not an organized movement or an established cultural practice.
“Sheriff Cooley: The law? The law is a human institution.”
And it comes with human bias.
Low SES is bad for brain development. Given
Is low SES worst for black brain development than it is for white brain development. Perhaps the same? Unknown?
Is the man responsible for low SES in black families? Yes, in the same sense that the man is responsible for low SES in white families.
None of the studies I linked or anything I read identified race as a factor of variation.
SES, and life in general depends on things that aren’t under one’s control and on other things that are.
You’re being intellectually lazy, you just want to believe that blacks are genetically inferior to whites. It’s a personal issue that has nothing to do with objective assessment of the available evidence.
You’re talking about an isolated event
Then how can several vigilante actions in the late 19th and early 20th century be used to indict white people for all time?
Because they weren’t isolated events, they were a tradition. Whites didn’t simply lynch, they enjoyed lynching postcards.
http://www.cvltnation.com/nsfw-american-terrorism-lynching-postcards/
Current day whites aren’t responsible for this. But those who unapologetically take the legacy are the ideological offspring of this era.
As for the black guy who killed cops, he got killed too and would have faced death penalty anyway, blue lives matter is misplaced anger. Holding all blacks accountable for an injustice that wasn’t.
they were a tradition. Whites didn’t simply lynch, they enjoyed lynching postcards.
Could we say that rap music that glorifies and encourages the killing of police officers is a cultural tradition that is enjoyed?
How widespread is it?
How common is the intentional killing of cops by black people is?
Tradition: A tradition is a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past.[1][2] Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes (like lawyers’ wigs or military officers’ spurs), but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings. Traditions can persist and evolve for thousands of years—the word “tradition” itself derives from the Latin tradere literally meaning to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping. While it is commonly assumed that traditions have ancient history, many traditions have been invented on purpose, whether that be political or cultural, over short periods of time. Various academic disciplines also use the word in a variety of ways.
Too numerous to list.
Not unusual at all.
Too numerous to list? Oh show me the the most popular at least. I like rap music and I can’t tell a single song weirdly.
The fact is 135 cops died in 2016. Of them 53 died in road accidents, 2 were shot by colleagues and only 21 cops were killed in a planned attack. Even assuming the perpetrators were all black, I find it completely unusual.
“In 2013, 44 percent of cop killers were white, 37 percent were black and 11 percent were Hispanic. Last year, 54 percent were white, 26 percent were black and 18 percent were Hispanic.”
Wiki “White Americans are the racial majority. African Americans are the largest racial minority, amounting to 13.2% of the population. Hispanic and Latino Americans amount to 17.1% of the population, making up the largest ethnic minority. The White, non-Hispanic or Latino population make up 62.6% of the nation’s total.”
62.6% – 44%, 54% under-represented
13.2% – 37%, 26% over-represented
17.1% – 11%, 18% getting their fair share?
Only 21 planned attacks on cops.
You can also tell me how many attacks resulted in the acquittal of the offender?
A study made available this week through the journal Violence and Gender explores the 74 police officers killed in 2013 and 2014 and identifies trends among the 70 killers.
“We know that sometimes bad things happen and sometimes the police are guilty of unnecessary violence,” says study author Dr. Michael Stone. iffen:(Researchers have to put stuff in like this statement, even so, research that finds the “wrong” results can end one’s career.)
Most often, Stone found, police killings occurred when officers attempted to question or arrest the eventual killers. Stone reported that every cop killer in 2013 and 2014 was male… Half were involved in crimes just before murdering the officers, and half killed for reasons such as cop-hating beliefs or mental health conditions.
35 cop killers “killed for reasons such as cop-hating beliefs or mental health conditions.” which is an average of 17.5 for the years 2013 and 2014. You call it a tradition?
And except bringing up stats, what policy changes is blue lives matter advocating for?
“(Researchers have to put stuff in like this statement, even so, research that finds the “wrong” results can end one’s career.”
Examples? You need to be more specific in your claims.
You call it a tradition?
Gangsta rap that glorifies cop killing is the enjoyed tradition.
Too numerous to list. If you can’t see this 24/7 in the research community, listing thousands of examples would not persuade you. BTW, the value of all the papers that you listed earlier is compromised by the fact that very few academics and researchers will intentionally investigate questions concerning race because bad things happen to their careers when they get the “wrong” results.
I asked you to name some popular cop killing songs and you were unable to name just one. Lynchings, blackface or things like that were traditions, a couple of obscure songs aren’t.
” BTW, the value of all the papers that you listed earlier is compromised by the fact that very few academics and researchers will intentionally investigate questions concerning race ”
Investigating SES differences is exploring race differences indirectly.
“race because bad things happen to their careers when they get the “wrong” results.”
Not really, the pioneer fund is here to fund the research of such scholars. Never heard of a scholar being fired from his university because of scientific racism.
How can that be when SES is not genetic? According to you.
SES is a wide notion, it’s about education, income, wealth, occupation, residence, family tradition, self-perception… The research on the heritability of such variables indicates low or moderate genetic influence but they tell nothing about group differences. What is well established is that opportunities for social mobility vary by race and that he has little to do with genetics.
What is well established is that opportunities for social mobility vary by race and that he has little to do with genetics.
What is well established is that social mobility varies by race and much research points to genetics as an important causal factor in the variance.
What research? Haven’t yet heard of genes of success with high inter-racial variation. Hereditarians have nothing empirical to show.
Haven’t yet heard of genes of success with high inter-racial variation.
Look at the two Bell curves at the top of this page.
Tells nothing about genetics
Re-posting this here, I think my clicker control was bad.
You have shown me anything that makes me believe that I am responsible for low SES in black families.
Your attitude is not conductive to racial harmony, and I believe racial harmony would benefit blacks a lot. So yes, in this way, you’re part of the problem.
Your attitude is not conductive to racial harmony
Ditto, and right back atcha.
How so? What am I saying that is legitimately infuriating for a white person? Denying white intellectual superiority?
I am sympathetic to the idea of considering ways to improve the SES of Americans. I am not sympathetic to the idea of considering the SES problem of blacks over whites. Improved SES has to be organic, it can’t be imposed arbitrarily. Giving people money does not eliminate poverty.
“I am not sympathetic to the idea of considering the SES problem of blacks over whites.”
What a surprise!
” Improved SES has to be organic, it can’t be imposed arbitrarily.”
It technically can, redistribution works very well in Europe, including the Black population.
“Giving people money does not eliminate poverty.”
Neither does work, ever heard of the working poor? There is a difference between giving money and giving enough money in cost-effective ways.
What am I saying that is legitimately infuriating for a white person?
Implying that addressing the low SES for blacks is more important than addressing the low SES for whites and implying that the low SES of blacks is more or less completely dependent up white actions and behaviors.
Appealing for the rule of law only when it suits the purpose of black people.
No, I don’t really say that, neither in my article or in my comments. I don’t imply it either, don’t put words in my mouth nor thoughts in my head.
I did nothing close to that. Just pointing out the fact that the penal system lets many whites getting away with murdering black people.
redistribution works very well in Europe, including the Black population
Bull!
Is it an argument?
There is a difference between giving money and giving enough money
If the medicine doesn’t work, give’em a double or triple dose!
Now where have I heard that?
Should have quoted the whole sentence.
Yes, your statement is ludicrous.
Fishtown for whites and non-whites is much further along in Britain than the US. I don’t know much about France, but assume that it is not far different from Britain.
British stats
French stats:
DOM = from overseas territories, mostly black people from the Caribbean and La Réunion.
Afrique Sahélienne = mostly Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso
Afrique guinéenne ou centrale = mostly Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, the two Congo, Gabon and Angola.
Even if we did away with the lost potential in brain power (1%, 5%?) (for blacks and whites) caused by low SES, we would only be perfecting and tweaking the further cognitive stratification of society.
No, we would incredibly improve the quality of life of many, save a lot of tax-money, enlarge the pool of talent and appease society.
the guardian October 2015
“It is 10 years since France’s urban riots of 2005 promised to be the wake-up call that would force an end to the inequalities of ghetto high-rises in the suburban banlieues. That year, the death of two young boys hiding from police in an electricity substation in Clichy-sous-Bois outside Paris triggered weeks of unrest on estates. France declared a state of national emergency as more than 9,000 vehicles, dozens of public buildings and businesses were set on fire. It was the sign of the hopelessness of a generation of young people stuck in dismal suburbs, marginalised and jobless because of their address, skin colour or their parents’ immigrant origins.
Now, a decade on and despite years of emergency assistance plans, the banlieues remain in crisis.”
Lol, it’s nothing like US ghettos, it’s not specifically a black problem. All poor immigrants live in these neighborhoods and a lot manage to leave them.
You have worn me down and I have other things that I want to read, so I will just give my general opinion and move on.
As I stated, I don’t fret over the black underclass in preference over the white underclass. Since I am white, if crunch time comes, I will choose the white side. Blacks were denied equal opportunity until the enactment of the Civil Rights legislation in the 60’s. Very quickly, within the 1-2 generations, the gains made by the more capable blacks were there to see. In 2017, the discrepancies between the black and white underclasses are not the fault of the white race; they are inherent in the black group (99%).
I had a back and forth with RR on Head Start. Head Start has been shown to be ineffective, but continues. I argue that every child should be entitled to Head Start, it is not likely to do any damage.
Head start doesn’t enroll blacks only. On it’s effectiveness:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_(program)#Effectiveness
I really do want to move on.
Less than 5% of Head Start pupils over its entire existence have been white.
Head Start is ineffective at closing “the gap.”
You could move on if you stopped making up absurd claims.
An analysis of data gathered from 14 independent studies indicates that the influence of genes on intelligence varies according to people’s social class in the US, but not in Western Europe or Australia. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Research suggests that genes and environment both play a critical role in shaping a person’s intelligence. A longstanding hypothesis in the field of behavioral genetics holds that our potential intelligence, as set by our genes, is more fully expressed in environments that are supportive and nurturing, but is suppressed in conditions of poverty and disadvantages. While some studies have provided evidence supporting this hypothesis, others have not.
To better understand the impact of social class on the link between genes and intelligence, psychological scientists Elliot Tucker-Drob of the University of Texas at Austin and Timothy Bates at the University of Edinburgh conducted a meta-analysis, combining data from all available published and unpublished studies.
To be included in the meta-analysis, the studies had to contain an objective measure of intelligence and a measure of participants’ family socioeconomic status in childhood. The studies also had to include participants that varied in their genetic relatedness (i.e., siblings versus identical twins) so that the researchers would be able to statistically disentangle genetic and environmental influences.
Tucker-Drob and Bates analyzed data from a total of 24,926 pairs of twins and siblings who had participated in studies conducted in the United States, Australia, England, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands.
The researchers found that the relationship between genes, socioeconomic status, and intelligence depended on which country the participants were from.
“The hypothesis that the genetic influence on intelligence depends on socioeconomic status was not supported in studies outside of the US,” says Tucker-Drob. “In the Netherlands, there was even evidence suggestive of the opposite effect.”
Importantly, the meta-analysis did not show any evidence that other factors — such as age of testing, whether the tests measured achievement and knowledge or intelligence, whether the tests were of a single ability or a composite cognitive measures — influenced the results.
The researchers suggest that the stark difference between the US and other countries might be explained by differences in how low socioeconomic status in experienced in the countries. That is, the relatively robust healthcare and social-welfare programs in Western Europe and Australia may buffer some of the negative environmental effects typically associated with poverty.
According to Bates, a primary question for future research will be to identify the specific aspects of a society that “break the link between social class and the expression of genetic potentials for intellectual development.”
“Once such characteristics are identified, they could inform policies directed at narrowing test score gaps and promoting all of the positive consequences of higher IQ, such as health, wealth, and progress in science, art, and technology,” he concludes.
Okay, you have convinced me.
I will support the removal of all black children from families living in poverty and the placing of them in boarding schools run by upper SES whites.
Not such a bad idea. The billions of dollars wasted on mass incarceration would be better spent on boarding schools for high risk youth.
iffen,
I had a back and forth with RR on Head Start.
Where? I don’t recall.
Memory fails, it’s been a while. It’s even possible that I have confused you with and another commenter. I searched Unz, so it wasn’t there.
I don’t know how or if comments can be searched here. The only other possibility would have been at PP, but I only read and commented there for a month or so.
I argued that all children should have access to quality preschool regardless of race or class. You (?) were very adamant that since most studies showed that it was ineffective then it should be eliminated.
I must say I was momentarily amped by your declaration that there were no ghetto problems in Europe and that we could get rid of the ones in the US if we could only pry dollars out of the hands of those fat-fingered ‘Publicans and let them rain down on the heads of our picaninnies like autumn leaves. Then I remembered that this is the time of fake news and I crashed and burned when my exhilaration of worldwide kumbaya was punctured by reality.
Lol, it’s nothing like US ghettos, it’s not specifically a black problem.
Metro poitics.eu
The New French Ghettos
by Hervé Marchal & Jean-Marc Stébé & translated by Eric Rosencrantz, le 16/12/2010
Are housing projects in France – particularly the French slums euphemistically termed Zones Urbaines Sensibles (ZUS for short) – comparable to American ghettos: i.e. enclaves of poverty resulting from geographic and ethnic segregation? While some insist there is no comparison between the two, the authors of the present article argue that current ethnic segregation processes in France are increasingly producing fully-fledged ghettos.
A number of French enclaves labelled ZUS, or “urban renewal zones”, suffer from multiple handicaps: geographic (functionalist architecture and urban planning, ambient decrepitude, isolation etc), socio-economic (high unemployment, large number of welfare dependents etc.), educational (large proportion of high school dropouts and remedial-year pupils etc), medical (dearth of doctors, outbreaks of forgotten diseases etc.), progressively enclosing them inside a whole array of physical, social and symbolic borders. Hence the heuristic pertinence of using “ghetto” to describe some French urban renewal zones. Ghetto is a designation that is gaining ground these days in French cities because those who dwell in urban renewal zones are a “captive” population: they really have very low odds of ever leaving their substandard social housing. So the symbolic walls around urban renewal zones turn out to be quite sturdy and every bit as impermeable as physical barriers. As François Dubet puts it (2009): The dispute over whether these neighbourhoods are ‘ghettos’ is rather pointless. They are ghettos inasmuch as the poorest of the poor and families of colonial immigrant origins are assigned to live there. They are also and above all ghettos because the rejected and the stigmatized end up identifying with the social attributes on which their rejection is based, and they themselves construct mechanisms to control their ‘turf’, their ‘girls’, some economic resources and associations, a control that accentuates their break with the surroundings.
it’s not specifically a black problem.
I try to have concern for all Americans, not just one particular race. Some people only fret about one race, but that’s not me.
Comparison is not equation, there aren’t neighborhoods in France where you hear gunshots every night, where close to half the male population is familiar with the penal justice system and that are seen as total no-go zones to outsiders. The US has the highest income inequality of any developed country, it’s a fact. I never claimed that poverty was non-existent in France but the differences are much lower and so are the levels of ethnic and economic segregation. Those poor neighborhoods are just a few housing project at the margin of big cities. They’re nothing like Detroit or East Saint-Louis which are whole cities plagued with segregation and desolation.
You (?) were very adamant that since most studies showed that it was ineffective then it should be eliminated.
I do hold that position but I don’t recall discussing it with you. I agree quality education should be given no matter what, but I don’t think one should expect any gains to hold after the program is over
there aren’t neighborhoods in France where you hear gunshots every night
Get yourselves a 2nd Amendment and that will change over the weekend.
They’re nothing like Detroit or East Saint-Louis which are whole cities plagued with segregation and desolation.
Give it a hundred years; you’ll catch up.
Now iffen is a fortune-teller. Can you please try to stick to reality so that we can have a serious conversation?
Now iffen is a fortune-teller.
In a relatively free, open and meritocratic entity where hyper-individualism and capitalism reigns supreme and a racial, religious and ethnically diverse population exists, stratification by ability will occur at both the individual and group levels and the less capable individuals and groups will end up economically and culturally impoverished; it’s a lock; bet the farm.
Lol! Another one who believes in the tale of meritocracy. There is no such thing. Success doesn’t depend on mere competence. Social networks, prejudice and access to opportunities all play a major role in individual outcomes. As far as groups, they’re just the aggregate of individuals. And France differs from America in the sense that all non-muslim groups are doomed to disappear through intermarriage. So no, there won’t be French Detroits in 100 years, just quiet Rio de Janeiros.
Wow! Doomed to be like Rio de Janeiro.
Who says modern man no longer has great dreams.
Remember what I told you on quoting. I said “quiet Rio de Janeiro”.
ilovehitler says:
i agree with afro’s comments above, but there is an endgame to the nature nurture question which no amount of jesuitry can dismiss.
namely, if it happens that rank on something like an IQ test can be predicted directly from the genome and across all environments.
steve shoe has a post on this today. a few years ago he claimed it would take 10^5 genotype, phenotype pairs. now he’s claiming 10^6.
whatever. it’s never gonna happen for any psychological trait. h^2 is a stupid statistic.
it has been found that americans and brits are much more likely to believe they live in an approximate meritocracy than continental europeans.
thus one sees that meritocracy is ideology, false consciousness, as the US and UK are the least meritocratic countries in the developed world.
True, but it’s more an American thing though (American dream, frontier mindset, free market…) and it successfully exported itself in the rest of the anglosphere during the Reagan-Thatcher era.
The meritocracy myth is a powerful tool in support of the most ruthless forms of capitalism and individualism. Racism helped Americans drinking the Kool Aid, as black poverty and crime is a powerful “argument” against social spending and working class solidarity as well as it perpetuates the idea that status is rooted in biology, that those whites who don’t make it are probably niggers themselves, and that their racial pride is incompatible with asking assistance from the state.
And the result is here, the anglosphere has the lowest social spending, the most exploitative labor laws, the worst wealth inequality and the lowest social mobility in the developed world.
Continental Europe is under strong Christian-Democrat influence, it’s almost impossible to attack the welfare state or to make people accept US levels of inequality here.
the US and UK are the least meritocratic countries
Murika is the poster child for meritocracy between and within groups.
Which is why Jamal will never read as well (no matter the billions spent) as Hosea who will never read as well as Chad who will never read as well as (insert American 1st name here) Wang who will never read as well as Ariel.
the facts say otherwise “iffen”. you’re the poster child for false consciousness.
Funny how iffen can live in the only country that has a student debt crisis and naively reply “at least muh mericuh muh meritocracy”.
the facts again. sad!
Please keep comments on topic.
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Home · Events & Marketing · Invitations ·It's a Cocktail Party - Party Invitation - Ecru
It's a Cocktail Party - Party Invitation - Ecru
Item Number:NK28236EC
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Item Number NK28236EC
Invite guests to a cocktail party with this ecru invitation offering the design in the ink color of your choice.
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Price Includes: Printed invitation with blank envelope (in choice of color)
Currently found in Occasions Galore
Black Raised Ink
Lettering: FUL
Verse: Custom
Paper: Ecru Smooth 115 lb.
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BASICS: “An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.” 35 U.S.C. § 112(6/f). Even if raised in the context of an “indefiniteness” Summ. J. motion, “the issue of whether a claim term is governed by § 112 ¶ 6 is a claim construction issue.” Lighting Ballast III (Fed. Cir. 06/23/15) (challenger who lost indefiniteness argument in Markman proceedings did not waive it by not raising it again in JMOL motion or objecting to jury instructions). Congress “struck a balance in allowing patentees to express a claim limitation by reciting a function to be performed rather than by reciting structure for performing that function, while placing specific constraints on how such a limitation is to be construed, namely, by restricting the scope of coverage to only the structure, materials, or acts described in the specification as corresponding to the claimed function and equivalents thereof.” Williamson (Fed. Cir. 06/16/15) (en banc portion). May not treat a “means-plus-function limitation in [a] patentability analysis as if it were a purely functional limitation.” IPCom (HTC II (IPCom)) (Fed. Cir. 07/07/17) (vacating PTAB reexamination decision for PTAB’s failure to identify algorithm in Spec. corresponding to claim-recited function, after PTAB rejected patent owner’s proposed algorithm). In part, this provides a provisional safe haven from functional-claiming “indefiniteness,” if Spec. satisfies its requirements. But, claims invoking this provision often are invalid for not being particular and distinct, for failure of the patent to disclose the required structure. (See “Particular And Distinct Claims (aka Indefiniteness)” (D.8) below.)
a) whether sec. 112(6/f) treatment invoked
Williamson: “Purely Functional,” “Black Box,” Or “Generic Placeholder” Claim Elements Trigger Sec. 112(6/f); “Definite,” “Particular,” And “Sufficient” Structure In Element Avoids Sec. 112(6/f) Construction: Word “means” creates presumption that Sec. 112(6/f) is invoked and absence of word “means” creates presumption that it is not. But, overruling Fed. Cir. case law since 2004, latter, reverse presumption is not “strong.” Rather, “the essential inquiry is not merely the presence or absence of the word ‘means’ but whether the words of the claim are understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art to have a sufficiently definite meaning as the name for structure” or “or else recites ‘function without reciting sufficient structure for performing that function.’” Williamson (Fed. Cir. 06/16/15) (en banc portion). “We also overrule the strict requirement of ‘a showing that the limitation essentially is devoid of anything that can be construed as structure.’” Williamson (Fed. Cir. 06/16/15) (en banc portion). Coined term that is “simply an abstraction that describes the function being performed” is not sufficient structure to avoid invoking Sec. 112(6/f). Advanced Ground Info. (Fed. Cir. 07/28/16) (“symbol generator” for the generation of symbols). “To determine whether a claim recites sufficient structure, ‘it is sufficient if the claim term is used in common parlance or by persons of skill in the pertinent art to designate structure, even if the term covers a broad class of structures and even if the term identifies the structures by their function.’” Chrimar (Fed. Cir. 05/08/18) (non-precedential) (aff’g terms did not invoke Sec. 112(6/f): “A claim term that has an understood meaning in the art as reciting structure is not a nonce word triggering § 112, ¶ 6.”); Skky (Fed. Cir. 06/07/17) (aff’g PTAB obviousness decision; “wireless device means” does not invoke Sec. 112/6 because “the full term recites structure, not functionality; the claims do not recite a function or functions for the wireless device means to perform, and ‘wireless device’ is ‘used in common parlance . . . to designate structure;’” despite Examiner saying it invoked Sec. 112/6, despite IPR petition asserting the same, and despite word “means” triggering presumption of triggering Sec. 112/6) (quoting TecSec (Fed. Cir. 10/02/13)).
Post-Williamson; Claims Using “Means”: Shperix (Fed. Cir. 07/25/17) (non-precedential) (aff’g PTAB obviousness decision; “processor means at the handset for displaying keyed alphanumeric data on the screen and concurrently transmitting the alphanumeric data and commands to the base station” triggers Sec. 112(6/f)); Skky (Fed. Cir. 06/07/17) (aff’g PTAB “wireless device means” does not invoke Sec. 112/6 because “the full term recites structure, not functionality; the claims do not recite a function or functions for the wireless device means to perform, and ‘wireless device’ is ‘used in common parlance . . . to designate structure’”); Lighting Ballast III (Fed. Cir. 06/23/15) (aff’g district court, based on clear error review of fact finding, judgment that “means” element does not trigger Sec. 112(6/f), based on expert and inventor testimony that PHOSITA “would understand the claimed ‘voltage source means’ to correspond to a rectifier, which converts alternating current (“AC”) to direct current (“DC”), or other structure capable of supplying useable voltage to the device.” “The limitations convey a defined structure to one of ordinary skill in the art.”)
Post-Williamson; Claims Not Using “Means”: Tek Global (Fed. Cir. 03/29/19) (aff’g “conduits connecting the container” does not trigger Sec. 112(6/f) in part because applicant said so in prosecution and also in view of claims and Spec.; “although connoting precise physical structure is not a necessary condition to avoid § 112, ¶ 6 application, it is generally sufficient”); Diebold Nixdorf (Fed. Cir. 08/15/18) (rev’g ITC; term “cheque standby unit” is a means-plus-function term, and, lacking structural support, indefinite; “claims describe the term ‘cheque standby unit’ solely in relation to its function and location in the apparatus;” Spec. describes no specific structure; figure depicts unit as a vertical line; patent owner’s expert “offered purely functional definitions” and in effect testified it meant “any structure capable of performing the claimed function;” and there was no evidence “in the form of dictionary definitions or otherwise—that ‘cheque standby unit’ was reasonably well understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art to refer to a structure or class of structures.”); Zeroclick (Fed. Cir. 06/01/18) (rev’g holding that following trigger Sec. 112(6/f): “program that can operate the movement of the pointer (0)” and “user interface code being configured to detect one or more locations touched by a movement of the user’s finger on the screen without requiring the exertion of pressure and determine therefrom a selected operation.” Skilled artisan “could reasonably discern from the claim language that the words [“program” and “user interface code” as used in the claims] are used not as generic terms or black box recitations of structure or abstractions, but rather as specific references to conventional graphical user interface programs or code, existing in prior art at the time of the inventions.”); Chrimar (Fed. Cir. 05/08/18) (non-precedential) (aff’g terms (“central piece of equipment,” “Ethernet terminal equipment,” and “BaseT Ethernet terminal equipment” followed by “to detect,” “to control,” “to provide,” “to distinguish,” “to draw,” “to result,” and “to convey”), did not invoke Sec. 112(6/f)); Advanced Ground Info. (Fed. Cir. 07/28/16) (aff’g indefiniteness; “‘symbol generator [e.g., “a symbol generator connected to [a] CPU and [a] database for generating symbols on [a] touch screen display screen”] invokes the application of § 112, ¶ 6 because it fails to describe a sufficient structure and otherwise recites abstract elements ‘for’ causing actions, or elements ‘that can’ perform functions,” even though terms “symbol” and “generator” were known in the field); Media Rights (Fed. Cir. 09/04/15) (“compliance mechanism” triggers Sec. 112(6/f): not commonly known in art as name for a particular structure and Spec. describes it only by its functions, connections and optional “functional components,” not in specific structural terms); Williamson (Fed. Cir. 06/16/15) (panel portion) (aff’g “indefiniteness”; claim element does trigger Sec. 112(6/f): “a distributed learning control module for receiving communications transmitted between the presenter and the audience member computer systems and for relaying the communications to an intended receiving computer system and for coordinating the operation of the streaming data module,” because uses format of “means” element and replaces “means” with “nonce word” “module” which, like “means,” is a “generic,” “black box” “description for software or hardware that performs a specified function,” and the written description’s description of the element “fails to impart any structural significance” to the term.”))
Now-Overruled Case Law On Triggering Sec. 112(6/f): There is a “strong” “presumption” that a claim term other than “means” does not invoke Sec. 112(6/f). Lighting World (Fed. Cir. 09/03/04); Robert Bosch (Fed. Cir. 10/14/14) (presumption overcome for “program recognition device” and “program loading device” because “device” is non-structural nonce word and other terms in phrase are purely functional and neither Spec. nor dependent claims defined or described in structural terms). When “means” is not used, test is whether the claim term is used in the pertinent art “to designate structure, even if the term covers a broad class of structures and even if the term identifies the structures by their function.” Mass. Inst. of Tech. & Elecs. for Imaging (Fed. Cir. 09/13/06); Williamson (Fed. Cir. 11/05/14) (2-1) (“a distributed learning control module for…” not Sec. 112(6/f): “module” has dictionary meanings connoting hardware or software structure in the computer arts; context in claims and Spec. suggest structure), vacated, Williamson (Fed. Cir. en banc order 06/16/15), Williamson (Fed. Cir. 06/16/15) (panel portion) (different result: language does trigger Sec. 112(6/f) and claim is indefinite); EnOcean (Fed. Cir. 01/31/14) (“signal receiver for receiving” does not trigger Sec. 112/6, as term “receiver” is understood in the art; rev’g BPAI); Power Integrations (Fed. Cir. 03/26/13) (“soft start circuit,” with recited input, output and straightforward function, connotes “sufficiently definite structure”). But see Apple (Fed. Cir. 04/25/14) (2-1) (claim term “heuristics,” construed in light of Spec., provides sufficient structure; when “means” is not used: to determine whether claim is in means-plus-function format “we must construe the claim limitation to decide if it connotes ‘sufficiently definite structure’ to a person of ordinary skill in the art, which requires us to consider the specification (among other evidence).”)
Overruled 2014 Williamson Panel Opinion: “The district court, in characterizing the word ‘module’ as a mere nonce word, failed to appreciate that the word ‘module’ has understood dictionary meanings as connoting either hardware or software structure to those skilled in the computer arts. …. The IBM Corporation, IBM Dictionary of Computing 439 (1st ed.1994) defines ‘module’ as a ‘packaged functional hardware unit designed for use with other components’ and a ‘part of a program that usually performs a particular function of related functions.’ See also … (defining ‘module’ as a ‘self-contained hardware or software component that interfaces with a larger system’); … (defining ‘module’ as a ‘programming or specification construct that defines a software component’ and a ‘component of a hardware system that can be subdivided’). These definitions all show that the term ‘module’ has a structure connoting meaning to persons of ordinary skill in the computer arts…. Here, the ‘distributed learning control module’ is claimed as a part of the definite structure ‘distributed learning server’ and ‘receive[s] communications transmitted between the presenter and the audience member computer systems,’ ‘relay[s] the communications to an intended receiving computing system,’ and ‘coordinat[es] the operation of the streaming data module.’ These claimed interconnections and intercommunications support the conclusion that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the expression ‘distributed learning control module’ to connote structure…. The specification also makes clear that the distributed learning control module includes software that runs on a portion of the distributed learning server. While the supporting specification describes the claimed expression ‘distributed learning control module’ in a high degree of generality, in some respects using functional expressions, it is difficult to conclude that it is devoid of structure.” Williamson (Fed. Cir. 11/05/14) (2-1) (“a distributed learning control module for…” does not trigger Sec. 112(6/f)), vacated, Williamson (Fed. Cir. en banc order 06/16/15), Williamson (Fed. Cir. 06/16/15) (panel portion) (different result: language does trigger Sec. 112(6/f) and claim is indefinite).
For A Claim Element To Trigger Sec. 112(6/f), Claim Must Recite Function That The Element Performs: Skky (Fed. Cir. 06/07/17) (aff’g PTAB obviousness decision; “wireless device means” does not invoke Sec. 112/6 because “the full term recites structure, not functionality; the claims do not recite a function or functions for the wireless device means to perform, and ‘wireless device’ is ‘used in common parlance . . . to designate structure’”).
Reciting Or Implying That Function Is Computer Or Processor Implemented Is Not Enough To Connote Definite Structure: Each of Williamson (Fed. Cir. 06/16/15) (functions require “a special purpose computer”), Media Rights (Fed. Cir. 09/04/15) (“these functions are computer-implemented functions”), and Advanced Ground Info. (Fed. Cir. 07/28/16), involved claims reciting computer or processor implemented software functions yet were deemed to trigger Sec. 112(6/f) construction.
Reciting Location Relative To, Connections To, Or Interactions With Other Elements May Not Be Sufficient To Recite Or Connote Definite Structure: Each of Williamson (Fed. Cir. 06/16/15) (“distributed learning control module” element received communications from one element and relayed them to another), Media Rights (Fed. Cir. 09/04/15) (“compliance mechanism” was “coupled to” three other elements in the claim; “Nothing in the written description … adds sufficiently to the meaning of the term’s structure; it only describes the term’s function and interaction with other parts in the system.”), and Advanced Ground Info. (Fed. Cir. 07/28/16) (“a symbol generator connected to said CPU and said database for generating symbols on said touch display screen;” “symbol generator in said CPU that can generate symbols….”), involved claim elements recited in claims and/or Spec. as being connected to, part of, or interacting with, other claim elements, but those recitations did not sufficient to recite or connote the required definite structure. Accord Diebold Nixdorf (Fed. Cir. 08/15/18) (rev’g ITC; claims recited and Spec. described location of “cheque standby unit” relative to other elements, and its functions, but not its specific structure, and thus triggered Sec. 112(6/f) construction.)
Preponderance Burden Of Production To Overcome Presumptions For Or Against Triggering Of Sec. 112(6/f): Burden of production to overcome rebuttable presumption created by use or non-use of “means” “must be met by a preponderance of the evidence.” Apex (Fed. Cir. 04/02/03); Zeroclick (Fed. Cir. 06/01/18) (rev’g holding that following trigger Sec. 112(6/f): “program that can operate the movement of the pointer (0)” and “user interface code being configured to detect one or more locations touched by a movement of the user’s finger on the screen without requiring the exertion of pressure and determine therefrom a selected operation” because challenger provided no intrinsic or extrinsic evidence to overcome presumption.); Advanced Ground Info. (Fed. Cir. 07/28/16) (aff’g indefiniteness; where claim does not use “means,” “the challenger must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the claims are to be governed by § 112, ¶ 6.”)
(Pre-Williamson) Rebutting Sec. 112(6/f) Presumption Created By “Means”: Use of “means” triggers rebuttable presumption that Sec. 112(6/f) is invoked. “Sufficient structure exists [to rebut that presumption] when the claim language specifies the exact structure that performs the functions in question without need to resort to other portions of the specification or extrinsic evidence for an adequate understanding of the structure.” TriMed (Fed. Cir. 01/29/08); but see Inventio AG (Fed. Cir. 06/15/11) (the claim “must ‘specif[y] the exact structure that performs the functions in question,’” but noting that “where the claims recite the term ‘means,’ we have considered the written description to inform the analysis of whether the claim recites sufficiently definite structure to overcome the presumption.”) (citation omitted). See Chicago Bd. (Fed. Cir. 05/07/12) (“system memory means” is means-plus-function element (dictum); corresponding structure is “system memory.”); TecSec (Fed. Cir. 10/02/13) (“system memory means” for storing data, and “digital memory means,” do not invoke Sec. 112, ¶ 6, the latter in part because claim recites no function [but citing case law (Lighting World) on different issue (whether term other than “means” invokes Sec. 112/6))]); Lighting Ballast I (Fed. Cir. 01/02/13) (Sec. 112/6 element: “voltage source means providing a constant or variable magnitude DC voltage between the DC input terminals,” rejecting expert testimony for failure to show “voltage source” was “used synonymously with a defined class of structures at the time the invention was made”) (non-precedential), vacated en banc (Fed. Cir. 03/15/13) (to revisit Cybor), reinstated (Fed. Cir. 02/21/14), vacated ivo Teva (U.S. 01/26/2015), on remand Lighting Ballast III (Fed. Cir. 06/23/15) aff’g trial court’s claim construction that claim term did not trigger Sec. 112(6/f) and claim is not indefinite).
(Pre-Williamson) When Sec. 112(6/f) Triggered Without Using Word “Means”: There is a “strong presumption” that a claim term other than “means” does not invoke Sec. 112(6/f). Inventio AG (Fed. Cir. 06/15/11) (“modernizing device” and “computing unit” in these claims do not trigger Sec. 112(6/f)) (distinguished in Robert Bosch (Fed. Cir. 10/14/14)). A claim term does not trigger Sec. 112(6/f), if it suggests structure, even if not a specific structure. See Lighting World (Fed. Cir. 09/03/04) (“Thus, while it is true that the term ‘connector assembly’ does not bring to mind a particular structure, that point is not dispositive. What is important is whether the term is one that is understood to describe structure, as opposed to a term that is simply a nonce word or a verbal construct that is not recognized as the name of structure and is simply a substitute for the term ‘means for.’”); Mass. Inst. of Tech. & Elecs. for Imaging (Fed. Cir. 09/13/06) (“it is sufficient if the claim term is used in common parlance or by persons of skill in the pertinent art to designate structure, even if the term covers a broad class of structures and even if the term identifies the structures by their function.”); Baran (Fed. Cir. 08/12/10) (“The relevant inquiry is whether the [claim] term at issue is purely functional.”) In determining whether claim term suggests structure, court should look to intrinsic and perhaps extrinsic evidence same as any other construction. Inventio AG (Fed. Cir. 06/15/11); Powell (Fed. Cir. 11/14/11) (“dust collection structure” is not Sec. 112(6/f) element: “the written description identifies several prior art patents that disclose various types of dust collection structures.”); Flo Healthcare (Fed. Cir. 10/23/12) (“a height adjustment mechanism for altering the height of the horizontal tray” does not invoke Sec. 112(6/f): “the noun “adjustment,” … has a reasonably well-understood meaning as a name for a structure”); Mas-Hamilton (Fed. Cir. 09/10/98) (“lever moving element” and “movable link member” trigger Sec. 112(6/f)).
Method Claims May Include “Means Plus Function” Elements, And Reciting Step Taken By An Apparatus May Imply Function Of That Apparatus: Method claims may recite elements triggering Sec. 112(6/f) treatment, and reciting steps taken by an apparatus may be treated as reciting functions that apparatus can perform. E.g., Media Rights (Fed. Cir. 09/04/15) (aff’g judgment of indefiniteness on the pleadings (filed and argued during Markman proceedings); “compliance mechanism” in method claim’s step “controlling a data output pathway of said client system with said compliance mechanism by diverting a commonly used data pathway of said media player application to a controlled data pathway monitored by said compliance mechanism” triggers Sec. 112(6/f), in part because “the claims simply state that the ‘compliance mechanism’ can perform various functions.”); Saffran (Fed. Cir. 04/04/13) (both method and device claims recited a “release means for ….”)
Step Plus Function Element: “The word ‘means’ clearly refers to the generic description of an apparatus element, and the implementation of such a concept is obviously by structure or material. We interpret the term ‘steps’ to refer to the generic description of elements of a process, and the term ‘acts’ to refer to the implementation of such steps.” “The paragraph is implicated only when steps plus function without acts are present.” Overall result of method is not same as function of an individual step: “Performing a series of steps inherently produces a result, in this case the removal of water vapor from the analyte slug, but a statement in a preamble of a result that necessarily follows from performing a series of steps does not convert each of those steps into step-plus-function clauses.” O.I. Corp. v. Tekmar Co., 115 F.3d 1576, 1582-83 (Fed. Cir. 1997) (despite parallelism with apparatus claims, following step is not in step plus function format: “‘the step[s] of … passing the analyte slug through a passage’” because the step of “passing” is “not individually associated in the claim with functions performed by the” step). Absence of “step for” language creates presumption that method step does not trigger Sec. 112(6/f). Generation II (Fed. Cir. 08/15/01). Use of “step for” triggers presumption of Sec. 112(f/6) treatment, and even then claim must not recite acts in support of that step. Masco (Fed. Cir. 08/28/02) (rev’g trial court’s treatment of claim steps as Sec. 112(f/6) step.). “Where a method claim does not contain the term ‘step[s] for,’ a limitation of that claim cannot be construed as a step-plus-function limitation without a showing that the limitation contains no act.” Id. “In general terms, the ‘underlying function’ of a method claim element corresponds to what that element ultimately accomplishes in relationship to what the other elements of the claim and the claim as a whole accomplish. ‘Acts,’ on the other hand, correspond to how the function is accomplished. …. If a claim element recites only an underlying function without acts for performing it, then § 112, ¶ 6 applies even without express step-plus-function language. …. If the language of the claim element does not expressly state its function, the function of that element may nonetheless be discernible from the context of the overall claim and the disclosure in the specification. …. [I]f this claim limitation had specified only the underlying function, namely, ‘adhering the mat to the foundation,’ without recital of specific acts for ‘adhering,’ § 112, ¶ 6 would have governed, despite the lack of ‘step for’ language.” Seal-Flex (Fed. Cir. 04/01/99) (Rader, J. concurring). Cf. Lemley, Software Patents and the Return of Functional Claiming (Wisc. Law Review 10/12/12) (“The intent of this statute was to allow functional claiming only when it was limited to particular implementations of that function, not when it encompassed all feasible ways of achieving the goal.”).
b) construction of sec. 112(6/f) claim element
Corresponding Structure Must Be Clearly Linked In Spec. To The Claim-Recited Function: Spec. must disclose the structure and clearly link it to the claimed function. Medtronic (Fed. Cir. 04/20/01) (structure must be clearly linked to claimed function, e.g., in Spec., dependent claims, or prosecution history); MobileMedia (Fed. Cir. 03/17/15) (rev’g infringement judgment based on too-broad interpretation of corresponding structure). Cloud Farm (Fed. Cir. 01/09/17) (non-precedential) (aff’g indefiniteness for lack of corresponding structure in Spec.); Telcordia (Fed. Cir. 07/06/10) (linking disclosure sufficient in view of supporting expert testimony and presumption of validity).
Corresponding Structure Is Only That Portion Of Disclosed Structure Necessary To The Claimed Function: The corresponding structure is only that part of the disclosed structure necessary to performing that claimed function. John Mezzalingua Assocs. (Fed. Cir. 04/28/11) (non-precedential); Univ. of Pitt. (Fed. Cir. 04/10/14) (corresponding algorithm is only what is necessary to perform the function, here two-step algorithm described in the background, not more detailed optional implementations later in Spec.).
“Structure” Need Not Be Physical And May Be An Algorithm: “The ‘structure’ of computer software is understood through, for example, an outline of an algorithm, a flowchart, or a specific set of instructions or rules.” Apple (Fed. Cir. 04/25/14) (2-1) (in context of overcoming presumption that claim element “heuristics” is not a means-plus-function element); Business Objects (Fed. Cir. 01/06/05) (corresponding structure may be an algorithm). See Apple V (Fed. Cir. 02/26/16) (in part because hardware “alone, does nothing without software instructions telling it what to do,” the district court correctly included software as part of the corresponding structure for “means for transmission.”), reinstated Apple VI (Fed. Cir. 10/07/16) (en banc) (7-3); Sony (Fed. Cir. 05/22/19) (2-1) (identifying algorithm as flowchart in patent and corresponding narrative description thereof).
If Function Is Implemented By Computer Or Other Programmed Machine Rather Than A Circuit Or Other Hardware, The Corresponding “Structure” Must Include An Algorithm: Sony (Fed. Cir. 05/22/19) (vacating PTAB obviousness decision and rev’g construction that omitted algorithm; “reproducing means for reproducing the audio data …” is construed as computer implemented despite a hardware (circuit) embodiment also being disclosed, because Spec. refers to “the processing” of the “controller” part of the reproduction device as shown in a flowchart, and does not “describe or refer to the circuitry of the controller that would be required for a hardware controller to perform the claimed function”).
Corresponding Structure Encompasses Each Embodiment Disclosed And Linked In Spec., Even If Only Briefly Mentioned: Sec. 112(6/f) element embraces each embodiment corresponding to the claimed function, even if an embodiment is only briefly mentioned. Versa (Fed. Cir. 12/14/04) (a one sentence mention of an alternative embodiment is enough to make that an alternative structural counterpart to a means plus function element). But, does not include structures disclosed not in the Spec. but rather only in prior art listed in the patent Spec. Pressure Prod. (Fed. Cir. 03/24/10).
Spec. Must Identify The Corresponding Structure, Not Merely Reference It Generically Or State That Known Or Conventional Ways May Be Used: “A bare statement that known techniques or methods can be used does not disclose structure.” Biomedino (Fed. Cir. 06/18/07); see Twin Peaks (Fed. Cir. 05/26/17) (non-precedential) (aff’g indefiniteness; distinguishing enablement from requirement of specifying the corresponding structure: “by engaging in functional claiming under § 112 ¶ 6, a patentee is entering into the bargain of limiting its open-ended functional claim term to what is disclosed and their equivalents, which may not be coextensive with the full enabled scope”); “Triton Tech (Fed. Cir. 06/13/14) (Spec. stated that the claim-recited numerical integration function is performed in a “conventional manner”); Saffran (Fed. Cir. 04/04/13) (corresponding structure limited to “hydrolyzable bonds,” not more generic “chemical bonds and linkages.”) (2-1) (rev’g judgment of infringement); Default Proof (Fed. Cir. 06/16/05) (“This duty to link or associate structure to function is the quid pro quo for the convenience of employing § 112, ¶ 6.”); Med. Instrumentation (Fed. Cir. 09/22/03) (that PHOSITA would know of structure which could perform the function is insufficient, the Spec. must disclose the structure); Mettler-Toledo (Fed. Cir. 02/08/12) (where patent discloses a single embodiment (multiple slope integrating A/D converter), the corresponding structure is limited to that embodiment even if generic devices were known in the art for performing such function and there is a reference in abstract to such a generic device (A/D converter), as that reference was not linked to the claimed function) (aff’g Summ. J. of non-infringement); Bennett Marine (Fed. Cir. 09/19/13) (non-precedential) (only one embodiment disclosed even though shown more generically in one figure).
Corresponding Structure May Be Incorporated By Reference To A U.S. App.: but not via incorporation by reference to a non-patent publication. Otto Bock (Fed. Cir. 02/18/14) (non-precedential).
Corresponding Structure Cannot Be A Human: “a human being cannot constitute a ‘means’” within the scope of § 112, ¶ 6.” Voter Verified (Fed. Cir. 11/05/12).
Sec. 112(6/f) Construction And Computers/Processors: see discussion below under Indefiniteness (e.g., “Aristocrat”).
Claim Element Comprises Claim Language And Corresponding Structure And Equivalents: Means-plus-function claim limitations “‘comprise not only the language of the claims, but also the structure corresponding to that means that is disclosed in the written description portion of the specification (and equivalents thereof).’” Uniloc (Fed. Cir. 10/23/17) (non-precedential) (Sec. 112(6/f) element not supported by provisional application’s disclosure, so claim not entitled to provisional’s filing date).
“Structure” Cannot Be Purely Functional (E.g., Any Circuit That Performs The Function): Identifying structure as “any circuit that performs the claim function” is “no more specific than defining” the means “in purely functional terms” which is “prohibited.” Tomita I (Fed. Cir. 12/08/14) (non-precedential) (rev’g district court claim construction).
Breadth Of Structural Equivalents May Be Broader If Specifics Unimportant To Claimed Invention: when the specifics of the disclosed structure are unimportant to the claimed invention, the scope of structural equivalents may be broader. Uniloc (Fed. Cir. 01/04/11) (rev’g JMOL of no infringement).
c) relationship to claim differentiation
Claim Differentiation Does Not Preclude Dependent Claim’s Structure Being The Corresponding Structure For A Sec. 112(6/f) Element: That dependent claim expressly recites the structures identified in the court’s construction of the Sec. 112(6/f) limitation does not argue against that construction, because the Sec. 112(6/f) limitation is still broader than the dependent claim because it also embraces structural equivalents to those structures. Pressure Prod. (Fed. Cir. 03/24/10).
The Opposite Of Claim Differentiation Applies: Where a dependent claim recites that the means-plus-function element comprises a particular structure, that supports a construction that such structure is the “corresponding structure” for that element. Medtronic (Fed. Cir. 04/20/01).
AIA: Sec. 112, ¶¶ 1-6 are now Sec. 112(a)-(f) for applications filed on or after Sept. 16, 2012. Pub. L. No. 112-29, § 4(c), (e).
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Quincy Center T stop to close this weekend for demolition
Sean Philip Cotter The Patriot Ledger Cotter_Ledger
QUINCY — The Quincy Center T station will close down this weekend as the large crane that has rolled in will begin to dismantle the stop's long-derelict garage.
The Red Line and Commuter Rail station will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday through 4 a.m. Monday, with shuttle buses replacing the trains, according to the T.
Completed in 1971, the garage has not been used since July 2012, when the T closed it due to structural problems, including falling chunks of concrete.
The work on the station, which began in early April with the removal of the station's bus canopy, is expected to take seven more months. Future weekend closures are likely to happen, but none are scheduled yet.
The T hopes major mixed-use development will follow on the 6.3-acre Quincy Center T property. The T and the city have given approval for Bozzuto Group of Washington, D.C., and Atlantic Development of Hingham to move ahead with half a year of due diligence to see what could be built on top of the station and on the land around it.
In a plan that would unfold over the next decade, the companies have said they intend to build 300 apartments on the lot in front of the station, followed by more apartments or commercial space on top of the station in place of the garage. The preliminary proposal, unveiled last fall, also includes an office building over the tracks next to the stop.
The six-month due-diligence period will be up in June. No one who could comment for Bozzuto could be reached on Tuesday about how the process is going, or whether an Attorney General ruling last month against the developers relating to a different Quincy project will have any effect on those plans.
Bozzuto and Atlantic received approval a year ago to build a massive project on the north Quincy T station. That development would include 610 apartments, 50,000 square feet of commercial space and 1,600 parking spaces. Because the the garage ultimately will be operated by the T, which will receive the revenue from it, the carpenter’s union successfully petitioned the attorney general’s office last month to intervene after the state agency did not go through a public bidding process for the garage work. The attorney general's office ruled the T needs to go through a public process before the work can begin.
— Reach Sean Cotter at scotter@ledger.com or 617-786-7049.
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Plus Advent Calendar Door #10: Equal averages
There are several different notions of average: the mean, the median, the mode and the range (see below for the definitions). If you work out each of these for the set of numbers 2, 5, 5, 6, 7, you'll notice something interesting — they are all equal to 5!
Can you find other sets of five positive whole numbers where mean = median = mode = range?
How many sets of five positive whole numbers are there with mean = median = mode = range = 100?
This puzzle comes from our sister site Wild maths, which encourages students to explore maths beyond the classroom and is designed to nurture mathematical creativity. Visit Wild maths for more games, investigations, stories and spaces to explore!
Return to the Plus Advent Calendar
Given a list of numbers up to (ordered by size) the mean is
The median separates the lower half of the list from the higher half. It is the middle number if there are an odd number of numbers in the list, or the number half-way between the two middle numbers if there are an even number. So, assuming that The median is
if is odd and
if is even.
The mode is the number in the list that occurs most often — which means that there can be more than one mode.
The range is the difference between the largest and the smallest number in the list:
Plus Advent Calendar Door #9: Numbers, toys and music
Manjul Bhargava (centre) with Plus editors Rachel and Marianne
Manjul Bhargava's idea of mathematics is interesting: "I think that the reasons for doing maths are similar to those for doing music or art," he says. "It's about contributing to a certain understanding of the world and ourselves." Bhargava has been described as having "extraordinary creativity" and was awarded the Fields Medal in 2014, one of the most important prizes in mathematics.
Bhargava believes that one of the keys to solving hard mathematical problems is to look at them in a new way: he famously solved an old number theory problem by visualising it as a Rubik's cube. You can meet him and his work on Wild Maths, and find out more detail in the Plus articles Revealing numbers and Answers on a donut, and listen to our interview with him from 2014.
Wild Maths encourages students to explore maths beyond the classroom and is designed to nurture mathematical creativity. The site is aimed at 7 to 16 year-olds, but open to all. It provides games, investigations, stories and spaces to explore, where discoveries are to be made. Some have starting points, some a big question and others offer you a free space to investigate.
Plus Advent Calendar Door #8: The Königsberg movie
We've read the book. We've bought the T-shirt. And now, finally, here it is: the movie of one of our favourite maths problems, the bridges of Königsberg. Though admittedly, we made it ourselves. We learnt several interesting lessons in the process. For example that a bin doesn't make a good supporting character and that people who shouldn't be in the frame should get out of it. But other than that, we're well on course for an Oscar! And we believe that the solution to this problem is a true example of mathematical creativity.
You can read more about the bridges of Königsberg here.
This video was inspired by content on our sister site Wild Maths, which encourages students to explore maths beyond the classroom and is designed to nurture mathematical creativity. The site is aimed at 7 to 16 year-olds, but open to all. It provides games, investigations, stories and spaces to explore, where discoveries are to be made. Some have starting points, some a big question and others offer you a free space to investigate.
Plus Advent Calendar Door #7: A gaping hole
Can you cut up an old playing card to make a hole big enough to walk through?
Have a go! If you struggle, visit Wild Maths, where you can get some ideas and also find other things to do with paper and scissors.
Plus Advent Calendar Door #6: Guarding a gallery
Sometimes a piece of mathematics can be so neat and elegant, it makes you want to shout "eureka!" even if you haven't produced it yourself. One of our favourite examples of this is the art gallery problem.
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao: hard to supervise. Image: MykReeve.
Suppose you have an art gallery containing priceless paintings and sculptures. You would like it to be supervised by security guards, and you want to employ enough of them so that at any one time the guards can between them oversee the whole gallery. How many guards will you need?
Think about this for a while (go on, it's Sunday) and once you've had enough, read about the answer and its proof here. It's pure genius!
This article was inspired by Wild Maths, which encourages students to explore maths beyond the classroom and is designed to nurture mathematical creativity. The site is aimed at 7 to 16 year-olds, but open to all. It provides games, investigations, stories and spaces to explore, where discoveries are to be made. Some have starting points, some a big question and others offer you a free space to investigate.
Plus Advent Calendar Door #5: Got it!
Got it! a game for two players. The first player chooses a whole number from 1 to 4. After that players take turns to add a whole number from 1 to 4 to the running total. The player who hits the target of 23 wins the game.
You can play the game against a friend, or against the computer using the interactivity on Wild Maths. Can you find a winning strategy? If yes, can you describe it? And what if you change the target number to something other than 23, or the numbers you are allowed to add to something other than 1 to 4?
A geometry for strings
If, as string theory suggests, the world is made of strings, then what does that mean for a geometry of points? Find out more in this video.
The PEMDAS Paradox
It looks trivial but it keeps going viral. What answer do you get when
you calculate 6÷ 2(1+2)? David Linkletter explains the source of the confusion.
Pure maths in crisis?
Proof is the essence of mathematics. But is the standard of proof in research maths really as high as mathematicians would like to believe?
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← My Oscar Nomination Predictions 2012
My Ratings of Top Films of 2011 →
My Oscar Predictions 2012
Here are my Oscar predictions in BOLD*** for 2012. The Academy Awards will be handed out this Sunday, February 26th.
“The Artist” Thomas Langmann, Producer*** (Predicted Winner)
“The Descendants” Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Scott Rudin, Producer
“The Help” Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
“Hugo” Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
“Midnight in Paris” Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
“Moneyball” Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
“The Tree of Life” Nominees to be determined
“War Horse” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
“The Artist” Michel Hazanavicius*** (Predicted Winner)
“The Descendants” Alexander Payne
“Hugo” Martin Scorsese
“Midnight in Paris” Woody Allen
“The Tree of Life” Terrence Malick
ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
Demin Bichir in “A Better Life”
George Clooney in “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”*** (Predicted Winner)
Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”
Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte in “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”*** (Predicted Winner)
Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis in “The Help”*** (Predicted Winner)
Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”
Benice Bejo in “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain in “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer in “The Help”*** (Predicted Winner)
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
“The Descendants” Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash*** (Predicted Winner)
“Hugo” Screenplay by John Logan
“The Ides of March” Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
“Moneyball” Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
“The Artist” Written by Michel Hazanavicius
“Bridesmaids” Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call” Written by J.C. Chandor
“Midnight in Paris” Written by Woody Allen*** (Predicted Winner)
“A Separation” Written by Asghar Farhadi
“Bullhead” Belgium
“Footnote” Israel
“In Darkness” Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar” Canada
“A Separation” Iran *** (Predicted Winner)
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“A Cat in Paris ” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli”
Chico & Rita “Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
“Kung Fu Panda 2” Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“Puss in Boots” Chris Miller
“Rango” Gore Verbinski*** (Predicted Winner)
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie*** (Predicted Winner)
“Real in Rio”from “Rio” Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett
Posted on February 21, 2012, in Academy Awards, Movies and tagged A Better Life, A Cat in Paris, A Separation, Aaron Sorkin, Academy Award, Alain Gagnol, ALBERT NOBBS, Alexander Payne, Annie Mumolo, Asghar Farhadi, Beau Willimon, Beginners, Belgium, Benice Bejo, BRAD PITT, Bret McKenzie, Bridesmaids, Bridget O'Connor, Brunson Green, Bullhead, Canada, Carlinhos Brown, Chico & Rita, Chris Columbus, Chris Miller, Christopher Plummer, Demin Bichir, Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Fernando Trueba, Footnote, Gary Oldman, GEORGE CLOONEY, Glenn Close, Gore Verbinski, Graham King, Grant Heslov, Hugo, In Darkness, Iran, Israel, J.C. Chandor, Janet McTeer, Javier Mariscal, Jean Dujardin, Jean-Loup Felicioli, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, JESSICA CHASTAIN, Jim Burke, Jim Rash, Jim Taylor, John Logan, Jonah Hill, Kathleen Kennedy, Kenneth Branagh, Kristen Wiig, Kung Fu Panda 2, Letty Aronson, Man or Muppet, Margin Call, MARTIN SCORSESE, Max von Sydow, Melissa McCarthy, Meryl Streep, Michael Barnathan, Michael De Luca, Michel Hazanavicius, Michelle Williams, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, Moneyball, Monsieur Lazhar, My Week with Marilyn, Nat Faxon, Nick Nolte, Octavia Spencer, Peter Straughan, Poland, Puss in Boots, Rachael Horovitz, Rango, Real in Rio, Rio, Rooney Mara, Scott Rudin, Sergio Mendes, Siedah Garrett, Stan Chervin, Stephen Tenenbaum, Steven Spielberg, Steven Zaillian, Terrence Malick, The Artist, The Descendants, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Help, The Ides Of March, The Iron Lady, The Muppets, The Tree of Life, Thomas Langmann, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Viola Davis, War Horse, Warrior, WOODY ALLEN. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
Bryce Winter | February 22, 2012 at 12:07 am
Very comprehensive!
I look forward to checking the results. 🙂
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2K Games Releasing a BioShock: Ultimate Rapture Edition On January 14th
Infinite may not be included, but you'll get your fill of Big Daddy.
Published Jan. 4, 2013, 2:48 p.m. about Bioshock
Return to Rapture and Columbia with the Bioshock: The Collection Guide!
Take a sneak peak inside the guide and revisit all three Bioshock adventures.
2013 is looking to be a big year for the BioShock franchise, as the long-awaited Infinite will be arriving for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in just under three months. But in the meantime, 2K Games is providing a great way to relieve your need for creative first-person shooting action, through the re-release of the first two games in the series.
The BioShock: Ultimate Rapture Edition features both the original game – the one that introduced you to the mysterious underwater city and the very dangerous Big Daddy – as well as its sequel, along with all the downloadable content for each game and never-before-seen concept art and character models. The package is being priced at $29.99 and will release for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
It's a significant value, especially considering that the DLC itself is priced at just over $40. And who knows, you might just take a liking to the BioShock 2 multiplayer. Well, maybe…
Hear about the latest Bioshock guides, exclusive content, and amazing offers!
Official Strategy Guides for Bioshock
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Top 50 Video Game Weapons of All Time
Kill mutants, aliens and other freaks with maximum stopping power.
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The most memorable scenes from some of the greatest games, including Bioshock, Halo and Red Dead Redemption.
The Legacy of BioShock and Why Infinite Will Live Up To the Original
It's been a long road for Irrational Games' follow-up, but we feel that it'll fit right in with the rhythm of the series. Here's why.
What If BioShock Had Been Rendered Using the CryEngine 3? An Artist Finds Out…
Some wonderful work done as a simple side project.
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You searched for: Contributor Hennepin County Library Remove constraint Contributor: Hennepin County Library Subject Headings Library Buildings Remove constraint Subject Headings: Library Buildings Physical Format Slides (photographs) Remove constraint Physical Format: Slides (photographs) Location City of Minneapolis Remove constraint Location: City of Minneapolis
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1. Linden Hills Branch, Minneapolis Public Library, Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Children's Room of the Linden Hills branch of Minneapolis Public Library. The branch moved into this building at 2900 West Forty-third Street in 1931, with a stock of 10,000 books. In 2000 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Slides (photographs)
Interior of the Linden Hills branch of the Minneapolis Public Library, from the Reading Room looking toward Adult Non-Fiction and entrance. The branch moved into this building at 2900 West Forty-third Street in 1931, with a stock of 10,000 books. In 2000 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Interior of the Linden Hills branch of the Minneapolis Public Library, showing the Adult Fiction section looking toward the circulation desk. The branch moved into this building at 2900 West Forty-third Street in 1931, with a stock of 10,000 books. In 2000 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Interior of the Linden Hills branch of the Minneapolis Public Library, showing the Adult Fiction section. The branch moved into this building at 2900 West Forty-third Street in 1931, with a stock of 10,000 books. In 2000 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Slides (photographs)[remove]
City of Minneapolis[remove]
Library Buildings[remove]
Hennepin County Library[remove]
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Re-sounding images: sound and image in an audiovisual age
Chua, Collin (2007) Re-sounding images: sound and image in an audiovisual age. PhD thesis, Murdoch University.
PDF - Front Pages
PDF - Whole Thesis
This dissertation examines the evolving articulation of sound and image in contemporary culture, with particular reference to film. It argues that sound and image have undergone a historical machined separation, followed by a machined fusion or recombination. The machined fusion of sound and image has enabled the creation of soundful images, which are more than simply the sum of their parts. Through the infusion of sound, images are now routinely reinforced with a performed sense of presence, where they are made to sound more real, more powerful, more authentic. Through association with the image, sounds are reinforced to the extent of becoming 'realer than real'. By tracing the history of sound and image from their initial machined separation to their subsequent machined fusion, it will be argued that a new relationship has been created that has shaped an influential new mode of communication and perception.
Thesis (PhD)
School of Media, Communication and Culture
Phillips, Gail
http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/657
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It Follows: New Horror or Love Story?
On August 2, 2015 By R. PettyIn Movies
When It Follows came out, I was excited. EW gave it rave reviews as a great horror movie. Scary even. Audiences loved it. It won multiple awards at film festivals. The hype made me want to see it even more. This week, I watched it and came to this conclusion: It’s not a horror movie.
Photo from: http://www.empireonline.com
Here’s why: (contains spoilers)
It’s a twisted love story, not horror.
It Follows is no more of a horror movie than Warm Bodies, which is listed as comedy, romance, horror. IMDB lists It Follows as horror, mystery, thriller, but I can’t figure out why. Just because you have horror/supernatural elements, it doesn’t make it a horror movie. The main character and her “Duckie” end up together after struggles and hardships. He has to prove his love to her, and she has to accept it. I interpreted the ending as they commit to one another to destroy the curse, or at least find an escape. They don’t live happily ever after, but they find love and acceptance.
If it’s not a love story, it’s a coming-of-age movie.
This movie focuses on the main character’s self-esteem and coming to terms with who she is. She starts out dreamy and vibrant, and throughout the movie, the curse tries to destroy her. Sure, it comes after her in a physical sense, but it also mentally forces her to deal with her decisions. She’s 19 but seems disconnected from the world. Once her friends and family become involved, the film evolves into a strange adventure. Through her experiences and trials, she grows up, and almost everyone survives. She learns to love someone, accept herself, and carry on.
It wasn’t scary.
I read many reviews about the fear factor. Reviewers and websites called it “different and scary.” Different, yes. Scary, no. If you’re scared of catching an STD, it may scare you. If you’re safe, then it’s “scariness” is lame and nonexistent. I’ve scared myself more hearing a weird noise at home. The movie lacks eeriness, suspense, mystery, jump scenes and build up. The basics of an effective horror movie are absent or barely touched upon.
Only one person dies.
Ok, I know horror doesn’t have to be all blood and gore, but it does help if people die. I understand the psychological horror, however you’d think a curse stalking people would kill its prey. The one guy who dies goes quickly – in a sick way – but all you see is his blue, lifeless face. Also, there’s no blood. The movie does pay homage to many old-school horror movies, but the absence of blood makes it stick out. Old-school horror movies loved blood and guts, so if a movie pays homage to them, it should too.
With all that said, I did enjoy the movie. It was shot extremely well. The director did a fantastic job of combining art with film without feeling artsy. I loved Yara (Olivia Luccardi), the odd best friend who gets shot and just sits there and takes it. She was the best character in the movie, and she added a fun element. There were several plot holes, and at times it was confusing, but I’m glad I saw it. It Follows is worth a watch if you want to stay current, but if you want a good horror movie, skip this one.
We welcome a good debate, so if you feel it is a horror movie, feel free to share your comments below!
horror moviesmovie review
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3 thoughts on “It Follows: New Horror or Love Story?”
Slatethesilverscreen
Ive not seen this yet but really want to, your review makes it sound really interesting. Ill bare it in mind when I do get round to seeing it! Thanks for sharing
R. Petty
You’re welcome, and thanks for the follow! I’ll return, and let us know what you think if you check it out 🙂
Thanks a lot. Will do!
August 2, 2015 at 12:14 pm Reply
Leave a Reply to Slatethesilverscreen Cancel reply
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Buy Media Virus! on AmazonBuy Media Virus! on Barnes & NobleBuy Media Virus!on iTunesBuy Media Virus!on BAM!Buy Media Virus!on Powells
The media has been getting a bad rap lately. Everything from CNN and The Power Rangers to Rikki Lake has been branded as threatening to the fabric of civilization as the Soviet Empire, homosexuality, and jazz were in the not-so-distant past. I have endeavoured to prove here that, in spite of our fears, media is itself becoming the new fabric of our civilization, and stands a chance of restoring the long-forgotten privileges of participation, tolerance, and community.
Take the O.J. Simpson media trial. From the beginning — as far as the viewing public was concerned — this media blitz had nothing to do with whether O.J. actually killed anybody. That was a flesh and blood event between some people in Brentwood we’ve never met. What this book would call the O.J. Simpson media virus, on the other hand, is about us. It’s about our inability to discuss spousal abuse, interracial marriage, or a court system that provides justice only for the wealthy. It’s about a culture in such a delicately balanced equilibrium of co-dependency that it doesn’t know what guilt really means anymore. It’s about how presidents, policemen, and now, finally, sports heros are exposed as false idols and inappropriate role models.
Media events as banal as those on Hard Copy and explicit as those on Court TV titilate us for a reason. We can condemn them as “sensationalist” and repress our natural curiosity, but this would be as worthwhile as spanking ourselves for having sexy or murderous dreams. The imagery has emerged from the psychic shadows — it is not controlling us any more than our dreams do, but neither can we attempt to control it without suffering the consequences. Dream deprivation leads to psychosis in an individual; I’d hate to find out what it would do to a culture. But if we embrace this seeming darkness (as Carl Jung would recommend) and attempt to reckon with its messengers, we stand a chance of learning a lot more about ourselves in the process.
That’s what I’ve attempted to do with this book. It’s about time we either forgive ourselves for our fascination with A Current Affair and COPS, or quit congratulating ourselves for not watching them. (Everybody else is.) These sorts of programs, bottom feeders though they may be, are also responsible for expressing the thoughts and opinions we’ve grown too bigotted or, worse, too politically correct to express ourselves. Even in the United Kingdom, mainstream respectable newspapers are finally questioning the legitimacy of the British Monarchy, but thanks only to the efforts of the much reviled tabloids that exposed scandals like Camillagate and late-night telephone tapes. No, Lady Di was probably not the first princess to suffer from an eating dissorder, nor was Charles the first prince to talk dirty to someone other than his wife, but we have finally spawned — through sheer force of our commercial will — a set of media channels up to (or down to) the task of mining for these gems.
The instantaneous quality of today’s media provides us with relatively uncensored, direct feed from the front, wherever that may be. More significantly, its speed and distribution allow for participatory, culture-wide events to unfold in the present tense. History becomes now.
This is why the truly magical, dreamlike moment of the O.J. debacle was not the trial, nor the murder itself, nor any of the TV movies that are sure to follow, nor even the media covering the media about the media’s intrusion on the courtroom. No, the transcendent scene that launched the O.J. virus into public consciousness was the epic Bronco drive to Mom’s.
Were the image in a film, it would be criticized as too blatantly symbolic. Not only was O.J. Simpson, star running back, famous airport sprinter, now running for his freedom from scores of blitzing police; not only was a black man, accused during his past of being co-opted by white society, now fleeing from “the man” from within his white Ford; not only was this icon of disenfranchisement heading, for ultimate primal comfort, to his own dear mother; not only was this entire scene occurring in eerily post-modern slow motion as the entire motorcade crawled along the highway in the gesture of a police chase but without the motive of pursuit. But also, and most importantly, we, the viewing public, participated in the event as observors and subject matter all at the same time.
The was the first time in media history that people sitting in their homes, watching an event on their TV sets, quite literally walked into their own picture tubes. Thousands of Los Angeles residents, watching the chase on television, realized that O.J. was going to pass by their homes. They ran out onto the street to cheer O.J. on and, in the process, onto their own television screens. The impact of the original image was intensified by this new form of audience participation, drawing more television viewers and, in turn, more fodder for the fleet of cameras. It was as if the theories of quantum physics were demonstrating themselves on CNN, with the viewing audience playing the scientists who find themselves under their own looking glass.
The media of Marshall Macluhan’s era was embodied by the Zapruder film, which showed a presidential assasination and history itself unfold, frame by frame, again and again, on prime time television. The O.J. Simpson chase brought us into a new era, characterized by the interdependencies and alternating roles of an audience and its media.
Even though this book was written back in the ancient history of Alan Dershowitz/Mike Tyson, Bill Clinton/Jennifer Flowers, and Menendez/Part One — as opposed to Alan Dershowitz/O.J. Simpson, Bill Clinton/Paula Jones and Menendez/Part Two — it aims to deconstruct and explain a datasphere that more explicity manifests its true nature to us every day.
Hopefully, if I’ve done my job, this book can serve as a handbook to the media of this decade, and provide us with the some of the tools necessary to navigate through an increasingly mediated world. Most of the examples I’ve used still resonate pretty strongly today, over a full year after they occurred. But if they don’t for you, don’t worry. There will be more opportunities for you to walk onto your television screen every day.
New York City, 1995
“An inspired look at how ideas are disseminated by the media and at how new concepts can be injected into the mainstream, altering views about critical social issues. The “datasphere,” says culture critic Rushkoff (Cyberia, not reviewed), is the new territory of human development, a region as “open as the globe was five hundred years ago.” Discounting fears that new media will remain the province of corporations and governments, Rushkoff maintains that they’re too complex and chaotic to be controlled by any one force. In fact, he asserts, the media replicates much like biological forms and can be manipulated to hasten our evolution. This book is a guide to empowerment through media activism; it shows how progressive notions are “injected” into the media—often with careful premeditation—via television programs like “The Simpsons” or through the recreation of events like the Rodney King beating on programs like “L.A. Law.” Rushkoff interviews young meta-media theorists who develop “designer viruses” such as the “Smart Drugs” public relations campaign (which works to legalize drugs the FDA forbids) in order to “infect” public thinking. And he shows how attempts to control the media can backfire, as happened in the 1992 Republican presidential campaign. The book has its problems: A helter-skelter style sometimes undermines the rigor of otherwise persuasive arguments, and Rushkoff is so enthusiastic about the positive power of everything from daytime talk shows to MTV that he barely acknowledges their negative effects. A more critical perspective— or an examination of the media activism of the Christian right or other cultural forces—would have given his study a critical edge it lacks. But this book will convince many that the counterculture is alive and well—and more widely dispersed than ever.”
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1 oz 2014 Britannia Gold Coin
The Britannia is one of the oldest coin designs in the world. Dating back to Roman times, the first century A.D., and then reappearing on the farthing in 1672 and every British monarch's coinage ever since, it is easily one of the most recognizable designs of all time. Britannia was originally a Roman personification of the country of Britain (a regular custom for the Romans), but since about the second century A.D. has been referred to as a goddess, most often of the sea. Although the reverse design of this more recent bullion coin changes every year and is sometimes standing, sometimes sitting, one thing remains the same, this "Lady of the Sea" stands as a reminder of the history of her heritage.
The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II and the script "'Elizabeth 'II' D'G Reg' Fid' Def' 100 'Pounds". Both sides of this coin also feature a patterned border with "dentils" (the name for an architectural feature that is often used at the termination of beams in the ancient and Renaissance buildings).
The reverse bears the design of Phillip Nathan and features a standing Britannia, with her hair blowing in the wind and her gaze fixed to the sea. She is wearing a helmet with a highly pronounced plume that evokes the design used by the Romans. She carries a trident in her right hand and in her left an olive branch and a shield bearing the Union Jack. The entire design is encircled by the dentil design and the words "Britannia 2014 1 oz 9999 Fine Gold". The coin also bears the artist's last name, Nathan, rather than the typical initials.
Since 2013 Britannias are made from 9999 pure gold although previously they were 917 pure gold. The Britannia and its heritage are a testament to the continuity of the Royal Mint. They are great for both stackers and collectors alike.
This coin comes with a coin capsule. Some coins may have developed minor spots of tarnish.
Country GB
Manufacturer Royal Mint
Obverse Ian Rank-Broadley Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II and the words "'Elizabeth 'II' D'G Reg' Fid' Def' 100 'Pounds"
Reverse A Standing Britannia with shield, trident and olive branch and the words "Britannia 2014 1 oz 999.9 Fine Gold" and the artist's last name (Nathan)
Legal Tender GBP 100
Designer Ian Rank-Broadley (obverse), Phillip Nathan (reverse)
Ian Rank-Broadley Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II and the words "'Elizabeth 'II' D'G Reg' Fid' Def' 100 'Pounds"
A Standing Britannia with shield, trident and olive branch and the words "Britannia 2014 1 oz 999.9 Fine Gold" and the artist's last name (Nathan)
Ian Rank-Broadley (obverse), Phillip Nathan (reverse)
1 oz 2014 Britannia Gold Coin The Britannia is one of the oldest coin designs in the world. Dating back to Roman times, the first century A.D., and then reappearing on the farthing in 1672 and every British monarch's coinage ever since, it is easily one of the most recognizable designs of all time. Britannia was originally a Roman personification of the country of Britain (a regular custom for the Romans), but since about the second century A.D. has been referred to as a goddess, most often of the sea. Although the reverse design of this more recent bullion coin changes every year and is sometimes standing, sometimes sitting, one thing remains the same, this "Lady of the Sea" stands as a reminder of the history of her heritage. The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II and the script "'Elizabeth 'II' D'G Reg' Fid' Def' 100 'Pounds". Both sides of this coin also feature a patterned border with "dentils" (the name for an architectural feature that is often used at the termination of beams in the ancient and Renaissance buildings). The reverse bears the design of Phillip Nathan and features a standing Britannia, with her hair blowing in the wind and her gaze fixed to the sea. She is wearing a helmet with a highly pronounced plume that evokes the design used by the Romans. She carries a trident in her right hand and in her left an olive branch and a shield bearing the Union Jack. The entire design is encircled by the dentil design and the words "Britannia 2014 1 oz 9999 Fine Gold". The coin also bears the artist's last name, Nathan, rather than the typical initials. Since 2013 Britannias are made from 9999 pure gold although previously they were 917 pure gold. The Britannia and its heritage are a testament to the continuity of the Royal Mint. They are great for both stackers and collectors alike.
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Home > News > IEA SHC News
Regional Sustainable Energy Centres join IEA SHC
The UNIDO-coordinated Regional Sustainable Energy Centres will become sponsor members of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling programme, a decision made by the IEA SHC Executive Committee at a meeting in Austria in early June. Seven Regional Centres for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency have already started operations, two of them - ECREEE and RCREEE (see table below) – were already sponsors of IEA SHC.
Read the Latest Edition - Solar Heat Worldwide 2019
The solar heating and cooling markets show a reversing trend. The majority of the largest markets outside of China saw demand increase for the first time since 2015. This trend change is due to several factors – improved cost-competitiveness of solar thermal systems, rising interest among commercial and industrial clients, and clean air policies.
Go-to-market strategies for industrial solar heat
Within the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme, preparations have been made to establish a new international research platform focusing on nearly market-ready technology and processes for industrial solar heat (SHIP) with temperatures of up to about 400 °C.
Solar Award Nominations are Open
The Solar Heating and Cooling Award of the IEA SHC Programme celebrates the success of those working to increase the market impact of this renewable energy source.
SHC 2019: Call for papers open until February 28
In 2019, the International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry (SHC) will again take place together with the ISES Solar World Congress (SWC).
Artur Bobovnický Presentation to IEA's TCP National Coordination Day
Artur Bobovnický, our ExCo member from Slovakia, shared why our work is important and the value of participating in the SHC TCP with the Czech audience at the IEA’s TCP National Co-ordination Day hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic and the Technology Platform “Sustainable Energy for the Czech Republic” (TPUE).
Water-Energy Nexus in Industrial Sector
Water and energy are the most important resources globally. The term ‘water-energy nexus’ was coined to underline their close connection, and the phrase has become increasingly popular with international environmental organisations.
Daniel Mugnier Is New IEA SHC Chairman
The new chair of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme, also known as IEA SHC, will be Daniel Mugnier, a leading expert in solar cooling. Mugnier, who heads the R&D department at French-based Tecsol, was elected during an executive committee meeting in Stockholm on 21 June and will hold the position for two years.
On-site collector testing: new standard in development
Once a large solar field is set up at its designated location, what tests can be conducted to show that it performs as expected? Soon, the IEA Solar Heating & Cooling Programme may have an answer to this question, as it is working on internationalising Denmark’s testing procedure.
Hot off the press - Solar Heat Worldwide 2018
With 472 gigawatt thermal (GWth) installed at the end of 2017, solar heating and cooling was again the largest solar sector worldwide followed by Photovoltaics (402 GWp) and Concentrating Solar Power (5 GWel). The new report, Solar Heat Worldwide, highlights as well the increasing use of megawatt solar heating and cooling solutions for large public and private buildings as well as factories. The annual report was launched at the end of May by the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC). Lead author is the Austrian research institute AEE INTEC. With data from 66 countries, it is the most comprehensive annual evaluation of solar heating and cooling markets worldwide. In 2016, the global solar thermal sector employed 708,000 people and reached a global turnover of EUR 16 billion (USD 19.2 billion).
How to approach green construction in the tropical zone
While nearly zero energy projects in Europe focus on reducing heat demand, green buildings in tropical Singapore require lower cooling loads. To study and discuss methods to meet cooling needs, construction and energy experts from all around the world met in Singapore in late October for a two-day workshop organised by the Building & Construction Authority Singapore (BCA) and the IEA’s Buildings and Communities Programme (EBC).
SHC / SWC 2017: Twelve Experts Highlight Success Stories on Tape
The 12 video interviews that solarthermalworld.org recorded at the joint conference outlined trends in today's global solar heating and cooling sector and highlighted policy fields where urgent action is required. The videos were financed by the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme and the European Copper Association.
Abu Dhabi’s SHC 2017 Conference: Largest experts’ meeting on integrated solar heating and cooling
500 experts from more than 50 countries attended the 5th International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from 30 October to 2 November 2017. It was the first time that this biennial conference by the IEA’s Solar Heating and Cooling Programme had been organised jointly with the Solar World Congress by the International Solar Energy Society (ISES).
IEA SHC Solar Award 2017 – Austria’s Climate and Energy Fund wins for large-scale solar thermal plant subsidy program
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 3 November 2017. The Climate and Energy Fund of Austria wins the International Energy Agency Solar Heating Programme (IEA SHC) SHC SOLAR AWARD. The Climate and Energy Fund challenged how subsidies are implemented. Its national support program for large-scale solar thermal plants in commercial applications is based on a 3-pronged approach – financial and technical support, quality assurance and communication.
Sweden’s Solar Heat Market on Hold
The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) programme has recently updated its country report on Sweden’s solar thermal industry, pointing out the increasing competition with other energy technologies and the factors exacerbating the decline in sales.
SHC Solar Award: Five Finalists with Successful Support Policies
Administrators of successful solar thermal support schemes are in the focus of this year’s Solar Award of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC). The jury has chosen five finalists, of which one will receive the SHC Solar Award during the IEA SHC’s joint conference with ISES Solar World Congress (SWC 2017) in Abu Dhabi on 1 November 2017.
IEA SHC: New Task to Use Solar Energy for Water Treatment
On 18 September, there will be a definition meeting for a new task called Solar Energy in Industrial Water Management in Gleisdorf, Austria. The initiator of this international research project within the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme is Christoph Brunner from Austrian organisation AEE INTEC.
The Second Solar Academy Webinar on Solar Heating for Industrial Processes Held
The second Solar Academy Webinar on Solar Heating for Industrial Processes was held July 6, 2017 with presentation from Christoph Brunner, Pedro Horta and Bärbel Epp.
IEA SHC: New Task to Push Emerging PVT Industry
Inventors and start-ups have been trying to combine photovoltaic and solar thermal collectors into one product for many years. Finally, a new industry seems to be emerging.
2017 SHC Solar Award -- Call for Nominations
The SHC Solar Award of the IEA SHC Programme celebrates the work of those committed to increasing the expansion of this renewable energy source.
IEA SHC: New PVT System Enhancement Research
After seven years, the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) is planning to launch another international research cooperation on PVT technology. PVT includes panels which combine photovoltaics and solar thermal into one unit either as glazed or unglazed systems.
Qatar: Gulf Region’s Sustainability Experts Meet IEA’s Solar Heating and Cooling Specialists
About 400 industry stakeholders met in the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Doha in early November to attend the first Green Expo Forum organised by the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD).
Save the Date: SHC 2017 Conference together with ISES Solar World Congress 2017 - October 29 - November 2
The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme and the International Solar Energy Society, ISES are very pleased to announce that their next international conferences, the Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry Conference (SHC 2017) and the ISES Solar World Congress 2017 (SWC 2017) will be held together.
TASK 45 / 55: Guidelines on How to Design Seasonal Storage
Seasonal storage is a key component in the transformation of today’s energy industry. Besides storing energy in summer for heating in winter, it can also be used to save waste heat from the industry and to increase the electricity production from biomass CHP plants.
SHC 2015 Proceedings Now Online
The SHC 2015 Conference Proceedings are now online. You can view the papers here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18766102/91
Slovakia: Newest Member Country of IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme
Slovakia is the first country from Eastern Europe to join the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC).
China: Challenges and Opportunities of World’s Largest Solar Thermal Market
Reduced real estate investment has been the key reason for the strong decline of China’s solar thermal market. In 2015, the collector area installed annua
IEA SHC Publishes 2016 Edition of its Seminal Report -- Solar Heat Worldwide
The International Energy Agency, Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) released the 2016 edition of its report on the global status of the solar thermal heating and cooling market.
IEA SHC Solar Award – Brau Union Austria wins for putting the sun in beer
The Green Brewery Göss wins the International Energy Agency Solar Heating Programme (IEA SHC) SHC SOLAR AWARD. Brewery Göss has taken the path-breaking decision to use renewable energy for all its processes and now runs a 100% renewable energy production process. The Master Brewer, Mr. Andreas Werner, received the award on behalf of the brewery at Gleisdorf SOLAR 2016 in Gleisdorf, Austria.
International Solar Energy Society Joins IEA SHC
The IEA SHC Programme welcomes the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) as its newest Sponsor member.
Harmonizing Hashtags in Your Posts
Three major solar heating and cooling institutions – the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF), the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) and solarthermalworld.org – have started a campaign to harmonize SHC hashtags on social media.
SHC2015: “Participants were very confident about the future of solar thermal”
Yesilata was the scientific chair of the international solar thermal conference SHC2015, which took place in Istanbul at the beginning of December 2015. Solarthermalworld.org spoke with him about the challenges and the highlights of the conference.
ISES Joins SHC as a New Sponsor Member
The International Solar Energy Society (ISES) has joined the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme as a Sponsor member with Dr. David Renne as the ExCo member and Jenny Macintosh as the ExCo alternate.
Germany: One Week, Three Global Solar Certification and Standardisation Meetings in Berlin
Between 8 and 11 March, Berlin will be the venue of choice for standard and certification experts from all corners of the globe.
Solar Heating & Cooling Technology News & Trends
The International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry, SHC 2015, in Istanbul brought together 233 researchers, industry specialists and other experts on solar heating and cooling. To capture some of the conference highlights solarthermalworld.org videotaped 14 interviews. The videos were jointly financed by the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling (IEA SHC) Programme and the European Copper Association. They are available for download on the IEA SHC website, www.iea-shc.org and the Solarthermalworld.org YouTube channel.
IEA SHC: 20 Country Profile Analyse Market and Industry Development
The country portraits deliver a comprehensive view on the market, including latest sales volumes, an analysis of major market drivers and barriers, a view into the national supply chain, some figures on system costs and political frame conditions, as well as a chapter on current innovations in the solar heating and cooling industry. The following text includes some of the figures from the UK country portrait and the latest statistics on the Domestic RHI delivered by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, Ofgem.
Position Paper: Actions Needed to Pave Way for Net Zero Energy Buildings
Whether newly built or retrofitted, whether office building or single-family home - all types of premises can become NetZEBs. Still, the position paper considers low-energy single-family homes and low-rise buildings in moderate climate zones to be the most feasible building type to fulfil net zero-energy standards. Despite the term incorporating several design ideas, the international research community did agree on one precise definition stating that a NetZEB is a building that “achieves an annual balance of energy supply and demand economically through interactions with electricity grids or other utilities, such as community energy systems.” The impact on the grid should be minimised, but can be used to reduce the costs of expensive thermal or electric storage systems which balance seasonal and daily variations of demand and supply.
SHC Posts New Position Paper on Polymeric Materials for Solar Thermal Applications
The IEA SHC Position Paper on Polymeric Materials for Solar Thermal Applications is now online. This position paper describes the current state of the art for polymeric materials in solar thermal applications, shows the potential of polymers in solar thermal applications, and encourages further R&D activities.
SHC 2014 Conference Proceedings Available Online
Energy Procedia has published our SHC 2014 conference proceedings. Download for free over 90 papers.
IEA SHC Solar Heat Worldwide - 2015 Edition!
Annual collector yield of all systems in operation by the end of 2013 was 314 TWh (= 1,129 PJ). This equals an energy savings equivalent of 33.7 million tons of oil and 109 million tons of CO2...
SHC 2014 Annual Report is Now Online
I’m happy to report that the SHC 2014 Annual Report is now available online. Please have a look. The Feature Article is on Non-Residential Solar Building Renovation: The Potential, Opportunities and Barriers.
SHC Book Series
IEA SHC Programme is collaborating with Wiley to publish a book series on a diverse array of solar heating and cooling topics. Order books here.
IEA SHC Partnering with ISO TC 180 Solar Energy
This liaison creates a clear path for IEA SHC results to be implemented in ISO standards. “Measuring the solar resources available for solar applications is an important goal of this partnership,” says Ms. Erandi Chandrasekare, Secretary of ISO TC180 “As well as improving the performance of solar heating and cooling systems by standardizing the measurements of performance, reliability and durability.”
Collection of Solar Energy and Architecture Case Studies
A free online database of 50 projects from 11 countries highlights how active and passive solar can decrease energy demand and enhance a building's architectural quality.
Solar Update May 2015 Now Online
The latest issue of the IEA SHC Programme’s newsletter, Solar Update is now online. This issue has articles covering a variety to topics ranging from the SHC 2015 Conference, Turkey, Lighting Retrofit, Process Heat Integration, Task 47, Task 40, Netherlands, SHC Book Series, ISO Partnerships, and New Publications.
Solar Update October 2014 Now Online
The latest issue of the IEA SHC Programme’s newsletter, Solar Update is now online. This issue has articles covering a variety to topics ranging from the SHC 2014 Conference, Solar Award, Solar Cooling, Solar + Heat Pumps, Urban Planning, Global Certification and more.
International Award to Pioneering French Solar Municipality
13 October 2014, Beijing. The International Energy Agency Solar Heating Programme (IEA SHC) presented its 2014 SHC SOLAR AWARD to the City of Montmélian, now officially called Montmélian la Solaire, which has been a solar thermal pioneer for more than 30 years. The Mayor, Mrs. Béatrice Santais, received the award on behalf of city at the International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry in Beijing, China.
New Solar Cooling Book Published
New books on solar cooling demonstrate how solar cooling technology is being applied and highlights results from the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme’s work in this field (SHC Task 48: Quality Assurance & Support Measures for Solar Cooling Systems. The book “Solar Cooling: The Earthscan Expert Guide to Solar Cooling Systems“ was published on June 25.
2014 Video Competition for Solar Thermal Researchers
Solarthermalworld.org’s second video competition for solar thermal researchers (supported by ESTIF and EUREC Agency) is underway, which is a great opportunity to increase the visibility of your work.
Press Release: Solar Heating Saves Over 79 Million Tons of CO2 Annually
Gleisdorf, Austria 8 July 2014. The International Energy Agency, Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) released their latest statistics on worldwide solar heating and cooling. With a growth of 9.4% in 2012, the installed capacity of solar collectors reached 269 GWth. The collectors provided 228 TWh of solar thermal energy, thus saving 79 million tons of CO2 emissions.
IEA SHC Programme Elects Australian Ken Guthrie as Chairman
10 June 2014. Australian sustainable energy expert, Ken Guthrie, has been elected Chair of the Executive Committee of the International Energy Agency’s Solar Heating and Cooling Program (IEA SHC) for the next two years.
Solar Update February 2014 Now Online
The latest issue of the IEA SHC Programme’s newsletter, Solar Update is now online. This issue has articles covering a variety to topics ranging from solar thermal activities in Canada to lighting retrofits to SHC publications to download and read.
World’s Largest Solar District Heating Plant Begins Operation in February
Dronninglund Solar District Heating Plant in Denmark is now established: 37,000 m² collectors (26 MWth) and 60,000 m3 seasonal storage.
Press Release: SHC 2013 ends on a high note: Solar heating and cooling has big role to play in buildings and industry
SHC 2013, the 2nd International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry ended today in Freiburg, Germany.
Press Release: SHC SOLAR AWARD 2013 to Drake Landing Company – 52 homes heated with 98% solar
24 September 2013. The IEA Solar Heating Programme (IEA SHC) has presented its 2013 SHC SOLAR AWARD to the Drake Landing Company from Canada, comprised of four organizations – United Communities (developer), Sterling Homes (builder), ATCO Gas (utility), and the Town of Okotoks (municipality)...
Press Release: SHC 2013 opens: Solar Heating and Cooling takes centre stage at international conference in Freiburg, Germany
SHC 2013, the 2nd International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry opens today in Freiburg, Germany.
Press Release: Fraunhofer ISE Showcases Product Innovations at Exhibition
An exhibition taking place in front of the Congress Center Concert Hall in Freiburg between September 23 and 25 unveils how solar collectors manufactured from plastic may look in the future.
Press Release: Solar Thermal Energy Week in Germany’s Black Forest
This September, Germany’s Black Forest will be the top spot for solar thermal experts from all around the world...
Solar Award Nominations Due April 1
Don't miss the deadline to submit your nominations for the 2013 Solar Award.
12 April 2013: Australian Solar Cooling 2013 Conference
15 March 2013. The Australian Solar Cooling Interest Group (ausSCIG) supported by the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Airconditioning and Heating (AIRAH) will hold its 2013 solar cooling conference at CSIRO’s North Ryde Auditorium on Friday April 12, 2013.
SHC Solar Award 2013 - Call for Nomination
For over 30 years, the International Energy Agency’s Solar Heating & Cooling (SHC) Programme has worked to expand the use of solar energy for heating and cooling.
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[Arashi] Aiba - TV Guide PLUS vol. 22 - Spring 2016
I still have the TV Life series on the individual Shiyagare segments left to do (and promise to finish), but I couldn't resist translating this one first because it's an interview with the producer for Aiba Manabu. I always love hearing what the staff they work with have to say about the members and this is no different, especially considering Aiba Manabu is my favourite solo program of the group. It's also really interesting to see how he says some very similar things to what the Shiyagare director for Aiba's segment had said previously.
Feel free to leave a comment with your own thoughts. Enjoy!
Aiba - TV Guide PLUS vol. 22 - Spring 2016
"Aiba Manabu"
Aiba Masaki's first starring variety show will soon be headed towards its fourth year. With "Revitalizing Japan!!" as its motto, what's it like behind the scenes of this show which seeks to convey the unknown magnificence of Japan?
Producer: Takahashi Nobuyuki
With a hand in numerous shows, he currently produces "Aiba Manabu" as well as "Ichi kara juu ~zenryaku, ijuushimashita~" which airs every Sunday evening at 6:30.
He treats all staff equally well
"Aiba Manabu" has almost aired for three full years since its start. Its first episode in 2016 was a first-ever special for the show which sees them continuing to tackle new exciting challenges. In order to find out how "Aiba Manabu" will turn out from this point on, we've approached Takahashi Nobuyuki, the producer of the show. Takahashi-san had actually worked with Aiba Masaki once before in the past.
"We worked together on the drama 'My Girl' before. I'm sure he was nervous because it was his first starring drama, but I remember thinking to myself how he really is a wonderful person after seeing the way he was always taking what he should be doing as the lead of the team into consideration while he was on the set. And when we reunited for 'Aiba Manabu', the consideration Aiba-san showed for those around him and the way he energized the entire set was just fantastic. I got the sense that he had become an even more amazing person after taking in different experiences and had become even cooler than before. He used to have this cuteness about him in the past, but 'cool' has really become a fitting term for him now. Even as a guy myself, I'm enchanted by him when I watch him at work (laugh)."
One particular aspect to his attentiveness truly highlights Aiba's warm and genuine personality.
"He pays attention to all of the staff irregardless of their position or occupation. I'm sure that in his mind, Aiba-kun thinks of them all as fellow colleagues who are working together with him. Normally, it's not common for the stars to talk to the younger staff on set, but Aiba-kun actually goes out of his way to strike up conversations with young ADs. I think it becomes a significant source of motivation for the young ones, and it also boosts morale during shoots. The same goes for Watabe (Ken)-san and Sawabe (Yu)-kun. It's honestly so much fun on set, and everyone on the team are always looking forward to the next shoot."
It's true that whenever we pay a visit to report on a "Aiba Manabu" shoot, they're always all smiles and going about their work with a lot of energy. We're sure that serves as the driving force which leads to their new projects.
"We basically have a weekly meeting where us staff take the ideas provided to us by the writers and sit down to have a discussion, figure out how many of them should be picked up as program topics and then begin researching. After researching and hunting for locations to a certain extent, we present the results in the meeting and announce which ones we think are doable, and then decide which ones we'll do or won't do. The theme of our show is to 'learn' about Japan, so we're always keeping in mind which topics match the current period of time, what sort of scenery is unique only to that particular season, or just things that have never been done before. But among all that, we also have a few topics that were born purely from the perspective of wanting to see Aiba-kun do certain things as well. Further taking the overall balance into consideration as we construct the episode line-up is the usual way of doing things. One thing we're very grateful for is despite being such a busy person himself, he's always giving his all even with the tougher shoots or the topics with bigger workloads. That's precisely why we keep coming up with all kinds of different projects. We still have many topics in stock, though they haven't taken shape as yet."
And it seems they don't disclose the project details to Aiba until one or two days before filming.
"We don't actually explain the details to Aiba-kun until the day of the shoot. If we tell him you must say this or you must do that, it ends up feeling too planned and we lose the freshness of that first reaction, I think. That is why we try not to give him too many details and pretty much only disclose the general gist."
Turning it into a deeper show that makes new discoveries
Up until now, they've produced numerous famous projects and series, but it comes as no surprise that the show's first-ever one-hour special left a deep impression on Takahashi-san.
"In the beginning, we were actually thinking of doing a special based on our ekiben series. But once we gave some thought on doing it for real, we realized that traveling down the Arakawa river gave us more to work with. We can go gather ingredients, go fishing, and also go visit nearby factories. Speaking of which, the day we had originally set for the location shoot to take place was supposed to have really bad weather, so we had to move the date forward at the last minute. But in the end, the day on which we set out for the shoot turned out to be extremely cold... the original planned date was actually a bit warmer (laugh). From what I remember, it was the coldest day of this winter season. We were in a boat filming them going down the river, but I'm sure Aiba-kun and the others were even colder considering they were closer to the river than we were. Not only that, it started raining in the middle of the shoot... but he pulled through for us despite the harsh conditions. His sense of professionalism is incredible. Now that I think about it, never once has Aiba-kun ever told us he can't do it, or that it's impossible."
Furthermore, Takahashi-san analyzes Aiba's appeal in variety shows as such.
"No matter which show he's in, he always has a strong presence as Aiba Masaki. I'm sure there's a large number of people among the viewers who wish to see 'Aiba-kun as he is', but Aiba-kun himself isn't being manipulative or purposely acting a certain way because he knows that's what they want to see. He's very consistent, yet he's able to bring some variation as well. Among all that, I think he gives off an even more natural sense about him whenever he's on 'Aiba Manabu'. He's very candid about his emotions, so he'll say it's cold when it's cold, hot when it's hot, or yummy when it's delicious. As a whole we have quite a few difficult projects (laugh), but I'm sure he's being genuine when he's working on them. I also feel that more than anyone else, he understands what to do in order to make 'Aiba Manabu' an interesting show and works to make it happen."
The teamwork among the stars with Aiba at the core of it is also unique to this show.
"There is a really good sense of camaraderie among Aiba-kun, Watabe-san and Sawabe-kun . Above all else, they get along very well, so I hope that won't change and they'll continue to joke around like that (laugh). When the three of them are joking and smiling, it influences those who are watching to smile along with them. And on the production end of things, we hope to come up with more and more topics with new things to learn. Not just ones that make you think 'That was fun' or 'That looked delicious', but things that make you marvel and think, 'Today's topic was interesting, I really learned a lot'. I hope to produce a show which delves deeper yet presents information in an easily understood manner so the viewers can vicariously experience for themselves. Simultaneously having this "Aiba Manabu-esque" feel that we're able to establish by virtue of having Aiba-kun with us as well as a "Aiba Manabu-esque" feel stemming from the show's contents is the next challenge for us to tackle."
junaibanina
Thank you for translating. It was interesting to read. I love Aiba manabu !
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The more willing you are to travel at a moment's notice, the more opportunities you can access. Day jobs will limit travel, so will mortgages and car payments. Photojournalist Lynsey Addario recently wrote about being 7 months pregnant while on assignment in Gaza. I deeply admire her bravery and commitment to her work, but I imagine many photographers aren't willing to make such compromises. Consider your lifestyle, and how much time you're willing to spend away from home. As for myself, I'm a long-term digital nomad traveling with a suitcase and a backpack and an open mind. Being available and flexible has made a monumental difference to my career.
In February 2018, Hawaiian was rumored to be canceling its order for six A330-800s and replacing them with 787-9s.[82] It was reported that Boeing priced the aircraft at less than $115 million, and possibly less than $100 million, each; the production cost of a 787-9 is between $80 million and $90 million. Boeing Capital also released Hawaiian from three 767-300ER leases in advance; these aircraft were to be transferred to United Airlines. Initially, Hawaiian refuted it cancelled its A330-800 order, but did not dismiss a new deal with Boeing.[83] However, on March 6, 2018, Hawaiian Airlines confirmed the cancellation of the A330-800 order and the signing of a Letter of Intent with Boeing to purchase ten 787-9 aircraft, with options for an additional ten planes;[84] the deal was finalized at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2018.[85]
Meanwhile, Hawaiian Airlines also entered the new international markets of Australia and New Zealand in 1986 with one-stop services through Pago Pago International Airport. Hawaiian also aggressively grew its international charter business and pursued military transport contracts. This led to a large growth in the company's revenues and caused its inter-island service's share of revenues to shrink to just about a third of the company's total.[22]
Each transaction may only purchase a total of 9 tickets (not including infant tickets) and must contain at least 1 adult (over 16 years old), each adult may only bring 1 infant (Infant does not occupy a seat, and must be under the age of 2 while traveling.) and 1 child, or at most 3 children. Please contact our reservation & ticketing staff if you wish to book a child or infant ticket only.
The setting for the photo shoot which resulted in the slideshow was the beautiful Lin Ben Yuan Family Mansion and Garden (林本源園邸) in the Banqiao District, Taipei. It was a residence built by the Lin Ben Yuan Family, and is the country's most complete surviving example of traditional Chinese garden architecture. It can be traced back to 1847 when it was built for storing of rice crop whose location was more convenient for the increasingly wealthy Lin Ben Yuan family. A few years later, it became the family's main residence.
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You have provided a great deal of information on a subject I am really interested in. I will be researching the websites on this list. I have started my own website at http://www.davidhintzphotography.com, I have sold some of my photos on microstock websites and now looking to sell directly from my own website. Thanks for all your work on this topic. I would be interested in your comments on my site if you had the time to look at it.
Aga Szydlik is a professional culture photographer and a doctoral candidate based in South Africa. She tells us that her journey with photography started with Muay Thai (the famous Thai fight style) which she documented extensively. Based in Thailand, she able to explore South East Asia, onwards to Indonesia and South Africa. She is enthusiastic about alternative processes, analogue photography, Lomography and salt/albumin prints as well as mixed media.
Each transaction may only purchase a total of 9 tickets (not including infant tickets) and must contain at least 1 adult (over 16 years old), each adult may only bring 1 infant (Infant does not occupy a seat, and must be under the age of 2 while traveling.) and 1 child, or at most 3 children. Please contact our reservation & ticketing staff if you wish to book a child ticket only.
In August 2012, Hawaiian announced an upgrade to its economy-class inflight U.S. mainland service. Among the upgrades were a new menu, a complimentary glass of wine on lunch/dinner flights and a free tropical cocktail before landing on breakfast flights. This was in contrast to other airlines cutting back on meal service.[99] According to Hawaiian's CEO Mark Dunkerley:
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Home Physics News
A New Approach to Designing Hydrogen-Resistant Zirconium Alloys
TOPICS:EngineeringMaterials ScienceMITNanoscienceNanotechnologyPhysics
By David L. Chandler, MIT News March 29, 2016
An artist’s rendering of nuclear fuel rods in front of a colorful computational valley predicted for alloying compositions.
Researchers from MIT have developed a new approach to designing hydrogen-resistant zirconium alloys, which could be useful in nuclear reactors.
High-tech metal alloys are widely used in important materials such as the cladding that protects the fuel inside a nuclear reactor. But even the best alloys degrade over time, victims of a reactor’s high temperatures, radiation, and hydrogen-rich environment. Now, a team of MIT researchers has found a way of greatly reducing the damaging effects these metals suffer from exposure to hydrogen.
The team’s analysis focused on zirconium alloys, which are widely used in the nuclear industry, but the basic principles they found could apply to many metallic alloys used in other energy systems and infrastructure applications, the researchers say. The findings appear in the journal Physical Review Applied, in a paper by MIT Associate Professor Bilge Yildiz, postdoc Mostafa Youssef, and graduate student Ming Yang.
Hydrogen, which is released when water molecules from a reactor’s coolant break apart, can enter the metal and react with it. This leads to a reduction in the metal’s ductility, or its ability to sustain a mechanical load before fracturing. That in turn can lead to premature cracking and failure. In nuclear power plants, “the mechanical integrity of that cladding is extremely important,” Yildiz says, so finding ways to improve its longevity is a high priority.
But it turns out that the initial entry of the hydrogen atoms into the metal depends crucially on the characteristics of a layer that forms on the metal’s surface.
A coating of zirconium oxide naturally forms on the surface of the zirconium in high-temperature water, and it acts as a kind of protective barrier. If carefully engineered, this layer of oxide could inhibit hydrogen from getting into the crystal structure of the metal. Or, under other conditions, it could emit the hydrogen in gas form.
While researchers have been studying hydrogen embrittlement for decades, Yildiz says, “almost all of the work has been on what happens to hydrogen inside the metal: What are the consequences, where does it go, how does it lead to embrittlement? And we learned a lot from those studies.” But there had been very little work on how hydrogen gets inside in the first place, she says. How hydrogen can enter through this surface oxide layer, or how it can be discharged as a gas from that layer, has not been quantified.
“If we know how it enters or how it can be discharged or ejected from the surface, that gives us the ability to predict surface modifications that can reduce the rate of entry,” Yildiz says. Her team has found that it’s possible to do just that, improving the barrier’s ability to block incoming hydrogen, potentially by as much as a thousandfold.
The hydrogen has to first dissolve in the oxide layer before penetrating into the bulk of the metal beneath. But the hydrogen’s dissolution can be controlled by doping that layer — that is, by introducing atoms of another element or elements into it. The team found that the amount of hydrogen solubility in the oxide follows a valley-shaped curve, depending on the doping element’s ability to introduce electrons into the oxide layer.
“There is a certain type of doping element that minimizes hydrogen’s ability to penetrate, whereas other doping elements can introduce a maximum amount of electrons in the oxide, and facilitate the ejection of hydrogen gas right at the surface of the oxide,” says Mostafa. So being able to predict the dopants that belong to each type is the essential trick to making an effective barrier.
The team’s findings suggest two potential strategies, one aimed at minimizing hydrogen penetration and one at maximizing the ejection of hydrogen atoms that do get in.
The blocking strategy is “to target the bottom of the valley” by incorporating the right amount of an element, such as chromium, that produces this effect. The other strategy is based on different elements, including niobium, that propel hydrogen out of the oxide surface and protect the underlying zirconium alloy.
The doping could be accomplished by incorporating a small amount of the dopant metal into the initial zirconium alloy matrix, so that this in turn gets incorporated into the oxidation layer that naturally forms on the metal, the team says.
The team stresses that what they found is likely to be a general approach that can be applied to all kinds of alloys that form oxidation layers on their surfaces, as most do. Their approach could lead to improvements in longevity for alloys used in fossil fuel plants, bridges, pipelines, fuel cells, and many other applications.
“Any place you have metals exposed to high temperatures and water,” Yildiz says — for example on equipment used in oil and gas extraction — is a potential situation where this work might be applicable.
“The behavior of hydrogen has been cited by the commercial nuclear power community as perhaps the greatest challenge in nuclear reactor fuel performance under normal operating conditions, and more recently, as a safety issue under accident conditions,” says Gary Was, a professor of sustainable energy, environmental, and earth systems engineering at the University of Michigan, who was not involved in this work. The approach to the problem taken by these researchers, he says, “is unique and intriguing but as important, it is the first attempt to provide a physics-based understanding of the behavior of hydrogen in zirconium alloys.”
While this paper doesn’t yet answer all questions about this material, he says, “the approach taken by Yildez and her students raises discussion of this topic to a higher level, and will undoubtedly stimulate more research that is grounded in physics rather than empiricism.”
The work was supported by the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, and computational support was provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Publication: Mostafa Youssef, Ming Yang, and Bilge Yildiz, “Doping in the Valley of Hydrogen Solubility: A Route to Designing Hydrogen-Resistant Zirconium Alloys,” Phys. Rev. Applied, 2016, 5, 014008; doi:10.1103/PhysRevApplied.5.014008
Nanocrystalline Alloys that Meet Operational Requirements
Conceptual Nuclear Reactor Design of High Plutonium Breeding by Light Water Cooling
Defects In Metal Oxides May Be Key To Their Performance
Dual-Phase Alloys Capable of High Strength and Ductility
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Discovery May Lead to New Crack-resistant Metal Alloys
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1 Comment on "A New Approach to Designing Hydrogen-Resistant Zirconium Alloys"
NELSON SIMONSON | March 31, 2016 at 10:14 am | Reply
By maximizing the ejection of hydrogen atoms I assume this technique could be used to capture hydrogen gas for use in fuel cells, either as the primary result of a process or as a byproduct.
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South Portland, MEwww.scottdouglas.biz scott256.contently.com
Running, fitness and health writer/editor.
Writer/editor who has held senior editorial positions at Runner's World and Running Times. Author or co-author of nine books on running, fitness and health. Published in Slate, The Atlantic, The Washington Post and other members of the sedentary media.
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Something special is brewing in Maine (psst, it’s great beer)
At one of Maine’s most popular ski resorts, Sunday River, craft beer is not just an item on the menu. It’s as much of a draw to the area as the well-groomed slopes.
When you think about Maine cuisine, lobsters, red snapper hot dogs, and blueberries come to mind. But what should you wash it all down with? Maine’s thriving craft beer industry might have a suggestion or two.
Not only has Portland been named the second-best city in the country for beer drinkers the last two years by Smart Asset, ...
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Bernd Heinrich: The Natural
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10 Highest Paid TV Actors of All Time
Big name stars are a precious commodity for TV networks. Unlike movies, which require fans to travel to a theater to watch a film, televisions are found in almost every household. By just tuning in, viewers effect ratings, which then decide advertising rates. The bigger the star and show on a given network, the more money the network can earn from eager advertisers.
TV stars know this well and have been able to get some ridiculous salaries, making them some of the highest-paid entertainers on earth. For example, Oprah Winfrey, who is now the 211th richest person on earth, was paid $315 million for her final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2010. However, this list features TV actors only, so reality TV stars and talk show hosts like Winfrey, Dr. Phil, and Simon Cowell, all who make tens of millions of dollars per year for their shows, are not included.
By calculating a per episode salary, we hope to demonstrate the value that producers and networks have placed on these actors/actresses and how valuable their presence is to advertisers. In cases where salaries are equal, we looked at inflation values to determine which year the money was worth more.
This is Screen Rant's 10 Highest Paid TV Actors of all Time:
Swipe to continue
Use your keyboard arrows to navigate
Ashton Kutcher - Two and a Half Men
Salary: $755,000
It almost feels sad that, while the show was successful for eight seasons before he joined the cast, Ashton Kutcher was awarded a salary that outpaced co-star Jon Cryer by $100,000 per episode when he joined Two and a Half Men. This may be because even at over $750k, he still cost much less than former star Charlie Sheen.
Beginning his career as the lovable doofus Michael Kelso in That '70s Show, Kutcher had spent a few years working in film and as a Twitter celebrity before returning to television in 2011, after the well-publicized departure of Sheen opened up a spot on the cast of Two and a Half Men. Playing Walden Schmidt, a billionaire who buys Charlie's (Charlie Sheen) house, Kutcher somewhat mirrored his on-screen character as a savior to the Harper family, keeping both the show and the on-screen family afloat for another four years after the departure of the "total freakin' rock star from Mars" Sheen.
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Salary: At least $830,000Starring as the titular Dexter Morgan, Micheal C. Hall spent eight seasons wrestling with demons and murdering murderers while leading a double life as both a serial killer and a blood splatter analyst for the Miami PD. Previously a winner of multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards for his supporting work as David Fisher on HBO's Six Feet Under, Hall won Best Actor in a TV Drama at both the SAG Awards and Golden Globes for his work on Dexter in 2010.Possibly emboldened by these awards, Hall engaged in a public salary dispute with Showtime between the 6th and 7th season of the series. Asking for $24 million for the remaining two seasons, Showtime countered with an offer of $20 million. The talks were very heated, and it was rumored that the show might be canceled due to these issues. The two parties did eventually come to an agreement that made both sides happy; however, fans may now wish that the series had ended, as the Dexter finale is often quoted as one of the worst conclusions in the history of TV.
Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco - The Big Bang Theory
Salary: $1 Million Each
It's difficult to compare the state of television today to the heyday of network TV in the 1990s and early 2000s. Because of TV on demand, streaming services, the massive expansion of cable networks, and online piracy, there is no longer a need to tune to a station at a given time each week to see a favorite show. One man who has broken this rule is The Big Bang Theory creator and producer Chuck Lorre. By offering shows aimed at audiences who are less tech savvy (read: older) he guarantees fans will stay tuned to CBS each week.
Leading actors Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter), Jim Parsons (Sheldon Cooper), and Kaley Cuoco (Penny Hofstadter) have taken a concept about a group of socially inept geniuses and their attractive, less intelligent neighbor and turned it into the top comedy program on television today. With average ratings of over 19.5 million viewers per episode for seasons 6, 7, and 8, the leading cast were able to use that success to negotiate a three-year deal worth $1 million dollars per episode, a number not seen on TV for a decade.
An honorable mention to potential future list entrants are Big Bang co-stars Simon Helberg (Howard Wolowitz) & Kunal Nayyar (Raj Koothrappali) who were almost released from the show when they tried to negotiate separately from the main cast. Demanding huge salaries from CBS, they were threatened with firing or replacement. In the end, they held out and received a deal that linked their pay to what Galecki, Parsons and Cuoco earn, rumored to be 50 to 80%, meaning that if the show lasts past the 10th season, they'll likely break the top 10 as well.
Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow - Friends
Salary: $1M Each
When Friends debuted in 1994, the cast earned just over $20,000 per episode. By the time the series ended in 2004, they had received a 5000% raise, with each actor bringing in $1 million every Must See TV episode of the show. It's rumored that Lisa Kudrow, the actress who played the hippy Phoebe Buffay, convinced the rest of the friends to enter into negotiations together to demand the largest possible salary.
With ratings that led to it landing in the top ten shows every season it was on TV, it's understandable why Ross (David Schwimmer), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Monica (Courteney Cox), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), and Pheobe were so well paid. Not as peer-recognized as Frasier, or critically acclaimed as Seinfeld, Friends was a show beloved by its fans, having an equally huge effect on both popular culture ("The Rachel" haircut, Joey's catchphrase: "How you doin'?") and the way that TV stars are compensated to this day.
Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt - Mad About You
Another NBC sitcom set in New York in the 1990s, Mad About You's high salaries were the happy coincidence of a number of intersecting events, as opposed to demand for more of the show. Paired with other Must See TV gold of the era, Mad About You's best season saw 5 million fewer viewers on average than even the worst seasons of Seinfeld or Friends.
With Seinfeld having finished its run in 1998, NBC needed to fill a massive hole in its lineup. With Helen Hunt's recent successes in Twister and As Good As It Gets, she was a huge token the network already held. Thinking her star power could bring more viewers to the series, and preferring to bet on a known commodity as opposed to a new series, the network paid her $1M per episode. As part of their contracts, Reiser had a matching salary clause, which meant he earned just as big of a paycheck without the requisite fame.
Jerry Seinfeld - Seinfeld
Salary: $1M +
Jerry Seinfeld was paid extremely well to portray a version of himself on NBC series Seinfeld. The last season came with $1 million pay for every episode they made. This is understandable, considering that 1 in ten Americans were tuning in each week to watch the show.
However, Seinfeld wasn't only an actor on the show, and as one of the show's creators and executive producers, he earns part of the syndication fees paid by networks in order to have the right to air reruns of the show. If 2004 is any indication of how much these fees can amount to, it is estimated that he received $267 million in these payments, an average of $1.5 million per episode of the show. This isn't included in his ranking, but we feel it's a fair tiebreaker.
If Seinfeld had agreed to another season of the show, he would likely be the highest paid TV actor for at least the foreseeable future. When he stated that he wanted to end the show, NBC knew they were losing a goldmine, and as a last ditch effort to keep it on the air they offered him $5 million per episode for a 10th season.
Tim Allen - Home Improvement
Salary: $1.25M
With NBC holding a stranglehold on comedy for much of the 90s, ABC had a shining star with Tim Allen and Home Improvement. One of the rare shows to do it, in 1993/1994 Home Improvement edged out Seinfeld as the second highest rated show on television, second only to 60 Minutes.
While Home Improvement was on still in production, Allen also had a huge hit at the box office from starring in The Santa Clause, as well as successful roles in Toy Story, and Jungle 2 Jungle. Having a young cast (less salary) on a show with ratings that stood respectively next to Friends and Seinfeld, Allen was in a prime position to demand a large salary to play Tim Taylor for the final season of the show, for which he was paid a total of $35 million for 28 episodes.
Kelsey Grammer - Frasier
Salary: $1.6M
Star of Frasier, the last big series on NBC's Must See TV line-up, Kelsey Grammer entered this show with an established network relationship and existing salary, thanks to Frasier's precursor on NBC, the sitcom Cheers. Having already built a fan following over 9 seasons on Cheers, Grammer got off to a good start and was earning $250,00 per episode by the time Frasier entered it's 3rd season.
Focused on the sherry sipping, opera-loving, post-bar life of Boston psychologist-turned-Seattle radio personality Dr. Frasier Crane, Frasier is widely regarded as the most successful spinoff on TV. Along with decent ratings, Grammer also picked up 4 of the show's 37 total Emmy awards, something that didn't hurt him at negotiation time.
While the supporting cast made considerably less than Grammer, David Hyde Pierce (Frasier's younger brother, Dr. Niles Crane) earned $750,00 per episode in the series' final season, $500 short of cracking the top 10. Not bad for a guy who was selling ties at Bloomingdales before he was cast in the role.
Ray Romano - Everybody Loves Raymond
A somewhat unknown standup before getting his CBS show, Everybody Loves Raymond, Ray Romano was offered a TV deal shortly after performing on Late Night with David Letterman. The series, like his comedy, was based on his family and personal experience. It featured sports writer Ray Barone and family, who lived directly across the street from his overbearing mother.
Over the course of 9 seasons, the show gained popularity and became a fixture on the otherwise flagging CBS. Popular with advertisers at the time, CBS was able to charge $1.22 million per commercial during the series finale, one of the highest rates ever.
After entering syndication, it's clear that the investment in Romano paid off. The 5-year rights to air reruns of the show sold to TBS for $650,000 per episode in 2005. While Ray may have made $50 million for the last two seasons of the series, CBS recouped $136 million for one syndication cycle. In 2015, the show entered its 3rd cycle, meaning that the network has probably received similar paydays in 2010 and again 2015.
Little known fact: Ray Romano was fired from NBC series News Radio and replaced by Joe Rogan before principal photography began.
Charlie Sheen - Two and a Half Men/Anger Management
Salary: $1.8M/$2.0M
The "Warlock" himself, Charlie Sheen broke the all-time record for TV salaries when he finished his 100th episode of FX series Anger Management. In a deal that was contingent on his good behaviour, Sheen was paid a $200 million dollar salary as soon as the show passed the 100 episode mark. With the series survival contractually non-contingent on ratings, Sheen towed the line and played therapist Charlie Goodson for 100 episodes. At that point, he collected his check for 2 million dollars per episode and the show was canceled.
Even more amazing is that the record he broke was his own. In the final season that Sheen worked on Two and A Half Men, he was paid 1.8 million per episode. After a hugely public fight with series producer Chuck Lorre, Sheen went off the rails, demanded a further raise, and declared that he had "Adonis DNA." During this period, he was dismissed from the series, and he was replaced by Ashton Kutcher.
No matter what way you look at it, with a record that is fairly unapproachable by any current TV stars, Charlie Sheen was right when he declared that he was "Winning!"
Did these stars deserve their salaries? Or would that money have been better off going elsewhere? Sound off in the comments below!
Swipe through the list Easily swipe through the list for a faster and better reading experience
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Marie Griffith: “Is There Room for Mercy in the Sexuality Debates? Shifting the Terms of our Religious-Political Stalemate”
11:00 am Location
January Hall Room 110, Washington University Categories
About the MLA Lecture Series
Last year’s series examined “The Value of Justice;” this year’s series is focused on justice’s frequent partner, complement, or antithesis: Mercy. The series will consider the concept and practice of mercy from several disciplinary directions, including politics, medicine, religious studies, and literature.
For more information about the MLA Seminar Series, call (314) 935-6777.
About Marie Griffith
Marie Griffith, the John C. Danforth Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Washington University in St. Louis, gave a public lecture titled, “Is There Room for Mercy in the Sexuality Debates? Shifting the Terms of our Religious-Political Stalemate” to kick off the February 2012 MLA Seminar Series, “The Quality of Mercy,” hosted by the University College in Arts & Sciences.
Video available here.
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Pseudolaw
and the law won
To convolute
and distort
British Constitution Group
Crime woo
David Wynn Miller
Errol Denton
Gold standard (economics)
Irwin Schiff
Michael Hughes
Nuwaubianism
Sovereign citizen
States' rights
Strawman theory
“”Dobbs: If you're the police, then where are your badges?
Gold Hat: Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!
Pseudolaw encompasses any legal theory developed or action taken that relies heavily on frivolous arguments trumped up in legal language. Pseudolaw shares many homologous and analogous traits with pseudoscience such as the use of argument from authority, equivocation, and quote mining. Like pseudoscience most of the proponents of pseudolaw are laymen with little to no legal experience (outside their own trials and incarcerations). While an overwhelming majority of those in the legal profession reject the arguments, there are a few cranks with law degrees and licenses that push pseudolaw as well.
1 Signs of pseudolaw
2 High profile pseudolawyers
2.1 Tommy Cryer
2.2 Tony Davis
2.3 Marc Stevens
3 Law, authority, and hucksters
4 Pseudolaw and conspiracy theories
5 Debt elimination scams
6 Social networking
7 The cost of pseudolaw
Signs of pseudolaw[edit]
Much like pseudoscience, one of the first hints that a legal theory is pseudolaw is when it bucks against established legal consensus and precedent. However, while necessary, this is not a sufficient condition. Much of currently accepted law was once against precedent. The primary thing to look for is if the legal theory or argument has been tried before a court and whether it was rejected. If an argument has been rejected by the courts on a repeated basis, it is usually, but not invariably, the case that someone attempting to push that argument is practicing pseudolaw.
While the ultimate test of pseudolaw is how it is ultimately perceived and used in a court of law (just as with pseudoscience the ultimate test is how it performs with predictions against empirical reality) there are many red flags that can identify pseudolaw even without a court ruling. These include, but are not limited to:
Overreliance on technicalities such as spelling or grammar. For example, some people argue that the traditional use of all-capital letters for names in court briefings means that the documents are referring to different entity than the actual person in the case.[1] See, for instance, David Wynn Miller.
Belief in and use of common lay-person misconceptions like a contract can only be created by a written form and signature, or you can't be convicted of murder without a body etc.
Quoting Supreme Court cases out of context, usually one or two sentences, or sometimes even a phrase. Tax protesters are fond of quoting Supreme Court opinions that say that the Sixteenth Amendment "conferred no new power of taxation." Stanton v. Baltic Mining Co., 240 U.S. 103 (1916); see also Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., 240 U.S. 1 (1916) to argue that the income tax is illegal. However, the ruling is not saying that the 16th Amendment did not provide power to tax income, but rather that Congress already had that power. This is classic quote mining.
Reference to other arguments that have been rejected as frivolous by courts. Pseudolaw concepts flock together and cross-pollinate.
Arguments that refer to the United States of America as "Incorporated[2]" or to the Federal government somehow seeming to be a private enterprise or company.[3]
Jurisdictional challenges that focus on claiming the federal government has no right to try cases in states. A favorite is to claim that any court with gold fringe on the flag is a "maritime" court and not a real court.[4]
Arguments that the court, police, public officials, etc. have no authority over an individual unless that individual has consented to that authority. This is often phrased along the lines of "once you accept an attorney, you're bound by contract to the court, but if you refuse an attorney they have no authority." As an adjunct to these arguments, some hold the belief that it's possible to unwittingly consent to authority, such as if you sign your name on a Federal form or receive a Federal "benefit" such as receiving mail at your home's mailbox.
Intense hatred of lawyers and the bar, reference to the bar as being run by the Illuminati or Masons, and encouraging people with little to no legal training to refuse appointed attorneys and proceed pro se.[5]
References to the Titles of Nobility Amendment (the so-called "missing 13th Amendment" to the United States Constitution). Similarly, some pseudolawyers even argue that persons who use the title of "Esquire" (generally practicing attorneys)[note 1] are not Citizens and cannot hold public office.[6]
Arguments that the Fourteenth Amendment created a new class of "subject citizens" (lowercase c) of the Federal government, separate and distinct from the true Citizens (capital C) of the united States (lowercase u) that co-exist with them.
References to the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) in cases which do not involve private commercial transactions (for example, citing the UCC in criminal, traffic, and tax cases)[7]
References to "admiralty law" or "maritime law" in cases which clearly do not involve any matters which occurred at sea, in navigable waters, or outside the Earth's atmosphere.
References to "military" or "martial law" in matters that do not involve the military or members thereof.
Made up jargon from Latin that pseudolawyers claim derive from common law and give people special rights that others do not such as juris spurious when used in filing claims.[8]
Misuse of legal terminology, often because pseudolawyers do not have a full understanding of the concepts they are attempting to discuss.
Extraordinary claims such as being able to get anyone out of jail, no matter what they were convicted of, in a matter of weeks.[9]
High profile pseudolawyers[edit]
Pseudolaw practitioners can fall into several categories, primarily laymen with no legal training or license who "advise" clients, and true lawyers that have embraced crankhood to push some particular pseudolaw theory. From time to time one of these pseudolawyers will gain press attention because their ideas are being used in increasing numbers, or in a high profile case, or because they themselves are being prosecuted.
Tommy Cryer[edit]
Tommy Cryer was a Louisiana-based attorney who was a popular speaker in the tax protester movement. Cryer claimed that there is no law that makes individuals liable for income tax, and pushed his unsubstantiated hypothesis using all the classic pseudolaw methods discussed above.[10] He was prosecuted in 2007 for willful failure to file an income tax return, but was found not guilty by the jury.[11] Because of the rarity of such an event, Cryer received some media attention, and tax protesters everywhere trumpeted the case as a victory for their cause. In reality, Cryer got off by convincing the jury he did not willfully fail to file, because he didn't know he had to. He was still found liable for the tax and would never have been able to use such a defense again. Cryer used his "victory" to continue making money on the lecture tour, despite others such as Sherry Jackson who have attempted to use his defense and lost.[12]
After his acquittal, Cryer went on to file suit against the US government, alleging improprieties in the government's investigation of him.[13] This case was dismissed.[14] In 2009, Cryer went on to file a petition in the US Tax Court, alleging that he did not in fact owe any tax. After several delays the trial was finally re-scheduled for October 2012,[15] but Cryer died on the fourth of June, aged 62.[16]
Tony Davis[edit]
Tony Davis and his International Legal Services business pretended that he was a lawyer, though he was really just a convicted felon with no legal training. For fees ranging from $10,050 to $25,000 he promised to get anyone out of jail no matter what crime they committed or when, based on a technicality he asserted made every conviction in the last 60 years null and void. True to form with most cranks and con men, while his theory was rejected outright by every level of the court system, he continued to claim that theories were correct until he was finally put out of business in 2010 thanks to a Texas court restraining order banning him from selling legal briefs or acting as a lawyer.[17] A similar pattern has occurred with Mitch Modeleski a/k/a Paul Andrew Mitchell and his "Supreme Law Firm,"[18] who has filed a number of frivolous lawsuits and threatened a number of people with baseless suits.[19]
Marc Stevens[edit]
Marc Stevens[20] is a pseudolawyer from Arizona who practices a "Socratic" line of questioning which is circular, while claiming those in the US government whom he harasses are using circular logic. Marc's major issue is his belief that evidence, or "factual evidence" as he commonly calls it, is required to prove that the law and Constitution of the United States, along with State laws, apply to him (or anyone else) "just because" one "happens to be in the geographic place known as the State of Arizona", or whichever place.[21][22]
Law, authority, and hucksters[edit]
Though not strictly pseudolaw, many people have attempted to use their position as a "lawyer" to somehow gain authority on issues or even run scams similar to televangelists. For example, Andrew Schlafly (mildly internet-famous for his blog, Conservapedia) has a law degree, but has not been involved in any serious legal practice and has not participated in any meaningful way in the legal system. But he uses his position as a "lawyer" to attempt to gain authority to argue his polemic points, such as the link between abortion and breast cancer,[23] as if a grounding in law gives him any authority in medicine.
Other examples include individuals such as Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice, which is essentially a giant anti-ACLU crank organization. [24] Sekulow files amicus curiae briefs on cases other people have brought up, then pretends on his daily radio show that he is an integral part of all of these cases. He then starts begging for money; he has essentially made a living pretending to be a lawyer and hating the ACLU.
Neither Sekulow nor Schlafly have participated in a meaningful way in the legal system. While they are lawyers in the loosest sense of the word, the only thing they do with these credentials is use them to fleece the gullible and push an ideologically-driven agenda. This is not technically pseudolaw, but it is an important element in the abuse of the legal system.
Pseudolaw and conspiracy theories[edit]
Pseudolaw often goes hand in hand with other conspiracy theories. Most pseudolaw practitioners believe there is a vast conspiracy to cover up a group of elitists that control all the judges, courts, juries and the government as a whole. This is why their ideas never work in court - not because they are wrong, but because there is a conspiracy to suppress them (just like the vast materialist conspiracy propping up the Darwinian orthodoxy). This dark group holds all the classic labels such as Masons, Illuminati, and Zionists. There is also a tendency to believe that violent revolution is coming and that people should stockpile supplies, weapons and ammunition. Many of the far-right militia and extremist groups that have dominated press coverage of domestic terrorism over the last couple of decades have relied heavily on pseudolaw concepts and conspiracies.
Debt elimination scams[edit]
Some debt elimination scams are based on pseudo-legal arguments. One such scam known as the redemption movement that has been circulating for years in different forms claims that the United States Treasury Department has a trust fund established for every U.S. citizen with a Social Security number, which funds can (somehow) be accessed by filing the appropriate paperwork at the county courthouse declaring oneself a sovereign of the "united states of America" and disclaiming federal citizenship in the "United States of America" (note the pseudo-legal obsession with making spurious distinctions based on capitalization). Then, goes the theory, one need only print a "Sight Draft", or "Bill of Exchange", transferring one's home loans and other debts to the U.S. Treasury Department. These bogus documents are rejected by lenders as a matter of course, and courts have repeatedly found in favor of lenders and against those attempting this method, declaring such documents worthless.
Another similar attempt involves trying to prove that your mortgage is void because it has been securitised. This universally fails.
Social networking[edit]
There are at least two[25] internet memes circulating around Facebook that could be classed as pseudo-law. The text of the more recent one, which concerns copyright, reads:
In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, graphics, comics, paintings, photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention). For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!
(Anyone reading this can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook Wall. This will place them under protection of copyright laws. By the present communiqué, I notify Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and/or its contents. The aforementioned prohibited actions also apply to employees, students, agents and/or any staff under Facebook’s direction or control. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of my privacy is punished by law (UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103 and the Rome Statute).
Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, you may copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be tacitly allowing the use of elements such as your photos as well as the information contained in your profile status updatees.
Minor variations exist, the more in-depth ones that cite non-existent or misrepresented laws. But in all cases, such things are not legally binding - no more so than a magic spell would be. When signing up to a website, users agree to terms and conditions, and these cannot be retroactively undone. Indeed, the copyright notice above states that Facebook cannot "disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate", which raises the question: how is Facebook meant to host and share your content with people? Also, the reference to the Rome Statute (which is an international treaty establishing the International Criminal Court and codifying the rules on genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes) is delightfully hilarious for obvious reasons.
The cost of pseudolaw[edit]
The greatest cost is to those that buy into the theories and wind up spending years in jail and often losing all of their life work in the processes. While some of these people may be just greedy and looking for a way out of paying their fair share, some may honestly be seeking something and get pulled in by the cult-like mentality of the movement. Family members of those in prison also face tremendous costs, such as when Tony Davis would go to people and claim to be able to get their family members out of jail for thousands of dollars. When it failed and people tried to get their money back, Davis sued them.[17] Generally the people who suffer from the ill effects of pseudolaw are not the people who peddle it; they are those who are in desperate situations and have been deluded into seeing a way out that isn't really there.
There is also an inherent cost to the legal system in processing the frivolous claims, and to all aspects of government when pseudolaw is taken to the extreme, such as the case of Ed Brown. Ed Brown was a tax protester who bought into all the conspiracy and pseudolaw theories. After his conviction, he and his wife holed up in their house and refused to leave, threatening violent action against law enforcement. The eight month standoff was extremely costly both in terms of dollar figures and the time and energy of law enforcement.[26] Even when these get kept out of the courts, they still cost money - the mortgage invalidity loons gleefully waste the time of arbitration services, costing their adversaries (banks and other lenders) upwards of £550 per idiotic complaint.
Finally, like all examples of irrationality, there is the intellectual cost of destruction of reason. For all of these reasons, pseudolaw is a dangerous trend that needs as much vigilance as any of the pseudoscience movements.
Idiot Legal Arguments at ADL.org, a mindbendingly dense and often snarky list of refutations of US pseudolaw theories, written by Bernard Sussman for Militia Watchdog in 1995.
The Tax Protester FAQ, a somewhat more accessible presentation of US pseudolaw as used by tax protesters.
Comedy website Cracked.com's intensely snarky list of "7 Retarded Tax Evasion Schemes (People Are Actually Trying)".
Marc Stevens' YouTube Page [2] Please see the video with Federal Magistrate in Arizona, who allows Marc to question, using his "logic and reason" and so on. In this video, the Judge's explanation is really the final nail in Marc's coffin. Yet, as other pseudo-lawyers will, Marc shall likely continue to put on his charade and get more people into trouble. His radio show is also a nest of pseudolaw blather.
↑ The first thing we do, let's remove the citizenship of all the lawyers.
↑ Discussion and court cases surrounding the all caps issue
↑ See the Wikipedia article on Incorporation (business).
↑ Pseudolaw rant about the USA, inc.
↑ Pseudolaw rant involving maritime courts and the gold fringe on flags
↑ Biblical pseudolaw rant against lawyers and the Bar Association
↑ Essay which makes exactly this argument
↑ Bizarre pseudolaw book referencing the Bible and misusing legal terminology
↑ Motion of Particulars from a victim of pseudolaw
↑ Ex-convict appeals to inmates' hopes for freedom
↑ Summary of Cryer's pseudolaw delusions
↑ Cryer found not guilty
↑ Example of one of Cryer's current paid gigs (he needs the money to pay back taxes!)
↑ Complaint, docket entry 1, Dec. 26, 2007, Cryer v. United States, case no. 5:07-cv-02206-DEW-MLH, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (Shreveport).
↑ Cryer v. United States, 2008-1 U.S. Tax Cas. (CCH) paragr. 50,361 (W.D. La. 2008); Memorandum Ruling, p. 6, docket entry 8, May 9, 2008, case no. 5:07-cv-02206-DEW-MLH, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (Shreveport), aff'd per curiam, no. 08-30667, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Feb. 4, 2009.
↑ Notice of Trial, May 24, 2012, Cryer v. Commissioner, United States Tax Court, docket no. 008118-09.
↑ Obituary, Tommy Keith Cryer, Centuries Memorial Funeral Home, Shreveport, Louisiana, at [1].
↑ 17.0 17.1 Austin ex-convict barred from practicing law
↑ Supreme Law Firm. "All Rights Reserved without Prejudice."
↑ Site critical of Paul Andrew Mitchell
↑ http://marcstevens.net/
↑ http://www.copblock.org/47434/marc-stevens-show-me-the-evidence-your-laws-apply/
↑ http://marcstevens.net/articles/government-indicted-believing-governments-worship-psychopaths.html
↑ Schlafly and his breast cancer rant
↑ ACLJ on the ACLU
↑ Snopes.com - Facebook privacy notices
↑ Local editorial on the standoff
Articles on RationalWiki related to pseudo-studies
Pseudoarchaeology - Pseudoastronomy - Pseudohistory - Pseudolaw - Pseudolinguistics - Pseudomathematics - Pseudoscience - Pseudopsychology - Pseudoscience list - Pseudoscience in advertising - Pseudoskepticism - Pseudovitamin
Retrieved from "https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Pseudolaw&oldid=2075545"
Bronze-level articles
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Raven Campaign Updates May 2016
TREATY 8 – SITE C
The David vs Goliath contest continues. Several legal actions launched by Treaty 8 First Nations to stop BC Hydro’s Site C Dam are before the courts – both provincial and federal. The legal teams are filing appeals in the BC Court of Appeal this month, appealing the BCSC judgment of September 18th which dismissed the Nations’ application for judicial review. Lawyers also filed in the Federal Court of Appeal in March appealing a similar judgment. Neither is likely to be heard before fall of 2016. So we continue fundraising!
Fundraiser Profile: Last summer photographer and artist Deirdre Kelly jumped on the BC-Yukon Kairos Rolling Justice bus and saw the Peace River Valley for the first time. She was honoured to meet people from the West Moberly Band, and some of the farmers and ranchers who live and work in the abundant valley. “I’ve been involved in many issues as an activist, but never as an artist. This was a perfect blending of two very important areas of my life – my love of painting and photography, and my profound belief in the rights of people to have a say in the issues that affect their destiny.” Deirdre decided to do an art show and give 25% of the proceeds of her sales for the Site C related legal actions. “When I decided to do the art show, I got all this energy! I was inspired by the words in Treaty 8 ‘as long as this river shall run’ and had to do what I could to prevent the needless destruction of something so precious.” Please check out Deirdre’s Facebook page to see more of her artwork: Deirdre Kelly Fine Art. Thank you Deirdre!!
An information road show led by Julian Napoleon and Ana Simeon of Sierra Club BC, supported by RAVEN, stopped in Vernon, Kelowna, Kamloops and Golden between April 18 and 21. Each event was well attended and brought in more than $2000 in donations. The Join the Circle campaign has raised more than $208K, with $18k left in matching funds.
MADII LII – On April 19th, representatives from Luutkudziiwus travelled to Ottawa, along with a delegation of senior leaders from Lax Kw’alaams, Wet’suwet’en First Nations and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs to meet with federal officials in the Prime Minister’s Office. The goal – to set the record straight on misleading claims of support for Petronas’ Pacific Northwest LNG pipeline. Giphaygwin ganaa’u (Richard Wright) spoke for House of Luutkudziiwus, saying the pipeline proposed to run through their Madii Lii territory threatens salmon harvests vital to their lives and livelihood. They will be filing their legal action in the coming weeks, based on the failure to consult and seeking to quash the certificates that allow the project to proceed. RAVEN continues to raise funds for Madii Lii – we’re just $20K shy of the original $60,000 goal.
PULL TOGETHER — Last week, we heard that Enbridge has appealed to the federal government to extend federal approval for the Northern Gateway pipeline. Even though they have failed miserably in meeting the 109 conditions set out under the environmental certificate, the company has asked for more time to muster support for their project. Even after mass street protests, a declaration signed by 140 First Nations, a string of lawsuits AND the popular Pull Together campaign, Enbridge is still talking about “a path to victory, a path to construction”.
So, we enter Phase 3 of the Pull Together campaign. Having to fight this project, politically and in court, creates enormous unnecessary burdens on small communities and First Nations who can least afford it. Spending more time meeting with Enbridge when the answer, for a majority of First Nations along the pipeline route, is clearly “Not now, never”, is a waste of resources and time.
We’re getting out our paddles for what looks like the beginning of Pull Together: Round Two. First Nations should not have to fight this company alone. Stay tuned to find out how you can help keep up the pressure and keep tarsands oil from spreading across BC.
T SILHQOT’IN – TEZTAN BINY/FISH LAKE – As you know, the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation and Tsilhqot’in National Government are back in court – as Taseko Mines Ltd. pushes ahead with judicial reviews after the second federal rejection of its open pit gold-copper mine. The fundraising has started, with estimates from the legal team of needing $150K for both JRs. Between funds that RAVEN had already raised, and a generous donation from Fitzhenry Family Foundation, we have just over $40K in, and will be sending out appeals in the coming months.
BLCN – Beaver Lake Cree Nation was back in court in March to deal with Alberta’s questions to their amended claim. The legal team is working hard on evidence gathering, with a range of projects including socio-cultural surveys and evaluation of the ‘lands taken up’ by industry starting this month. The goal is to have many of them complete by September. Funds required are approximately $250K to complete this work. The lawyers and Beaver Lake Cree Nation are looking being ready for a possible trial date of late 2017.
RAVEN is hiring!
Write to the NEB to stop Enbridge
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New director for Public School Partnership branches out
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Chris Moody '99 has been named Executive Director of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). He will serve a three-year term begi...
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You may request your data in a structured, common and machine-readable format, or to be transmitted to another person in charge; According to Art. 77 GDPR, they have the right to complain to a supervisory authority. In general, you can contact the supervisory authority of your usual place of residence or work or our company headquarters. Name and address of the controller The person responsible within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation, other data protection laws in the Member States of the European Union and other provisions with a data protection character is: RSEM re-nt UG Rheinsbergerstraße 76/77 10115 Berlin Tel: 004917624676635 info@re-nt.de www.re-nt.de For questions about the collection, processing or use of your personal data, information, correction, blocking or deletion of data and revocation of any given consent or objection to a particular use of data, please contact us directly via the contact details in our imprint Privacy Policy as of June 2018
Join the revolution !
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Moral Community of Weisheng: Contesting Hygiene in Republican China
Sean Hsiang-lin Lei
雷祥麟
East Asian Science, Technology and Society (2009) 3 (4): 475-504.
PDF LinkPDF
Sean Hsiang-lin Lei, 雷祥麟; Moral Community of Weisheng: Contesting Hygiene in Republican China. East Asian Science, Technology and Society 1 December 2009; 3 (4): 475–504. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/s12280-009-9109-2
Weisheng, literally “guarding life,” serves as the Chinese translation for the English term “hygiene.” Nevertheless, the respected author of a Chinese textbook on public health from 1934 stated in his preface: “Weisheng is about ‘maintaining health’ and not at all about ‘guarding life.’” When read against the rise of weisheng in Ruth Rogaski's sense of “hygienic modernity” in China during the Republican period, this statement reveals a local and alternative conception of weisheng, linked more closely to traditional Chinese notions of “nurturing life” than to modern practices related to “germ warfare”. Public health advocates, as well as many modern historians, saw little value in this popular discourse and mostly disregarded it. This paper takes this alternative discourse of weisheng seriously, tracing its emergence, articulating its specific features, and exploring its historical significance as an alternative to the notion of hygienic modernity. The central discovery of this article is that Chinese critiques of modern hygiene—personal hygiene, to be specific—did not focus on the actual techniques for preserving health but on their moral implications, i.e., their effects in the context of the dual construction of self-identity and moral community. Drawing on this discovery, this paper explains the curious reasons why political leaders of the Republican perioddevoted so much energy to the seemingly trivial practices of personal hygiene while leaving untouched the construction of a national system of public health. As the contestation over hygiene became closely connected with larger debates about individualism, nationalism, and modernity, critiques of, resistance to, and local visions of hygiene revealed the development of localized modernities in China, characterized by alternatives in hygiene, self-hood, bodily sensibility, and moral community.
民國時期存在一組和西方衛生的大相逕庭的衛生論述與實作, 但在當時中國公 共衛生的提倡者看來, 這組「衛生」論述不啻是對衛生這個西方概念的誤解、 濫用、甚至綁架, 徒然延誤了公共衛生此一新事業在中國的開展, 因而沒有任 何正面的價值與歷史重要性。本文企圖正視這個歷史現象, 初步勾勒這組衛生 論述的具體內容, 描繪它和西方衛生間的爭議、批評與互相界定的過程, 並探 索它出現於二十世紀上半葉之中國的歷史過程和可能的意義。
本文的一個主要發現, 就是當時對於西方衛生的批評的重點並不在於它是 否提供了有效的保健工具, 而更在於它所蘊含的倫理關係。經由現代個人衛 生所型塑的身體習慣, 人們開始不由自主地體現出新的倫理價值、自我認 同、與社會關係。各種中式衛生與批評的論旨, 就在於使得人們在逐漸擁抱 衛生現代性的同時, 仍能保有並發展他們所珍惜的、不同於西方主流的自我 認同與道德的社群。由這個洞察出發, 本文也將解釋何以民國時期的政治領 袖, 一方面常對國家急需的公共衛生存而不論, 另一方面又極其關注近乎瑣碎 的個人衛生習慣。由於關於衛生的爭議緊密地扣連著當時關於個人主義、民 族主義與家庭改造等重大價值爭議, 衛生史與身體史為橫掃傳統社會的政治、 文化變遷, 留下了最深沈、具體、而切身的軌跡, 等待學者這樣地去探索。
Hygiene, Personal hygiene, Moral community, Habit
衛生, 個人衛生, 道德社群, 習慣
1 Introduction: Translating Hygiene
According to Ruth Rogaski's groundbreaking research, the concept of hygiene, translated as 衛生 weisheng in Chinese (eisei in Japanese pronunciation and literally meaning “guarding life”), serves as an important key to understanding the history of modern East Asia. “‘Hygienic modernity’ [Rogaski's translation for weisheng] became a central strategy in the Japanese imperial expansion into Korea, Manchuria, Taiwan, and China....[I]t became an organizing principle in governance, a site of contestation over the relationship between the people and the state, and ultimately an indicator of the power of Japan vis-à-vis the rest of Asia” (Rogaski 2004: 137). In Rogaski's eyes, the notion of hygiene had been unknown in East Asian society before the second half of the nineteenth century. On the other hand, though, the ideas and practices that later came to be referred to as weisheng far exceeded the extent of the original Western notion of “hygiene.” Therefore, she advocates translating weisheng as “hygienic modernity,” to emphasize the fact that this East Asian notion of hygiene, originally constructed by Japan and then adapted all over East Asia, indeed served as a historical landmark in the modernization of East Asian society.
According to the Taiwanese medical historian Liu Shiyong, it was in the process of translation that Japanese scholars created the modern discourse on hygiene as it emerged in Japan around the end of the Edo period to the first years of the Meiji period. This discourse then exerted great influence on the policies and practices of hygiene in the colonial government of Taiwan (Liu 2001: 43). Around 1870, when Nagayo Sensai 長與專齋 (1838–1902) chose the term eisei as his translation for the English “hygiene,” he stressed that “this does not simply refer to the protection of health alone,... but instead points to the particular type of governmental structures that are in charge of protecting the general health of the state's citizens...This type of health-protecting enterprise had never been given a name in East Asia before and was moreover a completely new undertaking.” Liu Shiyong subsequently points out: “The question of health was transformed from the condition of an individual's physiological functions to becoming an important mission of state governance. Health was no longer limited to the sphere of each person's individual benefit, but was now in the interest of society and the public as a whole. And for this reason, the need of state intervention had increased” (Liu 2001: 47).
Following Nagayo Sensai's example, the Chinese translated “hygiene” as weisheng. Moreover, when the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of China established a Department of Hygiene, the entire organization of this office was modeled after its Japanese counterpart (Zhu 1933: 31). Therefore, Republican China initially adopted both the ideology and institutions associated with hygiene from Japan. Twenty years later, though, Chen Fangzhi 陳方之 (1884–1969), a scholar of public health who had graduated from the medical school of Japan's Imperial University, attacked the translation of “hygiene” as weisheng by the Japanese scholars in his work Weisheng xue yu weisheng xingzheng (The Study and Administration of Hygiene):
The Japanese people have rashly translated the word “hygiene” as weisheng xue [lit.: the study of guarding life], which is the origin of the modern Chinese compound weisheng... To translate “hygiene” into the Chinese language, they should have either used jiankang xue [“study of health”]or baojian xue [“study of preserving health”]. Although the compound baojian has not existed in the past, it would be the ideal choice because the content [of hygiene] is to guard health and not at all to guard life. The Japanese scholars of the early Meiji period were addicted to the elegance of sinological studies and therefore wanted to make modern scholarship conform to ancient classical Chinese, which is like “trimming the feet to fit the shoes.” While they may have avoided the ridicule of making up a new term, they assigned the wrong Chinese word to the English word instead. This term has passed through so many hands that it has become incomprehensible (Chen 1934: 2).
By the 1930s, Chen Fangzhi felt that the numerous ongoing discussions on weisheng in China diverged greatly from the original sense of the English notion of “hygiene” and caused serious confusion among the public. He therefore advocated that “hygiene” should be newly defined as gonggong weisheng (that is, public health), in order to clearly differentiate this new enterprise from the diversity of personal weisheng practices current in China at that time. For Chen Fangzhi, the vast majority of these discussions on weisheng constituted careless misunderstandings and misuses, if not kidnapping, of the notion of “hygiene”; as an unfortunate result, they needlessly delayed the development of these new efforts in public health. He saw them as a critical mistake that was in urgent need of rectification, without any inherent positive value or historical significance. Because many historians of public health agree with Chen Fangzhi's judgment, current historical studies of modern public health in Taiwan and China therefore often focus primarily on the establishment of medical administration by the state and the prevention and control of infectious diseases, but pay little attention to the various ideas and practices of weisheng that circulated among the population at large. On the one hand, we thus live in a society where folk medicine, alternative treatment methods, and folk prescriptions for SARS, for example, are widely adopted; on the other hand, though, we know extremely little about the modern history of these popular but not officially sanctioned practices and ideas of weisheng. To begin filling in these gaps, the present article looks at these historical phenomena with the serious attention they deserve. It therefore explores the course of events and possible historical significance of these discourses on weisheng as they emerged in early twentieth century China.
One major difficulty in the methodology of researching this history lies in the fact that these alternative and indigenous Chinese discourses on weisheng, since they failed to meet with the approval of scholars of public health, never received their own specific and exclusive name. Because they attempted to partake of the same name as the Western concept of hygiene, they embarked on an uncertain and treacherous path. Subsumed under the popular term weisheng, they may have succeeded in initiating local endeavors that had little in common with the Western notion of hygiene; on the other hand, though, it is more likely that they were pushed out to the fringes of Western-style hygiene, to the point of vanishing into invisibility, as a result of this terminological confusion. Furthermore, how can historians possibly ascertain whether a phenomenon that does not have its own name even really exists? And how should they refer to it?1
This methodological difficulty carries historical significance and is an issue of great concern in the new field of post-colonial techno-science; see queryAnderson and Vincanne Adams (2008).
To overcome this terminology-related predicament, this paper begins with what Thomas Gieryn refers to as “boundary work” in the discourse on weisheng during the Republican period: I describe conceptions and practices of weisheng that the historical actors clearly identified as unrelated to the Western concept of hygiene, as, for example, in the above-mentioned distinction by Chen Fangzhi between public health and personal hygiene. In this context, we must emphasize that it was by no means only biomedical physicians who were able to advance comparisons like this. A large number of practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine and ordinary people at that time engaged in comparative “boundary work” as well, proposing conceptions of weisheng that differed from those presumably imported from the West. When we subject these voices to careful analysis, however, this type of comparative “boundary work” frequently turns out to be riddled by problems like oversimplification and essentialism (as, for example, the fact that the Western notion of hygiene also included aspects of personal hygiene). Nevertheless, these discussions do indicate that different forms of weisheng were indeed taking shape and co-existed during the Republican period. As scholars, we can use them effectively to shed light on otherwise obscure phenomena of the past. From this perspective, the boundary between Western-style hygiene and other forms of weisheng was never a simple straight line but looked more like a polygon, shaped by numerous different concerns and analytical methods. Engaging in direct conflict, mutually enriching entanglement, and “boundary-drawing work” with Western hygiene, the concepts and practices of an alternative, hybrid form of Chinese hygiene gradually took shape. By way of describing this process from a variety of angles, I have found an effective tool by which to approach this alternative hygiene from the late Qing to the Republican period.
First, we have to address the question of what to call this “alternative hygiene.” To the individuals who promoted public health in China at that time, the hygiene that they advocated was, indeed, no different from Western hygiene, and they did not recognize a categorical difference between “Chinese hygiene” and “Western hygiene.” It is therefore, in fact, appropriate to refer to the various conceptions and practices of hygiene that were being introduced to China simply as “hygiene.” Since the Chinese people at that time considered this hygiene to be a kind of universal practice spreading all over the world, I have chosen the term “Chinese-style hygiene” to refer to the alternative and specifically Chinese forms of hygiene that had not been incorporated into (or that positioned themselves outside of) Western-style hygiene. Because this provisional name emphasizes the fact that these discourses had either been expelled from or were never incorporated into mainstream hygiene, the “Chinese-style hygiene” referenced in this paper of course does not include the various governmental institutions and information on hygiene that biomedical physicians promoted in China (Rogaski 2004;Yip 1996). Moreover, to remind the reader that this Chinese-style hygiene at times could be very different from, and even critical of, the various conceptions of Western hygiene, in the following historical discussions, I use the transliterated term weisheng to refer to various local visions of hygienic practice. By doing so, I hope to preserve the ambivalent meanings of weisheng as used by Chinese people at that time, to prepare for the surprises that arise in the writing and reading of its history. Last but not least, I must emphasize that the phenomena that this article investigates were indeed a historical entity, something that the historical actors themselves positioned outside of “Western hygiene” in their thinking. By calling this entity “Chinese-style hygiene/weisheng,” I most certainly am not implying that it was a feature of traditional Chinese culture with an eternal unchanging quality from the ancient past. To the contrary, much of the Chinese-style hygiene, or weisheng, was a brand-new creation, a product of the modern age.
The present article attempts to explore these historical phenomena from the following three angles.
Hygiene: In recent years, scholars have launched creative research projects on hygiene in East Asian society including Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, and Manchuria.2 From the perspective of the Chinese-style weisheng described above, one important issue still remains to be addressed, namely, the possibility that the historical activities covered by the term weisheng in East Asian societies in the beginning of the twentieth century differed substantially from the meaning of the English term “hygiene”; for this reason, some aspects of the Chinese-style weisheng would have become invisible to scholars who un-reflectively followed the framework of a “modern history of hygiene.” This paper attempts to unearth the configurations of these obscure phenomena from the late Qing to the Republican period.
In addition to the other works cited in the footnotes to this article, this also includes numerous other recent studies as part of an integrated research project on the history of hygiene. These articles are collected in a fortrhcoming book Hygiene and Modernity in Chinese East Asia, edited by Angela Leung and Charlotte Furth, to be published by the Duke University Press. It is worth pointing out that, recently, Korean scholars have joined the study of hygiene and colonial medicine; they organized an International Symposium on Medicine and Modernity in East Asia in 2007.
State: The conflict between the new and the old meanings of the term weisheng was originally perceived mostly in terms of the dichotomy between personal hygiene and the state's public health and medical administration system. Therefore, scholars have focused primarily on the development of the national healthcare system and state penetration; this type of research often places the state in an antagonistic position toward civil society. Nevertheless, it is a well-known fact that the Nationalist government was quite weak by nature and that the resources and power at its disposal were very limited. Is it not therefore only logical that its achievements in terms of “real hygiene” were less than impressive?3 And faced with the state's limited achievements in “real” hygiene, how are we to understand the profusion of hygiene-related discussions, products, and practices circulating in the society in those same years? Is it not possible that they in fact helped construct alternative links between the state, hygiene, and the individual? Focusing on the links created by hygienic practices, this paper documents a crucial debate over the dual construction of an individual's self-identity on the one hand, and a moral community of hygiene on the other.
Using Tianjin as an example, Ruth Rogaski has pointed out that the Nationalist Government in the 1930s excelled at “talking weisheng,” especially in the context of the New Life Movement, but put almost no efforts into “providing weisheng.” Rogaski 2004, pp. 236–240.
Life: As Chen Fangzhi emphasized, “weisheng is about guarding health, and not at all about guarding life.” This contrast pointed to the existence of a Chinese-style weisheng that was indeed centered on “guarding life.” In that case, what was the specific content of this discourse? At precisely the moment when Western medicine further advanced its focus on the material body in its individual constituents because of the bacteriological revolution, why did the newly emerging alternative weisheng in China insist on emphasizing “guarding life” in a holistic sense instead? Or in other words, what kinds of experiences and fears led the Chinese people at that time to feel that their life needed guarding? What exactly were the main perils that threatened their lives? Or yet more pointedly, if this Chinese-style weisheng was not limited to the physical body alone, then how did it respond to and mold the new understanding, values, and experiences of “life” (body, mind, thoughts, emotions, desires, livelihood, and illness) at a time when Chinese and Western medicine encountered, confronted, and struggled against each other? The present article will provide some answers to these questions; the complete argument will be presented in a separate article “Why Weisheng is not About Guarding Life?” also to be published in East Asian Science, Technology and Society.
Following this introduction, the present paper is divided into seven sections: Section 2 investigates the existence of a variety of discourses on weisheng in China in the 1930s rivaling Western notions of hygiene. In the third section, I use the writings of Ding Fubao and Chen Guofu as examples to begin analyzing the configurations of this Chinese-style weisheng. I demonstrate that, while these men accepted the key role played by microbes in physical hygiene, they nevertheless spared no costs to emphasize the importance of “governing the heart” and of “mental hygiene,” even regarding these aspects as the special contribution of Chinese weisheng. In addition, they believed that Chinese weisheng with its maxim to “treat illness before it arises” would be able to loosen the expensive ties between the individual and medicine and was therefore particular suitable for a China in which medical resources were extremely scarce. Section 4 focuses on analyzing a very intriguing article, “repudiating the doctrine of hygiene,” written by the tycoon of the modern textile industry, Nie Yuntai. This section demonstrates that what compelled Nie and other critics to contest modern hygiene—personal hygiene, to be specific—were not just the actual techniques for preserving health but their moral implications, i.e., their effects in the context of the dual construction of self-identity and moral community. Drawing on this discovery, section 5 explains the curious reasons why political leaders of the Republican period, including Sun Yatsen, Chiang Kai-shek, and Chen Guofu, devoted so much energy to the seemingly trivial practices of personal hygiene while leaving untouched the construction of a national system of public health. To conclude, as the contestation over hygiene became closely connected with larger debates about individualism, nationalism, and modernity, critiques of, resistance to, and local visions of hygiene revealed the development of local modernities in China, characterized by alternatives in hygienic practices, self-hood, bodily sensibility, and moral community.
2 Contesting Hygiene
Published in 1908, the novel Story of Hygiene: A Mirror of the Medical World (Weisheng xiaoshuo: Yijie Jing 衛生小說: 醫界鏡) begins like this: “Westerners have said that we Chinese do not understand the principles of hygiene. Fortunately, our customs and habits have always mandated that we thoroughly cook all foods, whereby we have protected our race for thousands of years. Otherwise we would have been wiped out long ago. Nevertheless, there are numerous aspects of hygiene that we still do not understand. I have written this novel because 400 millions of my fellow citizens day after day come into contact with microbes that are harmful to people and, not knowing the rules for avoiding them, fall ill” (Rulin Yiyin 1908: 1).
This paragraph looks like any standard opening remarks, but represents a truly novel way of thinking in China at that time. According to Rogaski's research, the first person to translate Western hygiene-related writings into Chinese was John Fryer (1839–1928), who, at one point, held a position in the Jiangnan arsenal. Fryer translated a number of books with the word hygiene in the title, including Discussion of Chemistry and Hygiene (1880) and Preliminary Studies in Hygiene (1860). In spite of the fact that Fryer in the course of translation strongly emphasized the significance of scientific knowledge (especially chemistry), the actual practices of hygiene promoted in his translations were very similar to traditional Chinese practices of health cultivation, focusing on regulating the individual's daily life (Rogaski 2004: 108–115). He not only failed to mention the bacteriological revolution that was spreading like wildfire in the West, but also never even hinted at the fact that the Chinese people might have severe deficiencies with regards to their hygienic habits. By contrast, 12 years after Fryer's Preliminary Studies in Hygiene, the introduction to the Story of Hygiene manages to show the intimate connection between these two points in a single comment: “In the waning years of the late Qing dynasty, the Chinese people were already aware of the fact that they were ignorant about the principles of hygiene since they were in close contact with microbes without even knowing it.”
The significance of hygiene and microbes is obviously linked to the spread of infectious diseases. As the Story of Hygiene pointed out, “In the present year, the population inside and outside the city of Hangzhou has confronted the dreadful disaster of epidemics. The reason for this is that the streets are filthy and vile toxic air is breeding microbes everywhere. As soon as it rains, these microbes are washed into rivers and wells via the irrigation ditches. When people then consume this water and are thereby exposed to large amounts of filth and toxins, epidemics arise. The standard rules of hygiene are hence particularly relevant for epidemics.” (Rulin Yiyin 1908:54). It was only after the bacteriological revolution that scientists in the West began to emphasize the importance of boiling water before using it as drinking water. Westerners therefore took note that the Chinese people knew absolutely nothing about microbes but still had long followed the hygienic custom of boiling their drinking water (Tomes 1988:60).
In the above-mentioned novel, the well-doer Zhang explains the six aspects of his “essentials of weisheng”: (1) avoiding lack of cleanliness, (2) exposure to sunlight, (3) diligent ventilation, (4) diligent bathing, (5) regular exercise, and (6) choice of food (Rulin Yiyin 1908:54–57). Among these, two items are directly related to what the author refers to as “epidemic bugs”: “Avoiding lack of cleanliness” is important because “the path taken by epidemic bugs is invariably hidden in such filth, dirt, and dust.”“Exposure to sunlight” because “all types of pathogenic bacteria, microbes, and such things are wiped out as soon as they are exposed to sunlight.” The remaining four aspects focus on taking care of the physical body, in a way that equates the body with a machine (Fig. 1). Lastly, looking at the input and output of the machine, Zhang's “essentials” also emphasize quantitative information, namely, the amount of available oxygen (3, “diligent ventilation”) and the speed with which the various foods are digested (6, “choice of food”).
The six items in these “essentials of weisheng” are thus built to a large extent upon the notions of epidemic bugs and the body as a machine. By contrast, we find almost no traces of traditional hygiene and health cultivation practices. Nevertheless, in one very important aspect, these six essentials of weisheng still differed greatly from Western-style hygiene: In spite of the fact that this plan targeted epidemic diseases, it failed to mention any kind of public health measures, and its methods were exclusively directed at individual habits of daily life. Well-doer Zhang in the novel was able to understand that epidemic diseases required a novel type of weisheng and that the prevention of epidemics required people to take excellent care of the machine that was their body, in order to prevent the invasion of epidemic bugs, but his discussion was still limited to personal hygiene. Left un-discussed was the crucial question of how the governmental authorities could get involved in this novel endeavor.
By contrast, the aspect of modern Western hygiene that had most impressed early Japanese thinkers like Nagayo Sensai was exactly this point, namely the organized manner in which government became involved in people's health maintenance. According to Nagayo Sensai's own account, it was only after he had taken part in the famous Iwakura Mission 岩倉使節團 to visit Europe (especially to Germany) in 1871, that he fully understood the true meaning of hygiene. In fact, he described it as a “special type of governmental structure in charge of citizens' healthcare.”“This kind of enterprise in healthcare had never been given a name in East Asia and was moreover a completely new undertaking.” Only after recognizing the key role played by governmental administration did Nagayo Sensai coin the new term weisheng to emphasize the fact that weisheng was a task of defense at the national level.
By the time of the late Qing to early Republican periods in China, weisheng had already become a rather popular new term, and a lot of people frankly acknowledged that the Chinese people were shamefully deficient in their practices of hygiene. Nevertheless, many of these Chinese discussions hardly mentioned the governmental healthcare system at all, in sharp contrast to the purpose of Nagayo Sensai's translation of hygiene as weisheng. No wonder that Chen Fangzhi in 1930 severely criticized Nagayo Sensai's choice of weisheng, a term that he had unearthed from the ancient philosophical text Zhuangzi, as an unsuitable translation of “hygiene.” In Chen's eyes, because of this inadequate translation, the Chinese people had failed to understand that “hygiene” was in fact a novel undertaking that had not previously existed in Chinese culture.
To stress the difference between this modern hygiene and traditional Chinese methods, Chen Fangzhi emphasized the contrast between public health and personal hygiene. In other words, Chen Fangzhi recognized the existence of a Chinese discourse on weisheng that was related to the Western notion of hygiene but at the same differed greatly from it. After equating Chinese weisheng with personal hygiene, Chen Fangzhi never bothered to mention its existence again.
3 Chinese-Style Hygiene
The prolific translator Ding Fubao 丁福保 (1873–1950, Fig. 2) is a key figure in the history of weisheng in China because he incorporated different indigenous elements like Chinese medicine, yang sheng (“nurturing life,” i.e., Chinese health cultivation practices), and Buddhism into the concept of hygiene, which he helped introduce into China. As a master of medical translation in the late Qing and early Republican period (Ma et al. 1993: 450–455), Ding translated and authored an abundance of books with “hygiene” in the title, such as Questions and Answers on Hygiene (weishengxue dawen), A Primer of Hygiene (mengxue weisheng jiaokeshu), Guide to Hygiene (weisheng zhinan), and Explaining Empirical Hygiene (shiyan weishengxue jiangben), even selling products from the Ding Family Hygiene Pharmacy (Dingshi jiating weisheng yaoku) through mail orders. In the preface to his book Questions and Answers on Hygiene, which was published in 1902, Ding Fubao asked the rhetorical question, “What do we mean by the study of weisheng?” and answered himself, “The method of protecting and nurturing the body is what we call the study of weisheng” (Ding 1902: 1). Making his meaning very clear, he prominently exposed the importance of the body in this context. When analyzing the “guiding principles of weisheng,” however, he pointed out:
Regarding the functions of the viscera and bowels and channels and network vessels, you should know these cursorily; the recommendations and taboos regarding food and drink and your daily life, though, you must study [in depth]. Humans are engaged in an all-day fight against microbes, which is a most remarkable struggle for life. If you use your mind too much, the brain will develop more quickly, but the muscles and tendons will not be able to withstand hard work. Therefore, physical exercise and “governing the mind” should both be valued equally. As the Suwen (“Plain Questions”) states, “The Sage does not treat existing disease but treats disease before it arises; he does not govern what is already disordered, but governs what is not yet disordered. This is what this means” (Ding 1902: 1).
With conciseness and force, these sentences convey Ding Fubao's basic position on weisheng. At the same time, the three factors that he mentions here, namely, “microbes,” “governing the mind,” and “treating disease before it arises,” also directly comprised both the basic understanding and the focus of debates around hygiene in the Republican period.
3.1 Microbes (weishengwu) 微生物
From the structure of the book as a whole, we can see that a new mentality of wei (“guarding”, i.e., defense) had arisen, based on the new knowledge that there is “all-day fight between humans and microbes.” The people of China needed this new knowledge before they could possibly comprehend that their lives were in danger even though they were not aware of any symptoms. It was in light of this new knowledge that wei (“guarding”) became necessary. In Ding Fubao's eyes, however, the Chinese people were not only lacking the latest information on microbes. To make matters worse, because of Chinese traditional medicine, their minds were full of errors. The Questions and Answers on Hygiene quotes the following allegation, made by the American physician Dauphin William Osgood: “The deficiencies and mistakes found in discussions of the skeleton, internal organs, and the circulation system in Chinese medical literature are too many to enumerate” (Ding 1902: 18). Hence, Ding proceeded to propose four reasons for his judgment that Western medicine was superior to Chinese medicine.4 From Ding's point of view, if people were unfamiliar with the most current information in modern medicine, they would not be careful to protect themselves against microbes, which were invisible to the human eye. Likewise, if they were ignorant of the fact that the human body needed a certain amount of oxygen for respiration, they would be less likely to pay attention to the importance of maintaining good ventilation indoors.
(1) The ancient Chinese books are full of fantastic and absurd content. (2) When patients in China die, the physican is unable to examine the corpse by autopsy. (3) Because Chinese people view medicine as a lowly craft, intelligent talented people disdain it as a profession. (4) Medical practice is in China generally just a way to make a living, so practitioners are unable to travel all over for research (Ding 1902, p. 80).
Therefore, hygiene was a sort of new consciousness formed on the basis of modern scientific knowledge from the West, with special emphasis on information about microbes and epidemic diseases. In this specific point, the Questions and Answers on Hygiene from 1902 and the Story of Hygiene, which was published 6 years later, were quite similar. In fact, from the late Qing period to the 1930s, Chinese doctors received their fill of attacks because of the inadequacy of their knowledge regarding epidemic prevention (fang yi). During the 1910 outbreak of the plague in Manchuria, Chinese doctors who participated in epidemic prevention not only transmitted the plague to 250 patients who came to seek treatment, they themselves suffered a mortality rate of more than 50%, while the mortality rate among Western physicians was only 2% (Benedict 1993,70–71). As a result, when the government subsequently formulated the “Regulations for Chinese Medical Practitioners,” it emphasized the need for Chinese medical practitioners to receive training on contagious diseases and disinfection (Anonymous 1928, 72). In 1929, Yu Yan 余巖 (1879–1954) issued his famous proposal to “abolish the old medicine in order to sweep away all hindrances to medicine and public health”;this proposal unintentionally caused the rise of the National Medicine movement and initiated a decade-long struggle between practitioners of Western medicine and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (Lei 2002). As one of his four main reasons why the government should abolish Chinese medicine, he cited the fact that Chinese medicine was ignorant of the germ theory (Chen 1985: 267). After this controversy, the Institute of National Medicine (guoyiguan 國醫館) announced in 1933 in its “Outline of the Standards for National Medicine and Herbs” that weisheng was included among the basic disciplines of Chinese medicine. This document stated that weisheng as a medical discipline “can take the quintessence of our country's indigenous weisheng and develop it to its fullest potential, while at the same time incorporating modern hygiene practices and epidemic prevention methods” (Deng 1999: 161). In the following year (1934), the “Rules for Examination and Certification in Chinese Medicine” by Jiangsu Province furthermore stipulated that, among 14 subjects of choice, weisheng was one of the four mandatory subjects (Anonymous 1934:868–70). These examples show that, after the debate between Chinese and Western medicine in the 1930s, even advocates of Chinese medicine agreed that they had to take hygiene very seriously because of its role in epidemic prevention if they wanted Chinese medicine to be used as part of the national healthcare system.
3.2 Governing the Mind (zhi xin 治心)5
Like the Story of Hygiene,the Questions and Answers on Hygiene “pursued methods of caring for the body.” Furthermore, its view of the body was influenced just as profoundly by Western mechanistic discourse. Regarding the relationship between body and mind, Ding Fubao certainly did not live in a traditional world where body and mind formed a simple integral whole. He regarded the body as a machine and also acknowledged the separate existence of body and mind and the superiority of the body in its material aspects as the logical conclusion of Descartes' mind–body dualism. Nevertheless, Ding did not cling obstinately to this dichotomy. To the contrary, he stressed emphatically that a connection with countless links did in fact exist between body and mind, as separate as they were. He stated that the use of the mind directly affected the body and that “if you use your mind too much, the brain will develop more quickly, but the muscles and tendons will not be able to withstand hard work” (Ding 1902: 1). In his book, he answered his own rhetorical questions, “who discovered the phenomenon that thoughts and the body are related?” and “is it correct to say that the mind can create illness?” in this way: “Saying that the mind can create illness is extremely correct” (Ding 1902: 46). On the one hand, these two questions demonstrated that his thinking was certainly based on the Modernist framework of the mind–body dichotomy. On the other hand, though, he did not hesitate a bit to answer his question affirmatively. This stance allowed him to confidently stipulate the crucial role of “governing the mind” in maintaining one's physical health. In the book Methods for the Prevention of Tuberculosis (Feilaobing yufang fa 肺癆病預防法), Ding Fubao again included a separate chapter on the “Ancient Meaning of Weisheng” This chapter contains lengthy excerpts from the ancient weisheng texts, dividing them into the categories of general theories, cultivating the mind, moderating desires, food and drink, and gymnastics. These categories show that the object of Ding's weisheng was never the material body detached from the mind and desires.
For ease of reading and greater clarity, I have translated the Chinese xin throughout this paragraph with the English “mind,” but the reader should be aware that the original meaning of xin is “heart.” A later section will discuss the rationale for this, given by Ding Fubao himself.
To the contrary, Ding Fubao's weisheng emphasized the notion of “governing the mind” (zhi xin) and included the teachings on weisheng from China's ancient past. At the time of Ding's writing, this xin (lit. “heart”) that was the object of zhi xin was right in the midst of an intense transformation. The fact that, in biomedicine, the brain had assumed the function of governing thought, which had traditionally been ascribed to the heart in Chinese medicine, was one of the highly controversial topics in Chinese and Western theories of the body. Ding Fubao immediately emphasized in the chapter “On Governing the Mind”: “To tentatively follow the old theories, [I use] the word xin. In fact, though, the thoughts are issued forth from the brain” (Ding 1902: 46). To emphasize the close link between the body and the mind, Ding Fubao invested a great amount of curiosity and discussion on the brain, which had recently taken over the role traditionally played by the heart.6 In conclusion, Ding Fubao's notion of weisheng emphasized knowledge of microbes and criticized the profusion of errors in anatomical knowledge that were found in Chinese medicine. But while he accepted the Western framework of body–mind dichotomy, he still stressed the many ways in which the mind influenced the body. Thereby he affirmed the value of the “ancient meaning of weisheng” in China and of the practice of “governing the mind.” Lastly, he also attempted to find physical mechanisms in the rising science on the brain and nerves that could support this knowledge from Chinese medicine. Ding Fubao's weisheng was therefore neither Chinese nor Western, but was a newly crafted combination of the two medical systems. And his approach of looking for the “material foundation” of Chinese medical concepts in the emerging scientific developments turned out to be a strategy used over and over again in the later history of Chinese medicine in the twentieth century.
In fact, the interest in the brain and nerves was an important phenomenon of the late Qing medical culture in the interaction between China and the West. For the history of the term naoqijin 腦氣筋 (“nerves”), see Hugh Shapiro, “What Changes When Words Change: Nervousness in Modern China,” unpublished paper presented at the Workshop on Techno-science, Medicine, and Society (Kexji, yiliao yu shehui gongzuofang 科技, 醫療與社會工作坊), June 17, 2002, at Tsinghua University.
3.3 “To Treat Illness Before it Arises” (zhi wei bing 治未病)
The key organizing principle throughout Ding's book is the maxim “to treat illness before it arises.” The distinction between the prevention and treatment of disease is precisely the demarcation point between the two parts of the Questions and Answers on Hygiene. It is not until the second to last chapter on “Superficial Principles for Curing Illness” that Ding arrives at this second aspect of medicine, i.e., the treatment of disease. Thus, we know that it was obviously not an important concern in the Questions and Answers on Hygiene. In this specific point, the practices and ideas on weisheng during the late Qing and early Republican periods continued to follow the original Chinese tradition of “nurturing life.” Xie Liheng (1880–1950) also emphasized this point in the chapter on “The Method of Nurturing Life” in his book On the Origin and Development of Medicine in China (Zhongguo yixue yuanliu lun). Regarding the practice of “nurturing life” in China, he pointed out that “it was originally intended as a warning to patients, rather than being aimed at those who regarded themselves as physicians” (Xie 1970: 51).
Given that hygiene was a tool for treating illness before it arises, the chronically ill Chen Guofu (1892–1951), a long-term political ally of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (1887–1975) and strong supporter of traditional medicine, believed that hygiene could provide a solution for the “problem of medicine in China.” In the preface to his book The Way of Hygiene (Weisheng zhi dao), he stated in the very first sentence: “In the past, when China had adopted a closed-door policy, no problem of medicine existed here.” The rise of modern Western medical science in China, though, created a severe “problem of medicine in China,” the most pressing aspect of which was the “socioeconomic problem of a lack of resources for medical treatment” (Chen 1942: 1). In light of this national crisis, Chen suggested that weisheng should focus on helping people to avoid falling into a state of disease where they needed medical resources. Chen Guofu pointed out:
Because medications are too expensive, people who have fallen ill cannot afford them. Furthermore, they cannot afford to visit a doctor either. But of course we cannot just allow things to run their course and wait for the arrival of death. Thus a pressing need exists to think of ways to solve this problem. And the way to solve this problem is extremely easy: We just have to increase general awareness of weisheng so that everybody understands the way of weisheng. Then people will avoid falling ill in the first place, and the connection between medicine and people's lives will gradually become looser and looser. Regardless of whether the price of medicine is expensive or not, since this does not affect the daily lives of the majority of people, they will naturally be indifferent to the grave panic associated with medicine (Chen 1942:2).
Seen in this sense, weisheng was no longer the special monopoly of physicians, but exactly the opposite: it became the antithesis of the medical profession, namely, an important tool for the individual's self-protection. Perhaps due to similar factors, numerous Japanese products at that time claimed to have weisheng-related functions (Johnston 1995), and the product catalog of Shanghai's Wuzhou Pharmacy was called “Guide to Weisheng” (Wuzhou Pharmacy, 五洲大藥房 1919). Ding Fubao also had a “Ding Family Weisheng Pharmacy” that targeted sales to individual consumers.
The Way of Hygiene not only caused the “connection between medicine and people's lives to gradually become looser and looser,” in Chen Guofu's imagination, it also allowed the Chinese state and its citizens to have a completely different relationship with hygiene from that of Japan. Chen Guofu's “Ten Principles of Weisheng” exclusively addressed matters of personal hygiene, and he furthermore advocated the selective advancement of indigenous habits of weisheng. Subsequently, Chen wrote a Calendar of People's Daily Life (Guomin shenghuo li), in which he enumerated in minute detail what the population should do for every one of the 365 days of the year. Among these instructions, we find a large amount of weisheng-related content. Chen tried to comprehensively utilize seasonal advice that had hygienic value with the intention of fashioning a “new way of life” for the people. As he stated directly, “This type of activities (that is, weisheng advice that matched traditional Chinese seasonal advice) is not only extremely economical but moreover already widely popular, and much better than the Japanese way of using the threat of police detention to force the population to clean and sweep on different days of the month” (Chen 1977: 19). Without the power of the Japanese police and faced with the problem of lacking medical resources, Chen Guofu had no choice but to utilize personal hygiene and indigenous customs related to weisheng. In view of this situation, the “way of weisheng” that Chen Guofu recommended for individuals to orient themselves by was aimed not at counteracting the state's public health measures and the national healthcare system. Rather, he expected that personal hygiene was able to solve the problem of the nation's healthcare panic. In discussions on hygiene policy by the Nationalist government, Chen Guofu's voice of course did not represent the mainstream, but the facts that he pointed out were a problem that the Nationalist government could not avoid dealing with (Yip 1996). In the West, the modern state apparatus grew and developed hand in hand with public health, but the KMT government of 1930 still placed its hopes into utilizing mass movements to reform the personal hygiene habits of its population. Given the fact that the Nationalist government, having pledged to pursue modernization, had no choice but to rely heavily on personal hygiene, it is no wonder that Chen Fangzhi realized how widespread the notion of personal hygiene really was.
Looking at the actual practices of Ding Fubao and Chen Guofu's weisheng, their advice did not limit itself to the body alone, but also included regulating the “thoughts, emotions, and desires.” When Chen Guofu drew up the “Ten Principles of weisheng,” he included admonitions to “correct thinking, balance the seven emotions, and regulate the desires.” He further emphasized that “the ten principles explained above break with the convention of the past to only talk about physical hygiene. They are a kind of exploratory effort to place physical hygiene and mental hygiene on equal footing.”7 If we situate Ding Fubao's “governing the mind” and Chen Guofu's “mental hygiene” in the context of the Western history of hygiene, their emphasis on psychological factors certainly stands out. According to Andrew Wear's research, it is clearly incorrect that personal hygiene was unknown in the West. The tradition of Western hygiene can be traced back to Hippocrates and went through a great many changes in Western history. Before the rise of public health in the nineteenth century, European “hygiene” and Chinese “nurturing life” were in fact marked by a great number of similarities, both of them being methods for the individual to avoid falling ill. It is only after the rise of public health in the West that the content of “hygiene” underwent a major change. As Andrew Wear puts it, “Today, hygiene means cleanliness, and has a narrower scope” (Wear 1993: 1283).
The “Ten Principles of Hygiene” include “bathing in sunlight, ventilation, caution in food and drink, emphasizing neatness, regular physical labor, good rest, a suitable environment, correct thought, balancing the seven emotions, and moderating cravings and desires.” See Chen (1942, p. 32).
While the range of concerns in Western hygiene certainly became narrower, it did not ignore personal hygiene either. As Nancy Thomas has pointed out, even after the explosion of interest in public health movements and the germ theory, the American people were still interested in practicing personal and domestic hygiene, adopting many innovations in their living environment, architecture, and utensils (Tomes 1988, 1990). In the Chinese discourse on hygiene in the early years of the twentieth century, an extremely similar discussion revolved around the debate on “letting the wind blow through the house” (jushi tongfeng, i.e., ventilation). Proponents of domestic hygiene believed that “in bedrooms, there must be enough air for each inhabitant to dilute the exhaled spent air.” Therefore, they emphasized opening windows wide for ventilation. Traditional Chinese culture, however, believed that “wind is the chief of the hundred diseases,” and that proper hygiene advocated “closing the windows to avoid wind” (Hu 1934: 61). So regardless of whether we look at it from the perspective of a historical comparison (prior to the nineteenth century vs. modernity) or a cross-cultural comparison (West vs. China), the contrast between public health and personal hygiene seems too rough and simplistic. Both before and after the rise of the germ theory, personal hygiene existed in the West, but its objectives certainly narrowed afterwards. In the words of Tomes, after the rise of the germ theory, personal hygiene in the West became “the gospel of germs,” focusing on personal and domestic germ-prevention and cleanliness. Psychological factors were consequently pushed to the periphery of its vision.
Compared to the neglect of this “gospel of germs” for psychology and the emotions, it is not surprising that Chen Guofu took pride in having established the concept of “mental hygiene” as his personal creation.8 Nevertheless, if we consider Chen Guofu's notion of regulating “thoughts, emotions, and desires” in the tradition of Chinese yangsheng, the “mental hygiene” that he promoted turns out to be the standard response of contemporaneous Chinese doctors to the age of hygiene. In the “method for nurturing life” (yangsheng fa) in his book On the Origin and Development of Chinese Medicine, Xie Liheng suggested: “In their methods for healthcare, the ancient sages primarily paid attention to psychology. The descriptions in the ‘Treatise of Heavenly Truth from Remote Antiquity’ (shanggu tianzhenlun 上古天真論) and three other Suwen 素問 chapters are the earliest ancestors of the methods for nurturing life. The later sages followed these and likewise gave priority to purifying the soul, with no regard at all for changes in the material world outside” (Xie 1970:50).
It was surely not the case that Chen Guofu established the concept of mental hygiene. To say the least, Clifford Whittingham Beers (1876–1943) founded the National Committee for Mental Hygiene in the United States in 1909. Besides, the Chinese Association for Mental Hygiene was established in Nanjing in 1936, although “it did not received passionate and enduring supports from the society,” suggested by one of its leader. See Wang (2008).
Hence, we can see that Chen Guofu and Ding Fubao both followed the tradition of yangsheng in emphasizing psychology. For these modern writers, though, the specific effects of cultivating the mind unfolded in the material body. The most concrete example of this modern twist is Ding Fubao's emphasis on the health benefit of laughing. In his summary of the “Ten Essential Rules of Weisheng,” the ninth is cultivating the mind: “Among a person's normal emotional responses, hardship causes grieving while joy causes laughing. Everybody knows that sorrow is extremely harmful to people. What people don't know, though, is that happiness is most beneficial. Today, research by scholars in the natural sciences has shown that joyous laughter is able to supplement the brain, activate the tendons and muscles, ease the body's constructive and defensive functions, and disperse food stagnations. Joyous laughter can bring about many more [health benefits] than taking medications” (Ding, 1908: 2). For Ding Fubao, cultivating the mind and joyous laughter hence were valued not for the sake of their psychological benefits but for the tangible physical effects that they helped generate.
Whenever Ding Fubao promoted this perspective, he stressed that “the health benefits of laughter” were new, previously unknown information. In contrast to the traditional Chinese medical notion that “the seven emotions cause illness” and the pathology of a “laughing disorder” (Li, 2004),9 this move by Ding Fubao amounted to an attempt to fundamentally elevate the general attitude of the Chinese people toward joy. On the basis of this scientific knowledge, he went on to complain that “nowadays people are too staid and serious; they often prohibit children from laughing in joy” (Ding 1902: 48). As revealed in this incidence, the debate on the appropriate modes of childrearing was no longer shaped by the moral concerns of cultivating the personality, but by the new knowledge of health and hygiene. At this point, we can discern two apparently contradictory but, in fact, complementary phenomena. On the one hand, Chinese weisheng did not limit itself to preserving the health of the body but included the notion of regulating “thoughts, emotions, and desires.” For this reason, a large amount of traditional philosophy of life, Daoist thinking, and practices of self-cultivation was incorporated into the concept of weisheng. The most revealing example of this approach is a book published in 1925 by Yang Suixi called Required Readings in Hygiene (Weisheng bi du), in the preface of which he clearly acknowledges: “Confucians speak of xiu shen 修身 (cultivating the body) and not of yang sheng 養生 (nurturing life). Daoists speak of yang sheng and not of wei sheng 衛生 (guarding life). Physicians speak of wei sheng and not of xiu shen.” But in reality, he stressed, these three shared the same origin and furthermore supported each other. Although they all taught similar lessons, “if people are instructed in the language of the Confucians, they will be tied down by this conventional talk about morality and mostly resist it, but if they are instructed in the language of medicine, they will respond with fear for their lives and therefore mostly be happy to follow it.... For this reason, the concerned gentleman often avails himself of medicine to help the people” (Yang 1925: 6). No wonder that, at a time when the value of the body and of health had just been elevated substantially due to the influence of Western medical hygiene, so much “conventional talk about morality” re-fashioned itself as medical instructions with concrete health benefits.10 On the other hand, though, those aspects of philosophy and self-cultivation that had been absorbed into hygiene ran the risk of losing their independent value and, thus, were reduced to the status of tools in the service of physical health.
I would like to express my gratitude to Jender Lee for sharing an unpublished manuscript of this article at the earlier time.
In Yang Suixi's preface, he points out that his Required Readings in Hygiene was, in fact, “stolen from Zhang Guanying's 鄭觀應 book on weisheng, and after considering benefit and harm, published for the world.” (p. 7) The Required Readings in Hygiene thus comes directly from Zheng's Zhong wai weisheng yaozhi 中外衛生要旨(Key Points in Chinese and Western Hygiene) published in 1890. See Rogaski (2004, pp. 204–216). I would like to thank Ruth Rogaski for sending me a copy of Zheng's book.
4 Matter, Emotions, and Identity in Hygiene
Up to this point, the Chinese-style hygiene that I have been describing appears to have delighted in absorbing the new information from the West. There was, however, one point on which the two medical systems of China and the West were truly incongruent during the Republican period, namely, their different interpretation of “matter” (wuzhi). In the eyes of the Chinese, the special characteristic of Western hygiene was precisely the profound understanding of “material” factors. In his preface to the Study and Administration of Hygiene, Hu Shi (1891–1962), arguably the most famous intellectual during the Republican period, pointed out that the key point in the “new view of human life behind the new hygiene policies” advocated by people like Chen Fangzhi was the notion that “survival or death from disease was not determined by fate but by material causes” (Chen 1934: 1). Even people with a preference for traditional medicine agreed that Western hygiene was superior in the material realm. The Chinese physician Wu Xihuang, for example, pointed out in the preface of his Lecture Notes on the Study of Weisheng: “The modern teachings imported from the West are restricted to the unessential aspect of material form. Therefore, we do not call them daosheng 道生 (‘way of life’) but call them weisheng” (Wu 1985: 1).
In light of this difference in the appreciation of material factors, a fascinating new standpoint was expressed in an article with the provocative title “Repudiating the Doctrine of Hygiene” (Tuifan weisheng xueshuo). Its author, Nie Yuntai (1880–1953, Fig. 3), was a tycoon in China's modern textile industry and the grandson of Zeng Guofan 曾國藩 (1811–1972), an eminent Chinese official and Confucian scholar who helped suppress the devastating Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864). Nie was among a handful of new-style entrepreneurs; he had held the position of factory director in China's largest private cotton mill (Hengfeng Cotton Mill) and, in 1920, become president of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce, the largest modern business association in China. Mr. Nie never left the country to study abroad, but because his father had long been employed at the Jiangnan Arsenal, he had been able to study English with the wife of John Fryer, had taught himself mechanics under the guidance of the foreign engineers at the arsenal, and even translated Hertz' Study of Radio Waves (Heshi wuxiandian xue). In many senses, Nie could be considered a representative figure of Chinese modernity.
In 1924, Nie converted from Christianity to Buddhism. According to his own account, Nie had long been a person who “worshipped science and spurned the old theories.” At one point, he recovered from an illness with the help of Western hygiene and, from then on, “bathed in sunshine, bathed in fresh air, bathed daily in fresh water, consumed a diet with strict proportions of starches, fats, and proteins, always slept with a window open, and practiced gymnastics and recreation. In acting like this, I was always sincere and strict” (Nie 1931: 1). But after being deeply committed to Western hygiene for a long time, he realized “the drawbacks of science in overemphasizing matter and overlooking the spirit, and that those who do not understand psychology are ill equipped to speak of physiology” (Nie 1931: 1). Nie Yuntai by no means denied that Western hygiene could help in preventing disease. What he called into question was the huge price tag associated with the pursuit of Western-style hygiene, and whether these costs were truly worth it in comparison to the expected benefits.
Nie Yuntai developed five closely related arguments against Western-style hygiene. First, he stated on the basis of his personal experience and the story of Max Joseph von Pettenkofer (1818–1901), who did not get infected even though he purposely drank a cup of water contaminated with cholera bacteria, “Whenever we speak of hygiene, we should not attach too much importance to it. Matter is not really that important to hygiene. Therefore, if you attach too much importance to material factors, adverse effects will result” (Nie 1931: 1). “Secondly, if the key to hygiene indeed lay in material factors, we should have really considered the material and economic conditions that were necessary for the pursuit of hygiene. But once we pondered these, we could clearly see that it was impossible under the present conditions in China to make available the supposedly universal equipment of hygiene to every Chinese family. While modern hygiene is supposed to be a set of practices that benefits everyone, in the foreseeable future there is no way to make these practices universally affordable for the entire population of China”.11 By prioritizing the material conditions essential for the pursuit of hygiene, Nie demonstrated that the so-called “universality” and “necessity” of hygiene amounted to blaming the victims for being unable to afford the necessities of the modern hygienic lifestyle.
To quote Nie Yuntai literally, “Now the ignorant masses generally speaking don't know a thing about hygiene. In addition, the various new types of equipment like bathrooms with toilets are not something in their reach. If such equipment is necessary for weisheng, then I may have the power to safeguard my life, but what about the life and health of the majority of the population? If I am callous and unconcerned, and only my own life is safeguarded, the effect can certainly not be what I expected.” Nie 1931,p. 3.
As soon as the political economy of hygiene was confronted, the obsessive pursuit of the material conditions necessary for hygiene revealed a self-centered person who did not mind distancing himself from his fellow citizens.12 Even worse, insisting on pursuing hygiene in an environment where the socio-economic conditions could hardly sustain it, this person would by necessity end up being antisocial, and this type of antisocial behavior was in itself enough to cause disease. To illustrate this point, Nie gave an example at the end of his article:
“Whenever people who had studied abroad were contaminated with the bad habits of the Western countries, their mouths filled with words stating that everything in China was inferior in terms of the people, and their minds filled with blame that the everything in the home was inferior in terms of methods. And what they saw as least compromisable was sanitary equipment. Sanitary Equipment, Modern Convenience.” Nie 1931,p.3.
I recently heard that a certain gentleman is very concerned with cleanliness. He won't share meals with other people. If he attends a banquet, he will not eat anything that others have already touched with their chopsticks. Therefore he cannot dine with other people unless it is a Western-style banquet. People say that he suffers particularly often from health problems because he overemphasizes nurturing the body and neglects nurturing the heart. (Nie 1931:4)
It is worth mentioning here that, while this gentleman sounds shamelessly egocentric, his behavior was very much in line with suggestions popularized by some health experts. Addressing this difficult dilemma of having to take dishes from the common plate but thereby risking infection with tuberculosis, Ge Chenghui (1891–1970), a pioneering female doctor who had graduated from Yale Medical School, suggested:
The only method of self-defense is to shamelessly take a spoonful of food from each dish and never take another dip into the common plate once anyone else has touched it. We have no choice but to adopt his method of self-defense. If we do it skillfully, and only moments before other people take their bites, very often other people will not take notice of our lack of table manners. (Ge 1953,100)
Since this strategy was effective only for the person who collected his or her food before everyone else, it is an understatement to call this behavior a method of self-defense. It was really a very self-centered, antisocial behavior. Dr. Ge was fully aware of this moral implication; still, what she wished for was that no other guest would notice.
Keenly aware of the strangeness of this behavior, people considered this to be the reason why the above-mentioned gentleman suffered from poor health. The implication of this episode is clear: “Obsession with cleanliness” was not only an antisocial habit, but in terms of its actual effect, it did not “guard life” either. Therefore, the obsessive pursuit of hygiene could very easily not be worth the effort. To take air quality as another example, when a person became obsessed with fresh air, “if they are ever in a place without an adequate supply of fresh air, they will invariably worry and fret, which creates illness” (Nie 1931: 1).
To summarize, Nie Yuntai's arguments against hygiene consisted of five points: First, while material factors did have a beneficial role in hygiene, they were not a truly decisive, indispensable factor. Second, under the economic conditions in China at that time, it was impossible to universalize the living environment which was necessary for implementing the supposedly universal concepts of hygiene. For this reason, hygiene should not be considered a universal value, without consideration of the price that one had to pay to pursue it consistently. Third, if every person were to obsess about pursuing these types of material conditions, it would bring to the fore each person's selfish disregard for the common welfare. Fourth, if one obsessively pursued hygiene to the point of disregarding the material constraints, this endeavor caused tension between the individual and others and thereby harmed social relations. Fifth, once this obsessive pursuit was made impossible by whatever factor, the resulting psychological anxiety became a pathogenic force itself. To repudiate the materialistic focus in the Western doctrine of hygiene, Nie Yuntai's arguments in one stroke linked together the six subjects of matter, economics, ethics, society, psychology, and disease. In light of these arguments, each individual's adoption of different styles of “hygiene” was not at all simply a matter of choosing different tools to protect the body's health. To the contrary, the choice of a particular style of hygiene reflected the individual's economic status, social relations, ethical conscience, and personal identity.
From Nie's perspective, given the economic conditions in China at that time, people who obsessively pursued the materialistic hygiene of the West were far from being the awakened, modern civilized people envisioned by the proponents of this hygiene. Much to the contrary, the pursuit of this type of hygiene was a vile habit that caused people to despise their fellow citizens and harm themselves. Put even more strongly, this indiscriminate pursuit of hygiene was itself a disease cause and disease state, namely, a “morbid addiction to cleanliness,” jiepi. Nie Yuntai describes how he awakened from the obsessive pursuit of hygiene:
In the past, I used to also suffer from this morbid addiction to cleanliness and any number of vile habits. In recent years I have started considering issues like world economics and people's livelihood, together with each individual's happiness, desires, and life. Blending all of these factors together, I have studied them over and over and realized that my own enjoyment is always inseparably tied to the happiness of others. Therefore in all my actions and desires I must take the masses into consideration. I love cleanliness and I love nutritious foods. It is said that these are absolutely necessary in order to guard life. Now if the majority of people are unable to afford this level of cleanliness and nutrition, do I alone enjoy cleanliness and nutrition to guard myself? What about the life of all others who lack the resources to do this? If we take these factors into consideration, then we can gradually change all sorts of self-centered vile habits. (Nie 1931:3)
Brimming with sympathy and compassion, Nie presented a paradox: The reason why he opposed Western-style hygiene was ultimately for the sake of society and the masses. Take for example a person faced with the situation of having spilled food on the table. The person has two options in terms of “weisheng”: He can either “not pick it up and resume eating, out of fear that it will be detrimental to hygiene as well as harm his manners.” Alternatively, he can “cherish this food in spite of the fact that it has been soiled. This means that he is able to live simply and frugally while thinking of the benefit for the masses.” The connection between hygiene and society thus was not necessarily only expressed in a country's public health measures. As revealed in Nie's confession, even the acts that appeared to be an individual's most personal choices were connected to a most sociological imagination about how a person related to his or her fellow citizens and the community at large. It was for the purpose of preserving these valuable connections that Nie and others criticized Western hygiene and developed alternative possibilities.
Nie Yuntai certainly did not oppose hygiene as a whole, even if his article was titled “Repudiating the Doctrine of Hygiene.” He purposely added quotation marks around the term weisheng to emphasize the fact that what he opposed was a specific version of hygiene. On the surface, it appears that what he opposed was hygiene that was centered on “matter,” but when we carefully read the whole article, we realize that what he truly opposed was a hygiene that obsessively pursued goals that were unattainable in the local socioeconomic environment. This type of imposition was unacceptable because it was bound to stand for the alienation of the self from the local society and for an unwillingness to identify with, to the point of loathing, the overwhelming majority of one's fellow citizens who had no choice but to live an “unhygienic” lifestyle. In order to join his fellow citizens whom he identified with, and to “guard” (wei) their “lives” (sheng) together, Nie Yuntai promoted a hygiene that did not depend on material equipment (he removed his Western-style bathtub and washed his whole body with water from the washbasin) and stopped being overly particular about nutrition. The hygiene he advocated allowed him to have a calm conscience because it consisted of measures that “could be implemented everywhere, including in places of poverty and simple homes.” When hygiene became a major site of identity, one's choice in personal hygiene invariably also became a moral choice for the community that one wished to identify with. Nie and others repudiated modern hygiene not because it was ineffective in preserving health, but because it was harmful to the moral community that they cherished and identified with. In the apparently personal realm of hygiene, the most social relationship between the individual and the community unfolded, a relationship that was based on compassion and identity.
5 Moral Communities of Personal Hygiene
Nie was right. Recent scholarship has shown that measures of personal hygiene do in fact carry serious moral implications for their followers, capable of molding their self-identity, interpersonal relations, and membership in the community. The medical sociologist David Armstrong has analyzed the symbiotic development between the fabrication of identities and four hygienic regimens over the last two centuries, namely, systems of quarantine, nineteenth-century sanitary science, personal hygiene in the first half of the twentieth century, and the new public health that emerged after 1970 (Armstrong 1993). In addition to being tools for protecting health, the hygienic measures associated with these four regimens also shaped the spatial structuring of social life, causing different modes of power to operate and different self-identities to take shape. For example, quarantining for infectious diseases intensified the divisions of geographical borders. By exercising the sovereignty of exclusion, states were able to consolidate the collective identity within the territory under their control.
Focusing on the “anatomical body,” sanitary science rigorously monitors all substances that enter and exit the body, like food, air, dust, drinking water, feces, urine, sweat, semen, etc. Therefore, it also pays close attention to all openings and pathways into and out of the body, as well as major interfaces with the outside world like the skin, mouth, nose, and the excretory and reproductive organs. After the rise of personal hygiene, the focal point was no longer the flow of substances between single bodies and the “environment,” but the exchange of substances between bodies, such as the infectious sputum of tuberculosis or the fluids of venereal diseases. When personal hygiene directed people to develop a scrupulous gaze to look out for these dangerous “social contacts,” people started embodying a new sensitivity towards the distance, contact, and exchange between bodies. To sum up, the body that had become sensitized by personal hygiene was in congruence with the individualistic conception of the body, one that was bounded by the envelope of the skin and watchful of “dangerous contacts” with other bodies. Seen in this context, individualism is more than a political theory and a legal status; it also involves a system of bodily sensibilities and related habitual ways of conducting ones' daily routine.
In China in the 1930s, there was no shortage of concern over these two kinds of exchange of substances (between the body and the environment vs. between bodies). A typical example is Zhang Yichang's article “The Unhygienic Habits of the Chinese People” (Guoren bu weisheng de exi). Not only did he acknowledge that the Chinese people lacked hygiene, he even listed in detail 11 types of unhygienic habits: (1) sharing meals. “Often, when a single person suffers from tuberculosis, the whole family becomes weak. Although the path of infection is not necessarily limited to coming from spoons and chopsticks, sharing meals is certainly one major cause. This is the harm from sharing meals” (Zhang 1934: 156); (2) sharing tea cups; (3) smoking; (4) spitting; (5) running snivel; (6) picking teeth; (7) scratching the crotch; (8) not bathing all year round; (9) not brushing teeth; (10) not washing the genitals; and (11) picking the nose. From a contemporary perspective, we are bound to feel that these are rather natural and appropriate suggestions. But in the nineteenth century, even in North America people were still in the habit of sharing toothbrushes and feeding infants with food that they had pre-chewed in their own mouths, not thinking that there was anything improper about “exchanging saliva.” The transformation of these sorts of previously “normal” behaviors into “vile habits” had in fact been a very recent phenomenon (Tomes 1988: 3).
Along with other health advocates, Zhang described in graphic and disturbing detail the bad habits of his fellow citizens because his objective was to cause Chinese people to loathe their own unhygienic behavior. In order to portray saliva as an unclean substance, a doctor of Western medicine vehemently attacked the old expression “when spat in the face, let it dry on its own.” He emphasized: “There is a lot of filth that comes from the throat, mouth, and tongue. Let us consider this carefully for a moment. The level of its uncleanliness is about the same as that of urine and feces. But the feeling with which the average person loathes saliva is nowhere near the intensity with which they loathe urine and feces.” (Jiang 1934:151). Why was it so important to make the Chinese people feel the same loathing towards saliva and phlegm as towards urine and feces? This concern originated of course in the new information on infection via germs, due to the fact that “tuberculosis and pneumonia are transmitted entirely by fluids that have come from sick people's throat, mouth, and tongue.” Because of this, saliva and phlegm were in fact more perilous than urine and feces. To put it simply, in order to implement the new scientific information about tuberculosis prevention, the Chinese people needed to develop a new sense of the body and the same amount of loathing for saliva and phlegm as for urine and feces. As an incidental result, this meant that they had to change the instinctive ways in which people physically interacted with each other, ultimately constructing “individuals” who did not share meals or tea cups, not even with their family members and loved ones. The practice of personal hygiene hence brought about a new type of “individual” who was endowed with new bodily sensibilities and new social relationships.
As I argue elsewhere,13 there was a salient but little noticed parallel between the personal hygiene promoted by the anti-tuberculosis movement and modern individualism, exemplified by the family reform movement during the Republican period. Both of these groups of reformers shared a common mission, namely to rescue the youth from the traditional Chinese family, which was considered the most serious source of tuberculosis contagion by the first group or “the source of all evils,” i.e., the patriarchal system that destroyed one's individuality by the second group. To many Chinese youth, the most shocking message from these two groups of advocates must have been that one should focus on saving oneself, at least for the time being. In his famous contribution to individualism, Hu Shi (1891–1962), a leader of the New Culture Movement and key contributor to Chinese liberalism, quoted part of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's letter to a friend: “What I hope for from you is a pure kind of egotism. If you should want to be of benefit to society there is no better way than to fashion yourself into a useful tool. There are times when I feel that the whole world is like a mass of colliding ships, and the most important thing is to save oneself” (Glosser 2003:37).
For the anti-tuberculosis movement, see Sean Hsiang-lin LEI 2007; for the relationship between individualism and family reform movement, see Susan L. Glosser, 2003.
Nie's central criticism of Western hygiene was grounded precisely in its moral implication. Although the last of his five arguments indeed concerned the effects on health, Nie's criticism focused on the individualistic implication of Western hygiene, as it manifested in China. Instead of being a practice that brought health benefits to both oneself and the larger society, Western personal hygiene, in Nie's view, would lead one to embrace an egocentric mode of behavior that implied a complete disregard of others. What Nie found most unacceptable was the ethical principle shared by Chinese individualism and Western personal hygiene that encouraged the Chinese youth to “first save yourself from the sinking ship” and “to practicing self-defense (Dr. Ge's advice)” in a Chinese banquet. In both cases, one did not bother with the question of how to save the people who shared the same meal or boarded the same ship. Nie rejected the hygienic/ethical principle to save oneself first, because he considered it more important to identify with one's fellow citizens and protect everybody's lives together.
To contest the moral implications of personal hygiene, Nie provided a counter-argument to modern hygiene and pathologized those who were obsessed with it. Instead of waking up to realize one's lack of hygiene, as many of his contemporaries did, Nie confessed that he came to realize his own “morbid preoccupation with cleanliness”(jiepi 潔癖). As this term was used in pre-modern China, jiepi denoted mostly idiosyncratic characters, such as the eccentric Buddhist poet Wang Wei (710–761) and the Yuan dynasty painter Ni Yunlin (1301–1374). Their characterization as jiepi signaled a critical distance that they kept from the mundane world for the sake of artistic and spiritual aspiration. Judging from his own self-description, Nie's interests in hygiene—nutrition, ventilation, sunlight, and proper bathing, etc.—were far from being an idiosyncratic obsession. What Nie described was an otherwise ordinary person who happened to pursue Western hygiene whole-heartedly. Instead of an idiosyncratic character, what jiepi meant for Nie was the formation of a new type of person. For Nie, this new kind of individual, including himself, suffered the pathology of jiepi because their concern for hygiene revealed an egocentric, antisocial personality. Or to be more precise, such individuals were not antisocial in a general sense, but in the specific sense of being willing to sacrifice their relationship with the other members of their Chinese community since they, for example, only attended Western-style banquets. Instead of embracing Western hygiene for its universal health values, Nie turned it into jiepi, a pathological state because of its undesirable moral implications. The popularity of this term signaled a wide-spread resistance to Western hygiene; it testified that much contestation over Western hygiene was really over its detrimental effect in the dual construction of self-identity and moral community.
It is crucial to point out that the resulting egocentric individualism feared by Nie and his compatriots was by no means the only possible moral implication of modern hygiene. Otherwise, it would be difficult to understand a prominent phenomenon in the political history of modern China, namely, why so many political leaders of the Republican period advocated so adamantly the almost trivial practice of personal hygiene. We must consider here first that, in many instances, the aspect of hygiene that concerned them most was not the large-scale construction of a medical administration by the state, but these kinds of aversions and realizations that were associated with personal hygienic habits. Let us consider the example of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), the political leader who helped to overthrow the Qing dynasty in 1911 and establish the Republic of China. Although he had received formal training in Western medicine in Hong Kong, he never mentioned any plan for developing institutions in charge of public health in his “Three Principles of the People” (san min zhu yi). When Western-trained doctors endeavored to promote public health after the Nationalists unified China and began a state-building project in the late 1920s, they still encountered the problem that the Nationalist government gave priority to building railroads and seaports because they were Sun's priorities for national reconstruction (Kirby 2000). This was in stark contrast to the approach adopted by Sun's contemporary Gotō Shinpei (1857–1929), a German-trained medical doctor and the Japanese governor-general of Taiwan, whose colonizing strategy consisted of using medicine to rule Taiwan (Fan 1998;Liu forthcoming).14
In addition, Xu Hongbin's Master's Thesis points out that Gotō Shinpei managed Taiwan's opium problem by transforming it into a medical problem (Xu 2002). For a general account of Japanese colonial medicine in Taiwan, see Liu (unpublished manuscript).
In spite of this sharp contrast, Sun nevertheless was concerned with China's lack of hygiene. In his public lectures, Sun Yat-sen repeatedly mentioned various unhygienic habits of the Chinese people like spitting everywhere, breaking wind, belching in public, not brushing teeth, and growing long fingernails. These bad habits caused Westerners to assume that the Chinese people were unable to “govern” their own bodies, which illustrated that they were also unable to “govern” their own country (Fitzgerald 1996:9–12). To make matters worse, the major hygiene problems that society focused on at that time were often also the same ones that were used by orientalists to represent the “character of the Chinese people,” such as opium addiction, spitting, and foot-binding (Wang 2003; Ko 2007). The meanings of these racist symbols far exceeded those of medicine and health. The focus by the Chinese government and the population on this kind of “personal hygiene” was, in truth, a collective resistance against the Orientalist image of “John Chinaman.”15 Personal hygiene hence became a key ingredient in the nationalist project of constructing a “new people” and a “new life.” This is part of the reason why, when Chiang Kai-shek launched the New Life Movement in 1934 in preparation for the immediate threat of Japanese invasion, this movement devoted so much energy on the apparently trivial details of personal hygiene, such as spitting and communal eating. By joining the reform of each individual's personal habits, the Chinese people thereby joined a collective resistance against the stigmatized image of the Chinese nation. Instead of promoting individualism, this mass movement of personal hygiene effectively connected people to each other and to the state.
See John Fitzgerald's outstanding book (Fitzgerald 1996), or his short essay “Chinese, Dogs and the State that Stands on Two Legs,” (Fitzgerald 1997).
In terms of connecting individuals to the state, this collective resistance is only half of the story. The other half concerns a shift in the group identity of the Chinese people. It is a well-known fact that public health helps to create a direct link between the nation and the individual citizen because it protects people from the threat of epidemic diseases and brings about collectively shared health benefits. As a result, it helps to consolidate the national identity of all the people living within the territory controlled by the state. Independent of this connection based on heath risks and benefits, modern personal hygiene can provide an alternative connection. Loathing the exchange of bodily fluids certainly helps in preventing the spread of tuberculosis, but it also creates two apparently contradictory attitudes towards the people around you. On the one hand, these practices of personal hygiene, such as the advice against sharing meals, causes people to distance themselves from their friends, family members, and loved ones with whom they share food face-to-face; on the other hand, though, it encourages a concern for the faceless strangers and therefore makes people refrain from spitting on the street. Theoretically speaking, therefore, there is no reason that modern personal hygiene had to be an individualistic endeavor, as described by Nie Yuntai in its manifestation in Republican China. While measures of personal hygiene do make peoples' bodies more atomized and isolated from each other, they, at the same time, connect them more closely by way of common interests and public ethics (or gongde 公德 in Chinese). In fact, it was precisely because of the fact that personal hygiene represented this type of ethical concern for other people and the larger community outside of one's immediate social network that the New Life Movement found it be a useful tool to shift the loyalty and moral commitments of the Chinese people from the traditional family and clan to the larger unit of the Chinese nation (Lei 2009). To conclude, while the Kuomintang state was incapable of advancing the construction of a large-scale system of public health, the popular discourse on personal hygiene still pointed at an individual reform program that was helpful in the context of nation building. Consequently, Sun Yat-sen, Chen Guofu, and Chiang Kai-shek all participated in and contemplated ways to use this discourse and these bodily sensibilities of personal hygiene. In this sense, the contestation over seemingly trivial details of personal hygiene was closely connected to larger debates about individualism, nationalism, and the shape of Chinese modernity. Therefore, Chen Fangzhi was not entirely right, because weisheng, is, after all, concerned with much more than preserving health.
I would like express my heart-felt honor and gratitude toward the editorial board of East Asian Science, Technology and Society for inviting me to translate and prepare for publication the original Chinese article “Why Weisheng is Not About Guarding Life? Alternative Conceptions of Hygiene, Self, and Illness in Republican China,” originally published in Taiwan shehui yanjiu jikan 台灣社會研究季刊 (Taiwan: A Radical Quarterly for Social Studies) 54 (2004), pp. 17–59. Because the Chinese article in its English translation exceeded the word limit for articles published in the EASTS journal, the editorial board encouraged me to divide the original article into two separate articles. The present article represents the first part, with section five newly added and a new title; the second part, which carries the original title, will also be published by EASTS in a later issue. I would like to thank Dr. Sabine Wilms both for translating the original Chinese article and for editing my new sections and revisions of the translated English article. Thanks to her support, I felt confident to take on this project and have enjoyed the whole process. I also want to thank my assistant Chan Muyen 詹穆彥 for compiling the bibliography. For the origin of the special section “STS Research in East Asian Languages: Selected Translation,” please see Chia-ling Wu's “Editorial Note” in EASTS Vol. 3 No. 1 (2009) 2-3.
Original Postscripts
This article has been completed with financial assistance from the group project on “Ideas, Organization, and Practices of Hygiene in Chinese Societies from the Ming-Qing to the Modern Periods.” Throughout my research, I engaged in many discussions with the project members, and the first draft of this article was presented at the monthly meeting of the group on July 30, 2002. I have benefited greatly from their inputs and would like to take this opportunity to thank the chair of the project, Angela Ki-Che Leung 梁其姿, and my other friends who participated in the project, including Ruth Rogaski, Yang Wenshan 楊文山, Liu Shiyong 劉士永, Wu Chialing 吳嘉苓, Li Shangren 李尚仁, and Lin Yiping 林宜平. Among them, Professor Rogaski's groundbreaking research first led me to pay attention to the important historical question of the changing meaning of weisheng. She kindly shared with me the manuscript of her book, which had not yet been published at that time. I want to express my sincere gratitude here for her academic inspiration and friendship. In addition, I want to thank all my classmates who participated in the course on “Medicine, the Body, and Society” at the Tsinghua University, Institute of History in the spring of 2003. In class discussions, they contributed many valuable suggestions. Professors Wang Wenji 王文基, Shen Songqiao 沈松橋, and Jender Li 李貞德, as well as Fiona Lin 林巧玲, my research assistant for this project, all read the entire manuscript carefully and raised many important issues that affected the direction of the article as a whole. I want to extend special thanks to all of them. In addition, I am grateful for the numerous suggestions by two anonymous readers from the journal Taiwan shehui yanjiu jikan 臺灣社會 研究季刊 (Taiwan: A Radical Quarterly for Social Studies).
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© National Science Council, Taiwan 2009
This content is made freely available by the publisher. It may not be redistributed or altered. All rights reserved.
figures&tables
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Human body as machine (Shanghai, 1933)
Ding Fubao 丁福保 (1873–1950)
Nie Yuntai 聶雲台 (1880–1953). A liberal entrepreneur and a tycoon in China's modern textile industry
Posturing for Modernity: Mishima Michiyoshi and School Hygiene in Meiji Japan
War of the Ghosts: Marshall, Veblen, and Bartlett
Cinema as Thought Experiment: On Movement and Movements
Hygiene, Medicine, and Modernity in Korea, 1876–1910
Moral community
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September 9, 1995 WWF Superstars of Wrestling
The September 9, 1995 Edition of WWF Superstars of Wrestling is a Professional wrestling television show of World Wrestling Federation, which took place on August 28, 1995 in Canton, Ohio.
Jean-Pierre LaFitte defeated Man Mountain Rock
Dean Douglas defeated The 1-2-3 Kid by DQ
Owen Hart & Yokozuna (w/ Jim Cornette & Mr. Fuji) (c) defeated AC Conner & Tony Williams to retain the WWF World Tag Team Championship
Shawn Michaels (c) defeated Tatanka (w/ Ted DiBiase) to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship
Retrieved from "https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/September_9,_1995_WWF_Superstars_of_Wrestling?oldid=1105061"
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Bobsleigh Jellybeans?
June 21, 2017 / Paul Shore
How in the world does a long-time high tech professional end up directing the operation of one of the most unique and stress-inducing sporting facilities on the planet?... a bobsled track! And how during that journey does said techie co-author a children’s book with his wife based on that exotic sport?
Answers to both questions begin with my favourite mantra… “WHY NOT TRY?”
With Vancouver bidding for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games back in 2001-2003, and with me growing restless with my life near the epicentre of the high tech world, I decided it was time to pursue a career change. I am a lifelong sports fan and weekend warrior, who loves the impact that sporting events can have on the pride of the communities and nations who host them. So after volunteering for the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation for a couple years, while holding down a demanding tech job, I decided in 2007 that it was time to quit my tech career cold-turkey and focus on landing an Olympic job… “why not try?” By late 2007, I did land that job, just as our first child was about to be born… there is nothing like daring to change up one’s life in several major departments all at once!
The job was a business development role, working to try to ensure that three new sport venues being built in Whistler would not end up as unused, or financially failing, white elephants after the Games had come and gone. It was a fascinating job, filled with high-highs and low-lows, that taught me a ton about the amateur sport world and about the Olympics and sport event hosting. The tragic fatal crash of young Georgian luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili, during a training run on the day of the Opening Ceremonies of the Games, cast a shadow that will never leave those of us who had poured our hearts into bringing the Games to our region, and even more so on those of us who had helped to bring Whistler Sliding Centre to life. And yet somehow we carried on, and hopefully honoured young Nodar, as we worked hard and witnessed dramatic victories by Canadian athletes, and wonderful stories of American, British, and German triumphs, over the two weeks of Olympic competition on the track.
The year before the arrival of the Games, my wife, Talya, and I penned a children’s book, during the naps of our two year-old daughter during a getaway vacation. The book, titled “Bobsleigh Jellybeans” would be illustrated by, Chris Ripley, one of the bobsleigh athletes from a Canadian development team of four young men, who we billeted in our basement when they came to Whistler to train. The title and plot having been stimulated by them once mentioning that their red speed suits made them look like big, red jellybeans. It is a story of friendship, teamwork, and following dreams, and the book’s proceeds went to assisting with training expenses of our new speed-demon friends. We all had a lot of fun with the somewhat accidental project; book readings in schools, a few media appearances, and some solid book sales. And we all learned a few things about becoming self-published authors, illustrators, and marketers. Once again, “why not try?”… good things can happen when you put yourself out there.
Becoming the director of a bobsled track, soon after the close of the Olympics and just two years into a sports world career, has got to be the most bizarre of my unorthodox professional endeavours! Although I only stayed in the role for a year, I learned a lot, including about my own ability to employ personal resilience, adaptability, and team building skills --- and that being a test dummy for tourist bobsleigh and skeleton sliding programs is both exhilarating and pretty hard on the spine!
The entire Olympic and sliding sports world experience was a wild ride and one that I will always cherish, despite some very trying times along the way! Yet again, it demonstrated to me that trying new things and not listening to naysayers was both a challenging and rewarding way to live.
Santé (to health),
PS: Bobsleigh Jellybeans is still available today --- including as both a paid print book, and a FREE eBook, on Amazon --- reviews on Amazon much appreciated!
www.amazon.com/author/paulshore
June 21, 2017 / Paul Shore/ Comment
Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Bobsleigh, Bobsled
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Home Travel & Outdoors Mountain Chalet: 50 Years of More Than Gear
Mountain Chalet: 50 Years of More Than Gear
As Colorado’s oldest outdoor store, Mountain Chalet celebrates half a century of connection and community.
By Tim Bergsten -
Jim and Elaine Smith. Photo by Allison Daniell Moix.
On a recent spring day, a customer walks into Mountain Chalet, the long-running outdoor equipment store to report a problem with a pair of skis he had purchased elsewhere. Store owner Jim Smith isn’t on the hook for the ski malfunction, but he offers to call the company to see if they can be replaced. And he does something more. He connects. He asks questions and commiserates with the customer, a fellow adventurer who has experienced a tough day.
It’s like that at Mountain Chalet, and in a small but real way, it’s the reason the gear outpost is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Through multiple eras—some that saw longtime downtown businesses close—Mountain Chalet’s staff has worked to connect with its community of climbers, hikers, runners and skiers. That connection began in 1968 when original owner Kent Kane opened the doors to what has become the oldest outdoor gear store in Colorado.
“We’re more excited for you when you come back and tell us stories about your climb or ski,” Smith says. “We get as much enjoyment out of that as we do going out and climbing or skiing ourselves. And that is true and authentic, like the store.”
THE DOWNTOWN LANDMARK began with a quirky mountain vibe that never died. Push through the heavy wooden door on Tejon Street, and it’s like Christmas every day of the year, with plenty of toys and goodwill to go around.
Dan and Marilyn Foster kept that energy alive for 20 years. They purchased the business from Kane in 1985, but Foster was a junior at Palmer High School when he visited for the first time.
“There was a place next door that sold bongs, and a used bookstore on the other side,” Foster says. “I was starting to rock climb a little, and with all the ropes and shiny gear, there was no place like it. It was like being a kid in the candy store at that point.”
Under Foster’s leadership, which he admits was often by the seat of his pants, the store expanded with more space and products. Mountain Chalet made big news in the outdoor community when it doubled in size with the addition of basement retail space. Within a year, a fire in the next-door Albany Apartments left the basement room in tatters, but the mess was cleaned up quickly and business boomed.
“We were outgrowing the place and digging out, and moving into the basement took us to the next level,” Foster says. “Finally, we could thoroughly rep everything we wanted to sell.”
Through those fun-but-trying times, Foster always considered himself to be a steward of something bigger than a store. It was important for him and his staff to be approachable, the go-to team that recognized no difference between elite climbers and beginners, but met the needs of all.
“You have to interact with people,” he says. “You have to have expertise, but not be elitist. There are no stupid questions. It’s a fine line to walk when you have all this technical gear, but you don’t intimidate or look down on people.”
Mountaineer Bill Houghton has climbed 94 of Colorado’s tallest 100 peaks, including all the state’s 14ers. A former Air Force pilot, he began working at Mountain Chalet in 1999.
“It just always felt like a place I wanted to be,” Houghton says. “Now I know many of the customers, what their favorite activities are. It’s fun to talk to them because what they’re interested in is often what I’m interested in too.”
Photo by Shayla Bradford
SMITH HAD ALWAYS dreamed of owning an outdoor shop. He formed his first business plan in 1992. Some 23 years later he and his wife, Elaine, visited Mountain Chalet. “I turned around and said to her, ‘This is the place.’”
But it wasn’t for sale. They asked anyway. Foster was open to the idea.
“We had been talking about our exit plan,” Foster says. “We didn’t know if we’d walk away or try to sell. It was serendipity that the broker called, and it all seemed like a really good fit.”
The Smiths beefed up the product line, and stoked support of the community by adding a second day to the popular Banff Mountain Film Festival, an event originally brought to town by Foster that supports the Rocky Mountain Field Institute. They also hosted a showing of the movie Metanoia about pioneering climber Jeff Lowe. Proceeds helped offset Lowe’s health care cost as he battles a neurodegenerative disease.
“We were really new in town, but we had resounding response from the community,” Smith says. “I think it confirmed with the community that even though there were new owners, the Chalet was still the Chalet.”
Even in the best business climate, it’s difficult for a specialty shop to make it. Smith is confident about the store’s future.
“We love Colorado Springs because it’s a mountain town,” Smith says. “It’s a big city that lives like a small town. Within 30 minutes we have backcountry skiing, ice climbing, rock climbing in the city limits; our trails system is amazing. Boulder gets the accolades, but the Springs is 10 times better when it comes to outdoor recreation and proximity.”
Those at the Chalet intend to keep doing their part to keep it that way.
Gear Through the Years
Gear and prices have come a long way since the Chalet opened. Average prices compared with Jim Smith’s 1968 Eastern Mountain Sports catalog given to him by former Chalet owner Dan Foster.
1968 $25
2018 $250
Climbing Rope (70 meters)
Hydration System
1968 $3 (1-liter canteen)
2018 $100 (hydration vest and bladder)
Tim Bergsten
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North, South Korea Solve Time Issue
CC0 / Pixabay
Amid the recent diplomatic breakthrough in the relations between the two Koreas, the countries have managed to set a common time for the entire territory of the Korean Peninsula, the Korean Central News Agency reported Friday.
The clocks in North Korea have been adjusted 30 minutes ahead and now correspond to South Korean time, the Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday.
"The time-resetting is the first practical step taken after the historic third North-South summit meeting to speed up the process for the North and the South to become one, turning their different and separate entities into the same and single one," the agency stated.
The proposal for the DPRK to change its time was put forward by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after the inter-Korean summit on April 27. The relevant decree was adopted by the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea and executed on May 5 on Saturday local time.
The time between South and North Korea had differed starting from 2015.
READ MORE: S Korea's Moon Handed Plan for Peninsula's Joint Development to Kim - Reports
The time changes took place in wake of a major breakthrough in inter-Korean relations, which began ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games and resulted in the historic inter-Korean summit on April 27, during which the sides signed a joint declaration agreeing to take measures to support international efforts aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and proceeding with reunification programs for separated Korean families.
READ MORE: North, South Korea Have Historic Chance to Establish Peace - Chinese President
reset, time, Democratic Republic of North Korea (DPRK), South Korea
03:58Huge Fire Engulfs Forest Near Fresh Island Music Festival in Croatia, Prompts Evacuation - Reports
03:53Assange Masterminded 2016 Clinton Leaks from Ecuadorian Embassy, Report Claims
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SRM University AP- Amaravati Signs MoU With Leading French Institute EFREI
The SRM Group’s new flagship higher education project, SRM University AP- Amaravati has inked a collaborative partnership with France’s leading specialised engineering institution, EFREI. The Memorandum of Understanding for promoting academic collaboration in the areas of Faculty, Student exchange and research collaboration was recently signed.
“We are also privileged to be in partnership with EFREI, its programmes in digital sciences are world class and we hope to leverage their expertise through innovative partnerships and programmes”, said Dr Satyanarayana, soon after signing the MoU.
Founded in 1936, EFREI is today a leading engineering school specializing in information and digital technologies. With more than 7,300 alumni engineers working in France and internationally, EFREI is highly placed among the rankings of recruiting agencies and human resources departments of large companies.
A number of EFREI engineers have taken their place in the history of computing. From Andre Truong (class of 1959), the co-inventor of the first-ever microprocessor to Rani Assaf (class of 1997), one of the minds behind the Freebox (an ADSL modem offered by the French telecommunication provider Free), to name a few.
It has many firsts to its credit: from best engineering program in digital sciences; best engineering school with an international focus for high-paying careers in IT and finance; highest per percentage of alumni hired within 3 months of graduating; and 1st place out of the 15 best engineering schools in France.
SRM University, AP – Amravati is being established as a multi-stream research University and will have the faculties of Engineering and Technology to start with.
SRM University will evolve as a top ranked University with global connections and nationality relevant programs of societal impact. SRM University will provide research based education. Flexible curriculum will be adopted fostering entrepreneurship and innovations.
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The effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on tissue healing KNEE SURGERY SPORTS TRAUMATOLOGY ARTHROSCOPY Chen, M. R., Dragoo, J. L. 2013; 21 (3): 540-549
Non-selective (NSAIDs) and selective (COX-2) nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly used for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Their role after orthopaedic surgery has been infrequently described and remains controversial because of unclear effects on soft tissue and bone healing. This study critically reviews the available literature to describe the effects of NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors on soft tissue and bone healing.A Medline search was performed using NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitors and tissue healing. The combined search yielded 637 articles. Following exclusion, 44 articles were deemed relevant with 9 articles on soft tissue healing and 35 articles on bone healing. The available evidence is based primarily on animal data (39 studies), with considerable variation in study methods.In regard to soft tissue healing, there is insufficient evidence of a detrimental effect when using either NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitors at standard doses for =2 weeks. For soft tissue to bone healing, a limited number of studies demonstrate impairment in healing. However, with respect to bone healing, indomethacin appears to have a clear detrimental effect, with less substantial evidence for other NSAIDs.Short-term, low-dose use of NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors does not appear to have a detrimental effect following soft tissue injury, but is inhibitory in cases involving bony healing. However, additional well-controlled human studies are necessary to draw more definitive conclusions regarding their role. Clinically, the prudent use of anti-inflammatory medications following sports medicine injuries and surgeries appears to be a reasonable option in clinical practice unless bone healing is required.III.
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Smith-Madrone News
Good Thoughts & Great Wine from Spring Mountain, Napa Valley
Join Sam at Spring Place in Beverly Hills
Smith-Madrone is honored to be participating in the MICHELIN Guide: Chef Collaboration Dinner Series with Spring Place Beverly Hills on June 24 and 25.
Participating chefs are MICHELIN Guide’s Melissa Perello of Michelin one-star Octavia and Josef Centeno of Michelin one-star Orsa.
Assistant Winemaker Sam Smith will be presenting 2016 Riesling, 2016 Chardonnay, 2018 Rosé, and 2013 Cook’s Flat Reserve.
Guests will experience a six course tasting menu from Melissa Perello, partnering with Chef Josef Centeno of Orsa & Winston on these two evenings, creating a compelling food experience.
Seatings are at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at https://themichelinguidedinnerseries.splashthat.com/
Spring Place Beverly Hills, 9800 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, 310/591-5669, https://www.springplace.com.
Melissa Perello
While still in high school, she gained her first kitchen based job at a local country club, where she worked 40 hours a week. She dined at Aqua, and was invited into the kitchen. She subsequently impressed the chefs and was offered an apprenticeship at the restaurant. She attended Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY from 1994-1996 and, following her passion for food, moved to San Francisco to work under the tutelage of Michael Mina at Aqua. After working with Mina, whom she cites as a major influence, Perello transferred to Aqua’s sister restaurant, Charles Nob Hill, where she worked alongside mentor, Chef Ron Siegel. She quickly became executive chef and earned accolades for her California-inspired French cuisine. While at Charles Nob Hill, Perello was awarded the San Francisco Chronicle’s Rising Star Chef honor in 2002, one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2004, and James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef nominations in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Perello then took the helm at Fifth Floor and led the restaurant to a Michelin star in 2006.
In 2009, Perello opened her first restaurant, Frances, named after her greatest culinary influence, her grandmother. Located in San Francisco, Frances quickly gained a Michelin star. Offering modern California cuisine in a relaxed neighborhood setting, Frances garnered glowing reviews and earned a James Beard Foundation Award nomination for Best New Restaurant in 2010. Additionally, Frances was named an Esquire magazine Best New Restaurant by John Mariani and one of Bon Appétit magazine’s “Ten Best New Restaurants in America” in 2010.
In 2015, Perello opened her second restaurant venture, Octavia. Named for its location, Octavia is an ode to refined yet comfortable sensibilities in both food and decor. A seamless blend of original history and modern elegance, Octavia’s natural light-soaked, open floor plan evokes a refined dining experience with a unique sense of home comfort. Octavia earned a Michelin Star in its first year with Perello being lauded as a 2016 James Beard Semifinalist for ‘Best Chef West.’
She has appeared on Food Network’s Chefs vs. City as a contestant during season one. As of the 2012 Michelin Guide, she is one of ten female chefs in the United States to hold a Michelin star.
More about Octavia: https://www.octavia-sf.com/
More about Frances: https://www.frances-sf.com/
Josef Centeno
Raised in San Antonio, Texas, and now based in Los Angeles, Chef Josef Centeno comes from a family of foodies: his father was a butcher; his paternal grandfather started Centeno Market in San Antonio; and Bar Amá, one of his restaurants, is named after his maternal great-grandmother. He is also the owner of Bäco Mercat, Orsa & Winston and BÄCOSHOP.
More about Orsa & Winston: http://www.orsaandwinston.com/
More about his other restaurants: http://www.bacomercat.com/, https://www.baco-shop.com/
Spring Place
Spring Place is an innovative and collaborative workspace and private membership social club. Launched in New York City’s TriBeCa neighborhood in June of 2016, the club caters to a global community of leading professionals and entrepreneurs shaping the business of contemporary culture. Spring Place regularly hosts events and global conferences with leading partners such as Barneys New York, Google, IMG, Independent Art Fair, TriBeCa Film Festival, and Vanity Fair as well as culinary pop-ups from the world’s best chefs and restaurants including Caviar Kaspia, Casa Cruz, among others. Spring Place comprehensively blends both collaborative and private workspaces with full scale food & beverage social spaces for enjoying and entertaining—that combine the services of a world-class professional office suite, boutique hotel-style amenities, and innovative cultural and wellness programming. Spring Place Beverly Hills, the club’s second location and first West Coast outpost, opened in October of 2018. Future locations will include London, Milan, and Paris.
More information, please visit www.springplace.com
MICHELIN Guide was first created as a way to help motorists build out their list. The Michelin brothers made a small guide filled with important information for travelers, including places to eat and sleep. It was in 1920 that the Michelin brothers sold their first guides and started building out their hotel and restaurant lists. Throughout the 20th century the Michelin guide came to be what is known today and ranks over 30,000 establishments in over 30 territories across 3 continents.
Author corkingnapaPosted on June 21, 2019 Categories Vineyard News
One of 10 Best Wineries in Napa Valley in Newsweek
We’re honored to be named one of the ten best wineries in Napa Valley in the June 17 issue of Newsweek:
10 BEST WINERIES IN NAPA VALLEY
CALIFORNIA’S NAPA VALLEY IS FULL OF GREAT WINERIES – BUT WHICH ONES SHOULD YOU VISIT FIRST? TRY THESE TOP TEN.
BY JOSIE ZEIGER, June 17, 2019
Napa Valley is an incredible experience for both novice wine drinkers and serious connoisseurs. The trick is to know where to go with the people you’re visiting with and to know the basic rules for visiting Napa Valley, which are:
Gauge your group – are you planning on a party bus and day drinking with friends? A small group looking to stock up your cellars? Know the expectations of your party and everything will run much more smoothly.
Many wineries are appointment-only, so be sure to call or email ahead – like, way ahead. It may seem like a lot of extra work, but an appointment can include incredible experiences like walking the vineyards or sitting down to lunch with a winemaker. And if you are traveling via limo or bus, make sure to confirm whether the tasting room can accommodate bus parking.
And on that note: always – ALWAYS – book transportation or designate a responsible sober driver. This is non-negotiable and, frankly, common sense.
Start your day with a good breakfast. Even if you’re spitting throughout the day, it is important to have a base in your stomach. Pack a protein-rich dry snack like nuts to stay sated.
Don’t be afraid to spit. You’re going to taste a LOT of wine, and your palate will be fresher if you spit throughout the day. Save the actual imbibing for apero hour and beyond.
Don’t stick your glass in your host’s face as a way of asking for another pour.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here are the top 10 wineries or tasting rooms in Napa Valley:
Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery
Experience old-school Napa Valley and a killer view here, where brothers Charles (the winemaker) and Stuart (the viticulturalist) have been making wine since 1971.
4022 Spring Mountain Rd, St Helena, CA
https://www.newsweek.com/10-best-wineries-napa-valley-1444413
Chardonnay is pure and beautiful
Tasting the 2015 Chardonnay in Las Vegas, with thanks to FermentedFruit:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx5ckgwD_vI/
I can never get enough of @smith_madrone Spring Mountain Chardonnay’s crisp, bright fruit and lemon curd nuances. It’s always so well-balanced and is the complete opposite of what many expect of #NapaValley Chardonnay. It’s not buttery or oaky, just pure and beautiful. 👌
Author corkingnapaPosted on May 25, 2019 May 25, 2019 Categories Vineyard News
Happy International Chardonnay Day!
With thanks to Enofylz on the 2015 Chardonnay:
#Sample Since I’m a drink local, think global kinda guy, I'm delighted to be drinking the 2015 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay on International Chardonnay Day! 🍷🍷🍷 The wine is pale gold color with pear, Granny Smith apple, citrus cream, and savory spices with a hint of butterscotch. On the palate it's medium-full bodied with a texture that manages to be both creamy and mouthwateringly fresh with citrusy acidity. The judicious use of oak plays well here – wonderful balance. It shows apple, pear, lime zest, lemon cream and spice flavors with a long tangy finish. Fruit for this wine sourced from dry farmed 40+ y.o. vines from the Spring Mountain AVA in the Napa Valley. The wine is 100% barrel fermented. Raised in 80% new French Oak for 10 months 14.4% abv. Bravo! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 Smith Madrone Vineyards, a family run, estate-bottled winery located in St. Helena, California was founded in 1971 by brothers Stuart and Charles Smith who are the Managing Partner/Vineyard Manager, and Winemaker respectively. The name of the winery is a tribute to the Smith brothers and the predominant tree on the ranch. The Madrone is an evergreen with a red-brown trunk and branches. When the Smith brothers purchased the 200 acre ranch in 1971, it included a vineyard that had been planted over a century before. But the forest had reclaimed much of the land. The brothers had to call in loggers to clear patches of land that would become vineyards. There remain numerous historical sights on the ranch, as well as the huge array of natural beauty and wildlife. All their wines are produced exclusively from their 34 acres of hillside vineyards, planted by the Smith brothers, atop of Spring Mountain, west of St Helena. The vineyards are situated at elevations between 1,300 and 2,000 feet, on steep slopes which range up to 35%. . . #wine #winelover #smithmadrone #springmountain #ChardonnayDay, #NationalChardonnayDay #InternationalChardonnayDay
A post shared by martindredmond (@martindredmond) on May 23, 2019 at 3:30pm PDT
The “Very Authentic” wines & personalities
Canadian bloggers Advinetures came to visit:
The Very Authentic Wines & Personalities of Smith-Madrone
One of the many great things about being a frequent traveler to wine country is the stunning natural beauty that often accompanies the setting. Spring Mountain, with its undisturbed natural forests, steep vineyards and stunning views of the Napa Valley laying more than a thousand feet below is one of the more beautiful and picturesque settings we have been to. Smith-Madrone occupies a gorgeous spot high up these hills on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains where they make wines every bit as beautiful as their site.
Spring Mountain is a part of the Napa Valley AVA. It is really very different than the rest of the Napa Valley. Spring Mountain District obtained status as an American Viticultural Area (“AVA”) in 1993. Its mountainside location means high elevations, steep slopes and a significantly different temperature profile than the valley below, giving it a unique terroir and thus qualifying it as its own AVA. To us, there is a feature that distinguishes Spring Mountain from the valley floor even more than its unique terroir, and that is its unique people. Napa Valley during the last 30 years has seen significant transformation as it has received much favourable press about its wines, especially its Cabernet Sauvignon. With that praise has come increasing prices for vineyard lands and for the local wines.
Some Napa Cabs have become the darlings of collectors and attracted a near rabid following of purchasers that have pushed prices into the stratosphere, keeping up with top Cabernets of Bordeaux, and in some cases nipping at the heels of…gasp!…Burgundy! Some tasting rooms resemble high-end art galleries, charge tasting fees of $50 or more, create exclusive clubs to fashion bespoke wines for their members, and generally offer all sorts of ancillary lux to please their wealthy patrons. Spring Mountain will have none of that. High up the mountain, the steep roads are full of hairpin corners, no shoulders and enough potholes to take the under-carriage out of a cult Cab collector’s Maserati or Lamborghini. No, the winemakers up on Spring Mountain don’t seem to have any connection to that type of glitz or image-maintenance. They are just focused on good agriculture to produce great tasting wine. There is an authenticity to Spring Mountain. And Stuart Smith of Smith-Madrone Wines might just be the most authentic of that mountain bunch.
Stu first discovered the lands that are now his vineyards back in 1970. He was looking for vineyard land in the Napa Valley, having just completed his BA in Economics at Berkeley and working towards his MA in Viticulture at UC Davis. As he walked the lands of dense forest (Stu told us there are bout 600 plants per acre in the surrounding forest, three times the average of most forests), he noticed old vine stakes planted in the ground, evidence of a former vineyard. It turns out that vineyard was planted in the 1880s along the wagon route between St. Helena and Calistoga and then abandoned during prohibition. The next year Stu put together a partnership of friends and family to acquire the property. He was 22 years old. In 1973 Stu brought his brother Charlie into the partnership and now Charlie makes the wines. A recent addition was Charlie’s son Sam who is the assistant winemaker.
Those forests high on Spring Mountain have Douglas Fir, Oak, California Redwood and Madrone. The beautiful Madrone trees on the land gave the winery its name. The Madrone is of the same species as the Arbutus that grows so well and uniquely in our native British Columbia.
The original vineyard was planted on native rootstock (unusual due to its susceptibility to phylloxera, the vine-destroying louse) to Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir. Today the vineyard consists of 34 acres in various stages of production dating back to 1972. In addition to the 6.25 acres of Riesling, 10.25 acres of Chardonnay and 13 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, the vineyard now has 3.75 acres of Merlot and 1 acre of Cabernet Franc. The original Pinot Noir plot was grafted over to Chardonnay. Over time the vineyard blocks have been re-planted to several different rootstocks that are phylloxera-resistant. Today the entire estate is dry-farmed.
We remarked to Stu that it was unusual to see warm and cool climate varieties planted on the same farm and yet all doing so well. Outside of Washington State, we cannot think of another vineyard where both Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling are planted. “We love Riesling and it can do really well here. We harvest at a different time than most people (sooner). The longer the berries are on the vine, the higher the sugar; but the inverse is that the longer the berries are on the vine, the acidity drops or respires out. So when we harvest Riesling at 22 or 22.5 degrees brix, that’s going to give us a wine that’s 3.1 pH.” which gives his Riesling a wonderful, crisp acidity. Variation in picking dates and using the vineyards different exposures and elevations allows Smith-Madrone to make terrific wines from each of these varieties.
As we talk about the land that Stu is so passionate about we get a further glimpse into the unique person that he is. Stu cares very much about his land and farms it in the most sustainable way he knows how. He characteristically marches to the beat of his own drum. “And that then gets into a whole other issue which would be organic farming—is organic farming really the long-term solution for a lot of people? I don’t think it is. It’s a great brand but it doesn’t have any economic viability to it and in Napa Valley I believe it’s less than 15% of vineyards are organically grown, and we’re probably some of the most environmentally sensitive growers anywhere in the country, if not the world. If we can only get 15% as organic farming that’s not success. You need a paradigm where you can get 80-85% and that’s where I think sustainability (which has no great brand recognition) will eventually become the dominant that farmers go to because it allows Best Management Practices (BMPs) to bring in new technology & IPMs (integrated pest management). IPMs use other bugs to control pests; here we don’t use any pesticides.”
Stu briefly tells us that he put up a website called “Biodynamics Is A Hoax”. Obviously he does not believe in biodynamics, not any big surprise as the concept is very controversial as we wrote in our article on the subject. We highly recommend that you go and look around his website. He has not published on it since 2011 but is thinking about going back to it. Our recommendation comes not from agreeing with his conclusion (we do not) but more from the view that it is extremely well-posited, has numerous and very thoughtful comments and is revelatory of the person that is Stuart Smith. Stu’s blog shows him to be articulate and erudite, and possessing a very deep knowledge of this subject. When you read enough of his posts and his comments you realize that his blog is not really about claiming that biodynamics does not work. We didn’t read every post (there are many) but we only discovered one instance that was even close to a refutation of the efficacy of biodynamics. He knows of two attempts at biodynamic farms that failed, but he is quick to acknowledge the attempts were made by people new to farming. Rather his two big issues seem to be with some biodynamic practitioners claims of superiority and to the lack of scientific rigour behind the biodynamic paradigm. Stu takes offense to those who claim their practice is superior and that by inference if you do not follow biodynamism you are not being good to the land. Stu is clearly a firm believer in real world science. To him, validation of concept must be based upon proof, not belief, as he expounds upon in his blog. What he writes reveals a great ability to communicate, an open mind, and an even hand with his critics. He acknowledges those who make good points when disagreeing with him. On his blog he promotes a discourse that is devoid of trolling, is respectful, and is informed. A refreshing change to a blogosphere that has increasingly become populated by nasty barbs and mis-information. Stu’s blog shows him to be intellectually honest, tolerant (read it closely, strong opinion does not mean intolerant of other opinions), and highly individual.
The winemaking philosophy at Smith-Madrone is pretty simple: the winemaker is the steward of the vineyard and of the climate that produced the grapes. Use consistent winemaking techniques that maximize what the site can produce and let differences of each vintage show through. Stu was extremely eloquent about the types of wine they try to produce: “Balance, complexity, elegance & finesse are things that we prize. I also believe that wine’s first obligation is to give pleasure and so I think wine should be hedonistic. I also think that when we talk about terroir, we tend to think and talk about a sense of place. I actually think of it one step further down the line as an ephemeral sense of art. Smith-Madrone shouldn’t exist if we make wine that is indistinguishable from everyone else. Between we the growers, we the winemaker, and the site, we want something which is unique and that’s our philosophy that goes into it which I think that is expressed in our wine. We do NOT make wine for scores, we make wine for us and we think we have good palates and as along as there are enough people who agree with us and buy our wine, we’re in business.”
“I never would have said this when I was younger but it’s an artistic endeavor. We are a small artisan winery and I don’t know that the word ‘artisan’ was in my vocabulary when I started, but that’s what we are and it’s why we’re still small after almost 50 years. We originally had the concept of being a chateau style winery like in Europe. We lost our way for a couple of years when we bought grapes and realized several things – we didn’t like paying for the grapes, we didn’t have the money to pay for the grapes, we didn’t like the quality we got when we bought grapes and if we’re going to buy grapes that means we’re a business. And if we’re a business, we have no business being on the mountain, because we should be down in the valley floor catching all the tourist action. Then the question we asked ourselves who are we modeling after? That really re-focused us at an important time as to what we wanted to do here and why I came here.” Stu has always believed that there are 2 fundamentals in the wine industry which are sacrosanct: you cannot make great wine from anything but great grapes & the best grapes come from the mountain. We could not agree more.
A blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this is just the style that made us into Rosé lovers. The strawberry and rhubarb profile has great intensity making this a more serious style of Rosé as opposed to the cocktail style. Components of earth, mineral and spice add complexity. There is well-judged acidity that keeps the flavours juicy and adds precision. With swirling we get tart strawberry, raspberry and red delicious apple. Wonderfully refreshing.
Very Good/Excellent (USD $25 at their tasting room)
We never think of Napa and Riesling together, partly because Napa’s Mediterranean climate just does not seem to suit a cool climate grape like Riesling, and partly because we just don’t see it on the shelves (less than 2/10 of 1% of plantings in Napa are to Riesling). I guess we will have to think again because this is one damn fine Riesling! Lots of petrol notes on the nose. Flavours of apple and pear gain complexity from the mineral streak and citrus notes. Fermented fully dry, it has a medium body and terrific intensity.
Excellent (USD $32 at their tasting room)
Wow! This is why California Chardonnay, in the hands of the top growers, can compete on the world stage with the very best. Gold in colour, we pick up bruised apple, stone fruit, melon and hints of tropical fruit. The texture of this wine is simply spectacular. The gorgeous mouth-feel is full and round and the back-end acidity maintains precise definition and gives this wine perfect balance. The Smiths found the fulcrum with this wine! The finish goes on and on and is infused with hints of mineral and lemon zest. At the winery when we tasted it we rated it Excellent/Extraordinary. We took a bottle to dinner that night. With food, this wine really shone and pushed up our rating.
Extraordinary (USD $40 at their tasting room – this is particularly good value for this quality level)
Medium dark red colour. Notes of black cherry, mirabelle plum and boysenberry dominate the profile. The body is medium and the tannins and acidity are both moderate. There is a European sense to this wine; intense without being at all heavy. Complexity comes from the cedar and forest notes. The finish is long and mineral infused. Delicious now but likely to reward long cellaring as well.
Excellent (USD $52 at their tasting room-most Napa Cab at this quality level would sell for near twice this price)
2013 Cook’s Flat Reserve
“Cook’s Flat” is what the locals used to call the 8 acre plot planted in 1972 and used to grow the grapes for this red blend. This year the cuvée was 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, with roughly equal parts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Many Napa proprietary blends or luxury cuvées are distinguished by their power. The Smiths, always marching to the beat of their own drum, have focused on elegance in this wine. More toward the black fruit end of the spectrum than their regular Cabernet, this wine showed great intensity without any heaviness. The tannins are medium+, but they are ripe and polished. A rich mouthfeel makes it a pleasure to drink now but Stu assured us this has a long future in the cellar. With such precise balance, we have no reason to doubt him.
Excellent+ (USD $225 at their tasting room)
Smith-Madrone Winery
4022 Spring Mountain Road, St. Helena, California [Phone 707/963-2283]
Open by appointment only at 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. Appointments must be confirmed by phone or email & tours and tastings always conducted by one of the Smith family. Tasting fee is $25 per person (fee is waived with a wine purchase).
Author corkingnapaPosted on May 23, 2019 Categories Vineyard News
We’re recommended to millennials
We’re recommended in a millennial’s guide to Napa Valley:
The Millennial’s Guide To Navigating Napa’s Wine Country
by Katie Sweeney, HauteLiving, May 16, 2019
There are hundreds of wineries in Napa and Sonoma Counties—so many that planning a trip to wine country can be an intimidating and daunting task, especially to the inexperienced drinker. Where to stay? What to eat? What to drink? To help answer some of these questions, it’s best to turn to a local professional, specifically someone like Josh Phelps. Having grown up in the valley in a winemaking family (his dad Chris Phelps makes wine at Francis Ford Coppola’s Inglenook), Phelps is practically St. Helena royalty.
The handsome winemaker has been named to every list, from Forbes 30 Under 30 to Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40, and can often be found pouring his wines events around the region. Phelps has learned how to make wine from Napa greats like his dad, Joel Gott, Kimberly Jones, and Leslie Rudd, and at Grounded Wine Co., he’s making a name for himself. Phelps’ wines reflect his incredible knowledge of the region—and are lovely and easy to drink. You can’t go wrong with Space Age, his pretty pink Central Coast Rosé.
With BottleRock on the agenda next week, we asked Phelps to share his favorite places in the area. Here’s his insider guide to the best restaurants, wineries, and more in Napa County.
Gott’s Roadside: Phelps says: “I grew up in St. Helena, so it’s always been the neighborhood burger joint. Joel Gott is a friend of mine, and I’ve always supported him. Although my order varies, I most often get the Texas burger with avocado. They also have great salads. When I come home from a business trip, I’ll stop by and grab a Vietnamese chicken salad.”
Cook: Phelps says: “Cook is where the winemakers and locals go to have dinner. It’s an awesome and tiny spot on Main Street. They’re best known for pasta, and my favorite is the cavatelli. It has a spicy red sauce with housemade sausage, and it’s the perfect comfort food. It’s a concise menu with a very local wine list. The owner of Cook and Cook Tavern next door is a local, who grew up in St. Helena, from a big family that I know.”
Press: Phelps says: “Press is a beautiful space, and it’s a place that people get dressed up to go out to dinner. It is my favorite hangout in the evenings, where if I’m going to meet somebody for a drink, there’s a pretty good chance it’s going to be at Press. I love to have dinner there. Press has the most amazing wine program in Napa Valley. I love it because they’re promoting Napa, which is great, and it’s 100% Napa Valley wine list, and it goes back into the 60s, 70s, and 80s. There’s such a crazy breadth of what you can order there, but you can also go and have affordable Napa wine. There’s also a level of service that I’ve witnessed nowhere else in Napa Valley. It doesn’t matter who you are, and the staff will make you feel like you’re the most important person in the room. The food is classic farm-to-table steakhouse food.”
Rutherford Grill: “There’s probably nothing better for lunch in Napa Valley then Rutherford Grill. If you want to sit at a bar and see every winemaker in the valley, you go to Rutherford Grill at lunch; you have a French dip sandwich or the sashimi platter. It’s unbelievable; it’s the power lunch spot. Sheri is the best bartender in the Valley.”
Smith-Madrone Vineyards: Phelps says: “I grew up with the Smith brothers, the next generation of Smith brothers, and Smith-Madrone is one of the oldest wineries in Napa. It’s founded by two brothers, who are my dad’s friends. It’s a salt of the earth family-owned operation, that has tremendous views. It’s all estate wine, and they have Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet, and Bordeaux varietals planted. They farm it themselves, and they make the wines. It’s a very grounded experience in Napa. It’s very real; it’s very raw. It’s like, this is what you get. The wines are old world Napa style, which I appreciate. It’s an off-the-beaten-path special place. Everyone that goes there falls in love with it, and they buy the wines, and they’re just like, ‘That was amazing’ because the wines are fantastic.
Mad Fritz: Phelps says: “Nile Zacherle is a winemaker at David Arthur, but he decided to start brewing beer about a decade ago. He does all kinds of beers and ages some of them in wine barrels. They are uber interesting craft beers and made by a winemaker, so I think that adds a little special something. He has a great palate. He makes beer for Meadowood and French Laundry, so it’s a cool project.”
El Bonita Motel: Phelps says: “El Bonita is this motel on the main drag in St. Helena, and it’s the most affordable option in the area. It’s an adequate place to stay, and it’s $200 bucks a night, which is cheap for St. Helena. There’s even a pool.”
Cadet Wine Bar: Phelps says: “If you want to go out after dinner, I recommend going to Cadet in downtown Napa. It was founded by two girls that are in their early 30s. They are both hip, young, and cool. They have a list that’s very much focused on Champagne, and Burgundy. It’s fun to go there and order bottles of Champagne. They have a DJ a lot, it’s small and intimate, and it’s an industry place. Every Wednesday, a winemaker pours, so you have an opportunity to taste with a local winemaker, and those are pretty up-close and personal tastings, and it’s a flight for $20.”
Oat Hill Mine Road: Phelps says: “I like to mountain bike, and I love to hike, so I try to encourage people that are visiting to find some other activities besides drinking. The trail that’s my favorite is in Calistoga and called Oat Hill Mine Road. Hiking is great on that trail. You can hike four miles up and have a view of the entire Napa Valley.”
https://hauteliving.com/2019/05/st-helena-guide/669976/
Join us in honoring Dominique Crenn
Chef Dominique Crenn is being honored with The Anti-Defamation League’s Distinguished Leadership Award at an event in San Francisco on May 23.
We will be one of several wineries and restaurants participating in the evening, which will include music as well as an auction. More details:
https://web.cvent.com/event/c23b8779-9461-49f5-b1cc-f1844a39c28e/summary
Chef Crenn is being recognized for her work empowering women and advocating for social justice in the food industry and beyond.
Growing up in Brittany, France, Chef Crenn’s parents had a strong influence on her love for the culinary arts. She began her formal training upon moving to San Francisco in 1988 to work at Stars under luminaries Jeremiah Tower and Mark Franz. In 2011, Crenn opened Atelier Crenn, where her “poetic culinaria” earned one Michelin Star in 2011, and its second the following year. As of November 2018, Dominique Crenn beat her own record and became the first female chef in the US to receive three Michelin Stars. Her second restaurant, Petit Crenn, opened in 2015, and her latest creation, Bar Crenn, was awarded one Michelin star in 2018.
Crenn was awarded World’s Best Female Chef in 2016 by San Pellegrino’s 50 Best and in 2018 was honored with the award for Best Chef: West by the James Beard Foundation. As an active member of the culinary community, Crenn promotes sustainability and equality through her collaboration with various organizations. Her next project is Boutique Crenn at the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco.
Smith-Madrone is one of ten to visit
In a review of the new Wine Country movie, Newsweek recommends Smith-Madrone as one of ten Napa Valley wineries to visit:
WINE COUNTRY: THE BEST NAPA VALLEY WINERIES
NETFLIX’S WINE COUNTRY HAS EVERYONE WANTING TO SIP CHARDONNAY LIKE AMY POEHLER AND MAYA RUDOLPH. HERE’S HOW TO PLAN THE PERFECT TASTING TOUR.
by Josie Zeiger, May 10, 2019, Newsweek
Wine Country, the new Netflix comedy, sees Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer and Paula Pell going on a wine tasting tour in California’s Napa Valley. Napa is an incredible experience for both novice wine drinkers and serious connoisseurs. The trick is to know where to go and what your group wants. Here are six tips to make your trip smooth and ten wineries that will make it memorable:
The basic rules for visiting Napa Valley
Gauge your group: Are you planning on a party bus and day drinking with friends? A small group looking to stock up your cellars? Know the expectations of your party and everything will be much more smooth.
Many wineries are appointment-only, so be sure to call or email ahead—like, way ahead. It may seem like a lot of extra work, but an appointment can include incredible experiences like walking the vineyards or sitting down to lunch with a winemaker. And if you are traveling via limo or bus, make sure confirm whether the tasting room can accommodate bus parking.
And on that note: Always book transportation or designate a responsible sober driver. This is non-negotiable and, frankly, common sense.
Don’t be afraid to spit. You’re going to taste a LOT of wine, and your palate will be more fresh if you spit throughout the day. Save the actual imbibing for apero hour and beyond.
Top Ten Wineries and Tasting Rooms in Napa Valley
…Smith-Madrone Vineyards and Winery
Experience old-school Napa Valley and a killer view where brothers Charles (the winemaker) and Stuart (the viticulturalist) have been making wine since 1971.
https://www.newsweek.com/wine-country-netflix-napa-1421944
Find us in San Francisco on May 14
Stu will be pouring at the Smith-Madrone table tomorrow in San Francisco at this fun event: come find us!
Details here: https://www.kqed.org/checkplease/20063/attention-food-and-wine-lovers-kqed-check-please-bay-area-taste-sip-2019
New Release – 2018 Rosé
With the spring, we’re delighted to announce a truly ‘new’ wine: our very first, from the 2018 vintage. Over the last few harvests we have experimented with small lots and 2018 proved to be the charm. The wine is a 50/50 mix of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The color is a slightly wild combination of watermelon and salmon of unusual intensity and visual interest. Aromatically it leads with fetching floral and strawberry notes, topped by a distinct element of roses. The impression of roses follows through on the palate. This element in the wine is the Cabernet Franc asserting itself. It gives way to a silky mid-palate texture and considerable depth of flavor, finally finishing with a succulent texture and considerable depth of flavor, finally finishing with a mouthwatering acidity. The overall impression is of a wine that is not only delicious and lively on the palate but is perhaps a bit more serious than most Rosés. It’s a lovely wine for summertime and will pair well with a wide variety of dishes. We have had a lot of fun with this, our first rosé adventure. We think you will enjoy drinking it with the same pleasure we had in making it. We’re offering it to our mailing list and at the winery only.$25./bottle
Riesling and Chardonnay are also great partners for the spring, no matter how you’re enjoying them. The Daily Meal recently wrote about our current 2015 Riesling:
There are a handful of Riesling producers in Napa Valley, but Smith-Madrone is the one that truly matters most. One vintage after another, they release reference-quality riesling that is delicious and often age-worthy. Peach and apricot aromas are joined by a hint of lilac. The palate is even-keeled with continuing stone fruit and a dollop of spice. The mineral-laden finish shows off a kiss of lemon curd. Firm acid provides a great backbone. Whether you drink it now or age it for a couple of decades, this wine showcases Smith-Madrone’s mastery of riesling.
$32./bottle
The 2016 Chardonnay competes with the very best Chardonnays in the world. It is an elegant and tasty expression of the near perfect 2016 growing season. It’s a spectacular wine, with a full, forward nose and complex notes of toasted hazelnut, white peaches and Meyer lemon. Admirably restrained oak. Beautiful mid-palate that is full and succulent without being the least bit heavy. Superbly integrated acidity. Overall the wine exhibits a remarkable structure that translates to a lip-smacking juiciness. It was barrel fermented and spent 9 months in 80% new French oak. $40/bottle
We will be releasing the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2016 Riesling soon.
Author corkingnapaPosted on May 8, 2019 Categories Vineyard News
Join Sam at Spring Place in Beverly Hills June 21, 2019
One of 10 Best Wineries in Napa Valley in Newsweek June 18, 2019
Chardonnay is pure and beautiful May 25, 2019
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[RECAP] Game of Thrones S08E04 Plays Into Cersei’s Hands
Two Steps Forward, 1 Step Back
There are two episodes left in the fantasy epic, and even though a lot has happened in the last few weeks. The story feels a bit rushed.
Yes, even though epic, The Long Night did sort of end bathetically. It did serve as a meaningful end to a story, but in the end, it did seem to be rushed. But with a 6-episode final season, and going so far off the reservation with the source material, there’s nothing really you can do.
Subverting expectations on who would have survived the war with the dead did have it’s benefits, especially with the redemption and fitting ends to some of the minor and not so major characters.
It would have been more interesting if the battle went on a little further, and a major character would have been killed off. But I think we just have to live with what we get. Beggars can’t be choosers.
With this episode, we had another rare instance of happiness, celebration, and a focus on character development. Secrets and plans, that were halted in previous episodes are open to discussion. But not everybody is happy, or even willing to discuss them.
If you survived the end of the world, wouldn’t you just want to have a few drinks with the few remaining friends of yours?
The Division of Daenerys and Jon
It shows the difference in how Daenerys and Jon are seen in the North. Even though it was Dany’s numbers and dragons that took the tide of war, Jon is being praised, and even flocked with Norther’s and Freefolk’s praises about his Dragon rider skills.
Daenerys even tries to win the people over by making Gendry Lord of Storm’s End, which does give him cause to be loyal to her. But otherwise Dany’s jealousy seems to be seeping out of her with every waking minute until she leaves the celebration. Along with the different shenanigans that come from a drunk Tormund, or the realization of the feelings between Jamie and Brienne, or even Arya’s cryptic motivations of completing Melisandre’s prophecy, and refusing Gendry’s proposal. Most of the episode is about Daenerys’s want of keeping her crown, and the secret of Jon’s true parentage.
And to prove she’s a worthy Queen. She moves her troops south to the capital. Even though half of her forces along with the Northerners are battle worn after the big fight with The Night King. Even though it puts her at odds with her advisers, and deepens the mistrust of her more reluctant allies.
Which makes Jon spill the beans about his claim to the throne to ease his families’ doubts about Dany.
That quickly gets to Tyrion’s and Varys’ ears.
Playing into Cersei’s Hands
What Daenerys doesn’t take into account is that Queen Cersei is all but ready for her arrival. Rhaegal is killed, ships are destroyed, and Missandei is captured. It’s then we focus on Cersei for the first time in two episodes, and she’s up to her normal tricks. Knowing how Daenerys doesn’t want to harm innocent people, she lets them into the Red Keep as pawns in her plan.
Uncharacteristically, but logical to the plot (in a few ways) Dany considers actually destroying the city to get the throne, but it draws Varys to question her mental state, and her leadership even if they do take the capital by force. He begs her to try every option, but Varys wants to keep the realms wellbeing intact. Even by the cost of his own life.
It all comes to a head when both Queens confront each other outside the city walls. Both wanting unconditional surrender on either side, but none are giving in. Even pleas from Tyrion can’t quell how far his sister has gone into abyss. And with the death of Missandel, are there signs of a new Mad Queen coming to light?
With the end of the series approaching fast, can all of these conflicts be resolved in the time left? Even if these last two are over an hour and a half long? We’ll just have to wait and see.
For North American fans, Season 8 of Game of Thrones is available via HBO. For Australian fans, Season 8 is available via Foxtel.
How did we rate Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 4? 4 Sodas
Julian Q
I have two pens on me, and one of them is out of ink. I just can’t remember which one it is.
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Tag Archives: Amnesty International
Tell Cameron and Obama to let Shaker Aamer home to his family
If you, the wonderful reader of Hynd’s Blog, have a spare 30 seconds I would urge you to support an issue close to my heart. Click here to sign the Amnesty International petition calling for the release or trial of Shaker Aamer, the one remaining British resident in Guantanamo Bay.
The petition simply calls for Obama and Cameron to:
Secure the release of Shaker Aamer and return him to the UK without delay, if he is not to be charged and brought to fair trial
Give Shaker Aamer immediate and regular access to independent medical assessments and care
Immediately investigate all allegations that Shaker Aamer has been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and ensure that anyone found responsible is brought to justice
I, alongside 12,860 people have already signed this petition. Please join us. Then please do also encourage friends and family to do the same.
Together we can raise a voice loud enough that will force the authorities to listen.
Filed under Human rights, Politics
Tagged as Amnesty International, Guantanamo Bay, petition, Shaker Aamer
Why Amnesty International is right: Both the village of Kafr Qaddum and Murad Shtewi must be freed
The village of Kafr Qaddum in the West Bank was the scene of some of the worst violence I saw during my half year working as a human rights monitor there.
The village holds weekly demonstrations to demand that their main road be reopened. It was closed by the Israeli military authorities in 2002 to prevent Palestinians from travelling on roads designated for use only by Israeli settlers and adds on nearly 20km to their travel to the main town.
These demonstrations are violent affairs. This is my account of a ‘not so peaceful protest’ which includes footage of a Palestinian being mulled by an Israeli military dog (see below) as well as multiple protesters being shot directly by heavy metal tear gas canisters. This is my account is of a 17 year old boy who was relearning to talk after being shot in the head by a tear gas canister.
As I said – the demonstrations are violent affairs littered with human rights abuses. It is not surprising then that on a number of occasions the Israeli military tried to stop human rights monitors and members of the press from entering the village. On one occasion before a particularly brutal response to the protest I had to travel through the olive groves to avoid the Israeli military checkpoint to gain access to the village.
In midst of this madness trying to marshal events was the figure Murad Shtewi. Murad is (was) a leading activist in the weekly demonstrations held in his village. I met him on a number of occasions normally over strong Arabic coffee and cigarettes to discuss what had occurred in his village during the previous week. Invariably the conversation focused on army raids and arbitrary arrests (painfully common events across the West Bank) but this was juxtaposed to Murad’s middle-eastern understanding of lavish hospitality and his talk of non-violence resistance.
I liked Murad for having optimism in the face of such continued violence (violence that Murad experienced first hand, in the video of the dog attack you can see Murad being pepper sprayed in the face for trying to intervene in the dog attack on his nephew).
Despite witnessing so much violence Murad was also committed to non-violence. This commitment to non-violence is one of the key criteria for Amnesty International who now consider Murad a ‘prisoner of conscience’ after his arrest at around 3am on 29th April of this year (arrests in the middle of the night are common place in the West Bank – even when detaining minors).
Murad is charged with organizing a demonstration without a permit, causing a public disturbance, and throwing rocks during a demonstration. Amnesty International has responded to these charges saying:
“In Amnesty International’s assessment, the charges of rock-throwing and of causing a public disturbance are unfounded. Murad Shtewi has been persecuted for expressing his non-violent opinions and for his role in the peaceful protests in Kufr Qadum against Israel’s illegal settlements. His arrest and detention are a measure to punish him and stop him and other village activists from exercising their rights to freedom of expression and to peaceful assembly.”
As such Amnesty International is calling for Murad Shtewi to be released immediately and unconditionally, as ‘he is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression’.
This is a call that I am happy to publicly back. On every occasion that I went to Kafr Qaddum I never once saw Murad throw a stone. On a number of occasions I did see him telling others not to throw stones. I also talked to him at length about the importance of non-violent resistance.
This is also the third time Murad has been arrested (each time released without charge) in the last few years, the first was after the dog attack on his nephew.
Simply put, I can’t see how this latest arrest of Murad has any purpose other than to try and deter him from organizing legitimate protests against the Israeli policy of segregation in the West Bank.
It is in light of all this that I ask you to take a few seconds to send this sample letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that significantly not only calls for Murad’s release but also to:
‘take effective measures to prevent the use of unnecessary and excessive force by Israeli forces against peaceful demonstrators’
Please help me help Murad by taking this small action.
Read Amnesty International’s background notes to Murad’s case and the village’s situation.
Read everything that comes up on my blog if you search ‘Kafr Qaddum’ including a short video of Murad.
Tagged as Amnesty International, free, Israel, Kafr Qaddum, Murad Shtewi, Palestine, protest, take action
One year on from Gaza/Israel conflict, no investigations, no justice.
One year after the upsurge in fighting in Gaza neither side has conducted sufficient, impartial and independent investigations into alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law says Amnesty International.
The human rights group, Amnesty International, has today accused both the Israeli authorities and Hamas of failing to investigate documented reports of serious human rights violations.
Amnesty highlighted the case of 13 year old Mahmoud who died in an Israeli drone strike. Mahmoud was one of at least 30 children to die during the 8 days of fighting. Mahmoud was of course also one of 70 or so civilians to die in that 8 day period.
Failing to distinguish between civilian and combatant is a violation of International Humanitarian Law. The nature of Mahmoud’s death is one of 65 incidents Amnesty are calling on the Israeli authorities to investigate.
B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, reported on Operation Pillar of Defence and highlighted that Israeli forces made considerable efforts to avoid civilian casualties but that on a number of occasions “the military may have acted unlawfully”.
Amnesty International however in their annual report go further commenting that:
“The Israeli air force carried out bomb and missile strikes on residential areas, including strikes that were disproportionate and caused heavy civilian casualties. Other strikes damaged or destroyed civilian property, media facilities, government buildings and police stations. In most cases, Israel did not present evidence that these specific sites had been used for military purposes.”
Specifically, Amnesty has called for investigations into 65 cases of “alleged misconduct” by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during Operation “Pillar of Defense”.
In their latest statement, Amnesty has also condemned Hamas for their “indiscriminate” use of rockets. During the conflict it is thought that as many as 1,500 rockets and mortars were fired into Israel in the 8 day period.
The case of David Amsalem who lost his 24 year old son to a rocket strike was highlighted to illustrate the fact that Hamas’ arsenal, by its very nature, cannot distinguish between civilian and combatant – something which in itself is a violation of International Humanitarian Law.
The conflict left more than 165 Palestinians (more than 30 children and some 70 other civilians) and 6 Israelis (including 4 children) dead.
Neither side has launched sufficient, impartial and independent investigations into these alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law leaving thousands morning with no access to justice and reinforcing a sense of impunity on both sides.
Filed under Human rights, Middle East, War
Tagged as Amnesty International, Gaza, Human rights, IHL, Israel, Palestine, war crimes
Hip Hop star Mos Def force fed under Guantanamo Bay conditions
Hip Hop legend Mos Def has been force fed under the ‘standard Guantánamo Bay procedure’. The following video was put together with human rights organisation, Reprieve.
WARNING: This video might cause offence – but hopefully not as much offence as the Obama administration doing the exact same thing on non-consenting detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Disturbing, isn’t it?
I struggled to watch it all, the inhumanity of it got to me.
The only difference with the 40 inmates currently being force fed is that we aren’t watching. There is no accountability for how they are being treated. There is no one to call cut and bring it all to an end.
The US administration has said that it does not use torture in Guantanamo Bay but does use ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ such as ‘waterboarding’. Amnesty International this time illustrates what this means:
These techniques, the bastard child of Bush’s war on terror are still used under Obama’s rule.
Never before has the phrase, ‘the land of the free’ left such a bitter taste in the mouth.
Filed under Human rights, Music, War
Tagged as Amnesty International, force fed, Guantanamo Bay, Mos Def, Reprieve., video, waterboarding
How will the UK ensure only the good guys shoot the bad guys with the guns they are thinking of giving to the people they think are good guys?
If the UK government proceed and arm Syrian rebels, the very minimum they have to do is provide detailed answers to Amnesty International activist Kristyan Benedict’s 10 questions.
“While we have no immediate plans to send arms to Syria, [the ending of the arms embargo] gives us the flexibility to respond in the future if the situation continues to deteriorate and worsen,”
This was William Hague’s response to the EU’s failure to reach agreement around renewing the arms embargo on Syria.
The New York Times summarized the in rifts within the EU over arming rebels saying:
“efforts to ease the arms embargo, led by Britain, exposed deep rifts on Monday over the issue of arming the rebels… Austria, the Czech Republic and Sweden came to the meeting strongly opposing arms shipments. They distrust large parts of the Syrian opposition and said they feared that the weapons would end up in the hands of jihadist groups.”
Many met this news with dismay:
@OwenJones84 As Charles Glass said: "Syria is a house on fire, and the international community have turned up with flamethrowers"
— David Wearing (@davidwearing) May 28, 2013
Frans Timmermans, the Dutch Foreign Minister was unequivocal in his government’s analysis of the situation saying:
“The only effect you could have — let’s be realistic about this — is that it will stimulate the Russians to provide even more arms,”
Timmermans hits on the same point that Kristyan Benedict asks in his article “10 questions“. The last of these 10 questions to the UK government about arming the Syrian opposition reads:
“What is the likelihood of an arms race occurring from increased arms supplies to the armed opposition?”
It is an important question.
It is widely understood that the UK and France are eager to provide armed support to the rebels. As such, the crux of Benedict’s questions, “what adequate safeguards would the UK Government put in place to ensure any arms transferred would not be used to commit human rights abuses.” is more relevant than ever.
If the UK government does go ahead and arm the rebels, despite the very vocal criticism, the very minimum it has to do is to be able show it can effectively answer each of Benedict’s questions. How will they ensure rebels use the weapons in line with IHL? How will they ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands? etc etc…
Without these basic safeguards they leave themselves open to accusations of negligence and (according to the Austrian government) violations of International Law.
Filed under Middle East, War
Tagged as Amnesty International, arming the rebels, Human rights, IHL, Syria, war
December 2, 2012 · 10:16 pm
Both Israel and Hamas have shown a disregard for civilian life and International Humanitarian Law
“It is very very scary…you never know where they will send the rockets, where they will attack. Each day I feel as though they will attack my house”. Asmaa Alghoul – Gaza.
International Humanitarian Law (IHL) is the very basic standard used to govern armed conflicts. They are a set of rules which seek to protect those not participating in the conflict. Both Hamas and Israel have violated these basic standards in the recent up-surge in fighting. Everyone concerned needs to be condemning this – not taking sides.
The recent civilian death toll in Gaza has, once again, spiralled. At the time of writing at least 158 have died. The UN estimates, at least 103 were civilians.
Right from the start of the latest bout of violence, human rights groups have started to collect the evidence they need to illustrate that both Hamas and Israel have undertaken ‘indiscriminate’ attacks.
While IHL allows for civilian casualties, it leaves a duty on warring parties to show they have made a distinction between combatants and civilians. Israel has been accused of failing to do this on a number occasions.
By these same standards, Hamas’ rocket attacks are, almost by definition, violations of IHL. If the targets fired at by Hamas are civilian then they are clearly violating the principle of ‘civilian immunity’ – a basic tenant of IHL. Regardless though of the chosen target, the indiscriminate nature of Hamas’ arsenal means that they consistently fail the distinction test inherent within IHL.
This is not to say it is balanced war between two equal parties – it is clearly not in terms of military capability or geo-politics. Gaza’s borders are closed and so Hamas use any arsenal they can get their hands on while Israel has one of the best funded and high tech militaries in the world.
It is however to say that parties from both sides have violated the most basic standards set out to govern armed conflict and that this should be condemned.
Sadly though, this lack of regard for IHL and civilian life is nothing new – for either side. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has a history of failing to meet the very basic standards laid down in IHL. In 2006, the IDF’s use of cluster bombs in Lebanon or their 2009 use of white phosphorus during operation Cast Lead, failed to meet the basic standard of distinction required by IHL.
In the latest up-surge of violence, Israel has insisted that it is only using ‘targeted’ strikes. Sadly we know now this is not to be the case. These ‘targeted’ strikes include the homes of Hamas officials, which are also the homes of civilians – thus they have failed to distinguish between combatant and civilian. A combatant’s home which is inhabited by civilians is not a ‘military target’ – it’s a civilian’s home!
There have also been examples of Israel targeting civilian targets. On the 19th and 20th November Israel bombed a media centre that killed two journalists (who are considered under IHL to be civilian). Thus, targeting of this media centre was a violation of the civilian immunity principle within IHL. Intentionally targeting journalists can be a war crime.
In addition to all of this there are examples of what Israel refers to as ‘mistakes’. For example the deaths of 10 members of the al-Dalou family when they struck the wrong house due to ‘bad intelligence’.
Of course, Hamas also has a dark history when held up to the scrutinizing light of IHL. The use of suicide bombers for example is a clear violation of IHL not to mention morally repugnant.
In the latest up-surge of violence, the on-going use of rocket attacks, as stated before, is a clear violation of IHL. Hamas shows no willing to acknowledge this. Already we have seen the impact that this can have; three Israelis were killed by a rocket attack on the 15th November.
IHL is not a nice set of laws – by its definition it allows for fighting and killing. It allows for example for Palestinians to resist the military occupation that they under (although this is one of the protocols that Israel has refused to sign).
Instead however of condemning those parties who fail to meet these crass basic standards. Too often people feel they need to take sides as the injustice of these attacks shines through. On one side you have Israel’s supporters who paint the government’s actions as ‘self-defence’ against an on-going terrorist attacks. On the other you have Palestinian supporters who paint Palestinians an oppressed people being forced into a basic form of self-defence.
Any objective mind can see that there is element of truth in both of these statements.
As I said before though, this is not say it is a balanced conflict against two equal sides. Indeed, these violations of IHL can only be analytically understood in the context of 45 years of military occupation and the regional hostilities.
The answer? I have no idea – if I did I wouldn’t be writing this, I would be picking up my Nobel Peace Prize. All that I am arguing here is that IHL provides a much better starting point to approach the conflict than partisan side taking.
For more on how IHL affects the Gaza/Israel conflict see http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/11/20/q-hostilities-between-israel-and-hamas
Filed under Human rights, Middle East, Politics, War
Tagged as Amnesty International, Both Hamas and Israel, Gaza, Human rights, ICC, International Humanitarian Law, Israel, violations of IHL
November 8, 2012 · 11:55 am
Obama’s first 100 days: We don’t expect the impossible
Please watch and take action. There is nothing radical about asking the President to ban torture.
Tagged as Amnesty International, first 100 days, Obama, torture
Rockets and war crimes cannot break the Israeli peace movement
At the time of writing, 80 rockets have been launched from Gaza since last night – all aimed at the south of Israel.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) spokesman on twitter pointed out earlier that these rockets are not always intercepted.
Update: Another rocket hit Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, the rocket count is now 73 since midnight. #terror
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) October 24, 2012
The latest series of attacks have caused at least 5 injuries. Towns across the south of Israel are, once again, living in fear that a rocket could hit at any moment.
These attacks, due to their indiscriminate nature are a violation of International Humanitarian Law as they fail to distinguish between civilian and combatant. Amnesty International has accused Hamas, who regularly claim responsibility for these rocket attacks, of War Crimes.
These most recent attacks reminded me of my visit to Sderot earlier this year. Sderot is an Israeli town less than a kilometer from the Gaza border with a population of just 24,000 people. Life in Sderot is dictated by the near constant danger of rocket attacks.
Every house in Sderot has a built in ‘safe room’. I was told residents have just 14 seconds to get to it should they hear the warning siren. A physical impossibility for many such as Sderot’s elderly residents.
Town planners have ensured that there are always bomb shelters close by out in the streets. Every bus stop is built to double up as a bomb shelter. As a result, residents of Sderot are never far from shelter nor the reminder that they live in a constant danger.
Nearly all of Sderot’s residents have been affected by rocket attacks. 13 people have been killed in the small town in the last decade alone. The most recent was 35 year old Shir-El Friedman who was killed on the 9th May 2008.
Despite this terrifying reality, I met some within this small community that are actively looking to reach out to those living in Gaza.
I met a representative from ‘Other Voice‘ – a group of Israelis, mainly based in Sderot, who are working to end the circle of violence both in Gaza and Sderot. Their website states:
“The Palestinians are also suffering. They, like us, strive for a quiet and peaceful life and for a better future. We believe that only by working together can we reach a long lasting solution. Therefore, our group is in ongoing contact with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who believe, as we do, in non-violence and mutual respect that will bring about the much anticipated change”.
To meet Israelis living with this constant threat of attack but who were looking to create dialogue rather than conflict was truly inspiring. Too often, across both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, I witnessed the exact opposite happening.
The most difficult question I am left with, is that I don’t know how I would respond if I lived under such constant fear! This however only exaggerates my admiration for those like the members of Other Voice.
Tagged as Amnesty International, Gaza, Israeli Peace movement, Sderot, Sderot rocket attacks, war crimes
Samer al-Barq – risking death in search of life
“We are not in search of death; we are looking for real life”
These are the words of the hunger strikers’ declaration broadcast over loudspeakers at Tiananmen Square in 1989. Today these words strike a sad pertinence.
As I write this article Samer al-Barq remains on hunger strike. He has not eaten now since 22nd May. 87 days have now passed. To put this into context, Mahatma Gandhi’s longest hunger strike lasted 21 days. By 21 days most people on hunger strike will have loss the sensation of thirst, find standing difficult or impossible and have a sensation of being always cold.
Samer has been on hunger strikes four times longer than that.
From 45 days onwards death becomes a very real possibility from cardiovascular collapse. Samer has been living with the possibility of death now for over a month.
According his lawyer, not only has Samer not received the medical care he requires he has also faced beatings. Amnesty International reported that his lawyer said that “guards have beaten and verbally abused [Samer]”.
Amnesty International has called on the Israeli authorities to “investigate allegations that Samer al-Barq has been ill-treated while in detention and ensure he is treated humanely, and not punished in any way for his hunger strike”.
Samer remains imprisoned under ‘administrative detention’ which is the “detention without charge or trial that is authorized by administrative order rather than by judicial decree”. In other words, it is being held with charge or trial. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem considers Israel’s on-going use of administrative detention a violation of International Humanitarian Law as it is only justified in use in the “most exceptional circumstances”.
Israel is currently holding 250 Palestinians under administrative detention.
Samer’s hunger strike was avoidable. In May, Samer stopped his 50 day hunger strike along with 2,000 other hunger strikers after an Egyptian brokered agreement. He resumed his hunger strike a week later however when his detention without trial was extended for a further three months.
Samer is not looking to die, but he is willing to risk death in search of real life with real freedoms. As an occupying power in Palestine, Israel dictates whether or not he and his countrymen can have these freedoms.
Israel must end its use of administrative detention.
Filed under Health, Human rights, Middle East, Politics
Tagged as Amnesty International, Human rights, hunger strike, Samer al-Barq, Samer al-Barq health
UPDATE: Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Sarsak ‘losing consciousness’ 73 days into hunger strike
Twenty five year old Palestinian footballer, Mahmoud Sarsak is reported to be ‘losing consciousness’ seventy three days into a hunger strike as his health continues to decline.
Sarsak is protesting against his three year detention without trial. He is currently being held under Israel’s ‘Unlawful Combatant Law’. This law allows the Israeli state to hold him for an indefinite period of time without trial. Sarsak reportedly has not been told why he is imprisoned.
On 16th April 2012 Sarsak was transferred to Ramleh prison hospital as a result of his deteriorating health. Today, seventy three days into his hunger strike his lawyer has described him ‘losing consciousness’ regularly.
Please take urgent action on this case.
Filed under Human rights, Middle East
Tagged as Amnesty International, Human rights, hunger strike, Mahmoud Sarsak, take action
Mahmoud al-Sarsak – Palestinian footballer’s health is ‘deteriorating’
This article was written for the Tattooed Football blog.
As the football season draws to a close most of us are sitting back waiting for a summer of football to begin. With less than a month now until Euro 2012 kicks off, football fans across the globe are gearing up for the tournament, stocking up the fridge and pinning up the fixture list. Here in Israel and Palestine it is no exception. I have already sorted out front row seats for the England/France opener down the local (coffee shop)! There is however one exception, one guy who isn’t joining in this build up. His name is Mahmoud al-Sarsak who is, or at least I should say was, a member of the Palestinian football team.
Mahmoud is currently being held under Israel’s ‘Unlawful Combatant Law’ (a form of administrative detention – held without trial) and has been on hunger strike since the 22nd March 2012 in protest. Mohmoud’s detention is not up for renewal until 22nd August 2012. The insightful amongst you might well notice that this is well after the championships. The even more insightful amongst you might have counted up the days in your head and worked out that this guy might not even be alive come the championships. Amnesty International report that his health is “deteriorating”. The longest ever Palestinian hunger strike is 77 days – this is one record no one wants to see him break but he is coming pretty close. How much longer he can hold on for is debatable but I would count it in days not weeks.
You might well be thinking at this point “Bit of shitter, but there is f*** all I can do about it” (note the compulsory swear words proceeding any badly thought out point on the terraces). Well, I have good news for you. There are a few people over here that have the power to stop all this. One of them is a chap called Ehud Barak – he’s the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel and also the Defence Minister (in other words he holds a bit of sway). What we are asking is pretty simple. We would like him to firstly ensure Mahmoud is given full and specialised medical care in a hospital suitable to provide such care. And secondly to ensure that Mahmoud is either released or charged with internationally recognizable criminal offences and brought to trial in proceedings that meet international fair trial standards (jargon I know but it’s important – trust me). Not big asks. If you have a chance, get the quill out and put these point onto paper and send them to:
37 Kaplan Street, Hakirya
Tel Aviv 61909, Israel
I am sure he would love to hear from you.
Mahmoud is not only a footballer, but a relative and a bloody human being. I find it disgusting that someone could be held for three years without charge or trial. All it will cost you is a few minutes (keep it short) and few pence down the post office.
If you are really keen you can find loads more information here. If you are really really keen send this blog onto your mates. It is mad to think, but you have the power to make a difference and maybe save a guys life.
Filed under Football, Health, Human rights, Middle East, Politics, Sport
Tagged as Amnesty International, Football, Human rights, hunger strikes palestine, Mahmoud al-Sarsak
How to win an election – Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov style
Picking up an cool 97.14% of vote in the recent Presidential elections, newly re-elected President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov must be pretty pleased with his election campaign. I can only begin to imagine the hours spent knocking on doors, folding leaflets and touring the country to get such a remarkable return.
Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan was quick to congratulate Mr Berdimuhamedov on his re-election wishing him “good health, happiness and continued success in his state activities as well as welfare and prosperity to the friendly people of Turkmenistan”. Aliyev’s view of “continued welfare and prosperity” of the Turkmen people seems to slightly vary however from that of independent human rights organisations.
Amnesty International commented on the elections by saying, “Serious human rights violations such as torture and ill-treatment continue to be committed in detention facilities and severe restrictions remain on freedom of movement and expression, political activism, faith and many other fundamental rights”
You can get the picture of the situation from this briefing paper Amnesty International compiled.
Either way, the unaccountable leader was re-elected with an incredible 97.14%. I wonder whether it niggles at him that the his predecessor, President for life Saparmurad Niyazov (aka Turkmenbashi) was elected with 99.5% of the vote in 1992?
I suspect that Berdimuhamedov will hold up the fact that 7 people stood against him in an election as a sign of reform. The fact that all 7 men were close allies of the President and did not once speak out against his oppressive and dictatorial regime is a mere detail.
So if you are hitting the campaign trail anytime soon, follow these simple rules:
Ban international monitoring missions
Only allow your most loyal friends and colleagues to stand against you
Implement a brutal and repressive regime that will use force and fear to ensure absolute control.
An easy 1,2,3 to election success – Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov style.
Filed under Central Asia, Human rights, Politics
Tagged as Amnesty International, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, how to win an election, Human rights, Saparmurad Niyazov, Tur, Turkmenistan election results
10 years of foreign policy that has included secret detention, torture and rendition – the legacy of the Tony Blair/George Bush tag team
On the 11th of January 2002, the first detainees were transferred to the US Naval base Guantanamo Bay. The orange jumpsuit has become a symbol of the USA’s and its allies failed ‘war on terror’. The atrocities that we know have occurred behind the security fences at Guantanamo are an ugly blight on both the UK’s and the US’s foreign policy. This is the 3rd year in a row I have blogged about Guantanamo Bay, still being open, still being a blight on the US and its allies and still ruining lives. This blog is a plea to President Obama urging him to live up to his word to close the camp and restore the credibility of the US on the world stage. Until this happens, he can never separate himself or his country off from Bush’s disastrous legacy.
The legacy of Guantanamo Bay is one that we should all be ashamed of. For as long as it stays open, we know that to a limited extent, arbitrary detention, secret detention, torture and other ill-treatment, renditions, and unfair trials still plays a part in our foreign policy. When our representatives go abroad and talk of democracy and human rights, Guantanamo is mentioned as a symbol of our hypocrisy.
There are still 150 detainees in Guantanamo. All 150 people are still being denied their basic freedoms. The majority of them are being held indefinitely without charge or trial. Remember a few years ago, we were all up in arms (quite rightly) that New Labour tried to introduce a 90 day period where you could be held with charge or trial? Well imagine what it must be like to be held indefinitely, never knowing if you will be a free man, or even what crime you are supposed to have committed. There is still a Brit in Guantanamo Bay, alongside others, who have no idea why they are being held there.
The few ‘lucky’ ones who are being put on trial are facing the notoriously unfair military commissions and potentially face the death penalty if found guilty. Why, they cannot be tried in conventional courts has yet to be explained to me. Maybe it is because any self-respecting legal system would not go near information obtained through torture! The US government has already stated that those who are found to be NOT guilty may still face being returned to indefinite detention.
In short, the US is making up the rules as it goes along. To make it worse, these ‘new rules’ that are being introduced fly in the face of all pre-existing human rights standards which the White House still has the audacity to claim to support.
Guantanamo detainees should either be charged and prosecuted in fair trials or released to countries that will respect their human rights. If there ‘home’ countries cannot take them, or if there is any belief that they will be in danger should they returned then they should be offered refugee status in the US. It is about time the US started living up to its responsibilities. The US military commissions, which do not meet international fair trial standards, should be abandoned without delay. The right to a fair trial is so central to a democracy that it undermines the very bedrock of US society if it is removed.
President Obama, for as long as you fail to live up to these very basic demands, you will be seen as being no better that George Bush. Sort it out!
Filed under History, Human rights, Middle East, Politics
Tagged as Amnesty International, Bush and Blair torture, Guantanamo Bay 10 years, Obama promise
Saudi Arabia: Where roberry can cost you an arm and a leg
In Saudi Arabia six men are facing amputation of their right hands and left feet for “highway robbery”. The only way they will avoid this fate is if king Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud commutes their sentence. These sentences could be handed out by Friday if no action is taken.
The men have already faced torture through interrogation. Saudi Arabia is a signatory to the international Convention of Torture but is once again illustrating its disregard for international conventions.
In case this story was not bad enough, it appears that at least one of the men was reportedly beaten for eight days and told that if he did not confess to the crime, his three brothers would also be arrested. He then signed a confession without knowing its full contents.
For any punishment to go ahead is an outrage, for this level of brutality to be handed out is simply beyond words.
Tagged as Amnesty International, Human rights, Saudi Arabia amputation
Today we mourn – tomorrow we continue the fight for justice
I am Troy - You are Troy - We are Troy
Today we mourn for the sad loss of Troy Davis who was put to death in the early hours of this morning. His life was taken away by the hypocritical hands of the state of Georgia. His death marks the ends of over 20 years of campaigning for the truth that would surely have seen him found to be innocent. The state of Georgia has taken a calculated decision to execute a man despite not holding a shred of physical evidence to implicate him in the crime they accuse him of. This is wrong on so many levels.
As the reality of his death sinks in we are left to look to the future to ensure that such a miscarriage of justice is never again allowed to occur. In Troy’s death we can draw out the very visual growing support for the abolition of the death penalty. Over a million people signed a petition calling for a stay of execution. The Council of Europe, MP’s and celebrities all got behind his case. There was a clear and loud message that reverberated around a globalised world about the abhorrent nature of both Troy’s death but also the use of the death penalty.
When I was stood outside the US embassy last Friday alongside hundreds of others who had turned out at short notice we were read a message from Troy. This message contained a request, no stronger, a demand to not give up the fight. Yesterday, a day before his execution Troy reiterated his call saying:
“The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me.
I’m in good spirits and I’m prayerful and at peace. But I will not stop fighting until I’ve taken my last breath.”
I finish therefore with a promise, a promise to Troy and to all others who have been needlessly put to death at the hands of the state – I will not give up, I will continue this fight until we see the complete world-wide abolition of capital punishment. Troy has had the ability to speak taken from him for the last 20 years, and now we will never hear him speak again. With Troy in mind I urge you to join me in this fight. It is not going to be easy, we will see more innocent men and women put to death – but it is a fight I feel compelled to take on. Please join me.
Tagged as Amnesty International, capital punishment, fight, Georigia, protest, Troy Davis, update, US Embassy
September 9, 2011 · 12:48 pm
Join me outside the US embassy to stop an injustice occurring
The execution date is set. Unless something changes, Troy Davis will be put to death on the 21st September 2011. This is despite a list of doubts surrounding his case.
Troy Anthony Davis was convicted of the murder of Officer Mark Allen MacPhail in 1991. Since 2007, Amnesty international has campaigned alongside Troy’s family and other supporters for a new trial or hearing and clemency.
He was given an opportunity to prove his innocence in 2009 and despite:
Four witnesses admitting in court that they lied at trial when they implicated Troy Davis
Four witnesses implicating another man as the one who killed Officer MacPhail
Three original state witnesses describing police coercion during questioning, including one man who was 16 years old at the time of the murder
Despite this all this, in August 2010 the federal district court judge ruled that although executing an innocent person would be unconstitutional,Troy had not met the extraordinarily high bar for proving his innocence.
You can read more about the doubts surrounding Troy’s case in this Amnesty International briefing.
We have a chance to stop this injustice happening. There is going to be a walk in solidarity for Troy in Georgia (where he is on death row). Our aim in the UK is to illustrate the strength of feeling and international support Troy holds.
This is why I hope you will join me on Friday 16th September 2011 outside the US embassy in London between 5 and 7pm. Troy deserves a fair trial. He does not deserve any punishment, let alone the death penalty while there are such doubts surrounding his case. This is literally a matter of life and death.
Can’t make it but online? Take action here
Filed under Human rights
Tagged as 21st September, Amnesty International, court, protest, Troy Davis, US, US Embassy
Amnesty International is 50 years old and is still as relevant as ever
This last weekend, people up and down the country having been raising a glass to the world’s oldest human rights organisations, Amnesty International.
Amnesty is a very important organisation to me. I have been heavily involved ever since I got involved with my local University group in Bath. At the time, we were campaigning for a global arms trade treaty. I remember all too clearly students (and lecturers) saying to me that this was a pointless aspiration, and it would never happen. Well, looks what a little optimism can do!
Throughout its entire history, Amnesty International has strived, and succeeded, in gaining victories people wrote off as impossible.
In 1965 Amnesty sponsored a resolution at the UN to suspend and abolish capital punishment for peacetime political offences. A request which seemed outlandish at the time; last year, Gabon became the 139th country to either abolish the penalty outright or to cease to use it in practice.
For years, Amnesty campaigned against the use of torture. In 1975 UN unanimously adopted a declaration against torture following the Amnesty campaign.
In 1983, Amnesty was mocked for saying that it was not only Governments, but also individuals who can commit human rights violations. Today, this is a central pillar of human rights law. One that was central to seeing the recent arrest of Ratko Mladic.
In 1989, Amnesty International members sent 25,000 letters to Chinese authorities condemning the events that took place in Tiananmen Square. Today Amnesty International continues to take on this issue, defending those who wish to speak out against the atrocities that took place that day.
In 1996 Amnesty launched a campaign for a permanent International Criminal Court. In 1998 this was adopted by the UN.
There is so so much more I could talk about. Amnesty’s history tells us that when you shout alone, often nothing happens. But when over 3 million people stand together, their voice holds significant weight.
Today, Amnesty is working on tackling the death penalty, highlighting the abuses in the war on terror, calling governments to account and much more. They can only do this vital work if they have your support.
If you do not believe me, believe Bu Dongwei.
Please join today. Give either money or your time – both are precious to Amnesty.
Remember, All it takes for Evil to prevail in this world is for enough good men to do nothing.
Tagged as 50 birthday, Amnesty International, celebrations, Death Penalty, History, torture
The EU still has blood on its hands as it continues to trade in tools of torture
Companies from within the EU are still supplying sodium thiopental
The European Union and its member states are responsible for countless deaths and acts of brutality. It will continue to be morally, and legally responsible for as long as companies within the EU are allowed to trade in equipment that is used for torture and murder.
Amnesty International has recently reported that a UK company is trading in a drug called sodium thiopental which is used in US for judicial executions. As recently as October 2010 this drug was used in the execution of Jeffrey Landrigan in Arizona. This sequence of events is not only morally deplorable but also illegal.
Council Regulation (EC) No 1236/2005 effectively banned the trade in tools of torture. This included equipment that could be used for capital punishment. I have blogged before how this legislation has not been effectively implemented, and it saddens me to highlight that little has improved.
The reason the European Commission has not enforced these rules is based predominantly to do with lack of resources. Simply, it is not seen as a priority. This is why Amnesty International has called on the President of European Commission to:
Ensure that sufficient Commission resources are given to following up on implementation and revision of the Regulation
Update the Regulation’s annexes, to include controls on those drugs currently being sourced in the EU for executions in the USA, in addition to those items listed in the Amnesty International/ Omega Research Foundation report of March 2010
Organise a meeting of trade experts from across the EU (the Committee on Common Rules for Exports) to take place as soon as possible, to discuss the use of drugs in executions in the USA and to agree on a change to the Regulation to include a new end-use ‘catch-all’ clause.
You can help fight this barbaric trade by signing the petition here.
Filed under EU politics, Human rights, Politics
Tagged as Amnesty International, EU, jeffrey landrigan, regulation, tools of torture
Another strange twist in the story of Turkmenistan
Berdymukhamedov does not always have such a good relationship with the international community
Just before Christmas, 2.5 million (80% of all users) mobile phones stopped working in Turkmenistan. Why? The government decided to “switch off” the operation of Mobile Telesystems (MTS) – a privately owned Moscow based phone operator. This left millions of citizens unable to communicate internally or internationally. This is just the latest in a line of obscure human rights violations to have occurred in Turkmenistan.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov came to power in Turkmenistan in 2007, with a promise to up-hold human rights. On paper it looks as if some progress has been made, but, in reality the legacy from dictator for life Saparmurat Niyazov (Turkmenbashi) lives on. Niyazov was the guy who:
Niyazov banned lip-synching, car radios, beards, and the playing of recorded music at weddings
Citizens with gold teeth were told to have them extracted
He shut rural libraries, saying that people in villages did not read
Opera was banned in 2001 as Niyazov declared: “Who needs Tosca or La Traviata any more?”
All hospitals outside the capital Ashgabat were closed and about 15,000 doctors were dismissed in 2005
Compulsory education was cut by a year so that students could not qualify to study abroad
To name but a few of his eccentricities.
It was hoped when Berdymukhamedov came to power he would move away from Niyazov’s cult of personality. We can see however that not only is his human rights record appalling (see here for Human Rights Watch letter to him on this issue from last year), but it appears it is erratic as his predecessors.
In a recent wikileak Berdymukhamedov was described as “vain, fastidious, vindictive, a micro-manager, and a bit of an Ahal Teke “nationalist.” from the US embassy. Later in the same leak it states “Berdimuhamedov does not like people who are smarter than he is. Since he’s not a very bright guy, our source offered, he is suspicious of a lot of people.”
It looks as though Turkmenistan, with Berdymukhamedov at the helm is moving further and further away from the “west” and closer to isolation. There is no real sense of accountability. No one questions why the former Dentist operated on a patient to open a new hospital (no joke – see here). No one questions his legitimacy to do any of the things he has done. This is not good for Turkmen citizens, and it is not good for the international community.
Although I have highlighted some of the more bizarre aspect of modern Turkmenistan, it is important to remember it remains one of the oppressive countries in the world.
The question then remains, how do the international community try and engage with rogue leaders who shun all traditional forms of diplomacy? For this, there is no easy answer.
Filed under Central Asia, Human rights, Politics, Russia
Tagged as Amnesty International, Berdymukhamedov, freedom, Human rights, Turkmenistan
Guantanamo Bay – still there 9 years later
Re-read the title.
A Brit is still there (Shaker Aamer)
So are 146 other humans – suffering
We cannot let this continue for another year – take action
Filed under Human rights, Politics, War
Tagged as 9 years, Amnesty International, close, Guantanamo Bay, Obama, Shaker Aamer, torture
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Fourth Circuit: Standard AI Endorsement “Plainly Lacks” Vicarious Liability Limitation
The Fourth Circuit has overturned an insurer’s summary judgment victory regarding the scope of the standard additional insured endorsement, which is frequently the focus of coverage disputes arising from construction litigation. See Capital City Real Estate, LLC v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London, No. 14-1239 (4th Cir. June 10, 2015). Capital City was the general contractor for a renovation project and hired Marquez Brick as a subcontractor, requiring Marquez to name Capital City as an additional insured. After a wall collapsed during the renovation, Capital City was sued for negligence and demanded a defense as an additional insured under Marquez’s policy.
The ISO endorsement at issue (CG20100704) provides that a party is an additional insured only with respect to liability for bodily injury or property damage caused in whole or in part by the acts or omissions of the named insured, or those acting on its behalf, in the performance of ongoing operations for the additional insured. The complaint against Capital City, however, did not name Marquez as a defendant or allege damages as a result of its acts or omissions. Asserting that the endorsement was limited to allegations of Capital City’s vicarious liability for the acts or omissions of Marquez, the insurer denied coverage. Capital City subsequently filed a third-party complaint against Marquez and initiated a declaratory judgment action against Marquez’s insurer seeking additional insured coverage. The District Court agreed with the insurer’s interpretation of the endorsement and granted summary judgment in its favor.
Applying Maryland law, while acknowledging the lack of appellate authority in Maryland on the issue, the Fourth Circuit reversed, rejecting the insurer’s position. Examining the language of the endorsement, the Court noted that it “plainly lacks the vicarious liability limitation,” concluding that such limiting language was clearly available and could have been included if that was the intent. Instead, it held that the endorsement “extends to property damage caused by Marquez, either in whole or in part, regardless of whether the underlying complaint seeks to hold Capital City vicariously liable for Marquez’s acts or omissions.”
The Fourth Circuit then relied upon Maryland law permitting an insured to introduce extrinsic evidence to determine the duty to defend, a clear departure from other jurisdictions limiting the analysis to the four corners of the complaint. In that regard, it noted that Capital City had introduced evidence in support of its third-party claim that Marquez was involved in the renovation of the wall that collapsed. Coupled with the broad allegations in the complaint against Capital City, which were not limited to Capital City’s sole negligence or specific acts outside the scope of Marquez’s work, the Court held that there was a potentially covered claim and the duty to defend was triggered.
Despite the overall result, the Fourth Circuit did include an analysis that may be favorable to insurers, particularly when addressing the duty to indemnify. In addition to whether the endorsement is limited to vicarious liability, there is often a dispute over the meaning of the causation portion of the endorsement (“caused in whole or in part”), which replaced the prior and far too broadly interpreted “arising from” language. When properly applied, the causation language should require proof that the named insured’s acts or omissions were the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s damages. Additional insureds, however, have asserted that it only requires proof that the named insured’s acts or omissions were a “but for” cause of the underlying plaintiff’s damages or a contributing factor falling short of negligence. In its discussion, however, the Fourth Circuit noted with approval decisions from other courts interpreting the endorsement to require proximate causation and/or a negligence determination.
Thus, the Fourth Circuit has added to a growing split among those courts directly addressing the scope of the additional insured endorsement, giving the endorsement an expansive interpretation based on the lack of specific vicarious liability language. The decision, however, also provides support for requiring a determination that the named insured played a central role in causing the damages sought in order for the additional insured to be entitled to coverage, rather than simply tying some act or omission to the complained of damages- no matter how slight. In any case, the frequency with which additional insured issues are raised, particularly in the context of construction litigation, virtually guarantees that the Fourth Circuit will not be the last word on this evolving and ever important debate among insurers and their putative additional insureds.
© 2019 Stewart Smith Law. All Rights Reserved.
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Weight 79 kgs
7 – Rob Fairclough
Half-Back
D.O.B 10, September 1997
Rob first came to the Lions on loan from St Helens in early 2018 and made an immediate impact as a tough and confident probing half-back. For the second half of the 2018 season Swinton secured a more permanent loan deal for Rob, before announcing a two-year deal ahead of the 2019 season. Rob played his early days with Blackbrook ARLFC, and produced performances that earned him a place on the England Under 18s tour of Australia in 2016. Rob has now emerged as a key player for the Lions, a fact which often earns him uncompromising attention from the opposition.
Swinton Stats: Heritage Number: 1261; Appearances 13; Tries 2; Goals 13.
Previous Clubs Blackbrook ARLFC, St Helens
Home Kit: Rick Smith
Away Kit: Angela Smith
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November 4, 2014 Josh DeVine East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, News
Winchester Man Arrested, Charged with Murder & Kidnapping in TBI Homicide Case
CHATTANOOGA – Special Agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have obtained indictments for a Winchester man accused of kidnapping and murdering a Morrison woman.
At the request of 12th District Attorney General J. Michael Taylor, TBI Special Agents began investigating Robert Troy Whipple on April 27th. Early that morning in Decherd, a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop of Whipple’s vehicle. A pursuit soon followed through Franklin County, after which Whipple crashed the vehicle at a dead end in the area of Chase Bend Road and Rahn Drive in Estill Springs. When Whipple exited the vehicle, he brandished a bladed instrument and stabbed a Franklin County deputy twice in the right hand and cut the deputy below his right eye. Once authorities detained Whipple, they discovered the remains of a female in the vehicle’s front passenger seat. Forensic analysis later identified the woman as Bridgette Haley, a 46-year-old woman from Morrison. During the course of the investigation, TBI Agents developed information which led to Whipple as the individual responsible for Haley’s death.
On Monday, the Franklin County Grand Jury returned indictments for Whipple, charging the 47-year-old with one count of First Degree Murder, one count of Felony Murder, and one count of Especially Aggravated Kidnapping. Today, Whipple was booked on the charges at the Franklin County Jail, where at the time of this release, he was being held on an undetermined bond.
Authorities previously arrested and charged Whipple in connection to the April 27th pursuit and assault of the Sheriff’s deputy. The investigation by the TBI, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the Estill Springs Police Department remains active and ongoing.
Tagged Chase, Estill Springs, Franklin County, Homicide, kidnapping, THP
Brighton, TN Mayor Indicted on Charges of Official Misconduct and Theft
TBI Unveils ‘IT Has To Stop’ PSA, Participates in National Human Trafficking Event
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A Common Person’s Guide to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009
By Ted Glick, Policy Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
On May 21st, following months of work, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACESA), a 932-page piece of climate legislation. There have been mixed reactions from environmental and climate groups, but most groups are in agreement that it needs to be strengthened going forward. For some groups the problems they see with the bill have led to their public withdrawal of support. These groups include Greenpeace USA, Public Citizen and Friends of the Earth. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network also does not support the bill in current form.
Below is a summary analysis of the main features of the bill.
-Cap and Trade System: The bill would establish a “cap-and-trade” system which sets mandatory and declining limits on greenhouse gas emissions over the next 40 years. By 2050 it projects reductions of 83% from 2005 levels for the United States. It does this primarily through the establishment of 1) a “cap” on emissions and the annual issuance by the government of permits to emit greenhouse gases, both of which—the cap and the emissions permits–come down steadily year after year, and 2) a tradable market to buy and sell those permits to emit global warming pollution. That’s why it’s called a “cap-and-trade” system.
-Wide-Open Buying and Selling: Significantly, this market is open to anyone, not just those entities which emit greenhouse gases. For example, Wall Street firms whose primary purpose is to make money for their investors can buy and sell pollution permits. Anyone, whether Goldman Sachs or John Q. Public, can get into this newly-created market. From page 430 of the bill: “The privilege of purchasing, holding, selling, exchanging, transferring, and requesting retirement of emission allowances, compensatory allowances, or offset credits shall not be restricted to the owners and operators of covered entities, except as otherwise provided in this title.” Especially following the sub-prime mortgage/credit/banking crisis, there is concern among many people, including some on Capitol Hill, about the potential for this system to be abused by those out to make quick and big profits.
-Goals and Targets: The document states that one of its prime objectives is to help the world “avoid atmosphere greenhouse gas concentrations above 450 parts per million carbon dioxide equivalent; and global surface temperature 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above the pre-industrial average.” However, a growing number of scientists, journalists and climate activists believe that we need to reduce emissions more deeply if we are to have a good chance of avoiding climate catastrophe.
-2020 Targets: It projects a 17% reduction in greenhouse gases (ghg) from 2005 levels by 2020. This is about 3% below U.S. ghg levels in 1990; 1990 is the baseline year used by the nations of the world. There is an additional 10% reduction of ghg’s projected via investments in the prevention of deforestation outside the United States, and there could be a few percent more reductions through other means. This could add up to about a 20% reduction by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. The world’s international climate negotiators have called for industrialized countries to reduce their emissions by 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020.
-Upstream, Downstream: It appears that the cap is a mix of “upstream” and “downstream.” “Upstream” means the earliest point at which carbon fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) or other global warming pollutants enter the economy; “downstream” means at a point further along. An “upstream” cap reduces the number of covered entities and makes it easier to reduce or eliminate leakages from the system. A summary of the document says that it “establishes a market-based program for reducing global warming pollution from electric utilities, oil companies, large industrial sources and other covered entities that collectively are responsible for 85% of U.S. global warming emissions.” It describes a “covered entity” as one which emits at least 25,000 tons of ghg emissions annually.
-Offsets: There is a very large provision made for “offsets.” An “offset” is when a company contributes money for a renewable energy, energy efficiency or other “clean energy” project somewhere else instead of reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions. This piece of legislation allows for up to 2 billion tons worth each year, which is more than 27% of the U.S.’s total annual ghg emissions. The offsets would happen in both the U.S. and in other countries; up to ¾ of them could be in other countries. There is much controversy over offsets; a recent study, for example, reported that between 1/3 and 2/3 of them under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty, were for projects that likely would have happened anyway. If fossil fuel companies used all of the offsets, there would likely be no, or very little, actual reductions of carbon emissions by these companies until the middle of the 20’s. This would be the case even if ghg emissions permits were auctioned.
-Free Pollution Permits: A huge percentage of the permits to emit ghg’s will be given away rather than sold via an auction. Only 15% of the permits will be auctioned for roughly the first 15 years or so of the program, despite President Obama’s strong support for a 100% auction during his campaign and for the first couple of months of his presidency. Coal companies are the big winners; “local distribution companies,” which are overwhelmingly coal-related, and “merchant coal” companies receive 35% of the permits, also known as “allowances” (as in an allowance to emit global warming pollution). The 30% to “local distribution companies” represents 90% of total electric utility emissions. This system will remain in place until 2030, with a five-year phase out between 2026 and 2030. Other global warming polluters who receive free allowances are local natural gas distribution companies (9% of the permits), “energy-intensive, trade-exposed industries” like steel, paper, aluminum and cement (15%), oil refiners (2%), and coal companies to “cover the costs of installing and operating carbon capture and sequestration technologies”(2% from 2014-2017 and 5% after that). This adds up to about 65% of the allowances being given for free to carbon polluters, 50% to the fossil fuel industry directly.
-Consumer Protection?: Interestingly, most of these free allowances to carbon polluters are described as “consumer protection” even though no consumer organizations were advocating for this plan. The advocates for it were representatives like Congressman Rick Boucher of Virginia who received over $176,000 from the coal industry for the 2007-2008 Congressional election cycle. Since the passage of this bill out of committee Boucher has said publicly that that the legislation will “create the opportunity for increasing coal production.” The legislation assumes that coal companies and other large corporations can be trusted, or regulated, to pass along to consumers the savings they will gain from the free permits they will be given. And remember that they can sell these emissions permits, or allowances, on the cap-and-trade, carbon/ghg market that is being set up.
-More on Consumer Protection: A statement by Public Citizen on this bill contained this sentence: “The committee’s plan to distribute allowances to coal utilities will set up a legal fight in all 50 state utility regulatory commissions over how exactly the money will be returned to families and how much utilities can skim off the top—a fight that anti-poverty and consumer groups lack adequate resources to wage, given the army of lawyers utilities hire and the millions in campaign contributions that they make.”
-Coal Wins: Coal companies are big winners under this legislation. They receive 35% of emissions permits for free via Local Distribution Companies and merchant coal. They also receive 5% of the funds raised by the overall legislation by 2018, following a 2% allocation from 2014-2017, which will cover the costs of installing and operating carbon capture and sequestration (ccs) technologies. CCS is a technology that 1) barely exists, 2) is roughly a decade from perhaps being commercially viable on a large scale, 3) surrounded by serious safety questions as far as leakage into underground drinking water, earthquake-caused massive releases, etc. It involves the pumping of billions of tons of liquefied carbon dioxide into the earth, or under the sea. New coal plants built from 2009-2020 would be required to capture 50% of their carbon emissions but not until 2025. Plants built after 2020 must capture 65%. It is certain that, a dozen or so years from now, if these provisions are not changed, the coal industry will be expending tens of millions of dollar in advertisements, campaign contributions and lobbying to extend those deadlines if it turns out that extensive carbon capture and sequestration is not possible.
-Other Free Allowances: In addition to the free emissions permits (allowances) given to polluting industries, others receiving free allowances that can then be sold on the cap-and-trade market are: 1.5% of them to states for programs to benefit users of home heating oil and propane; approximately 7-8%/year through the 20’s to states for renewables and energy efficiency programs; approximately 2%/year through 2025 to the automobile industry for electric vehicles and other advanced technology and deployment; 1% for “Clean Energy Innovation Centers;” 5% to prevent tropical deforestation; 2% for domestic adaptation and 2% for international adaptation to the negative impacts of a changing climate; and ½ of a percent for worker assistance and job training. These figures are generally for the first 10 years of the program; most are increased after that first 10 year period.
-Penalties: There is a penalty established for any covered entity that does not have sufficient emissions credits to cover its actual emissions. The penalty is “twice the fair market value of emissions allowances established for emissions occurring in the calendar year for which emission allowances were due.” It is possible, given the ups and downs of markets and product prices, that there could be years when fossil fuel companies can make more money by using more carbon-based fuels than they have permits for and then paying the penalty.
-National Academy of Sciences Review: Provision is made for an overall review of the entire program and how well it is working by the National Academy of Sciences. This is a good thing, but not so good is that this is projected as happening every four years. Given the accelerating pace of climate change, as indicated most dramatically by what is happening with Arctic sea ice, a more frequent assessment by NAS seems called for. After the NAS assessment, the President is charged with submitting legislation to Congress based on NAS recommendations as far as any acceleration or adjustments to the overall program.
-Renewables and Efficiency: There is a renewable electricity/energy efficiency requirement for states of 20% by 2020, a minimum of 12% renewables and 8% efficiency. This is a reduction from a roughly 40%-by-2025 proposed renewables/efficiency standard in the initial draft discussion document put out by Henry Waxman, chair of the committee, on March 31st. The Energy Information Administration, a government agency, has estimated that as a result of existing state laws and other factors, there could be more renewable energy generated without this federal renewable energy provision than with it. If this provision is passed it would supercede existing state renewable energy and efficiency laws which exist in about half the states. Concerns have also been expressed about the exemption of nuclear power and coal with carbon capture and storage from the baseline against which renewable energy increases are measured. A more positive feature is that the bill does call for the development by several federal departments of plans for the siting of offshore renewable energy facilities, a potentially huge source of clean energy.
-Hybrids and Electric Cars: The document calls for various kinds of infrastructure support for the development of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, such as plug-in hybrid charging stations, retooling factories to manufacture electric vehicles and purchase of batteries.
-Energy Efficiency: There is a broad program of support for energy efficiency standards and investments across the economy and society. This seems to be one of the strongest aspects of the overall piece of legislation. Building codes are improved 30% by 2010 and 50% by 2016. $500-$3000 per household is provided for families which weatherize their homes to reduce energy use at least 20%. Similar financial support is also provided for weatherization of commercial buildings. Up to $10,000 per house is provided for installation of renewable energy technology. Natural gas utilities must use 1/3 of the value of their free permits for energy efficiency programs.
-EPA Restrictions: There are serious restrictions on the power of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to do its job. According to an analysis by the Sierra Club, the bill “eliminates EPA authority under the Clean Air Act to set performance standards for CO2 from sources covered under the cap, including coal-fired power plants. The bill does set modest standards for new coal plants. Additionally, the bill eliminates the existing requirement that new and modified sources of ghg’s undergo a case-by-case review process that requires stringent ghg limits.” The bill prohibits any greenhouse gas from being listed as a “criteria pollutant” or a “hazardous air pollutant.” These are all very problematic provisions.
-Green Jobs and Worker Assistance: There is little in the bill that is directly about green jobs or worker assistance. There is an increase in funding for the Green Jobs Act from $125 million to $150 million. 1/2 of a percent of the funds from the program for the first 10 years will go to help workers displaced as a result of the transition away from fossil fuels.
-Smart Grid: The bill enacts various measures to strengthen the development of a “smart grid,” which means the modernization of our electricity and transmission system so that it can better use digital information and technology, better integrate small-scale renewable energy, incorporate “demand response” and energy efficiency mechanisms, and in other ways strengthen the capacity of the electrical grid to be more energy efficient, consumer-friendly and effective.
-Mass Transportation: This is very little in this legislation that is directly supportive of mass transportation. It does require states and localities with more than 200,000 people to establish goals for reducing ghg’s in the transportation area, with little clarity about the financing available for this work or accountability mechanisms.
-State Powers: The bill bars states that have already passed such legislation to implement or enforce a cap on greenhouse gas emissions between 2012 to 2017, but it does allow regulation of emissions by other means during this period.
-Adaptation: Funding for both domestic and international adaptation to the negative impacts of a changing climate is provided for. For the first 10 years 2% of the funds raised from the program will go for international adaptation and the transfer of clean energy technology to developing countries. Another 2% for the first 10 years will go to domestic adaptation, including in the areas of public health, state programs, safeguarding wildlife habitats, protecting endangered species and preserving freshwater and coastal ecosystems. A number of environmental groups believe these percentages are too weak, particularly for international adaptation and technology transfer.
There is no question but that there are positive things in this piece of legislation. There are also many negative things, some of which environmental, climate, labor and other groups will attempt to correct as this bill moves through various House committees and onto the House floor.
There are alternative approaches to the cap-and-trade model. One of them which the Chesapeake Climate Action Network supports is what is known as cap-and-dividend (http://www.capanddividend.org). The other main one is a carbon tax and dividend approach (http://www.carbontax.org).
Ted Glick can be reached at ted@chesapeakeclimate.org or 240-396-2155. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network website is http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org
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© Tensaw Land & Timber Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Website Design and Hosting by North Mobile Internet Services, Inc.
Judy D. Lewis is a 1983 graduate of the University of South Alabama, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree with concentrations in Accounting and Management. She obtained her Certified Public Accountant license in 1990 and is a member of the American Institute of Public Accountants. Since joining Tensaw in November 1988, Judy has been responsible for all areas of accounting for the company including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, budgeting, cash flow analysis, financial statement and tax return preparation, as well as maintenance of the investment portfolio. She also handles the personnel and risk management needs of the company. Judy works with the Tensaw staff in the management of the real estate and timber investments of the company. Prior to joining Tensaw, Judy worked for five years as an Assistant Vice President in the Financial Reporting departments of both AmSouth and Compass banks in Mobile and Birmingham. Judy has served most recently as the treasurer and Young Rider Chair for Area III of the United States Eventing Association. Additionally, her past community involvement includes the Junior League of Mobile, where she served on the Board of Directors as Treasurer. She also served as past president of the Mobile Chapter of the American Society of Women Accountants. She has served as Treasurer of the UMS-Wright Parents Association Puttin’ on the Dawg auction, the Mobile Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Mobile Ballet Decorator Showhouse. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Mobile Chapter of the American Lung Association as Vice Chairman and Treasurer, and as a member of the Board of the Dauphin Way United Methodist Child Development Center. Judy is married to George B. Lewis, III and has three children and two grandchildren. She is a member of Dauphin Way United Methodist Church.
Riley Boykin Smith
Starr Lynn Boykin
Judy D. Lewis
Calvert Business Park
Hwy 43 East Park Subdivision
Salco 43 Industrial Park
Zeigler Square
Dollar General Dauphin Is. Pkwy.
Dollar General Spanish Fort
Burger King, Southaven, MS
Salco 43 Industrial Estate
Turkey Trot Landfill
Mobile Transfer Station
Burger King - Southaven, MS
Dollar General - Mobile Co.
Dollar General - Baldwin Co.
Former Advance Auto Parts
Ziegler Square
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Noh
Current Status: Sentenced to prison
Other Names: Nơh
Ethnicity: Montagnard
Current Prison: Gia Lai provincial prison
Amnesty International, Viet Nam: List of Prisoners of Conscience, 12 July 2016 (PDF)
BPSOS, Religious Prisoners in Vietnam, May 10, 2017 (PDF)
Arrested August, 2008. Sentenced to 12 years in prison under Art. 87 (1999 Code). Expected Release is August, 2020.
Arrest August, 2008
Art. 87 (1999 Code)
Authority of Arrest
Location (map)
Trial September 4, 2009
Court of First Instance
Sentence 12 years in prison
Expected Release August, 2020
A member of a peaceful Montagnard association based in the US, Noh was arrested in August 2008 for advocating for religious and indigenous rights. He was sentenced on September 4, 2009 to 12 years in prison for "undermining the national unity policy" under Article 87 of the Penal Code. He was last reported detained in Gia Lai provincial prison.
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The Other Side Of The Story: From Policy Board, With Love
June 4, 2015 June 4, 2015 Tambellini1 Comment
by Abe Asher
You don’t like policy board that much.
That was made clear enough by the last Presidential election, in which an outsider candidate running something of an insurgency, anti-establishment campaign won — beating out several sitting members of Student Council.
The election result of two weeks ago was the exclamation point on what has been a tough year. In short, policy board has gotten kicked around — not just in the election, not just by the winning candidate of that election, but throughout the school, where the reputation and reception of the board is lukewarm at best, and dismissive at worst.
Policy Board has noticed the criticism. “I’m struck by the tenor of it — not the amount of criticism, which I think is normal and healthy,” says faculty advisor and Dean of Students Deb Walsh. “People roll their eyes at perceived little power groups or just dismiss them out of hand. It’s the sharpness of some of the remarks and criticisms. It feels more serious than it has in past years.”
Things came to a crescendo during the campaign. Deb said, “I feel more protective of the students because I know that the charge and responsibility of policy board is a work in progress. This is the second year. We’re still figuring it out. This is unusual work, and there’s no precedent for it at OES — and I see them [board members] putting their shoulder into a lot of this work.”
“It’s natural for there to be some level of distrust or skepticism. But I do think that it ultimately effected Presidential elections,” she said.
The board addressed the criticism head on. “I was really proud — the upshot of the responses from many members of policy board was, ‘it doesn’t bother us that much. We have failed to communicate as well as we should have,'” Deb said.
That’s fair. At the beginning of the year, one of the board’s main agenda items was to write and publish agendas and updates on The Dig. That was an end that was not accomplished, mostly due to a lack of effort from the board after an initial proposal that included giving Policy Board total editing privileges over their articles on the site.
That lack of communication to the student body has been the board’s biggest problem this year. Most students — for whatever reason — has no idea what the board does. “A lot of the criticisms are simply from a lack of information,” said Deb.
She went on to say, “as far as communication to the students, keeping the public informed this year — and the public has to take initiative to be informed — I’d give us a C.”
Of course, it cuts both ways. “The student body needs to be less apathetic, and we need to meet them in the middle there,” said Deb.
StuCo has done plenty of work this year. Deb noted changing the voting system, scrambling together a parking proposal, molding the dress code and honor code, and working on citizenship at large, which ranged from meeting with Bon Appetit to meeting with Jordan and Amanda as issues that have all been front and center in 2014-15.
Much of this work, outside of the voting system change, has flown somewhat under the radar. In many ways, Community Board, with its well-defined, well-publicized, and annual duties, has it easier.
For Policy Board, it’s a two-part thing. One is a reasonable and understandable defense of the board’s record this year — a side of the debate that went almost completely un-argued during the elections — and acknowledgment that there is room for improvement.
“There’s a level of clarity with Community Board and how events happen. With Policy Board, there’s always work. There’s never a lull and always a lull. We have to be much more self-driven and it is a particularly hard fit when we meet for only an hour and a half each week,” said Deb.
Overall, a number of factors outside the sheer novelty of the of the board have made this a difficult year, and have pulled Deb, and mostly Jordan — who we didn’t talk to for this story because I think we’ve bothered him enough recently, don’t you? — away from meetings frequently.
But an apathetic board in need of major reform?
It’s an unfair rap. Policy board, and student council at large, is made of a group of people who care about their responsibilities and are trying to do their jobs to the best of their ability.
“It’s interesting because we’re all elected to these positions — at some point, we have support — something happens once we join Policy Board, where we become this foreign organization that people have disdain for. I felt like that shift happened immediately,” said Rowan B.
“I wasn’t much of a jump to go from not knowing anything about the organization to attacking it,” said Gabe S-R.
The leadership of that group this year — starting with the current President down — has been nothing short of admirable in their genuine care about the work they are doing. Now it’s about getting the message out.
For instance, not a single person used one of the open seats this year. “The apathy — and at this point, some antipathy — towards Policy Board is so established that it would there would need to be overcompensation. Just being communicative enough isn’t good enough. It will require an overwhelming effort to engage with the student body,” said Gabe.
There is a concern that the student government is missing the pulse of the students. “Should we be working on the benefits of “no-grades” high school? Should we have football at OES? With more years of work and practice under our belt, I do think that the work of policy board will become richer and part of student life,” Deb said.
Deb said that in a meeting two weeks ago, the board members, “really owned” the lack of communication, “and recommitted themselves to generating better PR.”
Cyrus J. has an interesting year ahead, considering that he won election by trashing the work of the sitting student government, and will now have to lead those same people whose work he trashed. There is certainly some lingering animosity.
Interestingly, the new voting system may have helped Cyrus to win an election that was extremely close — coming down to the eighth place votes — in that Cyrus didn’t have to go through a runoff where support that was split broadly between several more establishment candidates, most likely, would have congealed behind the second-place finisher.
That voting system — work that Policy Board is very proud of as a whole — was a response to the events of Spring 2014, just as the formation Policy Board was a response to the issues that the student government was facing in 2013.
“The trouble with Policy Board is that I don’t think anyone really knows what it can be. When it was originally formulated, it was created to address issues that that student government was facing,” said Gabe.
Policy Board’s collective head is in the right place. They need to figure out exactly what their board can accomplish, but for the most part, they are doing tough jobs with grace and quality. This is a good group. The key now, is making people believe it.
Abe Asher
Goodbye To The Dig’s Seniors
The Pinky Assassin
One thought on “The Other Side Of The Story: From Policy Board, With Love”
Yes, this year was most unfortunate indeed. The problem, since the time I was a freshman with the old-style student government, has always been the lack of communication between the government and the general populace. If there were just more opportunities for students’ opinions to be heard by the board and its members, I think there would be much more success.
That’s why I propose the following: a new position (or two) on the board, filled by a junior or senior each year, who has the sole role of communication with the student body. This would include, but not be limited to, recruiting students to come to meetings and talk about any issues they may have, presenting proposals, and gathering feedback on said proposals. I think this proposal would do wonders to solve the communication issue, and would urge people to consider it.
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Phil Ochs - Pleasures Of The Harbor (1967 us, bright, stylish orchestrated baroque folk)
If ever a record by a major 1960s artist was a "transitional" album, Phil Ochs’ Pleasures of the Harbor was it. The LP was his first recording to use full band arrangements; his first to almost entirely depart from the topical protest folk songs with which he had made his reputation; his first to be recorded for a then-young A&M label; and his first to be recorded in Los Angeles, the city to which he moved from New York in the late 1960s.
It is undoubtedly his most sonically ambitious work, and if the almost ludicrously huge scope of his ambitions guaranteed an uneven album, it nevertheless contained some of his most enduring and successful songs and performances.
When Ochs began working on Pleasures of the Harbor in August 1967, he was among the last of the major American folk singer-songwriters of the early-to-mid-1960s who had yet to make the leap from folk to rock. With the exception of a (very good) electric version of "I Ain’t Marchin’ Anymore" on a 1966 single, all of his prior recordings-including three full albums for Elektra-had featured plain acoustic guitar-and-voice arrangements.
In fact he had not done any recording at all since the sessions (actually a mixture of live and studio taping) in early 1966 that had been issued as Phil Ochs in Concert. In the interim (and even by early 1966), acoustic folk music had been totally overtaken by the folk-rock of his chief rival Bob Dylan and the likes of the Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, and the Mamas & the Papas.
By the summer of 1967, even folk-rock was passing its peak as the psychedelia of Sgt. Pepper, the Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow, and the Doors’ debut album shook the top of the charts. Ochs continued to write songs at a good clip, but recording-wise sat on the sidelines during these crucial 18 months, in part due to prolonged business machinations that saw him switch both managers and record companies.
Pleasures of the Harbor may have been the first Ochs album to use electric instruments and elaborate arrangements, but it would not be folk-rock, exactly. Influenced by rock’n’roll, jazz, soundtrack music, classical composition, and even the electronic avant-garde, Ochs sought elaborate, sometimes orchestral settings that would complement the progressively complex poetry of his lyrics.
Moreover, he wanted each song to be strikingly different from each other in mood and production, and yet wished the album to flow together well as a whole. Instrumental collaborators in this process would be producer Larry Marks, arranger Ian Freebairn-Smith (responsible for translating Ochs’ countermelodies into finished products utilizing numerous instruments), and pianist Lincoln Mayorga, who gave classical, ragtime, and lounge jazz spices when needed.
Baroque pop-rock production-and, perhaps, over-production-was fully in evidence on the opening track, "Cross My Heart," with its drums, harpsichord, flutes, strings, orchestral horns, and vocal overdubs. The song served notice that Ochs was largely abandoning explicit social comment for more abstract statements whose lyrics demanded multiple listenings to absorb all the nuances.
Ochs was beginning to write long songs at this point, and in fact Phil might have gotten carried away with "Cross My Heart," as he cut several verses from the number after the album was finished (one of those verses appears on the demo version of the tune on Rhino’s Farewells & Fantasies box set). Nothing in the six minutes of "Flower Lady" was a waste, however, the track-with strings, oboe, and piano-standing as the best of the several pseudo-chamber classical arrangements that Ochs and Marks would attempt in the late 1960s.
The moving, just-this-side-of-maudlin composition, with its almost cinematic narrative of a flower lady all but ignored amongst the bustle of numerous contrasting characters, also boasted one of Ochs’ best melodies. Even before Pleasures of the Harbor, cover versions had already appeared by British Invasion stars Peter & Gordon and folk-rock duo Jim & Jean; the Byrds, unfortunately, declined to record it although they had considered doing so.
"Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" is perhaps Ochs’ best-known song, and certainly the most celebrated track from his post-acoustic folk recording career. Inspired by the murder of Kitty Genovese in New York, during which several witnesses did nothing to stop the killing for fear of getting involved, it was also Ochs’ most imaginative arrangement.
The appalling apathy of idle bystanders doing nothing to stop a woman getting stabbed, and several other similar situations laid out by the subsequent verses, was juxtaposed with a jaunty Dixieland-style backup (with Mayorga on tack piano) and Ochs’ splendidly deadpan vocal. Where most songwriters would have let the statement boil over into self-righteous rage, Ochs shrewdly realized that the message would hit home with a far more chilling punch via understatement and gallows humor.
This should have been a hit single, and in fact did become popular in Los Angeles and Seattle. Its chart prospects, however, were scotched by a reference to marijuana. No less than three separate releases of the cut on 45-an unedited one, a version which took out the verse containing the offending word, and another that simply removed the word "marijuana"-were to no avail, as the single failed to break nationally.
"I’ve Had Her," a song of bitter romance with a devastating (and heartless) putdown line, had one of the album’s more lugubrious arrangements, highlighting Mayorga’s classical-style piano. It was back to lighthearted Dixieland jazz, however, for "Miranda," one of the few songs from this period of Ochs’ development that could be fairly characterized as fun, though it didn’t dispense with acute narrative detail. Certainly Ochs’ eye for savage yet witty character sketches reached an apex in the eight-minute "The Party," which like "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" was a perfect match of lyric and arrangement. Ochs took the (singing, not playing) role of the pianist at a party of upper-class snobs, though he didn’t exclude himself from criticism either.
Lincoln Mayorga played the role of lounge lizard to the hilt, mimicking the styles of Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann, and purposefully misquoting standards such as "Stardust" to lounge jazz backing. The title cut returned to rich, somewhat overblown orchestration, however, with its bittersweet tales of sailors seeking escape on shore leave, though this was probably a metaphor for escapes of all sorts by everyone, not just sailors.
No track in the Phil Ochs canon is more controversial than "Crucifixion," not so much for its lyrics-although those were plenty controversial-as its musique concrete-like arrangement. Its ten verses of martyred heroes couldn’t help but be interpreted as a comment on the still-fresh assassination of President Kennedy. In fact it did bring tears to the soon-to-be-slain Robert Kennedy when Ochs sang it to him. In keeping with the eclectic experimentalism of Pleasures of the Harbor, however, Ochs decided to set his vocal against an eerie morass of loops, electric harpsichord, and washes of electronic distortion, arranged by Joseph Byrd (leader of the excellent late-1960s experimental electronic rock group the United States of America).
This made him sound for all the world like a lone voice drowning in an avant-garde thunderstorm, which in the eyes of many fans obscured the terrible beauty of the song as heard when played solo, on acoustic guitar, in concert. The point is now moot as live acoustic versions of the song were eventually released, from 1968 (on There and Now: Live in Vancouver, 1968) and 1970 (on the Chords of Fame anthology and the Farewells & Fantasies box).
Pleasures of the Harbor, clocking in at more than 50 minutes, was an outrageously long album for 1967, with most of songs exceeding five minutes and some approaching the ten-minute mark. It was also not terribly successful, peaking at #168 in the charts. While Ochs would not retreat to acoustic folk for his subsequent A&M LPs, and would continue to write songs as unusual (and often lengthy) in construction throughout the rest of the 1960s, he would never again employ textures as recklessly varied as those heard on Pleasures of the Harbor.
1. Cross My Heart - 3:23
2. Flower Lady - 3:23
3. Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends - 3:37
4. I've Had Her - 8:03
5. Miranda - 5:17
6. The Party - 7:57
7. Pleasures Of The Harbor - 8:05
8. Crucifixion - 8:45
Words and Music by Phil Ochs
*Phil Ochs – Vocals, Guitar
*Lincoln Mayorga – Piano
*Warren Zevon – Guitar On "Pleasures Of The Harbor"
*Ian Freebairn-Smith – Arrangements
*Joseph Byrd – Arrangements On "The Crucifixion"
1964 All The News That's Fit To Sing
Phil Ochs - Pleasures Of The Harbor (1967 us, brig...
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Tag: Novaya Gazeta
Darya Apahonchich, just one big torture chamber, 2019. Photo courtesy of Ms. Apahonchich
Darya Apahonchich
Here’s a little about torture chamber.
My Words Have Been Recorded Correctly, an art exhibition in solidarity with imprisoned anarchists and antifascists, took place July 5–7, 2019, at Pushkinskaya 10 Art Center in Petersburg.
The show was sad and daring. During the three days it was up, it was visited by both regular cops and the “anti-extremism” police from Center “E” [known in Russia as eshniki or “eeniks”].
Our group {rodina} [“motherland“] did a performance, and there were concerts and discussions as well. I also had a piece in the show, entitled just one big torture chamber.
I really liked how Jenya [Kulakova] talked about it simply and calmly during her guided tours of the show.
“According to the latest surveys by Levada Center, ten percent of Russians have been tortured.”
True, it’s a really simple figure, but when I hear it I want to hear more figures. What percentage of Russians have tortured someone? What percentage of Russians have ordered someone tortured? What percentage of Russians said nothing although they knew someone was being tortured? What percentage of Russians share a home with people who torture other people at work? Do torturers beat their wives, children, and elderly parents?
At first, I wanted to fashion Russia from a single piece of cardboard, but then I realized I had no sense of how I could unify the country except with borders, frontier guards, and barbed wire. I know tons of different Russias. I know academic Russia and literary Russia. I know the Russia of forests and mushrooms. I know the Russia of poor people and factories. I know the elegant Russia of rich people. All of these Russias have one thing in common: the violence of torture and the fear of torture. So, I assembled the map from scraps of cardboard.
Ms. Apahoncich writing the names of Ukrainian and Crimean political prisoners imprisoned in Russian jails and prisons on the wall below a hand-drawn map of occupied Crimea. Photo courtesy of Ms. Apahonchich
I didn’t know what to do with Crimea. I couldn’t include it since I don’t consider its presence on a map of Russia legal, but I also had no choice but to include it because people are tortured there as well, and the people doing the torturing have Russian passports. So, I drew Crimea on the wall in pencil and wrote a list of Ukrainian political prisoners under it. The list was terrifyingly long.
I spelled the word “torture chamber” as it is pronounced in received Moscow standard [pytoshnaya instead of pytochnaya], although maybe no one speaks that way anymore. I would imagine I don’t need to explain why.
It’s a sad piece. If it were carnival now, I would burn it instead of a straw puppet.
Thanks to Alina for the photographs.
Translated by the Russian Reader. Thanks to Ms. Apahonchich for her permission to translate and publish her post here. Thanks to Nastia Nek for the link to the article on the Levada Center study.
Policemen visited the exhibition at the end of its first day. Witnesses said it was the coolest performance in the show. The soloist was Senior Lieutenant Ruslan Sentemov aka Mister Policeman. According to people who took part in the protest action Immortal Gulag, Sentemov insisted this was how the president obliged them to address him when he was detaining them.
The phrase turned into a meme, and Sentemov became the target of parodies and epigrams. It is rare when people are detained at protest rallies in Petersburg and he is not involved. In 2017, 561 people were detained during a protest against corruption. All of them were charged with disobeying the lawful demands of a police officer, and in all 561 cases, that officer was Lieutenant Sentemov. Petersburg civil rights activist Dinar Idrisov claimed each of the ensuing 561 court case files contained a copy of Sentemov’s police ID and his handwritten, signed testimony.
Ruslan Sentemov (right) and another police officer at My Words Have Been Recorded Correctly, July 7, 2019, Pushinskaya 10 Art Center, Petersburg. Photo by Elena Murganova. Courtesy of Novaya Gazeta
In interviews with the press and when he is on camera, Sentemov likes to maintain the image of a “good cop.” He was true to this image at Pushkinskaya 10 as well, upsetting activists, who surrounded him and peppered him with questions about why he had come to the exhibition.
“This is Russia’s cultural capital. But you, young lady, have a very nasty habit of interrupting people and horning in on the conversation,” he said to one of them.
Reassuring activists he was in no hurry, Sentemov set about perusing the show. The police officer who was with him photographed each exhibit in turn.
Jenya Kulakova volunteered to give Sentemov a guided tour.
“These are drawings made by Dmitry Pchelintsev in the Penza Remand Prison. He was tortured with electricity. Here is a banner with the slogan ‘The ice under the major’s feet.’ Perhaps you are familiar with the music of Yegor Letov and Civil Defense?”
Yegor Letov and Civil Defense (Grazhdanskaya oborona) performing the song “We Are the Ice under the Major’s Feet” at a concert at the Gorbunov Culture Center in Moscow in November 2004. Courtesy of YouTube
“Here is Viktor Filinkov’s account of being tortured, handwritten by a female artist. This is a postcard made by Yuli Boyarshinov. Did you know that, in prison, defendants are prohibited from using colored pencils and pens?”
“No, I didn’t know that, unfortunately. I will probably have to study up on the topic.”
“We have no money and machine guns, but we do have a herbarium of spinach leaves.” Photo by Jenya Kulakov. Courtesy of Novaya Gazeta.
“These are drawings from the trials in the Network case. We have an artist who attends the hearings and draws them. This next piece also draws on the case files.”
“I got it. Let’s speed things up.”
“No, you should read a bit of it. Here’s a passage about how someone was hit on the legs and the back of the head. And this is what the tortures said to Viktor Filinkov as they were torturing him. After that, they gave him a Snickers bar to eat. That was probably humane of them, don’t you think?”
“I’ve already read it.”
After strolling around the room containing works by the [Network defendants], Sentemov admitted what interested him most of all was whether the art had been forensically examined for possible “extremism.”
“Look,” said Ms. Kulakova, “all of this was sent to us from remand prisons. By law, all correspondence going in and going out is vetted by a censor. Do you see this stamp here? Have you ever sent a letter to a remand prison?”
“Unfortunately, I haven’t. Or maybe I should say, fortunately. If you say all of this was vetted by the censor, we will definitely have to verify your claim.”
“You seriously want to verify whether remand prison censors working for the FSB have been doing their jobs?”
“At very least, I’d like to send them an inquiry.”
“Here is an installation entitled just one big torture chamber. You may have heard that Levada Center recently did a survey on torture. One in ten people reported they had experienced torture in their lives.”
Jenya Kulakova (center) gives Lieutenant Sentemov and his colleague a guided tour of My Words Have Been Recorded Correctly, July 7, 2019, Pushkinskaya 10 Art Center, Petersburg. Photo by Elena Murganova. Courtesy of Novaya Gazeta
“Have you been tortured by chance?” Sentemov suddenly asked Ms. Kulakova, staring unpleasantly at her.
“My friends have been tortured,” she replied.
“I was asking about you.”
“Why would ask me about that?”
“You just talk about it so enthusiastically.”
Sentemov appreciated the interest among exhibition goers aroused by his appearance and laughed smugly.
“I think I’m getting more attention than all these pictures,” he said.
He brushed aside questions about what had brought the police officers to the exhibition and how they had heard about it.
“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” he said.
“We gave you a whole guided tour, but you’re just one big mystery,” said Ms. Kulakova disappointedly, fishing for an answer.
“Thank you for such a comprehensive tour. I am quite pleased with the attentiveness of you and your gadgets. Nevertheless, I must leave this wonderful event. I am very pleased you welcomed us so warmly,” Sentemov said in conclusion, turning towards the exit.
“See you soon,” he said as he left.
Source: Tatyana Likhanova, “A Guided Tour of a Torture Chamber,” Novaya Gazeta, July 8, 2019. Translated by the Russian Reader
By hecksinductionhourin antifascism, art, censorship, petrograd, protest, putinism, regime, rights, solidarity July 11, 2019 1,447 WordsLeave a comment
“War Is Not Fashionable” (Anti-Syrian War Demo in Moscow)
“War Is Not Fashionable”: Activists Protested Launch of Rapper Timati’s Fashion Collection for Defense Ministry
Three activists—Anna Etkina, Elisabetta Corsi, and Anna Romashchenko—carried out a protest action, “War Is Not Fashionable,” at the debut of Black Star Wear’s new collection on Novy Arbat.
Video by Victoria Odissonova. Edited by Gleb Limansky. Courtesy of Novaya Gazeta
The rapper Timati designed the new collection in collaboration with Voentorg’s Russian Army clothing brand. Timati has promoted the collection as clothes for the country’s patriots, while spokespeople for Voentorg said the collection was based on values like “strong leadership, patriotism, attention to detail, and full confidence in each new step.”
A target is depicted on the front of the t-shirts in Black Star Wear’s new collection, while the word “Syria” is embossed on the back.
The activists arrived at the protest in t-shirts similarly embossed with targets, but the backs of their shirts featured figures showing the costs of the war in Syria: the number of children killed (28,226), the number of Syrian citizens killed (223,161), and the number of refugees (4.8 million).
The slogans on the women’s t-shirts read, “28,226 dead children,” “War is an unjust and foolish business © Leo Tolstoy,” “4.8 million refugees from Syria.” Photo by Victoria Odissonovoa. Courtesy of Novaya Gazeta
“We made t-shirts that resemble the t-shirts in Timati’s new collection,” said Corsi, “because war should not be depersonalized. What he is doing is hyping himself using the war. Many people associate Syria only with Islamic State. But it is mostly innocent people who perish from the allegedly pinpoint strikes.”
The activists handed out leaflets entitled, “Say No to War-Based Hype!” They also shouted the slogans “War is not fashionable!” and “War is murder!”
Elisabetta Corsi ran onto the stage towards the emcee. A minute later, she was dragged away. Photo by Victoria Odissonova. Courtesy of Novaya Gazeta
According to our correspondent, around one hundred people came to the launch of Timati’s collaboration with the Defense Ministry. Some took the leaflets and read them attentively, while others handed the pamphlets back or ripped them up.
By hecksinductionhourin fashion, international, protest, putinism, solidarity, youth, zeitgeist June 6, 2019 357 Words2 Comments
Crossing Jordan: Day Three of the Network Trial
Jordan and Maidan: The Network Trial, Day Three
Sergei Kagermazov
OVD Info
Yuli Boyarshinov in court. Photo by David Frenkel. Courtesy of OVD Info
The left-wing radical community Network existed, but its young anarchists were training to fend off attacks by ultra-rightists when and if a coup like the one that took place in Ukraine kicked off in Russia. In any case, this was the takeaway message of the testimony given by defendant Yuli Boyarshinov. Echo of Moscow in Petersburg correspondent Sergei Kagermazov describes day three of the Network trial for OVD Info.
The Guerrilla School
The courtroom at the 224th Garrison Military Court in Petersburg is unable to accommodate everyone. Some members of the public are left standing on the far side of the metal detector. The bailiffs claim there is no room and do not let people into the hallway even.
Later, it transpires that several university students who had not heard of the case wormed their way into the courtroom. Someone asked them to attend the hearing, and so reporters from Novaya Gazeta, TASS, and Rosbalt are unable to get into the courtroom. Subsequently, one of the students was identified as a member of the local branch of United Russia’s Young Guard (Molodaya gvardiya). Fontanka.ru would write that the FSB were behind the restricted access to the courtroom.
The highlight of day three of the trial is defendant Yuli Boyarshinov’s testimony. He pleaded guilty and moved to have his case tried separately under a special procedure involving elimination of the evidence phase, but the court denied his motion.
According to Boyarshinov, he knew he was an antifascist approximately since 2009. Six years later, he met another person accused [and convicted] in the case, Igor Shishkin. Shiskin also pleaded guilty, made a deal with case investigators, and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
“Around 2015 or 2016, I came to think a violent coup was possible in Russia. On the internet, I learned about radical right-wing groups planing something like what happened in Ukraine in 2014,” says Boyarshinov, who speaks as if he were reading the case file aloud.
People ordinarily do no talk like this.
Boyarshinov insists he was interested only in self-defense in the event radical nationalists emerged in Russia. He learned to handle weapons at the Guerrilla Club, a place in Petersburg affiliated with the DOSAAF [Voluntary Society for Assisting the Army, Air Force and Navy]. Other suspects in the Network case, whom Boyarshinov identified as Yegor and Polina, also took instruction there. Boyarshinov cannot recall their surnames. The young people purchased mock-ups of Kalashnikov rifles and practiced with them. However, their only goal was self-defense. Boyarshinov emphasizes the young people were not planning any attacks.
It was also then the suspect [sic] met Alexandra Aksyonova, who introduced herself as Olya. Aksyonova is the wife of another defendant in the case, Viktor Filinkov, who is being tried together with Boyarshinov. The young woman is currently in Finland, where her application for political asylum is under review. NTV has reported Aksyonova was one of the leaders of the Network and alleged she had ties with Ukrainian nationalists.
As for the Guerrilla Club, it was also a place where future Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic volunteer fighters trained, as well as the Swedes responsible for the bomb attacks in Gothenburg in 2016 and 2017. But none of these people had yet piqued the FSB’s curiosity. When Filinkov asks whether Boyarshinov knew numerous nationalists trained at the Guerrilla Club, Judge Roman Muranov disallows the question as having no bearing on the case.
Boyarshinov also testifies that, in the early summer of 2016, he was invited to a meeting in the Priozersk District of Leningrad Region. The meeting was attended by Yegor, Polina, and Shishkin, as well as Anton and Pasha, Network members from Penza (the men’s real names were Maxim Ivankin and Dmitry Pchelintsev, who are two more defendants in the case), and two other people. Since the Petersburgers did not know the people from Penza, they also used pseudonyms. Boyarshinov introduced himself as Yura, Yegor as Matvei, and Shishkin as Maxim.
At the meeting, the young men from Penza showed the others a document they called “The Code.” It was a draft project for a community called the Network. Boyarshinov says “The Code”{ ran to around fifteen pages, but only a couple of pages were read aloud to him. The case file contains a document resembling “The Code,” but that is the problem: it only resembles it. Boyarshinov was able to read the entire text of “The Code” only during the pretrial investigation. The young men from Penza said [at the meeting in the Priozersk District] they wanted to encourage the cooperation of different groups involved in self-defense.
“So, formally, I joined the Network community,” Boyarshinov admits.
Due to security considerations, it was decided to identify the Petersburg group as “Jordan 1.”
Subsequently, members of the Network would choose different specialties for themselves. Since he had studied demolition and explosives at the Guerrilla Club, Boyarshinov became the group’s sapper.
Another meeting was held in western or northwestern Moscow Region in the woods. Six people attended, including members from Moscow. A third meeting took place in the winter of 2016 at Shishkin’s mother’s dacha. There were also several meetings in the autumn of 2016.
It was at one of these meetings that Boyarshinov met Filinkov. After Boyarshinov has testified, the people in the courtroom learn that, according to the case file, the FSB was already staking out both defendants at the time.
In February 2017, another meeting was held in a rented flat in Petersburg. Shishkin did not come to the meeting, but Filinkov, the Muscovites, and Pchelintsev and Ivankin were present. It was at this meeting that what the FSB identifies as “the minutes” was left behind, finding its way into the case file.
“I cannot corroborate what is described in the minutes of the meeting: I did not take notes. But the description seems more or less accurate,” says Boyarshinov.
When he read the minutes of the meeting, he realized the Network had decided not just to learn self-defense, but to try and destroy the regime.
“I don’t believe in violence, in violence against state authorities. I am sorry I was in such a community,” Boyarshinov repents.
Boyarshinov was detained by police. He claims to have found the smoke powder [with which police apprehended him] on the the roof of a building, since he worked as an industrial climber. He found the powder interesting, since he was studying demolition and explosives. When it was reported Pchelintsev had been detained, Boyarshinov decided to throw the powder away. He left his house and was caught by police.
“Russia’s Falling Apart, We Have to Leave”
The next to testify is Stepan Prokofiev, in whose flat Filinkov lived while he was looking for a place to rent. Prokofiev’s flat was searched by the FSB after they detained Filinkov.
The defendant [Filinkov] immediately points out Prokofiev might commit perjury and slander him.
“The FSB coerced the witness,” argues Filinkov.
[On the day of the search at his flat], Prokofiev was awoken, forced to lie face down on the floor, and handcuffed. He would spend the night at a police station. When Filinkov’s defense attorney, Vitaly Cherkasov, asks whether police explained to him why spent the night at a police station, Judge Muranov disallows the question as having no bearing on the case.
At the courthouse: members of the public holding pieces of paper inscribed with the message “NTV lies.” Photo by David Frenkel. Courtesy of OVD Info
“Filinkov went to Ukraine to see his wife. When he got back, he told me he had met someone who had fought in Donbas while he was in Kyiv. Filinkov told me a couple of times that Russia was falling apart and we had to leave. He said it would happen after the [March 2018 Russian] presidential election. He would talk about leaving for Georgia or Ukraine after this happened, because it was cheaper to live there,” Prokofiev recounts.
Filinkov counters that he never mentioned talking with anyone who fought in Donbas.
Prosecutor Yekaterina Kachurina is more interested in two guns that were legally registered in Filinkov’s wife’s name. However, it follows from the testimonies of Filinkov and the witness that, for the time being, there is nothing for the prosecution to get its hooks into. The papers for the guns were in order, and the guns were kept in a safe.
The day ends with an attack by an NTV crew on the attorneys and parents of the defendants. However, members of the pubic cover the lens of NTV’s camera with pieces of paer inscribed with the message “NTV lies” and rattle the young woman holding the microphone by peppering her with absurd questions. Meanwhile, the defense attorneys are able to escape, while the parents get into taxis and quickly quite the scene.
Vitaly Cherkasov
Today, defendant Yuli Boyarshinov, while generally admitting his guilt, did not corroborate the prosecution’s position.
The prosecution has insisted that the members of the Network terrorist community, via “direct involvement in training sessions” that took place in St. Petersburg, Leningrad Region, and Penza Region, mastered “tactical methods of seizing buildings, facilities, and individuals” in order to “forcibly capture and eliminate” state authorities and “change the constitutional order.”
When examined in court, Boyarshinov corroborated the testimony he had given during the pretrial investigation: the goal of the training sessions was to master the skills of self-defense against ultra-nationalists. Defense, not offense!
He Admitted His Guilt But Did Nothing Wrong: Yuli Boyarshinov’s Testimony at Network Trial Gives Prosecution’s Case No Trump Cards
Тatyana Likhanova
Novaya Gazeta in Petersburg
The authorities decided to restrict access to the trial of the so-called terrorist community Network, which is an organization now officially banned in Russia.
The high-profile case is being heard by a circuit panel of judges from the Moscow District Military Court at the Garrison Military Court in Petersburg. The hearings have been held in a cramped courtroom with two rows of benches accommodating ten people each. It is thus out of wildly out proportion with the heightened attention paid to the case by the public and the media.
On Tuesday, journalists from several periodicals appealed to the Moscow District Military Court to provide them with normal working conditions. On Wednesday morning, the approaches to the courtroom were occupied by groups of students from the Chemical and Pharmaceutical University and Herzen University’s law school.
The former said they had been sent there by a university official responsible for military training and patriotic education, while the latter claimed they had come to witness a high-profile case they had long been following, although they could not answer a single question about what was at stake in the case.
Among those crowded around the door to the courtroom was a young man bearing a resemblance to Vlad Girmanov, secretary of the military and patriotic club at the Pharmaceutical University, as well as people who had picketed the Petersburg office of [Russian opposition politician and anti-corruption crusader] Alexei Navalny.
Yuli Boyarshinov arriving at the courthouse. Photo by Elena Lukyanova. Courtesy of Novaya in Petersburg
The influx of “extras” was an excuse to limit the access of the press and the public to the trial. The bailiffs refused to let correspondents from Deutsche Welle, TASS, Fontanka.ru. Bumaga, Rosbalt, and other media outlets into the courthouse to cover the trial, as well as Petersburg Public Monitoring Commission member Yekaterina Kosarevskaya. Complaints were filed with the head of the St. Petersburg bailiff service and the chairs of the Petersburg Garrison Military Court and the Moscow District Military Court. They were asked to verify the legality of the actions taken by the bailiffs and secure a courtroom large enough to accommodate everyone interested in witnessing this high-profile case. According to Fontanka.ru, the order to restrict access to the courtroom was made by FSB officers, who thus bypassed the top officials in the Petersburg judicial system.
The hearing opened with testimony by Yuli Boyarshinov, who has pleaded guilty. He said he had been an antifascist since 2009. In the winter of 2015–2016, he concluded that riots involving violence by nationalist groups (“along the lines of the events in Ukraine in 2014”) were possible in Russia. In order to acquire self-defense skills, Boyarshinov attended a month-long course at the Guerrilla Tactical and Firearms Training Center. (Its website says it is affiliated with the DOSAAF [Voluntary Society for Assisting the Army, Air Force and Navy] and “teaches civilians survival skills in local armed conflicts, social unrest, and martial law.”) The course included instruction in handling firearms, surviving in the woods, first aid, radio communication, and mines and explosives.
Boyarshinov attended the classes with his friend Yegor and a young woman identified as Polina. In addition to lectures, training sessions were held at a shooting range near the village of Olgino, during which Boyarshinov used a mock-up of a Kalashnikov assault rifle he acquired. Alexandra Askyonova, co-defendant Viktor Filinkov’s future wife, also went to the shooting range.
In the summer of 2016, Boyarshinov was invited to a meeting with “guys from Penza who were also interested in self-defense.” The meeting took place in the woods of Leningrad Region.
“We made bonfires, discussed different social problems and issues of self-defense, and trained with dummy weapons,” he said.
The attendees used fictitious names because they did not yet trust each other. One of the four attendees would later be identified as Dmitry Pchelintsev, another as Maxim Ivankin.
According to Boyarshinov, the Penza attendees talked about a project provisionally entitled the Network, designed to unite different groups for self-defense classes.
They presented their vision of the organization in a manifest of sorts, entitled “The Network Code,” one or two pages of which were read aloud.
Boyarshinov claimed he did not take what he heard seriously, and when someone later sent him the entire text of “The Code,” he did not bother to read it from cover to cover. He read the full text, nearly twenty pages, only when he was recently reviewing the criminal investigation case file. He was unable to corroborate whether what he read was identical to what had been sent to him earlier, but he said it seemed similar.
The document also outlines possible areas for studying self-defense skills: tactician, medic, signalman, and other roles, with no reference to specific people.
“These areas correspond to the disciplines I studied during the course at the Guerrilla Center,” Boyarshinov noted.
Yuli Boyarshinov’s father Nikolai in the courtroom. Photo by Elena Lukyanova. Courtesy of Novaya Gazeta in Petersburg
The second meeting that summer took place in the Moscow Region. Several young people from the capital joined the attendees of the first meeting. Boyarshinov remembered only that one of them was named Lev. There were more conversations around campfires and training sessions with dummy weapons.
In the winter of 2016–2017, the group traveled to Igor Shishkin’s mother’s dacha, spending their time in much the same way.
Boyarshinov stressed they worked only on fending off attacks during all the meetings and training sessions: they never practiced raids and assaults. Political issues were not discussed, and there was no talk of drilling for terrorist-like crimes.
Shishkin, who made a deal with case investigators, also noted the absence of violent actions during the training when he described the trip to his mother’s dacha in his testimony.
Boyarshinov corroborated that Filinkov did not attend the first two meetings. Aksyonova introduced Boyarshinov to Filinkov in the autumn of 2016. Filinkov took part in a couple of training sessions at the firing range near Olgino. One dealt with first aid and evacuating the wounded, while the second focused on fending off attacks of VIPs [sic] by employing the methods of private security companies. No knives or firearms were used during the training sessions, only dummy machine guns.
As for the group’s allegedly strict conspiratorial methods, among which case investigators identified the use of messengers and encrypted correspondence, Boyarshinov explained they had been his usual means of communication in the years prior to his involvement with the group.
The third meeting with the young men from Penza and several Muscovites took place in a rented flat in Petersburg in February and March 2017. In the case file, this meeting has been identified as a “national congress of the Network terrorist community.”
Boyarshinov, on the contrary, described a two- or three-day meeting, involving approximately a dozen people. They discussed a little of everything, from music to social, environmental and antifascist events. Filinkov was in attendance, but Boyarshinov could not remember him giving a report, showing any initiative or shouldering any responsibilities for further action.
Boyarshinov could not say who organized the meeting and who kept the minutes of the meeting. (A printed file entitled “Minutes of the Congress” was entered into physical evidence.) He could not corroborate whether Filinkov was present the entire time or whether he came and went, since he had himself had come to and gone from the meeting. As far as he could remember, “The Network Code” was also discussed.
However, some of those present said the group should prepare vigorously to fend off potential violent actions when circumstances in Russia deteriorated, while others had advocated “provoking actions themselves,” Boyarshinov recalled uncertainly.
Only after carefully reading the redaction of “The Network Code” provided to him by case investigators did Boyarshinov discover “it had been proposed to establish combat cells and target the authorities.”
“I have never espoused terrorism and I am sorry I wound up in this community,” he added.
However, Boyarshinov was unable to clarify who he believed had authored the document, how its contents were regarded by any of his current co-defendants, and whether it had been backed by someone specifically.
The next day, April 11, the hearing started nearly two hours late. (Allegedly, the armed escort bringing the defendants to court had got stuck in traffic, although it takes fifteen minutes to drive from the remand prison to the courthouse.)
The hearing was brief. The court heard the testimony of the two janitors who had served as official witnesses during the search of Filinkov’s place of residence. The presiding judge then announced the trial was adjourned until May 14.
One explanation for such a long adjournment is the reluctance of Petersburg investigators to wind the case up before the scandal surrounding the lead investigator in the main part of the Network case, Valery Tokarev, a senior investigator in the FSB’s Penza Region office, has been cleared up.
The previous day’s evening news broadcast on state TV channel Russia 24 featured a segment on fugitive businessman Alexei Shmatko.
Shmatko, who complained he was tortured by Tokarev, has been granted political asylum in Great Britain. (The segment starts at the fifty-minute mark.)
This was not the first time the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company had discussed the vicissitudes of this Penza businessman’s career. Shmatko had been on federal business ombudsman Boris Titov’s list of fugitive Russian businessmen who had voiced a desire to return home. But Tokarev’s name had never been mentioned on the air before. (Although Shmatko claims he had mentioned it during previous TV interviews.)
This time round, the presenter on state television was insistent, encouraging the businessman to dot his i’s and cross his t’s. Who had bribed him? What was the reason?
“He subjected me to torture,” Shmatko said, specifying his charges against Tokarev, “and accepted a bribe from me to release me from remand prison.”
Shmatko complained he had informed the Russian Investigative Committee about this incident in a written statement, but they “had not batted an eye.” He also assured the news presenter he was willing to return to Russia if his case were transferred to the feds, investigated thoroughly, and Senior Investigator Tokarev were arrested.
If this happened, Shmatko would return to Russia for Tokarev’s trial and testify against him.
The interview with Shmatko was chockablock with quotations from the President’s Address to the Federal Assembly on the need to criminalize illegal investigations and punish those responsible for launching them.
On April 10, Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika, speaking in the Federation Council, reported the number of corrupt FSB officers who had been outed had more than doubled. He also drew attention to “egregious cases of cruelty toward inmates.”
Three defendants in the Network case in Penza—Dmitry Pchelintsev, Ilya Shakursky, and Arman Sagynbayev—complained they had been tortured with electric shocks in an attempt to force them to incriminate themselves and others, including the Petersburg defendants.
Translated by the Russian Reader. You can find links to my previous coverage of the Network case here.
By hecksinductionhourin antifascism, journalism, petrograd, politics, putinism, regime, solidarity, youth, zeitgeist April 17, 2019 April 17, 2019 3,460 Words1 Comment
Framed?
A Speedy Trial?
Maxim Leonov
It took law enforcement agencies over a month to deliver eleven suspects and 127 volumes of criminal case files to Petersburg. At the first hearing in the case, on April 2, the reporters who were present got the impression that the Moscow-based judges trying the case had no intentions of dragging the trial out. Nearly all the lawyers who had come onto the case, replacing state-appointed defense attorneys, were turned down in their request to be granted additional time to review the case files.
“Coordinate it during the recesses,” said presiding judge Andrei Morozov.
The indictment claims all the defendants were associated with a certain Sirojiddin Muhtarov aka Abu Salah. He was not among the defendants on trial. Investigators claimed he was currently in the vicinity of Aleppo, along with Uzbek national Bobirjon Mahbubov (code-named Ahmed), who had turned 22-year-old Akbarjon Jalilov into an Islamic suicide bomber.
Investigators claimed Muhtarov and Mahbubov communicated with the defendants on Telegram. Their recruitment into the ranks of the alleged terrorist organization had also, apparently, taken place on the internet, because almost none of the defendants had been abroad except for Jalilov.
The Terrorist Attack
An explosion rocked the Petersburg subway at 2:33 p.m. on April 3, 2017. Twenty-two-year-old Akbarjon Jalilov is alleged to have to set off a homemade bomb on a section of the subway between Sennaya Ploshchad and Tekhnologicheskii Institut stations. The train’s driver, Alexander Kaverin, was able to get the damaged train to Tekhnologicheskii Institut, where the wounded were assisted.
According to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and the Russian Health Ministry, eleven people died in the explosion, including the suicide bomber. Another victim died en route to hospital, while two more died upon arrival. The total number of people killed was thus sixteen. Eighty-nine people sought medical attention after the blast; fifty-one of them were hospitalized.
The same day, it transpired that two simultaneous blasts had been planned instead of the one. Another bomb, three times more powerful than the one set off, allegedly, by Jalilov, was found camouflaged as a fire extinguisher by Albert Sibirskikh, an inspector at Ploshchad Vosstaniia subway station. A cursory examination of the bomb revealed it would have been detonated by a mobile phone.
The mother of one of the defendants, Mahamadusuf Mirzaalimov, asked reporters not call her son a “terrorist.”
“He was merely at the wrong place at the wrong time,” she said.
The place where most of the defendants were found at the wrong time was the Lesnoye Cafe in Moscow Region’s Odintsovo District, where Jalilov worked as a cook between December 2016 and March 2017. Another such place was a flat at 22/1 Tovarishchesky Prospect in Petersburg. It was here, while they arrested five of the suspects on April 5, 2017, that FSB officers were alleged to have found components of an explosive device. The indictment claims that Jalilov and five of the defendants lived in the flat.
Investigators allege that brothers Abror and Akram Azimov had acted as Abu Salah’s agents in Russia. He supposedly sent them money to buy parts for the explosive device.
Defendants are typically reluctant to talk to the press [sic], but in this case it was quite the opposite. During the hearing, both Azimov brothers petitioned the court to have their testimony televised.
“We are willing to explain how we got mixed up in this case and how we were forced to testify. We are only random Muslims. We have done nothing else wrong,” the Azimov brothers told the court.
Judge Morozov rejected their motion to have their testimony filmed, arguing that only the reading of the verdict could be recorded.
All the defendants in the case have refused to plead guilty to involvement in terrorism. Yana Teplitskaya, a member of the Petersburg Public Monitoring Commission (PMC), told us that she had information the defendants had been tortured. According to Teplitskaya, the Muhamadusup brothers [sic] and Ibrahim Ermatov had related to PMC members that investigators had subjected them to physical violence, but their injuries had not been officially certified by medical personnel. PMC members promised to released more detailed information in the near future.
Defense lawyers also claimed their clients were ordinary people who had accidentally been caught up in the juggernaut of the investigation.
“He pleads not guilty,” Ketevan Baramiya, defense attorney for Ibrahim Ermatov, told us. “It’s a great pity the court rejected the motion to videotape the testimony. The defendants are willing to explain how they got mixed up in this case.”
However, it was not only defense lawyers who had the impression the FSB had chosen the “terrorist conspirators” at random.
“Frankly speaking, they don’t really look like terrorists,” said Yuri Shushkevich, who was injured in the terrorist attack, “especially that woman.”
He meant Shohista Karimova, who has been charged with aiding and abetting the alleged terrorists by buying SIM cards for mobile phones and storing an F1 grenade, which she claims was planted in her domicile by FSB field officers.
“They all look like ordinary guys, but how would I know what terrorists look like?” wondered Shushkevich.
All photos by Elena Lukyanova and courtesy of Novaya Gazeta. Translated by the Russian Reader. See my previous post on this case, “The Strange Investigation of a Strange Terrorist Attack” (12 February 2018), for a more detailed account of the case.
By hecksinductionhourin petrograd, regime, rights, theater, war and peace, zeitgeist April 7, 2019 April 7, 2019 885 WordsLeave a comment
The Media’s Russia Obsession?
Let’s talk about the media’s so-called Russia obsession for a few minutes.
What is meant by this is that the mainstream press have devoted tons of coverage to the substantial allegations that the Kremlin mounted a massive operation, mostly via social media, to influence the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election and, further, that the campaign of the candidate who won the election actively colluded with the Kremlin, among other things, in order to discredit the candidate’s main opponent in the election. The press has also focused a lot on Robert Mueller’s special investigation of these allegations.
Is all of this press coverage sterling? No. Does the press get the story wrong sometimes? Yes.
But this has always been the case with the nominally free press in nominally democratic societies ever since the free press emerged in the eighteenth century in a few countries groping their way towards democracy. It always been biased, prone to mistakes, and otherwise wildly imperfect. And yet it has always been subject to intense scrutiny, at least in my lifetime—and the really infantile desire on the part of certain social and political forces that it be perfect—that is, perfectly biased and ventriloquizing only their viewpoints—although these same forces are rarely so critical of either themselves or other important social institutions.
In this case, the social and political forces that routinely complain about the media’s so-called Russia obsession seem to mean, in fact, that the mainstream press and the press in general should simply stop covering what is surely the story of the century: allegations that the world’s largest country massively intervened in a presidential election in the world’s most powerful country, and that the man who won the election and members of his campaign and transition team were in close contact with agents of the world’s largest country during the campaign and transition.
What kind of press would we have if they completely ignored this story?
We would have a press much like the press in the world’s largest country, which routinely ignores or severely undercovers really big stories—such as the country’s involvement in putting down a popular revolution in a third country whose people have never down anything bad to the people of the world’s largest country—or which engages in outright Goebbels-like propaganda nearly every day, leaving the really important stories to opposition liberal newspapers and online media outlets that are read and accessed by a tiny fraction of the country’s populace.
Finally, the mainstream media have not been obsessed with Russia itself, but with the alleged actions of the Kremlin, Russian secret services, and Russian internet trolls in connection with the 2016 US presidential election. Period.
There is a another Russia, populated by 143 million people, that had nothing whatsoever to do with the story of the century. They did nothing to skew the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election and, in the main, their lives, aspirations, and actions are roundly ignored by the so-called mainstream media in the west and Russia itself. They are roundly ignored by the so-called alternative media, too, for the simple reason that much of the alternative media in the west operate under the delusion that Putin is an “anti-imperialist.” By definitions, Russians who oppose his sagacious rule must be “puppets of the west.”
If all of this weren’t the case, I would have expected that one or more of these “Russia-obsessed” or “anti-Russian-obsessed” newspapers, magazines, TV channels or websites would have picked up and covered, for example, the shocking story of the Penza-Petersburg “terrorism” case aka the Network case, in which eleven young anarchists and antifascists have been accused of involvement in a “terrorist community” dubbed “the Network.”
Most of the accused men have told the same grisly tale of being abducted by FSB-KGB field agents, who took them to remote areas in minivans or to the basements of their headquarters and tortured them for hours, using tasers and bare electrical wires, and severe beatings, attempting to force them to memorize the “confessions” they would later make (or, in some cases, refuse to make) to FSB investigators, who would then petition the courts to send them to remand prisons, where all of them are still imprisoned to this day.
The allegations of torture have been confirmed by Russian civil rights activists and defense attorneys who spoke with some of the men soon after their arrests and, in a few cases, they were also confirmed by physicians who examined the men when their wounds were still fresh.
In any case, a small but growing group of very determined people, including the men’s parents, friends, reporters, human rights activists, and concerned citizens, have been working as hard as they can over the last year to bring the case to the attention of the wider Russian public, force prosecutors to investigate the allegations of torture by FSB officers, and otherwise prove that, as seems to be the case, the FSB conjured the entire tale of the “terrorist community” from whole cloth and then handpicked a dozen or so completely innocent young men to be the fallguys, trying to torture and pummel them into admitting their “guilt” although they were guilty of no crime at all.
You would think the “Russia-obsessed” corporate media would jump on a story like this, but except for one article in the New Yorker, the western corporate media have utterly ignored the story of the Network “terrorists,” despite the efforts of actual alternative media like openDemocracyRussia (oDR) and my own blog, the Russian Reader, to write about it any chance we can and translate Russian coverage of the case, as published in such as liberal, leftist and civil rights media outlets as Mediazona, OVD Info, and Novaya Gazeta.
The campaign to save the Network boys scored a minor victory the other day during a meeting of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, when several members of the council brought up the case and a similar case no less shocking, the New Greatness case, and forced President Putin to talk about them.
A KGB-FSB officer to the core, Putin pretended not to have heard of the cases, which both pivot on allegations of extreme entrapment, torture, and fabrication by other KGB-FSB officers.
Putin hemmed and hawed, lied and prevaricated, feigned that he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, etc., but he did promise to look into the cases and get to the bottom of them.
It’s entirely possible he won’t do that, but it’s just as possible he will make the cases quietly go away to avoid embarrasment.
Who knows.
What I do know, though, is that western mainstream and alternative media, all of them “obsessed” with Putin (but not Russia) in their own way, have shown no interest in this story and thousands of other similar and dissimilar but no less fascinating stories from the real Russia inhabited by most Russians.
There was a slight uptick in their interest in grassroots Russia during the 2011–2012 fair elections protests, but since that movement was roundly defeated, western press coverage has been firmly refocused on the beloved hated figure of the supreme leader, thus once again denying nearly all the other 143 million Russians of agency, their own opinions, and their own lives.
If you’re interested in the Network case and related stories, please check out the coverage on oDR and the Russian Reader. Outside of Russia, practically speaking, there has been no coverage of the case anywhere else, and most things you read on international anarchist and antifascist websites are reprints of the stories we have translated and published.
So, let’s put this canard about the media’s Russia obsession to rest, okay? It’s deeply offensive to ordinary smart Russians, whose numbers are much greater than you would be led to think by the mostly lazy coverage of the country in the western press, and just as offensive to the handful of non-Russians who care deeply about what goes on here. {TRR}
P.S. You can support the Network suspects and their families concretely by donating to a solidarity campaign organized by comrades in London on their behalf. Your support will help to offset their legal costs, organizing humanitarian support for the arrested and offering support to their relatives. The resources gathered have so far been distributed according to the financial circumstances of the respective families and the needs of the arrested. Further financial support is being distributed according to the choices made by those arrested throughout the investigation.
Cartoon courtesy of JA and Union Thugs
By hecksinductionhourin antifascism, editorial, international, journalism, politics, putinism, solidarity, zeitgeist December 22, 2018 December 22, 2018 1,422 Words1 Comment
Russia and China: Together Forever!
“May the unbreakable friendship and cooperation of the Soviet and Chinese peoples flourish and strengthen! // Always together!” Images courtesy of quora.com
If you are suffering from a post-National Unity Day hangover, the cure might be a little dose of Sino-Soviet friendship, as provided by Alexei Volin, Russia’s deputy communications minister.
There are lots of funny things in Russian officialdom’s latest rant against the evil west, not the least of which is the revival of the perennial cognitive disorder known as Sino-Russian friendship. I could be wrong, but Russia has as many good reasons not to cooperate with China and slavishly emulate its “success” as it does to turn around and run hard in the other direction.
This is not to mention the withering hatred of the Chinese among a good number of ordinary Russians, a hatred you can witness up close by reading the horrifying things Petersburg tour guides say, and Petersburg magazines and newspapers write about the Chinese tourists on which the city’s tourist economy has become increasingly dependent.
Finally, there is the nonsense, touted by Deputy Minister Volin, about the alleged lack of “alternative” social networks in Russia. Could it be that the good deputy doesn’t know the Russian government stole VK from its founder, Pavel Durov, just so it could have a social network its secret services surveil at will? Is it any coincidence that almost all of the utterly ordinary people the Russian security forces have lately charged with posting or, more often, reposting, “extremist” online have been caught doing it on VK? Hence, Facebook’s stable popularity and Telegram’s growing popularity among social and political activists, and people who merely want a safe space to say to other people what they think. {TRR}
Communications Ministry Says Creation of Alternative Social Networks and Instant Messaging Services Possible
Due to “unfair competition” faced by Russian and Chinese media, Russia could create alternative social networks and instant messaging services, said Alexei Volin, deputy minister of the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media.
“If Twitter, YouTube or Facebook continue down the path of throwing Russian and Chinese media out of their environment, we will have no choice but to create new distribution channels, and to think about alternative social networks and instant messaging services. Although we really hope it does not come to this, we certainly should be ready for it,” said Volin.
Volin made this statement during the Fourth China-Russia Media Forum, in Shangai. According to Volin, Russia and China should develop means aimed “not at discriminating against mass media from neighboring countries, but aimed at delivering our viewpoint and our content to other regions and other people.”
Earlier, Volin said the authorities would eventually have to give up banning information, since such methods were becoming ineffective.
“Sooner or later, they will have to be abandoned, because more and more people are getting around them without even noticing they are dealing with technology allowing them to bypass [sic] blocked content,” he said.
As examples of ineffective blocking, Volin cited the instant messaging services Telegram and WhatsApp, which operate in China despite being officially banned.
Telegram was banned in Russia in April 2018 by decision of the Tagansky District Court in Moscow. The ruling was based on Telegram’s refusal to hand over the [nonexistent] keys for decrypting correspondence among its users to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). Despite the ban, most Russian users have continued to have access to Telegram.
By hecksinductionhourin censorship, international, journalism, putinism, supah powah, zeitgeist November 5, 2018 November 5, 2018 582 WordsLeave a comment
Mikola Dziadok: When You Are Scared, It Is Better to Remain Silent
Vera Zasulich Street, 46, in Perm, hardly seems a fitting monument to the fearless Russian revolutionary, but the street is, apparently, the only Vera Zasulich Street in Russia. Photo courtesy of perm.vsedomarossii.ru
Mikola Dziadok
When You Are Scared, It Is Better to Remain Silent
Ever since the events in Arkhangelsk, I have been waiting for the decent Russian media to publish a sensible portrait-cum-analysis of the new would-be member of the People’s Will, Mikhail Zhlobitsky, who blew himself up at the local FSB office. My wait is over. Novaya Gazeta has published an article about him. It is a vile, shameful article, which I might have expected from anyone else, but not from Novaya Gazeta. Every quotation you can pull from the article, not to mention the conclusion, is a specimen of feeblemindeness compounded by fear.
“Unfortunately, now many people could come to regard [Zhlobitsky] as an icon, a martyr, a hero.”
That “unfortunately” tipped me off to the fact that nothing good lay ahead.
“Perovskaya and Zasulich: their forgotten names still grace street signs marking alleys.* Strictly speaking, nearly every municipality [in Russia] is thus guilty of excusing terrorism. Their ‘heroic deeds’ have never been duly judged. So, they have returned: a second-year student at a vocational college assembles a bomb at home in the evenings from available materials.”
Thanks to Sophia Perovskaya, Vera Zasulich, and people like them, people whom Novaya Gazeta‘s reporter [Tatyana Britskaya] considers reprehensible, Russia overthrew the tsarist autocracy, a realm in which the reporter’s great-grandfathers were whipped for not doffing their hats in the presence of their masters and were dispatched as cannon fodder to distant lands for the Empire’s glory. That was only a small fraction of the woes visited upon the heads of the common folk. The reporter, however, is still sad that streets are named after these heroines and heroes, and she brackets their heroic deeds in quotation marks.
“However, the three Arkhangelsk Chekists [sic] wounded by shrapnel were unlikely to be directly involved in the torture about which Mikhail Zh. wrote [in his farewell message on Telegram].”
This is really a masterpiece. According to the reporter, only a tiny group of FSB officers, a group that exists only in her head, has been involved in torture. All other FSB officers wear white gloves, compose poems, dance at balls, and have preventive discussions with schoolchildren, urging them not to become “extremists.” They also catch drug barons and ISIS fighters, interrogating them solely by looking at them sternly. Apparently, the reporter has forgotten about “repeat interrogations using an electrical memory aid” and the complaints by cops (!) accused of corruption that they were tortured by FSB officers. The reporter must think that Zhlobitsky should have first approached [the three FSB officers he wounded] and asked them, “Do you torture people by any chance? No? Well, okay, then, I’ll go blow up somebody else.”
“Apparently, we never were able to assess or correct mistakes, and now history is taking us back for another go-round. This is facilitated quite readily by the fact that adults notice unhappy, confused children only when the latter perish while activating homemade infernal machines.”
What mistakes is she talking about? She is not condemning the butchers of the NKVD or the enslavement of entire nations, first by Imperial Russia, then by the Soviet empire. No, the “mistakes” were the members of the nobility who were among the organizers of the People’s Will and the members of the Socialist Revolutionary Party, people who died martyrs’ deaths to liberate their own people from bondage.
Because reading it only provokes disgust, there is not pointing in parsing this libel any further. I would only note that the reporter is Novaya Gazeta‘s [Arctic Circle] correspondent, meaning she is a local reporter. This, apparently, is the reason for her condescending, judgmental tone and her attempt to turn a hero into a “confused child.” If you write too bluntly, you have unexploded FSB officers to deal with, as well as their colleagues and relatives. But she has keep working and get comments from the security service when she needs them. So, she will continuing putting a good face on a bad game, denouncing “violence of any kind.” My ass.
It is true what they say: scratch a Russian liberal and, deep down, you will find a statist and conservative. You want to live in a just society, but you think it can be achieved by pickets and petitions. You want the regime to respect you, but you condemn people who force it to respect them. You want freedom, but you are afraid to take it. You condemn the bravest people, thus projecting an image of victims, not fighters. In today’s stinking Russia, ninety-nine percent of you will end up hightailing it abroad. But not everyone has the opportunity, you know?
So, if you are scared, it is better to remain silent than to yap encouragingly at the butchers, who, for a change, suffered for their crimes.
I would like to emphasize I do not consider individual insurgency an acceptable or proper means of political militancy, nor would I advise anyone to engage in it. I believe everyone has the right to live, even a fucking FSB officer. But not everyone can adhere to the same beliefs I do while living amidst a terrorist dictatorship. I understand such people perfectly well, too.
* Translator’s Note. While there are a couple of dozen Sophia Perovskaya Streets extant in post-Soviet Russia, there seems to be only one Vera Zasulich Street—in Perm.
Translated by the Russian Reader. Special thanks to Mikola Dziadok for his kind permission to translate and publish his comments on this website.
By hecksinductionhourin antifascism, journalism, leftists, post-soviet, putinism, regime, rights, solidarity, soviet, youth, zeitgeist November 3, 2018 November 11, 2018 948 WordsLeave a comment
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Michael P. Kreuzer
Maintaining An Innovative Edge: The (Abbreviated) Case For U.S. Air Force Warrant Officers
The U.S. Air Force faces challenges in force development to confront challenges posed by the battlespace of the future. Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) pilot retention remains low even as the force looks to expand. Career fields continue to debate the virtues of generalization versus specialization, and the Department of Defense is more broadly considering significant revisions to officer career progression in order to draw more talent and enhance capabilities by allowing greater cross-flow between civilian professions and line officer positions; even considering direct commissions as high as colonel in some fields. Others, meanwhile, have advocated eliminating the officer/enlisted distinction as archaic and a hindrance to recruiting and innovation. As the Air Force looks towards the organizational challenges of the future, a revived and tailored warrant officer program must be seriously examined as part of the future of force presentation. This would enable the force to balance the leadership responsible for the control and conduct of war, the execution of strategy to accomplish the mission, and the rapid integration of emerging technical expertise to a dynamic and complex battlespace.
Reliance on internal growth of leaders and experts, as the military largely operates today, is a double-edged sword. The nature of military service and the underlying reality that military leadership is about the lives of those under command and the destructive power of military force on adversaries makes professional experience a prerequisite for military leadership. Current Air Force technical experts are senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and, in some fields, senior company grade officers (CGO) or junior field grade officers. They are developed through a standardized career pipeline that is often slow to modify training standards and serves as one component of a larger job, which includes leadership development, personal development, and the widespread perception of a series of boxes to be checked for advancement. This model has largely succeeded to date, but is unlikely to continue to keep up with rapidly changing technology of the future. A better talent management system, capable of breaking through these obstacles (actual or perceived), is vital to a force where innovation, rather than tradition, is core to its fighting edge. Or, as John Boyd put it several decades earlier, it’s people, ideas, and hardware—in that order.
What Are Warrant Officers?
To most Air Force personnel, warrant officers are an unknown and peculiar entity. In part, this is due to the Air Force’s reluctance to re-introduce warrant officers, but also because each service uses warrant officers differently. One characteristic they share in common across the Armed Forces is that they are all technical experts in their fields. Armed today with a commission above the basic rank of WO-1, granting the ability to lead and be responsible for personnel, equipment, and the authority to lead in conflict, their primary responsibility is not in exercising legal authority, but reverence derived from expert authority. Much as a senior NCO generally derives greater reverent authority than a junior CGO despite the latter’s legal authority owing to years of growth within the enlisted force as a leader and technical professional, a warrant officer derives similar respect for their mastery of technical expertise beyond an NCO’s broader career development.
Commissioned officers are broadly trained professional military leaders grown from an area of specialization; warrant officers are the masters of a very specific trade.
The Navy has the longest tradition of employing warrant officers, and their early history provides critical insights on their role. Dating to the age of sail, Western navies historically designated two classifications of officers—commissioned and warrant—to denote the two skills necessary to employ a warship: military leadership, and technical expertise of rigging, carpentry, weapons, and non-line professions such as doctors and pursers. In part this was a legacy of the British Navy and the connection between a commission and aristocracy: commissions were granted by the monarch to lords and aristocrats who were authorized to act on their behalf, bourgeois professions were granted elevated but inferior status to maintain the distinction. Although aristocracy has been replaced in the modern US military with a professional officer corps, the Navy along with the other services have maintained the divide between military leaders and technical experts by retaining warrant officers.
U.S. Army Reserve Chief Warrant Officer 2 Denver Gillham (left) conducts a pre-flight safety brief for a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at Simmons Army Airfield, Fort Bragg, N.C., Aug. 29, 2013. (Timothy Hale, U.S. Army Reserve Command)
While the history of warrant officers stems from the Navy, it is primarily Army warrant officers who airmen have most likely encountered and likely would serve as a template for the possibilities of the Air Force rebuilding its own program. Warrant officers make up the technical foundation of the U.S. Army, and are generally subdivided between flight warrant officers and technical warrant officers. Flight warrant officers are eligible for a direct commission, while technical warrant officers (in the career fields of intelligence, special forces, human resources, etc.) normally require enlisted experience from E-4 up to E-6 in their field. In the Marine Corps, all warrant officers are selected from among the Corps’ enlisted members, generally at the 10-15 year mark, while the Navy typically selects late career enlisted personnel between 14 to 20 years of service. The differences in how warrant officers are selected greatly impacts both the pay benefits and promotion rates across the services: Navy warrant officers have a relatively small pay incentive over the senior NCO corps but are promoted rapidly, Army warrant officers have a greater pay differential over their enlisted peers but are promoted slowly.
Despite the distinctions in accession, growth, and relative pay, all three services recognize three commonalities of warrant officers: they are technical experts in positions that require the authority of an officer, and their assignments are repetitive in nature rather than aimed at career broadening. Their occupational specialties are more numerous than those of commissioned officers, while their areas of expertise are more narrowly defined. Commissioned officers are broadly trained professional military leaders grown from an area of specialization; warrant officers are the masters of a very specific trade. Both are generally dual professionals, with the key distinction being on the emphasis of their profession.
When the Air Force became an independent service in 1947, included in its ranks were 1,200 legacy Army warrant officers. These warrant officers were phased out beginning in 1958 with the creation of the senior NCO tier, which resulted in the last Air Force warrant officer retiring by 1980. Officially, the decision was made because the Air Force had no place for another rank sandwiched between the enlisted and commissioned officer levels. In practice, it was more likely because the Air Force had no idea what to do with such ranks given the force structure at the time.
The Army’s solution was to fill the technical niche positions that required the responsibility and accountability of officership, and specialized education, training, and experiences beyond a leader in the NCO and senior NCO corps. As the Army maintained an organic air capability but did not want to build a corresponding large officer corps of aviators, this career field fit neatly in the warrant officer niche. As intelligence, electronics, and other advances associated with the budding revolution in military affairs occurred, these jobs similarly fit the specialization role of warrant officers.
The Innovative Service Needs Technical Specialists and a Learning Organization
With a stated mission to “fly, fight and win in air, space, and cyberspace,” the U.S. Air Force presents itself as the service most at the forefront of innovation. With the move to sixth-generation fighters, remotely piloted aircraft; and globally-integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); mastery of new and emerging technologies is essential to sustaining the combat edge provided by an independent air force.
While the Air Force prides itself in innovation and points to the power of its airmen to innovate, many cases of difficulty to adopt new technological changes suggest a deeper challenge to maintaining an innovative edge.
Military innovation occurs when changes to technologies, operational concepts, or organizational adaptation combines to fundamentally alter the character and conduct of conflict. Often, a technological trigger spurs the innovation, but adaptation is reliant on the organization’s ability to integrate that technology into operational concepts and reorganize forces to effectively implement the innovation. Institutional, bureaucratic, and basic human obstacles towards understanding and appreciating the pace of technological innovation remain the largest obstacles to innovation. While the Air Force prides itself in innovation and points to the power of its airmen to innovate, many cases of difficulty to adopt new technological changes suggest a deeper challenge to maintaining an innovative edge. This could be due to biases that look to a technological solution over a manpower solution, the development of ‘tribes of airmen’ which creates bureaucratic and cultural obstacles to reform, or the Air Force’s reliance on growing all specialists from within the service.
The argument that senior NCOs fill the subject matter expert role of warrant officers is itself problematic both because of the timeline to grow a senior NCO and because it is in direct conflict with the stated role of a senior NCO. Their primary responsibility is mission accomplishment through the leadership and management of teams and maintaining the highest level of unit readiness to ensure mission success. The relevant Air Force instruction notably states that the first tier of senior NCO leadership represents the transition “from being technical experts and first line supervisors to leaders of operational competence” moving to a “broad technical and management perspective” through continued development of their management and leadership skills. This is vital to the professionalism of the NCO ranks, mentorship of the officer corps, and a number of other functions; but in practice is a barrier to continued development of subject-matter expertise in favor of generalization.
U.S. law permits a great deal of flexibility in the definition and career field management of warrant officers, flexibility that has allowed the services to use the warrant officer system in markedly different ways. Because of this, and because the services have not coordinated a shared perspective of warrant officer career progression, the Air Force could define the terms of its own warrant officer corps to meet the critical needs of the service. Here, the third layer of technical specialists drawn from the NCO corps, the private sector, and potentially CGO ranks, can provide the Air Force flexibility to leverage talent and specialization to meet the needs of the rapidly evolving modern battlespace. As direct commission opportunities to higher grades are under Pentagon consideration to meet the needs of the cyber battlespace, but would be highly controversial, the prospect of direct warrant commissions to higher-tier positions (CW3 or CW4) might represent a superior option. Pay and other differentials to make the track more appealing may be offset by a bonus program, usually reserved for enlisted ranks, but also not uncommon for critical officer specialties. The advanced education requirements for some specialties may also provide a means to draw recruits to a highly technical warrant officer corps, either through in-residence programs while on active duty or through debt forgiveness for high-demand degree holders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Critical Operational Fields for Air Force Warrant Officer Specialization
Space and Cyber Operations
As the discussion of opening high ranking line officer positions to lateral direct commissions from the civilian sector emerged from the prospect of incorporating entrepreneurs from the tech industry into space and cyberspace operations, these career fields represent the most likely starting point for a reinvigorated warrant officer corps. The emerging and rapidly evolving prospects of cyber war, cyber security, and cyber threats will likely require a significantly re-imagined career path for the cyber field more generally, with opportunities for a portion of the force to regularly cross-flow between the military and civilian world. A direct commission warrant officer route would be superior to a direct commission in the line officer corps for this group of technical specialists as it would allow those members to focus on developing skills of specialization and tradecraft within the cyber domain, with less focus on career broadening and leadership development through the military lens specifically. As uniformed warrant officers, they would be recognized as full combatants, strengthening norms of conflict in the cyber domain and alleviating potential Laws of Armed Conflict problems that would come with an increasing reliance on contractors or civilians in critical cyber roles. Just as with the then-technically advanced sailing crews of the age of sail, a balance of military leadership, technical experts, and skilled crew will be required to effectively implement military operations in the cyber domain.
As with cyber operations, the intelligence and ISR fields are experiencing significant growth in reliance on technical expertise and the need for technological innovation to harness the potential of big data in fusion warfare. Against this backdrop, the Air Force intelligence community struggles with the challenges of generalization versus professionalism in its officer corps, and stovepipes of excellence in its enlisted corps followed by rapid generalization as senior NCOs. Officer training emphasizes four primary functional competencies (collection, analysis, targeting, and integration), with shifting guidance over time in the field for preference toward specialization in any one competency versus general competency across all four. The enlisted force is divided among multiple career fields for all-source intelligence, imagery intelligence, signals intelligence, network analysis intelligence, and cryptolinguists among several other specializations. As these fields grow in their reliance on rapidly shifting technologies, and as the officer corps continues to focus on generalization across four broader competencies, a strong warrant officer corps can bridge the technological-leadership gap. Further, it can provide a forum for talented NCOs to continue to grow and lead from a technical and tradecraft perspective while also facilitating a vital decision advantage in the future.
...there is a valuable role for flight warrant officers in the modern Air Force
Likely the third rail of the warrant officer discussion, there is a valuable role for flight warrant officers in the modern Air Force as demonstrated by the Army’s employment of flight warrant officers to date and even previous Air Force experience with flight officers in World War II. Air Force leaders have regularly acknowledged that the prospect of enlisted pilots was not a question of capabilities, but of “the right thing for our organization, for our Air Force.” The RPA force offers the most often mentioned possibility for flight warrant officers, but should not be alone in the discussion. Rotary wing, close air support, even advanced fighter aircraft should be evaluated for the prospect of mid-career warrant officer lateral movement from the officer corps as a means of retaining combat experience, tactical expertise, and to allow individuals to focus their career on advancing flight skills and Air Force tactics over leadership and broadening.
Flexibility is the key to airpower, and the prospect of reintroducing warrant officers on the terms the Air Force needs today are critical to that flexibility.
The main obstacle to enlisted fliers is combat responsibility. RPAs, rather than being unmanned, have a large crew construct requiring more command authority, not less, on the part of the pilot in position to employ munitions. This aspect of the RPA mission has likely driven the Air Force decision to authorize enlisted RPA pilots for the unarmed Global Hawk but not the armed Predator and Reaper. The second obstacle is likely cultural. The flying community has dominated Air Force leadership for its entire history, in some cases potentially stifling growth in other fields. In practice, flight warrant officers, properly utilized, may have a stabilizing effect on Air Force operations by enabling pilots, frustrated with demands for broadening, desk jobs, low flight hours, and additional duties, to alter their career trajectory in the late-CGO period by transferring to the warrant officer corps. This could translate into longer dwell times in one assignment, assignments to weapons and tactics shops to mentor junior officers, and greater career stability focusing on the job they most want—being the best pilots they can.
RQ-4 Global Hawk (Bobbi Zapka, U.S. Air Force Photo)
The debate surrounding warrant officers in the Air Force is bigger than simply money and prestige, both for individuals and for within the force. Today’s Air Force risks both bleeding talent from within based on the current force structure, and its education and training programs for internally growing talent is unlikely to adapt fast enough to keep pace with significant changes in the digital battlespace modern airmen confront. Flexibility is the key to airpower, as the saying goes, and the prospect of reintroducing warrant officers on the terms the Air Force needs today are critical to that flexibility. The authority and responsibility of officership combined with a laser-like focus on subject matter expertise is the ideal complement, not substitute, for the modern officer and NCO force to meet the needs of innovation in the information and cyber age. An agile force that embraces technological change must be willing to embrace equally rapid organizational change—it’s still people, ideas, and hardware, in that order.
Michael P. Kreuzer is a U.S. Air Force intelligence officer. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
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Header Image: MQ-9 pilot and sensor operator flying a training mission (A1C Michael Shoemaker, U.S. Air Force Photo)
Tagged: Warrant Officers, Air Force
Newer Post#Monday Musings: Brian D. Laslie
Older Post#Reviewing Here, Bullet: Turner’s Trinity of Love, Death, and Poems
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November 2006 / Society
Still Soaring
Illustration by Kwag Hyo When asked about the murder, Larc first talks about his brother’s life rather than his death. As someone who also once lost a true friend and …
November 12, 2006 July 13, 2017 - by Taiwo BahTaiwo Bah Updated 11:53, Jul. 13, 2017 | Published 4:22, Nov. 12, 2006
Illustration by Kwag Hyo
When asked about the murder, Larc first talks about his brother’s life rather than his death. As someone who also once lost a true friend and mentor, I understand the impulse to focus on the life of an incredible individual rather than reducing him to a victim of violence.
Larc’s big brother was shy and introverted. He often pushed Larc into the spotlight in social situations. He was a fine artist, especially skilled at designing clothes that communicated through images. He constantly pushed the boundaries and rules of his art form and stressed the importance of respect, and of striving to create art that defied conventions. If his intention was to instill a sense of individuality and vision in his little brother, these values were not lost on Larc. Although Larc’s initial interest in the arts was in large part inspired by a desire to follow in his brother’s footsteps, he soon became interested in film and media.
It was his eleventh grade media literacy class that led him to seriously appreciate and critique film. Larc was disturbed that he didn’t see people like himself—Africans, Basians, his boys from Rexdale—represented on the screen. And when he did see himself, many of the images were negative or slanted. He longed to see images of himself and his boys helping each other with jobs, homework, and family. He recalls his friend Deuce bringing together thirteen boys from the block and filling up three cars heading for Manitoulin Island. “It was so amazing,” he says. “The open spaces, the hiking, the sense of peace—all of it. My boy was so happy he actually did a cartwheel when he saw how incredible the lake and mountain peaks were.”
Larc is interested in seeing those simple human stories being told about all people. Though he was raised in an environment marked by basketball and hip-hop culture, he hung out with nerds in physics class and had plans to become a doctor. While spending many a night studying with an African friend who quickly ‘got’ the concepts, he realized that although he could do well in the courses he was taking, he was naturally very visual.
Larc’s entire life was one big storyboard after another. Each frame was different but a real and important part of his world. His memories of flying fish-scaling just above the Caribbean ocean during the years he spent in Barbados were vivid in his mind. So were the guys in black hoodies in front of his building and the giant turtles in the Humber River Trail. “Once, me and a friend lay down in an open field with sleeping deer and simply looked out into the sky for hours,” Larc says. “I am definitely a man of images.”
Those images and memories came to an abrupt end three years ago when his brother was murdered in front of their public housing building. In a tragic case of mistaken identity, gunmen who were spotted leaving the scene laughing shot Larc’s older brother at close range. Few witnesses came forward. One person later admitted to seeing Larc’s brother growing cold and lifeless on the concrete and continuing to drive past him into the underground parking lot.
If that wasn’t enough, Larc found himself disappointed by the media, which immediately wanted to link his brother to gang activity. “Most of what I said about my brother was never published,” Larc says. “I guess it wasn’t negative or sensational enough.”
Haunted by the reported laughter of the youth who shot his brother, Larc began to seriously consider the gaping hole that existed where conscience and empathy belonged. For a young person to commit such a crime, there had to be a significant lack of leadership in the community, systemic barriers, or problems related to ancestral connections and values.
Already an emerging filmmaker, Larc decided to use his art form to engage young people from similar communities. He started by designing and facilitating filmmaking workshops. He noticed that during visualization exercises where young students were asked to create storyboards to soothing music, 90 percent of the time the storyboards would depict driveby shootings or revenge plots. He found success when he flipped the script and started themed workshops on the environment, community pride, and other related issues.
Currently, Larc is completing a film on gun violence for the City of Toronto and plans to make a feature flick investigating the root causes internationally. He has also been granted a space in Parkdale by the City of Toronto for his arts education programs with youth. Most recently, he has had his film workshop for students approved by the Toronto District School Board. Last month he received his Artist Educator certificate from York University, thanks to a partnership program with the Ontario Arts Council. “I like the idea of using art to help kids discover themselves and their community,” Larc says. “I am hopefully planting some positive seeds… seeds that might grow into a respect for life and creativity.”
Taiwo Bah
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What’s love got to do with it…if the dying recover when medicine holds out no hope?
The cases below are ones in which the best of modern medicine was not affording a needed cure.
These cases do not include any spiritual or other recognised alternative approach to treatment. But they are thought-provoking illustrations that the body does not necessarily need to act according to medical diagnosis or prognosis.
Such cases invite a spirit of curiosity as to why it should be possible that: (1) a Stage 4 cancer sufferer and (2) parents told they had lost their new-born baby should see such dire predictions reversed?
Surrender, followed by a miracle is an article on madison.comthat features full recovery from Stage 4 carcinoid cancer. (Note that this account includes some description of the symptoms of disease and its medically defined stages.)
Excerpt: ….in 2005, she sat in the Sauk City office of her primary physician, Dr. Tim Bartholow, and told him of a pivotal decision. She wanted to refuse further treatment. “I didn’t see the point in all these scans and diagnostic work when there’s no remedy,” Dennis said. “There’s anxiety that accompanies all this testing – not only for me, but for my family and friends. I told Tim, I’m feeling pretty good right now, and I just want to be that way for as long as I can.”Then she asked the doctor she had grown to deeply trust: “Do you think I’m crazy?” Bartholow was silent for a very long time. “No,” he finally said. “I think you’re wise”… (Read the whole account here.)
Mom’s hug revives baby that was pronounced dead is a video report by Today Parenting at MSNBCof a mother whose baby revived through what is described as kangaroo care. (Otherwise known as “love”…?! 🙂 )
Excerpt: “I wanted to meet him and to hold him and for him to know us. If he was on his way out of the world, we wanted for him to know who his parents were and to know that we loved him before he died.” But a strange thing happened on the way to farewell… (Here is the video and/or read a transcript.)
Love – family love, parental love – certainly seems to have had something to do with bringing about these unexpected recoveries – recoveries not even being consciously sought. In fact love would seem to have been a significant factor in both these cases.
And why not? Why shouldn’t spiritual love be increasingly recognised as a potent factor in healing?
Especially if the side effect of healing through divine Love, is to come to know that there is a God who loves each and every one and to feel and experience that love!
Posted in In The NewsTagged consciousness leads to results, curative love, healing hug, mother-love, Stage 4 cancer
Previous A “jet lag” test of the mind-body relationship
Next Does mission creep in medical diagnosis serve a public interest?
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Tearful Wie questions future after opening 84 at PGA Championship
Michelle Wie hits her tee shot on the 15th hole during the first round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club. (Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports)
A tearful Michelle Wie was not sure how much longer she can compete after struggling in the first round of the Women’s PGA Championship on Thursday where she iced her ailing right wrist between most shots.
The 29-year-old American, who spent the last two months rehabilitating a surgically-repaired wrist, shot a 12-over-par 84 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.
“It was kind of a little foolish to think that I would shoot really well, just hitting golf balls last week,” the former U.S. Women’s Open champion said.
“It’s a tough golf course, but I’m really, really happy that I played. Just feeling a lot of joy, just being out there, and, you know, competing again.
“It’s going to take time, and I’ve just got to be patient, and, thankfully, I have all afternoon to get warm again and take care of my wrist.”
But Wie, a five-time winner on the LPGA Tour who has endured a start-stop return to competitive golf after surgery last October, broke down when she started to discuss her career.
“It’s hard,” a tearful Wie told reporters. “It’s just one of those situations where I’m not, you know, I’m not entirely sure how much more I have left in me, so even on the bad days, I’m just, like, trying to take time to enjoy it. But it’s tough.”
Wie was so choked up while discussing her career that she was unable to continue and walked away from reporters who had gathered outside the Hazeltine clubhouse.
Despite an opening round that included a quadruple-bogey, two double-bogeys, six bogeys and two birdies, former world number two Wie did not indicate she plans to withdraw from the year’s third major.
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Nylander traded as Blackhawks, Sabres swap recent first-round picks
The Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres exchanged former first-round picks Tuesday.
The Blackhawks will receive 21-year-old forward Alexander Nylander while sending 20-year-old defenseman Henri Jokiharju to Buffalo.
Nylander, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2016 draft, appeared in 19 career games for Buffalo, including 12 last season, when he had two goals and two assists. Jokiharju, selected 29th in the 2017 first round, posted 12 assists in 38 games for Chicago as a rookie last season.
Nylander, a native of Calgary, had 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 49 games for the AHL’s Rochester Americans last season. Jokiharju, from Finland, posted 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 30 games for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.
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documenta 13, 2012
dOCUMENTA (13) Grupo central / Agentes
Grupo central de agentes
dOCUMENTA (13) head of department, core agent, curator, writer
Chus Martinez was Chief Curator at MACBA, Barcelona (2008-10), Director of the Frankfurter Kunstverein (2005-08), and Director of Sala Rekalde, Bilbao (2001-05). She lectures regularly and has written numerous catalog texts and critical essays.
>> Chus Martínez
UiU - Índice de curadores
Ayreen Anastas
dOCUMENTA (13) agent, artist, researcher
I am not as much as I would like, as far as I could, if I was not myself one. If I were one, for sure I would, and then something afterward will most likely happen. Thinking about it makes me feel the same, and why then should I write it. Thinking that repeating in language and a biography is something to avoid, habitually when and especially. Avoidance is a mode of silence. The space is shrinking je ne sais quoi no entries found yet still hoping and feeling she felt like she was giving a wide berth.
>> Ayreen Anastas
más datos y fotos
How much should he write to fulfill the task to fill in the blanks. I am a bit of a character a letter, a figure, a symbol, a sign, a mark, a line. How long? How long will it take for the world to know that ecology has more than seven characters, that economy is not wealth, in terms of production and consumption of goods and services. A possibility of something happening: join forces, combine, band together, ally, cooperate, collaborate, work together, pull together, team up, hitch up, hook up, twin.
>> René Gabri
dOCUMENTA (13) agent, curator
Since 2005, Marta Kuzma has been Director of the Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA), where she has curated numerous academic platforms and exhibitions, including "Whatever Happened to Sex in Scandinavia?" Kuzma is a visiting professor at the Faculty of Arts and Design, Iuav University of Venice, and a member of the editorial board of Afterall. She co-curated Manifesta 5 (2004) in San Sebastián, Spain.
dOCUMENTA (13) agent, artist, curator, writer
Raimundas Malasauskas, born in Vilnius, has been a curator at CAC, Vilnius, a visiting curator at California College of the Arts, San Francisco, and, until recently, a curator at large of Artists Space, New York. Exhibitions he has curated include "Into the Belly of a Dove," Museo Tamayo, Mexico City (2010), and "Repetition Island," Centre Pompidou, Paris (2010). His recent projects "Hypnotic Show" and "Clifford Irving Show" are ongoing.
Kitty Scott
Kitty Scott is Director of Visual Arts at The Banff Centre, Alberta, and a visiting lecturer at the California College of the Arts, San Francisco. Previously she was Chief Curator at the Serpentine Gallery, London, and Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. She has written on contemporary art in journals such as Parachute, Parkett, and Canadian Art and has contributed to numerous publications.
Andrea Viliani
Andrea Viliani was the Director of the Fondazione Galleria Civica—Centro di Ricerca sulla Contemporaneity de Trento from 2009 to 2012. From 2005 to 2009 he was Curator at the MAMbo—Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna and from 2001 to 2005 Assistant Curator at the Castello di Rivoli, Turin. Viliani, who was among the sixty "players" of the 2007 Biennale de Lyon, also writes for FROG, Mousse, and Kaleidoscope.
Leeza Ahmady
Leeza Ahmady, born in Afghanistan, is an independent art curator and educator based in New York. She has traveled widely, researching and presenting the largely unknown artists of Central Asia in international art forums such as the Biennale di Venezia, the Istanbul Biennial, and Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong. Ahmady directs New York's Asian Contemporary Art Week, a biannual series of exhibitions and public programs at leadIng museums and galleries.
>> Leeza Ahmady
dOCUMENTA (13) agent, artist
Tue Greenfort was born in 1973 in Holbak, Denmark, and lives in Denmark and Germany. Since studying at the Städelschule, Frankfurt/Main, and at the Funen Art Academy, Odense, he has had solo exhibitions at the South London Gallery (2011), the Kunstverein Braunschweig (2008), the Wiener Secession, Vienna (2007), and Witte de With, Rotterdam (2006). He has participated in Skulptur Projekte Münster (2007) and in the exhibition "Made in Germany," Sprengel Museum, Hanover (2007).
dOCUMENTA (13) agent, curator, writer
Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, born in Mexicali, Mexico, lives in New York and is the Curator of Contemporary Art at Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros. Exhibitions she has curated independently include "Autopsia de lo invisible" at MALBA, Buenos Aires, and "Archaeology of Longing" at the Kadist Art Foundation, Paris. Her writing on art and culture is published regularly, including on her blog, and she develops the editorial project Murmur.
Sunjung Kim
Sunjung Kim is a Seoul-based curator and Professor at the Korea National University of Arts. Since the 1990s, she has played a pivotal role in linking Korean contemporary art and the international art world. Kim was the commissioner of the Korean Pavilion at the Biennale di Venezia in 2005. She is one of the six Co-Artistic Directors of the Gwangju Biennale 2012.
>> Sunjung Kim
Born in New York City in 1978, Adam Kleinman is dOCUMENTA (13) Agent for Public Programming. He was Curator at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, where he created the interpretative humanities program "Access Restricted." Kleinman curated the exhibitions "Avenue of the Americas" (2010) and "Points & Lines" (2009) and contributes to exhibition catalogs and magazines including Agenda, Artforum, e-flux journal, Frieze, and Mousse.
Koyo Kouoh, born in Cameroon, educated in Switzerland and France, lives and works in Dakar and is the Founding Artistic Director of RAW MATERIAL COMPANY, a center for art, knowledge, and society. Specializing in photography, video, and art in public space, Kouoh has curated numerous exhibitions internationally and written on contemporary African art.
>> Koyo Kouoh
Joasia Krysa is Founding Director of KURATOR and Visiting Associate Professor (Reader) in Art and Technology at Plymouth University, U.K. She was curator at the WRO Media Art Biennale and art director at Polish Television. She is editor of the DATA browser series and author of Curating Immateriality (2006). Krysa regularly lectures, curates internationally, and writes about digital culture, contemporary art, and technology.
Livia Päldi
Born in Budapest, Livia Päldi is Director of BAC—Baltic Art Center, Visby, Sweden, and was Chief Curator at the Mucsarnok/Kunsthalle Budapest (2007-11). She is currently a doctoral candidate at the Institute for Art Theory and Media Studies at Eötvös Loränd University, Budapest. Päldi has curated numerous exhibitions, has edited several exhibition catalogs, and was a contributing editor of East Art Map magazine and book (2006).
Hetti Perkins
Hetti Perkins is a member of the Eastern Arrernte and Kalkadoon Aboriginal communities. Currently, she is artist-in-residence at the Bangarra Dance Theatre Australia. Until recently, she was the senior curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, and she has worked with Indigenous visual art for more than twenty years. In 2010, Perkins wrote and presented the national three-part documentary series art + soul for ABC television.
Sarah Rifky
Sarah Rifky lives, writes, talks, curates, and teaches in Cairo and elsewhere. She has been curator of the Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art since 2009 and taught at the American University in Cairo and MASS Alexandria. Her projects include "Invisible Publics," Cairo (2010), and "The Bergen Accords," Bergen (2011). Rifky is Founding Director of CIRCA (Cairo International Resource Center for Art).
Eva Scharrer
dOCUMENTA (13) agent, curator, writer, art historian
Eva Scharrer, currently based in Kassel, has been working as Curatorial Researcher and writer for dOCUMENTA (13) since April 2009. In 2007, she was co-curator of the Sharjah Biennial 8, and as a freelance curator, she has worked on exhibitions in Germany and Switzerland. Scharrer is a regular contributor to contemporary art journals such as Artforum, Modern Painters, Kunst-Bulletin, Spike Art, C Magazine, and Texte zur Kunst.
>> Eva Scharrer
Nicola Setari
dOCUMENTA (13) agent, philosopher
Nicola Setari, born in 1978 in Brussels, is co-editor of dOCUMENTA (13)'s The Logbook and editor of the exhibition's digital tool for mobile devices, dMAPS. He lectures in Visual Anthropology at the New Academy for Fine Arts and at the IULM University in Milan, and is Secretary General of Dena Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris. Between 2006 and 2009, he was Editor in Chief of the cross-disciplinary art magazine Janus.
(Información de prensa, 6 junio de 2012)
9 junio - 16 sept. 2012
Kassel, Alemania
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The mystery surrounding the missing Malaysia Airlines plane
The best road trip route through the South
Beauty treatments to try while traveling internationally
Visit the summer camp for adults
This town is the real-life version of 'Westworld'
West Coast best coast: The ultimate road trip
See Again
Places Americans don’t visit but definitely should - Even though Americans still carry the stereotype of people who don’t travel overseas, this is far from the truth. Yes, US citizens may not travel internationally as frequently as other cultures, particularly Europeans, but Americans are going abroad like never before. Popular destinations among Americans include our neighboring Mexico and Canada, as well as the UK in Europe, according to 2016 data from the Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office. But what about the countries not featured in the list? There are some real gems out there that Americans have left untapped. What are some amazing destinations abroad that Americans should start visiting? Click through the gallery to find out.
Cambodia - Located between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos, it’s easy to see why this Southeast Asian nation is often overlooked. Though the country is poorer than its neighbors, its beauty is unmatched.
Cambodia - Why you should go: This tropical country has a long history of invasion, which has translated into fascinating influences from China, Malaysia, Europe, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
Tunisia - This North African nation got a bad rep among Americans in the post-2010 Arab Spring protests that kicked off there, before spreading to Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. But the country has since cooled off, and Americans shouldn't lump it together with its more volatile neighbors.
Tunisia - Why you should go: The country sits on the Mediterranean, and has the weather and beaches to show for it. But if you're not a beach person, you should still go for the beautiful combination of French and Arab influences, as well as its rich history.
Bolivia - Bordering Peru to the west, Argentina to the south, and Brazil to the east, this landlocked nation is sometimes forgotten about.
Bolivia - Why you should go: This South American country sits on the Andean Mountains, descends into the Amazon forest, and extends into the desert, so it has a little bit of everything. Don't skip the Salar de Uyuni (pictured), the world's largest salt flat, for other-worldly photo ops.
Cuba - After 50 years of embargo, it's easy to understand why Americans don't often go to this Caribbean nation. Now that they can, this will hopefully change.
Cuba - Why you should go: Contrary to what many Americans might believe, Cubans love Americans and America. The country boasts a beautiful mix of Caribbean, African, and Spanish cultures, which gives Cuba its unique charm.
Northern Ireland - This United Kingdom nation garnered a bad rep in the 1990s due to violence between crown loyalists and the Irish Republican Army. But that stayed in the 1990s, and the country is safe to visit.
Northern Ireland - Why you should go: Northern Ireland offers both modern, cosmopolitan Belfast and the picturesque countryside. Don't forget to visit Giant’s Causeway, an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that resulted from an ancient volcanic fissure eruption.
Malaysia - This Southeast Asian country borders Thailand, the region's most popular destination for Americans. Also, the country is majority Muslim, which puts off many Americans, though the country is safe aside from the occasional pickpocket.
Malaysia - Why you should go: Separated by the South China Sea, Malaysia is located in one of the world's busiest crossroads, making it a melting pot of influences, including Chinese, Indian, Thai, as well as English and Dutch, the area's previous colonizers.
Malawi - Americans don't really visit Africa in general, expect for South Africa and Morocco. But there are plenty of safe places to go, and Malawi is one worth checking out.
Malawi - Why you should go: This sub-Saharan country's government has been investing in exciting developments in the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, making this the perfect safari country. Also, Malawi has great cell phone coverage, so you can buy a local SIM card at the airport to stay connected throughout your journey there.
Lesotho - This country, while just 11,500 sq mi in size and home to 2 million people, is entirely landlocked by South Africa.
Lesotho - Why you should go: This mountainous kingdom is accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, and offers highland regions, panoramic views, and extreme adventure.
Greenland - This autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark is desolate, cold, and icy (don't let the "green" in the name fool you). But the place is perfect for those in search of a quieter aurora borealis.
Greenland - Why you should go: Few places beat Greenland in the natural beauty department, and it offers plenty to do, from dog sledding under the Northern Lights, to exploring glaciers, fjords, and mountains.
Myanmar - Since the country only opened its doors for tourism in 2012, Americans can't really be blamed for not visiting more often.
Myanmar - Why you should go: But now that they can, Americans should take advantage of this unexplored country. Since it's remained relatively free from outside influence, the country is as authentic as they come.
Finland - This EU country doesn't get as much love as its fellow Nordic countries, but it offers as much if not more.
Finland - Why you should go: One of Finland's advantages is that it's just as great in the winter as it is in the summertime: From the Northern Lights to its peaceful and pristine beaches, it just depends on what you're looking for.
Portugal - Squished between the Atlantic Ocean and Spain, this tiny 35,560-square-mile nation is easy to overlook. But you shouldn't.
Portugal - Why you should go: Portugal has a long, complex history. It's one of the oldest European nation-states whose territory has been continuously settled, invaded, and fought over since prehistoric times. It established the first global empire, only to be completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1755. If you need more reasons, the food and wine are amazing.
Belize - This tiny Central American nation is often overshadowed by its northern neighbor, Mexico.
Belize - Why you should go: Belize offers the best from a Caribbean experience without the crowds and resorts. This is perfect for those seeking a more authentic, off-the-beaten-path beach vacation.
Bhutan - This landlocked South Asian country is protective of its culture and values. That's why its government advocates low-volume, high-quality tourism by charging visitors a daily fee, so keep that in mind. But oh, is it worth it.
Bhutan - Why you should go: Located in the Himalayas between Nepal, China, and India, this mountainous kingdom has preserved its rich cultural identity through years of isolation. Check out the Tiger's Nest (pictured) for a true Buddhist experience.
Turkmenistan - Central Asia is relatively unexplored by westerners. And Turkmenistan is by far the least visited of the region's "stans." This is likely due to the decades-long reign of the bizarre dictator, Saparmyrat Niyazov. However the country has been quickly modernizing since his death in 2006.
Turkmenistan - The nation is an ancient land of great spirituality, tradition, and natural beauty. Its most famous attraction is the Darvaza gas crater (pictured), also known as the "Door to Hell" or ''Gates of Hell." This natural gas field collapsed into an underground cavern when geologists set it on fire. It alone is worth the trip.
Places Americans don’t visit—but definitely should
Book your tickets and pack your bags
Even though Americans still carry the stereotype of people who don’t travel overseas, this is far from the truth. Yes, US citizens may not travel internationally as frequently as other cultures, particularly Europeans, but Americans are going abroad like never before. Popular destinations among Americans include our neighboring Mexico and Canada, as well as the UK in Europe, according to 2016 data from the Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office. But what about the countries not featured in the list? There are some real gems out there that Americans have left untapped. What are some amazing destinations abroad that Americans should start visiting? Click through the gallery to find out.
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Dear Edgemont Community Members,
At their meeting on Tuesday, August 22, the Edgemont Board of Education voted to fill its vacancy by appointing a former Board of Education trustee, Michael Bianchi. Mr. Bianchi previously served on the Board from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2016. He decided not to re-run for a second term.
The vacancy was created on July 20, 2017 when Trustee Kenneth Orce submitted a letter of resignation for personal reasons. Mr. Orce was in the second year of his three-year term. The Board discussed two options that are available to them according to State Law: call a special election to fill the vacancy or appoint a qualified person to fill the vacancy. After a public discussion on this topic, the Edgemont Board of Education chose to appoint. There is precedent for this choice. In 2010, a Board of Education member resigned due to relocation. A former Board member was appointed to fill the position until the annual school board vote in May.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Jennifer Darger thanked Ken Orce for his service to the Edgemont community. She then raised Michael Bianchi’s name for consideration. “Michael Bianchi has served on the Board in the past for one term, was vetted by the School Board Nominating Committee, and was previously elected to the School Board by the community.” Jennifer said she approached Michael and he said, if asked, he would be willing to fill that vacancy. She then asked for Board comments:
Judy Seiff, Brian Yarrington, and Monica Sganga all agreed that “among the options, appointing someone makes the most sense rather than spending district funds on a special election.” “Choosing Michael Bianchi makes sense; he has served on the Board, is familiar with the responsibilities of a Board member, knows the community.”
Monica Sganga said, “It is a responsible approach; and it respects the process.”
Brian Yarrington said, “The recommendation for Michael seems a natural choice; he is a former Board member who has worked with Victoria in the past and voted by the community; he can come in more seamlessly.”
A motion was put forth by Brian Yarrington, seconded by Judy Seiff in favor of the appointment of Michael Bianchi to fill a vacancy for the Board of Education until the school board election in May, 2018. A roll call vote was taken resulting in a unanimous “yes” vote.
Jennifer Darger concluded by stating that the SBNC will be notified of the three openings for next year.
Victoria Kniewel
Edgemont UFSD
Copyright © 2017 Edgemont Union Free School District, All rights reserved.
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from Boston College Campus Ministry
05/12/2019 - Weekly Updates for May 12
05/05/2019 - Tonight: Mass of Gratitude at 8 p.m.
04/28/2019 - Weekly Updates for April 28
04/05/2019 - Weekly Updates for April 7
03/31/2019 - Weekly Updates for March 31
02/24/2019 - Weekly Updates for Feb. 24
02/03/2019 - Weekly Updates for Feb. 3
01/25/2019 - Weekly Updates for Jan. 27
12/14/2018 - Weekly Updates for Dec. 16
12/09/2018 - Weekly Updates for Dec. 9
11/24/2018 - Weekly Updates for Nov. 25
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Watch Out for Zelle Scams
Filed to: scammingFiled to: scamming
scamming
Image: Kaboompics .com from Pexels
By now most users are aware of the security weaknesses of payment systems like Venmo and PayPal: You should only send money to people you know, you should not use it to buy products or services and you definitely shouldn’t use it to get paid by people you don’t know, who can simply cancel the transaction before it’s complete. It turns out that Zelle, a payment system recently adopted by banks to compete with Venmo, has some serious vulnerabilities, too.
According to a report from the New York Times, some of the key factors that make Zelle appealing compared to its competitors—its usage by some of the biggest banks, including Bank of America, Citi and JPMorgan, and the speed with which it sends money—make it highly susceptible to fraud.
“Cash transfers within the network often take place within seconds—much faster than on most of its rival payment services,” reports the Times. “That has made it more difficult for banks to halt or reverse illicit transactions.” And it does not always inform customers when transactions are made, meaning you may be unaware that anything fraudulent is unfolding until it’s too late.
How to Not Get Scammed When Selling Things Online
If you’ve been bitten by the Spring Cleaning bug and are looking to cull some of your unwanted…
Additionally, the system requires an email or phone number to send money. According to anecdotes in the Times’s story, this allows scammers to register with your phone number and receive cash transfers in your stead. Security measures vary by the bank, and some do not notify customers “when new recipients are linked to their Zelle accounts.” And while Zelle says customers are not liable for fraudulent activities, it does not consider customers “knowingly” sending money to be fraudulent, even if the intended recipient does not get the money. Its website states that neither Zelle nor the banks that use it offer a protection program.
Some of the scams are much more sophisticated. Here’s what happened to Jane Butler, a Wells Fargo customer in Downingtown, Pa., as reported by the Times:
The con was elaborate. First, a phishing email that appeared to be from Wells Fargo tricked her into entering her bank ID and password into a fraudulent website. The next day, Ms. Butler got a call that appeared to be from Wells Fargo’s fraud department. The number she saw displayed on her phone screen matched the phone number on the back of her bank card — but it wasn’t her bank on the other end of the line. The call had been spoofed.
The caller tricked her into handing over one-time passcodes that provided access to Zelle, which was then used to make six transfers from her account, ranging from one penny to $999.98. Wells Fargo refunded Ms. Butler for her loss.
Others are fairly standard for P2P payment services: One woman thought she was buying concert tickets but was ghosted by the “seller” after she transferred the money (never send money before you have the item in your hands). In another incident, scammers accessed someone’s bank account online and used Zelle to transfer money out of the account.
Whether or not the customer is reimbursed for their stolen funds depends on the bank and the situation.
The Times reports that the size of the problem is unknown, “because Zelle is fairly new and banks do not report much data about it.”
Other peer-to-peer payment systems like Venmo and PayPal have faced similar challenges, and in fact, PayPal (which owns Venmo) recently settled a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission about its security measures.
One security measure that could be helpful in case someone gets access to your account: Connect the apps to your credit card rather than your bank account. You’re better protected and you can cancel transactions if you need to.
What's Better: Apple Pay Cash vs. Google Wallet vs. Venmo
Zelle Is Your New Friend-Paying Service
This Infographic Shows the Common Ways Scammers Try to Phish Your Account
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Travel to Oxford with megabus
Take the bus to Oxford and you’ll find yourself in a diverse city steeped in tradition. The ‘City of Dreaming Spires’ won’t fail to inspire you with its literary roots, honey-toned buildings and cobbled lanes. Spend time exploring the University of Oxford’s world-famous colleges or enjoy a relaxing punt down the river. Then end the day with a pint and some hearty food at one of the city’s historic pubs. What’s not to like?
Oxford: top 3 things to do
1. Take a punt on the river
Hire a punt on the river for a classic Oxford experience. You’ll find most punts underneath Magdalen Bridge by the Botanic Gardens. If you’re feeling brave you can give punting a try yourself, or just sit back, relax and get a chauffeur to do the work for you. Punts can fit up to five people.
2. Tour the university colleges
The University of Oxford has no less than 38 colleges dotted around the city. To get an insider’s look at campus life, take a guided tour by a former student with Oxford Walking Tours. You’ll explore some of Oxford’s oldest colleges including Balliol and Christ Church. The latter is known for its starring role in Harry Potter, plus famous alumni like Lewis Carroll and Albert Einstein.
Don’t want to drag your luggage around while you explore the University of Oxford’s world-famous colleges? Stasher has luggage storage facilities right next to the major transport hubs and tourist attractions in Oxford. Priced at only £6 for up to 24 hours, each bag is also insured up to £750, you just need to book online the Stashpoint that best suits your needs and take in everything the city has to offer. Don’t let a bag get in the way of your day, find luggage storage in Oxford now.
3. Explore Blenheim Palace
Just outside Oxford you’ll find Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Blenheim sits in over 2,000 acres of glorious parkland, and inside you’ll find rooms preserved with their original furniture and some of the finest antiques in Europe. Take an S3 bus from Gloucester Green bus station right up to the gates – the journey takes 25 minutes.
Oxford: getting around
To make sure your coach journey to Oxford with megabus is easy and comfortable, we’ve thought of all the finer details – like free WiFi* and charging points* on most of our coaches. And once you arrive in Oxford, getting around couldn’t be easier.
Your bus to Oxford will arrive into Gloucester Green, the city’s main coach station. It’s just off George Street. From there, you can easily walk to the city’s shops, main attractions, bars and restaurants.
Oxford is a very flat city, so another great way to see the sights is by bike. You can hire one from Bainton Bikes, at Walton Street Cycles on Walton Street, from £10 a day. Pick up a map from the Oxford Visitor Information Centre on Broad Street or just use your phone’s GPS to plot your route.
Oxford: best for nightlife
There are two ways to tackle Oxford’s nightlife. Firstly, you can make like a bona fide student and hole up in one of the many traditional pubs with a pint of something cold. The Turf Tavern is nestled by the Bridge of Sighs, and has beamed ceilings and a cosy fireplace. Or, if you’re looking for a more sophisticated night on the town, the Varsity Club rooftop bar has arguably the best views and cocktails in the city. For an evening at the theatre, head to the Oxford Playhouse in Beaumont Street, which features West End musicals and famous comedians.
Oxford: best for shopping
Oxford’s famous Covered Market is the place to go for anything from delicious cooked breakfasts and freshly-made sandwiches, to jewellery and gifts. This Victorian market is open seven days a week. For all your high street favourites, head to Cornmarket Street, High Street and Queen Street. You’ll also find plenty of smaller independent shops and boutiques right alongside them.
If studying is on your mind, check out the book shops on Broad Street. Alice in Wonderland – written by Oxford local, Lewis Carroll – is referenced all over the city. So what better place to pick up a copy?
Oxford for free: our top 3
1. Visit the Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean is Britain’s oldest public museum, and it’s free to get in. Founded in 1683, it’s chock-full of Ancient Egyptian art, Greek and Roman statues, and paintings by the likes of Turner. For a panoramic view of the city, have lunch in the glass-walled dining room on the rooftop.
2. Swot up in the Bodleian Library
Harry Potter fans should make a beeline to the Bodleian Library. Its sweeping corridors and stacks of leather-bound books featured in the films, along with the Divinity School below the reading rooms. As one of the oldest libraries in Europe, it’s well worth a visit.
3. Have a picnic in South Park
South Park is the largest park in Oxford, and comes with a magnificent view of the towers and spires. On sunny days you’ll find it full of people playing sports, eating picnics and lazing on the grass. The park even has a fitness trail if you’re feeling particularly energetic. It’s all a five-minute walk from Cowley Road in the east of the city.
To book your Oxford coach travel, use the journey planner to find cheap megabus tickets before they sell out.
We serve Oxford from over 10 routes including:
London to Oxford
Sheffield to Oxford
Birmingham to Oxford
Coventry to Oxford
Leeds to Oxford
Manchester to Oxford
Newcastle to Oxford
Barnsley to Oxford
Portsmouth to Oxford
*Subject to availability and connection
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Mark Elliott and Stephen Tierney: The House of Lords Constitution Committee Reports on Article 50
The House of Lords Constitution Committee today publishes its report on the process by which the United Kingdom will withdraw from the European Union, a process that will result “in the most significant changes to the UK’s constitution in a generation”. The Committee accepts that the referendum result is clear and therefore must be implemented, but it is also firmly of the view that Parliament must be involved: “The Government should not trigger Article 50 [TEU] without consulting Parliament.”
Parliament, the Executive and Article 50
Turning to Article 50, the Committee accepts that the process it sets out offers the only “viable” route by which withdrawal can be effected. It then addresses whether a notification under this provision might later be revoked unilaterally by the United Kingdom. The Committee considers the legal position to be unclear but notes that, should any attempt to do so by the UK be disputed by another member state, the matter would be decided by the Court of Justice. On this basis, and given that the uncertainty would only ever be resolved after Article 50 had already been triggered, the Committee deems it prudent for Parliament to work on the assumption that the triggering of Article 50 is an action that the UK cannot unilaterally reverse.
Article 50 of course leaves discretion to any Member State to decide to withdraw from the Union “in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.” The Committee observes that neither the question put to the electorate nor the provisions of the European Union Referendum Act 2015 set out how or when withdrawal should take place. Accordingly, the focus of most of the report is upon the respective roles and responsibilities of both Government and Parliament in managing the withdrawal process.
The issues surrounding the triggering of Article 50, and the appropriate role for Parliament in this process, will of course be aired before the High Court in October. In those proceedings, it will be argued that triggering Article 50 will lead inevitably to the repeal of the European Communities Act 1972, thereby affecting citizens’ statutory rights incorporated thereby. These impending consequences, it is argued, prevent the UK Government from activating Article 50 by way of the royal prerogative, requiring instead statutory authorisation by Parliament. The Government, on the other hand, maintains that it can invoke Article 50 as an act of the prerogative, and that “there is no legal obligation to consult Parliament on triggering Article 50” (HL Deb, 18 July 2016, col 430 [Lords Chamber]). Since the issue is subject to live proceedings, the Committee opts not to express a view on the differing legal arguments. Instead it focuses upon whether, and if so how, it would be constitutionally appropriate for Parliament to be involved, irrespective of whether or not the courts decide that statutory authority for triggering Article 50 is a legal requirement.
To this end, Parliament should play a “central role” not only in the decision to trigger Article 50 but also during the negotiation process itself and at the point where the negotiated package is agreed and adopted. The Committee also anticipates that this role should continue, with parliamentary scrutiny of any ongoing relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU. Significantly, the Committee asserts that it is for Parliament itself to determine how it will be involved at each of these stages in the withdrawal process.
The nature and degree of Parliament’s involvement
The Report proceeds to consider two matters concerning Parliament’s involvement—namely, whether that involvement should take the form of the enactment of legislation or the passing of a resolution, and the scope of the matters that ought to be addressed by any such legislation or resolution.
As to the first matter, the Committee notes that the two mechanisms each have their own attractions and drawbacks. A resolution would be capable of being adopted more swiftly than legislation could be enacted, and would therefore enable Parliament rapidly to set out its position. The Committee sees a strong case for resolutions of both Houses (rather than just of the Commons) but notes the risk of differently worded motions being passed.
Legislation, the Committee notes, would entail different risks (as well as opportunities). Legislating would likely take longer, and doing so might invite complications so far as the territorial constitution is concerned, given the possibility of devolved legislatures choosing to vote on legislative consent motions in relation to any Bill. That said, the Committee takes the view that the Sewel Convention would not actually apply: triggering Article 50, it says, would not engage devolved matters or affect the scope of devolved competence—and, in any event, legislating to give effect to the referendum outcome could be considered to amount to circumstances that are not “normal” within the meaning of the Convention.
The Report also highlights certain attractions of legislation—two in particular. In the first place, the Committee notes that while a resolution could be used to signal Parliament’s assent to the triggering of Article 50, only legislation could place beyond doubt any questions about where authority lies to pull the trigger. Second, the Committee notes that any legislation enacted on this matter would become part of the UK’s “constitutional requirements” for the purpose of Article 50. In this way, the Committee suggests, Parliament could leverage existing uncertainty concerning the existence and content of such requirements by choosing legislatively to prescribe them. In doing so, Parliament could “take control of the process by which Article 50 was to be triggered”. For instance: “an Act could state that Parliament authorised the UK Government to trigger Article 50 if—and only if—the Government had first presented for parliamentary approval its proposal for the UK’s new relationship with the EU on the basis of which it intended to negotiate.
The Committee ultimately does not come down decisively on the side of either a resolution or legislation, instead emphasising that what is crucial is that the use of one or other of those mechanisms enables Parliament to play an appropriate constitutional role in the triggering of Article 50. As to the scope of any resolution or legislation, the Committee notes that Parliament will need to decide whether to focus simply upon the triggering of Article 50 or to set out a more detailed “route map” as to its involvement throughout the Brexit process. A resolution or Bill might, for instance, require Ministers to report to Parliament at various stages in the negotiation process; set out the extent and form of any parliamentary involvement in that process; and determine at what stages, if any, Parliament’s consent to the continuation of negotiations should be required. In deciding whether such details should be included in a resolution or Bill, the Committee observes that a balance will have to be struck between “the benefits of parliamentary involvement in the negotiation process” and a degree of over-prescriptiveness that would risk “hobbling the Government’s ability to negotiate”.
The Report offers broader reflections about the future use of referendums in the United Kingdom, as well as the interplay between prerogative powers in the area of foreign affairs on the one hand, and constitutional conventions on the other.
It is of course possible for the UK Parliament to provide that a referendum is to have a legally binding outcome; the referendum held in 2011 on the use of the Alternative Vote is an example. It can be argued that the 2015 Act should have been more detailed in setting out what would happen in the event of a Leave vote, and in particular what the respective roles for Government and Parliament ought to be in the process that would flow from it. On this basis the Committee recommends that Parliament may wish, in future, “to ensure that detailed consideration is given to how the result of a referendum will be implemented in advance of the vote itself occurring, and to whether explicit provision should be made in the enabling legislation either to implement the outcome automatically or to instruct the Government to act on the result.”
The Committee also draws an analogy between triggering Article 50 and the prerogative power to go to war or to deploy the UK’s armed forces. The Committee, in a report published in 2013, took the view that there is now a convention that “save in exceptional circumstances, the House of Commons is given the opportunity to debate and vote on the deployment of armed force overseas” (para 64). While it accepts that no convention has formed to govern how Parliament should be involved in enacting and ratifying the result of a referendum, the Committee considers there to be a “strong argument that enacting the result of a referendum of this magnitude should require at least the same level of parliamentary involvement as a decision to authorise a military deployment.” The Committee therefore avers that it would be “constitutionally unacceptable, not to mention setting a disturbing precedent, for the Government to act on an advisory referendum without explicit parliamentary approval—particularly one with such significant long-term consequences”.
Triggering the Article 50 process is, in itself, of huge significance, heralding as it does the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from a treaty system within which it has been closely integrated for over forty years, and which has exerted profound and far-reaching influences upon both the UK’s constitution and the daily lives of its citizens. But the controversy that is now playing out in respect of Article 50—and the broader associated questions concerning how and by whom Brexit should be taken forward—also highlights the tensions that exist within our unwritten system over the respective roles for the public, the executive and the legislature in both initiating and giving effect to constitutional change.
In what is still—judged by reference to the timescale over which Brexit is likely to play out—the immediate aftermath of the referendum, it may seem inapposite to focus upon how future major constitutional changes should be managed. But for two reasons, the opposite is true. For one thing, the UK will inevitably have to confront further significant—and perhaps even existential—questions about its constitutional future. Learning from the experience, and arguably the mistakes, of Brexit would be prudent; failing to do so would be, at best, negligent. Second, the referendum might, for many, have felt like the end—and it certainly did mark at least the beginning of the end of the UK’s current constitutional position vis-à-vis the EU. However, just as devolution was famously said to be a “process not an event”, it is also the case that Brexit—and the questions to which it gives rise about the UK’s new relationship with the EU—is likely to be an issue that runs and runs. For that reason, it is crucial that clarity be brought to bear upon where constitutional responsibility lies not merely for triggering Article 50 but in respect of the lengthy and vastly complicated process of negotiation and legal and constitutional change that will follow in the wake of Article 50’s activation. That Parliament should play a major role in that process is a strongly defensible if ultimately contestable argument. But the proposition that as the Brexit process begins in earnest there should at the very least be certainty in this area—whatever division of responsibility is ultimately settled upon—is surely incontrovertible.
Mark Elliott is Professor of Public Law at the University of Cambridge. Stephen Tierney is Professor of Constitutional Theory at the University of Edinburgh. They both serve as Legal Advisers to the House of Lords Constitution Committee. They have written this post in purely personal capacities.
(Suggested citation: M. Elliott and S. Tierney, ‘The House of Lords Constitution Committee Reports on Article 50’, U.K. Const. L. Blog (13th Sept 2016) (available at https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/))
16 comments on “Mark Elliott and Stephen Tierney: The House of Lords Constitution Committee Reports on Article 50”
Aileen McHarg
Two comments on the Sewel Convention point. First, if it is accepted that UK legislation is required to trigger Art 50 because of its necessary implications for the European Communities Act, surely the same arguments would apply to amendments to the devolution statutes? So, I don’t see how the Committee can consistently decline to take a view on the legal arguments around the triggering of Article 50, yet confidently conclude that Sewel would not be engaged by legislation authorising withdrawal. Secondly, triggering Art 50 *could* be regarded as being outside the ‘normal’ range of matters engaging the convention. Whether that would be a prudent line to take is another matter entirely …
Willson, LL.B
Painfully obvious to me that the “Leaping Leavers” of the Sunderland area who post comments about “Brexit” on our local newspaper’s website have not a clue about the basis of legally examining how the Article 50 notification process should be triggered and the role of both Houses in examining the potential role of the Parliament that they helped to elect in this, and appear to be blissfully unaware of the litigation that is pending…
Antony Carter
Your point Aileen is pertinent. The ‘devolution acts’ are constitutional acts’ as outlined in Laws LJ’s findings in Thorburn v Sunderland CC. However should it be determined the Sewell Convention is engaged, does that not give Scotland two bites of the cherry?
Still defence in depth is a strong defence 🙂
The finding by the HoL select committee, is I submit, telling. It underpins the contention that as the European Union Referendum Act 2015 was legislation passed by Parliament and not by the Executive under its exercise of the Royal Prerogative and that as Parliament made that legislation ‘advisory’ to it and not ‘binding’ upon it, it follows that it must fall to Parliament to determine what it makes of the ‘advice’ the electorate has given it and not to the Executive to act as if it was binding by exercising the Royal Prerogative to trigger Article 50. Advice given to Parliament is not an instruction to the Executive until or unless Parliament says so.
Sean Feeney
Lord Pannick is one of the authors of this House of Lords report. He acts for the claimants against, effectively, the Government as Baron David Pannick QC, instructed by Mishcon de Reya.
Also, the authors of this blog post advised this HoL committee, hence the timeliness of this blog post: “Professor Stephen Tierney and Professor Mark Elliott are the legal advisers to the Committee.”
The referendum was clearly the first of a chain of processes and decisions in the domestic and international process of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.
Despite the seeming consensus on this blog to the contrary, I would not be suprised if the Court(s) found it attractive to construe the European Union Referendum Act 2015 either as a first mandatory decision binding on the Executive (or as a mandatory material consideration binding the Executive’s normally wide discretion in matters of high public policy) that the United Kingdom should initiate the process of leaving the European Union.
Such an interpretation can be squared with Parliamentary Sovereignty,because that interpretation does not fetter Parliament’s residual power to pass an act preventing the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.
This might involve a fundamental reconsideration, with a leapfrog appeal to the Supreme Court if necessary of the Pepper v Hart [1992] UKHL 3 line of authority in the context of widely publicised Ministerial Parliamentary statements on a fundamental constitutional bill that the Government would implement the referendum decision.
It is open to the Courts to find that Parliament itself remitted the decision to the electorate specified in the 2015 Act.
My mistake. Lord Pannick is a member of the Committee but “Lord Pannick recused himself from the inquiry because he is counsel for the Lead Claimant in the litigation mentioned in paragraph 16 of the report.”; see p. 17 of the report.
One other Committee member declared specific interests in the report “Lord Hunt of Wirral:
Partner, DAC Beachcroft LLP
Chair, British Insurance Brokers Association
Chair, Lending Standards Board
Chair, Credit Union Expansion Project
Chair, Global Risks
Chair, Society of Conservative Lawyers
Chair, Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation”
The question of whether Parliament should vote on “retention of membership of the European Union” was raised at second reading of the European Union Referendum Bill by Mr David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab) (Hansard 9 Jun 2015 : Column 1052), and expressly rejected by the then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Philip Hammond) as Government promoter of the Bill:
“No. We made a proposal to the British people, it was put to the test in the general election and we have received an overwhelming mandate to progress. That is what we will do.”
Parliament subsequently enacted the Bill in full knowledge of the fact that the Government’s purpose in promoting a statutory referendum was that “the decision about our membership should be taken by the British people, not by Whitehall bureaucrats, certainly not by Brussels Eurocrats; not even by Government Ministers or parliamentarians in this Chamber”.
See Philip Hammond’s concluding remarks: “Few subjects ignite as much passion in the House or indeed in the country as our membership of the European Union. The debate in the run-up to the referendum will be hard fought on both sides of the argument. But whether we favour Britain being in or out, we surely should all be able to agree on the simple principle that the decision about our membership should be taken by the British people, not by Whitehall bureaucrats, certainly not by Brussels Eurocrats; not even by Government Ministers or parliamentarians in this Chamber. The decision must be for the common sense of the British people. That is what we pledged, and that is what we have a mandate to deliver. For too long, the people of Britain have been denied their say. For too long, powers have been handed to Brussels over their heads. For too long, their voice on Europe has not been heard. This Bill puts that right. It delivers the simple in/out referendum that we promised, and I commend it to the House.”
(Hansard 9 Jun 2015 : Column 1052).
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmhansrd/cm150609/debtext/150609-0001.htm#15060939000001
The Courts may yet deem these, and other Hansard materials, materially relevant to construction of the statutory purposes of the European Union Referendum Act 2015.
If the Courts do not, then the electorate that voted in the referendum may deem the Court(s) failure to find such materials fully determinative of the claims now before the Court(s) very asinine indeed.
At the second reading of the European Union Referendum Bill in the House of Commons, the then Secretary of State for for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Philip Hammond) moved the Bill by stating the statutory purpose of the Bill was to make the British people the decision-maker on EU membership: “This is a simple, but vital, piece of legislation. It has one clear purpose: to deliver on our promise to give the British people the final say on our EU membership in an in/out referendum by the end of 2017.”
Hansard 9 Jun 2015 : Column 1047
Mr David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab) raised the question of a vote on “the retention of membership of the European Union”. Mr Hammon rejected this proposal by reaffirming the Bill’s legitimacy arose from a General Election manifesto commitment: “No. We made a proposal to the British people, it was put to the test in the general election and we have received an overwhelming mandate to progress. That is what we will do.”
Mr Hammond concluded by stating “the decision about our membership should be taken by the British people, not by Whitehall bureaucrats, certainly not by Brussels Eurocrats; not even by Government Ministers or parliamentarians in this Chamber.”
See his concluding remarks “”Few subjects ignite as much passion in the House or indeed in the country as our membership of the European Union. The debate in the run-up to the referendum will be hard fought on both sides of the argument. But whether we favour Britain being in or out, we surely should all be able to agree on the simple principle that the decision about our membership should be taken by the British people, not by Whitehall bureaucrats, certainly not by Brussels Eurocrats; not even by Government Ministers or parliamentarians in this Chamber. The decision must be for the common sense of the British people. That is what we pledged, and that is what we have a mandate to deliver. For too long, the people of Britain have been denied their say. For too long, powers have been handed to Brussels over their heads. For too long, their voice on Europe has not been heard. This Bill puts that right. It delivers the simple in/out referendum that we promised, and I commend it to the House.”
The Courts may yet deem these, and other, Hansard materials are relevant to any statutory construction of the 2015 Act, despite the concluded view of the House of Lords Constitution Committee (during ongoing litigation that the Courts have publicly recognised raises matters of constitutional importance) that the referendum was “an advisory referendum only” (paragraph 17 of the HoL report).
The electorate specified in the European Union Referendum Act 2015 may deem the Courts asinine if the Courts do not find these materials are fully determinative of the litigation now in progress, at least on the question of who is the statutory decison-maker.
Chris A
If it is not included in the act, Mr Hammond can say anything. If he wanted the authority to trigger Art. 50, he should simply have written that in the law. Not having done that is asinine.
Supposed, I want to demolish a house by blasting – if my trigger is not wired to the charges but only to a display that lights up and says “explode!” if I push the button, I can say that I want to blow up that house as much as I want, it simply won’t blow up if I press the button.
Figurativle spoken, that’s exactly what Cameron did: The electorate pushed the button, and the display lit up with “Brexit”. And since that moment, everybody is staring on the display, whishing they had wired it correctly, because they don’t really know what is necessary to get the charges to detonate…
So does that mean that I can give the notification required by Article 50?
If this interpretation is ultimatelt judged to be correct by the domestic Courts, it means that a decision to leave the Eurpean Union has already been made and that this decision is in line with the constitutional requirements of the UK.
This means that notification may not be necessary to trigger article 50; it could be triggered by the domestic decision alone. That is ultimately a judgment for the Court of Justice of the European Union.
In the first instance, it is open for the domestic courts to find it acte claire, without a preliminary reference to the CJEU, that Article 50 is triggerable by a decision to leave the UK; and that such a lawful decision was made in the referendum. If the referendum was a decision by the UK to leave the EU in domestic law, then the lodging and issuing of domestic legal claims would not alter the fact that the decision would always have been lawful – by the preumption of regularity.
Mr Hammond may have said that but he didn’t say it in the legislation. Absent an express statement in the legislation to the contrary it must be construed as advisory only. The courts are slow to interpret Hansard as determinative of the will of Parliament. Hammond’s statement should be read as his own interpretation of the Bill which is not to say that it reflects Parliaments will when they allowed the Bill to pass to the next stage. And if the courts find or do not find the material to be determinative of the law then the law is as it is found to be. The law is never asinine.
Applying a Pepper v Hart interpretation to the 2015 Act that the referendum was a constitutionally and Article 50 compliant decision to leave the European Union by the United Kingdom’s statutory decison-maker (provided for by Parliament itself) would have the advantage of avoiding a potentially very widespread public perception that the Courts had precipitated a genuine constitutional crisis (rather than merely a highly politicised debate about a clearly divisive referendum result) by delaying the high-policy objective of Brexit – a high policy objective with the precisely the dominant or ultimate purpose, in the Padfield sense on such an interpretation, of extinguishing the legal obligation to give European rights domestic direct effect.
The constitutional legitimacy for Brexit comes from a constitutional process/procedure – now subject to authorative interpretation by the domestic Courts – proposed by a majority Government pursuant to a manifesto commitment, and initiated by Parliament by statute with the 2015 Act.
But such a Pepper v Hart interpretation would have the potential disadvantage to the United Kingdom’s national interest (this is a actually an advantage for proponents of “hard Brexit”) of evidencing beyond doubt in a Court judgment that the UK had made an Article 50 compliant decision to leave the EU.
This could mean the Article 50 two-year period to negotiate the terms of the UK’s new relationship with the EU after Brexit (if it happens) began on Thursday 23 June 2016. The final judgment is likely to be made by the Supreme Court after an expedited hearing in December, according to the Divisional Court that will hear the claims lodged in London, although this timetable may now alter because of the Northern Ireland claims.
A Supreme Court judgment may render the Article 50 notification otiose because the Article 50 procedure is open to two interpretations: the trigger is the decision (of an intention to leave the EU) in Article 50(1): or the trigger is the notification in Article 50(2).
I favour the interpretation that the trigger is the decision itself and not the notification, because: this is the first clause in a serial procedure and the European drafting practice in other triggerable legal instuments is to put the trigger at the start of the instrument; the English-language text suggests notification is a an obligation (“shall” is the language of duty), and Article 50 is asymetrically drafted to protect the rights of the European Union against the member state intending to leave – letting the leaving member state unilaterally decide when the two-year period begins potentially frustrates an interpretation that the two-year period’s purpose is to limit the time of uncertainty (and potential harm to their economic interests) for those member state’s not intending to leave.
The interpretation is unclear without a domestic ruling (which may be forthcoming in the litigation) that one of the two possible interretations is acte claire without a preliminary reference to the CJEU.
Ultimately it will be a matter for authorative ruling by the CJEU if internationa political disputes ever become international legal disputes.
Jerzy Kolodziej
The situation is beyond ridiculous. The idea that Parliament should be excluded from the decision to leave the EU is a sad reflection on the state of politics and the law of the constitution of the UK. It is quite true that the situation could be resolved by a vote in Parliament. However, Parliament does not seem inclined to do so and would rather leave it for the courts to decide before putting their own necks on the block.
It may be worth pointing out, yet again, that the triggering of Article 50 is likely to be irreversible. The reality is that when the UK joined the EC (as it was then) the executive prerogative decision was entirely reversible. If Parliament had not voted to effectively ratify the decision by approving the European Communities Act the UK would have had to withdraw and the prerogative would have had to be reversed.
That is not the situation that we are faced with. Parliament could not reverse the triggering of Article 50 and the UK would be out. The obvious consequence is that Parliament would be bound to repeal the ECA. This is not a situation that the prerogative should be used without clear explicit authority from Parliament. It is effectively a return to the dispensing laws that the English Bill of Rights outlawed in 1689. The UK intends to use the very same prerogative powers that have been outlawed since over 328 years. This is not a matter that the courts can easily sidestep and I very much doubt that they will find favour with the government. Neither will they construe that the referendum (EURA) is binding when it was open to Parliament to have explicitly made it so.
Bill of Rights 1688
Dispensing Power.
That the pretended Power of Suspending of Laws or the Execution of Laws by Regall Authority without Consent of Parlyament is illegall.
The government have painted themselves into a corner that they will find it very difficult to find a way out of.
Footnote 5 of the 30 September 2016 Skeleton Argument of the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (p. 9) agrees with the claimant Deir Dos Santos that “the doctrine of Parliamentary privilege prevents any reliance being placed upon the Committee’s conclusions ” – the conclusions of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution report:
‘Mr Dos Santos also relies upon the recent report of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution, The Invoking of Article 50 (HL Paper 44) as supporting his position with regard to the necessary role of Parliament (Skeleton Argument, §35(3)). The Secretary of State agrees with Mr Dos Santos that the doctrine of Parliamentary privilege prevents any reliance being placed upon the
Committee’s conclusions and would add only that those conclusions are not in fact in accordance with the position of the claimant parties in this case. They were to the effect that Parliament could and should give approval to the triggering of Article 50 by a resolution of each House, rather than that primary legislation is legally required.’
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skeleton-argument-of-the-secretary-of-state-for-exiting-the-european-union
The defence skeleton confirms that the proposition advanced by the claimants that the referendum was “advisory” is in issue in the London claims.
There is no express mention of Parliament’s sub judice rule in the defence skeleton, nor of the principle of comity.
This entry was posted on September 13, 2016 by Constitutional Law Group in Europe, European Union, UK government, UK Parliament and tagged Article 50 TEU, Brexit, European Union Referendum Act 2015, house of lords constitution committee, UK EU Referendum.
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Silicon Valley saga: Gawker CEO Nick Denton challenges billionaire Peter Thiel to debate on free speech
Dean Takahashi@deantak May 26, 2016 3:30 PM
Above: Founders Fund co-founder Peter Thiel.
Image Credit: Heisenberg Media/Flickr
Nick Denton, founder of embattled media company Gawker, challenged his nemesis, billionaire Peter Thiel, to a debate on free speech, in light of disclosures that Thiel funded a $10 million libel suit by Hulk Hogan against Gawker.
This one-time sideshow is in the process of becoming the main act in Silicon Valley and pits the billionaire cofounder of PayPal against Gawker and its family of publications (such as Valleywag). At stake in the legal battle — in which Hogan, financed by Thiel, won a $140 million judgment against Gawker for publishing a private sex video — is the line between privacy and free speech. Get out your popcorn.
Denton pulled out his best fighting words in a lengthy blog post.
“Now you show yourself as a thin-skinned billionaire who, despite all the success and public recognition that a person could dream of, seethes over criticism and plots behind the scenes to tie up his opponents in litigation he can afford better than they,” Denton wrote.
After Forbes wrote a story saying that Thiel secretly funded Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker, Thiel admitted to financing the litigation in an interview with the New York Times, in which he said that he wanted to deter the media from crossing the line. The New York Times has also reported that Gawker Media is exploring a possible sale.
“It’s less about revenge and more about specific deterrence,” Thiel said to the New York Times. “I saw Gawker pioneer a unique and incredibly damaging way of getting attention by bullying people even when there was no connection with the public interest.”
Denton listed a long litany of cases in which Gawker has uncovered embarrassing stories about Thiel and his friends, all in the name of “good journalism.”
Denton suggested that the fight would get uglier still in court. But then he suggested an alternative:
The best regulation for speech, in a free society, is more speech. We each claim to respect independent journalism, and liberty. We each have criticisms of the other’s methods and objectives. Now you have revealed yourself, let us have an open and public debate,” Denton wrote. “The court cases will proceed as long as you fund them. And I am sure the war of headlines will continue. But, even if we put down weapons just for a brief truce, let us have a more constructive exchange. We can hold the discussion in person with a moderator of your choosing, in front of an audience, under the auspices of the Committee to Protect Journalists, or in a written discussion on some neutral platform such as Medium. Just tell me where and when.
We’ll see if Thiel takes the bait.
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Assoc Prof Lionel Reyftmann
MD, FRANZCOG, DESC of reprod. medicine (French CREI equiv.)
Rawson House, Ground Floor 1 Rawson Street, Wollongong NSW 2500, Australia
General Infertility, IVF, ICSI, PGD, PGS, PCOS and Endometriosis, Reproductive Surgery
Assoc Prof. Lionel Reyftmann has an integrated vision of fertility practice. The treatment options he offers patients are gradual steps beginning with simple medical and lifestyle management, up to advanced laparoscopic surgery or assisted reproductive technologies (IVF, ICSI) depending on the individual case and the patient’s wishes.
He has pioneered in Australia a new minimally invasive surgical technique called the Fertiloscopy. This procedure helps to explore infertility and treat polycystic ovarian syndrome through the vagina, without any abdominal incision.
Lionel is from France and is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. After completing his medical training at Montpellier 1 University (the most ancient medical school in the western world), he undertook further subspecialist training in reproductive medicine at the Montpellier University Hospital, France. It was here that Lionel held a staff specialist and lecturer position for seven years before moving to Australia. He obtained the DESC - complementary diploma in specialized study - in reproductive medicine in 2007 (French CREI equiv.).
Upon arriving in Australia in 2010, Lionel took a position at the Sydney Women’s Endosurgery Centre as a Research Fellow in advanced laparoscopic surgery (tubal surgery, myomectomy, excision of endometriosis). He was elevated fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand Colleges of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 2011, is a member of several scientific societies, and has widely presented at various society meetings. Lionel has authored or co-authored more than 30 international papers, encompassing such topics as natural IVF for poor responders, prenatal genetic diagnosis PGD, endometriosis, laparoscopy and lifestyle factors related to infertility.
He is a staff specialist at the Wollongong Hospital and a Visiting Medical Officer at Wollongong and Shellharbour Private Hospitals and the Wollongong Day Surgery.
In 2001, Lionel spent one year out of clinical practice in a full time stem cell research post in a laboratory affiliated to the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the French equivalent to Australia’s NHMRC.
He obtained a diploma of etudes approfondie DEA (French equivalent to a master of applied science M App Sc) in cellular and molecular endocrinology from the University of Montpellier.
He is honorary clinical senior lecturer at the Graduate School of Medicine of the University of Wollongong.
Lionel is a native French speaker, fluent in English and is almost fluent in Spanish. He moved to Australia in 2010 to follow his Australian wife and is the happy father of twins.
T: 02 4227 6589
W: irml.com.au
Follow him on Twitter: @dr_reyftmann and on Facebook: /IllawarraReproMedLap
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Tag Archives: Great Lakes
Overlooked and Underloved: Milwaukee
February 7, 2016 Robert ParkerAmerica, Beer, Brew City, Cream City, Eero Saarinen, Great Lakes, History, Midwest, milwaukee, Rust Belt, Santiago Calatrava, Tourism, travel, wisconsin 1 Comment
Here’s a line from a song “The Bay” by the British band Metronomy.
“Because this isn’t Paris. And this isn’t London. And it’s not Berlin. And it’s not Hong Kong. Not Tokyo….”.
This song fits Milwaukee.
It’s the kind of city that shouldn’t be nice, because that contradicts your preconceptions.
You don’t want to admit that you enjoy it, because it’s… Milwaukee.
Located…where, exactly?
It’s OK if you don’t really know.
“Somewhere past Chicago,”
“near the Great Lakes?”
“Yeah, it’s…oh wait, that’s Minneapolis”
are all acceptable answers.
If your brain does kick out a few random factoids, there’s an image problem. The city was a byword for industrial decay, notorious for its massive rate of crime and poverty, and Miller Lite on culture. Even the ball team was sub-par.
> Poster boy for the Rust Belt.
> Someplace dull where people talk about electric power tools.
> The City That Made Beer Famous” – but a lot of it came to be cheap, sticky, mass-produced “value beer.”
Old Milwaukee, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Schlitz Malt Liquor were never seen in my house. They always seem to be the brands you see in roadside ditches– tossed from rusty pickups with rude stickers. The pickups are driven by the kind of people that throw their trash and empties out the window, and were driving by old rusted-out Allis-Chalmers hay-balers, a brand once world-famous, manufactured just down the road from my apartment in West Allis, and now faded away.
The city was part of feeling embarrassed about living in the northern U.S., in the Rust Belt.
Bad cars from Detroit. Bad beer from Milwaukee. Bad politicians from New York.
Last summer, I moved to Milwaukee. Voluntarily. I entered of my own free will.
The city continues to get a lot of bad press. New Yorker magazine just ran an article about the thousands of evictions that take place yearly in this, the fourth poorest city in the country.
The art museum on the lake. A fantastic creation by several architects. The central building by Eero Saarinen, an addition with a winged sunscreen that opens & closes by Santiago Calatrava
But Listen Up People — I am here, and I am here to say, Milwaukee is a great city
City Hall. When it was erected, the tallest building in the country.
On a great lake. Literally, the city is right on one of the “Great Lakes.” Lake Michigan is impressive, one of the biggest expanses of fresh water in the whole world. It doesn’t need the others to be a Great Lake. You could drop Maryland, Massachusetts, and Connecticut into it without a trace. And its the only one we don’t have to share with Canada, so it is an All-American lake.
Mitchell Park Domes. Desert and tropical environments, and a nice break from winter
This isn’t the 1980 Rustbelt anymore! Milwaukee is ready to be a new poster boy, one for new era, the re-birth of the American city. From Buffalo and Pittsburgh to Milwaukee, the revitalized Richmond and Louisville, and of course, NYC – all have stories of revival, comeback, resurgence, regrowth. And unlike NYC or San Francisco, young people can actually afford to live here, and can afford to have some fun.
America’s comeback is, and will be, taking place in its cities. A lot of this is change is brought about by an influx of young working people. Young people who move in, work, and spend their money here. There are still huge problems, but that just isn’t the whole story.
So it feels good to move to a city that is coming back to life, and showing people that “moving to the city” is still relevant and desirable.
It may be overshadowed by bigger, sexier Chicago, but Milwaukee is very much a worthy, interesting destination city on its own. I know one Chicago resident, who comes up on weekends, because he loves visiting the local joints in our town. Madison, Wisconsin’s state capital, is prosperous and squeaky clean, and has earned the reputation of being the ultimate college town (though it will always rank below my favorite, Ithaca, NY) but Milwaukee can give them a run for their money — there is a vast population of students and recent graduates.
You can have an apartment! Not a cleaning supplies closet “artfully re-purposed into a Living Pod,” or a retro-engineered shipping container, or a squat where the coachroaches have names and their own little bunk beds. You don’t need to live in a derelict loft with five roommates, and go dumpster-diving behind Panera’s; here you can live a good life on very little money. Beer is cheap, and it is good – Milwaukee’s old-time genetic coding has kicked in, after all this is Brew City, and they’re once again making great beer around here. Microbreweries like Sprecher, Lakefront, Brenner turn out ales and lagers as good as anything in Europe. There’s lots of innovative stuff, too, like organic pumpkin beer, tangerine IPA, etc. and a really smooth black lager. Bars are plentiful, friendly, and the “pub food” is excellent, and the nightlife is good.
Where I live, West Allis, somewhere between a city neighborhood and a suburb, there are tree-lined streets, and you can walk along the Hank Aaron Trail to downtown, and then along the RiverWalk, which stretches right through the heart of the city. You can walk on top of the bluffs along the lakefront, and they even have a lighthouse.
A quintessential American city — it’s a diverse population, mostly Germans, Poles and Mexicans, but with dozens of other groups and ethnic communities in the mix. There are African-American neighborhoods mixed with Hmong immigrants just up the road from an old Scandinavian enclave. Maybe, here in the middle, as the new, monied elites grow richer on both coasts, will be one of the last bastions of middle class America.
A world-class art museum on the Lake (the building alone is an architectural gem, in part a design by Eero Saarinen, who did the St. Louis Arch and buildings that still look futuristic at Dulles and JFK airports), authentic ethnic restaurants, hip lofts and desirable neighborhoods, full of hipsters, yuppies and yup-sters, a cool live-music scene and lots to do, this town is excellent. To amuse tourists and local visitors alike, a stroll along one of downtown’s main streets takes you past a series of street poles with mini-stories told in ‘flip art’. Milwaukee offers more green space than any major American city — parks abound along the lake. You can visit the Pabst mansion, the Mitchell Domes (huge geodesic gardens, one for desert, one for tropical), enjoy German food in the restaurant that has hosted four US presidents, celebrate “Pho-bruary”, and experience blue-collar America’s factories, with tours of Miller (and the other breweries too) and Harley-Davidson’s factory.
“The Streets of Old Milwaukee” in the excellent, and fun, Public Museum
Celebrating Men in Tights
This town may not have the fashion scene, but it has character. Here, people talk to you. They are sincere; they are friendly. You can live on a reasonable salary. Housing prices aren’t outrageous. You have all the big city amenities, and none of the traffic. Sure, this town lacks the frenetic pulse and determined weirdness that enlivens places like NYC, but it instead feels like a big small town. You feel like you’re at home, even when you’re not from around these parts. I think it’s wonderful. But don’t take my word for it, come and see for yourself.
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Theatre Review: The Two Worlds of Charlie F
March 27, 2014 / Kizzia
I’m struggling to find words to describe this play that don’t sound completely trite or overly effusive.
Because it was, with out a doubt, one of the best plays I’ve ever seen.
Mainly because it isn’t just a play. The majority of the men and women on the stage are UK Armed Forces personnel – some still serving, some not – who have suffered debilitating injuries. What you see are their stories, as told by them.
The play started life as part of a rehabilitation programme for wounded service personnel and ended up wowing the critics, winning the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award and playing to sold out audiences during its first run in 2012. Now, due to popular demand, it’s on tour.
I’m so very glad it is. I couldn’t look away from the stage and often couldn’t swallow past the lump in my throat as they drew me into their world and I got lost in their memories. I spent quite a lot of time dabbing at my eyes. I laughed a lot too, though; there’s a reason British Forces have such a reputation for their sense of humour.
The play is visceral, it is real – oh, it’s so very, very real – and is one of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever had. A lot of you will know how much of my time I’ve spent researching the Afghanistan Conflict, trying to understand what it is like for the soldiers who serve. So you will realise just what I mean to convey when I say that this has given me a better grasp of just what it was like to be there – to experience such horrific injuries and to embrace the possibility of death – than all those hours of reading, talking on forums, and watching DVD documentaries have ever managed.
I think – I was at the front and didn’t turn round to check, too busy clapping like a mad thing – that the entire theatre gave them a standing ovation last night. It was very much deserved and I know I wasn’t the only one who left with a pocket full of damp tissues and a much greater appreciation of just what our forces endure in the name of duty.
The other, truly wonderful, things I left the performance with were prints of these, which speak to me much the same way as the play did:
They were painted by Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Stewart Hill, formerly of the Royal Regiment of Wales, and one of the actors in the play. He suffered a shrapnel wound to the back of his brain and has used painting as part of his rehabilitation. His work was on display in the foyer of the theatre and prints were available to purchase after the performance. The pictures link directly to Stewart’s website, where you can see more of his work and what else he is involved with.
The Two Worlds of Charlie F is on tour, through Canada and the UK, currently playing at The Wolverhampton Grand until this Saturday (29th March 2014).
You can find the rest of the tour dates at The Charlie F website and you can also follow them on Twitter – @CharlieF_Tour.
Please go and see it. They are an amazing group of people, telling a story that everyone needs to hear, and who deserve every success.
Afghanistan Conflict, british army, The Two Worlds of Charlie F, theatre review
← Writing Blog Tour Stops Here …
UK Armed Forces Day →
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BSRIA launches urbanisation megatrends report
by Mark Eltringham • Cities, Facilities management, News, Property
The Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) has launched a new report called Megatrends – Urbanisation (registration needed) which claims to look at the major forces that are shaping the ‘world in which we live and do business’. The report cites as inspiration a 2015 McKinsey report called No Ordinary Disruption, which examined ‘The Four Global Forces Breaking all the Trends’. The four key trends which McKinsey pointed to as already impacting on almost every society, or will do soon, are urbanisation, an ageing population, globalisation and the technological revolution. Since 1950 there has been a massive global movement towards urbanisation. In 1950 fewer than 30 per cent of the world’s population lived in urban areas. By 2010 this had reached 50 per cent and by 2050 the share is forecast to exceed two thirds of the world’s population. This represents one of the biggest and fastest human movements in history and the report sets out to explore its implications.
Henry Lawson, BSRIA’s Senior Market Research Consultant, commented: “While there has been a lot of talk about urbanisation, in this report we are focussing especially on what it means for the building services industry. The world is going to carry on getting more urbanised even in countries like the UK which are already very urbanised. Socially and economically this is a very double-edged sword. In poorer countries – cities can act as engines to create wealth. Big cities can provide a concentration of people with the right skills, education and connections to drive the economy forward. In richer countries, however, cities often carry with them their own social problems. In countries like the UK, crime tends to be higher in urban areas.
“You might think that urbanisation inevitably leads to more cramped living conditions, but evidence from across Europe shows that some of the most densely populated countries like Belgium and the Netherlands actually have bigger homes on average than the UK, so there is a definite lesson to learn there. While we often think of cities as being dirty and polluting, well managed cities can actually save energy and improve the environment. People are more likely to be able to walk or cycle to work or use public transport and ‘greener’ forms of heating like district heating are more likely to be viable.
“Cities also have an important social and political impact. For example, urban populations tend to be younger. This is partly an acknowledgement of the fact that in cities it is easier to provide the education, the jobs, the entertainment and social and cultural life that younger people tend to look for. If, in contrast, rural areas tend to have an older population, then services need to be provided there to meet the needs of older people. This includes, not just health and social facilities, but also better transport for people who may have given up driving.
“Smart technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) is having a growing impact on cities and providing a wealth of information that can be used to run cities more safely and efficiently, notably in areas like transport and security, though of course the IoT brings with it its own security risks which need to be addressed. It also means that cities will be talking more to their component parts, such as the buildings within them. While parts of the world are seeing the emergence of megacities, with populations of over 20 million, overall we found that there was no one ‘optimal’ size for a city. On the contrary there are pros and cons to different sizes and it is the quality of a city’s governance and leadership and the ability of different groups to co-operate together that matters most.”
Culture shift needed to drive a better gender balance in property and construction The seven must-reads that were on our radar this week
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WRBL | “International children’s choir visits Hamilton’s River of Life Church of God”
By: Anjelicia Bruton
HAMILTON, Ga (WRBL) – Children of the World Choir made a stop in Hamilton on Sunday as part of its Refuge and Strength tour. The choir performed at River of Life Church of God.
Lead pastor Dan Rogers says he invited the choir to his church because the children represent the world, but the church reaches the world.
“The Bible says in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 9 ‘If we sow generously, we will reap generously,’” so I believe that a church that sows is a church that sows,” said Pastor Rogers.
The Children of the World Choir is made up of 15 children ages nine to ten from the Philippines, Nepal and Uganda.
According to WorldHelp, there are more than 65 million people worldwide who are refugees. Nearly 50 million of those refugees are children.
Team leader of the choir, Keith Eschleman says for many of these children this is their first time leaving their country.
“They either come from a children’s home, or their home life situation back home is very difficult and they need to receive the care from the child sponsorship program,” said Eschleman.
Purity is nine-years-old and from Uganda. She says being part of this choir is bigger than her.
“I love performing because we help other people around the world,” Purity said.
Kenz also likes performing. His favorite song is “Everyday.”
“Everyday we’re thankful to God because he died on the cross,” said Kenz.
Eschelman and his wife accompany the children on the tour. Eschelman says his wife taught the choir the songs and dances that they perform.
The tour is for ten months and at the end, each child returns to his/her country with a college scholarship to continue his/her education.
Leaders of River of Life Church of God say that by the end of the service, several of the children received sponsors and church members were able to donate about $4,000 to the choir’s mission.
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Add or take a free, open TEMPLATE course.
Add free, open TEMPLATE courses below.
Add free, open _______ courses
Biomedical Computing http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/health-sciences-and-technology/hst-950j-biomedical-computing-fall-2010/ MIT non-degree Prof. Peter Szolovits, Prof. Gil Alterovitz Browser Start anytime English Graduate
Computational Biology: Genomes, Networks, Evolution http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-047-computational-biology-genomes-networks-evolution-fall-2008 MIT non-degree Prof. Manolis Kellis, Prof. James Galagan Browser Start anytime English Undergraduate, Graduate
Computational Evolutionary Biology http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-877j-computational-evolutionary-biology-fall-2005/ MIT non-degree Prof. Robert Berwick Browser Start anytime English Graduate
Genomics and Computational Biology http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/health-sciences-and-technology/hst-508-genomics-and-computational-biology-fall-2002/ MIT non-degree Dr. George Church Browser Start anytime English Undergraduate, Graduate
Select Blogs, Twitters, etc. Edit
Select Programs, Applications, Software Edit
PLOS Computational Biology. 2012. Software collection: Open Access meets Open Source in PLOS Computational Biology. November 30. blogs.plos.org.
Hall, Chris. 2012. Software collection: Open Access meets Open Source in PLOS Computational Biology. November 30. blogs.plos.org.
Select Theses, Dissertations, Papers, etc. Edit
Biology: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Biology
Biological Anthropology: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Biological_Anthropology
Botany: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Botany
Computational Biology: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Computational_Biology
Darwin, Charles: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Darwin,_Charles
Conservation: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Conservation
Ecology: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Ecology
Evolution: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Evolution
Evolutionary_Biology: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Evolutionary_Biology
Genetics: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Genetics
Genomics: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Genomics
Health Sciences and Technology: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Health_Sciences_and_Technology
Plant Evolution: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Plant_Evolution
Flyer seeking degree-oriented, WUaS students: 'Quaker-informed World University & School seeks friendly, undergraduate students for free, online, MIT OCW-centric, bachelor’s degrees to apply in the autumn of 2013, for matriculation in autumn 2014' - http://scottmacleod.com/WUaSFriendsFlyerforProspectiveStudentApplicants.pdf - and accessible here, also - http://scottmacleod.com/WUaSNoticeArchive.html. WUaS holds open, electronically-mediated, hour-long, monthly business meeting on the second Saturdays at 9 am Pacific Time, in the manner of Quakers - email worlduniversityandschool@gmail.com if you'd like to participate.
Broadcast to radio frequency
Broadcast to TV
WUaS International Baccalaureate Diploma and Programme: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/WUaS_International_Baccalaureate_Diploma_and_Programme </br> (probably in United Nations' languages only - Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Russian, Spanish)
Active Worlds Educational Universe (AWEDU). 2012. http://www.activeworlds.com/edu/
Alice. 2012. http://www.alice.org/index.php?page=what_is_alice/what_is_alice Minecraft. 2012. www.minecraft.net
Open Croquet. 2012. http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?OpenCroquet
Quest Atlantis. 2012. http://crlt.indiana.edu/research/qa.html (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZoT3pilNPI).
ScienceSim. 2012. http://www.sciencesim.com/wiki/doku.php . Research, teach, learn and share ideas - in voice or in type chat.
Unity3D. 2012. unity3d.com/
Teach and Learn using free Social Bookmarking software to identify what courses, etc. you find edifying.
Digg.com's World University and School - http://digg.com/worlduniversityandschool
Facebook.com's World University and School - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=48753608141 (This group may be archived).
Google + - worlduniversityandschool@gmail.com (Scott MacLeod) - https://plus.google.com/115890623333932577910/
Google Profiles World University and School - https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/108179352492243955816/108179352492243955816/posts
LinkedIn's World University and School - http://www.linkedin.com/groups/World-University-School
World University & School subject group
AnyMeeting - http://l.anymeeting.com/homepage/
Google + Hangout - https://tools.google.com/dlpage/hangoutplugin
Wet Paint - http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/
World University and School incorporated as a nonprofit in April 2010 and is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity, as of 2011.
All content on this site is freely available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ .
http://scottmacleod.com/worlduniversityandschool.htm
Retrieved from "https://worlduniversity.fandom.com/wiki/Computational_Biology?oldid=12914"
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Kesha Drops ‘Rainbow’ Documentary Trailer: ‘This Has Literally Saved My Life’
Cooper Neill, Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Kesha's Rainbow is about to come even more clearly into focus — the "Praying" singer just released the trailer for her forthcoming documentary, and it looks like we're in for a surefire tearjerker.
"Sometimes things feel like they're too much to handle," Kesha says in the clip below, amid images of her falling into the ether, trying to break herself free from a glass coffin and struggling to breach the ocean's surface.
"You don't own me!" she shouts to a concert's crowd in a particular heated moment.
And Kesha told Rolling Stone that creating the work helped to pull her out of her funk, much of which was caused by a public and painful court case against Dr. Luke, whom she accused of rape.
“Making Rainbow the album was such a therapeutic process and given the opportunity to turn it into a three-dimensional piece of art has helped me find even deeper healing and catharsis,” she said. “I hope this film inspires others to never give up even if you feel full of hurt or lost, because after the storm comes a rainbow. Depression, anxiety and mental illness are things we all need to talk about more, and there is no shame in asking for help. Making the decision to work on yourself is the bravest thing you can do. I hope this film helps bring light and love to everyone.”
And as the preview winds down, Kesha notes: “This record has quite literally saved my life.”
Rainbow will drop on Apple Music on August 10.
Source: Kesha Drops ‘Rainbow’ Documentary Trailer: ‘This Has Literally Saved My Life’
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Philippa Whipple QC and Suzanne Lambert win HMG’s case closing Channel Islands VAT loophole
Philippa Whipple QC and Suzanne Lambert represented HM Revenue and Customs and HM Treasury in their successful defence of a judicial review challenge brought by the States of Jersey and Guernsey against the Government’s decision to abolish relief from VAT on goods of small value imported from the Channel Islands into the UK under “LVCR” (low value consignment relief).
The Channel Islands are outside the European Union for the purposes of VAT. They therefore can, at present, benefit from LVCR. However, the value of goods imported tax-free from the Channel Islands and benefiting from this relief has grown to approximately ｣644m per annum in 2011, across a wide range of imported goods, including CDs and DVDs, flowers, plants, electrical and computer accessories. The volume and range of imports has caused significant problems for UK traders, who have been forced to compete against tax-free Channel Islands imports.
Jersey and Guernsey brought a pre-emptive challenge against the proposed legislation, seeking a declaration that it was contrary to EU law. The essence of the challenge was that the UK Government had no power to disapply LVCR in relation to imports from the Channel Islands, whilst retaining it for imports from other countries outside the EU.
In finding for HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs, Mitting J held that there was no principle of EU law which prevented disapplication of LVCR in relation to some countries but not others. Member States are not required to treat all non-EU countries equally in relation to matters concerning VAT. He agreed that the proposed legislation was authorised by article 23 of Directive 2009/132/EC and he declined to construe that provision narrowly in the way contended for by Jersey and Guernsey. The proposed legislation was, therefore, not unlawful or contrary to EU law principles of fiscal neutrality, non-discrimination or proportionality.
Following Budget Day on 21 March 2012, the draft legislation will be the subject of a resolution under the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act 1968. From 1 April 2012, imports from the Channel Islands will no longer benefit from the LVCR exemption and will be subject to VAT.
This is an important victory for the UK Government, which is committed to preventing the distortion of competition in the UK market caused by LVCR imports from the Channel Islands, and the associated tax loss to HM Treasury.
Mitting J granted Jersey and Guernsey permission to appeal. If this case continues on appeal, the likelihood must be that it will be the subject of a reference to the Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU).
Suzanne Lambert
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Home > Blog > Local > Wichita's Best Camping Spots
Wichita's Best Camping Spots
June 27, 2016 | Ashley Aulbach
It's summertime, and that means it's time to enjoy the great outdoors. If you're looking for a place to go camping- whether that's tent, RV or cabin camping, you're in luck. There are plenty of great options in and around Wichita!
El Dorado State Park, El Dorado, Kansas
El Dorado State Park offers a great camping experience in the Wichita area, featuring campgrounds, sleeper cabins and deluxe cabins, there are a variety of options available. El Dorado State Park highlights five small sleeper cabins, two deluxe cabins in the Bluestem Point area and three deluxe cabins in the Walnut River area (a total of five deluxe cabins.) Bluestem Point offers a pet friendly cabin, so you can bring your furry friends along. Cabins can be reserved by phone, online or in person. Reservations must be made by someone 18 or older, and someone over the age of 18 must be present in the cabin for the duration of occupancy.
El Dorado State Park charges a $14 reservation fee. Small cabins are $35 per night on weekdays and $45 per night on weekends. Deluxe Cabins are available for $100 per night during the week and $110 on weekends. A $50 fee will be required for pets.
El Dorado State Park highlights roughly 2,000 acres of park and 4,000 acres of wildlife and about 8,000 acres of water with 98 miles of shoreline. You'll find trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, as well as many other amenities at El Dorado State Park. For more details, or to make reservations online, click here.
Cheney State Park, Cheney, Kansas
Located just 17 miles west of Wichita, Cheney state park offers 200 utility camping sites and a variety of camping amenities. Featuring 222 electrical hook-up sites with water, more than 277 primitive campsites, and nine modern cabins, Cheney State Park has plenty of space and options for campers.
The park also highlights two marinas, six boat ramps, with 22 launching lanes, nine showerhouses, three natural trails, a variety of picnic and group shelters in varying sizes and more. Reservations can be made year-round. For rates, more information, or to make a reservation, click here.
Wellington KOA - Wellington, Kansas
Wellington KOA is just a 30 minute drive from Wichita, and it offers tent camping, RV camping, and cabin rentals. Featuring a variety of cabins including a wheelchair accessible cabin, Wellington KOA can accommodate your needs.
The area also highlights 34 full hook-up, pull through sites for all sizes of RVs. Kids can enjoy a nearby playground, and guests can also swim, play basketball and mine for gemstones at Wellington KOA. The campground is located near several other local attractions, so you won't have to go far for a round of golf, a trip to the Chisholm Trail or Panhandle Railroad Museum, or for a hot meal. Rates vary.
For more information, check out the website.
Lake Afton Park- Goddard, Kansas
You'll find both RV and tent campsites at Goddard's Lake Afton. This is likely the most common camping destination for Wichitans, as many people frequent the lake during the summer. The park features 720 acres of recreational area and 258 acres of lake. Lake Afton Park also features two playgrounds, three swimming areas, six shelters, three fishing docks, a boat ramp and even a park store!
The store offers live and packaged bait, supplies for camping, boating and swimming, fish tackle, snacks, firewood, grocery items, propane and more. The store is located in the park office and open from 8 .m. until 6 p.m. during the week and from 8 a.m. until 8p.m. on weekends.
Primitive camping permits are $8 per day, and electric hook-up permits are $12 per day. Weekly and monthly rates are also available, and senior discounts are given. Click here for more information.
Harvey County East Lake Park - Newton, Kansas
Harvey County East Lake Park features over 300 acres of lake space perfect for skiing, boating and fishing. The park also offers horse trails, nature trails and air conditioned and open shelters.
East Lake Park offers both electrical and primitive sites. Renters must be 21 years of age or older. Those camping on electrical sites will be required to pay electrical rates, even if they are not hooked up. Primitive camping can take place in any designated area, and may not take place in areas designated for electrical campsites, or within 100 feet of any shelter or permanent structure.
Open shelters are available daily on a first-come-first-served basis. Camping can take place in open shelters, but the shelter must be reserved for both the day before and after the intended overnight stay.
For more information and shelter reservations: call (316) 283-5420.
Hitchin' Post RV Park - Yoder, Kansas
Located about half an hour outside of Wichita, the small community of Yoder offers it's very own camping experience. The Yoder Hitchin' Post RV Park is within walking distance of anything in the city of Yoder. Just a short drive from both Wichita and Hutchinson, this site is conveniently located and features easy access to Highway 96. Only 12 miles from the Kansas State Fairgrounds, this is a great place to stay if you're attending the fair in the early fall. The Yoder Hitchin' Post has 20 full hook-ups, 10 of which are pull-throughs. Bathroom, laundry and shower facilities are available.
Rates are $25 per night, $150 per week, or $425 per month. To make reservations, call 620-727-2356 or send an email to hitchinpost@yoderkansas.com.
K & R RV Park - Southeast Wichita, Kansas
Located in southeast Wichita, This RV park is very close to the city while still offering a quiet camping experience. Whether you're looking for a quick overnight stay or an extended visit, you'll be welcomed with open arms at K & R RV Park. The park is near Spirit, Cessna and McConnell, and it's prime location near both I35 and the turnpike allow for quick access to downtown Wichita and more.
Rates are $30 per night for 30 AMPS and $35 per night for 50 AMPS. Weekly rates are $150 for 30 AMPS and $175 for 50 AMPS. Monthly rates are $265 plus a move-in deposit of $150.
For further information, call (316) 684-1531 or visit the website.
Kansas State Fairgrounds RV Park - Hutchinson, Kansas
The Kansas State Fairgrounds offer an RV Park of their own for camping. The park has 211 full service 50 amp hook-ups to offer. Located within a few blocks of shopping, restaurants, a water park and grocery stores, this RV Park is a lot of fun year-round, not just during the fair! The Kansas State Fairgrounds RV Park even offers wireless Internet connection for a small fee. The Park hosts several RV rallies throughout the year, so be sure to call and reserve your spot in advance.
Rates (Excluding the month of September) are $20 per night, $126 per week and $450 per month. Rates may vary based on events being held on the fairgrounds. For information about RV parking during the Kansas State Fair, click here.
Melody Acres RV Park - Hutchinson, Kansas
Also in Hutchinson, Kansas, Melody Acres RV Park has been a great RV camping destination for more than 40 years. This is quietly nestled in a wooded area, so you can enjoy a relaxing and peaceful camping experience while remaining close to the business district for convenient access to the restaurants and shops of downtown Hutchinson.
Melody Acres offers 33 hook-up sites (30 and 50 AMPS) and an additional 16 pull-through sites. Pets are welcome, and Melody Acres is located within walking distance of the Carey dog park, so bring your four-legged friends out for some fun!
For rates and information, call (620) 665-5048 or email MelodyAcresPark@gmail.com.
Winfield City Lake
Winfield City Lake offers primitive camping, electric hook-ups and camper pads, which are located on both sides of the lake. Pads feature electricity, water, and sewer. Tent camping is available anywhere in the area, offering the ultimate primitive camping experience.
Primitive camping is available for a daily fee of $3, camper pads are available with a permit for $12 per day, and electric pads are available with a permit for $12 per day. If you're camping with a chartered organization that will require 10 or units, a fee of $9 per day will include your recreational license and hook-up.
For more information, visit the website.
All Seasons RV Campground - Goddard, Kansas
All Seasons RV and Campground is located in Goddard, Kansas, just outside of Wichita's west side. This picturesque campground keeps you close to all the necessities- stores, attractions, restaurants and more, all while offering the traditional RV camping experience.
Perfect for an overnight stay or an extended visit, this park has 55 pull-throughs that are shaded and on level ground. Limited groceries, propane and laundry facilities are available. With no noisy highways or interstates nearby, this is a perfect place to getaway and relax. For details, or to make reservations, call (316) 722-1154.
Creature Campout at Sedgwick County Zoo
The Sedgwick County Zoo offers Creature Camp Outs on select Friday and Saturday nights during the summer. This is an event that allows guest to pitch a tent and spend the night at the zoo! It's a little more wild than the typical camping experience, featuring an animal encounter, a guided tour, dinner, activities and more. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 9:30 a.m. Guests should plan to attend the entire event as the fun continues with breakfast and a tram ride in the morning! Participants must be at least five years old, and those under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $30 per person for members and $35 per person for non-members. Space is limited, so register now. Remaining dates are as follows:
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Water Meets "New Energy": Surging Renewables Have Utilities Eyeing Alternative Power Sources
Water suppliers and wastewater service providers are grappling with ways to reduce power costs
Water utilities are taking action when it comes to energy
Electricity is a water or wastewater utility's biggest expenditure, so water & wastewater providers are grappling with ways to reduce power costs, advance toward "green" energy & participate in the power industry evolution, says new @Black_Veatch report http://bit.ly/2QLKqYE
NEWSROOM: Black & Veatch
CAMPAIGN: 2019 Water SDR
Water and energy systems long have been intrinsically intertwined, given electricity's entrenchment as one of a water or wastewater utility's biggest expenditures. But as water suppliers and wastewater service providers grapple with ways to reduce power costs, advance toward "green" energy and participate in the electric industry evolution, there's talk of "ner energy."
Consider Orlando, where the Iron Bridge plant treats tens of millions of gallons of sewage, making it far and away the central Florida city's biggest electricity user. As Orlando works to wean itself from power derived from burning coal or natural gas, it's considering working with the regional electric utility to turn some of Iron Bridge's property into a microgrid armed with thousands of solar panels that can churn out cheaper, greener power.
Download the full 2019 Water Report
As the nexus of water and "new energy" becomes more common in the water sector's lexicon, Black & Veatch's 2019 Strategic Directions: Water Report survey shows that water and wastewater plant operators are embracing "master plans" meant to optimize their energy use, which unlike labor and chemical costs is something they can influence. Making the most of their data and bringing on more efficient equipment is helping, although water-related utilities also are exploring renewable energy – notably solar – as options in deferring operating costs.
The energy shift is not coming as vigorously as one might expect, perhaps partially because operators are focused on keeping their aging infrastructure functioning rather than thinking about tomorrow's energy scene.
A First Step: Developing an Energy Master Plan
Black & Veatch's annual survey of water industry leaders in North America shows that while two-thirds of respondents see energy management as very or extremely important, just less than half reported having an energy master plan. A little more than one-quarter of respondents said they're not working on such a blueprint in any form – perhaps because they feel they may not need one, given that they may be small utilities serving a small territory, or because their lagoon treatment of wastewater requires scant energy.
Low electricity rates also may be undercutting wider acceptance of new energy in the water industry, considering that nearly three-quarters of respondents to the Black & Veatch survey report paying just a 10 cents or less per kilowatt hour. Regions where those rates are higher – traditionally along the nation's coasts – offer a greater value proposition and incentive to take the upfront financial plunge into renewables.
Even so, according to the survey, renewables clearly are on the table, with three-quarters of respondents considering them. This shows that utilities are essentially scoping out whether there's a business case for solar – or if there is another driver, such as a local population pushing for cleaner, greener energy.
The solar alternative was far and away the popular energy choice among respondents to the poll, not surprisingly, given the shrinking cost of solar equipment and advances in the efficiency and lifespan of the panels. Solar is a logical, credible option because it's a passive, sunshine-collecting system without a lot of operations and maintenance (O&M) demands, which can be handled by outside contractors as needed. Looking at other options for generation, one-third said they were pondering gas generation from biosolids, while one-fifth are weighing hydroelectric options, increasingly on a small-scale basis.
In Solar, Shining Examples of Water Utilities Taking Actions
Some water utilities are taking the dive into new energy, turning shovels in the interest of resilience. And they're finding different ways to pay for it, with everything from federal and local funds to Public-Private Partnerships (P3s).
In northern California's Redding, the local Bella Vista Water District enlisted CalCom Energy – a solar developer and energy services company – to install what's now a 693-kilowatt solar farm that, along with the district's earlier solar array, helps the utility offset three-quarters of its annual electricity usage tied to pumping water. Paid for by a federal grant and district funds, the project is expected to produce $3 million in cost savings over the next quarter century and churn out more than 1 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy per year for the 20,000-customer district with 53 square miles of service territory.
"By leveraging district funds, we managed to maximize our overall investment in locally produced clean energy, which is central to the district's energy strategy to reduce dependence upon retail power purchases and exposure to greatly increasing energy costs," David Coxey, the water district's general manager, said upon announcing the latest project's competition in March 2019.
In Puerto Rico, which struggled to restore power in remote areas after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island's electrical system in 2017, new water and wastewater systems in the form of a half dozen microgrid-powered pumping systems are up and running. They're courtesy of a partnership between South Carolina-based nonprofit Water mission and Blue Planet Energy, an energy storage company out of Hawaii. All six pumping systems run independently of the island's public water utility.
In Las Cruces, New Mexico, local dignitaries convened in March 2019 to celebrate the startup of two new co-generators that convert methane – a byproduct of wastewater processing – and natural gas into efficient energy, saving the city about $220,000 a year.
In Western Australia, that region's chief water supplier – Water Corporation, with 2.6 million square kilometers (or, just over 1 million square miles) of surface territory – announced in early 2019 that it plans to spend $325,000 to install rooftop solar systems on its offices, pump stations, treatment plants and borefields. there are also plans to build an energy generator powered by biogas, a byproduct of wastewater treatment. With expectations that the panels will generate half of the total power to run each site and cut the corporation's yearly emissions by 450 tons, the state's water minister, Dave Kelly calls it leading by example "and doing what they can to reduce greenhouse gases that accelerate climate changes."
And then there's Orlando, which is weighing partnering with the regional electric utility to set up the microgrid station near the city's Iron Bridge sewage plant, the Orlando Sentinel has reported. The system, to be built and owned by the power company, would give one of the state's biggest handlers of sewage coveted resilience in times of emergency. Initial plans for the new energy systems at the 37-year-old plant, which was upgraded in 2005, call for it to produce 1 to 3 megawatts of power.
Getting Off the Sidelines and into the Game
While water and energy often are deemed to be different silos, improving only one of those resources while neglecting the other in what’s an interdependent system is counterproductive when pursuing sustainability and security.
Opportunities to boost energy efficiency, cut greenhouse gas emissions and capitalize on new revenue streams differ among wastewater utilities. Yet beyond being decades-old and traditionally in need of upgrades, a clear commonality exists: the ability to contain or cut energy and operational costs by embracing modern technology.
Utilities can exploit the benefits of the large volumes of available data for greater system efficiency and asset management. And they should know on-site generation of new energy sources — options such as biogas, hydroelectric and renewables — are maturing and gaining sway, with solar generation a natural option for utilities that largely have access to large spaces and rooftops of public buildings.
Funding doesn’t need to be an obstacle. Public-private partnerships or power purchase deals can help pave the way toward sizable, long-term cost savings via traditional solar providers or power purchase agreement (PPA) ventures fashioned to implement energy efficiency work and provide renewable resources with private funding. That financing then receives the “savings” experienced by the water/sewer agency, thereby resulting in no capital spend or increase in operations and maintenance costs.
There is significant conversation, too, about financing and the increased risk. An additional topic of conversation is the impact the shift to renewables will have on water power generation and what role water will play in power generation.
With such climate variability, Australia’s water chief Kelly presses, “what’s important is that we don’t wait but (that we) take every opportunity now to reduce energy use and greenhouse gases,” and “adopting new technology and applying it in the field allows us to learn what works best.”
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#BAS999TMGTSM496062CC
CHICAGO WHITE SOX ALL STAR GAME 1933 COOPERSTOWN GRIT ’47 SCRUM TEE
In 1933, Chicago Mayor Edward J. Kelly approached the publisher of the Chicago Tribune seeking sporting event ideas for the city’s World Fair. The paper’s sports editor, Art Ward, wanted to boost morale during the midst of the Great Depression, and pitched the idea of fans voting for their favorite athletes to play against each other in a friendly game of baseball. Additionally, the game’s ticket sales were to be donated to charities benefitting former players living with physical disabilities. The “Game of the Century” was played on July 6, 1933, in Chicago’s Comiskey Park, and the Midsummer Classic was born.
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Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Saveliev awarded his fourth Order of the Russian Federation
Moscow, 27 June 2018 – PJSC Aeroflot Chief Executive Officer Vitaly Saveliev has been awarded the Alexander Nevsky Order. The award was given to the head of Russia’s leading airline by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin at a ceremony that took place on 27 June in the Catherine Hall of the Kremlin. Orders, decorations and honorary titles were awarded to a number of outstanding citizens whose achievements are highly valued by the Russian Federation.
The Alexander Nevsky order is one of the highest state honours and a fourth order of the Russian Federation awarded to Mr.Saveliev. The award was given to Mr. Saveliev by decree of the President of the Russian Federation for his services in the development of air travel and for his many years of diligent work. Previously, Mr. Saveliev had been awarded the Order for Service to the Fatherland - IV Degree, the Order of Honour and the Order of Friendship.
After the arrival of the new management team headed by Vitaly Saveliev, Aeroflot became Russia’s unrivalled leading airline on both international and domestic routes. In 2018, Aeroflot celebrated its 95th anniversary, ranking as the most influential aviation holding in Russia and amongst the top 20 largest airlines globally by passenger traffic.
The airline has undergone a complete technological transformation. Aeroflot occupies fourth place in digitalization amongst all airlines worldwide, according to the U.S. consulting firm Bain & Company, and is also the largest online retailer in Russia. The airline, which has the youngest fleet amongst global airlines, operates a modern fleet of than 100 aircraft.
Aeroflot has strategic importance as a large consumer and operator of innovative products from Russian aircraft manufacturers. It is currently completing a contract for the acquisition of 50 Sukhoi Superjet 100 planes, of which 44 are already in operation. In addition, at the Annual General Meeting, Aeroflot shareholders approved a transaction to lease 50 of the newest Russian-made MC-21-300 aircraft, with delivery scheduled to begin in 2020.
According to a study by Brand Finance, an independent brand consultancy, Aeroflot for two consecutive years has maintained its status as the strongest aviation brand worldwide. The airline was awarded Four Star status for its quality of service from the British agency Skytrax – the world’s leading authority on air travel service quality. Aeroflot was also awarded the highest rating of Five Stars by the American Aviation Association APEX.
The company makes a major contribution to the social-economic development of Russia. The Annual General Meeting of shareholders approved the payment of dividends on the results of the 2017 financial year at 50% of PJSC Aeroflot’s net profit under Russian Accounting Standards. The Russian Government, as majority shareholder of the company, receives the largest share of these dividends.
Aeroflot’s strategic goal is to strengthen the transport connections between regions in Russia and to increase the mobility of the Russian population. In order to achieve this, among other things, the company has introduced the ‘flat tariff’ program that ensures the availability of flights between the European centre of Russia and the cities of the Far East, as well as to Simferopol and Kaliningrad.
According to the company’s Development Strategy, Aeroflot Group should enter into the top 5 European and the top 20 global air carriers in terms of passenger traffic and revenue by 2025. A number of foreign indicators of the 2025 Strategy have been achieved ahead of schedule, and the plans are currently being revised upwards. In the short term, this involves a re-evaluation of the strategy. One of its essential elements is the construction of regional hubs in cities within Russia. This goal is in line with the active development of interregional air travel, a task that the President of the Russian Federation set before the civil aviation community.
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Airport security operations to get consolidated offices
"We are in the process of developing new space for them," Mindingall told the Birmingham Airport Authority, which authorized Monday a five-year lease with TSA that becomes effective Jan. 1. The board also gave approval for Chairman Gaynelle Hendricks to sign a two-month lease that extends the current pact that ends Oct. 31 by two months to Dec. 31.
After two years, TSA and the airport will have rights to terminate the contract.
The new space for TSA will be smaller than its combined locations, which total 4,440 square feet. Mindingall said TSA will have 3,835 square feet.
Mindingall added that TSA will not be in the way of the project the authority is developing to modernize the terminal.
In September 2002, more than 100 federal employees hired to screen the airport's passengers and baggage began on-the-job training, a day before the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks that led to their hirings.
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For other uses, see Steel (disambiguation).
"Steel worker" redirects here. For other uses, see Steel worker (disambiguation).
Steels and other iron–carbon alloy phases
Austenite
Martensite
Microstructures
Spheroidite
Pearlite
Bainite
Ledeburite
Tempered martensite
Widmanstatten structures
Crucible steel
Spring steel
Maraging steel
Tool steel
Other iron-based materials
Gray iron
White iron
Ductile iron
The steel cable of a colliery winding tower
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, and sometimes other elements. Because of its high tensile strength and low cost, it is a major component used in buildings, infrastructure, tools, ships, automobiles, machines, appliances, and weapons.
Iron is the base metal of steel. Iron is able to take on two crystalline forms (allotropic forms), body centered cubic and face centered cubic, depending on its temperature. In the body-centered cubic arrangement, there is an iron atom in the center and eight atoms at the vertices of each cubic unit cell; in the face-centered cubic, there is one atom at the center of each of the six faces of the cubic unit cell and eight atoms at its vertices. It is the interaction of the allotropes of iron with the alloying elements, primarily carbon, that gives steel and cast iron their range of unique properties.
In pure iron, the crystal structure has relatively little resistance to the iron atoms slipping past one another, and so pure iron is quite ductile, or soft and easily formed. In steel, small amounts of carbon, other elements, and inclusions within the iron act as hardening agents that prevent the movement of dislocations that are common in the crystal lattices of iron atoms.
The carbon in typical steel alloys may contribute up to 2.14% of its weight. Varying the amount of carbon and many other alloying elements, as well as controlling their chemical and physical makeup in the final steel (either as solute elements, or as precipitated phases), slows the movement of those dislocations that make pure iron ductile, and thus controls and enhances its qualities. These qualities include such things as the hardness, quenching behavior, need for annealing, tempering behavior, yield strength, and tensile strength of the resulting steel. The increase in steel's strength compared to pure iron is possible only by reducing iron's ductility.
Steel was produced in bloomery furnaces for thousands of years, but its large-scale, industrial use began only after more efficient production methods were devised in the 17th century, with the production of blister steel and then crucible steel. This was followed by the open-hearth furnace and then the Bessemer process in England that refined the quality of steel. With the invention of the Bessemer process in the mid-19th century, a new era of mass-produced steel began. Mild steel replaced wrought iron.
Further refinements in the process, such as basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS), largely replaced earlier methods by further lowering the cost of production and increasing the quality of the final product. Today, steel is one of the most common manmade materials in the world, with more than 1.6 billion tons produced annually. Modern steel is generally identified by various grades defined by assorted standards organizations.
1 Definitions and related materials
2 Material properties
2.1 Heat treatment
3 Steel production
4 History of steelmaking
4.1 Ancient steel
4.2 Wootz steel and Damascus steel
4.3 Modern steelmaking
4.3.1 Processes starting from bar iron
4.3.2 Processes starting from pig iron
5 Steel industry
6 Recycling
7 Contemporary steel
7.1 Carbon steels
7.2 Alloy steels
7.3 Standards
8 Uses
8.1 Historical
8.2 Long steel
8.3 Flat carbon steel
8.4 Weathering steel (COR-TEN)
8.5 Stainless steel
8.6 Low-background steel
Definitions and related materials[edit]
The noun steel originates from the Proto-Germanic adjective stahliją or stakhlijan (made of steel), which is related to stahlaz or stahliją (standing firm).[1]
The carbon content of steel is between 0.002% and 2.14% by weight for plain iron–carbon alloys.[2] These values vary depending on alloying elements such as manganese, chromium, nickel, tungsten, and so on. In contrast, cast iron does undergo eutectic reaction. Too little carbon content leaves (pure) iron quite soft, ductile, and weak. Carbon contents higher than those of steel make a brittle alloy commonly called pig iron. While iron alloyed with carbon is called carbon steel, alloy steel is steel to which other alloying elements have been intentionally added to modify the characteristics of steel. Common alloying elements include: manganese, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, boron, titanium, vanadium, tungsten, cobalt, and niobium.[3] Additional elements, most frequently considered undesirable, are also important in steel: phosphorus, sulfur, silicon, and traces of oxygen, nitrogen, and copper.
Plain carbon-iron alloys with a higher than 2.1% carbon content are known as cast iron. With modern steelmaking techniques such as powder metal forming, it is possible to make very high-carbon (and other alloy material) steels, but such are not common. Cast iron is not malleable even when hot, but it can be formed by casting as it has a lower melting point than steel and good castability properties.[3] Certain compositions of cast iron, while retaining the economies of melting and casting, can be heat treated after casting to make malleable iron or ductile iron objects. Steel is distinguishable from wrought iron (now largely obsolete), which may contain a small amount of carbon but large amounts of slag.
Material properties[edit]
Iron-carbon equilibrium phase diagram, showing the conditions necessary to form different phases
Iron is commonly found in the Earth's crust in the form of an ore, usually an iron oxide, such as magnetite or hematite. Iron is extracted from iron ore by removing the oxygen through its combination with a preferred chemical partner such as carbon which is then lost to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. This process, known as smelting, was first applied to metals with lower melting points, such as tin, which melts at about 250 °C (482 °F), and copper, which melts at about 1,100 °C (2,010 °F), and the combination, bronze, which has a melting point lower than 1,083 °C (1,981 °F). In comparison, cast iron melts at about 1,375 °C (2,507 °F).[4] Small quantities of iron were smelted in ancient times, in the solid state, by heating the ore in a charcoal fire and then welding the clumps together with a hammer and in the process squeezing out the impurities. With care, the carbon content could be controlled by moving it around in the fire. Unlike copper and tin, liquid or solid iron dissolves carbon quite readily.
All of these temperatures could be reached with ancient methods used since the Bronze Age. Since the oxidation rate of iron increases rapidly beyond 800 °C (1,470 °F), it is important that smelting take place in a low-oxygen environment. Smelting, using carbon to reduce iron oxides, results in an alloy (pig iron) that retains too much carbon to be called steel.[4] The excess carbon and other impurities are removed in a subsequent step.
Other materials are often added to the iron/carbon mixture to produce steel with desired properties. Nickel and manganese in steel add to its tensile strength and make the austenite form of the iron-carbon solution more stable, chromium increases hardness and melting temperature, and vanadium also increases hardness while making it less prone to metal fatigue.[5]
To inhibit corrosion, at least 11% chromium is added to steel so that a hard oxide forms on the metal surface; this is known as stainless steel. Tungsten slows the formation of cementite, keeping carbon in the iron matrix and allowing martensite to preferentially form at slower quench rates, resulting in high speed steel. On the other hand, sulfur, nitrogen, and phosphorus are considered contaminants that make steel more brittle and are removed from the steel melt during processing.[5]
The density of steel varies based on the alloying constituents but usually ranges between 7,750 and 8,050 kg/m3 (484 and 503 lb/cu ft), or 7.75 and 8.05 g/cm3 (4.48 and 4.65 oz/cu in).[6]
Even in a narrow range of concentrations of mixtures of carbon and iron that make a steel, a number of different metallurgical structures, with very different properties can form. Understanding such properties is essential to making quality steel. At room temperature, the most stable form of pure iron is the body-centered cubic (BCC) structure called alpha iron or α-iron. It is a fairly soft metal that can dissolve only a small concentration of carbon, no more than 0.005% at 0 °C (32 °F) and 0.021 wt% at 723 °C (1,333 °F). The inclusion of carbon in alpha iron is called ferrite. At 910 °C, pure iron transforms into a face-centered cubic (FCC) structure, called gamma iron or γ-iron. The inclusion of carbon in gamma iron is called austenite. The more open FCC structure of austenite can dissolve considerably more carbon, as much as 2.1%[7] (38 times that of ferrite) carbon at 1,148 °C (2,098 °F), which reflects the upper carbon content of steel, beyond which is cast iron.[8] When carbon moves out of solution with iron, it forms a very hard, but brittle material called cementite (Fe3C).
When steels with exactly 0.8% carbon (known as a eutectoid steel), are cooled, the austenitic phase (FCC) of the mixture attempts to revert to the ferrite phase (BCC). The carbon no longer fits within the FCC austenite structure, resulting in an excess of carbon. One way for carbon to leave the austenite is for it to precipitate out of solution as cementite, leaving behind a surrounding phase of BCC iron called ferrite with a small percentage of carbon in solution. The two, ferrite and cementite, precipitate simultaneously producing a layered structure called pearlite, named for its resemblance to mother of pearl. In a hypereutectoid composition (greater than 0.8% carbon), the carbon will first precipitate out as large inclusions of cementite at the austenite grain boundaries until the percentage of carbon in the grains has decreased to the eutectoid composition (0.8% carbon), at which point the pearlite structure forms. For steels that have less than 0.8% carbon (hypoeutectoid), ferrite will first form within the grains until the remaining composition rises to 0.8% of carbon, at which point the pearlite structure will form. No large inclusions of cementite will form at the boundaries in hypoeuctoid steel.[9] The above assumes that the cooling process is very slow, allowing enough time for the carbon to migrate.
As the rate of cooling is increased the carbon will have less time to migrate to form carbide at the grain boundaries but will have increasingly large amounts of pearlite of a finer and finer structure within the grains; hence the carbide is more widely dispersed and acts to prevent slip of defects within those grains, resulting in hardening of the steel. At the very high cooling rates produced by quenching, the carbon has no time to migrate but is locked within the face-centered austenite and forms martensite. Martensite is a highly strained and stressed, supersaturated form of carbon and iron and is exceedingly hard but brittle. Depending on the carbon content, the martensitic phase takes different forms. Below 0.2% carbon, it takes on a ferrite BCC crystal form, but at higher carbon content it takes a body-centered tetragonal (BCT) structure. There is no thermal activation energy for the transformation from austenite to martensite.[clarification needed] Moreover, there is no compositional change so the atoms generally retain their same neighbors.[10]
Martensite has a lower density (it expands during the cooling) than does austenite, so that the transformation between them results in a change of volume. In this case, expansion occurs. Internal stresses from this expansion generally take the form of compression on the crystals of martensite and tension on the remaining ferrite, with a fair amount of shear on both constituents. If quenching is done improperly, the internal stresses can cause a part to shatter as it cools. At the very least, they cause internal work hardening and other microscopic imperfections. It is common for quench cracks to form when steel is water quenched, although they may not always be visible.[11]
Heat treatment[edit]
Main article: Heat treating carbon steel
There are many types of heat treating processes available to steel. The most common are annealing, quenching, and tempering. Heat treatment is effective on compositions above the eutectoid composition (hypereutectoid) of 0.8% carbon. Hypoeutectoid steel does not benefit from heat treatment.
Annealing is the process of heating the steel to a sufficiently high temperature to relieve local internal stresses. It does not create a general softening of the product but only locally relieves strains and stresses locked up within the material. Annealing goes through three phases: recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth. The temperature required to anneal a particular steel depends on the type of annealing to be achieved and the alloying constituents.[12]
Quenching involves heating the steel to create the austenite phase then quenching it in water or oil. This rapid cooling results in a hard but brittle martensitic structure.[10] The steel is then tempered, which is just a specialized type of annealing, to reduce brittleness. In this application the annealing (tempering) process transforms some of the martensite into cementite, or spheroidite and hence it reduces the internal stresses and defects. The result is a more ductile and fracture-resistant steel.[13]
Steel production[edit]
Main article: Steelmaking
See also: List of countries by steel production
Iron ore pellets for the production of steel
When iron is smelted from its ore, it contains more carbon than is desirable. To become steel, it must be reprocessed to reduce the carbon to the correct amount, at which point other elements can be added. In the past, steel facilities would cast the raw steel product into ingots which would be stored until use in further refinement processes that resulted in the finished product. In modern facilities, the initial product is close to the final composition and is continuously cast into long slabs, cut and shaped into bars and extrusions and heat treated to produce a final product. Today only a small fraction is cast into ingots. Approximately 96% of steel is continuously cast, while only 4% is produced as ingots.[14]
The ingots are then heated in a soaking pit and hot rolled into slabs, billets, or blooms. Slabs are hot or cold rolled into sheet metal or plates. Billets are hot or cold rolled into bars, rods, and wire. Blooms are hot or cold rolled into structural steel, such as I-beams and rails. In modern steel mills these processes often occur in one assembly line, with ore coming in and finished steel products coming out.[15] Sometimes after a steel's final rolling, it is heat treated for strength; however, this is relatively rare.[16]
History of steelmaking[edit]
Main articles: History of ferrous metallurgy and History of the steel industry (1850–1970)
Bloomery smelting during the Middle Ages
Ancient steel[edit]
Steel was known in antiquity and was produced in bloomeries and crucibles.[17][18]
The earliest known production of steel is seen in pieces of ironware excavated from an archaeological site in Anatolia (Kaman-Kalehöyük) and are nearly 4,000 years old, dating from 1800 BC.[19][20] Horace identifies steel weapons such as the falcata in the Iberian Peninsula, while Noric steel was used by the Roman military.[21]
The reputation of Seric iron of South India (wootz steel) grew considerably in the rest of the world.[18] Metal production sites in Sri Lanka employed wind furnaces driven by the monsoon winds, capable of producing high-carbon steel. Large-scale Wootz steel production in Tamilakam using crucibles and carbon sources such as the plant Avāram occurred by the sixth century BC, the pioneering precursor to modern steel production and metallurgy.[17][18]
The Chinese of the Warring States period (403–221 BC) had quench-hardened steel,[22] while Chinese of the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) created steel by melting together wrought iron with cast iron, gaining an ultimate product of a carbon-intermediate steel by the 1st century AD.[23][24]
Wootz steel and Damascus steel[edit]
Main articles: Wootz steel and Damascus steel
Evidence of the earliest production of high carbon steel in India are found in Kodumanal in Tamil Nadu, the Golconda area in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, and in the Samanalawewa areas of Sri Lanka.[25] This came to be known as Wootz steel, produced in South India by about sixth century BC and exported globally.[26][27] The steel technology existed prior to 326 BC in the region as they are mentioned in literature of Sangam Tamil, Arabic and Latin as the finest steel in the world exported to the Romans, Egyptian, Chinese and Arab worlds at that time – what they called Seric Iron.[28] A 200 BC Tamil trade guild in Tissamaharama, in the South East of Sri Lanka, brought with them some of the oldest iron and steel artifacts and production processes to the island from the classical period.[29][30][31] The Chinese and locals in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka had also adopted the production methods of creating Wootz steel from the Chera Dynasty Tamils of South India by the 5th century AD.[32][33] In Sri Lanka, this early steel-making method employed a unique wind furnace, driven by the monsoon winds, capable of producing high-carbon steel.[34][35] Since the technology was acquired from the Tamilians from South India,[citation needed] the origin of steel technology in India can be conservatively estimated at 400–500 BC.[26][35]
The manufacture of what came to be called Wootz, or Damascus steel, famous for its durability and ability to hold an edge, may have been taken by the Arabs from Persia, who took it from India. It was originally created from a number of different materials including various trace elements, apparently ultimately from the writings of Zosimos of Panopolis. In 327 BC, Alexander the Great was rewarded by the defeated King Porus, not with gold or silver but with 30 pounds of steel.[36] Recent studies have suggested that carbon nanotubes were included in its structure, which might explain some of its legendary qualities, though given the technology of that time, such qualities were produced by chance rather than by design.[37] Natural wind was used where the soil containing iron was heated by the use of wood. The ancient Sinhalese managed to extract a ton of steel for every 2 tons of soil,[34] a remarkable feat at the time. One such furnace was found in Samanalawewa and archaeologists were able to produce steel as the ancients did.[34][38]
Crucible steel, formed by slowly heating and cooling pure iron and carbon (typically in the form of charcoal) in a crucible, was produced in Merv by the 9th to 10th century AD.[27] In the 11th century, there is evidence of the production of steel in Song China using two techniques: a "berganesque" method that produced inferior, inhomogeneous steel, and a precursor to the modern Bessemer process that used partial decarbonization via repeated forging under a cold blast.[39]
Modern steelmaking[edit]
A Bessemer converter in Sheffield, England
Since the 17th century, the first step in European steel production has been the smelting of iron ore into pig iron in a blast furnace.[40] Originally employing charcoal, modern methods use coke, which has proven more economical.[41][42][43]
Processes starting from bar iron[edit]
Main articles: Blister steel and Crucible steel
In these processes pig iron was refined (fined) in a finery forge to produce bar iron, which was then used in steel-making.[40]
The production of steel by the cementation process was described in a treatise published in Prague in 1574 and was in use in Nuremberg from 1601. A similar process for case hardening armor and files was described in a book published in Naples in 1589. The process was introduced to England in about 1614 and used to produce such steel by Sir Basil Brooke at Coalbrookdale during the 1610s.[44]
The raw material for this process were bars of iron. During the 17th century it was realized that the best steel came from oregrounds iron of a region north of Stockholm, Sweden. This was still the usual raw material source in the 19th century, almost as long as the process was used.[45][46]
Crucible steel is steel that has been melted in a crucible rather than having been forged, with the result that it is more homogeneous. Most previous furnaces could not reach high enough temperatures to melt the steel. The early modern crucible steel industry resulted from the invention of Benjamin Huntsman in the 1740s. Blister steel (made as above) was melted in a crucible or in a furnace, and cast (usually) into ingots.[46][47]
Processes starting from pig iron[edit]
A Siemens-Martin steel oven from the Brandenburg Museum of Industry.
White-hot steel pouring out of an electric arc furnace.
The modern era in steelmaking began with the introduction of Henry Bessemer's Bessemer process in 1855, the raw material for which was pig iron.[48] His method let him produce steel in large quantities cheaply, thus mild steel came to be used for most purposes for which wrought iron was formerly used.[49] The Gilchrist-Thomas process (or basic Bessemer process) was an improvement to the Bessemer process, made by lining the converter with a basic material to remove phosphorus.
Another 19th-century steelmaking process was the Siemens-Martin process, which complemented the Bessemer process.[46] It consisted of co-melting bar iron (or steel scrap) with pig iron.
These methods of steel production were rendered obsolete by the Linz-Donawitz process of basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS), developed in the 1950s, and other oxygen steel making methods. Basic oxygen steelmaking is superior to previous steelmaking methods because the oxygen pumped into the furnace limited impurities, primarily nitrogen, that previously had entered from the air used.[50] Today, electric arc furnaces (EAF) are a common method of reprocessing scrap metal to create new steel. They can also be used for converting pig iron to steel, but they use a lot of electrical energy (about 440 kWh per metric ton), and are thus generally only economical when there is a plentiful supply of cheap electricity.[51]
Steel industry[edit]
See also: History of the steel industry (1850–1970), Global steel industry trends, Steel production by country, and List of steel producers
Steel production (in million tons) by country in 2007
The steel industry is often considered an indicator of economic progress, because of the critical role played by steel in infrastructural and overall economic development.[52] In 1980, there were more than 500,000 U.S. steelworkers. By 2000, the number of steelworkers fell to 224,000.[53]
The economic boom in China and India caused a massive increase in the demand for steel. Between 2000 and 2005, world steel demand increased by 6%. Since 2000, several Indian[54] and Chinese steel firms have risen to prominence,[according to whom?] such as Tata Steel (which bought Corus Group in 2007), Baosteel Group and Shagang Group. As of 2017, though, ArcelorMittal is the world's largest steel producer.[55] In 2005, the British Geological Survey stated China was the top steel producer with about one-third of the world share; Japan, Russia, and the US followed respectively.[56]
In 2008, steel began trading as a commodity on the London Metal Exchange. At the end of 2008, the steel industry faced a sharp downturn that led to many cut-backs.[57]
Recycling[edit]
Main article: Ferrous metal recycling
Steel is one of the world's most-recycled materials, with a recycling rate of over 60% globally;[58] in the United States alone, over 82,000,000 metric tons (81,000,000 long tons; 90,000,000 short tons) were recycled in the year 2008, for an overall recycling rate of 83%.[59]
As more steel is produced than is scrapped, the amount of recycled raw materials is about 40% of the total of steel produced - in 2016, 1,628,000,000 tonnes (1.602×109 long tons; 1.795×109 short tons) of crude steel was produced globally, with 630,000,000 tonnes (620,000,000 long tons; 690,000,000 short tons) recycled.[60]
Contemporary steel[edit]
Bethlehem Steel (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania facility pictured) was one of the world's largest manufacturers of steel before its closure in 2003
See also: Steel grades
Carbon steels[edit]
Modern steels are made with varying combinations of alloy metals to fulfill many purposes.[5] Carbon steel, composed simply of iron and carbon, accounts for 90% of steel production.[3] Low alloy steel is alloyed with other elements, usually molybdenum, manganese, chromium, or nickel, in amounts of up to 10% by weight to improve the hardenability of thick sections.[3] High strength low alloy steel has small additions (usually < 2% by weight) of other elements, typically 1.5% manganese, to provide additional strength for a modest price increase.[61]
Recent Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations have given rise to a new variety of steel known as Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS). This material is both strong and ductile so that vehicle structures can maintain their current safety levels while using less material. There are several commercially available grades of AHSS, such as dual-phase steel, which is heat treated to contain both a ferritic and martensitic microstructure to produce a formable, high strength steel.[62] Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steel involves special alloying and heat treatments to stabilize amounts of austenite at room temperature in normally austenite-free low-alloy ferritic steels. By applying strain, the austenite undergoes a phase transition to martensite without the addition of heat.[63] Twinning Induced Plasticity (TWIP) steel uses a specific type of strain to increase the effectiveness of work hardening on the alloy.[64]
Carbon Steels are often galvanized, through hot-dip or electroplating in zinc for protection against rust.[65]
Alloy steels[edit]
Stainless steels contain a minimum of 11% chromium, often combined with nickel, to resist corrosion. Some stainless steels, such as the ferritic stainless steels are magnetic, while others, such as the austenitic, are nonmagnetic.[66] Corrosion-resistant steels are abbreviated as CRES.
Some more modern steels include tool steels, which are alloyed with large amounts of tungsten and cobalt or other elements to maximize solution hardening. This also allows the use of precipitation hardening and improves the alloy's temperature resistance.[3] Tool steel is generally used in axes, drills, and other devices that need a sharp, long-lasting cutting edge. Other special-purpose alloys include weathering steels such as Cor-ten, which weather by acquiring a stable, rusted surface, and so can be used un-painted.[67] Maraging steel is alloyed with nickel and other elements, but unlike most steel contains little carbon (0.01%). This creates a very strong but still malleable steel.[68]
Eglin steel uses a combination of over a dozen different elements in varying amounts to create a relatively low-cost steel for use in bunker buster weapons. Hadfield steel (after Sir Robert Hadfield) or manganese steel contains 12–14% manganese which when abraded strain-hardens to form an incredibly hard skin which resists wearing. Examples include tank tracks, bulldozer blade edges and cutting blades on the jaws of life.[69]
Standards[edit]
Most of the more commonly used steel alloys are categorized into various grades by standards organizations. For example, the Society of Automotive Engineers has a series of grades defining many types of steel.[70] The American Society for Testing and Materials has a separate set of standards, which define alloys such as A36 steel, the most commonly used structural steel in the United States.[71] The JIS also define series of steel grades that are being used extensively in Japan as well as in developing countries.
Uses[edit]
A roll of steel wool
Iron and steel are used widely in the construction of roads, railways, other infrastructure, appliances, and buildings. Most large modern structures, such as stadiums and skyscrapers, bridges, and airports, are supported by a steel skeleton. Even those with a concrete structure employ steel for reinforcing. In addition, it sees widespread use in major appliances and cars. Despite growth in usage of aluminium, it is still the main material for car bodies. Steel is used in a variety of other construction materials, such as bolts, nails, and screws and other household products and cooking utensils.[72]
Other common applications include shipbuilding, pipelines, mining, offshore construction, aerospace, white goods (e.g. washing machines), heavy equipment such as bulldozers, office furniture, steel wool, tools, and armour in the form of personal vests or vehicle armour (better known as rolled homogeneous armour in this role).
Historical[edit]
A carbon steel knife
Before the introduction of the Bessemer process and other modern production techniques, steel was expensive and was only used where no cheaper alternative existed, particularly for the cutting edge of knives, razors, swords, and other items where a hard, sharp edge was needed. It was also used for springs, including those used in clocks and watches.[46]
With the advent of speedier and thriftier production methods, steel has become easier to obtain and much cheaper. It has replaced wrought iron for a multitude of purposes. However, the availability of plastics in the latter part of the 20th century allowed these materials to replace steel in some applications due to their lower fabrication cost and weight.[73] Carbon fiber is replacing steel in some cost insensitive applications such as sports equipment and high end automobiles.
Long steel[edit]
A steel bridge
A steel pylon suspending overhead power lines
As reinforcing bars and mesh in reinforced concrete
Structural steel in modern buildings and bridges
Input to reforging applications
Flat carbon steel[edit]
Magnetic cores
The inside and outside body of automobiles, trains, and ships.
Weathering steel (COR-TEN)[edit]
Main article: Weathering steel
Intermodal containers
Highliner train cars
Stainless steel[edit]
A stainless steel gravy boat
Main article: Stainless steel
Rail passenger vehicles
Low-background steel[edit]
Main article: Low-background steel
Steel manufactured after World War II became contaminated with radionuclides by nuclear weapons testing. Low-background steel, steel manufactured prior to 1945, is used for certain radiation-sensitive applications such as Geiger counters and radiation shielding.
Galvanising
Global steel industry trends
Iron in folklore
Knife metal
Rust Belt
Second Industrial Revolution
Silicon steel
Steel abrasive
Tamahagane, used in Japanese swords
Tinplate
Wootz steel
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^ Prawoto, Yunan (2013). Integration of Mechanics into Materials Science Research: A Guide for Material Researchers in Analytical, Computational and Experimental Methods. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-300-71235-0.
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^ a b Smelting. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007.
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^ Elert, Glenn. "Density of Steel". Retrieved 2009-04-23.
^ Sources differ on this value so it has been rounded to 2.1%, however the exact value is rather academic because plain-carbon steel is very rarely made with this level of carbon. See:
Smith & Hashemi 2006, p. 363—2.08%.
Degarmo, Black & Kohser 2003, p. 75—2.11%.
Ashby & Jones 1992—2.14%.
^ Smith & Hashemi 2006, p. 363.
^ Smith & Hashemi 2006, pp. 365–372.
^ a b Smith & Hashemi 2006, pp. 373–378.
^ "Quench hardening of steel". keytometals.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
^ Smith & Hashemi 2006, p. 361
^ Bugayev, K.; Konovalov, Y.; Bychkov, Y.; Tretyakov, E.; Savin, Ivan V. (2001). Iron and Steel Production. The Minerva Group, Inc. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-89499-109-7.
^ a b Davidson, Hilda Ellis (1998). The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England: Its Archaeology and Literature. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. p. 20. ISBN 0-85115-716-5.
^ a b c Srinivasan, S.; Ranganathan, S. "Wootz Steel: an advanced material of the ancient world". Bangalore: Department of Metallurgy, Indian Institute of Science. Archived from the original on 2018-11-19.
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^ a b Feuerbach, Ann (2005). "An investigation of the varied technology found in swords, sabres and blades from the Russian Northern Caucasus" (PDF). IAMS. 25: 27–43 (p. 29). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-04-30.
^ Srinivasan, Sharada (1994). "Wootz crucible steel: a newly discovered production site in South India". Papers from the Institute of Archaeology. 5: 49–59. doi:10.5334/pia.60.
^ Hobbies – Volume 68, Issue 5 – p. 45. Lightner Publishing Company (1963)
^ Mahathevan, Iravatham (24 June 2010). "An epigraphic perspective on the antiquity of Tamil". The Hindu. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
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^ Manning, Charlotte Speir. "Ancient and Mediæval India. Volume 2". ISBN 978-0-543-92943-3.
^ a b c Juleff, G. (1996). "An ancient wind powered iron smelting technology in Sri Lanka". Nature. 379 (3): 60–63. Bibcode:1996Natur.379...60J. doi:10.1038/379060a0.
^ a b Coghlan, Herbert Henery. (1977). Notes on prehistoric and early iron in the Old World. Oxprint. pp. 99–100
^ The Story of Civilization, Our Oriental Heritage. Simon and Schuster. 1935. p. 539. ISBN 0-671-54800-X. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
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^ Hartwell, Robert (1966). "Markets, Technology and the Structure of Enterprise in the Development of the Eleventh Century Chinese Iron and Steel Industry". Journal of Economic History. 26: 53–54.
^ a b Tylecote, R.F. (1992) A history of metallurgy 2nd ed., Institute of Materials, London. pp. 95–99 and 102–105. ISBN 0-901462-88-8.
^ Raistrick, A. (1953) A Dynasty of Ironfounders.
^ Hyde, C.K. (1977) Technological Change and the British iron industry. Princeton
^ Trinder, B. (2000) The Industrial Revolution in Shropshire. Chichester.
^ Barraclough, K.C. (1984) Steel before Bessemer: I Blister Steel: the birth of an industry. The Metals Society, London. pp. 48–52.
^ King, P.W. (2003). "The Cartel in Oregrounds Iron: trading in the raw material for steel during the eighteenth century". Journal of Industrial History. 6 (1): 25–49.
^ a b c d "Iron and steel industry". Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007.
^ Barraclough, K.C. (1984) Steel before Bessemer: II Crucible Steel: the growth of technology. The Metals Society, London.
^ Swank, James Moore (1892). History of the Manufacture of Iron in All Ages. ISBN 0-8337-3463-6.
^ Bessemer process. 2. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. p. 168.
^ Basic oxygen process. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007.
^ Jones, J.A.T. ; Bowman, B. and Lefrank, P.A. (1998) "Electric Furnace Steelmaking", in The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel, pp. 525–660. R.J. Fruehan (ed). The AISE Steel Foundation: Pittsburgh. ISBN 0-930767-03-9.
^ "Steel Industry". Archived from the original on 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
^ "Congressional Record V. 148, Pt. 4, April 11, 2002 to April 24, 2002". United States Government Printing Office.
^ Chopra, Anuj (February 12, 2007). "India's steel industry steps onto world stage". Cristian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
^ "Top Steelmakers in 2017" (PDF). World Steel Association. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
^ "Long-term planning needed to meet steel demand". The News. 2008-03-01. Archived from the original on 2010-11-02. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
^ Uchitelle, Louis (2009-01-01). "Steel Industry, in Slump, Looks to Federal Stimulus". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
^ Hartman, Roy A. (2009). "Recycling". Encarta. Archived from the original on 2008-04-14.
^ Fenton, Michael D (2008). "Iron and Steel Scrap". In United States Geological Survey (ed.). Minerals Yearbook 2008, Volume 1: Metals and Minerals. Government Printing Office. ISBN 1-4113-3015-3.
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^ "High strength low alloy steels". Schoolscience.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
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^ Werner, Ewald. "Transformation Induced Plasticity in low alloyed TRIP-steels and microstructure response to a complex stress history". Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
^ Mirko, Centi; Saliceti Stefano. "Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP), Twinning Induced Plasticity (TWIP) and Dual-Phase (DP) Steels". Tampere University of Technology. Archived from the original on 2008-03-07. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
^ Galvanic protection. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007.
^ "Steel Glossary". American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Retrieved 2006-07-30.
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^ "Properties of Maraging Steels". Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
^ Hadfield manganese steel. Answers.com. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2003. Retrieved on 2007-02-28.
^ Bringas, John E. (2004). Handbook of Comparative World Steel Standards: Third Edition (PDF) (3rd. ed.). ASTM International. p. 14. ISBN 0-8031-3362-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-01-27.
^ Steel Construction Manual, 8th Edition, second revised edition, American Institute of Steel Construction, 1986, ch. 1 pp. 1–5
^ Ochshorn, Jonathan (2002-06-11). "Steel in 20th Century Architecture". Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Architecture. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
^ Venables, John D.; Girifalco, Louis A.; Patel, C. Kumar N.; McCullough, R.L.; Marchant, Roger Eric; Kukich, Diane S. (2007). Materials science. Encyclopædia Britannica.
Ashby, Michael F.; Jones, David Rayner Hunkin (1992). An introduction to microstructures, processing and design. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Degarmo, E. Paul; Black, J T.; Kohser, Ronald A. (2003). Materials and Processes in Manufacturing (9th ed.). Wiley. ISBN 0-471-65653-4.
Verein Deutscher Eisenhüttenleute (Ed.). Steel – A Handbook for Materials Research and Engineering, Volume 1: Fundamentals. Springer-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg and Verlag Stahleisen, Düsseldorf 1992, 737 p. ISBN 3-540-52968-3, 3-514-00377-7.
Verein Deutscher Eisenhüttenleute (Ed.). Steel – A Handbook for Materials Research and Engineering, Volume 2: Applications. Springer-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg and Verlag Stahleisen, Düsseldorf 1993, 839 pages, ISBN 3-540-54075-X, 3-514-00378-5.
Smith, William F.; Hashemi, Javad (2006). Foundations of Materials Science and Engineering (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-295358-6.
Mark Reutter, Making Steel: Sparrows Point and the Rise and Ruin of American Industrial Might (2005). Discussion with Mark Reutter, part 1 of 3 (February 2015), part 2 of 3 (February 2015), part 3 of 3 (March 2015), The Real News
Duncan Burn, The Economic History of Steelmaking, 1867–1939: A Study in Competition. Cambridge University Press, 1961.
Harukiyu Hasegawa, The Steel Industry in Japan: A Comparison with Britain. 1996.
J.C. Carr and W. Taplin, History of the British Steel Industry. Harvard University Press, 1962.
H. Lee Scamehorn, Mill & Mine: The Cf&I in the Twentieth Century. University of Nebraska Press, 1992.
Warren, Kenneth, Big Steel: The First Century of the United States Steel Corporation, 1901–2001. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2001.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Steel.
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Official website of the World Steel Association (worldsteel)
steeluniversity.org: Online steel education resources, an initiative of World Steel Association
Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist from the American Society for Metals
MATDAT Database of Properties of Unalloyed, Low-Alloy and High-Alloy Steels – obtained from published results of material testing
History of ferrous metallurgy
List of steel producers
Iron production
(Ironworks)
Smelting
Bloomery (produces sponge iron)
Blast furnace (produces pig iron)
Cold blast
Hot blast
Anthracite iron
Direct reduced iron
Wrought iron (via Finery forge or Reverberatory Puddling Furnace)
Cast iron (via Cupola furnace or Induction furnace)
Steelmaking
(Steel mill)
Primary (Pre-1850)
Pattern welding (Damascus steel)
Tatara furnace
Cementation process
Primary (Post-1850)
Bessemer process
Open hearth furnace
Electro-slag remelting
Vacuum arc remelting
Argon oxygen decarburization
Production by country
Heat treatment methods
Low hydrogen
Hardening /
Case-hardening
Ausforming
Boriding
Carbonitriding
Carburizing
Ferritic nitrocarburizing
Nitriding
Quench polish quench
Austempering
Martempering
Cryogenic treatment (Deburring
Deflashing
Hardening)
Differential heat treatment
Decarburization
Forming gas
Post weld heat treatment
Superplastic forming
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2nd-millennium BC introductions
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Related to Steel
Heat treating is a group of industrial and metalworking processes used to alter the physical, and sometimes chemical, properties of a material. The most common application is metallurgical. Heat treatments are also used in the manufacture of many other materials, such as glass. Heat treatment involves the use of heating or chilling, normally to extreme temperatures, to achieve a desired result such as hardening or softening of a material. Heat treatment techniques include annealing, case hardening, precipitation strengthening, tempering, carburizing, normalizing and quenching. It is noteworthy that while the term heat treatment applies only to processes where the heating and cooling are done for the specific purpose of altering properties intentionally, heating and cooling often occur incidentally during other manufacturing processes such as hot forming or welding.
Steelmaking is the process of producing steel from iron ore and/or scrap. In steelmaking, impurities such as nitrogen, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur and excess carbon(most important impurity) are removed from the sourced iron, and alloying elements such as manganese, nickel, chromium, carbon and vanadium are added to produce different grades of steel. Limiting dissolved gases such as nitrogen and oxygen and entrained impurities in the steel is also important to ensure the quality of the products cast from the liquid steel.
Martensite is named after the German metallurgist Adolf Martens (1850–1914). The term most commonly refers to a very hard form of steel crystalline structure, but can also refer to any crystal structure that is formed by diffusionless transformation. Martensite includes a class of hard minerals that occur as lath- or plate-shaped crystal grains.
Cementite (or iron carbide) is a compound of iron and carbon, more precisely an intermediate transition metal carbide with the formula Fe3C. By weight, it is 6.67% carbon and 93.3% iron. It has an orthorhombic crystal structure. It is a hard, brittle material, normally classified as a ceramic in its pure form, and is a frequently found and important constituent in ferrous metallurgy. While cementite is present in most steels and cast irons, it is produced as a raw material in the iron carbide process, which belongs to the family of alternative ironmaking technologies. The name cementite originated from the research of Floris Osmond and J. Werth, where the structure of solidified steel consists of a kind of cellular tissue in theory, with ferrite as the nucleus and Fe3C the envelope of the cells. The carbide therefore cemented the iron.
Austenite, also known as gamma-phase iron (γ-Fe), is a metallic, non-magnetic allotrope of iron or a solid solution of iron, with an alloying element. In plain-carbon steel, austenite exists above the critical eutectoid temperature of 1000 K (727 °C); other alloys of steel have different eutectoid temperatures. The austenite allotrope is named after Sir William Chandler Roberts-Austen (1843–1902); it exists at room temperature in stainless steel.
Bainite is a plate-like microstructure that forms in steels at temperatures of 125–550 °C. First described by E. S. Davenport and Edgar Bain, it is one of the products that may form when austenite is cooled past a temperature where it no longer is thermodynamically stable with respect to ferrite, cementite, or ferrite and cementite. Davenport and Bain originally described the microstructure as being similar in appearance to tempered martensite.
Bulat steel
Bulat is a type of steel alloy known in Russia from medieval times; regularly being mentioned in Russian legends as the material of choice for cold steel. The name булат is a Russian transliteration of the Persian word fulad, meaning steel. This type of steel was used by the armies of nomadic peoples. Bulat steel was the main type of steel used for swords in the armies of Genghis Khan, the great emperor of the Mongolian Empire. The technique used in making wootz steel has been lost for centuries and the bulat steel used today makes use of a more recently developed technique.
High-strength low-alloy steel
High-strength low-alloy steel (HSLA) is a type of alloy steel that provides better mechanical properties or greater resistance to corrosion than carbon steel. HSLA steels vary from other steels in that they are not made to meet a specific chemical composition but rather to specific mechanical properties. They have a carbon content between 0.05–0.25% to retain formability and weldability. Other alloying elements include up to 2.0% manganese and small quantities of copper, nickel, niobium, nitrogen, vanadium, chromium, molybdenum, titanium, calcium, rare earth elements, or zirconium. Copper, titanium, vanadium, and niobium are added for strengthening purposes. These elements are intended to alter the microstructure of carbon steels, which is usually a ferrite-pearlite aggregate, to produce a very fine dispersion of alloy carbides in an almost pure ferrite matrix. This eliminates the toughness-reducing effect of a pearlitic volume fraction yet maintains and increases the material's strength by refining the grain size, which in the case of ferrite increases yield strength by 50% for every halving of the mean grain diameter. Precipitation strengthening plays a minor role, too. Their yield strengths can be anywhere between 250–590 megapascals (36,000–86,000 psi). Because of their higher strength and toughness HSLA steels usually require 25 to 30% more power to form, as compared to carbon steels.
Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content up to 2.1% by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states:
Steel is considered to be carbon steel when:
no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, zirconium, or any other element to be added to obtain a desired alloying effect;
the specified minimum for copper does not exceed 0.40 percent;
or the maximum content specified for any of the following elements does not exceed the percentages noted: manganese 1.65, silicon 0.60, copper 0.60.
In materials science, quenching is the rapid cooling of a workpiece in water, oil or air to obtain certain material properties. A type of heat treating, quenching prevents undesired low-temperature processes, such as phase transformations, from occurring. It does this by reducing the window of time during which these undesired reactions are both thermodynamically favorable, and kinetically accessible; for instance, quenching can reduce the crystal grain size of both metallic and plastic materials, increasing their hardness.
Carburizing, carburising, or carburization is a heat treatment process in which iron or steel absorbs carbon while the metal is heated in the presence of a carbon-bearing material, such as charcoal or carbon monoxide. The intent is to make the metal harder. Depending on the amount of time and temperature, the affected area can vary in carbon content. Longer carburizing times and higher temperatures typically increase the depth of carbon diffusion. When the iron or steel is cooled rapidly by quenching, the higher carbon content on the outer surface becomes hard due to the transformation from austenite to martensite, while the core remains soft and tough as a ferritic and/or pearlite microstructure.
Tempering (metallurgy)
Tempering is a process of heat treating, which is used to increase the toughness of iron-based alloys. Tempering is usually performed after hardening, to reduce some of the excess hardness, and is done by heating the metal to some temperature below the critical point for a certain period of time, then allowing it to cool in still air. The exact temperature determines the amount of hardness removed, and depends on both the specific composition of the alloy and on the desired properties in the finished product. For instance, very hard tools are often tempered at low temperatures, while springs are tempered at much higher temperatures.
Hardenability
The hardenability of a metal alloy is the depth to which a material is hardened after putting it through a heat treatment process. It should not be confused with hardness, which is a measure of a sample's resistance to indentation or scratching. It is an important property for welding, since it is inversely proportional to weldability, that is, the ease of welding a material.
Alloy steel is steel that is alloyed with a variety of elements in total amounts between 1.0% and 50% by weight to improve its mechanical properties. Alloy steels are broken down into two groups: low alloy steels and high alloy steels. The difference between the two is disputed. Smith and Hashemi define the difference at 4.0%, while Degarmo, et al., define it at 8.0%. Most commonly, the phrase "alloy steel" refers to low-alloy steels.
Isothermal transformation diagram
Isothermal transformation diagrams are plots of temperature versus time. They are generated from percentage transformation-vs time measurements, and are useful for understanding the transformations of an alloy steel at elevated temperatures.
Austempering is heat treatment that is applied to ferrous metals, most notably steel and ductile iron. In steel it produces a bainite microstructure whereas in cast irons it produces a structure of acicular ferrite and high carbon, stabilized austenite known as ausferrite. It is primarily used to improve mechanical properties or reduce / eliminate distortion. Austempering is defined by both the process and the resultant microstructure. Typical austempering process parameters applied to an unsuitable material will not result in the formation of bainite or ausferrite and thus the final product will not be called austempered. Both microstructures may also be produced via other methods. For example, they may be produced as-cast or air cooled with the proper alloy content. These materials are also not referred to as austempered.
Mangalloy
Mangalloy, also called manganese steel or Hadfield steel, is an alloy steel containing an average of around 13% manganese. Mangalloy is known for its high impact strength and resistance to abrasion once in its work-hardened state.
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Conflict of interest? NJ mayors are taught what they can’t do
David Matthau
With more than 550 municipalities, New Jersey has a lot of mayors.
But not all of them serve in that position full time. In fact, more probably have a day job.
Michael Darcy, the executive director of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, said that whenever a mayor has a full-time or part-time job, conflicts of issue can become an issue. To deal with this, the League offers local officials training classes in government ethics.
Conflicts arise when a mayor’s personal business benefits or gives the appearance of benefiting from local government actions.
“In those kinds of situations, any public official whether they’re a mayor or a governing body member or a planning board member, they should be recusing themselves from the decision-making process," Darcy said.
He said an example of that could be if a mayor owned the local McDonald's franchise and the police department is buying meals there for prisoners being held overnight in jail. When the invoice is sent to the municipality, someone other than the mayor would have to sign for the payment.
Not all conflict-of-interest situations directly involve the mayor getting a direct financial reward.
“It could be where a family member is going to apply for a job with the town. They (the mayo) may want to recuse themselves in order to avoid any appearance of conflict there," he said.
When a mayor is accused of doing something improper, if it’s not significant enough to involve an immediate criminal investigation, the matter may be handled by a local ethics board.
“But most of the time, the municipalities send conflicts of interest and ethics violations to the Department of Community Affairs' Local Finance Board. They review the facts and decide whether there’s a conflict or not," he said.
Darcy said some people who serve as mayors, especially in smaller towns, are teachers, attorneys and IT professionals while others work as private business owners or in hospital emergency rooms, but no matter how big a municipality may be, possible conflict of interest situations may always arise.
Source: Conflict of interest? NJ mayors are taught what they can’t do
Filed Under: newsletter
Categories: New Jersey News, News
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Cedric Djondo
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It’s October. Time for a little horror.
in Random Crap
It’s October 1st which means that if you’re reading this you survived September, a month that historically wants to eat people.
October is my favorite month because I love horror…books and movies. It seems counterintuitive since I have an anxiety disorder but with horror I can exercise my nervous energy with things that are mostly unlikely to happen to me as long as the zombie apocalypse doesn’t actually break out.
This month I’m going to try to watch a horror movie every day of October so that means I need suggestions.
Tell me a movie I need to add to my list. My personal favorites are creepy supernatural, character-driven weirdness, psychological horror, zombies. Bonus points if it’s on netflix or hulu.
I’ll update this as I add to my list if you want to watch along with me this month.
October 1 – Burnt Offerings (1976)
October 2 – The Witch (2015)
October 3 – Get Out (2017)
October 4 – Carnival of Souls (1962)
October 5 – Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
October 6 – Shaun of the Dead (2004)
October 7 – I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016)
October 8 – Babadook (2014)
October 9 – A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
October 10 – The Host – (2006)
October 11 – A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
October 12 – Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)
October 12b – Let The Right One In (2008)
October 14 – What We Do In The Shadows (2014)
October 15 – We Are What We Are
October 16 – Train to Busan (2016)
October 17 – Cloverfield Lane (2016)
October 18 – Troll Hunter (2010)
October 19 – Dawn of the Dead (1978)
October 20 – The Shining (1980)
October 21 – Rear Window (1954)
October 22 – The Invitation (2015)
October 23 – 28 Days Later (2002)
October 24 – The Moth Diaries (2011)
October 25 – The Strangers (2008) Sorry. That was too torturey for me. Let’s change that to The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell (2018)
October 26 – The Apostle (2018)
October 27 – The Changeling (1980)
October 28 – Raw (2016)
October 29 – The Conjuring
October 30 – It Follows (2014)
October 31 – The Haunting of Hill House (2018 tv version)
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Anonymous | October 1, 2018 at 12:56 pm
I love that Burnt Offerings is day one. That movie traumatized my childhood. I love it now.
My nomination is Happy Birthday to Me
zyzzyva | October 1, 2018 at 12:56 pm
Trick ‘r Treat
Mia | October 1, 2018 at 12:56 pm
The Others starring Nicole Kidman.
LouiseK | October 1, 2018 at 12:56 pm
Tina Riley | October 1, 2018 at 12:57 pm
P.s. that was me ⬆️
Rotten_Ralph | October 1, 2018 at 12:57 pm
Stir of Echoes is always good, both the book and the movie
mimimim | October 1, 2018 at 12:57 pm
The Shining, naturally.
Crapnurse | October 1, 2018 at 12:57 pm
Has to be Spanish film”the orphanage”(scary love story come weepy)
Liz M | October 1, 2018 at 12:57 pm
I’m a big fan of the lighter side of spooky month.
So my suggestions are Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (inarguably the spoopiest Harry Potter).
If you want cool silent movie suggestions, the Cabinet of Dr Caligheri is always an excellent choice.
Lindsay | October 1, 2018 at 12:58 pm
Tucker and Dale vs Evil is on Netflix, and is a fun twist on the genre (that I enjoy, despite my dislike for horror films).
Sue Lindsay | October 1, 2018 at 12:58 pm
Katy | October 1, 2018 at 12:58 pm
Old Dark House (1932) – My favourite!
I have many more suggestions… but I will let others chime in.
The Changeling (1980)
Christin | October 1, 2018 at 12:59 pm
My mother swears by “The Night of the Hunter” – an old 1940s B&W with Robert Mitchum.
Itselise | October 1, 2018 at 12:59 pm
Cockneys vs Zombies, Suspiria, The Tingler (for excellent Vincent price camp), 5 Dolls for an August Moon
…oh man, let me check my Shudder watchlist, ha
Also, “As Above, So Below”
Kathy Anderson | October 1, 2018 at 12:59 pm
The Ring, Vamp, Rosemary’s Baby
The Huntress 915 | October 1, 2018 at 12:59 pm
The Conjuring, that movie scared the crap out of me! And I haven’t watched it since, so Happy October everyone, scare someone you love!
Anonymous | October 1, 2018 at 1:00 pm
Friday 13th?
SasaBella | October 1, 2018 at 1:02 pm
Hereditary, The taking of Deborah Logan, Train to Busan (zombies galore! subtitles) and the Wailing (subtitles).
Colleen | October 1, 2018 at 1:02 pm
Burnt Offerings destroyed me as a kid. I’ve watched it as an adult, and it still gives me the same scared kid feelings.
Sharon Dotson | October 1, 2018 at 1:02 pm
M with Peter Lorre, the original in German with English sub-titles. And TV wise—-“Blink”
oh yeh – dont forget to watch It Follows!
Jennifer Dulock | October 1, 2018 at 1:03 pm
My husband says The Innkeepers was one of the creepiest movies he’s ever seen. I personally would recommend Crimson Peak because GdT is a genius and it’s weird Gothic romance cum horror.
Cleardale | October 1, 2018 at 1:06 pm
Train to Busan must watch korean zombie movie.
Umm… have you seen the Lair of the White Worm from 1988? It’s certainly worth a look… I might even have to watch it again! 😉
luxandromeda | October 1, 2018 at 1:06 pm
Grave Encounters MESSED ME UP and I loved every moment of it. It used to be on Netflix, but I’m sure it’s easy to watch elsewhere! The premise looks cringy and silly, but that is a mask because WOW.
I watched Hereditrary last weekend and it scared the living sh*t out of me. Usually dont spook too easy but that one got to me!
Miss Amy | October 1, 2018 at 1:07 pm
A Dark Song. I saw it on Netflix last October and it still haunts me. Unusual, unique, memorable, creepy.
The Descent. Zombies and claustrophobia. Terrifying!
Sue | October 1, 2018 at 1:07 pm
I like old movies. Rear window, Psycho, The Birds.
#ZombiesRock | October 1, 2018 at 1:07 pm
The remake of Dawn of the Dead, with the fast zombies. I know, that’s cheating in the zombieverse. But that turned the genre on its ear, and imo this is one of the scariest movies I’ve seen. So scary that I’ll never watch it again.
28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later are also awesome. The theme music still gives me chills. https://youtu.be/i6OtF7daIPM
Tucker Almengor | October 1, 2018 at 1:08 pm
Megan Burns | October 1, 2018 at 1:08 pm
The Babadook!
Alison | October 1, 2018 at 1:09 pm
I can’t stand scary movies… the only ones I’ve seen were way back in teenage years. One that sticks out is Children of the Corn (maybe it’s not too scary, but I’m a wuss!)
Liz @ Yes/No Detroit | October 1, 2018 at 1:09 pm
Ditto on The Shining, and I’ll throw A Quiet Place into the running, too, though to me it’s more of a thriller film vs. horror.
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The original “Halloween” gave me nightmares, and horror films never give me nightmares.
The changeling. 1980!
Oh and I love Rose Red.
Enrique Gomez | October 1, 2018 at 1:10 pm
House of the Devil, It Follows. I loved Hereditary but that one seems to be hit or miss for some people. Also can’t go wrong with Alien/Aliens or The Descent. Though watching both Alien and Descent could make you claustrophobic for a good stretch.
Nikki | October 1, 2018 at 1:10 pm
Some that I am making sure to watch this month are: The House of the Devil, Trick r Treat, The Ritual, Creep and Creep 2, Grave Encounters, Gremlins, Zombieland, Nightmare on Elm Street, Shaun of the Dead, Pans Labryinth, Halloween, Evil Dead, Silver Bullet
Cara Gerard | October 1, 2018 at 1:10 pm
Let the Right One In (Swedish version – cannot vouch for US remake).
Modrocker | October 1, 2018 at 1:11 pm
House II which is on youtube in its entirety. So campy and wonderful.
Steve Clayworth | October 1, 2018 at 1:11 pm
The Outer Limits episode “The Zanti Misfits”. Should be on either Netflix or Hulu.
My Superpowers Have Yet To Come | October 1, 2018 at 1:11 pm
The Witch is amazing. Suggestions: Goodnight Mommy (it’s in German), Lights Out, Orphan, The Conjuring, and Sinister.
Emily C | October 1, 2018 at 1:12 pm
Blair Witch Project!
OwnLessDoMore | October 1, 2018 at 1:12 pm
“What Lies Beneath” with Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford, from 2000.
I don’t remember whether or not I liked it, because I don’t think I watched more than a corner of the screen from behind the safety of the neck of my sweater. And that is why it was the last horror movie I ever paid to “see” in a theater. Can’t handle them!
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Jennifer | October 1, 2018 at 1:12 pm
Tucker and Dale vs Evil, Evil Dead, Sinister- the first two are kitschy and fun, the last one creeps me out no matter how many times I’ve seen it
Kelly | October 1, 2018 at 1:13 pm
The book, Silence of the Lambs, scared me so much I was never able to watch the movie!
Linda | October 1, 2018 at 1:13 pm
Definitely Rosemary’s Baby!
Laina Smith | October 1, 2018 at 1:14 pm
The original Haunting of Hill House, ” The Haunting” with Julie Harris.
Donna Klie | October 1, 2018 at 1:14 pm
I highly recommend It Follows! Very creepy!
mydangblog | October 1, 2018 at 1:14 pm
I’m going to suggest The Cabin In The Woods, which is scary in a couple of unexpected ways, and 2 new movies just out: one’s called Greta, with Chloe Moretz, and the other is called Mandy with Nicholas Cage–it looks pretty bizarre!
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The W.C. | October 1, 2018 at 1:14 pm
The Prince of Darkness (John Carpenter at his best. Plus, it has Alice Cooper!)
Alyssa | October 1, 2018 at 1:15 pm
Cat’s Eye – Horror anthology film by Stephen King (1985) 3 stories “connected by the presence of a traveling cat.” The 3rd story, “General,” haunted me for years as a child.
Julia | October 1, 2018 at 1:15 pm
The Visit by M. Night Shyamalan. It is surprisingly good! Of course, the 6th Sense is always good too.
theycallmetater | October 1, 2018 at 1:16 pm
Near Dark. Also I second Tucker and Dale vs Evil
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doublerhomestead | October 1, 2018 at 1:16 pm
I haven’t seen Children of The Corn, Paranormal Activity, or The Cabin in The Woods (mmm, Chris Hemsworth!) in the comments yet. I second Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil. Both T&DVE and Cabin IN The Woods are great twists on the horror genre.
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Jill | October 1, 2018 at 1:16 pm
The Exorcist ruined me for scary films.
“Fallen” with Denzel Washington is great!
Paula | October 1, 2018 at 1:17 pm
My husband enjoyed Sinister so much that he watched in a second time within a couple weeks of the first viewing. I opt out of horror movies, as they tend to crank my anxiety up to an uncomfortable level.
Hey, go for the worst!
The 25 Worst Horror Movies of All Time (and believe me, some of these are really bad :~P)
https://reelrundown.com/movies/Some-of-the-Worst-Horror-Movies
thebookishexpedition | October 1, 2018 at 1:17 pm
I haven’t been watching too many horror movies lately because I feel like these days all they do is make slasher films, which I’m not interested in at all. What’s the point if everyone just ends up dead at the end? I already know what’s going to happen, so why watch?
If psychological thrillers count, I love Shutter Island.
And for tv shows, I just started watching iZombie, and I absolutely love it! It’s the perfect fall/Halloween tv show.
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OtherSuze | October 1, 2018 at 1:17 pm
The original Frankenstein with Boris Karloff. And The Birds and/or Psycho — can’t do this without some Hitchcock!
The Exorcist. Hellraiser. A Quiet Place.
Cyndi | October 1, 2018 at 1:18 pm
I have to say A Quiet Place! No, it’s not gore horror, but it takes the cake for a psychological mindf**k! I was clenched into a ball of terror nearly every second in the theater. It was awesome!
Laura | October 1, 2018 at 1:18 pm
You have to watch Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
kathy fein | October 1, 2018 at 1:18 pm
Season of the Witch is running of Showtime. Not too bad unless you don’t like swords and knights.
Mamacita | October 1, 2018 at 1:18 pm
mother! and Hereditary are creepy AF, but Hereditary isn’t on anything streaming. If you’re afraid of spiders like I am, because a tarantula scuttled across my bare foot when I was 13, watch Arachnophobia, which I believe just came back to Netflix.
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I nominate “The Changeling” 1980
And Stephen King’s Rose Red.
DJ Kelly-Quattrocchi | October 1, 2018 at 1:19 pm
The Descent is a great opportunity. I know someone who featured that film in her thesis about “Abyssal Womb Horror.” Amazing.
Feral woman | October 1, 2018 at 1:19 pm
If you wanna get hung up on a series, amc’s “preacher” is a go to on my list…and not surprised that horror flicks are okay for you. Its all about controlled circumstances. I get nervous too when anything is not under trusted control. Its a great survival mechanism…
Heather N | October 1, 2018 at 1:19 pm
I second (or third or fourth – didn’t scroll through) The Babadook!
Rose Red, Fallen, It Follows, Dale and Tucker vs. Evil…all great!
For supernatural psychological horror I would recommend Oculus (2013), thoroughly enjoyed it!
Traci | October 1, 2018 at 1:20 pm
30 Days of Night — a truly GOOD vampire flick. Scary, ugly, definitely NOT romantic vampires. And a love story with a nice ending. The way Danny Huston says the line “No. God.” is everything. Plus, Josh Hartnett. What’s not to love.
Kris | October 1, 2018 at 1:20 pm
I never fully recovered from the constant stream of 70’s & 80’s horror movies I was forced to endure as a child. I still remember going to the drive-in for Halloween, Friday the 13th and Carrie. My least favorite was the Exorcist. There was plenty more like Poltergeist, Nightmare on Elm St, Chucky, Christine, Cujo, Pet Semetary, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Disney cartoon, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hitchhiker, The Shining, The Omen, Amityville Horror and the ever so lovely Night Stalker and Death Wish series.
Carol McKown | October 1, 2018 at 1:20 pm
My all time favorite as a kid was House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price. Silence of the Lambs is an adult favorite.
romcomdojo | October 1, 2018 at 1:21 pm
I’ve gotta throw in with “The Shining” crowd. That movie messed with me for YEARS.
Of course it doesn’t help that my parents letme watch it when I was 4 years old. 70s and 80s parents were a wild bunch.
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Tonya | October 1, 2018 at 1:22 pm
Did I hear zombies? Because I watched a Korean zombie movie earlier this year called Train to Busan that was absolutely amazing. Its on either Netflix or Hulu. I think Netflix.
Oh! Motel Hell 🙂 My husband and I bonded over the fact that we saw it years apart before we had even met and both love it.
Meridy T Migchelbrink | October 1, 2018 at 1:23 pm
I second “The Babadook”–really creepy, suspenseful, and scary without gore. Terrific movie from Australia.
Rowan | October 1, 2018 at 1:23 pm
Wow. It’s horrifying how many horror movies there are. I can’t think of one that I haven’t seen on this list already, unless you’re into REALLY bad “B” movies, in which case my ex-husband forced me to watch “Rubber”. I’m serious – really, really bad B movie about a tire that comes to life. If you watch it and actually like it, please let me know so I can tell him there is ONE other person on the planet that likes that movie. 😀
Kiki | October 1, 2018 at 1:23 pm
Session 9.
Psychological mind-!#@
My DVD skipped about 2/3 of the way through and my response was “Oh thank god!” I needed a break. And I love horror.
Betty | October 1, 2018 at 1:24 pm
‘The Mephisto Waltz’ (1971) starring a young Alan Alda. It’s on Prime. Scares the crap out of me every time I see it.
Before I wake on netflix is good
Lynn | October 1, 2018 at 1:24 pm
The Legacy (1978). Crowhaven Farm. Phantasm. The Sentinel (1977).
OH, also. Not a movie. But the “Hush” episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Those skeletal, floating men, and the crazy still-in-straightjacket guys? Terrifying. They did a really good job capturing the eerie sadness of a suddenly voiceless world. You don’t need to have been watching the show to enjoy “Hush.”
allied | October 1, 2018 at 1:27 pm
the book “One flew over the cuckoo’s nest” or the movie ‘Sybil’. i know it isn’t terribly horror-like, but the psychological damage freaked me out as a kid!!!
North Gorham Public Library | October 1, 2018 at 1:27 pm
so, not really a horror film but this one freaked out my preteen self in the early 80s: Watcher in the Woods. It’s a live action Disney film from 1980.
KRISTI LAMONT ELLIS | October 1, 2018 at 1:27 pm
Oh, absolutely Tucker and Dale vs Evil. And What They Do in the Shadows (for more comedy-horror than actual horror). And Masque of the Red Death, with Vincent Price, for real horror.
sairentohiru | October 1, 2018 at 1:28 pm
Happy Death Day was a very pleasant surprise! Sort of a horror version of Groundhog Day.
Hereditary MESSED ME UP.
Sleepaway Camp = an absolutely iconic ending.
Session 9 is a mindeff.
Phenomena (sometimes found under the name Creepers) stars a young Jennifer Connelly as a girl who can control bugs with her mind and a chimpanzee with a switchblade.
Major Bedhead | October 1, 2018 at 1:28 pm
Nope nope nope nopity nope nope. I hate horror. I’ll watch Beetlejuice and Nightmare Before Christmas and that’s about as scary as I get.
Seconding the Hush suggestion. Such a great episode.
Kristi | October 1, 2018 at 1:28 pm
Creep (2014) – it truly was creepy!
Kelly C | October 1, 2018 at 1:28 pm
Little Evil on Netflix…. I laughed really hard at this one. Also – Crazyhead on Netflix is great for a laugh… (has nothing to do with actual craziness and a lot to do with demonic possession and bad language…)
Debra | October 1, 2018 at 1:28 pm
This is soooo up my alley ! Here’s mine; Cabin in the Woods, The Decent, Let the Right One In (Swedish version), A Quiet Place, 28 Days Later, The Others, Hush, Quarantine. Pans Labyrinth
Salem’s Lot. Ermagerrrrd.
Jenni | October 1, 2018 at 1:29 pm
Night of the Living Dead! It’s a classic!
Jordanne Ruff | October 1, 2018 at 1:29 pm
I think that you need to cover your binge watching requirements as well and “What we do in the Shadows” would be excellent for this. Also Children of the Corn is terrifying.
Kelly and Geoff | October 1, 2018 at 1:30 pm
I can’t do horror generally, it ramps my anxiety to 11. Hubs does and will probably have some great suggestions. For super creepy TV I’d go with Black Mirror on Netflix if you haven’t seen it. Pretty much any episode will do. As for films, the film that absolutely creeped me out the most in the theater was The Talented Mr. Ripley. Odd choice, I know. But I just sat there staring at the screen after the lights came up and I’ve never been able to watch it since. It’s a movie that proves that he worst monsters are humans and that we can’t tell them from the rest of us.
JW | October 1, 2018 at 1:30 pm
A Quiet Place – totally weirded me out
In re: my above comment: Jennifer Connelly does not control the chimp. That would just be weird.
Also, I forgot to mention Oculus and (by the same director/writer) Hush, which I loved because I thought it was going to succumb to one of the most loathsome horror cliches and then didn’t.
Jack | October 1, 2018 at 1:30 pm
“Lady in White” (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095484/) for a very suspenseful flick great for October. ♫ Have you ever seen a dream…. walking? Well I have ♫ (still haunts me)
Also “Stir of Echoes” with Kevin Bacon, as suggested above.
Brian | October 1, 2018 at 1:31 pm
The new Halloween, where Laurie finally gets her revenge, I’m gonna be there opening day with the biggest bucket of popcorn I can find.
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Jenn | October 1, 2018 at 1:31 pm
Love the 80’s Lost boys vampire movie. Both Corey’s (Haim and Feldman) are init as kids!
Another vote for Cabin in the Woods! Loved it
I second THe Old Dark House….”have a potato.”
teresashumaker | October 1, 2018 at 1:34 pm
I am not a fan of horror movies, the usually depress me (all that death puts me into an existential funk). But, I do love Joss Whedon and how he can turn a trope upside down. So I recommend Cabin in the Woods. It’s one of my favorites.
And I also highly recommend Tucker and Dale Vs Evil – super cheesy and funny! Death is always better when we can laugh about it. Although I’m not recommending laughing at a funeral, that is culturally frowned upon… for some reason. I mean I get you shouldn’t laugh AT the dead, that’s not nice. Anywho, those are my recommendations. I hope you enjoy them. 🙂
mynameisawkward | October 1, 2018 at 1:34 pm
Train to Busan, and It Follows!
joshilyn | October 1, 2018 at 1:34 pm
I LOVE the swedish version of Let the Right One In
Hereditary. You will either love it or hate it. 😂
Barb in Minnesota | October 1, 2018 at 1:35 pm
Silence of the Lambs. Still can’t watch it when it’s dark out.
Gillybean | October 1, 2018 at 1:36 pm
I usually hate horror, but somehow I love 13 Ghosts(2001), Ghost Ship (2002), and House on Haunted Hill (1999). My husband says it’s because they’re terrible…I prefer campy. He votes for Amityville Horror (2005). For a psych thriller Identity(2003) is good and you should check out an indie film called Deepwater (2003) that was filmed in my home town:)
Karen Albeck | October 1, 2018 at 1:37 pm
Nosferatu. That shadow on the wall…
A Nony Mouse | October 1, 2018 at 1:37 pm
Scream is one of my favorite horror movies because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Same with I Know What You Did Last Summer. The Exorcist and The Omen are classics that I saw when they originally came out in the theater and it took me YEARS before I was ready to watch them again. I agree about the “Hush” episode of Buffy. One of the BEST TV episodes ever done. Also Midnight, Texas. TV series, two seasons so far, lots of good stuff – from the same author who brought you True Blood.
I recently watched The Strangers on Netflix (Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler). Fairly original home invasion movie. DO NOT watch it when you are home alone. I did. :shudder:
Poltergeist (the original) and You’re Next 🙂
1408 and Identity are two of my absolute favourite horrors! Bonus – they’re both John Cusack movies. I would eat that man alive which now that I think about it would fall under horror and porn, sooooooooo win-win!
M. Oniker | October 1, 2018 at 1:39 pm
Netflix is running a month of scary movies. I’d add Coraline.
katykeck | October 1, 2018 at 1:39 pm
It will be a miracle if you can find this but Killer Clowns from Outerspace!!!
Ubi Dubium | October 1, 2018 at 1:40 pm
Blair Witch. The over the top supernatural stuff doesn’t scare me, because I don’t buy it. But being tired, hungry, cold, and lost in the woods with somebody possibly after you? Yeesh. Being more realistic makes it way creepier for me. (Also, Fatal Attraction for realistic scariness.) And there’s a new season of American Horror Story on Netflix!
phins | October 1, 2018 at 1:40 pm
manhunter !!!
Deathly Hallows Part I and II
Bill Peschel | October 1, 2018 at 1:40 pm
I second Zombieland.
Add Attack the Block to your list. Zombies attack English public housing plus coming of age movie. Fabulous.
‘Cargo’ definitely. Best zombie movie I’ve ever seen. Netflix critically acclaimed category.
Apparently its killer KLOWNS – and its on hulu. praise the lord
hoosiersista | October 1, 2018 at 1:41 pm
I think the Conjuring is one of the scariest I have seen, but I don’t really like scary movies unless there’s a touch of humor so I like Creepshow and also Goosebumps. Also I remember watching Alien as a kid and being scared to go to sleep for a week!
Jessica | October 1, 2018 at 1:42 pm
Ooh – Picnic and Carnival are on my October watchlist, too! Other top picks for this year include Hounds of Love (hulu), Raw (netflix), Thelma (hulu), the 1950s And then There Were None (amazon), the Lodger (filmstruck), Unsane (amazon), Kiss of the Damned (hulu), and a Dark Song (netflix). I’m also planning to catch Bad Times at the El Royale (Drew Goddard! I LOVE Cabin in the Woods) and the new Suspiria in theaters.
admonkey | October 1, 2018 at 1:42 pm
Jen | October 1, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Wishmaster.
Best cheezy horror movie out there.
Cathy with a 'C' | October 1, 2018 at 1:43 pm
The Exorcist. A classic whether you like the pea soup scene or not.
Trilogy of Terror! Only 1 of the stories in the trilogy is scary, but I still have nightmares about it 40 years after 1st seeing it.
Shanna H. | October 1, 2018 at 1:45 pm
Any of The Conguring movies,and their sequels, prequels, and spin-offs. The original Halloween movie from 1978.
Mia | October 1, 2018 at 1:45 pm
Saturday. Syfy. “YOU MIGHT BE THE KILLER”.
Based on this twitter-exchange https://twitter.com/SamSykesSwears/status/890751932779839488
Adrian Jones | October 1, 2018 at 1:46 pm
I’d recommend Nightwatch.
Both the Russian fantasy horror
And the Danish Police Drama/Horror.
(But not the dreadful Hollywood remake of it.)
David | October 1, 2018 at 1:46 pm
If you don’t mind subtitles there’s a good Korean movie called Train to Busan. Was on Netflix don’t know if it still is.
It’s not a movie- but Penny Dreadful rocks the house.
askyermom | October 1, 2018 at 1:49 pm
I have an odd one: I Am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House. It was made by Osgood Perkins and music by Elvis Perkins, children of Psycho’s Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins. Ruth Wilson and Paula Prentiss star. It’s a creeepy time and needs to be watched in a quiet room.
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The only scary movie I ever watched in my life was The Birds w Tippi Hendrin.
Eva Brame | October 1, 2018 at 1:51 pm
enola | October 1, 2018 at 1:57 pm
Definitely “The Descent” and its sequel.
But I also love an old Richard Chamberlain film from the 1970s called “The Last Wave”. Although corny in places, it has a slow, creeping kind of horror that really got to me when I first saw it.
And, the original film “The Wickerman”. Not the remake, which in my opinion is a pale imitation of the original.
Fictionfiend | October 1, 2018 at 1:58 pm
Tucker and Dale vs Evil and Slither are about as horror-y as I get.
I don’t know if Pan’s Labyrinth counts as horror, but it sure is creepy.
Uzumaki (2000). Japanese with English subtitles. Graphic novel by Junji Ito turned into movie.
The Changeling (1980 w/ George C Scott).
The Vanishing (1988 original)
I Saw What You Did (1965)
The Orphanage (2007)
The Lady in White (1988)
Wendy | October 1, 2018 at 1:59 pm
Hereditary. Just rented it yesterday and it scared the bejesus out of me.
Insidious. Scared me so deeply that when I accidentally phoned my sister who I was visiting, hearing her ringtone for me (Bali Hai) almost gave me a coronary.
Megan | October 1, 2018 at 2:01 pm
The exorcism of Emily Rose, the Paranormal Activity movies and Buried. As long as you don’t mind being permanently scarred by movies, that are my top recommendations. Aside from that, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street!
Joye | October 1, 2018 at 2:01 pm
“The Strangers” and “The Ring” are two movies that messed me UP!! I loved “Get Out” so I’m glad to see that on your list. Have fun!
dndgirl | October 1, 2018 at 2:02 pm
Burnt Offerings – nice choice! I live about ten miles away from the Dunsmuir House, which was in the movie. It is actually a very nice house with beautiful gardens, but ever since the movie, I always keep an eye on the attic window!
Rainbow Fab and Sparkling Liz 🏳️🌈♿️💜 (@theliz13) | October 1, 2018 at 2:03 pm
A couple if they haven’t already been suggested.
“Cabin in the Woods” has a real twisty turny psychological bend.
And less well known.
“Session 9” classic haunted building gone wrong, but with a twist at the end that has been forever burned into my mind.
Also, my choice for a good horror movie is Mama. I don’t know why, but it really creeped me out!
Georgellen Burnett | October 1, 2018 at 2:04 pm
Real scary: The Handmaid’s Tale. Romantic Scary: Rebecca both the original movie and the two part series on PBS. Wow scary: Pan’s Labyrinth.
Suzanne Smith Henley | October 1, 2018 at 2:04 pm
Hands down, the original (1963) “The Haunting,” starring Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. Should scare the shit out of you. Enjoy.
nb | October 1, 2018 at 2:04 pm
The Void!!
Dianne | October 1, 2018 at 2:06 pm
The Messengers starring Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller; haunted farmhouse action!
Gary Gertz | October 1, 2018 at 2:08 pm
Watch Delirium on NetFlix – best horror movie I have seen in years!
Monika | October 1, 2018 at 2:11 pm
The orphanage
The ring (Japanese original)
The devils backbone
Pixie Stix | October 1, 2018 at 2:13 pm
The Audition (Japanese horror, but available in English).
I Spit On Your Grave (original and remake), Silent Night Deadly Night and American Mary.
theliteraryknitter | October 1, 2018 at 2:14 pm
Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist
My Favorites for this time of year: Tucker and Dale vs Evil, Practical Magic, certain episodes of Buffy or Angel (the creepiest being Hush), The Conjuring, Ghost Hunt (I watch the anime or read the manga), Nightmare Before Christmas, The Thing, Bell Book and Candle, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I know most of them aren’t super creepy or exactly horror, but they are great for October. Plus I can get my family to watch most of them with me, which is even more fun.
Session 9 was so scary that I’ll never watch it again
CBD | October 1, 2018 at 2:16 pm
I remember i saw a double feature of Blair witch and Sixth Sense the first time i saw them
Paula Murray | October 1, 2018 at 2:16 pm
The Bad Seed. Vintage 60s.
Jaysoe | October 1, 2018 at 2:16 pm
April Fools Day the 1986 movie, super fun!
Diane T | October 1, 2018 at 2:16 pm
Wait Until Dark. Scared the crap out of me when I was a kid.
Candice | October 1, 2018 at 2:17 pm
Woman in Black is a good haunted house movie and it has Daniel Radcliffe/Harry Potter in it. 🙂 Also, Dial M for Murder is a great classic. The Ring terrified me as a teenager. The Descent is awesome too!
seesparks | October 1, 2018 at 2:17 pm
The most terrifying movie I’ve ever seen is Session 9. I haven’t watched it in 10 years, but I remember the whole thing haunting me for years. Not sure if I endorse it or if it holds up, I’m not ready to try it again!
Alice | October 1, 2018 at 2:18 pm
Fido!!!!!! Best funny zombie movie ever!
Kmom | October 1, 2018 at 2:19 pm
The Omega Man. Watched it in the theater, as a young teen as part of a birthday party. Scared me a lot.
Kat | October 1, 2018 at 2:19 pm
If you can get your hands on it, there’s a movie from 1987 called “Trick Or Treat” and it stars Marc Price, who played Skippy on the show Family Ties. It has cameos by Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne and it is CRAPTACULAR! You need this in your life!
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Amy B | October 1, 2018 at 2:22 pm
I cannot believe no one has mentioned The Fly. The Fly is on Hulu right now and it has Jeff Goldblum and it needs to be watched right now during October. Come on.
Also, Tucker & Dale vs Evil. It’s on Netflix. Trust me.
Nicole Moore | October 1, 2018 at 2:22 pm
Annabelle-The Creation
Missicat | October 1, 2018 at 2:22 pm
Burnt Offerings scared the crap out of me as a kid. Good choice for day one!
I would recommend: The Others. Poltergeist (the original). The Descent. The Ring (Japanese version).
Karen | October 1, 2018 at 2:24 pm
Tiny weirdo | October 1, 2018 at 2:26 pm
So, I second the InnKeepers, It Follows, The Witch, Hereditary, Babadock, Halloween (the original), The Shining, The Descent, What We Do in the Shadows, The Wailing, Alien, You’re Next, Cabin in the Woods, and Happy Death Day.
Others on my watchlist for October are: We are all still here, Housebound, and The Invitation.
Littlewolf | October 1, 2018 at 2:28 pm
I cannot do horror or psychological thrillers. That said, I loved watching Buffy and own the whole series. I’ll add my vote for Hush (and not only because of Tara, though she is fantastic..) I’ll also suggest Serenity, the movie made from the short lived TV series Firefly. If you don’t know what Reavers are, you’ll either be fascinated to find out, or utterly horrified. If none of that works… uh… the most terrfying thing I can think of is the news. (Only partly kidding..)
Faith | October 1, 2018 at 2:29 pm
Hereditary, its on Amazon (but rentable)
AJ-the short one | October 1, 2018 at 2:31 pm
Reading through all the suggestions was like a trip down memory land-if it was a dark and scary lane. You are all as twisted as I am. Praise the Lord! I agree with so many of the above…esp. Cabin in the Woods and The Shining. I didn’t think anyone else ever saw The Wave but I loved that when it came out. I noticed Frankenweenie is out now but it is also very sad, and what about Rocky Horror? That must be on the list!
Also have to add The Bad Seed – they are actually remaking it now, but I always like the originals best.
Sarah | October 1, 2018 at 2:32 pm
Original Children of the Corn. I wasn’t able to do corn mazes for YEARS. For a quick, light laugh/scare… Toy Story of Terror. 🙂
VERONICA CAINE | October 1, 2018 at 2:33 pm
I can’t do horror movies. I used to — but then I saw Cat People (1982 version). Still creeps me out. Psychological thrillers scare the holy crap out of me, like Scanners. Brrrr.
Jerrie | October 1, 2018 at 2:34 pm
Hush on Netflix
You really need to watch A Tale of Two Sisters. It is very creepy!
StampyDurst | October 1, 2018 at 2:36 pm
Don’t Look Now with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. Little kids in red coats still freak me out.
Debra Crosby | October 1, 2018 at 2:37 pm
The Grudge!
deervixen | October 1, 2018 at 2:37 pm
You can’t possibly go wrong watching “Interview with a Vampire”
For extra camp and no scare, watch the movie “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” that predated the show.
Gunnhildur | October 1, 2018 at 2:41 pm
The Cabin in the Woods is comedy/horror. I loved it.
Leslynne | October 1, 2018 at 2:42 pm
Veronica ( Spanish)
Laura J/ | October 1, 2018 at 2:43 pm
Babadook is a great scary film……but involves child abuse so it can be upsetting for certain people
Babadook.
Jillian | October 1, 2018 at 2:45 pm
Kay | October 1, 2018 at 2:45 pm
Train to Busan, Rec. Both are well worth putting up with subtitles for!
Oh, and Eli Roth’s ‘Cabin Fever’ Not the 2016 (ish) remake, the original. One of my faves!
Amber Lafrance | October 1, 2018 at 2:48 pm
The Rite, with Anthony Hopkins. Course, I love Silence of the Lambs. Ooooo The Amityville Horror is good too
Here are some of my weird favorites:
House (1977, It’s Japanese and there’s an evil cat!)
yasmara | October 1, 2018 at 2:50 pm
Not exactly horror, but alien invasion. Attack The Block.
The Invitation. It Follows.
Noella | October 1, 2018 at 2:51 pm
The Watcher in the Woods (Disney 1980), Flatliners (1990), Fallen (1998), Jennifer 8 (1992), The Gate (1987), Child of Glass (1977).
Melissa | October 1, 2018 at 2:52 pm
The trailer for Susperia (1977) was the scariest thing I had ever seen. I was 9.
I’m not sure it would hold up over the years.
HI! so I don’t have a suggestion I just wanted to say that I have read both of your books at least 10 times each, they are my favorites, and that’s saying a lot considering how much I love Harry Potter. I suggest them to EVERYONE. I’m 15, and I don’t usually have time to visit your blog because my rehearsal for the school play usually goes until 8:00 at night and the theatre program at my school is a HUGE deal, so I really don’t have time for anything. I just wanted to say that when I read your books it is the only time when I feel like anyone understands everything I’m going through with anxiety, depression and the like, and I really hope that someday you write another one, because these are the kinds of stories the world needs to hear, kind of messed up, but in the end, good. Thank you.
Erin | October 1, 2018 at 2:55 pm
Hell House LLC! Its the first horror movie in years that squidged me out. There is a growing sense of dread and claustrophobia throughout. Also it’s on Amazon Prime.
What we do in the Shadows (it’s Campy but so much fun)
mommatrek | October 1, 2018 at 3:03 pm
I haaaaaaaaate horror movies. I tried to make myself like them last October, when I watched a different classic horror film every weekend. But I don’t like them. Nope.
This year, I’m watching a different movie from the Mad Max franchise every weekend because I’ve never seen them..like any of them. And I know that as a fully qualified card carrying nerd girl, I need to fix this immediately.
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The Witch was a well acted movie but not much of a horror movie. I just found it so sad watching this family break down.
moses | October 1, 2018 at 3:09 pm
I’ll second The Devil’s Backbone – Guillermo del Toro flick about a boy in an orphanage during the Spanish civil war…very unconventional horror but very unsettling.
auntfoggy | October 1, 2018 at 3:09 pm
The Prophecy is my favorite. Sequels were okay, worth it for Christopher Walden gleefully chewing up the scenery.
I can’t do scary movies, so A Clockwork Orange, seen when it first came out, still haunts me
Alonna Larson | October 1, 2018 at 3:16 pm
The Unborn, on Netflix I believe. It surprised me by actually being good. lol
MrsSteelToe | October 1, 2018 at 3:17 pm
If you are looking for silly horror I highly recommend
Aaah! Zombies!!
Zombies of Mass Destruction
Fido or
Christophine | October 1, 2018 at 3:17 pm
The 1963 version of The Haunting, not the terrible remake from 1999, based on the novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
The Conjuring 1 and 2
The Legend of Hell House with Roddy McDowall, from 1973.
The Legacy, from 1978
Fear, from 1990
Cast a Deadly Spell, from 1991
The Thing, from 1982
Susan A | October 1, 2018 at 3:18 pm
You must watch ” The Haunting ” original with Julie Harris, ” The Changeling ” with George C Scott, and ” Rosemary’s Baby ” !!! Classics and scary as Hell !!! Ooooh also ” Rear Window ” a great Hitchcock murder/suspense movie !
I just discovered a movie on amazon prime called Hell House, LLC – small budget, nobody well-known, but its a hidden gem, great scary creepy parts!
On a non-zombie note Moose! is great campy low budget horror and as a bonus one of my awesome family members is in this one!!!
Penny Wilson Writes | October 1, 2018 at 3:20 pm
I have 2 classic favs that I try to watch in October. One is The Ghost and Mr. Chcken and the other is Th Rocky Horror Picture Show. 🙂
Siobhan | October 1, 2018 at 3:23 pm
My husband says Ju-On is really good and better than The Grudge. I second the suggestion of Crimson Peak. It is beautiful and a classic ghost story. Paranormal is a classic, too.
Cheryl | October 1, 2018 at 3:23 pm
Other than the Exorcist, which caused me to sleep with the lights on for a year, the scariest movie I ever saw was The Haunting of Hill House . . . the original.
katherine | October 1, 2018 at 3:25 pm
Watch the wizard of Oz with pink Floyd’s dark side of the Moon. Volume down after the Lions third roar when you start the album. I haven’t watched it since I did this and it didn’t have captions or anything but that was 1998 and I’m still triggered.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Side_of_the_Rainbow
Itselise | October 1, 2018 at 3:27 pm
Frailty, Shutter(Thai one), and Mindhunters- ladies love cool James at his best. Ooh, also The Victim (I love Thai horror), with a caveat. The last third of the movie is pretty shit, so when you hear Cut! in the movie, turn it off and treat it like the movie is complete.
juliaale | October 1, 2018 at 3:28 pm
The Blob, the 1958 version, was my introduction to horror movies and gave me nightmares for a decade. I don’t think anyone mentioned that one yet. I hear there is a remake, but since I never watched it I can’t vouch for the newer version. Scary movies creep me out and I avoid them like the plague. I’m so proud of you being able to watch them!
Spoken Like A True Nut | October 1, 2018 at 3:28 pm
“character-driven weirdness”
The People Under the Stairs. Seriously. This became an immediate October staple for me after my husband showed it to me the first time. It’s got a little taste of everything – suspense, laughs, oddities – but above all, the two main adult characters are just so deliciously batshit insane.
100% recommend.
Ms Ro | October 1, 2018 at 3:29 pm
First you need to watch the sequel to the 1930’s Frankenstein then watch Young Frankenstein. It is a takeoff from the 1930’s movie. You can also watch them the other way round. Sometimes you just need comedy!
If you’re looking for something short and unusual, check out a no commentary play through of the game P.T.
Poltergeist I and II!
ashleymcarr | October 1, 2018 at 3:33 pm
The Haunting (1963) – Hands down my favorite horror film.
Watcher in the Woods with Bette Davis, classic 70s/80s Disney
Rec, the original one in Spanish.
Ooh! or the Spanish version of the original Dracula, which is so much better!
Nan | October 1, 2018 at 3:36 pm
I actually don’t enjoy horror, but watched the “Woman in Black” as a play in London. It scared me badly, but even scared the the kids who like that kind of thing. A couple years ago it came out as a movie and I couldn’t be in the same room when the commercial came on.
Cabin in the Woods, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Conjuring (Netflix), The Ritual (Netflix), Paranormal Activity (Hulu), Hush (Netflix), Veronica (subtitles, Netflix), It Follows (Netflix), The Possession, As Above So Below (Netflix), Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil (Netflix), American Psycho (Hulu), The Shinning, Insidious, The Girl Next Store, Hereditary, It (2018).
esoterica | October 1, 2018 at 3:40 pm
I second Tucker and Dale Versus Evil and The Conjuring, coming from someone who spooks easily. I’ll also add Gay Jesus for good measure–a bizarre and offensive cheap horror that is exactly what you’d imagine based on the title.
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Sid Rotten | October 1, 2018 at 3:49 pm
A couple of obscure oldies from Simone Signoret: from the ‘50’s Diabolique (French but it’s
available dubbed) and from the late ‘60’s, ‘Games’ where Simone joins James Caan and
Katherine Ross. Both are psychological thrillers with some serious twists and popcorn
pitching moments. Diabolique has been redone a number of times but the original is truly
untouchable.
Stephanie | October 1, 2018 at 3:49 pm
You gotta follow up Shaun of the Dead with the rest of the trilogy! Hot Fuzz (doesn’t get enough credit) and Worlds End (the weakest of the three). I would add: Black Sheep (New Zealand), Seoul Station (the prequel to Train to Busan), Rainbow and the Serpent, Pontypool, Dead Snow isn’t bad. There is always Planet Terror for some good old fashioned Austin area ‘hey I know where that is’ factor in your zombie movie.
Andrea | October 1, 2018 at 3:52 pm
When I was a kid in the 70’s I watched a short film called “Amelia” as part of the Trilogy of Terror. I had nightmares about that little african doll that came to life. When the internet started being a ‘thing’, I remember looking up “scary movie african doll” and was able to find it on youtube. It definitely wasn’t as scary as I’d remembered but would recommend it due to the cheese-factor.
For fans of The Others and the Orphanage, try The Awakening (2011) and Marrowbone (2017).
My ultimate suggestion for this Halloween: Leigh Whannell’s/Blumhouse Production’s Upgrade (2018). The ending is truly terrifying.
The Other . Not to be confused with The Others with Nicole Kidman. The book, is awesome as well.
Pellington21 | October 1, 2018 at 3:55 pm
Carnival of Souls needs to be watched through the Rifftrax site. In fact, they’ve got a ton of scary movies you can watch on Amazon Prime for free that end up hilarious.
Other favorites:
The Underworld series, most especially Rise of the Lycons
The Exorcist is still hands down, the scariest movie ever made
The original It miniseries
Bad Samaritan (is the scariest psychological thriller I’ve seen in years and frankly, other than The Ring and Exorcist, NOTHING scares me.)
Lost Boys (only the first one)
Fright Night with Colin Farrell and David Tennant
Legend (Tim Curry’s devil is scary AF)
House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price
And if you need a pallet cleanser: What We Do in the Shadows is the funniest horror movie ever.
Duel (1971, Spielberg’s first movie. Guy chased on lone road by crazy truck driver.)
Jaws (1975–not horror exactly, but scary and always good for a repeat viewing.)
Happy Death Day (2017) was great. Great script, really well acted and a lot of fun.
Kelly (@kellyjrusso) | October 1, 2018 at 3:55 pm
Fright Night! The original but the remake was fund too. Shaun of the Dead, What Lies Beneath and I just started watching Castle Rock on Hulu, pretty creepy so far!
Shannon | October 1, 2018 at 3:56 pm
For true ridiculousness, Jesus Christ, Vampire Slayer. I also really like the Dawn of the Dead remake.
Oh, wait, and The Hidden! Kyle Maclachlan as an alien assisting Michael Nouri in hunting another alien. And Hysterical, starring the Hudson Brothers, in which people who get turned into zombies suddenly start wearing turtlenecks and saying “What difference does it make?” (I don’t know why I’m suggesting all these not-really-scary movies. I actually really like legitimately scary movies.)
quoylette | October 1, 2018 at 3:59 pm
The Girl With All the Gifts. And Hereditary.
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Kste | October 1, 2018 at 3:59 pm
Don’t Look Now with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. Terrifying
Galixie | October 1, 2018 at 4:03 pm
Here are a couple that are very different from each other but I liked them both:
April Fool’s Day (1986)
The Woman in Black (2012)
My roommates were once talking about what movies scared them as children and they both thought the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz were terrifying. My choice was for scary childhood movie was Sound of Music. It had nazis and dancing nuns. :: shudder ::
heather26r | October 1, 2018 at 4:07 pm
I get scared pretty easy, like ‘it’s not fun anymore’ scared, so horror movies aren’t usually my thing. I do like some of the classics, though… Play Misty For Me is a totally underrated stalker-type movie. Of course The Shining, and Misery. Children of the Corn was pretty good (the original, most of the sequels suck imo). I really liked The Omen, but I like creepy-kid movies in general… Orphan was another great one in that category.
DallasLass | October 1, 2018 at 4:09 pm
The Hunger
The Visit (2015)!!!!!!! How did I forget that one! I love that movie.
Datdamwuf | October 1, 2018 at 4:11 pm
Stephen King did a B horror movie on purpose and it was hilarious. I vote for Sleepwalkers, of course it helped that there was a woman behind us in the theater that did not understand the humor AT ALL. She kept screaming, best movie out experience ever.
Janette | October 1, 2018 at 4:12 pm
Poltergeist is a favorite and don’t be afraid of the dark…saw the original as a child and would not enter a dark room for years! Very scary.
The Last Exorcism, The Possession, Mama, and I don’t know if Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil actually counts as horror, but it’s pretty great.
Barbara in Colorado | October 1, 2018 at 4:17 pm
The first horror movie I saw was Asylum. (1972). It scared me immensely. Not the same level of horror movie being made today, but I still get creeped out thinking about it.
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Mona Andrei (aka Moxie-Dude) | October 1, 2018 at 4:18 pm
OMGness, Burnt Offerings! Haven’t thought about that movie in YEARS! Do you ever watch the old “classic” vampire movies? Now they’re laughable. Not so much when I was a kid.
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The devil’s backbone, the sibling-movie of pan’s labyrinth, which is the best movie ever
Sharon | October 1, 2018 at 4:25 pm
My older sister (she was about 13 at the time) watched Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte through the buttonhole of her coat. Like that was going to keep her safe! Ha! Also a good oldie… Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Bette Davis was great, voice like nails on a chalkboard!
I second Kelly and Geoff’s sentiment: humans are the most terrifying monsters, hence Cape Fear (both the original with Robert Mitchum and the remake with Robert DiNero).
Lisa Arbour | October 1, 2018 at 4:29 pm
Night of the Living Dead and The Grudge.
C. R. Markley | October 1, 2018 at 4:32 pm
After watching the fantastic “Shaun of the dead,” the third film in the Cornetto series is a must watch- “The World’s End”. All of the “Cornetto Three Flavours Trilogy” films are awesome parodies. “The World’s End” isn’t just an excellent parody of apocalyptic, sci-fi horror, but it’s also simply full of meaning and symbology.
For anyone who’s already seen it, this analysis is almost shockingly awesome at revealing much of the hidden symbolism and the levels of meaning within the film. (Contains spoilers)https://youtu.be/yDNL137JDhE
…also, I can’t handle much real horror, (with jump scares and chainsaws…ick), but the best psychological horror is “Silence of the Lambs.”
Also, just saw “The House with a Clock in it’s Walls” at the theatre this weekend and it was fun. (A few plot holes we found afterwards, but still enjoyable.)
Michele Karch-Ackerman | October 1, 2018 at 4:42 pm
The Orphanage, The Others and Rosemary’s Baby…plus The Exorcist as a bonus.
Annette Weißbrodt | October 1, 2018 at 4:42 pm
The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Really scary!
FleaBailey | October 1, 2018 at 4:44 pm
Lady in a Cage. But only if you like campy horror. Early 1960s, starring Olivia de Haviland as a wealthy woman tormented by evil hippies who break into her house where she is trapped in an elevator. James Caan in an early role as lead evil hippie.
Zoe Claire | October 1, 2018 at 4:45 pm
The Decent (women in a caving expedition) scariest movie I have ever seen. And also Murder Party. I ran a video store for 15 years, this is one of my super powers, recommending movies.
radical faith, hope, & love | October 1, 2018 at 4:46 pm
Insidious 😱😱😱
Kim | October 1, 2018 at 4:47 pm
Salem’s Lot scared the crap out of me as a kid…Also another vote for The Others. Nicole Kidman totally rocked!
Amanda | October 1, 2018 at 4:50 pm
Silence of the Lambs. Also I like the list. I can’t stand ‘slasher’ or ‘torture’ horror at all but I do love a good psychological thriller or zombie apocalypse type movie =)
The Innocents (1961) with Deborah Kerr! It’s based on the Turn of the Screw.
herbertleslie | October 1, 2018 at 4:53 pm
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069298/reviews . Something Evil. 1972 made for TV movie directed by Steven Speilberg! I watched it in 72, I was 10. I never got over it!!
Kristi Hartwick | October 1, 2018 at 4:54 pm
Magic with Anthony Hopkins! TERRIFYING Howdy Doody-esque puppet takes over his owner
I am the pretty thing that lives in the house, on Netflix. Directed by Oz Perkins, son of Anthony Perkins. Classic gothic horror.
Gina | October 1, 2018 at 4:55 pm
Cabin in the Woods! Also The Witches of Eastwick, because all of the women in that movie could do way better than Jack Nicholson and the scary thing is THEY ALL STILL BONED HIM.
Niki Cooper | October 1, 2018 at 4:57 pm
Pet semetary
If anyone is looking for a really good, family-friendly Halloween movie, may I suggest The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966, Don Knotts). I watched it again the other day and was reminded how great it is—filled with old pro character actors from the 60’s. It’s a classic!
becomingcliche | October 1, 2018 at 5:10 pm
The Babadook and Silence of the Lambs.
Did you know that Lost Boys is considered a horror film? Maybe because of the vampires? But I nominate Lost Boys.
Hell House LLC. Very creepy!
Cerry | October 1, 2018 at 5:19 pm
Fright Night! Housemate and I watched it the other day because it has David Tennant, and ended up yelling at the screen about overuse of horror tropes and laughing the entire way through. Very much on the Shaun of the Dead end of the horror spectrum.
Marianne | October 1, 2018 at 5:22 pm
Train to Busan.
Jamie McMillan | October 1, 2018 at 5:24 pm
I just watched Lavendar and it was really good. American Fable was also really good. Oh and Hide and Seek.
Although I don’t know if they count, I love Into The Woods and Hocus Pocus and Coraline for some lighter fare : )
Bubba Hotepp. Best. Zombie. Movie. Ever. (Counting Sean of the Dead and Zombieland)
tybeeknot | October 1, 2018 at 5:28 pm
The Cabin in the Woods, Let Me In (or the Swedish original, Let the Right One In), Spider Baby, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Daybreakers.
Erin Mc | October 1, 2018 at 5:28 pm
Haunter!!! It’s so good although sadly it appears that Netflix took it off. It’s a story of a haunted house, but from the ghost’s perspective. And it was quite scary, but mostly psychologically.
When In The Course of Human Events... 🐲🦁 (@Wildrider51) | October 1, 2018 at 5:31 pm
I can always go for “Poltergeist,” which still gives me the heebie-jeebies; but you can’t go wrong with “Shaun of the Dead”! I’d like to re-watch Jeff Goldblum’s “The Fly,” to see if I can get through it without laughing and be properly horrified (it did not help that I was watching it with a special-effects expert). I must always watch “Rocky Horror” during this month, though…
Ally | October 1, 2018 at 5:32 pm
Cabin in the Woods. The Quiet Place. Only 2 horror movies I’ve ever liked.
Corery | October 1, 2018 at 5:32 pm
Parents with Randy Quaid
Rose | October 1, 2018 at 5:36 pm
Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell. Campy, ridiculous grade-C film wherein a cult crossbreeds Satan with a German Shepard and chaos ensues.
How about “The Boy” (2016, with Lauren Cohan–Maggie from The Walking Dead). I don’t think anyones mentioned that one yet. I liked it quite a bit.
acrannymint | October 1, 2018 at 5:40 pm
The Haunting (1963)
ImmortalGreene | October 1, 2018 at 5:41 pm
Mulberry St is really creepy. Most horror movies I’m just amused by. Mullberry St required a nightlight, they got the atmosphere so perfect.
Margot Williams | October 1, 2018 at 5:43 pm
Try Attack the Block. An early alien encounter for new Doctor Who Jodie Whittaker.
The Funhouse (1981). I don’t think anyone’s listed that one yet. Big ‘ole nasty 80’s fun!
Library Heather | October 1, 2018 at 5:48 pm
My favorite horror movies are:
The Shining (1980) – on Netflix
Ringu (1998)
The Fog (1980 version)
The Others (2001)
The Awakening (2011)
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For the really campy zombie movie..Zombeaver.. bad, very, very, bad but one of those things you just must absolutely see. Especially if you also need a laugh.
Taylor | October 1, 2018 at 6:01 pm
Am I the ONLY person who was scarred by “”It”?! I am a huge Stephen King fan and both the book and movie STILL top any lists. I still can’t handle Tim Curry in any other role…
Heidi | October 1, 2018 at 6:04 pm
Session 9–so scary and so creepy. Filmed in an abandoned insane asylum. I want to watch the making of but I’m too scared.
Suzanne Smith | October 1, 2018 at 6:12 pm
Dracula (1979) – a film in the gothic romantic tradition starring Frank Langella and remake of the 1931 film with Bela Lugosi.
Van Helsing (2004) – action film only loosely connected to the original Dracula;
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Beetlejuice Release date March 30, 1988 Thirtieth anniversary!
Night of the Living Dead (1968) George A. Romero
and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
Wolf of Words | October 1, 2018 at 6:12 pm
I’m glad you asked! I’m doing non-spoiler reviews of plenty of horror movies all of this month as I have done for the last few years. I just watched Terrifier on Netflix and it was fantastically creepy but also very gory. The Final Girls is a silly meta-horror movie about teens who get sucked into a campy seventies/eighties horror movie. It’s on Amazon, I think. 1922, a Stephen King adaptation, is also on Netflix and is super psychological.
Wolf of Words recently posted The Final Girls (2015).
Jo-Anne | October 1, 2018 at 6:16 pm
Ghost Story with Fred Astaire and John Houseman. Very spooky!
kstewand4cats | October 1, 2018 at 6:18 pm
I love Shaun of the Dead. Maybe throw in some old X Files episodes with monster. I was snowbound in the upstairs apartment of an old farmhouse watching the one where the guy can squeeze his body through any crack to come in and kill people when the local cops showed up at my door because neighbors reported suspicious activity on the property. It was also 1 in the morning. Young Frankenstein to lighten things up? The Grunge freaked me out. I think because they used less CGI in the effects. That noise though! https://possumscatsthingsgnawingatme.wordpress.com/2018/09/29/unicorns-vs-sharks/
There’s a John Carpenter movie with Jon Bon Jovi as the main slayer. Have a cheese plate ready to go with the movie.
Anything from The Conjuring series. Makes you ask important life questions like Why the fuck am I watching the movie alone in the dark?
Janie McClarin | October 1, 2018 at 6:24 pm
As Above,So Below, so different, so scary! Therapy For A Vampire is a German horror comedy, subtitled in English. Again, so out of the ordinary. This is my first time being brave enough to comment here, because I am an anxiety-riddled bag of weirdness, but could not resist sharing new horror-ish goodies.
wweinland | October 1, 2018 at 6:26 pm
The original Exorcist with Linda Blair, The Omen with Gregory Peck, The 6th Sense with Bruce Willis.
hotmailcom258 | October 1, 2018 at 6:31 pm
VERTIGO – Hitchcock. Not really hour but AMAZING psychological drama, with a killer twist. Also I love the original Carrie. The ring, It Follows, Babadook. Both Alien and Aliens – skip the other sequels. Just watched Silence of the Lambs again last night.
shthisisme | October 1, 2018 at 6:34 pm
Does Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog count, or any of the Mystery Science Theaters count?
Stir of Echoes and The Changeling are the only two horror movies this fraidy cat can stand. And Carrie if she’s got all the lights on.
I recommend Euthanaughts and She Could Fly in comics if you get tired of TV. A friend of mine would recommend Farm Hand.
anon | October 1, 2018 at 6:41 pm
Something Wicked This Way Comes (made in the 1980’s, and based on the book that I’m sure you’ve read)
Hush (recently came out, about a deaf woman living by herself who has to deal with an intruder)
The Other (a 1970’s movie about twin brothers, really hard to find but worth the hunt)
The Exorcist III (the one with George C.Scott) has some of the scariest scenes I have ever seen in a movie
Waxwork. Funniest horror movie ever. Watched it in high school and loved it ever since.
And how did I forget???
What We Do In The Shadows. Absolutely HILARIOUS “mockumentary” about vampires
Monsters’ Closet | October 1, 2018 at 6:43 pm
My boyfriend got really scared while watching “Lights Out” on Netflix. Personally, I liked the originality of the story.
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Deborah Cook | October 1, 2018 at 7:03 pm
What about “Devil’s Advocate “ and “7”? You can’t go wrong with lust, greed and the rest of the deadly sins !!!
Paula M | October 1, 2018 at 7:06 pm
Things that scared the heck out of me as a kid:
Trilogy of Terror (1975) with Karen Black. The third story has a creepy Zuni Fetish doll that still haunts my nightmares
Prophecy (1979) about a mutant bear. My mom laughed so hard at my cousin and I jumping and screaming
The Prophecy movies with Christopher Walken are pretty good, too.
Fallen with Denzel Washington is a fantastic suspenseful creepfest.
A couple of more comedy/horror movies that I love are Zombeavers (worth it for the theme song alone) and Dead and Breakfast (with musically inclined zombies).
Jill Browning | October 1, 2018 at 7:07 pm
The Crazies, The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2
Rachel | October 1, 2018 at 7:10 pm
Hell House LLC
Meeeee | October 1, 2018 at 7:11 pm
The Hunger (with David Bowie), The Thing, Wolfen, ReAnimator+Sequel(s). One of th ReAnimator movies has a zombie cat in it
Lisette M | October 1, 2018 at 7:14 pm
onemamaswalk | October 1, 2018 at 7:16 pm
My all time favorite is Signs…
Bettencourt | October 1, 2018 at 7:21 pm
31 days of short stories. Today I recommend The Boogeyman – Stephen King
Georgie | October 1, 2018 at 7:25 pm
Dog Sloldiers (British), Black Sheep (New Zealand), House Bound (New Zealand), Treat or Treat, American Werewolf in London and all the Evil Dead movies.
Deppen | October 1, 2018 at 7:32 pm
Jake Neely:
I should preface by saying I’m a horror fan (though not of gore) and i’ve got a lot of newer stuff, since most of the classics were mentioned already. Let me know if you want more. 😄
Some suggestions (in random order of remembering):
the wailing (korean) [psychological]
it follows (on netflix I think) [creepy supernatural]
train to busan (korean) (on netflix now!) [zombie and character driver… be prepared to cry!]
amityville horror (I prefer the newer one)
the ritual [creepy supernatural]
hereditary (2018) [character driver]
pyewacket [psychological/character driven]
you’re next [character driver]
the girl with all the gifts [zombie]
oculus [creepy supernatural]
the autopsy of jane doe [creepy supernatural]
the void [creepy supernatural]
the descent [psychological and character driver and supernatural]
It (new one)
backcountry [character]
behind the mask: the rise of leslie vernon [character] it’s a mockumentary
the evil dead (newer one)
it comes at night [psychological]
happy death day [character]
killing of a sacred deer [psychological]
Young Frankenstein (for laughs) and The Haunting of Hill House (original one, creepy, unseen horror)
The Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (funny like Shaun of the Dead)
Wenona Lee Gardner | October 1, 2018 at 7:43 pm
Poltergeist 1, 2, and 3. The best was Poltergeist 2 with the Native American Medicine Man.
There is a curse on the making of the movie where several of the characters including Carolanne actress died during the making of the movie!
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LWH | October 1, 2018 at 7:48 pm
The Others.
Nicole Kidman 2001
Dracula with Gary Oldman.
Stranger things, if you want movie length just watch 4 episodes at a time.
I really enjoyed Constantine with Keanu Reeves. More than I thought I would.
Jacobs Ladder. Hard to watch this one The old version. Obviously haven’t seen the 2019 version yet.
Heather Lessells | October 1, 2018 at 7:48 pm
The original “Black Christmas” with Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder.
The Babadook. Descent. It Follows. And check out some Korean horror, like The Host or Thirst. Korean horror movies area awesome!
Name Here | October 1, 2018 at 7:53 pm
Its not scary but can you add “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” because its just an awesome movie to watch this time of year. And everyone needs some Charlie Brown in their life.
Ruffian Spamson | October 1, 2018 at 7:55 pm
The Haunting of Hill House (the 1959 original, not the remake). Better yet, read Shirley Jackson’s novel – which has been called the most literary ghost story of the 20th century.
Oooh, seconding the original Flatliners and Mindhunters (it’s kinda bad but with an amazing cast – LL Cool J, Christian Slater Val Kilmer, Johnny Lee Miller) for psychological horror.
Kingdom of the Spiders, 1977. Exactly what it says on the tin. I saw it when I was about 8 and it TERRIFIED me. And I’m not talking about William Shatner’s acting.
CW | October 1, 2018 at 8:05 pm
Are you open to campy horror or B-movies? I’d suggest Night of the Lepus or Killer Clowns From Outer Space… or it could be a good excuse to see if that movie about the killer car tire is all it’s cracked up to be.
Gemma | October 1, 2018 at 8:08 pm
I tend to avoid horror movies because they really get into my head and leave me freaked out for days afterwards – but I don’t mind the spoof ones that I can laugh at like “Shaun of the Dead” – I’ll definitely rewatch that one this month. There’s a couple of really good New Zealand ones along those lines: “What we do in the shadows” – a mockumentary about a sharehouse of vampires – and “Housebound.” I do however love Hitchcock’s movies: “The Birds”, “Psycho” and “Rear Window” are my favourites. I was really surprised to find out that Daphne Du Maurier wrote the story that the movie of “The Birds” is based on. Her novel “Rebecca” is gorgeously haunting and the black and white movie version is awesome. I’d also suggest “Crimson Peak”, “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Sleepy Hollow.”
We don’t do much scary movie viewing since all the women folk are way too anxious
(I’m one of them). But stumbled across “Satan’s Little Helper” a couple of years ago. It’s a comedy sort of horror. Totally ridiculous. Last year my two high schoolers watched on YouTube and loved it. We are determined to bring dad into the fold this year.
KitKat | October 1, 2018 at 8:11 pm
Tucker and Dale Vs Evil,Gearlds Game, Train to Busan, would you rather
The Autopsy of Jane Doe! It’s a Stephen King book turned movie and it’s AWESOME!
https://typicaljenn.com/2018/09/09/will-breakdance-for-likes/
Kacey Boccuzzi | October 1, 2018 at 8:24 pm
Shut in with Naomi Watts. So good!
mrsgrrrs | October 1, 2018 at 8:27 pm
The Girl with All the Gifts was an interesting take on zombies
Heather | October 1, 2018 at 8:31 pm
Martyrs (original French version)
It sticks with you long after you’ve watched it.
D.S. Lucas | October 1, 2018 at 8:37 pm
Boo! I teach a film class called Reading the Movies, and I show the following scary movies (because they are horror multiplied by eek multiplied by I will shut my eyes and ears on that part…) Twilight Zone Episode: It’s a Good Life (scary kid); Amityville Horror (new one with clip of the original fly/priest scene; Psycho; Psycho Three; Alfred Hitchcock Presents Episode: Lamb to the Slaughter (oh my my!); The Shining; Silence of the Lambs (just when I thought I was done with sheep);
I don’t show these because they are too damn scary for ME: Sybil; It; Seven (can’t express how much fear I have of this one); Mommy Dearest; Carrie (original); Children of the Corn (“They want you too, Malachi); The Omen; Misery.
Hope you score some good screams and whim whams!
D.S. Lucas recently posted Fabulously Fulfilled at Forty-Six: Have a Day you Dreamed of!.
Barb | October 1, 2018 at 8:45 pm
Hell House LLC, Grave Encounters, Phobia 2, We Go On, Ghost Stories, Tragedy Girls… Scary movies make me feel like my life isn’t so bad.
Jae | October 1, 2018 at 8:49 pm
DUDE. I am so going to raid this list. What about campy? “Tucker and Dale vs Evil” or “Cabin in the Woods”? I thought “The Others” was excellent and very scary. And “Paranormal Activities” was so scary I seriously strained my bladder, because there was an attic door in the ceiling of the bathroom, and there was NO WAY I WAS GOING IN THERE.
I remember thinking that “The Frighteners” (horror/comedy with Michael J Fox) was a lot of fun and really underrated. I’d like to give that one another look since it was an early Peter Jackson movie. Curious to see how it holds up…
Pontypool, The Descent, Sinister, Last House On The Left, Orphan, The Autopsy Of Jane Doe
Darrell | October 1, 2018 at 9:02 pm
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)… every Halloween.
Houses October Built 1 & 2. “Found footage” films that scared the willies out of me. Unless you are freaked out by clowns in which case, avoid at all costs! 🙂
Angie Cousins | October 1, 2018 at 9:09 pm
Shadow of the Vampire (2000) is a brilliant What If study on the making of the first big-hit vampire movie, Nosferatu. Event Horizon (1997) – sci fi psychological thriller-horror with some gore. In The Mouth of Madness (1994) still haunts me even though I’ve only seen it once; it’s a mind-trip of horror and brain-terror. Ironically, those last two (which have stuck with me forever despite only one viewing) both starred Sam Neill. I dunno. Dr Grant scares me? XD
Rebecca Ramirez | October 1, 2018 at 9:10 pm
The Babadook. And I’m watching Burnt Offerings right now.
Arlene | October 1, 2018 at 9:21 pm
The original Salem’s Lot with David soul..
Bethe Lane | October 1, 2018 at 9:24 pm
High Tension. Its a french flick. Sooo good.
Mark Swope | October 1, 2018 at 9:26 pm
“Let the Right One In” or “The Final Girls”
13 Ghost’s, left me traumatized.
Children of the Corn.
The Believers.
Serpent and the Rainbow.
Hellraiser.
Theatre of Blood with Vincent Price.
Empress of Darkness | October 1, 2018 at 9:54 pm
It’s always a good idea to contrast the taste of terror with Halloween staples like Arsenic and Old lace or Hocus Pocus to remind us not to take anything too seriously. That said, there is a new film coming out this season entitled, “Teeth”. It’s about a woman with teeth in her vagina. The trailer made me giddy with delight. It sounds all sorts of awful and fantastic!
H | October 1, 2018 at 10:00 pm
John Carpenter’s Vampires.
Does Constantine count? Probably not but I love it anyway.
Rare Exports.
Trollhunter (Norwegian version)
Gloria | October 1, 2018 at 10:03 pm
Noferatu with Klaus Kinski. So creepy.
Also, just read Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Vampires with a twist. One of my favorites.
Jim | October 1, 2018 at 10:10 pm
Mega-campy zombie movie: Peter Jackson’s “Dead Alive” (made before “The Frighteners”). There’s a lawnmower involved, and it has nothing to do with mowing the lawn…
Up-voting other suggestions:
“M” (Fritz Lang, 1931; Peter Lorre’s break-out role, and a master class in how to maintain suspense with a shockingly primitive cinematic vocabulary by today’s standards)
Alien/Aliens – the definition of “high-octane nightmare fuel”
Any one of the “Evil Dead” series (E.D., E.D. II, Army of Darkness). Bruce Campbell rules!
Hitchcock – “The Birds”. But you must watch the original trailer for it first (on YouTube). It’s a masterpiece!
The Tingler – campy 1950s, Vincent Price, what’s not to like about that?
1970’s classics: The Exorcist (is it weird that I have a craving for split pea soup now?); The Shining. (Bonus: afterward, watch The Simpsons episodes which parody them)
Here’s a couple lesser known ones:
Mute Witness (1995) about a makeup artist accidentally locked in her building after work, trying to escape a killer. Great movie.
My Bloody Valentine (1981 original). Haven’t seen it in a while, but I remember it being scary fun in that way that 1980’s horror movies are.
Blair Witch Project
Bast | October 1, 2018 at 10:23 pm
Jan | October 1, 2018 at 10:26 pm
The Cabin in the Woods-super fun!
Greg Cox | October 1, 2018 at 10:30 pm
Not mentioned yet (I think):
The Night Stalker (the original TV-movie, not the later TV series).
The Uninvited (1944): classic haunted-house movie with Ray Milland
The Abominable Dr. Phibes with Vincent Price
Brides of Dracula (my favorite Hammer vampire movie)
The Body Snatcher (1945): Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, grave-robbing
Gina Senn | October 1, 2018 at 10:30 pm
The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell. Not a horror flick but I thought of you when I saw it.
It follows, also Monster House (I know it’s not scary, but I love watching it every Halloween)
Cory | October 1, 2018 at 10:31 pm
The Wolfen was a book my older sister made me read as a kid. I slept with a nightlight for a month after I read it. It was made into a 1981 crime/horror/paranormal movie but I never watched it. Couldn’t bring myself to.
Caitlin | October 1, 2018 at 10:31 pm
If you can find it, Paper House is haunting and creative. Inland Empire is the scariest Lynch in my mind. And the first episode of the first season on Channel Zero is some of the best TV horror I’ve ever seen.
From Within (2008) Also lesser-known. I enjoyed it.
When A Stranger Calls-1979 version though, not the 2006 remake. I first watched this right about the time I started babysitting as a teenager and it definitely freaked me out a little but I loved it and have watched it over and over. Also, I love that you are watching Shaun of the Dead on the 6th, it’s another one of my favorites and you’re watching it on my birthday!
Watcher in the Woods. It’s a Disney movie with Bette Davis. They had to change the ending because the original ending was so wacky.
Anonymous | October 2, 2018 at 12:00 am
How long’s it been since you watched “The Sixth Sense” it’s on ye old NF and I just re-watched it to see if I still needed to put round finger-cages over my eyes. Made it through but still plenty stylish and scary.
Invasion of the body snatchers with Sutherland. Misery with, um….an amazing actress…God can’t think of her name.
waywardsparkles | October 2, 2018 at 12:31 am
Any of the Abbott & Costello monster movies
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home
Fall of the House of Usher with Vincent Price
Anything with Vincent Price
The Omen movies
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Sweet Dreams, Jenny!
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mjslessonsfromhome | October 2, 2018 at 2:30 am
Have you seen “Magic” with Anthony Hopkins? It terrified me as a kid. Also, I’ve hated ventriloquist’s dolls and dolls in general ever since. It’s creepy as fuck.
Z3lda72 | October 2, 2018 at 2:41 am
So many comments: I can’t read them all (apologies for any double up)
I vote for The Babadook: it is terrifying and it stars Essie Davis, who also plays the wonderful Phryne Fisher (if you don’t know her, you simply MUST make her acquaintance (the books, by Kerry Greenwood, are much richer than the TV show)
Regarding Picnic at Hanging Rock, I’m not sure if you mean the 1970s film or the recent remake. Either way, the “ending” was released as a novelette years after the original book. Worth reading both.
Lori | October 2, 2018 at 3:31 am
The Strangers scared me silly. I grabbed the legs of my 2 friends that I was sitting in between at a really well earned jolt and left marks. Also, The Ring made me kick off my shoe in a theatre because I was scared. And FWIW, the two-part episodes of Doctor Who’s The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit were deeply unsettling. I’m kind of a horror chicken.
Claudia | October 2, 2018 at 4:16 am
The Haunting (from the Shirley Jackson story, The Haunting of Hill House), and Fallen (bonus–Denzel Washington!)
Anonymous | October 2, 2018 at 4:47 am
Vincent Price Vincent Price Vincent Price!!
The Last Man on Earth (Vampire Zombies)
House on Haunted Hill
Pit and the Pendulum
The original The Fog
Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things
Evil Dead movies
Borgman (2013, weird, unsettling, Dutch). The Devil’s Backbone (2001, gothic, Spanish, Guillermo del Toro).f
Jo Ann | October 2, 2018 at 6:00 am
Nosferatu was really creepy for me. I think the fact that it’s a silent movie just adds to the creepiness. If you’re in the mood for something cheesy, What We Do In the Shadows is a spoof on the whole vampire/werewolf genre.
sweetcaroline1224 | October 2, 2018 at 6:14 am
Gene | October 2, 2018 at 6:49 am
I have to join with “The Shining” and “The Birds” – But if you want realistic terror – Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburn:aka the movie that always makes me scream.
Larry | October 2, 2018 at 6:57 am
Glad to see Paranormal Activity in here. The sequels may be superfluous given the quantity of decent movies available and limited days in the month. Really I think October needs to absorb September; it just makes sense.
Jenni | October 2, 2018 at 6:57 am
Frailty (2001) w/ Bill Paxton
Amy D | October 2, 2018 at 7:00 am
A movie from the U.K., called Severance. It is at times scary, and at times funny. Very good horror movie.
Halloween 3 – Season of the Witch
Toni | October 2, 2018 at 7:20 am
13 Ghosts. Or the Swedish film: Let the Right One In.
Note: If you watch The Shining, it has to be the Jack Nicholson version. And if anyone suggests The Babbadook DO NOT WATCH IT!! (I get the heebie jeebies just typing the title)
Okay if you like psychological thrillers A Cure For Wellness, Clinical, and Dream House are really good. Two of my other personal faves are the Babadook and Mama.
Another vote for Crowhaven Farm. It’s been almost 50 years since I watched it and it still gives me the creeps.
Marcheline | October 2, 2018 at 8:03 am
The Shining (1980)
The House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Les Yeux Sans Visage (Eyes Without a Face) (1962)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
Zombieland!
Samantha Robin | October 2, 2018 at 8:18 am
Have you seen HUSH (2016)? “A deaf writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window. ”
Cryptic | October 2, 2018 at 8:36 am
American Werewolf in London (1981)
Fright Night (1985, not the dreadful remake)
Darkness Falls (2003)
Jeepers Creepers (2001)
Murder by Death (1976)
Slash (2002)
Stay Alive (2006)
The Crow (1994)
The Haunting of Helena (2012)
The Monster Club (1981)
The Tooth Fairy (2006)
A few (short) series worth a look include Slasher, Harper’s Island, Dead of Summer, and Bedlam.
Nosferatu (1922)
Catherine | October 2, 2018 at 8:41 am
Suicide Kings is more of a psychological suspense thriller, but it is AMAZING. It has an all-star cast (Christopher Walken, Dennis Leary, Johnny Galecki, Jay Mohr, Sean Patrick Flannery, and Jeremy Sisto),a simple premise, and twists that keep you guessing until the end. Throughout, you keep changing your mind on who really is the “good guy” here. I couldn’t stop thinking about this movie for DAYS after I first saw it. It really sticks with you.
Death Bed, The Bed That Eats
The Girl With All the Gifts, which is on Netflix. Sort of horror, sort of not, but definitely zombies.
Maranda Daniels | October 2, 2018 at 9:02 am
Hell House LLC and Hell House LLC: The Abadon (I think I spelled that right), are on Amazon Prime. Surprisingly good, low budget movies. The Babadook and Happy Death Day are very good too.
Elodie | October 2, 2018 at 9:07 am
The conjuring 1 & 2
Insidious 1
Anabelle 2 (forget the one!)
It 1 & 2 (a preference for the old version)
The Frighteners
skyweaver | October 2, 2018 at 9:24 am
I really don’t like scary movies, I almost never able to get over the suspension of disbelief. Having said that, “What We Do In the Shadows” makes me cry with laughter. It’s brilliant, soup to nuts.
Rochelle L | October 2, 2018 at 9:27 am
The Babadook. Or a good classic like The Birds.
Annette | October 2, 2018 at 9:30 am
An Anthony Hopkins movie from 1978 – Magic. It also stars Ann-Margaret. I saw this one in 1978 and it still is with me. The first Saw movie – only the first one.
alex | October 2, 2018 at 9:31 am
So many great recommendations here! Silence of the Lambs, Rosemary’s Baby, Se7en, and The Shining are the pinnacles of the genre for me.
And, as a few other commenters have listed above, I was pleasantly surprised the 2009 movie The House of the Devil and by the 2015 The Invitation. THotD is excellent for horror fans b/c it replicates the feel of 70s/80s horror (they filmed it using technology and techniques from that era) and has a lot of throwback elements, as well as great 80s setting and music. And The Invitation is embodies the “slow burn” as well as “character-driven weirdness,” as you say.
If you haven’t seen The Witch yet, you are in for a treat. There’s really been a resurgence in great horror films recently, and I love it. Yay October!
How about some Rob Zombie? House of 1000 corpses or The Devil’s Rejects. Good Times!
Small Pond | October 2, 2018 at 9:49 am
The Babadook is awesome. And while not quite horror, Heavenly Creatures has that creepy feel
tracy | October 2, 2018 at 9:51 am
Frighteners or Rose Red.
Hellie Sara | October 2, 2018 at 9:52 am
How about a Tim Burton movie? I love Nightmare before Christmas but you could go for Corpse Bride … or just a good ole Beetlejuice
Meredith | October 2, 2018 at 9:59 am
If you’re going to watch Sean of the Dead, then you should also watch At World’s End.
Brian | October 2, 2018 at 10:09 am
Check out “Horror Every Day” – it is a horror movie for every day of the year!
http://www.horrormovie.today/
N°1 | October 2, 2018 at 10:11 am
Thirteen Ghosts
Linda L | October 2, 2018 at 10:11 am
The Babadook (2014) and if you would like a zombie film more sweet than scary, Fido (2006)
Under the Shadow – an Iranian horror film on Netflix. Character driven, surprisingly creepy, not bloody at all. I loved it.
Karen Duethman | October 2, 2018 at 10:19 am
The Fly. The original is awesome and campy, but the remake is also good.
My daughter say it’s got to be Sinister with Ethan Hawke.
wiredwordsmith | October 2, 2018 at 10:26 am
28 Days Later featuring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, and Brendan Gleason!!!
M. Knight Shyamalan’s “The Village,”…it is on Netflix!
Sholeen Nett | October 2, 2018 at 10:38 am
The Exorcist of course, classic. And for horrible camp ‘let’s scare jessica to death’
Oh and for comic relief – Scream
“Let the Right One In” (Netflix but maybe not now but rent it from Amazon if you can)
“What We Do in the Shadows” (a guaranteed antidote to any vampire movie, also Amazon)
Cara | October 2, 2018 at 10:59 am
The Innocents (1961) is gorgeously creepy, psychological horror.
The Haunting of Hill House (1963 NOT 1999)
Coraline (Tim Burton)
so many already mentioned
Andrea | October 2, 2018 at 11:18 am
I wish I could enjoy horror films. I used to at least be able to cover eyes and plug my ears but that ended this year. 😦 I will say that “Stir of Echoes” was decent. I don’t think Hocus Pocus counts. Although when I was kid- “Something wicked this way comes” used to scare me. lol I’m kinda a pansy. lol
Desiree | October 2, 2018 at 11:22 am
Dog Soldiers if you want some quality werewolf action in your life. 😉
Megan | October 2, 2018 at 11:28 am
If any on your list are on Netflix or Hulu could you add that to the list as you update so we know where to find them? Thanks!
The Lost Boys (it is on Huluween)
Just watched Winchester on Netflix. Supposed to be inspired by real events
Theresia | October 2, 2018 at 11:47 am
Blood Simple. Nosferatu (w/Max Schreck). (Don’t have time to read everyone else’s suggestions, so don’t know if it’s already been said.)
Holly | October 2, 2018 at 11:53 am
Just watched Winchester on Netflix. Supposed to be inspired by real events. It is definitely character-driven and interesting. Think you will like it.
Brenda | October 2, 2018 at 11:58 am
PERFUME which is really really creepy and has Dustin Hoffman in a powdered wig!
Abigail Greig | October 2, 2018 at 12:10 pm
and Bound (which isn’t “halloween” at all, but does get my heart racing)
those are my favorites.
For fun I like to throw in campy “halloween” type movies that are not actually scary; like Young Frankenstein and Love at First Bite.
Dead again, Dead Calm, The Hitcher with the warning that the latter will ruin french fries for you for a long time
Pan’s labyrinth.
Molly Bonovsky Anderson | October 2, 2018 at 12:21 pm
I’d like to recommend The Blackcoat’s Daughter.
Bertwood Pendleton | October 2, 2018 at 12:26 pm
Frailty (2001) by Bill Paxton and Devil’s Backbone (2001) by Guillermo del Toro
Real Life Gilmore Girls | October 2, 2018 at 12:44 pm
I am very much NOT a horror movie person. I’m close enough to the experience of “ghosts/demons/etc” in real life, so no need to feed the fear. Also, the brain has no way to differentiate between what you’re seeing on the screen and what’s actually happening to you, so to amp up my nervous system like that is not my cup of tea. Stick me in with the happy bunnies and sunshine and rainbows crowd. However, I will say that Minority Report (Tom Cruise from 2002) was close enough to a horror movie that it has disturbed me these past 16 years as I’ve watched all the technology in that movie jump off the screen into everyday existence. How long until the media announces someone accused of a crime they haven’t yet committed? Hmm.
Come on, people. The call is coming from inside the house. (When a Stranger Calls – 1979)
Bobbi H | October 2, 2018 at 12:48 pm
The Legend of Hell House; The Uninvited (1944, with Ray Milland); The Haunting (1963 version); The Others. I love a good haunted house story!
Oh, and What We Do in the Shadows for a laugh!
Gayle | October 2, 2018 at 1:04 pm
Before I Wake ( 2016) and Hush ( 2016) both are very suspenseful/ eerie and you can find both on Netflix. Even if you don’t add them to your list to watch this month ( because I am late to the party and you have a multitude of suggestions) I hope that you still find time to watch them ( if you haven’t seen them already)
gracelessglobetrotting | October 2, 2018 at 1:05 pm
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Badass feminist vampire!
Queen of the Weezils | October 2, 2018 at 1:22 pm
“Mandy” (rented it on Amazon). Best Nicholas Cage movie ever, possible exception of Moonstruck. (But since Cher is the star, not quite the same thing). Very gory. Two words – Chainsaw Fight. I read it described as a heavy metal concept album in film form, and that’s spot on.
Second nomination for “What We Do In Shadows”. It’s comedy/horror in the guise of a documentary.
Joy | October 2, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Tremors! From 1990. How can you resist a campy horror flick that begins with Kevin Bacon peeing into a canyon and features giant murderous worms? Tremors also includes Reba McEntire and Michael Gross as survivalists fighting the invaders with their entire arsenal screaming about how the worms “broke into the WRONG GODDAMN REC ROOM!”
Ooooooh…. Also – Nights of Badassdom…. on Netflix. Fantastically terrible.
Ashley | October 2, 2018 at 2:03 pm
The Babadook
A lot of what is recommended isn’t in line with the genre you said you liked. Based on your description, I would recommend The Pretty Thing that Lives In the House, Devil’s Backbone and/or Orphanage (both Guillermo del Toro), Rec, It Follows, and Tale of Two Sisters.
I would love it if at the end of October you would post the movies you watched!!
Marsha Rae | October 2, 2018 at 2:35 pm
“Horrors of the Black Museum” (1959) scared the piss out of me when I was 11 years old. Our dad used to take my brother and me to every horror film that came out, and this one ruined both of us. If we slept at all afterwards, we slept sitting up, and to this day I still haven’t looked thru a pair of binoculars. Now I understand that it’s kind of a campy movie, but after almost 60 years, I still have absolutely no desire to watch it again. Neither does my brother.
Also “Eye of the Beholder” on Twilight Zone (1960). We convinced our elderly babysitter to let us stay up and watch it–and then spent the night crying and frightened out of our wits.
SharonH | October 2, 2018 at 3:21 pm
Identity with John Cusack, Amanda Peet. I like the psychological twist in it. Also, 1408 was kinda good (another John Cusack.) I’m not some crazed John Cusack fan really, just all my other suggestions were already spoken for.
Richd00d | October 2, 2018 at 3:45 pm
The whole Puppet Master series. They get campy, but definitely nightmare territory. The original Phantasm is a classic. And the movie that scared the crap out of me as a kid – “One Dark Night”.
Hulu has a whole section on Horror. I’m intrigued with the foreign films on the list. Are they scarier than our horror?
ctracy36 | October 2, 2018 at 4:29 pm
Tucker and Dale Vs Evil. Its a horror comedy staring the brilliantly funny Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine. It won’t be what you expect, and you’ll have fun watching it.
mariacarebear | October 2, 2018 at 4:35 pm
Vicky | October 2, 2018 at 4:35 pm
“It” by Stephan King. And any of the “Saw” movies. Oh, and also “The Exorcist.” I couldn’t drive home from my friend’s house without constantly checking my back seat after I watched just a little part of it. Apparently I have a great fear of becoming possessed.
Vicky recently posted Buy, buy, buy.
Kelaine | October 2, 2018 at 4:43 pm
The Watcher in the Woods. Classic Disney horror starring Bette Davis.
Jessie | October 2, 2018 at 4:48 pm
Monstrosity (1963)
Angela P | October 2, 2018 at 4:51 pm
More for fun and not horror per say: Warm Bodies.
Meg Miller | October 2, 2018 at 4:53 pm
SaraG | October 2, 2018 at 5:16 pm
Train to Busan – a South Korean zombie masterpiece available On Amazon…maybe netflix, not sure. Highly, HIGHLY recommend. for realsies.
Nise | October 2, 2018 at 5:39 pm
Crazyhead on Netflix. More super fun than scary, and a series, not a movie (only one season). British demon-fighting twentysomethings.
Kindra | October 2, 2018 at 5:40 pm
I don’t know why but these are some of my MUST watch October movies: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, any Harry Potter Movie, ET, Goonies, The Shining, Hocus Pocus, Beetle Jucie, The Witches, The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Gremlins, The Lost Boys, Poltergeist…. just to name a few 😊
Another one… You’re Next
Nice little twist.
The House at the End of Time. Totally suspenseful, not gory. Foreign with subtitles. Amazing!
My daughter made a movie…check out Dwelling
Audition. Japanese man auditions girls to be his girlfriend. And of course, doesn’t get what he expected. With subtitles. Japanese horror rules.
The Omen. Scariest movie ever made. I also like someone’s suggestion of Hocus Pocus. Oct 31. Amuck amuck amuck
The Descent. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435625/?ref_=nv_sr_1
I watched Light’s Out today. It’s not bad
Barbara Kaye Rigsby | October 2, 2018 at 8:22 pm
The Haunting of Hill House (original black and white version)
Wendy M Craig | October 2, 2018 at 8:25 pm
Tourist Trap (trust me)
The Lexical Linguinista | October 2, 2018 at 9:00 pm
The Haunting of Hill House (original)
13-Ghosts (original)
Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte
The Blob (original)
Fun – Rocky Horror
Fun – Ghost and Mr. Chicken
Wait Until Dark (Audrey Hepburn)
I’m sure there’s more! Enjoy!
https://bookbuzz.me
The Lexical Linguinista recently posted NANOWRIMO.
Let The Right One In (the original, not the U.S. remake)
The Fly (the Goldblumiest)
Children of the Corn
Judy | October 2, 2018 at 10:29 pm
The Tomb of Ligeia ( 1964)
Sara Sheets | October 2, 2018 at 10:44 pm
The People Under The Stairs. 37 year olds who were at my 12th birthday party will still bring that up first thing if they see me.
Larry Loc | October 2, 2018 at 11:20 pm
“Mothman Prophecies”
“From Dust Till Dawn”
“In the Mouth of Madness”
The Original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”
Trilogy of Terror scared the pants off me as a kid. I thought it was only me until I read recently how much it terrified others.
Jenny M. | October 2, 2018 at 11:44 pm
I just want to say I love you Jenny for posting this. I am taking care of my husband who had multiple surgeries yesterday-UPPP, sepotoplasty, and a paploma removal in the back of his throat. This post is going to be good fun for the hubs and I to refer to while he recovers for the next few weeks. Thank you!!!
It’s a comedy I know, but The fearless vampire killers is one of my favorite. Also, I recently found The ritual lately on Netflix and it is pretty good!
Shadow of the vampire, A fantastic fear of everything, The Rocky horror picture show.
Curiouser & Curiouser | October 3, 2018 at 6:05 am
Slither! After all the horror the last song will make you laugh out loud! Pan’s Labyrinth and Crimson Peak are pretty good stories too.
Lesley Hersha | October 3, 2018 at 6:53 am
We just did 1922 on Netflix (or maybe Hulu?) any way. Creepy! I told me husband it’s a cautionary tale in case he was getting any ideas. 😂
Auntie Linda | October 3, 2018 at 8:48 am
Don’t Ask me. The scariest I can do is “Young Frankenstein” and “Abbott & Costello meet the Wolfman”. I get a little creeped out but enjoy the music watching the latest version of “The Phantom of the Opera”–part horror, part musical, part comedy (Minnie Driver!)!
Alethea | October 3, 2018 at 10:38 am
If you don’t mind a high tension movie (with some gore) and subtitles, I cannot recommend “High Tension” highly enough (in French, set in rural Quebec, but with English subtitles.) You can make a nest on the couch if you want to watch it, but you’ll only need the edge of the seat!
Meg Waterman | October 3, 2018 at 11:20 am
Ooh ooh, The Orphanage. Spanish psychological horror movie with an absolutely soul-shaking ending.
Leslie | October 3, 2018 at 11:47 am
Wallis & Gromit and the Curse of the WereRabbit? Rosemary’s Baby?
Alice | October 3, 2018 at 11:48 am
Ok, I had never seen Burnt Offerings before but that was creepy and campy! I apologize but when Bette Davis became bed ridden didn’t she look like the alien in Alien Autopsy?
The Witch was frightening! I am marred for life!
Hila | October 3, 2018 at 11:49 am
Let the Right One In (2008) and A Quiet Place (2018)
HAs anyone mentioned Psycho? It doesn’t get much creepier than that. Ooh, ooh, and the Chuckie films?
crookstanks | October 3, 2018 at 12:13 pm
Dead Snow (2009) – nazi zombies in Norway, plus it’s got some great music
Watcher in the Woods (1980) scared me as a kid
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Let the Right One in (2008) Swedish horror
[Rec] (2007) – Spanish zombies
Trollhunter (2010) – big trolls in Norway
yes my hubby and I like foreign horror films.
askyermom | October 3, 2018 at 12:22 pm
Newer pick: I finally watched “Under the Skin” (Netflix) and holey moley what an excellent creepfest it was!! The mumbly dialogue made me use captions, but the chit chat didn’t clarify anything anyhow.
Retro picks: I’ll second “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death” (Amazon prime)
Completely campy bonkers retro pick: “Castle of Blood” 1964 (Amazon prime). Barbara Steele and lesbian zombies? Yes!!
The Orphanage (Spanish: El Orfanato) is a 2007 Spanish horror film and the debut feature of Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona. The film stars Belén Rueda as Laura, Fernando Cayo as her husband, Carlos, and Roger Príncep as their adopted son Simón. The plot centers on Laura, who returns to her childhood home, an orphanage. Laura plans to turn the house into a home for disabled children, but after an argument with Laura, Simón goes missing.
The film’s script was written by Sergio G. Sánchez in 1996 and brought to the attention of Bayona in 2004. Bayona asked his long-time friend, director Guillermo del Toro, to help produce the film and to double its budget and filming time. Bayona wanted the film to capture the feel of 1970s Spanish cinema; he cast Geraldine Chaplin and Belén Rueda, who were later praised for their roles in the film.
The film opened at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2007, where it received a standing ovation lasting more than 10 minutes. It received critical acclaim from audiences in its native Spain, winning seven Goya awards. On its North American release, The Orphanage was praised by English-speaking critics, who described the film as well directed and well acted, and noted the film’s lack of “cheap scares”
Dreamcatcher.
The Houses October Built. This is a super low budget Netflix Horror film. It started as an actual documentary about the scariest haunted houses in the country. Friends go on a trip to explore them. Part way through production of this movie the creators of paranormal activity reached out to them and with this collaboration it became a fictional movie with real footage and some factual information about all of these haunted houses. Thats exactly what makes it scary. The element of like how much of this movie is real and how many of these people are real creepy people
noelle | October 3, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Silent Scream 1979, Lets Scare Jessica To Death 1971. I love 70’s horror
Carey H | October 3, 2018 at 4:02 pm
Sorry I didn’t read all 492 comments to see if it’s already been suggested, but I love “The Changeling” – 1970-something with George C. Scott
Cerridwyn Stagg | October 3, 2018 at 6:17 pm
I guess I’m late to the party, but here are 2 I’ve never completely recovered from:
1. Seizure! 1974, Jonathan Frid, Herve Villichaize, directed & written by Oliver Stone. Author finds his recurring nightmares coming to life. 2. The Devils. 1971, Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Stone, Witch-hunts and hysteria in 17th century France, from a novel by Aldoux Huxley. Both are hard to find, though.
They Look Like People (on Netflix) is a psychological horror film that really stayed with me while watching.
Anything with Vincent Price. They are hilarious old horror movies if you’re in to Black and white.
Would you rather Is on Netflix
Mary Lou | October 3, 2018 at 9:45 pm
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (Oldie but goodie with Bette Davis and Joan Fontaine.
LDinPDX | October 3, 2018 at 11:15 pm
Any of these Guierillmo Del Toro: The Orphanage, Cronos, The Devils Backbone, Pan’s Labrynth
The Changeling
Let the right one in (the original crazy not the American one)
A Tale of Two Sisters (Korean)
helloimamanda | October 3, 2018 at 11:25 pm
Adding another vote for The Others, which I saw in an early comment. Also, I’ve heard Let Me In and Let the Right One In are great (always been too scared to watch).
Marcy B. | October 4, 2018 at 12:07 am
I’m a more funny-than-scary-but-still-slightly-creepy fan so every year part of our October movies are:
The Ghost & Mr. Chicken
Arsenic & Old Lace
Sleepy Hallow
For anxiety inducing he-knows-that-we-know stuff “Rear Window” is great & the modern version “Disturbia” is pretty good, along with Tom Hanks highjinks in “The Burbs”. “The Quiet Place” is good. “Death trap” is pyschological fun with the bonus of both Christopher Reece & Michael Caine. While a kid’s movie, “The House With The Clock In It’s Walls” is good fun with some creepy to it, but pretty PG. And on the PG front, you’ll do no better than “Wallace & Gromit’s Curse of The Were-Rabbit”! I know, I’m a wimp. Lol. I’m a “It’s the Great Pumkpin, Charlie Brown” gal at heart.
Jason von Kreuzberg | October 4, 2018 at 4:56 am
Two you absolutely do need to watch are The Innocents and The Haunting, both the original early 60’s versions
Jana | October 4, 2018 at 8:33 am
I was so excited to see the very first comment recommended Happy Birthday to Me! One of my all time favorites! So I’m seconding that. Also, you can’t go wrong with Vincent Price–maybe an Edgar Allan Poe. My brother and I always loved The Pit and the Pendulum. For other options: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls020636791/.
let the right one in (swedish version)
Kristina | October 4, 2018 at 10:11 am
Hi Jenny! I love this blog, because I also have severe anxiety and yet I obsessively watch movies about demons, which scare the shit out of me. I think I do it because it’s the only time my anxiety feels valid. It pulls me out of my own obsessive worrying about my life and provides a real platform to express those feelings in a healthy way. 😉
Kristina recently posted Please Don’t Call 911.
Foots | October 4, 2018 at 10:28 am
When you need a break from the scary stuff, try Tucker & Dale v. Evil and So I Married an Axe Murderer. 🙂
Tilda | October 4, 2018 at 10:54 am
Classic horror/suspense: “The Other” (1972), “The Bad Seed” (1956) and my favorite, “The Night of the Hunter” (1955). So, so good.
Not so much horror, but definitely a great Halloween movie: Trick ‘r Treat (2007), NOT Trick or Treat (1986), which I have not seen but may also be a good movie?
Bonita | October 4, 2018 at 12:50 pm
Halloween is my fav of all time. I also liked night of the comet, binge watch the paranormal activity movies in order. it’s alive and house on haunted hill (the original). If you like Zombies go check out the walking dead walkers team for the heart walk in Austin. We walk as zombies…..
I recently watched the movie Annihilation. I wasnt a big fan of the book, but I thought the movie was great! There was one scene that as I was watching it I thought, “Well, this is going pop up in my head when it’s dark and I’m alone for a long time!”
Jasmine | October 4, 2018 at 2:23 pm
Not a movie…but a freaking awesome take on horror and crafts. My friend’s book: Evil Dead 2: The Book of the Thread Cross Stitch Pattern Book.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/615865657/author-signed-evil-dead-2-the-book-of?ref=shop_home_feat_1
MaraMirror | October 4, 2018 at 2:57 pm
I’ve gotta echo the five people who mentioned it before me: Crimson Peak is gorgeous.
I can’t do scary movies (very vivid imagination in the dark), but I love Halloween movies. Addams Family movies are my faves, also Zombieland, basically anything directed by Tim Burton.
Megga | October 5, 2018 at 7:25 am
The Grudge- both American and Japanese versions.
I have watched many of the movies suggested here – I’ve always been a sucker for horror movies and they usually don’t bother me. Two exceptions: Sinister and The Conjuring (but only the Annabelle part – I won’t watch her spin off movie!).
Check out the podcast Terror and Tacos- it’s a fantastic podcast about horror films (and tacos), and they’ve done 2 episodes about their favorite fall/October movies.
Carole | October 5, 2018 at 11:56 am
Ginger Snaps. One of my all-time favorites.
Peter | October 5, 2018 at 12:33 pm
The Birds. Still legitimately creepy and realistic enough to haunt you.
Event Horizon. Saw it almost 20 years ago and am getting goosebumps thinking about it for the first time again.
Late to the game, and I don’t like horror, BUT you should know about snagfilms. They have free streaming films – an odd mix of things really. But they do have a horror category as well as cult classics: https://www.snagfilms.com/categories
Thought you would appreciate free horror options. Seems there is some pretty odd things in here.
Tina Katzenburger | October 5, 2018 at 1:05 pm
Freeway: Totally terrible tongue in cheek B type movie with Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland in a modern day Big Bad Wolf mashup
Amy Freeman | October 5, 2018 at 1:52 pm
Trick R Treat And It follows both great cult classics
Julia’s Eyes in Spanish but soooo good very Hitchcock-y
Marisa Nadolny | October 5, 2018 at 1:56 pm
Rosemary’s Baby. Particularly creepy given the politics of the day.
Mandy Vallee | October 5, 2018 at 2:00 pm
I didn’t read through all of the comments yet so forgive me if these have already been mentioned. First and foremost I am SO FREAKING EXCITED for the new Halloween to come out. I seriously screamed at the previews in the theater. Definitely go see that. Otherwise, The Purge is just about my favorite series of all time in this genre. Seriously can’t get enough. Also, The Strangers scared the bejesus out of me. I lived outside of town when I watched it at home and it was pitch black outside. I was terrified to look at the window after dark for a long time (or I still might be who knows). I haven’t yet found the courage to watch the second one. Also The Conjuring was super creepy and ditto on not yet watching the sequel. And then basically any slasher film will win my heart. Nothing makes me happier then a crazed maniac stalking unsuspecting people. And zombies. Oh zombies. I guess maybe you can tell by the length of this post (if you are even still reading) that horror is my fav fav fav genre of movies.
Ah! And Girl with all the Gifts! Great book – the movie was very well done. I got it on Redbox, possibly available on Netflix… A totally different take on the zombie apocalypse…
Cronos, or please watch any of Guillermo Del Tori’s triptych of horror Cronos-Devil’s Backbone-Pan’s Labyrinth.
The Korean film based on and titled Hansel and Gretel is beautiful and disturbing, and I will forever stan the Alien and Resident Evil houses for kick-arse women heroes.
Melinda | October 5, 2018 at 6:36 pm
The Bad Seed. “Rhoda! What have you done?!”
Cath | October 5, 2018 at 9:57 pm
The “Don’t Blink” episode of Dr. Who
I caught “The Final Girls” on TV last night, and I wanted to say thanks to those here who recommended it. I had never heard of it and I’m sure I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise. It was great!!!
anna* | October 6, 2018 at 12:37 am
You need something by Del Toro, and at least one or two campy ones. 😀
Shiloh Wall | October 6, 2018 at 1:14 am
The Burning Moon (1992) It’s German (subtitled though). HOWEVER, if you don’t like splattergore I WOULD NOT recommend. Because it’s seriously forked up y’all. I saw it when I was 17 (24 years ago, don’t ask HOW the video store let me rent THAT). But if you want pure psychological gore filled movies where the antagonist gets his comeuppance…yeah.
xmariaus | October 6, 2018 at 7:56 am
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xmariaus recently posted The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Novel by C. S. Lewis pdf.
Laurie | October 6, 2018 at 8:35 am
bring your daughter and go to the theater and see The House With A Clock in its Walls. It’s a fun movie!
Janovoss | October 6, 2018 at 11:18 am
Helen Ohlke | October 6, 2018 at 12:33 pm
As Above, So Below. It starts like a terrible tomb raider ripoff, and than descends into really excellent Dante’s inferno related craziness in the french catacombs.
Not about Peter Pan, but VAMPIRES. My own kind muahaha. It’s really good, not as horror-y as others, but still spoopy at times.
Julie | October 6, 2018 at 4:58 pm
I’ve got an old one for you: The Uninvited. It’s from 1944. I don’t know if you would regard it as horror or suspense, but it’s a really well done ghost story.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Uninvited_(1944_film)
The Cell (2000)
Cargo (2017)
The Endless (2017)
Ghost Stories (2017)
The Night Eats the World (2018)
Ravenous (2017)
What Keeps You Alive (2018)
Anna and the Apocalypse (Nov 2018; can’t wait!)
The Little Stranger (2018)
Down a Dark Hall (2018)
Right at Your Door (2006)
Gerald’s Game (2017)
The Invitation (2016)
Raw (2016)
The Rezort (2015)
Sharp Objects (HBO)
I get a lot of horror recommendations from http://www.vulture.com; excellent horror commentary and compiled lists!
Itselise | October 7, 2018 at 9:25 am
Grabbers is excellent. Probably my favorite horror comedy and some of the best composite work I think I’ve ever seen. I enjoy both of these, but someone saw The Traveler with Val Kilmer and thought, like I did, that they could definitely make a better movie than this. Except unlike me, they did make that movie and it’s Let Us Prey.
Donna C Waldron | October 7, 2018 at 7:55 pm
10 Cloverfield Lane with John Goodman
The Visit (Netflix),Descent, Train to Busan (Netflix , subtitles), The girl with all the gifts(NETFLIX) and CARGO (NETFLIX)
Samifer | October 8, 2018 at 12:36 am
Didn’t see Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark mentioned anywhere
Evil Genius | October 8, 2018 at 1:18 am
Black Sheep.
This one is very silly, but you do never have at sheep the same way again…
Jenny! I am hoping for a full report on your favorites after your October Opus is complete.
Still waiting to see the update for the next few days of watching…
Sasabella | October 8, 2018 at 5:54 am
Still waiting to see the update for the next few days of watching…sasabella
Rachel | October 8, 2018 at 8:38 am
If you like The Host (Rotten Tomatoes 93%), try The Wailing (RT 99%). The Thing (with Kurt Russell) (RT 83%) is a classic, World War Z (RT 66%) and I Am Legend (RT 69%) are a couple of go-to zombie flicks. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (RT 86%) is pretty creepy.
Dark Signal (Netflix)
DUSTY H. | October 8, 2018 at 11:23 am
High Tension is a wonderful French horror film. Also 28 Days Later, a wonderful take on the zombie genre.
Courtney | October 8, 2018 at 11:58 am
Hereditary is sheer horror. Also, Veronica on Netflix is disturbing. “Ringu”, the Japanese version of “The Ring” is a million times scarier than the Hollywood version and I also agree about High Tension.
Wendy Fisher | October 8, 2018 at 1:00 pm
I always found Disney’s the Watcher in the Woods as terrifying.
What We Do In The Shadows …great funny horror film from the Flight of the Condors guys
Let the Right One In…creepy
iamahorrorfanatic | October 9, 2018 at 12:31 am
The Strangers 😀 So simple yet so scary…
We Are What We Are (2013) – original version in Spanish is Somos lo que hay (2010)
The Baby’s Room/To Let (2006) – part of the 6 films to keep you awake series
Not really horror films, but a couple of slow burners that are thought provoking and existentially unsettling: Embers (2015) and Bokeh (2017)
In the Mouth of Madness and Insidious
Coherence (2013) – sci-fi psychological thriller
Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) – film noir psychological thriller
Heather Fagans | October 9, 2018 at 12:00 pm
Has anyone mentioned this yet? “What We Do in the Shadows”. Not precisely horror, but probably the funniest, most adorable monster movie i’ve seen in ages. Ranks up there with “Shaun of the Dead”.
Jess | October 9, 2018 at 2:17 pm
Tucker & Dale Vs Evil (2010) it’s a horror comedy of epic proportions!
Shannon Stalford | October 9, 2018 at 2:45 pm
Hulu is doing one new horror movie a month for the next year. Their first one is The Body, and is really well done.
An American Werewolf in London- the original!
Hush…It’s on the Netflixes. It’s creepy as fuck, and I LOOOOOOOOVE horror too.
kmthornquist | October 9, 2018 at 3:54 pm
The Conjuring mostly because anything that says “based on a true story” in New England has got me instantly hooked. And it was well done.
The latest It is a surprising new favorite of mine. I don’t usually like horror movies with clowns, excessive force or creeping on children, but this movie felt like I was watching the agonies, but VERY rated R. I also thought the casting and setting of the latest adaptation of the novel was great.
Happy horror movie watching!
Silent House (2011) – original version in Spanish is La Casa Muda (2010)
Intruders (2015)
The Lodgers (2017)
I’d like to double dip on Cabin In the Woods if you haven’t seen it already. Joss Whedon horror? Sold.
Also, you might want to look at purchasing a horror-themed RiffTrax (roughly $9.99 for a cheesy movie with full comentary like Shatner’s Kingdom of the Spiders or Psycho II or $2.99/$3.99 for a MP3 to sync with a mainstream movie you already own. I like the Halloween comentary and Drag me to Hell, if those are ones you already own) because they are hilarious and easy to stream.
The Strangers!!! And The Sentinel.
Rosemary’s Baby is also one of my faves
LorriB | October 10, 2018 at 7:33 am
Just watched A Haunting in Connecticut and original Insidious movies parts one and two. Real pissers!!
Anonymous | October 10, 2018 at 8:28 am
For fun:
Birdemic (shock and Terror)
Zoombies
Zombeavers
Maggie (I know Arnold, but a different take on zombie)
Don’t Breathe
Halloween 3 (and tell me you don’t have that song in your head for days after)
Autopsy of Jane Doe
Literally I could go on and on and on.
Honeymoon (2014)
Anonymous | October 10, 2018 at 11:42 am
The Lady in White 1988, catches the comfy/creepy thrill of October from a kid’s point of view in the 50’s. I have a feeling you’ll love it!
Crazy Jane | October 10, 2018 at 12:01 pm
Dead Silence (2007) starring Ryan Kwanten (True Blood’s Jason Stackhouse) & Donnie Wahlberg. And a rather large number of ventriloquist dummies!
rubyvroom | October 10, 2018 at 12:13 pm
We do the October horror-fest too! My significant other will watch horror all year round, but we have an agreement that in October I will watch whatever he puts in front of me, as long as he has seen it first and can confirm that none of my Absolute No elements are involved. The ones I love are invariably very girl-centered, so I think you will like them too.
It Follows – sexually transmitted death curse stalks teenage girl
Mama – two feral little girls are raised by a vengeful spirit, well meaning family try to take them in, it doesn’t go well
You’re Next – A slasher is stalking the members of a family reunion, but nobody planned on the survivalist girlfriend who’s fighting back
Stoker – Creepy brother reappears after Nicole Kidman’s husband dies and kind of moves in on the family. Nicole Kidman’s daughter, it turns out, it much much creepier.
The Hunger – sexiest vampire movie, features David Bowie, Katherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon in various configurations of love triangle, plus Peter Murphy in the best opening ever
10 Cloverfield Lane – claustrophobic psychological horror that will make you very uncomfortable as a woman for the major danger vibes of scary controlling men, but happy ending!
Darling – very INTENSE black and white horror film that’s sort of a gender-flipped version of The Shining, gets very gory.
Pulse (aka Kairo) – Japanese horror, more sad than scary just to warn you, but highly creepy
The Craft – if you are the same age as me you have seen this movie 200 times already, because you were a teenager when it came out and it was your favorite movie ever
Brahm Stoker’s Dracula – shut up I love it SHUT UP
Invasion of the Body Snatchers – 70’s version FTW.
The Haunting – original version only. Get a good sound system for this, it’ll be worth it.
The Others – Nicole Kidman again. Her husband’s away at war and she’s alone in a giant house with her two albino children who can’t be touched by light and they might be haunted?
The Invitation – a man’s ex-wife invites him to a very special dinner party.
Jennifer’s Body – this got a lot of grief when it came out but I’m seeing a lot of people coming around to it now. Which is great! This movie rules!
The One I Love – Married couple goes on a retreat that gets very, very weird.
This House Has People In It – look for this on youtube. or maybe don’t. it kind of fucked up my brain a little bit. Definitely don’t watch Unedited Footage Of A Bear, which is by the same guy, and has an entirely too realistic depiction of depersonalization/dissociation that disturbed the hell out of me.
OMG GINGER SNAPS. GINGER SNAPS. GINGER SNAPS. MUST WATCH GINGER SNAPS. How is it not already on your list? WATCH GINGER SNAPS.
Oh yeah, one more on the comedy horror side, “Black Sheep”. It’s from New Zealand, and it is, of course, about zombie sheep. It is entirely as glorious as you’re hoping.
Wait wait one more, Troll Hunter. Norweigan. on Netflix. Saying nothing more.
Amanda G | October 10, 2018 at 4:01 pm
Little Otik, English title “Greedy Guts” It’s Czech.
Valerie R | October 10, 2018 at 5:46 pm
9th Gate
All of the Halloween, Hellraiser, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th movies.
Yes, some will be corny but not all. Plus you’ll need a little comic relief at some point- enjoy!!.
Ekij | October 12, 2018 at 7:23 am
“Let me In.” A lovely little tale of a kid struggling after his parents divorce and getting bullied at school and trying to keep going meanwhile another kid has a father who might just be a serial killer and she doesn’t have any shoes even in the snow and they become friends through the weirdness. Until more weirdness …
Anonymous | October 12, 2018 at 9:13 pm
The original Candyman still freaks me out.
Ghost Ship or World War Z are always creepy
Cat People (1942)
Village of the Damned (1960)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
SasaBella | October 15, 2018 at 1:17 pm
OMG YAY!!! You added train to Busan!!!!…I need a full report (or thumbs up, WAY up or to the MOON!)
Michelle | October 15, 2018 at 6:18 pm
Split and The Boy
Both versions of Fright Night the original is Chris Sarandon and the remake is Colin Farrell
tgmom | October 15, 2018 at 8:11 pm
Here’s our list: https://1drv.ms/w/s!AiXmN6I6OrnFg6U7vwh9K_HjAoTV6Q
sarapmanela | October 16, 2018 at 11:04 am
The Girl With All the Gifts!
Oculus was super crazy! It has Karen Gillan in it. It used to be on Netflix, but I’m not sure if it still is!
Annette | October 18, 2018 at 11:24 pm
Have you seen DRAG ME TO HELL?
How about HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES..
..and the original WOMAN IN BLACK –the creepy, atmospheric 1989 BBC television version. It can be found on YouTube.
Shannon Grounds | October 19, 2018 at 1:19 am
28 Days Later is brilliant. Also, obv. The Shining. Skeleton Key is surprisingly good. For the spooky not scary, I love Young Frankenstein, Clue, Beetlejuice and all the Ghostbusters.
Shannon Grounds recently posted Now Read This! Victorian Lady Detective Edition.
gwyn | October 19, 2018 at 3:31 pm
Have you seen Creep, which was produced by the Duplass brothers (and stars one of them)? Very very creepy and disturbing. Its on Netflix I think.
adammredmond | October 20, 2018 at 8:16 am
A lot of the original Japanese horror movies (what the ring and grudge are based on) get to me but I also love something that shows the horror in humanity as opposed to the supernatural.
The new version of The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix. Emotions and jump-scares!
You should watch Night of the Comet. One of those so bad it’s good movies. So good.
WJ | October 30, 2018 at 2:23 am
OMG. I thought I was weird because when my anxiety acts up I feel much better watching and listening to horror. Your simple statement of why you like horror has explained this to me. Thank you!
anonymousfreakblog123 | December 27, 2018 at 5:55 am
Woah….i loved it a lot…keep up..also..pls guys check out my blog….anonymousfreakblog123
anonymousfreakblog123 recently posted The Journey Begins.
Annie James | February 20, 2019 at 8:17 pm
These are the ones I have seen:
(I stumbled across this SCARY gem while I was surfing Netflix. 5 stars) :
I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
Cloverfield Lane
I will definitely watch the rest, next October!!
ches1224 | July 7, 2019 at 4:42 pm
My MUST see horror list:
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Sid and Max Blumenthal – two thugs who would fit in well with a certain obese, flatulent, blogger
Posted: June 27, 2015 | Author: Heracles | Filed under: Charles "Icarus" Johnson | Tags: Max Blumenthal, Sid Blumenthal | 77 Comments
Sid Blumenthal is a vicious, loathsome, disgusting consigliere of from the Clinton Mafia. His son Max Blumenthal is a genocidal Jew hating Progressive. They sound as if they would be right at home at Little Green Footballs and wold be BFF’s with Alouette (the Kapo), ProTardis Liberal, and Curious Lurker. Mr. Toot is big on innuendos, slanders, character assassination – he could be Sid’s brother and Max’s uncle.
hat tip – Speranza from Blogmocracy
by James Kirchick
It’s a shame that Hillary Clinton wasn’t able to convince the Obama White House to let Sidney Blumenthal serve under her at the State Department. Blumenthal, the liberal journalist-turned-Clinton family consigliere, earned himself quite the reputation during the bruising 2008 Democratic primary, when his main job seemed to be sending out mass emails chock full of links to lurid stories about Barack Obama culled from the very “vast right-wing conspiracy” that he had combatted his entire adult life.
According to Politico, for his efforts, Blumenthal earned the moniker “Sulfur-Breathing Spawn of Hell” from Obama campaign staffers. That Clinton ever thought she had a chance of putting Blumenthal on the State Department payroll says something about her chutzpah.
If only those embittered Obama staffers had let bygones be bygones and harnessed the acumen of the inveterate emailer, they might have been able to strike a major blow for Middle East peace.
Buried in the pages of once-confidential missives that Blumenthal sent to Clinton during her tenure at the State Department, since subpoenaed by a congressional committee investigating the 2011 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, was a claim that the then-interim president of Libya, Mohammed Yussef el-Magariaf, wanted to “seek a discreet relationship with Israel.” According to a “sensitive source,” Blumenthal wrote, “political realities in Libya at present will dictate that this relationship be handled in a low key manner, but the new President of Libya shares many common friends and associates with the leaders of Israel and intends to take advantage of this situation to improve the lot of the Libyan people.”
It’s entirely possible that this information was overly optimistic, if not entirely false. Forwarding the email onto an aide, Clinton expressed skepticism, prefacing her remark that the news was “encouraging” with “if true.” When Seymour Hersh, himself a man known for an overactive imagination, questions the validity of your information (as he did Blumenthal’s claims, made in another email to Clinton, that Hersh was preparing to interview an ousted Muammar Gaddafi hiding in Chad), it’s a discouraging sign.
But what’s most revealing about Blumenthal’s giddy hopes for a potential Libyan-Israeli rapprochement is how much it differs from other sentiments he had expressed about the Jewish state. For it wasn’t so long ago that Sidney Blumenthal was hawking the vitriolic anti-Israel book published by his son, Max, and attacking those who had criticized it.
In the course of a short career, the younger Blumenthal gradually exiled himself from respectable journalistic outlets, and so several years ago decided to reinvent himself as Israel’s most outspoken and extreme Jewish antagonist, at one point writing for a Beirut-based newspaper aligned with the Assad regime in Syria, before deciding that the blood-drenched regime in Damascus was no longer to his liking. His 2013 book Goliath is so venomous in its denunciations of Israel, and so strident in its defense of terrorism against it, that Eric Alterman, himself a harsh critic of Israel and a columnist for the far-left Nation magazine, concluded that it “could have been published by the Hamas Book-of-the-Month Club (if it existed) without a single word change once it’s translated into Arabic.”
“[W]hat’s most revealing about Blumenthal’s giddy hopes for a potential Libyan-Israeli rapprochement is how much it differs from other sentiments he had expressed about the Jewish state.”
The book is replete with comparisons of Israeli Jews to Nazis, and calls for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from the Middle East. The book’s last chapter, “Exodus,” a riff on Jewish biblical history and the Leon Uris tome of the same name, envisions the reverse Exodus of the Jews out of their homeland. Asked at a 2013 event about what he believes should happen to Israel’s Jews, Blumenthal fils responded, “There should be a choice placed to the settler-colonial population” (that is, the Jewish population): “Become indigenized…you have to be part of the Arab world.” Those who don’t? “The maintenance and engineering of a non-indigenous demographic majority is non-negotiable.” In other words, leave or suffer.
When Max’s book came under attack from Alterman, Sidney did what he does best: he launched what Buzzfeed described as “an online campaign” against the Nation columnist. According to Alterman, “I worried that by telling the truth about his son’s book, I would soon hear of nasty e-mails about me sent by Sid to our mutual friends and professional acquaintances. Call it ‘bizarre,’ if you will, but sadly, that’s just what happened.”
It’s one thing to love your son, and another entirely to endorse his controversial work (Sidney hosted a book party for Max) and attack those who criticize it. By doing so, Blumenthal the elder identified himself as a sponsor of his son’s calumnies.
Not that everyone hated Goliath. Frazier Glenn Cross, the 73-year-old white supremacist who murdered three people at Kansas Jewish Community Center and retirement home last year, was one of Blumenthal’s biggest devotees. “Jew journalist Max Blumenthal exposes and explains this attempt by a foreign government Israel, to buy the presidential election for the neo-con, war-mongering republican establishment,” Cross wrote on a Ron Paul fan site in 2012, referencing an interview Blumenthal gave on the Russian government-funded RT network. A survey of a white supremacist web forum run by Cross found over 300 references to Blumenthal and his work, with posters lauding his exposes of nefarious Jewish influence.
Last year, Max earned himself the distinction of being barred from the German Bundestag after he chased the leader of the country’s Left Party into a toilet, demanding to know why the parliamentarian had put the kibosh on a talk Blumenthal was scheduled to give at the invitation of two Left Party members. Scheduled to speak on the day after the anniversary of Kristallnacht, outraged party members initiated a petition criticizing their colleagues’ hosting Blumenthal, which they said amounted to “stoking obsessive hate and demonization of Israel with an anti-Semitic argument pattern and trivialization of the Holocaust.”
The Clintons value loyalty about all else, and it’s hard to imagine Sidney Blumenthal doing anything that would make Hillary consider him a liability. But Blumenthal’s freelance diplomacy raises an intriguing question: who is the real Sidney Blumenthal? The one promoting Israel’s interest in the broader Middle East by trumpeting a Libyan politician eager to make peace with the Jewish state? Or the one who promotes his son’s work portraying Israel as a uniformly ghastly, racist country and American Jews as its disloyal double agents?
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Ingalls Homestead
Pets Unknown
About Ingalls Homestead
Camp on the Open Prairie Camping at Ingalls Homestead is a unique way to experience the prairie. All sights are located on the land Charles Ingalls homesteaded. With just a handful of sites - 4 covered wagons, 1 bunkhouse, 4 RV sites, and tent camping - the prairie doesn't feel crowded.
Fee Info
Covered Wagons - $60/night Our covered wagons are based after a sheepherder's wagon and come in two sizes, large or small. Cost is $60/night regardless of the size. All wagons have electricity, screened windows, a small fan, a campfire ring, and a picnic table. You must provide your own linens and pillows. The large covered wagon sleeps five and includes one full-size mattress, two mats (approximately 2'x5') on platforms built into the wagon and a roll out mat for the floor (approximately 3'x6'). The small covered wagon sleeps three and includes one double-size mat (approximately 4'x6') and a roll out mat for the floor (approximately 3'x6'). Bunkhouse - $60/night If you'd like a bit more space or a real roof over your head, the bunkhouse is an excellent option. It is a simple one-room building that sleeps six and includes a full-size mattress and two sets of twin-size bunkbeds. The bunkhouse has electricity, a small refrigerator, a small microwave, a table and chairs, a campfire ring, and a picnic table. You must provide your own linens and pillows. RV Sites - $30/night Our RV sites include water and electrical hookups. We offer 20, 30 or 50 AMP electrical connections. Each site has a campfire ring and picnic table. All sites are back-in; we do not have any pull-through sites. While we do not offer sewer connections the sites, there is a dump station in our parking lot. Tent Camping - $10/night Our tent camping is simple. We do not have specified sites. Rather, you choose your own spot in the camping area. The camping fee includes use of the bathroom and shower facilities. Since we do not offer specified sites, tent camping does not include electricity. Of course, you do have access to electricity in our bathroom facilities.
Call us old-fashioned, but since we only have nine sites, you still have to give us a call to set up a reservation - 800-776-3594. Please feel free to contact us via email to check availability. You may make reservations as far in advance as you like and we are open to make reservations year-round.
Visit Website Info: Phone:
Ingalls Homestead is located in South Dakota
4 Reviews of Ingalls Homestead
Lora H.
Laura would be honored
We have traveled in a RV for 6 years and been to 48 states (3 or 4 times each), visited 300 plus small towns and I can say this was one of my favorite camp spots. There are only 4 RV lots, and they are pretty close together, but we stayed before season, so we had the place practically to ourselves. For $30, we had W&E, fire pit (firewood not sold), picnic table and free access to the homestead. Bathrooms were so clean and smelled like cedar wood. There is a dump station but be fore warned it's on a slope, so emptying your tanks completely will be a challenge. Also a sign says grey water only, this is not true, you can dump your black water too. Since we were off season, during the day, they had school trips daily, so there were a lot of children, having fun playing right behind our rig. But it was only for a short period of time during the afternoon. There's a museum right next to the sites, which is always open. There's also is a tower you can climb to get some really great views. Several houses and buildings are on the property you can explore and hay rides are available. They also have a nice country store where you can by your souvenirs. If your a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, like me, this is a must stop, if only for a night! I also want to mention that the camp hosts and gal that ran the store, couldn't have been nicer.
Brian C.
Very Cool and Unique Campsite on the Grounds of the Laura Ingalls Homestead
A very cool and unique campsite on the grounds of the Laura Ingalls Homestead near De Smet, SD. Unique in that you can camp right on the open prairie and for only $10 a night. Just pick a spot of grass and you’re good to go. There are some picnic tables you can choose to be near or just head out on the frontier. There are also options to camp in a covered wagon as well as a bunkhouse. RV spots are available and include water and electric hookups. Well appointed and clean bathrooms (electricity and flush toilets) are on site with showers.
The other really cool thing about this spot—especially for families—are all of the fun activities at the homestead itself. There’s a one-room school house with tours, a barn with animals, a covered wagon ride where you (or your kids) can lead the horse-drawn wagon, opportunities to learn how to make a jump rope, twist hay, wash clothes—all things the Ingalls family had to do on a farm from long ago.
A night or two in the summer is great though with no shade for the campsites field, it can get warm but evenings on the prairie are gorgeous. All in all, a great spot to set up that is cheap but with nice facilities and staff.
Site Tents in Field
Corinna B.
Magical Must-See for Kids & All Little House on the Prairie Fans
This is a truly magical place, and if you’ve ever read any of the Little House on the Prairie books and are anywhere near De Smet South Dakota, do yourself a favor and swing by.
The Campground
The Ingalls Homestead consists of two main parts. First is the "campground," which is a basically a large grassy slope where you can set up your tent for just $10. It includes hot showers, flush toilets, and a few picnic tables and fire-pits throughout the field. There's also fairly basic RV parking for $30 with electric and water hookups and a dump site as well as some basic but cool covered wagons for $60. We arrived just as the sun was setting, found a lovely spot for our tent, and then paid in the shop the next morning. The bathrooms were clean, the showers were a little strange but also clean and hot (basically a large room cordoned off by several shower curtains).
De Smet is where the Ingalls family lived during the "Long Winter" of 1880-1881, and the Ingalls Homestead is a "family run business" that brings to life many activities from the 1880s such as visiting a one-room schoolhouse, making a corn on the cob doll, going on a covered wagon ride, etc. It's truly hands-on and some of our favorite time was spent hanging out in "Pa's" lean-to barn with the barn kitties and riding horses and ponies. My oldest son also learned how to drive the covered wagon to the schoolhouse down the road (another treat). Each station on the self-guided tour has an activity with incredibly nice and informed hosts. Most of the buildings are based on the original plans and descriptions from the Ingalls family, though no original buildings remain on the site. Visiting the homestead is an additional $15 per person over the age of five, and while you could camp without visiting the homestead, it was definitely worth a half or full-day visit.
Reviewed July 17th, 2018
Site Tent
Gregory B.
First to Review
Put down those ipads and play like 1880
Friendly folks and simple camping. Lots of things for the kids to do and play just like its 1880.
Washington Park, SD
Lake Thompson Rec Area, SD
North Shore Lodging and Campground, SD
MT, SD, ND
GRAND PRIZE $100 to Red Ledge
Get 20% off waterproof jackets and more.
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Wrapping up Dominance V
Published by Ascendancy on June 21, 2014 June 21, 2014
This plot began eight real-life months ago. See: Clash in Dominance V.
The Fifth Dominance is the area of the CCD typically described as the Middle East. Following the Energy Disaster of the 2020’s and subsequent tours by the then-President of the Ascendant Soviet Union, Nikolai Brandon successfully negotiated the annexation of what was historically a tumultous part of the world to unite beneath one flag, the DV hypocycloid.
The Dominance was overseen by a Patron from Dubai and represented in Moscow by a Privilege in the food industry, Daan Nasser Al-Rajhi. While energy was supplemented by DI (aka: Russian) pipelines, the Dominance soon became dependent on the larger CCD economy. Intra-Dominance politics remained uneasy, but war was suspended in the region for the first time in thousands of years.
Twenty years later, the Ascendancy found himself flying through the region on a quarterly basis. By 2044, he was touring one part of the region or another every six weeks – four times the frequency of traveling the rest of the CCD. By mid 2045, a new charismatic religious leader emerged. Likely a ta’veren, his presence countered the balance achieved by the ta’veren nature exuded by Nikolai Brandon. Tensions rose and by the end of the year, violence broke the peace.
The violence centered around the city of Mecca, considered the holiest city in the religion of Islam. Although the Dominance was assigned the same freedom of religion as the rest of the CCD and allowed to express religious culture woven through the governing body, these leaders were no longer content to be a part of the CCD.
While the Ascendancy was in route to the city to negotiate their malcontent, Mecca revolted. Despite the sanctity of the city, they struck at any and all CCD presence who were only there to maintain the security of prominent officials coming for the Summit. Any and all foreigners became targets, including medical personnel and journalists reporting on the event. The Ascendancy cancelled the Summit and returned to the air, but the Custody was otherwise caught unawares. A number of important individuals were trapped in Mecca, and in the case of Doctor Victoria Weston and Commander Michael Vellas, taken captive.
In the city was another presence that was neither local nor CCD. Jacques Danjou had a contingent of Legion Premiere, security soldiers, seeking private contracts in the region. To take advantage of their immediacy, the Ascendancy negotiated, through the Custody of Defense, a contract to hire Legion Premiere to counter the insurgency and rescue civilians, both those trapped at the overrun international airport, and those taken captive in a hospital.
Five hundred million dollars paid for the lives of two-hundred Legionnaires. Jacques Danjou, the CEO of the Legion, was given special access to CCD intelligence under the watch of Special Forces Assault Team Vega Major Zagori Mitzman.
Continue on to read the rest of The Battle of Jeddah.
Categories: News
Since posting The World Gathers in the Red Square, extraordinary things have happened in a short amount of time for channelers in the First Age. It began with the demonstration in the Red SIn Read more…
Singers have souls tied to all things that grow on the earth. The talent may manifest as something as innocuous and unremarkable as a person being described as “green-fingered,” to an innate ability to encourage Read more…
(Latin) “Remember, death,” “All will die,” “All men die” The phrase, “memento mori” first appeared during the Ascendancy’s war games with other channelers. A man was found in the presence of a rakshasha, a wretched, Read more…
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Home Life Descendants of Drake
Descendants of Drake
The unrelated Drake buried in Gibraltar’s bay.
What did they call ‘Fake News’ in 1933? The article pictured here reporting the death of Edward Tyrwhitt-Drake isn’t fake news per se, but it does serve up some glaring errors. Firstly, Edward was not related to Sir Francis Drake, and secondly, his burial-at-sea in the waters near Gibraltar was not a ‘unique’ event.
My friend Guy Tyrwhitt-Drake, who lives and works in my hometown of Victoria, Canada, is a direct descendant of two of the grander and historically important families of Devon, UK, the Tyrwhitts and the Drakes. Knowing of my interest in Gibraltar Guy provided me with the newspaper clipping and some history concerning the Drake name.
It’s not unreasonable that the writer of the article believed that Edward was a descendant of Sir Francis because the great seaman himself claimed to be related to the gentrified Drakes of Ash (sometimes Ashe). To be classed as ‘landed gentry’ you had to be a land-owning family capable of living off rental income alone. Work was for commoners and Francis Drake went to work at an early age.
The Drakes of Ash owned extensive holdings in Cornwall and Devon, including the family seat in Musbury Parish. Their ennobled lineage included politicians, judges and high-ranking officers of the Army and Navy. One distinguished family member was Sir Bernard Drake. Born in 1537, the eldest son of John Drake of Ash, Sir Bernard was a contemporary of Sir Francis, and a successful captain, who also captured Portuguese and Spanish ships in the name of the Queen of England. But he wasn’t a privateer, and unlike Sir Francis, was proper landed gentry.
The Tyrwhitts owned large tracts of Dartmoor and built Princetown, site of the infamous Dartmoor Prison. The book Shardeloes Papers (Oxford University Press. 1947) records:
“The Tyrwhitts were a knightly family in Lincolnshire from early times; Sir William Kettleby, was at Agincourt, and fourth in descent from him was Sir Roger, a vice-admiral who died in 1548.”
Francis was born in Tavistock, Devon, the eldest of the twelve sons of Protestant farmer Edmund Drake. His actual birthdate is unknown, but it is generally recognized as taking place some time in the year 1540. The family was chased out of Devon for religious reasons and settled in Kent where the father became an ordained minister and young Francis obtained work as a cabin boy, aged nine, on the merchant ship Judith. The Judith’s captain and owner, unmarried with no children, liked and admired Francis so much that on his death he bequeathed the young sailor the sturdy coaster. The rest of Francis’ story is well known, he went on to gain enormous wealth and fame as a privateer, which basically was legalised piracy. He captured dozens of treasure ships and attacked and plundered ports all along the Spanish coast. He was the second captain, after Magellan, to sail around the world and the first to survive the journey. He terrorized Spanish shipping for decades and in 1588 helped defeat the Spanish Armada. Out of fear and respect the Spanish nicknamed him El Draque – ‘The Dragon’. Francis provided Queen Elizabeth I with so much in the way of riches that he became one of her favourites and she knighted him on April 4, 1581. On receiving the knighthood Sir Francis requested that he should be granted the right to bear the crest and arms of the Drakes of Ash.
Sir Bernard considered Sir Francis to be of a lower class and took great offence at his laying claim to being landed gentry, so much so, that in presence of the Queen’s Court he “boxed the ears” of the otherwise formidable Sir Francis. The Queen was appalled at Sir Bernard’s brazen behaviour and severely reprimanded him. She also ordered that Sir Francis be given a new crest and set of arms highlighting his achievements in navigation. Sir Francis got his own back on Sir Bernard by including a small replica of the Drakes of Ash arms on the crest. He purchased Buckland Abbey near Yelverton, Devon and thus his crest and arms represent the Drakes of Buckland Abbey.
The tale of the confrontation of the two Sir Drakes has been passed down through the centuries, and nearly 400 years after the incident heraldry expert and writer Wilfred Scott-Giles (1892-1983) penned this verse:
Sir Bernard said Sir Francis
“You’re making a grave mistake
If now you’re a knight
You think you’ve a right
To the wyvern gules of Drake,”
Sir Francis said to Sir Bernard
“Your wyvern gules you can keep
At the Queen’s behest
I will have such a crest
As will make your arms look cheap.”
Queen Elizabeth said to the heralds
“Draw Frankie a crest of worth
And thereon between
Pole Stars be seen
His wavy course round the earth
And upon a globe on his helmet
The good ship Golden Hind show,
With a dragon to fame
El Draco’s name”
And the heralds made it so.
Sir Francis said “Look, Sir Bernard!”
And Sir Bernard proudly spake
“Grand arms you’ve got
I’ll allow but they’re not
The ancient wyvern of Drake.”
*Note: In heraldry a ‘wyvern’ is a creature like a dragon with two legs (a dragon has four) and two wings, while ‘gule’ is a bright shade of the colour red.
As for the burial at sea, the fact that Gibraltar was and is a military port and the scene of many battles, sieges and shipboard deaths there would been hundreds, at the very least, of burials at sea. One notable and certifiable such burial in the Bay of Gibraltar was that of Sir David Wilkie. The 56-year-old Scottish painter of Royal portraits, including William IV and Queen Victoria, was returning from the Middle East in late 1841 when he fell ill at Malta. He died several days later at sea near Gibraltar. His burial was immortalized in oils by his friend, one of the most talented artists in English history, Joseph Mallord ‘JM’ Turner, after whom the Turner Prize is named. The painting is entitled Peace: Burial at Sea and is part of the Tate Gallery collection.
A third likely error in the short dispatch from Gibraltar is the tale of Sir Francis losing his temper and killing a cabin boy. The story goes that one day, while at sea, Sir Francis appeared to be lost. The cabin boy is supposed to have piped in his own opinion and turned out to be exactly right. This so enraged Sir Francis that he threw the poor lad overboard. There is no evidence that this ever happened, and it seems unlikely considering Sir Francis would have had some empathy for cabin boys having been one himself.
One death Sir Francis was most definitely responsible for, was that of nobleman Thomas Doughty. Drake and Doughty were co-commanders of four vessels ostensibly sailing on a friendly trip to Alexandria, Egypt. Their real mission, however, was to seek out and loot Spanish treasure ships. The small squadron set off in 1577 and by the time they had crossed the Atlantic and reached the Straits of Magellan Sir Francis had taken sole command and Doughty had been arrested and charged with witchcraft, mutiny and treason. The witchcraft charges were trumped up and were based on the disappearance of one of the ships, The Swan. The primary witness against Doughty was the ship’s carpenter. Sir Francis conducted the trial and Doughty denied witchcraft and mutiny but admitted that he had told Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, of the true goals of the mission. Baron Burghley was in disfavour with the Queen because he spoke out against unprovoked attacks on the Spanish. This infuriated Sir Francis. He denied Doughty the opportunity to be taken back for trial in England and turned down his request to be landed at Peru. On July 2, 1578 Doughty was beheaded aboard the flagship Pelican. Soon after Sir Francis changed the Pelican’s name to Golden Hind and the ship’s carpenter was rewarded with command of the ship Marigold. Now down to three ships, Golden Hind, Marigold and Elizabeth, Sir Francis resumed the voyage sinking Spanish ships and pillaging towns along the way. When the tiny fleet encountered vicious storms in the Pacific, the Marigold went down with all hands and the damaged Elizabeth turned tail and sailed back to England. The Golden Hind continued on alone, and arrived back in Plymouth in the fall of 1580, awash with booty. In three years the Pelican/Golden Hind had sailed 36,000 miles and circumnavigated the world.
Sir Francis Drake died of dysentery at Portobelo, Panama on January 28, 1596 aged 55. His nemesis Sir Bernard had died at Crediton, Devon on April 10, 1586. He had contracted typhus from Portuguese sailors he had jailed and mistreated.
Although the case of the Drakes should have been settled years ago my friend Guy Drake, he only uses Tyrwhitt-Drake on official documents, says that the Tyrwhitt-Drakes are still regularly referred to as descendants of Sir Francis, including Guy’s recently deceased father, Montague Tyrwhitt-Drake, a high-ranking Canadian judge. Just last year Montague’s memory was honoured by his local private club and the master of ceremonies referred to him as a direct descendant of Sir Francis Drake. On these occasions Guy likes to point out that Sir Francis married twice but fathered no children.
As for Edward Tyrwhitt-Drake, the subject of the newspaper article, besides being Master of the Berkeley Hounds, he trained racehorses and was briefly Sherriff of Buckinghamshire. He had inherited the grand family manor Shardeloes in 1919 but suffered financial difficulties and was forced to sell much of the estate at auction. Guy says the family believes that Edward had died of an aortic aneurism. That would explain his sudden death at Gibraltar. The abscess on his neck could have been the result of bulging blood vessels, an indication of an aneurism on the aorta. Edward was 46 on the day of his death, August 31, 1933. He had no male heirs and the estate passed to his cousin Capt. Thomas Tyrwhitt-Drake, a World War One hero and a genuine descendant of the Drakes of Ash.
BY REG REYNOLDS
Edward Tyrwhitt-Drake
The Tyrwhitts
Wilfred Scott-Giles
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2020 - 24 Hour Le Mans Race Travel Packages
24 Hour Le Mans Race 2020 Tickets and Travel Packages to Le Mans, France
June 12th to 15th, 2020
We are USA based and offer worldwide service. Our travel and ticket packages for the 2020 Le Mans Race include hotels, Le Mans 24 hour race tickets, hospitality options and VIP transfers.
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Your 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans Race Experience
Our fantastic first class experience to the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans race in Le Mans France is one you will never forget! June 12-15 2020 Le Mans 24 hours race dates.
As a licensed Tour Operator since 1982 we have been providing travel packages and tickets to the 24 hours of Le Mans race for too many years to remember.
For the 2020 Le Mans 24 hours race you will enjoy first class hotel accommodations, Le Mans 24 hour race tickets and hospitality package options. Our travel packages all include your ground transportation with airport meet and greet in Paris, hotel accommodations, tickets and unrivaled viewing. We offer 3 great package options to choose from depending on your needs. Be there for the finale of the first ever Super Season of the World Endurance Championship.
Please check below for details of each 2020 Le Mans 24 race ticket and travel packages. If you don’t see what you are looking for then CONTACT US for a customized program. We provide the best value and service available.
RESERVE NOW, don’t miss The 2020 Le Mans 24 hours race, one of the most spectacular events in the world. ASK US about discounts if you reserve both the 2020 Le Mans 24 race package and also the French Formula 1 Grand Prix the following weekend.
Call 772-283-7710 to speak with one of our friendly representatives for more information
2020 Le Mans 24 hour race Dates
Arrive Friday, June 12th and depart on Monday, June 15th 2020. Hotel stay in Tours, France.
Click here to see 4 Day Pricing
Arrive Thursday, June 11th and depart on Monday, June 15th 2020. Hotel stay in Le Mans, France.
2020 le mans 24 hour race packages INCLUDE
Transportation between Paris airport & hotel
Transportation between hotel & track
Accommodations for 3 or 4 nights with daily breakfast (including taxes)
Event admission tickets
Hospitality options
Our Hotel stay in Tours
4 Star Deluxe
This truly historic boutique hotel opened its doors in 1846. It is in the center of the city in the heart of the tourist and shopping area, and is near the Tours TGV train station. The 4 star hotel features 91 large, comfortable and fully-equipped rooms, a gourmet restaurant, a lounge bar, 7 La Touraine With 85 rooms, among 8 suites, the is the ideal place to enjoy a weekend during the 24 hours of Le Mans. The non-smoking and air-conditioned rooms will offer you all the comfort you need, with free wifi access, minibar, flat screen cable tv. Enjoy a lunch or dinner in the restaurant with traditional gastronomy and the cozy bar.
Our 3Star Hotel stay in Tours
3 Star boutique
This business-friendly hotel offers a bar/lounge. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available in public areas and an Internet point is located on site. Additional amenities include a fitness facility, multilingual staff, and laundry facilities. This is a smoke-free property. A total renovation of this property was completed in March 2013. The 51 air-conditioned guest rooms at L’Artist Hôtel include safes and coffee/tea makers. Complimentary wireless high-speed Internet access is provided. Rooms are equipped with flat-screen TVs with satellite channels. All accommodations provide desks and direct-dial phones.
Check with us for additional hotel options and availability
2020 Le Mans 24 Hours race 4 Day, 3 Night Options
Click here to see your Itinerary 4 day 3 nights with hotel stay in nearby Tours, France
Day 1: Friday 12 June 2020 – ask about earlier arrival with additional nights and event tickets
Airport meet and greet at the airport Charles de Gaulle in Paris 10:30AM and transfer to our
hotel outside Le Mans, France.
Hotel accommodations including taxes. Welcome drinks and weekend review.
Day 2: Saturday 13 June 2020
Breakfast at the hotel
Transfers to the circuit at Le Mans in the morning
General admission tickets (Silver, Gold and Platinum)
Grandstand reserved tickets (Gold and Platinum)
Race Club entrance tickets (Gold)
VIP Hospitality tickets (Platinum)
Free shuttles to 3 different corners to view the track during the race (Platinum)
Optional Pit pass and Paddock access (Platinum)
Race start 3:00 PM
Transfers back to the hotel at 10:30 PM or stay at the track all night
Day 3 – Sunday 14 June 2020
Breakfast at the hotel and transfers to the track
Race finish 3:00 PM
Return transfers to the hotel late afternoon after the race finish
Day 4 – Monday 15 June 2020
Transfers to airport Charles de Gaulle, we plan to return to the airport by 11:00 AM please do not book flights before 1:00 PM departure time.
Including General Admission Tickets
Friday Arrival
Private VIP Transfers
Single Occupancy - $1995 Per Person
Double Occupancy - $1595 Per Person
Add Reserved Grandstand Ticket - $200 Per Person
Including Reserved Grandstand Tickets
Race Club Membership at the Track
Special Dinner Trackside Saturday Night
VIP Hospitality: 2 Race Viewing Locations with Food & Open Bar
Shuttle Service to 3 Corners of the Track
Saturday Pit Lane walk and Weekend Paddock Access Additional $450 Per Person to Platinum Package
2020 Le Mans 24 Hour 5 Day, 4 Night Options
Click here to see your Itinerary 5 day 4 nights package with hotel stay in Le Mans
Day 1: Thursday 11 June 2020 – ask about earlier arrival with extra nights hotel and event tickets
Arrive on your own and check into the new Campanile Hotel by the Le Mans train station.
Hotel accommodations including taxes.
Tram to the circuit at Le Mans
Grandstands are open to everyone with general admission tickets
Practice beginning at 4 PM
Qualification 2 starting at 7 PM
Qualification 3 starting at 10 PM
Day 2: Friday 12 June 2020
No track activity today .
Driver autograph session and public pit lane walk at the track
Driver parade in the city center
Tram to the circuit at Le Mans in the morning
Breakfast at the hotel and tram to the track. Race finish 3:00 PM
Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
Thursday Arrival
Tram Circuit Transfers
About the 24 Hours of Le Mans
The Circuit is divided in various sections, starting from the Indianapolis Corner, where the race begins, up to the Mulsanne Straight, where drivers get the opportunity to rev their engines to the fullest and even break top record speeds.
Throughout the course of its existence, Le Mans has been a place where anything from terrible crashes to incredible photo-finishes happened. It boasts a long, rich history that is full of innovation, brilliance, wild stories, and even catastrophic mishaps. Understanding the Circuit means to understand the fascinating history of both European and American auto racing – and to see how the trends started, tides turned, and how enterprises rose and fell from greatness. Trying to summarize the expansive history of Le Mans is slightly difficult – but we’re going to condense it into a brief rundown, just so you can absorb all of the essential details about Europe’s greatest endurance race.
In Le Mans, there are two sets of rules – those applicable to the cars, and those applicable to drivers. There are two categories designated for the cars entered in the European Le Mans Series: Prototypes and GTs, which are then further subdivided into the LMP1, LMP2, LMP3, LM GTE, and LMGTE AM classifications, with the LMP1 being the top class. As of 2020, Le Mans will act in accordance with a new class referred to as “Hypercar” for every LMP1 car, enabling cars to feature a more road-going appearance in order to lessen costs and encourage participation from other major players in the auto manufacturing industry. The LMP 2 requires for cars to weigh under 2,050 pounds, and to be built to accommodate a passenger. The LMP3 category is for newbie and entry-level racers, while the LM GTE has price requirements to ensure that the participating car is genuinely production based.
Because of the race’s size and importance, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is among the few sporting events throughout the year that can attract all types of fans, including the most casual ones. For many racing drivers, having the opportunity to race in Le Mans is such a big deal, which is why drivers from various types of racing disciplines try to give it a go every year. But winning the whole thing is much bigger, of course.
The race is part of the FIA World Endurance Championship, and the 8.6-mile racing circuit is comprised of a full-time race track and several large swaths of temporarily closed public roads. The race, which runs throughout an entire day, has four different classes that are all running at the same time, with the speeds varying greatly throughout the field – which means that cars are passing and lapping each other constantly.
Due to the danger and absurdity of having one driver stay in the car for the entire 24-hour run of the race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans requires multiple drivers to trade off in a race car and run stints throughout the day and night.
From powerful sports cars to state-of-the-art prototypes, everybody’s out there racing at the same time. Both the variety and free-for-all concept of Le Mans are big reasons why the race is very fun and popular. Despite competing in entirely different classes, the cars share the same track and run the track at vastly differing speeds from one another, which makes for a real show.
The four classes in Le Mans are divided into two main groups: prototypes and sports cars. Certain regulations file them into separate classes, and while two classes may look similar, it’s easy to tell which class a car belongs to by the color of the box painted around the car number.
Here’s a short guide to the reasons behind their different colors.
The LMP1 is the class with the red box around the car numbers. It is the fastest class in WEC, and both teams and manufacturers have a good amount of freedom as to what to do with the cars. There are contrasting engine configurations, alongside non-hybrid and hybrid vehicles. Also, LMP1 has driver restrictions that are based on rankings by the FIA. Only drivers with Bronze, Gold or Platinum ranks are allowed to drive an LMP1 car.
LMP2 cars share some similarities in appearance but are slower than LMP1 cars, with more cost-controlling measures and roles put in place for them. Car numbers feature a blue box around them for visual purposes, and every LMP2 car runs a 4.2-liter V8.
In LMP2, the goals are lower costs in safety, reliability, and production and maintenance. If a specific model of a car begins to perform too well, the series can downgrade that car’s performance so things don’t get out of control. Also, the group of drivers in an LMP2 car should have at least one Bronze or Silver driver in FIA ranking.
The GTE category in Le Mans is the slowest out of everyone. It is divided into two classes: LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am. The cars in this category follow the same basic concept, being that the cars are production-based racing vehicles like the Ferrari, Corvette, Ford GT, and Porsche 911 RSR, among others.
These cars look like real cars while on the track, and they also look like they are kind of standing still whenever a prototype blows by. Though that might seem like unbalanced to you, that’s part of the fun and appeal of Le Mans. The WEC also makes regular attempts to bring balance among these cars’ performances, which is likely to happen among cars that perform so different from one another.
Between the two LMGTE classes, the real difference lies in the drivers, because LMGTE Am can contain a mix of drivers but has to include amateur drivers, whereas LMGTE Pro is specifically for professional drivers.
The cars in LMGTE PRO have a green box around their numbers, while the LMGTE Am cars have an orange box around the same spot. The WEC requires that a group of two or three drivers on an Am car has to have at least one driver in the lowest Bronze category and at least one other who is either Bronze or Silver.
New rules in place for the 2020 season, so don’t delay in reserving your package with us for the 2020 Le Mans 24 hour race.
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Jan 9, 2011 · 11:20 am
How to write the perfect film script: “Die Hard” meets Pixar animated feature “The Incredibles”
This morning, someone asked me about scriptwrtiting. He asked:
“Am I correct in assuming that boy loses girl three quarters of the way though almost every movie?”
This sounds like one of those formulae I don’t believe from one of those people who charge $800 for seminars in which they say Casablanca is the perfect way to write a script – in which case, the perfect way to write a script is to not know the ending while you’re shooting, have a cast of completely flummoxed actors and to write the script virtually day-by-day-by-night as shooting progresses. I have also heard Alien held up as a perfect piece of movie-making and, having met several crew members, I can tell you shooting on that film was an unhappy utter nightmare. So creating a nightmare situation for cast and crew would be the best way to make a film… Not.
The classic story, allegedly, is a ‘three act’ screenplay and the classic story is “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy regains girl”, but I think those three stages can happen anywhere you feel like in percentage terms.
As far as I’m concerned, there are only two rules of thumb. One is something I was told ages ago…
In the standard US TV movie, the entire basis of the plot and all the central characters at the heart of that plot are introduced in the first three minutes.
The best example I’ve ever seen of this is actually the first Die Hard big-screen movie in which, by the end of the opening credits – before the movie even starts properly – you know that Bruce Willis is a New York cop who has come to LA to see his ex-wife whom he still has affection for and who works for a Japanese multinational company in a large building, it is Christmas and there is a party in the building and (if my memory serves me) you are also introduced to the lead villain who has a team of baddies heading towards the building. All this before the opening credits end. It is a brilliant piece of scriptwriting.
It is done very efficiently by Bruce Willis’ apparently insignificant chit-chat with a taxi driver (whose character also runs through the movie) and by simple intercutting.
Last night, I accidentally saw the beginning of the Pixar animated movie The Incredibles and the central characters, situation and tone of the movie are, just like Die Hard, introduced clearly and concisely before the opening credits. I was interrupted by a phone call so never saw the rest of the movie, but I could tell I wanted to know more and to see more. I was hooked at the very start of the film, which is a big thing…
Because the second movie structure rule-of-thumb is that there has to be a ‘hook’ at the very beginning. If there isn’t a hook at the start of a film, I am never involved either emotionally or intellectually.
Setting up the atmosphere/tone at the start sounds good but doesn’t work.
You have to set up the atmosphere/tone but ALSO introduce the central characters and situation very quickly and succinctly. Another great example of this is the opening of my favourite film The Wild Bunch – everything is set up during the opening credits with dramatic music which sets the atmosphere/tone – you are shown the central characters, the bounty hunters waiting, the start of the opening bank robbery, the physical set-up for an upcoming massacre of the innocents… it is a giant hook of expectation built-up by great music… and even the director’s movie-making philosophy is established.
As the final credit DIRECTED BY SAM PECKINPAH appears on screen, William Holden barks out: “If they move… kill ’em!”
To my mind, the best films and TV episodes and the best novels have this structure… They start with an unresolved problem and end with the resolution of that problem; the plot is the unravelling of the problem and, during the story, you cannot yourself see how it can possibly be resolved so you have to keep watching to find out.
In the case of Die Hard, the unresolved problem is actually that the central character’s marriage has fallen apart plus there is going to be an attack on the skyscraper in which the ex-wife is working/partying. Along the way, bit by bit, there are other little hooks, each of which have to be straightened out. A couple of them are when the wife’s identity is revealed to the ‘terrorists’ and another the point at which the Bruce Willis character (armed) comes face-to-face with the lead ‘terrorist’ (unarmed) who pretends to be a hostage. So the hook running through the movie is Can he save his wife? and Can he save his marriage? And, along the way, there are a succession of little hooks.
I think the best example of this structure of constant hooks throughout a narrative is surprisingly Scots comedian Janey Godley‘s terrifying autobiography Handstands in the Dark – an emotional rollercoaster which makes the Himalayas look like goose bumps – I edited the book but did not write it (she wrote it) and I was therefore the first to be emotionally traumatised by reading it.
At the very beginning, even on the first page, there is a hook; I defy anyone who reads the closing paragraphs of the first chapter not to read the second chapter. And this happens throughout the book. She constantly tells the reader not-quite-enough facts to be satisfied. They have to read on a little more to find the resolution of each particular hook and, by the time they understand what is going on and/or are satisfied with the resolution of that problem, another hook has been set up. The book is also full of page-turning “Jesus fucking Christ almighty!” moments. Thunderbolts come out of the blue without any warning at all. And she intercuts multiple narrative strands throughout – this was nothing to do with me; she did it. It is an extraordinary narrative.
It reminded me, oddly, of Lord of the Rings, where Tolkien separates the central characters, then intercuts between the narrative strands, leaving the story strands dangling so you have to keep reading to find out what happened. Janey doesn’t have separate plot strands in that sense, but she intercuts her narrative. And the ending simultaneously is the biggest cliff-hanger since the climax of the original Italian Job and also satisfyingly emotionally rounded-off. A neat trick she pulled there.
So my three golden rules for writing a film script (the third one echoes the late Malcolm Hardee‘s Third Golden Rule of Comedy) are:
1) explain the set-up and central characters in the first three minutes
2) structure the narrative with constant unresolved hooks
3) if all else fails, clothes off and knob out!
I should, perhaps, point out I never read any part of the Killer Bitch script until after shooting had finished and have still never actually read the full script…!
Filed under Books, Movies
Tagged as Alien, animation, boy meets girl, Bruce Willis, cartoon, Casablanca, Christmas, comedy, cop, Die Hard, films, golden rules, goose bumps, Handstands in the Dark, Himalayas, hook, janey godley, Japanese, Killer Bitch, Lord of the Rings, Malcolm hardee, movies, new york, page-turner, party, Pixar, plot, Sam Peckinpah, scriptwriting, seminar, The Incredibles, The Italian Job, The Wild Bunch, three act play, Tolkien, TV movie, US, William Holden
One response to “How to write the perfect film script: “Die Hard” meets Pixar animated feature “The Incredibles””
renos
helllllllllllpppppppp pleaseeeee
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December 28, 2012 by Chana
Call Harm, Not Foul
Note: The links in this piece are particularly good; I recommend clicking around.
Sexist. Racist. Homophobic. The all-purpose “bigot”. We have these words for a reason. They are used to label people, actions, institutions and ideas which exhibit the worst elements of society. They’re used when we want people to listen, to pay attention, to take us seriously when we are desperately trying to point out the inequality, the inanity, the inhumanity of punishing gender and racial and sexual and ethnic and religious minorities for being different. We want to push people to do everything they can not to be sexist, not to be racist, not to be the kind of person they shouldn’t be.
And we did it. Hooray! It is now the worst thing in the world to be a racist or a sexist or a homophobe. That’s why people will do everything in their power to make sure that their actions, ideas and institutions aren’t seen or construed that way. (Except, of course, change their actions, ideas and institutions.) It is offensive, now, to be called a racist. There is literally nothing in the world that cannot follow the words, “I’m not a racist but…” Everyone else is the real sexist/racist/etc for pointing out sexism/racism/etc. We ostensibly live in a post-racial and post-feminist age.
All of this makes it sadly true now that to call something or someone racist or sexist is often seen both as too charged to provoke productive discussion and too passé to warrant true engagement. This poses a problem for the people who are looking to point out and eradicate the various forms of bigotry, since people are no longer (if they ever were) willing to listen to their participation in the problem.
Now, there are obviously many times when the outright calling out of bigotry remains important and useful, even if it’s not met with the best of responses, both in terms of persuasive tactics and because it is often appropriate for marginalized people to express their anger the way they see fit. But I think there are also times when a different approach might be useful. When we’re engaging in conversation with people who are listening (that is, not criticizing public figures or public events) and we’d like to convince them of our point of view, we could drop the actual words of sexist, racist, bigot, misogynist, homophobe, etc, at least some of the time. Even if we’re right, and even if we’d very much prefer to call a spade a spade. Instead, we describe what we mean by those words. Why?
1. When we call someone something bad, especially when they don’t think of themselves that way (i.e. as a racist, sexist, etc.), their impression is that we are labeling them a Bad Person and The Enemy. It’s comes off like grabbing someone off the street, slapping green armor and an insignia on them and saying, “Welcome to Green Army. I hate you.” It makes further productive conversation almost impossible, because now they’re on the defensive. Even if it’s true, it is legitimately hard and uncomfortable to be told you’re a bad person or doing something bad. So they feel they’re being personally attacked, and that they have no way out except to fight back. They’re going to want to win, not listen. We have killed their mind, and possibly our own as well.
2. The last generation of social justice warriors, anti-racists, feminists, outspoken atheists and activists of all stripes made the -isms and intolerances so abominable, that everyone has successfully convinced themselves they’re not it. Now, being called those things (racist, sexist, bigoted, etc) is so terrible that we end up arguing only about whether or not the label applies . And that’s a damn shame, because I have a lot of other things I want to talk about.
3. Sometimes the words make the discussion more muddled instead of more clear. In the social justice context, we mean totally different things by ‘racism’ and ‘sexism’ than other people do. Atheists well know how there seems to be a real disconnect on what different people mean by religious liberty. Gay rights activists often have experience of having religious conservatives swear up and down that their opposition to marriage equality and other legal action just. Isn’t. hateful. And everyone who’s tried to point out problematic language and been told that “offense is taken, not given” is similarly aware that offensiveness means really different things to different people.
That means we’re using words that the people we’re talking to just don’t get or genuinely don’t feel apply to them. That means all we get for our effort is confusion, anger and offense. They really think our accusations are wrong or don’t make sense, so instead of the sting of a well-crafted attack, all they can sense is the barrage of bad feeling coming their way, to which they do not respond well. The complexity of the issues we’re tackling is manifesting as perceived imprecision and inaccuracy. That’s bad news for a productive conversation.
4. That mess (described in #3) is just what we get for calling things and ideas and political positions sexist or racist or homophobic. It gets way more complicated when we think about calling people those things. What does it actually mean, to call someone a bigot? Is it a claim about what they ‘really’ ‘truly’ believe, about their internal psychology? Is it a claim that there is something fundamentally sexist/racist/anti-atheist/etc about them? Does it mean they will always be those things? Those are strange and difficult claims to make.
Luckily, we don’t need to assert anything about people’s essential qualities or hidden beliefs to criticize their thinking and behavior or talk about the effects they’re having on people, movements, communities and societies. The words can complicate a conversation that could be simpler and more focused.
5. Someone being sexist or racist is hard to prove in general, and especially hard to prove to the person in question. It’s not impossible, and in many cases it is absolutely worth doing. But why do the harder thing when it’s easier to prove things about harm? We know about stereotype threat and chilly climates and implicit bias and the erasure of atheists from public life and so many other things. Why get mired in definitions when we can prove the problem directly?
6. Finally, the big abstract nature of these concepts can remove our thoughts and our discourse from what’s actually at stake: Discrimination, violence, pain, unfairness, harassment, hurt.
What do we do then? We do what any good rationalist does when words are getting in the way: we Taboo them, which means getting our ideas across without the words themselves. Does that mean putting on kid gloves? Does it mean letting bad people get away with not getting called out on their badness? No. It just means we replace the words in question with what we mean by them.
When we say a policy is religiously illiberal, what we mean is that a powerful religious group is using its power to impose its ideas and beliefs on others. When we say someone is sexist, we mean that they buy and feed into harmful negative stereotypes about women that make it harder for women to be treated equally. When we say a group is homophobic, we mean that it supports ideas and policies that hurt queer people and deny them their rights. So let’s say those things.
As I said above (and elsewhere), this analysis doesn’t always apply. After all, we have these words for a reason; they can often convey precisely what we mean them to. But I think this approach is really useful for conversations in private or on the internet with actual people who might feel personally offended by being directly or almost directly called a bigot of some kind. It might even just be good as an exercise, so that we can make sure we know what claims we’re making and why. Furthermore, there is certainly room to combine this approach with the more traditional one, using words that have the rhetorical punch and emotional resonance we’re looking for but also defining them carefully and supplying ample evidence. The core element of this approach is simply that we consider the effects our words have on the people we’re looking to convince and change, and make decisions about our language accordingly.
When we do, the benefits abound. Our conversations get more productive, since everyone is using the same language to talk about the same things. We get to argue about the facts, and not about definitions. There’s less defensiveness all around, since no one’s character is being impugned. Our arguments are more accurate, since we’re talking directly about the subject matter at hand instead of proxies for it. Furthermore, harm and consequences are things we can have direct evidence for, which we can then demonstrate to other people. Best of all, our arguments get more compelling, since we’re pointing out the actual harm to actual people that comes from people acting badly, which makes it more emotionally resonant and harder to ignore.
We are people who argue. We want to convince people. Let’s not give anyone an excuse not to listen to us. Let’s make it as easy as possible for them to be convinced by us. Let’s give ourselves the best chance of making the world into something better.
Note: I wrote about this issue in a feminist context extensively on a pseudonymous blog. If you’re interested in reading it, feel free to send me a private message.
About Nuance
This entry was posted in arguing, feminism, rationality, understanding and tagged antiracism, arguing, conversation, feminism, racism, sexism, social justice, tabooing.
18 thoughts on “Call Harm, Not Foul”
ResearchToBeDone says:
I was going to respond to your questions on Twitter, then discovered 140 characters would not suffice. I agree with this post.
I think it’s difficult to know where to draw the line on helpful critique of language vs. tone trolling or accommodationism. It depends a lot on context. I like “Call harm, not foul”, as a shorthand philosophy. Lately, I’ve been coming at the same language problem from the other direction, trying to explain that racism isn’t just that evilterrible caricature we think of, but mostly a product of regular people believing false things. I don’t really know which is the better approach: changing which words we use, or changing the understanding of the words we’re already using.
I guess all in all, for me, it’s not a question of whether or not your advice is good advice (I think it is), but when it’s appropriate to give it to someone. When is it being overly concerned with tone, and when is it a valid point to raise? I honestly have no idea what the answer is on that.
Jason M. Robertson says:
I think this comment expresses my reaction better than I can, so I’ll just associate myself with it. I’ll add only that I wonder if the converts made with this mechanism will find it as easy to then move into social justice discourse that uses the ‘fouls’ than those who have parsed the take on those words as meant by those inside the movement,
Chana Messinger says:
Quite an interesting question. Firstly, yes. I think that yes, people will find it easier to buy into the language and ideas of the SJ community when they’ve had the ideas defined to them in a way that makes sense to them. Secondly, I think that this mechanism brings in people who otherwise wouldn’t be brought in at all, so if there’s any chance they will become accustomed to the social justice language and community, that’s to the good.
I think we’re not used to the idea of intentionally lowering the barriers to entry to our movement, because it feels like “dumbing it down” or weakening it in some way. So while your worries are reasonable, I think in the end this will prove to be a good move.
I’m completely with you. I think the questions you raised are the right ones, and they are hard. I am very much coming from a place of trying to correct a certain type of discourse, that occurs between people who are in a position to do the convincing/persuasive type of argument and who claim that’s what they want and don’t do it as well as I think they could. But there’s all kinds of other discourse happening as well, changing the way people understand words, calling out people who are doing some really severe and immediate harm, and doing criticism of public events and figures. All of these factor in in different ways, and aren’t subject to the analysis I provide here. That’s why I wrote this piece: themerelyreal.wordpress.com/2012/12/16/arguing-well-is-due-diligenc/ . Perhaps in order to be clear I should provide a disclaimer about this caveat.
I do think those kinds of discourse are important, and I do think that it’s not always appropriate to challenge the way people are conducting themselves. But I do think there’s a sense floating around that you either have to be totally in it, with the accusations and the harshness, or you’re out, and you’re apologizing for oppression. I think there’s a way to do both, where we are uncompromising in our criticism of that which is wrong, but judicious in the way we convey that criticism, so as to have the maximum effect. That’s the idea I want to get across, so that people will think about what impact they’re having and what impact they want to have.
As I said, I don’t have the answers, but I think that good and important arguments can be made that certain types of arguments/conversations/discussions warrant more of this approach, and others warrant a different one. It’s worth talking about, since I’m not really concerned with tone so much as effectiveness, as Dan Fincke discusses wonderfully here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/camelswithhammers/2011/10/i-dont-really-give-a-fuck-about-tone-per-se/
Thank you so much for your comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think my personal thoughts in this have a lot to do with my trying to boil down when I think it’s okay to critique the language of someone who isn’t specifically asking for that critique. Outside of that context, I agree with everything here and in the links. Inside that context is what I, personally, struggle with the most.
Calling people bigots is a really good example, the way you talk about here. Because most of the time I see people respond badly to being accused of bigotry, the accusation is justified, in the literal, technical sense that they are doing something that fits a reasonable, functional definition of bigotry. But they respond badly for reasons I also understand, and there are times when I do want to comment, myself, on the language people use to call out bigotry. Even when those people are technically correct, and even when they aren’t asking my advice.
The problem is that that kind of tone advice is so incredibly ubiquitous among people those who just want to shut down the argument, it’s so frequently a tool for getting to “Shut up, that’s why!” that I’m wary of ever using it. I think about all the people I’ve talked to who wish Dawkins would be a little less “extreme”, for example, and vehemently disagree with all of them. Not only do I think his manner of engaging with atheist issues is rational, I think it provides a good example of how being extreme (relative to social norms) can do a lot to move the overton window.
Ah, yes. I struggle with this, too. If it’s a public discussion (like a forum or thread on facebook or a blog or reddit, or even in a public conversation in real life), and I see that kind of thing happen, I usually try to jump in and give the charitable/diligent/persuasive analysis, response, in a way that doesn’t criticize the original. For example, you could say to someone who’s not responding well, “Hey, X called you a bigot because the things you’re doing fit into our understanding of bigotry, which are the kinds of things that have effects A, B, C. You probably aren’t intending to cause harm, but you’re spreading false and harmful stereotypes and it might be good to rethink them.” This injects the conversation with the approach we like, without criticizing or even directly addressing the original. That way, we make the whole conversation better.
(If you care, I did something like that here: http://www.vincenttruman.net/blog/2012/12/24/farewells-no-1-feminism)
When it’s not a public discussion, it’s probably good to stay out, unless you know the person well, because of exactly the problems you’ve listed here, but it definitely depends on context.
I think that makes sense. And I agree. And I like your response to that post. I’m not sure I would’ve had the stamina for something that in-depth.
In a way, I think this all boils down to inferential distance problems. The problem with directing insult and anger at someone like that guy who’s rejecting modern feminism is that he doesn’t understand where that anger comes from, and so it’s logical for him to assume it’s irrational. The problem with him using the language he did to reject feminism is that so many people who aren’t thoughtful about these issues have used the very similar language to denigrate feminism, and by doing the same thing, he is unwittingly associating himself with that long history of determined ignorance. He is making himself look just like the people who suck. If some people, in response, are saying “Well, if it looks like a duck…”, can we blame them?
That seems like the core of the issue. The responses seem entirely rational within the inferential context of the people on either side of the divide on the issue. So do we say, “Hey, guy, you’re the privileged one, it’s your responsibility to educate yourself to bridge this gap”, or “Hey, feminist, you’re the one expressing an issue, it’s your responsibility to educate sufficiently to bridge this gap”? Or both? Maybe there’s no point in placing that responsibility at all, I don’t know.
I remember back when the whole Penny Arcade Dickwolves thing happened, Jerry Holkins made a post that, among other things, talked about how he didn’t think any meaningful form of conversation was possible between them and the people accusing them of perpetuating rape culture. I think he was wrong, but I think he was touching on the crux of the issue: there’s this huge gap, and in a lot of cases there’s no one to blame for the gap, and no one on whom it’s reasonable to put all the responsibility for bridging it, but it must be bridged somehow.
Oh man, you have no idea how much I think about inferential distances. That’s actually an upcoming post in this series. I’ll wait on my response to this until I write that one, definitely taking this stuff into consideration, and we’ll see if that one answers your question.
Hahahaha, I thought I was the only one! :-p
On an unrelated note, I had no idea who you were when I saw you speak on the marriage and rationality panel last month, but you did an awesome job and you and Matt were my favorite panelists 🙂
Thanks! That was my first ever panel, so it’s really nice to hear nice things 🙂
Social Justice and Bridging Inferential Distances | Research to be Done says:
[…] is a reposting of some comments I made on this awesome post about arguing effectively. I liked the wording I used so much I decided I wanted to post this stuff here, too, because I […]
Link Roundup 3: Conversations About Communication Across Power Gradients | Research to be Done says:
[…] How to Argue: Call Harm, Not Foul: The brilliant piece that spawned this post. […]
The Camels With Hammers Civility Pledge says:
[…] Call Harm, not Foul: Being Careful About Language, Especially Calling People Racist/Sexist/Etc by Chana Messinger […]
bemused_leftist says:
As an outsider wandering in, may I just say that changing the meaning of words is in itself confusing and disturbing — therefore causing harm. Especially if they are words with an established strong negative connotation, now being expanded to cover things only theoretically connected with the original meaning.
Reconstruction | Dread Lord von Kalifornen says:
[…] the harm rather than merely the name of the harm would also likely defuse some of the rather pathetic complaints that develop when someone of the […]
Why Talking About Feminism Can Be Scary | Research to be Done says:
[…] may happen with ideas like “Shut up and listen”, “Check your privilege”, the difference between calling harm and calling foul, […]
Leave a Reply to Why Talking About Feminism Can Be Scary | Research to be Done Cancel reply
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Mariano Rivera Always Entered to Metallica, but Doesn't "Listen to That Kind of Music"
The band congratulated the closer on his election into the Baseball Hall Of Fame
Michael Cerio
Al Bello / Staff | Ethan Miller / Staf
The sound of success might just be Metallica.
As Mariano Rivera entered the field, "Enter Sandman" would blare from the speakers of Yankees Stadium, announcing the arrival of the all-time career saves leader, the five-time World Series champion, and the first player ever elected unanimously to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Related: Metallica Celebrates 30 Years of the "One" Video
The song from the Black Album band is synonymous with the thirteen-time All-Star, who made his first start with the New York Yankees four years after it had been released. The anthem took on a new meaning with Rivera, a siren to warn of the dominance about to be witnessed by fans and opposing hitters alike.
On Tuesday after his undisputed election into the Baseball Hall Of Fame, Metallica offered a congratulations to the closer. "“We Metallica, took a vote here, and it’s unanimous. Congratulations from the entire Metallica family Mariano on your induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame” explained singer James Hetfield. "We look forward to watching you enter the Hall this summer” adds Lars Ulrich.
Hey Mo, we've got some old friends that wanted to say congrats. pic.twitter.com/enlwrVpaCc
— Cut4 (@Cut4) January 22, 2019
Rivera was very thankful and gracious, explaining to MLB Network, "I have so much respect for those guys. I met them and they are great people."
When pressed though about his Metallica fandom, Rivera revealed that he is not actually a fan of the band's music. As the hosts asked about how many shows he had been to, Rivera responded "with all due respect to the guys, I’ve never been to one of them.”
“As a Christian, with all due respect to Metallica, I don’t listen to that kind of music.”
Fair enough. It's strictly mound music for the greatest closer in baseball history.
Mariano Rivera will be inducted into the Hall Of Fame at a ceremony on July 21st. Metallica will continue their WorldWired tour around the country into March, in case the Sandman has a change of heart.
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The Archaic Athenian Agora: Gateway to Classical Athenian Democracy
by writer873
The early Athenian Agora served a series of very different purposes than it did in its halcyon days of ancient history. The area that came to be the Agora was in use as a cemetery from the Bronze Age (approximately 3000 B.C.) until the end of the 7th century B.C. It was also a residential area during this time. This is evidenced by the discovery of remains of wells that would have been dug for homes.
Political shake-ups in the continuously developing city-state of Athens led to a seizure of power by Peisistratos in the 560's B.C. Though he was cast out twice, in 545 B.C. he was able to solidify himself as tyrant of Athens. Upon his death in 527 B.C, his sons Hippias and Hipparchos began co- rule of Athens. This time is known as the period of the Peisistratids, and it was during this time that a great deal of building and organization took place in the Agora. Homes gradually were replaced by structures with political, religious, and social significance.
Altar of the 12 Gods [Number 16]
Largely believed to be a place of sanctuary for Athenians, and those who wished to solicit Athens' help. It was the central point from which all major distances from Athens were measured.
The SE Fountainhouse
The fountainhouse was the major source of water for Athenians. It was a source of clean water, which allowed people to fill their containers from a spout, rather than the backbreaking task of lowering containers into deep wells. It helped to reduce illness due to contaminated well water, and was a social gathering place for the women of the city. The fountainhouse was operated using terracotta pipes and collared joints, which have been unearthed in excavations.
The Panathenaic Way
This was a major thoroughfare of Athens. It ran for the Dipylon Gate to the Acropolis, which was the route of the Panathenaic Procession. This was a major festival and procession that honored the goddess Athena, the patron goddess of the city.
The Heliaia [Number 5]
This building was the main law court of Athens. It would have held up to 2,500 members at one time.
When the reign of the Peisistratids ended in 510 B.C., a new sheriff in town by the name of Kleisthenes introduced radical new reforms. A new thought on government was beginning to take shape: democracy, or government by the people. Kleisthenes's reforms implemented 10 tribes of Athens, which were to contribute equal administration of the city-state. As a result, several new buildings were erected in the Agora in order to accommodate the needs of an evolving Athens.
The Boundary Stones
The Athenian Agora became an officially defined space thanks to the addition of marble horoi, or boundary stones. These were placed at the entries to the Agora, as well as at the corners of border buildings in the Agora.
The Bouleterion [Number 11]
This was the Senate House, and its construction was necessary in order to help put into practice the new democratic ideas of Kleisthenes. In this large building, 500 Senators, or the Boule, represented by 50 annually elected members from each tribe, met there daily (save for religious days) in order to propose and pass new Athenian laws.
The Royal Stoa [Number 17]
This is where the Archon Basileus presided. He was the second commanding officer (sort of a Vice President perhaps?), whose role was to settle mainly social conflicts, as well as preside over religious ceremonies and festivals.
When the Persians sacked Athens in 480 B.C., it was in response to their embarrassing defeat at Marathon 10 years earlier. There was massive destruction to the Agora's buildings, including reckless destruction of the temples. When the Athenians eventually won the Persian Wars in 479 B.C, they vowed never to rebuild those precious temples struck by the hands of barbarians. It was a constant reminder of the price they paid for victory.
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Pericles (l. 495–429 BCE) was a prominent Greek statesman...
Law and Politics in the Athenian Agora: Ancient Democracy at Work
The Agora was the central gathering place for all of Athens, where...
Ancient Greek Government
The government systems of ancient Greece were varied as the Greeks...
The Classical Agora, the Final Chapter: The Beginning of the End For the Heyday of Ancient Athens
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The word 'Agora' (pronounced 'ah-go-RAH’) is...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > Last >>
John Camp. Athenian Agora. (Thames & Hudson, 1992).
writer873, . (2012, January 18). The Archaic Athenian Agora: Gateway to Classical Athenian Democracy. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/article/144/
writer873, . "The Archaic Athenian Agora: Gateway to Classical Athenian Democracy." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified January 18, 2012. https://www.ancient.eu/article/144/.
writer873, . "The Archaic Athenian Agora: Gateway to Classical Athenian Democracy." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 18 Jan 2012. Web. 16 Jul 2019.
Submitted by writer873, published on 18 January 2012 under the following license: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
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Gingrich set to join White House race
Conservative standard bearer ranks among best-known Republican candidates for next year's presidential elections.
10 May 2011 08:02 GMT
Gingrich has lambasted Obama's federal health care reform law and criticised his foreign policy as "clueless" [Getty]
Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, appears set to join the race for the Republican presidential nomination to challenge Barack Obama in 2012.
The deeply conservative Gingrich ranks among the best-known Republicans in the still-forming group of candidates for next year's contest for the White House.
"I have been humbled by all the encouragement you have given me to run," Gingrich wrote on Monday in his official announcement on Facebook and Twitter. He said he would talk more about his bid on Wednesday on Fox News.
Gingrich also brings considerable negative political baggage: three marriages, a resignation under an ethics cloud while leader of the House, and a tendency to shoot from the hip when speaking.
In 1994, Gingrich led the Republican Party to its first House majority in 40 years. But any Republican candidate could face insurmountable difficulties in defeating the incumbent Obama, who remains personally popular with Americans and has seen his job approval rating rise notably since last week's killing of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Obama is expected to raise as much as $1bn to finance his bid for re-election, and has proven himself a highly effective campaigner.
History would suggest a difficult path for Gingrich. While many former presidents and candidates for that office have served in the House, the last president to have served as House Speaker was James K Polk, a Tennessee Democrat, in 1844.
Successful presidential candidates more often move into the job from the vice presidency, the Senate or the governorship of one of the 50 states.
Gingrich has made no secret of his White House ambitions. He has been raising money and assembling a campaign team for months and has travelled frequently to states that hold early presidential primary elections or caucuses.
Doing well in early primaries is considered necessary for a candidacy to prosper.
Getting into the race marks a comeback attempt by the former congressman from Georgia who stepped down from the House after four tumultuous years in the top position as speaker.
A spending fight between Gingrich and president Bill Clinton led to a shutdown of part of the federal government in 1995 and 1996. He left Congress in 1999.
Since then, he has established a network of nonprofit and lucrative business ventures. He also has churned out a steady stream of books and made frequent speaking engagements.
In recent months, Gingrich has lambasted Obama's federal health care reform law, and has criticised the Democrat's foreign policy as "clueless".
Gingrich is dogged by extramarital affairs and having been married three times. He has been working to make inroads with social conservatives critical to the Republican primary base, highlighting his conversion to Roman Catholicism after marrying his third wife, Callista.
He has also been criticised as a glib political figure who is not long on consistency in public statements.
He calls for a muscular approach to combating terrorism. But he was widely mocked recently for an about-face on Libya policy.
First he said he would "exercise a no-fly zone" and get rid of Muammar Gaddafi. Two weeks later, he said: "I would not have intervened. ... I would not have used American and European forces."
The early running for next year's elections has been highly unusual in that possible Republican candidates have been very late in announcing their intentions.
While the initial field is expected to be crowded, it is more divided than usual, given that the Republican mainstream faces a splintering off of ultraconservative Tea Party factions and others with populist or libertarian messages.
According to Gallup polling records dating back to 1952, when General Dwight D Eisenhower was the party standard-bearer, the Republicans have never been without a leading candidate at this stage in the campaign cycle.
So far and in addition to Gingrich, only former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum have taken the first official step by forming campaign exploratory committees.
About a dozen Republicans are believed to be contemplating a candidacy.
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Thousands rally in support of Bogota mayor
Mayor Gustavo Petro refuses to accept Colombian government's decision to order him out and ban him from politics.
Petro was dismissed by the inspector general over last year's showdown with private garbage collectors [AFP]
Gustavo Petro, the mayor of Colombia's capital, has told thousands of his supporters that the city will become ungovernable if he is ousted from office.
"Bogota will enter a crisis of governability," Petro said when speaking from a city hall balcony on Tuesday night, refusing to accept the government's decision to order him out of office and ban him from politics for 15 years.
Petro has called supporters into the streets for two consecutive nights.
And in front of 40,000 supporters in Bogota's Bolivar Square, he accused the inspector general of doing the bidding of Colombia's far right, which has a history of slaughtering leftist politicians and opposing President Juan Manuel Santos' peace talks in Havana with Colombia's main rebel group.
Petro defended his office saying, "We have governed with zero corruption."
Alejandro Ordonez, Colombia's inspector general, announced the decision to depose Petro on Monday citing the mayor's behaviour in last year's showdown with private garbage collectors as unconstitutional.
A pattern
Ordonez said Petro violated principles of commercial competition and freedom when he fired garbage collection contractors and replaced them with a city-run service.
Ordonez's office has the power to investigate and fire public officials and in 2010 he removed prominent leftist politician Piedad Cordoba from the senate and barred her from political office for 18 years.
Ordonez also dismissed another leftist Bogota mayor in 2011 who was under investigation for corruption related to alleged construction contract kickbacks. He was imprisoned later that year and is currently on trial.
As a senator, Petro investigated the influence of far-right armed groups in Colombian politics. And he uncovered a scandal in 2006 that led to criminal conspiracy convictions of dozens of politicians.
The probe made him a national figure and he finished third in the 2010 presidential election. But his popularity plummeted not long after he was elected mayor of Bogota.
Long-time allies quit his administration and called him stubbornly autocratic as he has sought to place privatised services under municipal control.
Petro is expected to remain in office until all appeals are exhausted. It is not known when elections will be held.
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Bali bombers' appeal rejected
Appeals by three men convicted over the 2002 Bali attack have been rejected.
18 Jul 2008 01:39 GMT
The bombings killed 202 people, mostly Western tourists [Al Jazeera]
The three men have repeatedly said they would not seek clemency because such a request has to be accompanied by an admission of wrongdoing.
The three men - Amrozi, Ali Gufron and Imam Samudra - were sentenced to death in autumn 2003 for their part in the bombings, which killed 202 people, most of them Western tourists.
The men have said the attacks were in revenge for Muslim deaths in Afghanistan and elsewhere and that they were sanctioned under their interpretation of Islam.
Indonesia never reveals when executions are going to take place in advance, and there were no indications on Thursday that their deaths were imminent.
Mohammad Mahendradata, the men's lawyer, said he had yet to be informed of the court's decision.
He said he would attempt to challenge it further, but gave no more details.
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Australia approves uranium exports to India
Labor Party conference approves PM's plan, despite Delhi not being signatory of nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Australia possesses nearly 40 per cent of the world's known uranium reserves [Reuters]
Australia's ruling Labor Party has approved plans to open up uranium sales to India, clearing the way for talks on a bilateral nuclear agreement and resolving an issue that has caused diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Sunday's vote at the party's annual policy conference in Sydney overturned its own ban on selling uranium to countries such as India, that are not signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Australia already sells uranium to China, the US, Japan and Taiwan.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced her intention to open sales in November and successfully pushed the new policy through the conference, despite an often heated debate and chants from protesters who remain opposed to nuclear energy and weapons.
The policy change does not need to be approved by parliament, and the conservative opposition supports the sales.
Uranium-hungry India
"We should take a decision that is in our nation's interest, a decision about strengthening our strategic partnership with India in this the Asian century," Gillard said before the vote.
"The [nuclear non-proliferation] treaty does not require that signatories sell nuclear fuel only to other signatory countries."
Australia, which has no nuclear power stations of its own, possesses nearly 40 per cent of the world's known uranium reserves, but supplies only 19 per cent of the world market.
India, Asia's third-largest economy, has long complained about the Australian ban and wants more access to uranium to meet an ambitious target for nuclear energy, with plans to build 30 nuclear power stations in the next 20 years.
The move to allow sales to India comes three years after the US also agreed to support Mumbai's civil nuclear programme, overlooking the country's shunning of the NPT.
"Let's just face facts here, our refusal to sell uranium to India is not going to cause India to decide that it will no longer have nuclear weapons," Gillard said.
Nuclear safeguards
Australia's uranium industry welcomed the policy shift, which it said could lead to more Indian investment in the country's mining projects.
"Chinese, Japanese and Russian companies are seeking out these opportunities and we would expect Indian companies will do the same," Australian Uranium Association chief executive Michael Angwin said.
He said India would potentially buy up to 2,500 tonnes of Australian uranium a year by 2030, although the first sales could still be some years away, as it could take several years to negotiate a nuclear safeguards agreement.
Before selling uranium, Australia negotiates nuclear safeguards agreements with customer nations to ensure nuclear
material can only be used for energy and not for nuclear weapons.
Australia now has four mines: BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam, potentially the world's biggest; Energy Resources Australia's Ranger mine; the Beverly mine, owned by US company General Atomics; and Honeymoon mines, owned by Uranium One and Mitsui & Co.
Canberra has forecast uranium exports to rise from around 10,000 tonnes a year to 14,000 tonnes in 2014, worth around A$1.7bn ($1.74bn).
Labor split
Sunday's party vote was a victory for Gillard, but exposed deep divisions within the government over nuclear energy, with Transport Minister Anthony Albanese leading opposition to any sales to India or expansion of exports.
Albanese said since Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in March, most nations, including Germany, Switzerland and Italy, were winding back their commitment to nuclear energy.
"Under these circumstances, it is absurd that we should be expanding ours," Albanese told the conference.
Former anti-nuclear campaigner and rock singer Peter Garrett, whose band Midnight Oil railed against nuclear energy,
said Labor needed to honour its support for the NPT.
"Labor has a great disarmament tradition," Garrett, who is now Australia's schools education minister, told the conference. "Where is our vision here? Where is our commitment to a nuclear free future?"
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Syria and the promise of 2014
As the Syrian conflict has been raging for almost three years, what does the future hold for the war-torn nation?
29 Dec 2013 12:26 GMT | Politics, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon
The Syrian civil war has been raging for almost three years and 2013 has been a year of negotiations, intense diplomacy and even a threat of military action.
Both opposition and government forces have made significant gains in their battle for control of Syria. However, it became clear that neither the opposition nor the government is strong enough to win the war.
I believe that President Assad is going to be the man of 2104, he has to take tough decisions and has to keep the country together and as everybody knows he is the one who will keep Syria and the whole region stable and safe.
Haytham Sbahi, a pro-Syrian government political activist
The Syrian people are the ones who continue to suffer the brunt of this conflict. Families have been torn apart, entire communities ruined and schools and hospitals destroyed.
Since the start of the unrest in March 2011, more than 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed.
The conflict has created the world's worst refugee crisis in 20 years. More than two million Syrians have fled the country, seeking refuge in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. The United Nations believes that number could top three million in the coming year.
The number of people displaced from their homes has risen to 6.5 million. Many are living without adequate food or access to electricity and medical supplies.
There has been diplomatic movement though. In November, the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) agreed to a framework for peace talks in Geneva.
The SNC outlined several preconditions to its attendance but it seems to have dropped the most contentious one - that president Bashar al-Assad should step down before talks begin. Some of the other conditions must be met either before or after talks.
The SNC's wish list includes the release of prisoners, especially women and children; an easing of blockades on rebel-held areas through humanitarian corridors; and a promise that al-Assad will not have any role in the transitional period or the country's long-term future.
Inside Syria looks at where things stand right now and what is on the horizon of 2014.
Presenter Sami Zeidan discusses with guests: Anas al-Abdah, a member of the Syrian National Coalition; Joshua Landis, the director of the Centre for Middle East Studies and a professor at the University of Oklahoma; Haytham Sbahi, a Syrian political activist who is supportive of the Syrian government; and Jawad al-Shami, from the political office of the Islamic Front in Syria.
"This year 2013 has seen a big transformation in the way the world looks at the Syrian problem. The stalemate between Assad's forces and the new emerging Islamic front, which has been one of the big things that has come out of this year ... at the beginning of the year there were hundreds of militias, today the Islamic Front has brought together some of the biggest militias and it can speak, I suppose, for the rebels better than anybody else."
Joshua Landis, the director of the Centre for Middle East Studies
Lebanon: Sibling of Syria
With war in Syria threatening to spill over into Lebanon, we examine the two countries' shared history.
Politics, US & Canada, Iran, Iraq, Israel
Three years since the start of the uprising, nine million people have been displaced by fighting.
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Sorry, this product has been discontinued.
SKU: 1793 Category: Teak Mini-Magic Tags: Close-up, Teak Mini-Magic
ADVANCE NOTICE OF A SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION OF TWENTY-FIVE PIECES FROM ALAN WARNER FOR THE DISCERNING COLLECTOR OF FINE MAGIC APPARATUS
Three Top Quality Pieces Meticulously Handcrafted in Teak
AND TASTEFULLY DECORATED TO THE HIGH STANDARD EXPECTED OF THIS MASTER CRAFTSMAN
Fool’s Gold relates the story of an alchemist’s dream of transmuting base metals into pure gold: it is also the story of the practical joke he plays on his unsuspecting family, after his death, with a bequest of what have all the appearances of being two solid gold ingots.
The performer displays a wooden box which he claims was left to his father by his father’s fabulously eccentric, Great Uncle Jasper, an amateur alchemist who spent a lifetime experimenting with various formulas for transmuting base metals into pure gold. This box, the performer explains, allegedly contained the sum total of all of Jasper’s alchemical experiments.
The performer opens the lid of the box and takes out a casket. He then slides out a tray in the casket to reveal what would appear to be two small, solid gold ingots. The ingots are removed and the empty tray is then replaced in the cas-ket while the performer tells his audience of his father’s great excitement on discovering, not just these two gold ingots, but also a secret compartment in the casket. This, the performer continues, was apparently Great Uncle Jasper to a tee. Not only was he a great one for playing practical jokes on his family, he was also a very secretive man. The performer proves this by opening the secret compartment in the casket to reveal the piece of parchment it contains which certainly, so far as the performer’s father was concerned, clearly sets down Jasper’s formula for transmuting base metals into gold.
The performer then goes on to relate how his father then had the gold ingots assayed to establish their true worth, only to have his great expectations of fabulous wealth cruelly dashed. The ingots were totally worthless, merely gold-coloured. Furthermore, the formula that had been found in the secret compartment was incomplete. All, however, was not completely lost. ‘My father,’ the performer explains, ‘then had a strange dream in which the ghostly spectre of his Great Uncle Jasper appeared before him and with a twinkle in its eye, scolded him for his haste in not pausing for a moment to examine a little more closely, this other small box.’
The performer now removes a second small box from the larger wooden box and, taking off its lid, displays four small wooden tablets, each one of which features a mediaeval metal symbol – one for brass, one for copper, one for silver and one for iron. These four tablets, according to the spectre, were actually intended as a test of the performer’s father’s true worth as ONE OF THESE TABLETS WAS THE KEY THAT WOULD UNLOCK GREAT UNCLE JASPER’S SECRET. The spectre, however, then went on to advise the performer’s father that it would be up to someone else, with the aid of one of the four symbolical tablets, to be the judge of his true worth and that he must seek out this person, even if it took him a lifetime of searching. That person was to select one of the four tablets and if the right choice were made, the key would be revealed.
Unfortunately, the performer continues, his father failed to find this magical key and has since passed on. This task has now fallen on the performer’s shoulders and he has high hopes that the person he now asks to select one of the tablets will prove his true worth and lead him to the key to the missing part of the formula.
A spectator is selected to choose one of the tablets, the lid is replaced on the box containing the tablets, and if the right one has been chosen, in true alchemical tradition – according to what was foretold by the spectre – it will dematerialise and then materialise in the tray in the casket – hopefully with the elusive magic key!
The performer removes the lid of the small box to reveal that only three tablets remain, THE SELECTED TABLET HAS COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED! ‘This,’ he says, ‘is showing great promise…’ After all these years of search-ing for the key, he is about to find himself with cause for great celebration. He is about to become rich beyond his wildest dreams!
The performer picks up the casket and removes the tray, excitedly drawing attention to the fact that a single tablet has appeared in it. To his further excitement, it is THE TABLET SELECTED BY THE SPECTATOR!
When the performer turns the tablet over, he discovers that once again the family has been cheated of their expectation of great wealth. The reverse side of the selected tablet reveals nothing more than that a gold-coloured key has been engraved into it. ‘Well, I guess we shouldn’t be too disappointed,’ the performer says to the spectators. ‘Didn’t I warn you that Great Uncle Jasper liked his little practical joke?’
The box housing the four symbolic tablets is made of teak, with inlaid banding decorating its lid. The lid also features a small, inlaid, blue mosaic stone.
A spectator has an absolutely free choice of one of the four tablets. No force of any description is used to influence this choice.
The tablets can remain in the box while this selection is taking place, or the performer can remove them and then either he or the spectator can replace them in the compartments within the box. At the beginning of the routine, if the performer so desires, a spectator may remove the tray from the casket to reveal the two gold-coloured ingots. The special construction of this piece of apparatus enables the performer, at the conclu-sion of the effect, to pick up the casket and remove the tray, with one of the four tablets automatically appearing in the tray.
The casket, which is likewise made of teak, has a gold-coloured medieval symbol for gold mounted on the top of it. The outer box which houses the foregoing two pieces of apparatus is again made of teak and measures approximately 7.5 inches x 4 inches x 2 inches.
The lid of this box features a fretwork design, the centrepiece of which is real natural amber as supplied by Shipton & Co. of Birmingham, UK, Cutters and Mounters of Precious Stones since 1870.
A signed Certificate of Authenticity in regard to the real natural amber, together with the number of the box, is mounted on the underside of the lid of this box.
1 review for Fool’s Gold
George Guerra – August 31, 2004
Another worthy masterpiece from Alan
Having such a large collection of Alan’s magic, I thought he couldn’t surprise me. Well, I thought I had seen it all. After unpacking this latest limited release from Alan, I felt like a kid on Christmas day. The first thing you see is the large teak chest with the beautiful fretwork design topped by a natural amber at its center. Alan’s choice of teak wood on this chest is to be commended..lovely grain!
Inside the chest, fitted side by side are the box and the casket. The box design and workings is similar to the casket in Alan’s Flight of the Falcon. It’s square with a dark blue mosaic stone on the center. Black banding decorates the lip of the lid..excellent! But the REAL treat is in the casket with the gold alchemic symbol. The mechanics in this piece is simply amazing. The only other piece from Alan with comparable intricacy is his Voodoo. I just can’t find words to express my admiration over the workings. As I played with it, I could only revel in Alan’s talent for woodworking and the use of magnetic principles.
All I can say is to those still awaiting for their copy, you are in for a real treat from Alan. Many thanks, Alan and I will try to be patient for your next release.
Flim Flam
Black White Transpo
Fruiti
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Steelhead still bullish on LNG plans for Vancouver Island
Company confident market issues will have passed by the time proposed export facilities near Alberni and Mill Bay ready to go
Feb. 15, 2016 3:00 p.m.
An aerial photograph of the site of the proposed Sarita Bay LNG plant
Never mind the choppy waters, it’s still damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead for the firm behind Vancouver Island’s biggest industrial proposal in at least a generation.
Despite glum economic forecasts, political opposition and upheaval for one of its key partners, the CEO of Steelhead LNG says the company is still on track to meet its planned schedule on whether to proceed with a multi-billion-dollar plan to build two liquified natural gas plants on Vancouver Island.
“We are on target, given the schedule we had before,” Steelhead CEO Nigel Kuzemko said.
Kuzemko’s comments come in the wake of Tuesday’s throne speech where Premier Christy Clark pledged the B.C. government’s continued commitment to LNG exports, despite project delays and a global glut of oil and gas.
The Shell-led LNG Canada project proposed for Kitimat has postponed its final investment decision until the end of the year, while the Petronas-led Pacific Northwest LNG proposed for Prince Rupert is also behind schedule.
In June, the International Energy Agency warned a flood of new LNG supply was coming onto the market. It suggested new plants would struggle to get off the ground as current LNG prices would not justify the capital cost.
But Kuzemko said Steelhead representatives are confident that by the time its project is operational, the markets in China and Japan will be much improved.
“2020-plus is a very different market,”he said. “The excess product will be used up by then.”
On Oct. 2, Steelhead LNG announced National Energy Board approval for a license to export up to 30 million tonnes of liquified natural gas per year over a 25-year period from two proposed sites.
Steelhead had previously announced proposals to build export facilities on each Vancouver Island coast: a $30 billion facility at Sarita Bay, about 75 kilometres southwest of Port Alberni, and a smaller floating terminal at the Bamberton site just south of the Mill Bay ferry terminal.
The Sarita Bay proposal is being explored with the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, while the Mill Bay project is proceeding in conjunction with the Malahat First Nation.
The latter band received a jolt Wednesday with the announcement three top economic development officials had been dismissed as part of an ongoing review of governance and finances initiated by new Chief Caroline Harry and her council shortly after they were elected in November.
Previous chief Michael Harry resigned last summer amidst allegations he was receiving a consulting fee from the owners of a controversial contaminated soil treatment facility near Shawnigan Lake.
That occurred just prior to the band’s Aug. 20 announcement that a long-term lease deal had been reached with Steelhead for the Mill Bay plant.
Kuzemko said Steelhead is continuing to work with the new chief and council to iron out any concerns they may have.
“Every organization goes through this, particularly after a political change,” he said. “The deal that we signed is still in place.”
The Mill Bay plant has come under fire from some neighbours around Saanich Inlet, who say it comes with too much environmental risk. The Cowichan Valley Regional District last week formalized its opposition due to those environmental concerns.
“We should make it clear that the Cowichan Valley, or anywhere else in B.C. For that matter, is not the place for this kind of project,” Shawinigan Lake Director Sonia Furstenau said.
Kuzemko said on a global perspective LNG is environmentally superior to the Asian coal plants it will replace. On a closer-to-home level, he said the technology is proven to be safe and the proposal can be adjusted.
“We need to understand what the major concerns are, and, indeed, the minor ones,” he said. “We are well before the design stage. We can design it to mitigate all concerns that people have.
Proponents point to the up to 200 direct, high-paying long-term jobs the plant is expected to provide once operational.
The larger Sarita Bay project, meanwhile, remains in the feasibility study stage. It promises between 300 and 400 jobs.
Job estimates on the planning and construction of each project, as well as the spin-off jobs number in the thousands.
Feeding each plant proposal are a pair of proposed pipelines, the first running for 75 kilometres undersea from Cherry Point Washington directly to Mill Bay, the second connecting the Island’s east coast to Sarita Bay.
Before proceeding with either project, Steelhead LNG needs to overcome a number of regulatory approvals.
Should a positive final investment decision be made in 2018 as planned, the Mill Bay plant is expected to be operating by 2022. The Sarita Bay project is operating on a timeline of a 2020 decision and a 2024 completion date.
— with files from Black Press
Homelessness in focus again
Variable ferry pricing to become a permanent fixture next year
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Marielle Livesey, MS ’12
How does a green sea turtle’s choice of where she lays her eggs affect her babies’ survival? The answer to that question will help conservationists who work with the endangered turtles.
Marielle Livesey, a master’s candidate at Antioch University New England (AUNE), went looking for an answer, and spent two months last year in Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico, studying the endangered green sea turtle. Her work-a thesis for her master’s degree in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Conservation Biology, at AUNE- will eventually project how the population of the turtle, affected by global warming, will look in the year 2100.
Marielle, working with Central Ecologico Akumal (CEA) through an internship with Science Exchange at San Diego State University, gathered extensive data on sixty-two green sea turtles. As a result of her work collecting data on how a female choses her nest site, and the conditions in the nest during the incubation period, Marielle hopes to make a recommendation to CEA conservationists about whether they should build a hatchery for sea turtles in order to mitigate the effects of global warming. With the data collected, CEA conservation managers now know how to closely replicate the natural habitat and artificially incubate the eggs under the same conditions.
Choosing a Nesting Site
A female green sea turtle climbs onto the beach to lay her eggs, searches for just the right place to lay her eggs, digs a bed and then a chamber and drops her eggs. Finally, after much effort covering her nest, she returns to the ocean about two hours later. After two months, the baby turtles hatch and make their own way to the water from the nest. Where the nests are located may have a lot to do with if the hatchlings survive. Nests sites built closer to the water are more likely to be flooded and lost to erosion, while nests built farther inland are more likely to be dehydrated, or the females, eggs, and hatchlings destroyed by predators.
Marielle collected data along the track of each of the females until the turtle stopped at the place she perceived as the most conducive to producing a high success rate for her hatchlings, thereby increasing her reproductive fitness. Once the female laid her eggs, Marielle collected additional data at the nest site and, when the eggs hatched, she collected data on the clutch size and both the hatchling success and survival rates. (All hatchlings that live through the incubation and hatch do not make it to the top of the nest to crawl out, so two different numbers are significant).
Protecting the Sea Turtles of Akumal
CEA promotes conservation initiatives in the resort town, encouraging hotels, resorts, businesses, and tourists to act responsibly and to respect the surrounding marine habitat. Akumal, located on the Yucatan Peninsula’s Caribbean coast, means “Place of the Turtles” in Mayan. Its beaches are a nesting ground for the green sea turtle, a big attraction for tourists who come to Akumal’s beach-front hotel and tourist community. It’s one of the only locations in the world where people can snorkel and swim with the sea turtles and other marine species for free in their natural ocean habitat. At night, when the sea turtles come to nest, some resorts move their sun-tanning chairs from the beach to accommodate the arriving females, replacing them in the morning.
Marielle, a Boston native, always had a love for endangered species. While she was attending the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, during a study-abroad semester at Macquarie University in Australia she researched the science of sex as the underlying principle of reproduction, with an eye to applying the knowledge to conservation of endangered species. Her capstone project was on sea turtle populations in Costa Rica, which led to her interest in sea turtles.
As a student in AUNE’s conservation biology program, Marielle also learned how to use ArcGIS software through an internship with the Nature Conservancy. And now, a new graduate, she plans to use her skills and education to find a job in North Carolina integrating sea turtles, marine science, and ecology with GIS technology.
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